#they are siblings ever to me and thus i care so much for their dynamic and try to write it as well as i can... its not perfect but thats ok

[stillness-in-green]

What do you think of shouto's arc? As a person who uh. used to be pretty similar to his "earlyroki" incarnation for lots of similar reasons I find it really reassuring that he gets to be a happy person who is generally content(somewhat negated by the treatment of Endeavor in the story admittedly lol)

Hey, anon; I'm touched that you'd come to me, a dedicated endgame hater with a question like this. I appreciate the interest and/or faith! This reply is going to talk a lot about the family in general and the broader themes of the story, as well as Endeavor and Dabi and their own arcs, but I've tried to keep tethering it back to Shouto throughout and at the end.

Shouto isn’t a character I devote a ton of thought to—I’m so-so on most of the Heroes at the best of times, and Dabi is an easy pick for my least favorite of the core League.  For a long while, Endeavor actually was my favorite of the Todorokis because I found him the most interesting—that went out the window in the last war, alas, as it became clear that the narrative had no intention of meaningfully grappling with his repeated failures to work with and prioritize his family despite his repeated promises to do so.

As to Shouto, though, I suppose I have three major thoughts: that he does okay for himself, that he got a bit shafted all the same by the decision not to kill Endeavor, and that I wish I felt more confident that his arc had any impact at all on his opinions about the Hero System.

(Hit the jump.)

Taking the last of those first, as it’s the point that involves Shouto himself the least, the systemic problems of the setting were always my primary interest with regard to the conflict between Heroes and Villains.  Because I was invested in relatively few of the Heroes, and also because the story was pretty assiduous about not letting the League kill off any characters the reader could reasonably be expected to give a shit about anyway, I never bought into stuff like Deku getting righteously fired up about the people Shigaraki had hurt.  For the most part, I cared about the Hero/Villain interpersonal dynamics only insomuch as they served as a path for the Heroes to recognize the scope of the real issues they needed to be addressing, and the Villains as—while dangerous—ultimately victims of those issues.

Unfortunately for me, the Todoroki plotline is ultimately treated by the overarching narrative as being, by and large, self-contained, unconnected and unreflective of the broader society in which it plays out.  Thus, while Uraraka connects Toga’s tragedy to the lack of acceptance of her quirk and devotes herself to finding some way to correct for that problem going forward, Shouto and Enji don’t make that same connection between Dabi’s tragedy and the problems in Hero Society that led to it.  Touya is, to be sure, primarily a victim of Enji’s choices, with Dabi being the ultimate result, but while no one forced Enji to make the choices he made, they were not made in a vacuum.

By my count, there are three ways in which the structure of Hero Society failed Todoroki Touya and his siblings, only one of which impacted them directly.  Firstly, Hero Society demonstrates a studied lack of concern for the mental health of orphaned children, which meant that young Enji was never going to get appropriate amounts of grief counselling, meaning there was nothing to inhibit his spiraling obsession with strength.[1]  Secondly, that obsession was given a perfect frame to build on in the form of the Hero ranking system.  And thirdly, we have no evidence that the Todoroki family was so much as mildly probed by law enforcement or regulatory bureaus about the string of accidents and tragedies facing it.[2]

1: From the Shimura Kotarou of forty goddamn years ago to the Izumi Kouta of the present, there is zero reason to believe that Enji would ever have gotten professional psychological help following his father’s death.

2: One might also add a fourth consideration, that being the whole-ass Himura situation that led to Rei feeling her abusive marriage was as inescapable as it was.  Perhaps if she felt less trapped by her family’s need—itself entirely a result of quirk-based bigotry, remember, so that’s a fifth societal consideration!—then maybe she would have been more willing to try taking the kids and leaving, or seeking help from authorities.  My focus here, however, is more on things that could have directly circumvented Endeavor's abuse, so I’ll leave the other factors here.

But BNHA doesn’t probe any of this, either, nor does Shouto.  The only people other than Endeavor who are remitted any scraps of responsibility about Dabi’s entire existence are All For One (for saving Touya’s life!) and Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo, collectively given a few moments in which they regret not doing more. Otherwise, Endeavor is allowed whole and unadulterated blame for the situation.  It’s not something Shouto blames on any outside parties or circumstances, and so, once it’s resolved, he makes no efforts to try to address any of the very obvious contributing factors.

While it’s very much to Shouto's credit that he put so much proactive effort and thought into stopping “his” Villain without causing further harm—by far the most forethought of any of the students with Villain foils!—I’m not as positive about how he just lets everyone but his rotten father off the hook.  It’s a problem I think is less about Shouto as a person and more about the meta-narrative’s sudden third-act unwillingness to engage in systemic critique, but a problem it remains, given that it’s the systemic critique that I really wanted.

Moving on, I also think Shouto’s arc is severely hindered by Horikoshi changing his mind about not killing off Endeavor.  I’m not one of those people who thought Endeavor had to die to make up for his crimes, or who desperately wanted him dead because he’s an abuser and All Abusers Should Die, Actually.  Solely looking at it from the perspective of Endeavor’s arc, I think he should have lived!  It’s much more interesting for him to live and have to grapple with the consequences of his actions!

…But that would require that he actually have to grapple with said consequences.  Which he doesn’t.  And if he was not going to, and the story was not going to address him not going to, then yeah, absolutely, he should have died.  What’s the point of him surviving if he’s going to face no story-impacting consequences?  Feeling sad and bad about it, and getting yelled at once or twice by nameless bit characters, do not count as story-impacting consequences, I’m afraid.

More to the point, though, that’s Endeavor’s arc.  Endeavor’s arc, however, badly needed to take a backseat to Shouto’s arc, and probably Dabi’s, too!  While I think Endeavor could have survived without his arc torpedoing the arcs of his sons, that’s definitely not the story we got.  And I think this is in large part because Horikoshi didn’t change the story enough to account for Endeavor’s survival.

The echoes of that original story are all over the third act.  Consider:

Endeavor does nothing of consequence in the Edgy Deku arc.  His press conference doesn’t prevent societal breakdown; he limply defers to Deku in ways that let him remain active while ensuring those actions have no impact on the plot; he makes no major contributions to Hawks and Jeanist’s talks about the Villains; he’s not involved with the plans for the second war; and finally, we learn nothing from the hospital flashbacks that we couldn’t have gotten from any of the other family members, instead.      

We get early hints about too many quirks causing mental breakdowns, and this foreshadowing is fulfilled in Spinner’s corroded perceptions at the hospital—but miraculously, Lady Nagant has no problem at all with having an extra quirk.  Sure, she’s only got the one extra, and maybe it doesn’t happen every time, but…  Isn’t it a little odd that she comes out of nowhere, with very minimal foreshadowing, an elaborate HPSC backstory that Hawks shares, and the combination of quirks she’s packing is one that precisely replicates Hawks’s “long-distance flying attacker” shtick?  It’s pitifully easy to imagine a scenario in which Endeavor’s death in the first war leads to Hawks going rogue.  Also, while I don’t know exactly what circumstances would lead to him and Deku fighting, I do think Deku’s platitudinous speech about light and dark and reaching out to people feels far more tailored to a Hawks who only just went rogue than it does a woman betrayed by her own bosses who hates shallow platitudes, especially coming right on the heels of Deku rescuing Overhaul in a way that strongly echoes Hawks’s reflexive rescue of Twice but carries no inherent meaning for Lady Nagant.[3]       3: See here for the whole rant about this, but the short version is that it’s goddamn absurd that Lady Nagant hates platitudes and shoots at Overhaul on the assumption that Deku will have to save him, only for her heart to be changed by Deku’s platitudes and saving of Overhaul.      

Speaking of Hawks, the whole matter of Twice’s death goes less than nowhere, which makes one wonder what was the point of including it as an ethical dilemma at all? The public didn’t care, Hawks faced no consequences for it, and he was never forced to change his stance or grapple with his decision in any way, to the point that when he’s faced with the same situation later, he makes the exact same judgement, and this is something the narrative doesn’t even seem to notice, much less address.  Toga’s very personal feelings of hatred for Hawks get relegated to a single shallow knife slash from a clone that doesn’t even manage to leave a goddamn scar.  And all this lack of consequence leaves Hawks free to be reduced to nothing but an Endeavor Supporter in the final arc, possibly because whatever his arc could have been was incompatible with Endeavor’s survival, leaving Hawks with no final arc of his own but also no established place in anyone else’s.      

Endeavor’s dream about the family eating dinner around the table but him not being there, on top of Shouto’s stated intention to eat soba with his brother—seems like foreshadowing for an ending in which the family eats dinner around a table, doesn’t it!  But because Endeavor lives, Natsuo cuts contact in a way he’d have had no reason to do if Endeavor had died, and so there can be no family dinner, and Shouto’s soba thing has to be relegated to a frankly pretty thin line of dialogue about mutual favorite foods rather than an actual shared meal.      

The whole thing about buying/building a new house for Rei and the kids to live in so they can be away from the bad memories in Endeavor’s house.  Does that happen?  It kinda seems like that doesn’t happen, given that Rei seems perfectly happy to be pushing Enji around in a wheelchair at the end!      

The strange replay tape finale version of Shoto beating Dabi, where he does the exact same move twice, just once alone and once in the presence of family.  Almost like Horikoshi only came up with the one idea?      

