#theyre very fun to read and answer!!

[jrueships]

This is lowkey a stupid ass question but is your username jrue ships like different ships involving jrue or is it jrue’s hips 😭😭😭

yes !

[puppppppppy]

Helloooo popping in to say I love your art! It’s cute and feels soft (reminds me of when you’ve got a really smooth pencil and it just ghosts across the paper) but your poses and anatomy also give it a good feeling of realism :D

classic question here; do you have anything you’d say is a big influence on your art? I love seeing what people answer and trying to connect it back to the kind of thing they currently make :]

!! thank u!!! i do wish i could get more creative with angles, but im happy knowing my art gives u that feeling ^_^

I really enjoy comics!! I like poking thru graphic novels and webcomics, so I've fallen into the habit of exposing myself to lots of different styles over time that I'm fairly explorative with my art. It gives me a lot to study, especially since different artists have different strengths and preferences

I also think of myself as a simple person, so I'm not strongly attached to anything in particular... I notice a lot of artists find their ground in certain interests or aesthetics. But since I'm not really like that, I try to put a bit of myself in whatever I draw to connect with my art better. Its probably why I like taking creative liberty when making fanart lol

im also drawn to indie creative work like games and animation! they tend to be extremely varied and unique from each other, which is great since I work from my own sense of curiosity. I also hate repetition, so having things that set themselves apart visually or otherwise is something I like to look for.

[skitskatdacat63]

super obsessed with your art, seb looks soooooooooooo stunning!!! I am now very curious however, only if you feel like going into it, as to which other historical figures you align with which drivers?👀👀

AAAAAA tysm Grace!!!! Though I am so so so sorry for how rambly and long this post is gonna be, but you just asked me abt one of my brainrots!! I will answer your question but also talk about my history alignments and AUs in general LOL

But if I'm making comparisons of F1 drivers and historical figures, my brain kinda forces me to make it an AU because I'm like "this needs to make absolute sense historically and contextually.)

So, tbh of the four historical AUs that float around my brain, only two of them are really specifically about certain historical figures. The four are: Nandopoleon(About how Fernando reminds me of Napoleon), War of Spanish Succession(mostly about that era, but Seb and Nando are supposed to be paralleling Charles VI and Philip V), Napoleonic Hussars(which is about how , in general, Hussars = F1 drivers), and Rennaissance Muse(this just happens to take place in a different era.)

Explaining my AUs and the historical contexts(proceed with caution, its a lot)

Nandopoleon:

Okay so I'm really really am so deranged about Napoleon = Fernando, but I’ve not posted about it too much because I wanna make a well thought out post about it. But basically I think they’re similar people with similar characteristics and motivations. There was this period of time over the summer where I was only brain rotting about how well any of Napoleon’s quotes fit Fernando(with my fellow nandopoleon confidant @/sweatyflytrap haha.) Here’s some quotes as example: 

“Victory belongs to the most persevering.”

“It is not necessary to bury the truth. It is sufficient merely to delay it until no one cares.”(Piasco era lol)

“Victory is not always winning the battle…but rising every time you fall.”

“From triumph to failure is only one step.”

"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon."(trophies y'know)

"Always carry champagne! In victory you deserve it, and in defeat you need it!"

Tell me Fernando wouldn't use these as instagram captions! TELL ME!!! But the other thing that was driving me crazy is how well excerpts from the personality/image section of Napoleone's wiki line up with testimonials from Fernando's doc. Examples:

"He cheated at cards, but repaid the losses; he had to win at everything he attempted."(Napoleon) "Whatever activity I take part in, I have this compulsion to find the compeititon in it."(Fernando)

"He could rapidly dictate a series of complex commands to his subordinates, keeping in mind where major units were expected to be at each future point, and like a chess master, 'seeing' the best plays moves ahead"(Napoleon) "When you talk to him, his mental capacity is so strong. He's talking to you, but his brain is thinking ahead"(Fernando)