The fact that the family promises to deal with Touya together but then Endeavor not only spends a chunk of time running from Dabi when he does arrive, but even when he does finally try to talk, he can’t because Dabi’s brain is so overboiled that he’s incapable of rational conversation—even though he was having rational conversation with Shouto some five minutes prior!  And then it’s Shouto and the family’s ice that actually save Dabi from those consuming flames, with Endeavor contributing nothing to that finale—huh, almost like the family saving Touya wasn’t written to include Enji to begin with!      

The Geten as a Himura reveal feels super vestigial.  I like it, mind you!  I like it a lot!  And I don’t know exactly how it would have factored into a version of the endgame in which Endeavor died, save that the Dabi-Geten combo really feels like The Final Boss Scenario That Wasn’t for Shouto—one guy with fire hotter than his who hates their father and Shouto personally, and one guy who can take control of any ice around him and stop it from melting and who hates the other side of Shouto’s family![4]  But instead Geten just winds up in prison and the Himura reveal does nothing but handwave Dabi having latent ice powers, which didn’t need a Himura reveal to justify it since we already knew Dabi had a physical compatibility with ice!  And even, via Shouto himself, that the mixing of ice and fire could produce a quirk with elements of both!  Geten being a Himura simply feels like a relic of a story in which Geten had more of a role to play, and while that may be my bias because I feel like the entire MLA was set up for a bigger role than they wound up having, it’s still easy to wonder if part of the whole, “We’ll deal with Touya as a family,” promise would have involved facing the other side of the family’s damage as well. 4: While also espousing a writ large version of Endeavor’s own Strength Is All That Matters mentality and still being a victim of eugenicist machinations masterminded by Shouto’s relatives!  Truly it is a mystery to me how Geten could just get defeated by Cementoss when he’s such a perfect distillation of so many of the issues swirling in and behind Shouto’s family situation. He even connects to a potential systemic critique in his ties to the MLA, who are practically nothing but systemic critiques of Hero Society.

And so on and so forth.

Shouto is a major character: by far one of the most prominent student characters, Deku’s first real victory in terms of changing someone’s heart, a foil for one of the central Villains, and with a profound insight into the kinds of damage the current system encourages and then willfully ignores.  He desperately needed an arc that centered him and his perspective.  But that arc also has to contend with Dabi, and Dabi as-written simply cannot convincingly prioritize Shouto when Endeavor is still alive.

There are certainly signs that Dabi did care for his other family members at one point in time, most prominently that he thinks remorsefully about how he acted towards them when he wakes up after Sekoto Peak, and emphasizes that he has to apologize to them.  But when the story so prioritizes Dabi’s obsession with Endeavor, to the point that he’s gleefully endangering the rest of the family’s lives and peace by sending dangerous Villains to their door, airing videos outing Endeavor as a domestic abuser, and talking about Shouto like he wants to leave him disemboweled on the Endeavor Agency’s front stoop, then that obsession has to be dealt with in some way before I’m remotely capable of believing that anyone other than Endeavor can get through to him.

So, Endeavor could have died, which would have neatly deprived Dabi of that driving focus that kept him going—what does he do without it?  That’s a question Shouto could have given him an answer for.

Endeavor could have fallen into a coma, leaving genre savvy readers confident he’d eventually pull through but the characters themselves in a state of muddled emotions about when or if he’d ever regain consciousness—that’s a half-measure, but I like it better than the half-measure we got.[5]

5: And heck, maybe we could have gotten Dabi trying to invade Central Hospital alongside Spinner and the heteromorph army, since that plot included a number of small nods to the Todoroki plot anyway via Spinner reflecting on Dabi’s unstoppable will and Shouji on Shouto’s strength of character.  Also, you know, more chances to poke at Dabi and Shouto’s tendency towards calling heteromorphs derisive animal names.  Probably not a scenario that does the heteromorph mob scene any favors, I’ll grant, but it would be hard to make it worse.

Heck, I could even see a version of the story where the narrative was simply more cynical about Endeavor’s ability to prioritize his professed atonement.  All his actions in the story as we have it show him continuing to prioritize his Hero duties despite his repeated claims that he intends to prioritize his family.  If the story actually recognized that contradiction, it could build Dabi up to a point of screaming frustration that I could, hypothetically, see Shouto breaking through.  Endeavor could still be trying, still be sincere, but if his ego or a rational decision to prioritize the lives of strangers over those of his family mean he cannot ever be counted upon to truly put his family first, then maybe that would be something the rest of the family could tackle.  Alternatively, the whole story could have had a mindset more like Natsuo’s, with the goal being to cut Endeavor off because his desire to atone, regardless of its sincerity, does not entitle him to a presence in the lives of those he hurt.  But none of is an option when the story itself is cheering for Endeavor the way BNHA does.

For Shouto’s arc to be at its best, something needed to give.  Dabi needed to be more open to the rest of the family from the start, or Endeavor’s desire for atonement needed to be complicated or stymied in some way that made it not feasibly attainable, be it his narcissism, his health, or the whole story’s outlook on abusers trying to atone and whose perspective to center in a story involving such abuse.  But with the Dabi we have and the Endeavor the story insists on, Shouto’s arc itself is what wound up giving.  It certainly has its moments, but I can’t imagine a world in which it wouldn’t have been far, far better served by Endeavor kicking the bucket as originally planned, allowing the brothers to confront each other, properly and fully, with Shouto the primary driver in saving Touya rather than having to constantly fight for screentime in his own finale.

That all said, I can definitely see the perspective that Shouto is just one kid from a shitty family situation and he does not deserve being called upon to solve the problems of the whole world and wrangle his family damage for the rest of time.  It’s not what I would have prioritized, in that I have pretty steep meta-narrative demands for a class of kids that we’re being told collectively became the greatest heroes, but from a more grounded, realistic, in-story, individual frame of mind, I think it’s wonderful that Shouto is exploring who he is as a person separate from his family issues and the career he semi-chose when he was in pre-K.

No sarcasm here; I do actually quite like his last scene.  I have some quibbles with the framing—I don't like that the rankings still exist, and I think he should just be allowed to go on sabbatical rather than trying to fit time for self-improvement/self-exploration classes in between Hero work, if we’re really meant to believe that the Villain incident rate is declining.  But just in concept, taking pottery classes and cooking classes and figuring himself out? Good for him!  That’s wonderful!  He did his best and he deserves every inch of it.

That is all to say, what I want from a fictional character in a relatively moralistic narrative is not what I would want from a real person in a situation anything like Shouto's, and while I don't love what we got in the former regard, I’m glad that people who empathize/identify with him can take comfort in the ending he did get. You, anon, and any others to whom that applies, deserve all that and more.

Thanks for the ask!

[artuurle]

The way you draw Huzzle Mug so expressive is great. I love when you draw it using its hands very expressively and being quite emotional <3

Thank you! I very much Love drawing and pushing expressions for Huzzle Mug! It is a fun design to play with expressions wise since in game it is already super expressive :) I very much see Huzzle mug as a side on the same coin as Bauhauzzo- easily lost in its own emotions and lets them potentially dictate it's actions- after all it believed Bauhauzzo actually willingly betrayed it and no longer was its friend in game after his "BETRAEULTRY!!" . They both rely heavily on the other god to ground them emotionally and function without getting lost in the waves of their emotions.

Bauhauzzo calms Huzzle when it gets worked up, and Huzzle brightens Bauhauzzo up so he doesn't lose himself in the past and can look to the future.

[dontbesoweirdkira]

A/N: Thinking about Yan! Platonic Tim Drake with a medic! batsis. I don't know, Tim just gives me the vibes where he'd go to the extent of faking and sustaining injuries just for his sis's attention. Like that one comic inspired this low-key...ya'll hear me out.

Warnings: symptoms of factitious disorder/munchausen syndrome, self-injury, brief mentions of vomiting, obsession, unhealthy family dynamics..

Masterlist

Requests: always open

You're not actually certified or anything but just someone who often finds herself patching up the family after their patrols thus is claimed as the family's medic. Despite your lack of formal training, your skills are actually fairly good to the point they'll often come to you for a quick stitch so they don't bleed out on the way to the hospital or while waiting for Alfred.

We all know that Tim often gets himself hurt the most when he goes out. While he's arguably the smartest robin, he definitely not the strongest. And small dogs can't help but throw themselves into the line of fire....

So more often then not when someone was coming to you for stitches or to be patched up, it was your brother Tim.

You didn't mind too much, actually you enjoyed taking care of him the most. Tim was always a trooper, even while pouring alcohol on his open gashes. He stayed still, polite and was rather good company. A nice contrast to your brother Jason who'd often spew curses and was rather brash while you helped him.

Tim found himself really enjoying being taken care of by you too. He didn't often have the time or energy to spend with his siblings because between solving cases, school and being robin...all his time was gone. It was always late at night, before bed when everything was finished when he'd quietly chat with you while he patched up. The best thirty minutes he could ever spare. You were just so gentle and attentive with him, something he hadn't had since moving away from him bio family. He missed this domestic feeling, it was nice having someone care so much about him. His chest felt warm as you send a million apologies his way anytime he'd wince...He could almost die when you gave him a head pat for getting through all of it.