Like c'mon tell me they aren't at least a bit similar??? There's a lot else I find similar about them but I cannot list my whole manifesto here skdjlsd

Anyways this AU would be Fernando as Napoleon and would be Webbonso -> Strollonso. Basically, Napoleon had two wives: his first wife, who was older than him and who he was super in love with, but had to divorce because they couldn't have kids, but he still loved her deeply. And then his second wife , who was much younger thanhim and from the Austrian royal family, and this was a politically motivated marriage but they still got on pretty well!!(also it's funny, before she married him she didn't want to be with him because the public perception of him made him out to be not the best guy, but then she wrote to her father about how loving and kind he was. very Strollonso, no?)

War of Spanish Succession:

Mostly explained it here and here. I'm not too interested in either Philip V nor Charles VI themselevs as individuals, but rather the roles they fufill in the "story." Though I will say, I got hit with a brick while reading Charles VI's wiki when finding out that he apparently had several male lovers! So I guess my AU having an arranged m/m marriage isn't even that far off the mark hahaha. Why did they have a 13 year war, they should have just arranged a marriage between the two canidates sigh sigh. But yeah, mostly Austria vs. Spain, I think it fits well with the Vettonso rivalry!! They would end up being: Fernando I King of Spain and Sebastian I Holy Roman Emperor hehe. Also I sketched some more:

Napoleonic Hussars:

Explained here as well as with art, and more art here. I'm really still proud of the points I made, I just feel very ardently about it!!! Not about any specific figure, but rather a historical group that I think lines up extremely well with F1 drivers. But this one is fun cause I can kinda insert any driver into it and they'll work pretty well. It's fun to figure out what kingdom what driver would be, either based off their nationality or the nationality of their team. I remember vividly staring at a map from this era trying to figure out where Maranello would be....But like Renault = Kingdom of France and RBR = Kingdom of Austria, and stuff like that

Rennaisance Muse:

Mostly just this post, I've not thought about this one incredibly deeply. Mostly just brainrot about how I think Seb looks like The David with his curly hair

[cherrylight]

hi. im going to show her sprite. because i think its cute. although its not set-in-stone yet just a concept for now

also !! all credit goes to this lovely dollsim :)

shes so cute GUYS LOOK AT HER!! SHES SO CUTE WAHHH

[sanstropfremir]

Hello! I was looking through your kpop opinions tag, and I found what you said interesting and insightful. I was wondering what your opinions were on Key's Gasoline :D

i have............complicated thoughts on gasoline. i LOVE the graphic design and album marketing and i like a big chunk of the songs on the album, i think a lot of the styling and the mv are really well done. all those outfits are custom builds and the embroidery work is UNREAL, as garments they are beautiful pieces of work. but i don't really like how the song is just a retooled version of industry baby. and i'm not sure how i feel about all the crosses, to be honest. the use of them is obviously very intentional and undoubtedly they mean something TO key specifically in terms of his faith but it's..........not really a thing i can get behind, personally. something about it feels a little too evangelical to me and i will absolutely admit that i am overly sensitive to that kind of thing bc i've had more than one run in with evangelical attempts to convert me. i don't ACTUALLY think it was meant specifically as a whole dogmatic evangelical thing but i find myself being a bit......uncomfortable with the imagery even now a year later.

[thatdeadaquarius]

GREETINGS! How are you doing? I've been practically gobbling up your posts (there very tasty)

Ok so hear me out- I've seen a couple posts like this but imagine-

The almighty all powerful wise creator isss

✨️A literal child✨️

Thanks for hearing me out! For you ->->❤️

Baby you taking on the world aw

DAMN SORRY FOR TAKING FOREVER!! i started fics before i answered my askbox :/

Aw i fucking love child reader stuff,

Lots of isekai animes/manhwa/manga do it and i eat that shit up everytime-

I also deeply appreciate when its not done creepily, like being turned 8 again, and having crushes on others who are... yknow, actually 8 yrs old or sm fucked up shit, like even if its 16 yr olds that doesnt make it any better, bc the protag will actually be like,, actually 20?!?!💀 the straights r wild man, i feel like it happens either way too, like its usually a male MC but thats just bc theyre more common tbh, like regardless of gender of protag 🥲

☆

Sun: Child God Reader (you/they/them)

Orbit: Short Headcanons

Stars: Mondstadt ppl bc i don't show them i love them enough

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: none known & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment any I missed. /gen

Klee has recruited converted you to throwing bombs with her.

You are the only leash on that child too and the only thing standing between Jean and full head of gray hair. 💀

Kaeya doesn’t know whether he’s endlessly worried or endlessly amused that the most powerful god is currently a child

if Jean isnt freaking out over ur whereabouts, Diluc is instead, and worst case scenario, Noelle/Lisa/Albedo is in charge of you

and YES someone has to look out for you, bc ur ass will just start making a hot springs spot like ur in ur teapot or smth in dragonspine (Albedo was fascinated it stayed warm despite the weather so he let you make it/enjoy it before asking u to restore natural order lol)

(Albedo has definitely asked to study you and, unfortunately for Jean, asked u to demonstrate several powers u have)

You do work as a lucky charm for Bennett tho so he does babysit u sometimes

it mostly consists of Fischl, Benny, and Razor “adventuring” by trying to do smth like who can jump on the Anemo slimes and ride them around longest

(the answer is you btw, u managed to get a small fleet of them to bus you around, the teens were simultaneously terrified running around below u to catch you and also amazed)

Noelle is so happy making toddler you all the pancakes you can eat, Sucrose had to stop her from going overboard and not just listening completely to kids when it comes to food

She is now very concerned with making you a balanced diet, tho she will still make u an ungodly tall stack of pancakes every now and then <3

They kind of all equally provide for you, obv ur their god, and ur a literal cutie patootie child, they cant just leave you

(also u might like move a mountain or change the weather or smth if they don't watch you so most are a little paranoid of that too)

Lisa gets u all kinds of cute outfits, still stuff you'd like, but definitely snuck in some sumeru looking clothing lol

Fischl lends you all kinds of books to read, Bennett shows u all the cool views in the city and outside of it (when Jean lets him get away with taking u that far), and Razor…

Razor brings you to Andrius and the wolf pack for a wolf pack party and gives u all kinds of shiny trinkets he’d collected for you

Diluc/Jean/Noelle/Eula nearly had a heart attack when they found out

Amber lets you have all the piggyback rides you want lol

she even managed with her own crafting powers (and your probably editing the game code or smth) she somehow makes a reinforced glider with a small harness on the back for you to glide with her

(Venti has definitely helped for some fun flights by boosting the winds for you two)

SPEAKING OF BARBATOS

ur absolutely spoiled rotten by him (and Dvalin, and Andrius, and the wind sprites)

if this god had money he’d spend it on wine and you lol

takes u flying all the time, any time, would drop everything to go to Mondstadt wilds and use his archon form wings to take you wherever you wanna go

tries to bring u to Angel’s Share but Diluc nearly hits him on the head with a wine bottle and brings you back home after kicking Venti out and giving you grape juice (yes you get all you want, within a healthy amount)

anyway the most important part abt you being a god and child is that you can now fulfill your childhood dreams of riding a dragon whenever you want

(one way to quickly get Mondstadt citizens to trust Dvalin again was just constantly seeing him flying overhead, occasionally seeing a small child on his back also helped lol)

(neither you nor Venti tell Jean you ride Dvalin and keep it an active secret from her.)

☆

srry i took so long! i hope u liked my hot mess of writing (i think its even sloppier than usual bc of all the fic writing full sentences lately)

and if not, I'm sorrryyy 😭😭

I'm focusing on getting thru a haul of asks before getting around to posting that Eldritch AU Part 2 if anyone reads this :)

hope u guys are have a great weekend, thanks for all the birthday wishes!! :D

Safe Travels Anon,

💀♒

If you wanna join a taglist, DM me what for! "Pspspsss, please tag me for [All SAGAU posts, Only SAGAU Language AUs, diff fandom, etc.]!"