Tim feels so important when you're caring for him, it's so nice to be remembered...it's an addicting drug that he needed to keep getting high off of

Tim knew it was wrong to be reckless out in the city but...he couldn't help getting excited about the thought of you patching him up again..Just a few cuts was enough to spend a few valuable minutes with you again.

It's kind of crazy because he lives in the same house with you and could just spend time whenever but it wasn't the same in his mind. There wasn't any reason to be gentle with him when he wasn't hurt. You didn't pay extra attention or give him the same affection...he only mattered to you when he was hurt. That wasn't true but in his twisted his it was.

So Tim started being really reckless...not just on patrol but like..all of the time. If he decided to skateboard home, he's purposefully do some crazy trick on the top of the stairs...if he was on patrol he'd practically run to get hit by someone three times his size..

The more hurt he'd be, the happier because the worse the injury, the more attention he'd receive. Which would set off so many alarm bells because why are you so happy to be in pain. Like you are so weirded out as he's smiling up as you as you are fixing a stab wound.

Do you think he's made himself physically sick too? He'd chug down these horrible concoctions just to make himself vomit or manufacture fevers just so he can rest in your arms.

Maybe even sometimes he'd fake injuries just like he did with the whole knee brace situation..Such an attention whore gosh.

Like this man comes to you and is like "Hey! I think I am bleeding internally and my ribs are broken, please fix it sis." No, Timothy. You have to explain to him that you don't have the knowledge, skills or equipment to fix that. That he needs to go to the hospital right away and you're just freaking out. He's begging you to please help him and refusing medical attention for literally everyone else but you...

Did Bruce have to pull some strings to let the doctors let you assist in his medical treatment? Yes. He's so insane.

He also starts becoming jealous of the other siblings when you're patching them up. They don't deserve your attention. Alfred can take care of them, why do they all need you?? You're his sister, not theirs. UGHH He'd be on the verge of a freak out as you patch up Cass and Dick. Can you imagine how upset he'd be???

..and don't ever try to ban Tim from being taken care of by you. It doesn't matter that you put two and two together and realized he was doing this all for you,,,,just do your job! He needs you to take care of him.

Yan! Tim is far more unhinged than Dick so I can just imagine him getting himself severely hurt in front of you and you'd have no choice but to quickly do something about it....He's so fucked, I love him. Hopefully you've given him some stickers and a lollipop for all his troubles.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

You know, I think Killer getting reunited with his brother after his escape with Color would be really interesting, whether it goes well or horribly wrong.

If it goes well, it would be really interesting to see how Something New Paps deals with Killer not really being his brother (though I am of the idea that he'd love Killer for Killer as well. I just also think it would mean him grieving his brother yet again. This time knowing he'll never have his brother back). It would also be cool to see how he'd get along with the Epic Sanses. I also really would love to see explored what his tentative new dynamic with Killer might be, and how that may change Killer's dynamic with the others too (would he be less codependent with Color with Paps in the picture? Or would he just become dependent on both?).

If it goes horribly, well, it would be interesting to see exactly how horribly. Would Killer panic enough to kill him again? How would he react to that after so long? Would Killer even believe that that's his brother? Would he just deny everything and turn away and then be haunted by the possibilities forever?

I just hhhhhhhh. I've been thinking about them so much. I've never see content about them explored, ever, and the possibilities are giving me brainrot

Yes! This is the stuff I want to see with killer from this fandom. Not more of the same! Let me watch these doomed siblings suffer or heal. The angst having to grief the person you never knew you lost while they’re right in front of you, looking at you, looking through you—only it’s something else with your loved one’s face. Uncanny valley im telling you.

I personally think Papyrus will have a difficult time actually accepting that his brother is gone. Hed subconsciously see signs in Killer—same smile, same twist of the corner of the mouth even if the nature of the smile is different from when Sans told an awful pun, because now Killer is smiling like that when he tells horrible stories he seems to think aren’t horrific at all.

I think how this reunion unfolds definitely depends on the exact situation. If Killer is still trapped under Nightmare or not, or if Color has rescued him.

And if Papyrus has any memory of what Killer did to him and everyone else—because Killer did spend years upon years murdering and horrifically torturing Papyrus and all the others as if they were nothing more than toys.

Killer could look at him, and all Papyrus could see is that empty, dead eyed look as he screams and cries while Killer breaks his bones. As if Killer didn’t recognize who Papyrus was, and if he didn’t care who he was.

And Papyrus, how his reactions during those times could’ve affected Killer. He was in unimaginable pain, terror, and confusion. Hatred and anger and spite are understandable reactions. What are some things he might’ve said to Killer during these moments that stuck with Killer? Begging and pleading, cursing and screaming? Attempting to get Sans to “remember who he is”?

As the world Reset around Killer, did others eventually start changing too? Even if only in small easily missed ways, even if they forgot by the next Reset. Chara and Killer were always in search of something new, after all.

Could Killer trust himself at all around Papyrus? Or would he immediately start thinking about how he has killed him before, how Papyrus could be here for revenge or even worse—for Sans.

Would some part of Killer despise Papyrus for being weak enough to forgive him, just like he always did for the human? Would Killer feel the need to kill Papyrus again—believing it’s what it has to do to prevent something even worse (Stage 4), or perhaps out of panic as you mentioned, or even that anger at Papyrus or just the unimaginable confusion and stress and pain that Papyrus’ presence brings (Stage 3).

Would Papyrus’ presence disjoint Killer’s “placement” in time.

Would seeing him make Killer think he’s back in the Underground with Chara, and thus Papyrus is another enemy he has to deal with. Would he be unable to accept that the Papyrus in front of him is his Papyrus, or would he think it’s just one Papyrus out of a gazillion more, and therefore not worth wasting energy on?

I can definitely see Stage 1 being reluctant to actually be around Papyrus. Not because he hates him or is disgusted by his “weakness” and not even because he thinks he has to kill Papyrus—although he’s very aware that some parts of him very likely do think those things—not only because he can’t trust his own mind, his own desires, but also because he just..feels horrible around Papyrus.

He idealized this image of Papyrus and the life he thinks they used to have, but he has changed. He has done a lot of things. He couldn’t even accept a hug from Papyrus for very long without pushing him away in tears. I think he’d definitely benefit from having his brother back in his life, although I doubt it’d be a very frequent thing.

I can see many instances where guilt, fear, and shame just leads to him trying to “hide” from his emotions in Stage 2, which leads to the usual avoidance behaviors. Which may also lead to him subconsciously blaming Papyrus for being able to have any effect on him at all—given how Stage 2 views it when situations and people are able to make him “feel” anything. As if they are attempting to control him.

So many interesting possibilities—especially given how much Papyrus may know. How much knowledge is he working off?

{ @stellocchia }

[hanafubukki]

https://x.com/yuanw3i/status/1763617363168006529?s=20

Oh god , this is making me cackle and sad 💖

Cause this means Silver is the calm older child and Malleus is the younger brother who is so spoiled that he is throwing tantrum to save his family! Like he needs someone to slap his senses!!!!

Hello Sayo and Anonie 💚🌺🌸

I talked a bit about the sibling dynamics between Malleus and Silver in this post and I talked about Lilia’s parenting of them in this post (both of these posts were released before chapter 5 and 6 update in twst jp book 7)

So now’s a good time as any to update those posts a bit, though points from there still apply here.

Even if we count Silver sleeping thus making him over 400+, I don’t think their dynamics just equates to one is older than the other thus their actions equate to the “older/younger” sibling dynamic because of age.

I think it’s more based on behavior than anything. Honestly for me, while Malleus’ actions might seem spoiled and seems he’s throwing a tantrum to save his family while Silver might seem the calm one trying to stop him. It’s a matter of perspective 🤔

Malleus who was raised to be king and to be perfect, who couldn’t make mistakes, who saw Lilia change from his young years to now, who taught Sebek and Silver, and who as time went on, closed himself off still gives me the older of the two sibling dynamic. Especially when you consider that Malleus OB can be considered when the “older child” finally breaks after being under pressure for years.

Silver also still gives me the younger sibling vibes. He was raised by Lilia, Malleus, and the Zigvolts. He had expectations that he placed on himself because of this as well. Because of who his father is and who Malleus is. He also is more observant when it comes to Malleus as siblings are.

Both of them are aware of each other, comfort the other, and confide to each other, etc. as siblings do.

They want to help the one they care about. Malleus did OB after all because of how much he cares for Silver. Silver is rebelling against Malleus because this isn’t what Lilia would have wanted plus the fact that it’s literally going to kill Malleus.

Silver, I wouldn’t say is the calm one either, he’s able to hide his emotions (gee I wonder where he learned that from 🤦‍♀️), he also placed these burdens on himself that no one forced on him but because of his own perception.

While I believe that the older and younger sibling dynamic still falls on Malleus and Silver respectively.

I won’t say their dynamic is black and white in that way, in fact, I won’t say any sibling dynamics is black and white but more of a gray scale.

I say this as someone who is a younger sibling who has the responsibilities the “older siblings” usually does.

They both care for the other. Both show their protectiveness towards the other and their family in their own ways. They both have their own perception of their role in the family. They both have their views on certain topics and what they believe they are doing is right or wrong. And currently, those views are clashing. (To say it very simply).