(If you ever wanna drop, just DM me! "No more taglists/[specifically this AU/fandom] please!")

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi / @fallen-starr / @areaderofbooks / @devilangel657 / @esthelily / @justinsomniachild / @nanithefuck / @questionotmystopit

@kiyomi-uchiha777

[catgirlstalin]

Hi! I hope it's okay to ask this but would you happen to know any books on Stalin that don't repeat the same old stuff about him being a bloodthirsty dictator etc.? I wish to learn from more nuanced and anti-anticommunist sources since I'm learning about communism and ussr rn, and you seem to be someone who might know about these! Thanks if you're able to answer!

hii of course im happy to recommend stuff :3 mutuals feels free to add stuff as well

Another View of Stalin. Ludo Martens (1994) – one of my go to recommendations, it goes into the most commonly brought up issues such as collectivization, the great purge, and the molotov-ribbentrop pact

Stalin: History and Critique of a Black Legend. Dominico Losurdo (2008) – another go to; in addition to addressing historical facts and myths, this one also criticizes the concept of 'totalitarianism', and the resulting conflation of fascism with communism as equally bad (something that is still done to this day, see 'horseshoe theory')

those two i would say are the most prominent books specifically about him, and for good reason as they cover the most important myths about stalin

another author ive had recommended to me who has multiple books about stalin and the ussr is grover furr, but i havent read any of his works yet

also while this one isnt specifically about stalin as a person, i also wanna throw in The Soviets Expected it by Anna Louise Strong. It was published in 1942 and covers the years leading up to and including the second world war. its not really an analysis, as anna louise strong was not a historian, but a reporter who lived in the ussr at the time and she reported a lot on the living conditions and experiences of the people which provides a really interesting view into the 1930s and early 1940s in the ussr. its also a rather short and easy read

then theres of course also first hand accounts from people who knew him, like Molotov Remembers (done in a sort of interview style, the author is anti-stalin but molotovs accounts are interesting nonetheless), or Next to Stalin: Notes of a Bodyguard (also very short, not particularly well written but interesting and at times also entertaining)

also in my opinion one thing that also provides some insight into how stalin was and how he thought is just to read his own works. theres a whole collection on marxists.org

i find his interviews fairly interesting to get a bit of insight into his thinking, and theyre very short and easy to read

Interview with H.G. Wells Interview with Emil Ludwig Interview with Roy Howard

i hope some of this will be interesting to you!! have fun with your reading, theres a lot to learn and discover out there

[rossithepixie]

Alrighty since people seem interested in this I guess i'll make it an official post with a an open tag!

What JJK polycule would you be a part of?

For me like I said in my original post I took it twice and the common factor was Gojo in both

satoru gojo and suguru geto this would be a super chill, deep and fun relationship. i think you’d all be best friends. its the kind of relationship where youre all comfortable with and know each other so well that words arent really even needed. gojo loves you and geto, geto loves you and gojo, and you love them both. you would die for each other. people might not even be able to tell if you guys are together or just close friends, but the answer is: both! you have fun together, no matter where you are or what you do. i feel like you and geto have to take turns being the responsible one; if you and gojo are up to something he’ll gently persuade you not to do something that ends with jailtime, and when he and gojo plan an elaborate, sinister prank on nanami you have to tell them to please leave the poor dude alone. gojo is also the clingiest mf in the world, so youre gonna have to let him cling to you or geto like a koala sometimes. geto isnt as clingy, but will want to just rest with you while reading a book. both of them crave stability, but also fun. oh, and i just see them being protective as hell. theyre the strongest, so you never have to worry about anything happening to you. overall this relationship is just very stable and sweet, and you all love each other more than anything.

(the true otp of my self ships. Roruru)

And a bonus below the cut if you wanna see it without getting it yourself is nanago polycule

satoru gojo and kento nanami this would be a… kinda chaotic but sweet relationship. you are the middle ground that keeps nanami from killing gojo. they bicker pretty often, and disagree on a lot of things — i do think theyd love each other, though. its just in subtext. when nanami tells gojo to fuck off, its said with love. all jokes aside, i think this relationship would work out well, as long as you can balance them out. sometimes gojo needs someone to be a menace with him, sometimes nanami needs someone who ISNT a menace. gojo will steal both your and nanamis clothes, and also cling to you 24/7. nanami usually pushes him off, so youll have to oblige, otherwise he’ll sulk and ask you when the divorce is coming. he’ll buy both of you gifts all the time, and even if hes annoying sometimes, he loves you; and tries to show it, even when it ends up with him audibly saying ”cringe” afterwards. nanami is more lowkey with his affection, but shows it through acts of service and words of affirmation. he wants to make sure youre not feeling overwhelmed, especially considering youre the one who has to ”put up with gojo” most of the time. they argue and bicker, but the relationship is full of love from all sides.

I can see it but I also think I would be more stressed in this dynamic than I am in my roruru one.

[ktjislove1119]

(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) what dating jiung would be like

pairing : (p1h) jiung x male reader

rating : fluff

requested : yes !!! my first request thank u sm <333 i love my jiung sm so this was so fun to write and be compltely delusional

warnings : mention of mlm relationships being mis-perceived (is that a word...)??? idk i kind of incorporated how touchy and high affection relationships between two boys is often times seen as just a close, comfortable friendship instead of a romantic relationship? idk if that warrants a warning but prefacing that in case!!

a/n : okokok personally projecting on this one so bear with me but i feel like these characteristics really fit jiung idk lmk if i cooked or not

wc : 3.0k+

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ heavily into eye contact, wants to always be looking into your eyes and yours into his. there’s something so intimate about it. it makes him feel as if you are the only two people in the world and it often times just makes him feel so giddy and calm, at the same time. like, he’s so smiley whenever you two do lock eyes, gums on display and that charming smile of his so apparent. but also calm in the sense that, you two are only looking at each other, meaning that everything that he loves and cares about is right in front of him and its almost as if all of his worries wash off of his shoulders at that realization.

”i can do it,” jiung offers, anxiously watching as you cut the vegetables as your part of prep for dinner. he’s just nervous about you accidentally cutting your finger or skin, even though you’re a perfectly capable grown man. plus, he likes the idea of spoiling you — even if its small gestures.

”jij, i can do it,” you answer back quickly, forehead crinkled as you focused on your task at hand.

jiung can only sigh, watching from the sides as you continued working. after finishing all of the ingredients that needed to be cut, he gently spun you around and kissed you, “thank you for helping out,” is all you hear before focusing on your charming boyfriend that was so softly kissing you.

he’s smiling into the kiss, pulling away and keeping his hand cupped around your cheek. he’s grinning ear to ear, with what almost seems like sparkles in his eyes. his eyes on locked onto your own, suddenly looking even more enthralling. his lips were quirked into a little smirk as he watched you carefully.

his eyes were wide, waiting for your next move and then they gently closed when he saw that you were leaning in for another kiss.

(i love jiungs eyes theyre so pretty idk the shape of them makes me go so insane) (prettiest eyes in piwon confirmed) (keeho close second-)

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ okay so we all know that choi jiung is not a big touchy feely kind of guy. and that stood to be completely true at the beginning of your relationship. you’d have to be the one to initiate physical affection a lot at the beginning and at times it was kind of intimidating because you obviously knew his preferences. but a guy just needs a hug sometimes, yk so you’d hug him from time to time and he wouldn’t really fight against it. over time, he found himself loving all the touches you guys would share and then he began initiating all of the affections. it took a while for him to get completely comfortable to get to that point, but he’s so thankful that you were so patient and understanding of him.

jiung was on weverse doing a live, but it was only the audio that was being streamed. so you were both comfortable cuddling on his bed, not worried about any fans’ watching since they could only hear his voice. he was laying flat on his back, your head resting on his chest as his hand was going up and down your back. you were mindlessly scrolling on your phone as he was reading through the comments of the live.