Honestly, it just comes down to siblings being well siblings. They might not say it out loud that they are brothers, but their actions speak more than words will ever do.

They love each other and sometimes siblings clash and need their opinions heard and a few good punches need to be given 🤣

But everything will be alright in the end, because they love each other.

Now, let’s talk about Lilia’s parenting. Lilia’s parenting is…well, he tries his best and honestly, for his boys, that’s enough. (To a certain point)

There’s, of course, traits of the whole “raised the first one perfectly and the second one with more freedom as mentioned in the linked posts.

But Lilia raised them both the best he could with what he knew and his his abilities and what he didn’t? He learned, but that doesn’t mean he changed entirely.

With Malleus, Lilia was young and he raised and taught him what he could with his limitations. He learned to love because of Malleus. His world view changed because of Malleus. He accepted his ability to love and have love be returned because of him.

He also has to help Malleus and teach him how to act like a prince and future king when Malleus got older and more powerful. He was one of the few that Malleus would listen to after all.

But Lilia also learned from Malleus, how to savor food, the joy of spending time with others, and the joy of seeing someone smile. He helped Malleus get dressed. He taught Malleus about humans.

He loved and raised him as much as he was able.

With Silver, Lilia had more freedom, but remember that humans are different from fae. So Lilia had to learn that as well. He read books and what food would be good for humans. He had to learn about the difference in development of a human as well.

But that’s not to say, he did that all perfectly. He has help. Malleus who would make sure Silver was fed adequately and taught him magic and how to dance.

Be it fae or human, Lilia did learn, even though he was more “lenient” in raising Silver.

But what never changed was his ideals, he made sure that Malleus, Silver, and Sebek would be able to defends themselves. They would be able to survive without him. They can fend for themselves. He did what he knew best and what worked for him he did it for them. Because if he could survive and prosper these way, then so could they.

Lilia ‘seem’ to have a nonchalant attitude when it came to raising Silver versus Malleus. But the situations were different for both.

But is it really him being aloof? Or was it for him learning and caring the best way he could? And adapting? After all, like with the bat from the dorm card, Lilia wants his boys to be able to survive and thrive independently and this was his way of doing it.

But yeah 🤣 I still do agree that Lilia did take a more…carefree attitude with baby Silver before being lectured.

Thank you for sending this in Sayo and Anonie 💞💚

I always love talking about them and hearing what others think ☺️🥰

[thefayecoven]

Do people talk about Stevedrian (Steve x Adrian) on here? This is a crack ship I found on tiktok that caught my eye because of how absurd it was , and I ended up making a bunch of screenshot edits / art of them.

(I doubt it will but if this art catches your eye and you redistribute it remember to credit me-)

Tumblr has been lacking on content from me (sorry) so I’ll spill some details :3 In my extended owl house S3 AU, the Hexside students aren’t exactly without adult figures !

In the aftermath of the day of Unity, Steve manages to save Adrian and they end up traveling together upon not having many options + due to Steve’s general compassion and having related to Adrian’s sibling troubles, as he was having some of his own (Mattholomule heavily upset with him for knowing about the mission to put sigils on Hexside students and not putting a stop to it).

I’ll tap into Adrian’s backstory / his sibling and parents in another post, but long story short, Steve makes up with Matt and is permitted to stay to help with the efforts against the collector, and Adrian is permitted to stay solely because his sibling in Hexside hesitantly vouches for him under the guise of him being able to give them vital information only a coven head would know. And thus begins a Steve and Adrian rebellion partnership !

Even their acquaintanceship is rocky at first. This crack ship is definitely not an immediate thing, and romance isn’t even on the table until months after, so def not one of those stories if that’s what you’re looking for.

They don’t really have much of a choice other than to build a bond with one another given that they’re the only adults in the New Hexside boarding situation, but they do eventually. I’m lacking on details at the moment because I haven’t fully run through episodes (though I have lots of ideas!!) but Steve’s growing fondness of Adrian comes with Adrian’s development as a person.

Steve is civil to him in the beginning because that’s the kind of person he is, not because he liked Adrian or was fond of his personality. Adrian is a very selfish, vain individual after all.

It’s only after he begins to defend the students more, engage in teamwork, become less self absorbed and more of a caring individual (to a degree..) and focus more on those around him than himself and his needs that Steve is able to genuinely take a liking to him.

On the other hand, Steve doesn’t need to change as a person for Adrian to take a liking to him. Adrian just needed to get his head out of the gutter, aka unlearning asshole behavior that made him cold , uncompassionate and uncaring towards.. everyone 💀 it’s only when he slowly begins to unlearn this trait of his that he’s able to appreciate Steve more, and the two can equally care for one another.

As for any romance, I guarantee they had a smooch or two right when Belos was defeated, but completely forgot about it and/or avoided the topic for as long as possible until they finally got together or whatever. I’m more for dynamic over romantic tropes so if I ever write them as a couple it’s not gonna be spectacular. I can draw it though!

Speaking of which, timeskip Steve and Adrian incoming as my final screenshot edit lmaooo

[littencloud9]

hi. have my current mtp thoughts.

the moriarty siblings genuinely devastate me what the fuck. albert, who’s ridden by remorse since the day he committed his ‘original sin’, who feels his mere existence burdens william, who sees their relationship as his selfish desire and thus remains guilty for years.

and then william, who tries to carry all their sins alone, for he doesn’t want to drag albert or louis with him, even though they’re a team. he is so kind, shockingly so when you compare it to the crimes he’s committed, and he carries his sins until he can’t bear it, and EVEN THEN!! even then he only lets albert see him like this because while they’re not blood brothers, they’re bonded by their shared crime. AND YET. and yet william sees his own vulnerability as a burden on albert’s shoulders, and thinks he should’ve kept it hidden, just to ease his conscience.

and thats not even mentioning LOUIS!! [head in hands] he stays in his brothers’ shadows this whole time, simply following their plans or taking care of the mansion. and yet he’s just as capable as his brothers. AND HE LOVES THEM SO MUCH. they protect him so much but all he wants is for them to take care of themselves, and he KNOWS they’re sinking under the weight of their responsibility but he isnt ever able to reach them. and when the final plan comes in, he can’t follow through. ARGH!!!

u know what. the group dynamic made me emo too. the way none of them wanted william to die, that all of them knew there was another way, but william felt that that was the only way he can atone to his sins. that it was his destiny set since the day he was born. and they all reacted so differently—louis and fred went to sherlock for help (and when you remember that louis was ready to eliminate sherlock the moment he was no longer useful to william, it makes that moment all the more better. because thats when you (and louis too) realise that sherlock isnt a pawn in the game, never was, and instead hes a friend. and a friend was who william needed at his lowest). there was moran who couldnt bear his own betrayal (it isnt betrayal. it was his heart.) and swore his life to carrying on william’s legacy. and albert who fell back into the shadows that he once was in before meeting the others.

do u ever think how william is so shrouded in darkness and his crimes and everything. and yet he was everyone’s light. how sherlock was london’s beacon of hope, but to the lord of crime group, it was william. to sherlock, it was william. to everyone who knew him well, william was their sunshine. HEAD IN HANDS

and sherliam’s dynamic. you werent just a pawn in my game, william says. you werent just a puzzle for me to solve, sherlock says. the words you’re a friend, you mean more to me than i ever thought, i want to save you, do you feel the same? go unsaid. the game of hide and chase throughout the story. how william’s entire plan, his whole DESTINY, was to die, and how when falling off the bridge together, sherlock tells him to live. let’s live together, he says. cling onto life, cling onto the people around you, we love you, don’t go. and that care is what surprised william the most—sherlock came as a friend, he feels the same.

the way sherliam are equals in every sense, yet different, yet the same. they have the same height and mind and kindness deep in their hearts. william is london’s darkness and sherlock is london’s light. yet william has light hair and sherlock has dark hair—there’s kindness in evil and evil in kindness.

the inherent intimacy of mr. holmes to sherlock to sherly, and professor moriarty to liam. and i think it’s interesting how sherlock skipped to the nickname stage so much faster than william. for it shows that he was more comfortable with the idea of getting close than william was. william remains more guarded, not wanting to drag sherlock into madness (i didnt think he’d kill a man this early), so only in his final moments does he say sherly. only then does he accept it.

anyway. im not even done with the manga LMAO. [on my knees] this story is so well-written and so hurtful and every arc was beautiful but the characters truly hooked me. every one of them and their dynamic is so lovely (i didnt touch on sherlock and john but i LOVE them and the scene of sherlock promising to take better care of himself for john was so great and also he never got to attend john’s wedding and im gonna go cry) and real. sorry if u read through my babbling mess. xoxo 💓

[fangaminghell]

pkmn interactions are rlly fun. Sometimes u get so far w a team u gotta create their own team dynamic and their own story. Even ships. Beau and Xenon get together mid-story and Bonnie and Clyde also have smth non-platonic going on there. Dynamite and Clementine (Cinccino) are also together. It’s oc ception -JJ

SO REAL!!!!

I so that a LOT with my oc teams. It's harder to do that in fangame teams bc I generally have A Lot of pokemon,and thus don't usually have the energy to give personality and thought into each and every one of them. However I think of all my ocs, I think the Rejuv trio has pokemon with the most defined personalities.

Imani: There's sooooo much i wanna talk about given her main team but hnnnnnng it'll be so long and I'll go insane. So I'm forcing myself to focus on June and Sunflower ( I mean there's gonna be mentions of others but it's mostly through said pokemon's perspective)

June ( Primarina, Male) is the leader of Imani's whole box, with Mira ( Nidoqueen) being his second in command. He's very much like Imani, someone who's bubbly, cheerful and always an optimist! Though upon evolving he became much more of a calming presence, and was really shining as a leader ( not that he wasn't before lol, just that fully evolving made him feel more sure of his ability to lead). Him and Mira have this " older brother, big sister" vibe towards the rest of the group, ESPECIALLY with Sunflower and Autumn ( Leafeon, male). His leadership has gotten the ire of Opal ( Milotic, male), and the two would often go back and forth a lot....though if you were to ask Mira, she would say something shifted in their arguments. They're softer, and tend to enjoy each other's company more. Either they don't realize what's shifting or don't want to realize it. Either way their relationship is getting a bit better day by day so! That's a plus, right?

Sunflower( Chandelure, female) is the youngest of the team! Well. If you want to be technical, she is older than all of them, but mentally and physically she's the youngest and acts like it. Ever since she was caught she had wanted nothing more than to explore everything and anything. Her curiosity tends to get her in trouble. A lot of trouble. And it doesn't help that she doesn't exactly have a filter so she's pretty blunt. But her team loves her so it's fine. As a mentioned before, June and Mira are like older siblings to her ( June miiiiiight tetter in fatherly figure), and she adoooores them. Whenever they're genuinely upset over something she did she gets so upset at herself. She just wanna help! Next to them, though, is Autumn, who is both her partner in crime, and also her biggest victim. I think Autumn is older than her, but only by a bit. Both of them are the youngest of their teams and thus, both tend to stick to each other. If you consider Sunflower pestering Autumn when he's brooding ( " I'm NOT brooding !" ) sticking together. They do care about each other though. Autumn is usually the one that tags along with Sunflower whenever she wanders off - mostly to make sure she doesn't get into any serious trouble. But also bc they do get into shenanigans together and it's fun! Despite his " I'm too cool for this" attitude ( me realizing he's basically a young teen compared to everyone else hgvhvgvgvcg), he's very protective of those he loves, including his little sister Sunflower... something that Sunflower never fails to point out! He always gets embarrassed about it when it's mentioned hvcfsghufhgdvd.

Flynn: Hopefully this will be shorter this time! Like Imani, I'm choosing two, but really these two are kinda Flynn's aces/ signature pokemon.

Sakura ( Meganium, male) was Flynn's first pokemon. Atm, how they met is kinda being rewritten since Flynn as a whole is getting a slight rework. Before, it was a starter pokemon given to her by the Blakeory's ( Flynn's parents had something going on with them - and no they weren't rich, this was very much a dept thing). But recently, upon realizing Flynn wouldn't have been born and raised in GDC ( she would be younger if she did), I think she met her Chikorita as an abandoned pokemon in Oblitus town ( she's from Oblitus Town btw). He would have been her first patient....and they've been attached ever since! Flynn is a very very shy person and Sakura....is not. He's much bolder than she is and isn't afraid to get defensive on her behalf. Even when he evolved, he never was afraid to confront things, and even pushing Flynn to get out of her comfort zone now and again. As for the relationship with his team it's. Nooooot as indepth as Imani's, sadly. I can say that he gets along with June very well, and probably picked fights with Opal on his behalf ( yes, it would be a losing battle both in terms of type weaknesses and Sakura being a more support/ defensive pokemon, but that's not gonna stop him lol). I think Sakura and June have a similar sibling esc relationship that Imani and Flynn has ( J: Oh I don't want to be mean... S: Don't worry, I do. J: Sakura!)Sakura kinda gives me the impression that you either vibe with him or you don't. He doesn't hold it against you if you don't as long as you're civil about it. He's very loyal, and isn't above confrontation as you've seen before. But he isn't foolhardy either.

Horis ( Hydregion, male) is kinda the start of Flynn collecting more pokemon. He's not the second she had, that's her Audino, but he's definitely the third. No he's not related to Dylan. Maybe. We'll see. The two met in the hospital, Horis being a Dieno that wouldn't let anyone near it despite its need for treatment. Flynn, by some miracle, was able to worm her way into his heart and he's been following her around ever since. Once a guarded dragon is now a big ol puppy. Loves Flynn, loves it when she pets him, loves it when she baby talks him, loves making her happy!!! I think that protectiveness has made it hard for him to get along with other pokemon though, especially as Flynn started expanding her team. He may be. A smidge jealous. Just a smidge. But I think he's overall a pleasure to be around. Very excitable, and while it will take a while for him to get used to anyone, he likes playing with others. Sometimes he forgets he's bigger than he used to be though lol. Sakura and him definitely had a bit of a rocky start. Sakura was concerned for Flynn's safety after what he's heard and Horis was privy to anyone who wasn't Flynn. Much to Flynn's pleasure, they gradually got along better as time went on ( specifically bc the girl got wrapped up in Plot and the both of them could agree that Flynn's wellbeing was more important than any distrust they had).

Arrow: .....maybe this will be shorter? Only one bc I'm losing steam aaaaaaaaah-

Firecracker ( Charizard, male) - Arguably the oldest of everyone I mentioned here, same as Arrow. Despite this and the scars that he has, he's genuinely a softy. Likes looking out for others, a great sparring partner and an amazing flying buddy. He's a sweetheart! He's known his team for a loooong time, with only a few recent additions I think. Him, Jester ( Gliscor, female) and Sunny ( Helioptile, male) go waaaaaay back to Arrow's youth, and are three peas in a pod. Not as bashful as Jester but not as outgoing as Sunny. A good balance and thus, is easy to talk too! I think the other younger pokemon look up to him ( something he gets bashful about hgbfgbnjfdfhj).

And that's it! God this was long. It reminded me I should think about my ocs pokemon to pokemon dynamic more. Imani's team is really fruitful in that regard but I feel like the others are lacking so. Yeah! Something to keep in mind.

[cilil]

All tied up in July

AN: @tolkienpinupcalendar here I go for July! This one was a bit on the fence regarding main vs dead dove blog, but since the stuff that actually happens is pretty mild and I don't censor myself much here anyway, I figured it's fine.

⛓ Prompt: Getting tied up + being left alone | Melkor x Manwë ⛓ Synopsis: Manwë is desperate for some closeness with his brother. Melkor decides to play a little game to test him ⛓ Warnings: Nudity, dubiously consensual bondage, slight incestuous undertones, unhealthy sibling dynamics, Melkor ⛓ Short oneshot (~700 words)

"Please, brother, will you not spend time with me?" 

The look Melkor gave him was enough to show Manwë how foolish he had once again been, even before notes of disdain and derision poisoned the song of their bond. Time and time he ventured out to find his brother and attempt to talk to him, play with him, be with him, anything to get to know him better, and he was always rejected with various levels of cruelty. 

He had gotten so used to it that it came as a surprise when he found Melkor sitting cross-legged on a pile of rubble he had most certainly been the cause of, watching him attentively instead of pelting him with rocks, ice or fire. 

"Brother?" Feeling hopeful, Manwë approached him. He smiled. 

Melkor did not. "No," he said firmly when the other Vala came too close for comfort. "Stay where you are." 

Manwë froze immediately, not wanting to upset him or the fragile peace between them, and it seemed that it pleased his brother to see him obey. 

"It may be your lucky day today," Melkor announced. 

"You do want to spend time with me? What will it be? What would you like to do?" Manwë asked eagerly. 

"Hush." Melkor eyed him up and down. "We shall play a little game."

"What kind of game?"

"One of my own devising to see if you can be good and nice to me."

Manwë cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? And what do you want me to do?" 

"Do as I say, and you will see," was the cryptic answer he received. "Now undress." 

"But why?"

"Because I say so." Melkor narrowed his eyes at him. "And if you really want to be my brother, you wouldn't mind me seeing you like that, would you? After all that is only our natural state."

"Of course," Manwë hurried to say and began removing his robes. To him, his brother's words seemed wise and true. 

"Next put your hands behind your back and hold still." 

He obeyed, even when Melkor vanished to reappear behind him and something hard and cold wrapped around his wrists and upper body to restrain him, like living ice freezing him in place. 

"Brother, what–"

"Fold your wings." 

Manwë acquiesced again, though unhappily so, and soon felt them being bound as well. 

"Lie down and keep your legs together." 

"...as you wish."

And thus the Elder King found himself on the ground at his brother's feet, tied up and restrained by the power of someone greater than he, cold biting into his skin and movement nigh impossible. 

"Good," Melkor said. "And now you will stay like this for a time while I take care of my work." 

He leaned down, nearly folding his fána in half in the process, to whisper Manwë's ear. "If you behave, I may even be willing to cuddle you like Námo and Irmo do." 

"I would love that." 

Manwë did his best to lie completely still as Melkor left him behind to show him how hard he was trying to please him. It wasn't easy for a spirit of wind and air to remain in one place, and even less so to be bound. In fact, he couldn't recall ever having been restrained like this before. Strong bonds holding him in place regardless of whether he wanted to move or not, keeping him grounded. 