“jiung what are you doing now? just laying down — getting ready to sleep,” he answers easily, “im trying to recharge because we were very busy today. first, we had to go to a meeting with the rest of the members, then we had practice which just ended, so now im resting and talking to p1eces,” you can hear his smile as he talks, cuddling closer to his chest and turning off your phone.

he squeezes your shoulder to convince you to sleep, which you don’t argue against.

“did i eat today? i did, i had a big meal because practice was really draining. how about you guys? eating three meals a day is very important, y’know? if you don’t eat three a day, you might get sick,” his natural ability to talk so smoothly about any subject what was made you fall asleep so soundly, his soothing voice being the last thing you heard.

and jiung was very close to ending the live and joining you, but he wanted to give some more time to p1ece since he hadn’t talked to them in so long.

“jiung, is someone snoring? is it one of the other members?” he chuckles at the comment, holding you closer as he answers, “you guys can hear that?” his cute laughter is all that p1ece heard, but in the room he was fondly looking at you, “yeah, someone is sleeping, so we have to be quiet okay?”

the chat is immediately flooded with “okay” and “yes”, making jiung smile even wider.

he talked with them for a little while longer before deciding it was time to end the live, it was getting late and he could feel the exhaustion from the entire day catching up to him. after bidding his chocochips farewell with his signature goodbye, he shut his phone off, plugged it in, and got more comfortable in bed with you.

he shuffled down, holding you tight to his body to hopefully not disrupt your slumber, and sighed in relief to be in a comfortable position. his arm was wrapped around your shoulder, securely holding you to his chest as his other hand was just sprawled over the sheets.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ is always looking for you and thinking about you. unfortunately with how hectic their schedule is, you don’t always spend a lot of time together during the day time — usually at night is when you’re together. whenever he’s with the members, staff, or anyone, he’s always talking about you (his yapping self-) or he’s thinking about you so much he’s gone nonverbal.

currently, the boys were shooting some stuff for a segment on their own variety show and while the staff around them was getting everything set up, the members were allowed to freely roam around.

“ah, [name] would like something like this,” jiung says excitedly, pointing over to some random item that caught his eyes. he knew that it matched your current aesthetic. so he turned to look at theo who was closely trailing behind him and asked, “do you think i should buy it for him?”

“yah, jiung be more careful speaking out loud like that,” theo lightly scolds, gesturing to all the mics that were around plus the ones they were already wearing.

jiung waved his hand with a smile, “they’re not filming yet,”

theo only sighs, watching as your boyfriend fondly looks at the item, “yeah, buy it for him, i think he’d like it too,”

“right? okay, i’m going really quick — if someone is looking for me i’m at the cashier,”

taeyang nods in understanding, then shaking his head at what a lovesick puppy his friend has turned into.

when shooting for the show began, they only got a couple minutes in before a staff was questioning jiung on what he was holding. the members all looked at him in curiosity, except taeyang, and all of them sighed when he shyly smiled and said, “oh, it’s for [name],”

their manager face palmed at the side, walking over and taking the bag from jiung’s hand right away, “start it over,” the manager briskly orders the filming staff, making everyone sigh in annoyance.