He was helpless. And somehow he didn't mind. The thought that his beloved brother had finally stopped rejecting him filled his spirit with euphoria. Maybe he would even get to be close to him, if Melkor felt like keeping his word. 

Maybe he would be touched. And it would be his hands rather than some sort of spell. Maybe they would feel warm rather than cold, gentle rather than cruel. Maybe Melkor would let him see his naked fána as well, allow them to be as intimate as they should have always been. 

Manwë continued to hold still, humming a quiet melody to keep himself calm. Despite the withering cold gripping him, the thought of being near his brother made him feel strangely warm. 

Thanks for reading! ♡

taglist: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @uruk-thighs @i-did-not-mean-to @melkors-big-tits

@melkors-defense-attorney @numenhore @urwendii

[idyllic-affections]

I see that you do tbhk! If you could can I request friendship hcs for nene, hanako, and Kou? Ty in advance :)

general friendship hcs.

summary. general friendship headcanons with the main three.

trigger & content warnings. references to death.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. fluff. yashiro nene & reader, hanako & reader, minamoto kou & reader. 0.8k words. no pronouns for reader.

author's thoughts. hello dear!!!! yes ofc you can.... the tbhk fans have been finding me recently and it makes me so happy helshsjghfh that's my comfort manga (i say, knowing it is the most horrible, gut-wrenching, soul-crushing manga i have read thus far)!!! i COULD say that this is my first time writing for tbhk, but that would make me a liar, because it's not! my first reader insert longfic was a tbhk one on quotev way back in 2021. i'd say i've improved a lot since then.

YASHIRO NENE—

being friends with nene means getting dragged into all of her supernatural adventures. if you're close enough to her, that is.

she, without a doubt, rants to you about her crushes and asks you for advice! she'll also complain about hanako to you, if you so happen to know about him.

she's super supportive. she's always cheering you on and encouraging you! and also, if you want advice or want to rant to her, she's completely open to that.

she rants to you, so you should be able to rant to her too. it's only fair. she does admit, though, that her advice might not be that good.

also i think nene would be physically affectionate. always hugging you, maybe giving you a lil kiss on the forehead if you're comfortable with that! hand-holding is also common with her.

she would be SO happy if you shared her interest in gardening or cooking! she'd love to have another friend to do those things with. if not, that's okay too! she doesn't want her friends to feel uncomfortable or forced to participate in any way.

she cares about you so so deeply and genuinely would be devastated if you ever got hurt because of her.

if you're a ghost, i don't think your dynamic would change much at all, actually. i think she would still treat you the same!

tell her she is pretty!!!! do not let her insecurities get to her!!!! reciprocate her supportive energy!!!!!

she might actually cry if a friend of hers were to support her so passionately.

HANAKO—

like nene, being close enough friends with hanako means you end up getting involved in things you probably shouldn't be involved in LMAO

i don't think he MEANS to get you involved, because he does worry about your safety, but it just sort of... happens. you end up involved regardless.

dude follows you everywhere, 100%

it's like what he does with nene, just without the romantic subtext LMAO

if you're human? he's sitting in your classes with you. he does it mainly for two reasons: one, because it reminds him of when he was alive, and it's strangely comforting. two, because he loves you and wants to annoy you <3

he's generally very clingy, and if you happen to be a ghost? ohohoho it's FAR worse.

he's always touching you in some way.

playing with your hair, fidgeting with your hands, hanging off of your shoulders... he's very touchy. poor thing is so touch starved.

personal space? he has no idea what that phrase means!

(he does, and if you seriously ask him to, he will respect your personal space and boundaries.)

it doesn't come from a bad place. he just finds it grounding. reassuring.

hanako also generally won't come to you with his problems.

he's not keen on being an open book. if you've known him for long enough, he would absolutely be more open to being honest with you, but if you haven't known him long at all? yeah... he's not cracking. trying to forcefully pry him open wouldn't help either.

MINAMOTO KOU—

he will absolutely, without a doubt, make you cute little homecooked meals.

we all know he's the only one out of his sibling's who is both old enough to use a stove and competent enough not to burn the kitchen down, so of course he would spend time making you a lunch!

especially if he felt like you weren't eating enough or you needed something extra to get you through the day. he notices the little details like that.

he's an acts of service kind of guy. he does little things to show you that he cares.

btw. if you're close enough friends with him? tiara and teru will both know you by name. you'll become like another member of their family <3

(tiara would get so excited every time she gets to see you, practically bouncing on her heels.)

i like to think he's a lil protective!!!! he worries about your safety and worries that supernaturals might want to hurt you bc of his involvement with you :c

teru would smite them before they got the chance, though, so kou really doesn't have much to worry about.

if you're a ghost, i think this dynamic would be very fascinating.

teru would try to kill you. yeah... sorry.

kou wouldn't let him though!! he would believe wholeheartedly that you're good and have no intention of being harmful, and because teru isn't really interested in ruining his relationship with his brother... you get to keep living your afterlife!

(please don't betray kou's trust.)

also if you're a little bit older than him, or if you just seem wiser, i think he'd ask you for advice on a bunch of things!

he doubts himself a lot. be sure to reassure him that he's doing the best he can for someone so young.

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!

[treepan0]

some random hcs for the characters I like writing for because why not? not all of them are here, this is just four characters I had some thoughts on.

note: I'm using a fully romanized version of the spelling of Baby's name (tone indicator removed to clarify) so it's less weird, also there's a lot of rare pairs and I am unapologetic about that.

Cooler:

let's be real here there is a reason why he and Bebi hardly show romantic affection in Chaos Magic, and it's not a discomfort actually. In reality it's because this man gives me the vibes it would be slow work for him to get to that point, he grew up with a family that was actively trying to kill each other, and is written as a stoic character, he's going to take longer than Vegeta to get comfortable with that.

I don't know why, but this man gives me demisexual energy and I cannot unsee it. (don't ask where this came from, I have no clue.)

please for the love of kami someone take this man away from his desk, he desperately needs a break thank you.

completely unaware people find him attractive most of the time, too distracted by work.

learned to control the movements of his tail, so Frieza and Cold couldn't read him like an open book.

Bebi:

I have mentioned this twice, but I like combining his sub & dub portrayals, errors and all.

speaking of errors from the sub he says "Big Bang Attack" while using final flash, on purpose because he knows it annoys and confuses people.

is he bi? is he pan? is he Omni? I don't see him caring much actually. I feel like he doesn't care as much due to his ability to reproduce asexually, while he still feels the needs and urges of the body he possesses (thus the way he is, pretty much I hc it's from vegeta who I see as bi, unless it's an au, I just leave that fact intentionally vague), he's more reliant on romantic attraction if he wants anything outside of that. I see him as panromantic to clarify

if I have an excuse to give him a tail I will, GT robbed me of it so I will do it myself. it's also fun to make him emote with it in a more subtle manner, like I do for some other characters. (Cooler, Janemba and Broly to name a few, I would say Bebi & Janemba are the most open of the four though, since Broly's is hidden)

I think he should have Janemba, android 13 and Hatchiyack as a friend group, as a treat, I think they could all get along with their own individual dynamics and everything.

Bebi & 13 can roast the ever loving crap out of people, Janemba & Bebi can be relaxation buddies who talk about general stuff, and Bebi & Hatchiyack I see as almost like a sibling relationship.

Janemba:

I usually go with the buu's fury background; where he was an organised crime kingpin, before he got caught up in the soul scrubber, outside of that I take from various places. I like to hc he ended up in there, because Beerus sealed him inside, just like elder kai and the z sword.

out of boredom one day I did give him an adoptive mother, since he had no pre-existing canon family. Her name is Koall, she's a succubus who's tired out of her mind and still grieving her loss, despite the passage of time being massive for humans.

just like Bebi I also hc this man gets around at times, and most of it is because of his design. (dear goodness super Janemba's design.....)

it's a common hc that he likes jelly beans, since the spirit shields resemble jelly beans. I actually enjoy this common non serious head canon, I think it's actually cute for him to do that.

kind of claustrophobic, especially with dark environments. however he can subdue it with some sort of activity, so it's not terribly intensive. he keeps a portable console where ever he stays, mostly so he can build blanket forts for Broly.

I straight up said "I don't see why he and kid Buu can't learn sign language, especially since dragon ball has a universal language." so they either use their native tongue, or use sign language. most of the time however they're guilty of saying stuff behind peoples backs in said native language, Cell & Koall are the only ones able to catch them.

has definitely tried to teach some poor unsuspecting soul, to swear in his native language because he thinks it's funny. think of someone teaching a baby swears, it's pretty much the same effect for him considering his age.

complete opposite of how I see Cooler with affection, he's just a tease. this man will smooch Broly in public an the only one who can stop him, is Broly himself and no one else.

DBZ Broly:

doesn't like his neck being touched in general, Janemba completely respects this and has adjusted to such.

when he's in base for an extended period of time by choice for the first time since he was a kid, he ended up being gifted a green rabbit plush from a friend, her name is Mint and she gives him comfort.

I chose a rabbit because I felt like he could empathise with them in general, he grew up in an environment where he had to ensure his own survival, just like rabbits have to since they're at the bottom of the food chain. (nothing to do with the symbolism connected with them)

he won't openly admit it, but he likes head scratches and pats. like almost anyone could touch his head for whatever reason, and he will expect either scratches or pats.

that red fabric around his waist is the only thing keeping people from seeing everything he feels, since he never learned to clasp it like most, nor did he learn to control the movements like I hc Cooler did.

finds small spaces comforting, since the pod trips would be what little time he had away from his father, outside of being dismissed or after Paragus' death.

I feel like after a long extended period of remaining in base, he develops likes and dislikes after time here's just a few I thought of: he likes rock and metal music, he dislikes the taste of coffee, he likes relaxing scents (i.e lavender and chamomile), he dislikes white chocolate. I have my reasonings for both of those likes.

most of the time he'll ask Janemba if he wants certain affections, he's too shy and ashamed to ask anything nsfw though. not that it hasn't stopped Janemba from coaxing him into the baby steps past that, so poor man doesn't make himself suffer in silence.

it's actually been a team effort to help him get to this point, with all sorts of people teaching him proper life skills, not that he's learned to calm.

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #7 – Montress Volume 2: The Blood by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

I am very slowly re-reading this series as what’s likely to be the vast majority of my comic consumption for the year. The deliberately slower pace is almost certainly a good decision, as it means this time around I’m actually appreciating the individual issues and volumes as, like, coherent works in and of themselves rather than just plunging through the entire backlog in one burst.

This volume picks up after some indeterminate timeskip following the first one, opening with Maika Halfwolf, Kippa and Ren arrive in the (aspirationally) neutral port city of Thyria, trashing Maika’s mother’s apartments for clues on what she was researching when she died – and thus, hopefully, clues of Maika’s past and the whole eldritch symbiotic living in her soul that sometimes bursts out to eat people thing. The clues lead them to a cursed island where her mother travelled before she was born to question the god imprisoned within, where both she and Zinn (the aforementioned symbiote) are confronted with thoroughly unwelcome revelations about their pasts. Also so, so many people die.

With the basic conceits of the setting and plot established in the first volume, this one is free to delve deeper in intricacies – the backstories and relationships various characters have to the world, and to a lesser extent the Deep Lore and metaphysics underlying the world (though that is still far less prominent than I recall it getting later). We learn what Zinn’s place in the society of the Monstrum was, and how they came to be trapped and embodied in the mortal world; we likewise learn quite a lot about Maika’s (terrible, horrible, very bad no good) family and childhood, and to a much lesser extent even a bit about what Master Ren got up to before the plot started. We also learn about several historical murders and genocides, and get out first real look at the Shaman Empress, one of the two historical incredibly powerful sorceresses who shaped the history of the world who I kept getting confused in my head when I read this series the first time.

Buried in all the lore we do get a really amazingly realized journey to a creepy cursed island that is revealed to be the overgrown bones of a dead god on which another has been imprisoned for attempted geno- and mass filicide. Nothing about it breaking any new ground in the genre of creepy cursed jungle islands, but it was an exceptionally well-executed example of the form.

But plot and lore aside this really is a character dynamics book – or, well, dynamic singular. Maika’s mom really fucked her up, basically. Not that it’s a good series for healthy parenting generally but discovering you only exist before your mom fucked a guy from a specific bloodline so she could have and use you as a moldable vessel for eldritch rituals has got to be up there, right?

In particular, quite a lot of care and effort is spent on this has fucked Maika up. Basically her entire relationship with Kippa this volume could be cut out as a case study in cycles of abuse and how Maika both deeply resents and knows she was hurt by how her mother raised her but also literally doesn’t have any other model for how to take care of a kid than ‘teach her to swim by throwing her overboard and fishing her back out if it looks like she’s actually going to drown’ repeated ad nauseam. (It’s really very telling that Maika gets far more emotional warmth and physical affection from her godfather – self-described ‘murderous pirate’ – than she ever does from her mother).

It’s far less salient than it will become later, but throughout the volume there’s also very much a secondary theme of what it means to leave with guilt. Or not even guilt so much as culpability – discovering that pre-amnesia you murdered your sibling because they opposed, coming to terms with the fact that your existence is essentially vampiric and your continued life requires the murder of others, a whole mess of dealing with betraying either relationships or principles when the two come in conflict. Not really doing anything with it yet, but the subject’s definitely getting raised.

Anyway, everything I said about the art in my review of volume one still stands – easily the most beautiful comic series I’ve ever read. And if I remember right next volume is when my all-time favorite character gets introduced, so looking forward to it!

[seventeenlovesthree]

I really enjoy these posts. Something I had commented makes me wonder if you could go into more detail about.

And that is how Takeru and Yamato have inverse perspectives when it comes to sovialdynamics.

Takeru notices things about individuals from a personal perspective, however Yamato notices things about others from a group perspective.

Just wondering if you could go into that some more.

Taichi and Hikari also have a similar but different dynamic. I just think these dynamics between the sibling pairs is awesome and it’s amazing to contrast them!

Mhhh, that is definitely an angle I have never thought about before. Whereas I believe that I have the dynamics of the Yagami siblings pretty much figured out for the most part, the Takaishida brothers are a completely different beast.

But what you said there really got me thinking - it makes sense that they've got different perception styles, based on how their priority systems are functioning.

Throughout the course of Adventure - keep in mind that they're pretty much both still children here -, their main focuses are very different:

Yamato's main objective is to take care of Takeru, so the majority of his actions, decisions and even his aggravations revolve around this perspective. While he obviously still interacts with most of the other characters, his bonds are not as elaborated on - he even realizes that he doesn't fully understand what "friendship" means by himself. And I maintain that this is BECAUSE he is hyperfocusing on protecting Takeru at all costs, mending their bond, being there and being needed by him. If he gets mad at Taichi and his decisions, you can assume it's because he is worried that they may affect Takeru negatively. The same applies when he gets mad at Jyou, at Sora, the pattern continues. He IS observant of his surroundings, but more as an outside observer who has to keep everything - and thus, the whole group - in mind to keep his brother safe. He may also project his own perceptions onto the group, which is why he shouts at Taichi to be more considerate and leave everyone time to mourn.

Takeru's main objective on the other hand is not to be perceived as a burden. He is painfully aware that he is the youngest member of the group, "a kid and a crybaby", he already deals with abandonment issues that are only fueled further by the events taking place... It's pretty obvious that he adores his new found family and wants to be part of it at all costs, he wants to be equal, not to be underestimated. That's why he seeks to be close to those who validate him - such as Taichi or Sora, who don't belittle him and his emotions, but encourage and even give him tasks of higher responsibility, such as protecting Hikari. And since he hates to see the group drift apart, he will go out of his way to keep the team together - like I pointed out, he knew exactly how to cheer Sora up and validate her in return!

Analyzing their behavioural patterns in 02 and onwards is a little bit more difficult. 02 in particular is turning their characterizations on the head a little; Takeru is more prone to "generalization", he still watches and observes the behaviour of people around him and adapts accordingly (like playing the troll towards Daisuke or the protective shield towards Hikari - whom he also hyperfocuses on btw.), but he tends to think very black and white when it comes to the power of darkness. And considering his past experiences, that makes perfect sense, because darkness threatens his found family and he can't let that happen. Yamato on the other hand, ever since his own dark cave moment in Adventure, is a lot softer in 02 and approaches people a bit more personally (like when he drags Taichi out of his self-doubts, talks to Iori about Takeru's trauma or explains to Koushirou's mother why her son is worried about her).

Tri isn't exactly making Yamato anti-social again, but puts more emphasis on him getting angry and shouty once more; sure, he had those moments in 02 too, but this time, his hyperfocus does not revolve around Takeru, but Taichi. I still believe that he has moments where he is observant towards others (like whenever he is protecting Meiko), but the majority of his actions, group-related or not, have Taichi, his state of mind and behaviour, at the back of his head. He investigates things on his own and offers to abandon Omegamon because he feels Taichi is not ready for the burden, he takes over the role of the leader for Taichi's sake, etc. (A similar situation happens in the stageplay, even though the main focal point here is Gabumon.)

Takeru feels a little more like an extension of his Adventure self here, he is still dealing with self-esteem issues (hence why he and Meiko keep apologizing to each other whenever they talk), his biggest fear is to see the found family or even just single members (Digimon included) disappear and so, paying attention to them individually is crucial (like validating Sora, taking care of Koushirou, teasing Yamato, etc.).

In Kizuna onwards, Yamato has a hard time staying in touch with the majority of the group aside from Chosen Children duty, but he is still resourceful and goes investigating on his own, knowing that the 02 group may be capable of providing vital information. Takeru on the other hand is fully engulfed in focusing on his writing career, so him being observant has not only manifested as a part of his personality, but it's a thing he enjoys for the sake of his future profession as well.

Tl;dr: I personally feel like Yamato is a lot more goal- and less people-oriented, which may sound contradictory, because his goals DO revolve around certain individuals he hyperfocuses on. He tries to be empathetic, but not for the sake of the individuals, but for the sake of THAT one individual. (I hope I could put that into words well, maybe I need to sleep over it once again, it's just really difficult to convey what I mean.) Takeru on the other hand is more people-oriented due to his abandonment issues, which is why he may be paying closer attention to how and why people act in certain ways.

[capricioussun]

Ooo I love them!!!

Can I know about the demonfell siblings and their personalities?

Me too, I gotta make ref sheets for these guys so bad 😭

And I'd love to! I try not to be biased but they're really amongst my faves hajdjfka

Even though I refer to their AU as demonfell, it's definitely kind of evolved into a like, MV AU? Idk how to phrase it, but UT, US, SF and possibly others all wound up incorporated, too, with the UF crew all still being demons, but the others varying across the board more.

Though that doesn't really have any bearing on the brothers' characterization lol

Raviel and Elester come from a very ancient, very powerful species, in the mortal realm they're practically demigods. They kind of weren't supposed to exist, and thus were created in a very unique way that makes them unusual even for how rare their kind already is, and it also bound them together in a way rarer still for their kind.

They don't really do the whole Family Dynamic thing, so it was odd for them to consider each other brothers, but it did also make more sense given their unusual creation. Their age difference is also a chunk greater than my usual interpretation of 5 years, with Raviel having been their kind's equivalent to a teen when Elester came along. This also made him more protective of him (amongst other reasons), and only further cemented their relationship.

They depended on each other a lot, which couldn't have been more unusual for their kind, but it only made them that much stronger together, which kept them safe.

Elester always looked up to Raviel, and even to "this day" highly values his opinions and input. Even if he also does see them on more equal footing as adults.

Raviel...is not ever gunna be able to stop seeing Elester as a little kid, not entirely. It doesn't help he’s usually curious and emotional for their kind, but Raviel does still see him as the capable demon he’s grown into, as well. He just wishes Elester didn't have such a softness to him (never mind the fact he obviously does, too, caring about anything as much as he does his brother).

They trust each other, and don't spend as much time together as they used to, but they honestly have one of the healthiest relationships out of any of my interps which is kind of hilarious.

Individually though, Raviel comes across as incredibly condescending. Mortals (humans and regular monsters) are basically bugs to him, he doesn't care. Sure some stuff about the mortal plane is novel, but he'd rather wreak havoc or go pick fights than waste time "hanging out" there.

Makes lots of mean spirited jokes, and is pretty much only nice to Elester and "Mother Earth" (Toriel, god of "light"). He’s also more genuinely laid back than a lot of other Sanses, he doesn't see any sense in worrying about much. Gets bored very easily, and that can mean chaos is soon to follow. It's fine, Elester usually keeps it from being too bad. Usually.

Speaking of! Elester, Elester loves the mortal realm. He finds their own realm boring and cliche, loves how much more varied things are amongst the humans and monsters. He is also incredibly condescending, but less so in a mean way and more so in a...well, kind of logical way, I guess. Though don't be mistaken, he doesn't take much personal interest in individuals unless their souls really stand out to him. He also heavily feels clothes are overrated.

In some ways he’s kind of like a cross between Rus and Boss, but without a short temper at all (though he is rather quick to get bored or annoyed).

They're both kinda silly, both surprisingly intense at times, and both definitely very bratty, but! I love them, so it's fine they can do whatever they want forever <3

[ahmedmootaz]

got reminded from the last post that the three ghosts of Ayin's Christmas past, present and future exist so it got me wondering about what happens to them in A.I.M

do they just disappear since Ayin is a kid or do they pop up as lil kids or maybe lil baby ghosties? does X and Ayin keep them as ghost siblings?

do the moms just think the two of them have imaginary friends? or maybe think the two of them are possesed by a ghost abnormality like the Wonderlab drowned twins and need an exorcism? do the moms ever get visited by THE MOTHER OF MONSTERS (Carmen) and get childrearing lessons on how to be moms?

sorry for the many questions

Dear Anonymous,

Good question! It'd definitely add a new dynamic of sorts to young!Ayin's interactions with everyone else, especially if we consider that the De-Ager doesn't erase memories; it merely makes then inaccessible to the younger, childish selves of those de-aged. This makes me think that there are two ways I could take such a concept:

The first way is that we could simply say the A3 don't exist in Ayin's mind as a child; he's innocent, he's pure, and he hasn't seen what his older self will see that scars him for life. In that case, the simple answer would be that the influence comes out in bouts of depression where he wants to be away from everyone except for his mama (Angela), bouts of dismissive neutrality where he loses motivation from time to time without encouragement from his 'mother' and 'siblings', and even bouts of anger and kid-sized violence when he feels he's been particularly scuffed.

The second way is that the A3 still exist in his mind, but they're freaking out and running in circles as they try to realise what's occurring around them. They try contacting young!Ayin in his sleep, but he doesn't recognise them and in fact fears them a little. I think it'd definitely worry the motherly trio as they'd suspect foul play and Abnoramlities being the cause, with Angela keeping young Yinnie close by to make sure these dreams weren't harming him. I think Ayin would recognise they're trying to help him to some degree, and maybe he'd think he's special and thus withhold his dreams with the A3 from the trio of mothers to not worry them, only entrusting X with the dreams he has.

Maybe it's even the A3 who sense Carmen's presence being close, thus averting a Distorted disaster once Yinnie tells the motherly trio about it. I'm not sure Carmen would be too interested in giving child-rearing lessons when she'd be more interested in snatching him because she would definitely adore how cute a younger version of Ayin would be to her, and how malleable he could be and obedient he would be for her purposes. While Carmen would observe the de-aged Librarians with interested, I'm not sure she'd do it benevolently, all things considered...

Ah, but this was a truly fun ask! Thank you so much, Anon! I've had a ton of fun with this ask! Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'!

[39oa]

roboquinn!!!

thank you and tc for asking <3 but also girl this is literally just YOUR commentator au that i wrote down notes/snippets for and then gave up on as we kept talking because i was delusionally hoping you'd do it for us LMFAO. it's a very bare doc with only lapslock excerpts but i'm still attached to the concept and have many thoughts about how their dynamic would work... also funny because we came up with this like 8 months before quinn even got the c but in all our notes we were just like yeah obviously he'd retire as captain lol

anyway the thing with 4321 is that i would personally read a lot of different au permutations for them, especially anything involving umich/Midwestern College Hockey dynamics because there's a lot of au potential there. commentator au specifically was = what if robo never made it to the nhl? + what if quinn retired prematurely because of injury and both of them went into broadcasting?, and i think we'd decided on robo doing play-by-play because he has more natural personality and quinn taking on the ex-player analyst role alongside him. however what's most crucial to ME about non-player!robo is that i think of him as someone who is very secure in himself and almost neurotically dedicated to always doing the right thing/making the correct life decisions, so the only reason he doesn't make it professionally is that his family moves to michigan a lot later and he and his brothers miss out on crucial junior development opportunities, so he realizes that hockey is a pipe dream and decides to treat it as a hobby and gets a journalism degree or something. this also makes the nick sibling dynamic more interesting because in my head nick would still try to become a hockey player since he's way more stubborn and impulsive, but he'd max out as an echl/ahl lifer and it becomes less of like "look at how much my athlete brother has succeeded!!" but in a way still robo being more successful because he got a good degree and stayed realistic about his future and makes good money now.

i think 4321 is basically interesting because everything in the world for them boils down to Siblings and they're the oldest of their respective nhl sibling groups but still have very different upbringings. i love the idea of having history long before they meet as a broadcasting duo because robo also went to umich and watched some of his games, but quinn obviously not remembering him... i also think in this universe quinn retires early but not like egregiously so and therefore still has a historic career with the canucks, but then he still struggles to grapple with that because maybe at this age the devils are like a total wagon and he has to cover playoff games for jack and luke for example. AND IN HIS ENTIRE CAREER HE NEVER WINS A CUP!!! plus i think of quinn spending his entire career in vancouver and depending on petey way more than he'd thought he did and now being like unmoored from his second home while robo is very used to traveling and is extremely independent and self-sufficient, and then it's like You think you're the most adjusted member of your family because you're the oldest brother and spent decades living alone on a whole different coast but the reality is actually that you were still deeply accustomed to the insular niche of an nhl team bubble and are being forced to navigate what it means to be an adult for the very first time when everyone you ever cared about is still stuck in that environment. and you're in your 30s!

also the reason quinn gets hired is because robo used to broadcast with pavs (who eventually leaves the role because he's old and wants to spend time with his family), so by now he's totally used to working with hotshot american ex-players and is very blasé around Rich NHL Dudes, and again like with nick is basically the more adjusted one who kind of sees how like quinn is basically functionally alone and doesn't have any systems around him that aren't 100% about hockey and thus latches on to him a little bit. so the dynamic is like >we are coworkers but also do you even know how to book a hotel by yourself? and quinn thinking robo is a nerd at first but eventually deferring to his 100% faith in himself and ease with which he navigates social situations.

also robo would have longterm gf because it's the Right Thing To Do and he's never thought that there was another way to live... like he's adjusted to the point of being so mindlessly socially integrated that he never even considers the fact that maybe he isn't even into women, he just does it because it's what he's meant to do, whereas quinn has way more inner turmoil and could never really hold a relationship down and has a million crises about it and then stuff happens and they get together in a random hotel room in finland during world juniors blah blah more bad decisions and realizations the end. please write them for me 😭