“sorry,” jiung apologizes, but the wide smile on his face shows he’s not all that sorry about his accidental slip up.

his mind just naturally trails off thinking of you, you’re really on his mind 24/7. if he sees something funny on his phone, he’s sending it to you immediately. if he sees something that reminds him of you, he’s taking a picture of it and sending it to you. if anyone mentions anything that could somehow relate to you, jiung is rambling on about your connection to said subject.

the members find it endearing how obviously in love with you he is, but sometimes it does get irritating when every other thing jiung talks about is you. not because it’s you, but because when jiung talks about you — he talks. they mean full blown five-ten minute ramblings about you.

they love your guys relationship and you, it’s just jiung is such an active yapper already, when it’s you it’s as if the yapping increase by a million.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ knows your preferences like they’re his own. your boyfriend is the most observant man on earth. he can easily tell when something will or will not be to your liking. this comes in handy whenever the members want to give you a gift when they’re abroad (their sweet souls-) or when they’re out at a restaurant and bringing something for you to eat at home. this gift of jiung’s also ensures that the gifts he gives you (read: he loves spoiling you all the time) are perfect and always suit your tastes.

“jiung, what about this? would he like this shirt?” keeho points to something that is hanging on the rack, eyes blown wide, “well, it’s already his favorite color-”

“no, no, he doesn’t like those designs,” jiung says, walking over and acting as your personal stylist with the way he begins to go on an in depth tangent on what your preferences are in clothing, “see, because when it’s shaped like this, he doesn’t like how it frames him. so don’t look at those types of shirts,” jiung hums, walking around the store with keeho trailing behind, “try something like this, this is something he’d definitely wear,”

keeho cheers in accomplishment, even though he didn’t really do anything, and gets to searching. jiung walks on his own, finding souvenirs for both you and him. he smiles whenever he sees something cute, but has to restrain himself from buying every singe little thing that reminds him of you. he misses you a lot…

he pulls out his phone to text you, hitting send just in time before intak is asking him for help too. the man is also looking for gifts for you and knows to consult jiung, obviously. your boyfriend is eager to help, happy to find that his close friends are so considerate of you and your souvenirs from their abroad travels.

whenever the two of you go out, a little thing that jiung does is order for you — now!!! it might sound annoying and unbearable but walk w me. so basically, you and jiung were trying a new restaurant, something that both of you enjoyed since it was a safe option. after looking over the menu for a couple of minutes, you two talk about the variety of food.

“they all look so good, i don’t know which one i should get,” you half-heartedly complain.

jiung’s eyebrows are furrowed as he reads over the menu one more time before turning it to you and pointing at one dish, “this one, i think you’d like this one. it sounds really good too,” he comments, smiling softly at the way your face visibly gets excited at the sight of the food. “i’ll order it for you?”

“yes, thank you, jiung,” you sweetly say, making him chuckle at the tone you were using. he reaches over to hold your hand, rubbing the back of it gently.

“i’m also getting this dish, so we can try each others, if you want,” seeing his selection makes you even more hungry, thinking about how you were going to be eating good tonight.

jiung’s knowledge of your preferences are so accurate that you end up eating off of both yours and his plate, and vice versa. he smiles throughout the entire dinner, finding the image of you excitedly eating the food adorable and a sight he wants to see forever. nothing more adorable than your cheeks full of food and that happy look on your face as you eat.

he is glad he was able to pick satisfactory dishes, smiling ear to ear the entire dinner with you.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ definitely finds you as his muse. there is rarely ever a time he doesn’t involve you in his creation process for music, which is understandable since sometimes he really needs to lock in. but seriously, he finds so much inspiration in your mere presence, you really do help him so much through his writing, composing, and producing process. just by you being the room with him, it helps him so much in everything. it’s as if you lift a weight off of his shoulders.

now p1ece were aware of who you were. they didn’t think that you and jiung were dating, though, mainly due to the fact that you were both boys and they just didn’t automatically assume you were anything more than friends. it was kind of fun that way, since jiung could easily sing praises for you and be as sappy about your guys relationship and the fans will seriously play it off as “i love their friendship”

jiung appreciates that since it doesn’t put you two in an extremely uncomfortable situation and allows you two to hide your relationship in plain sight. and while he can’t really openly show you affection or speak his mind on just how much he loves you, he is glad that he can speak your names in the same sentence and his fans won’t immediately threaten you, or anything like that.

“are you sure it’s recording?” you ask, looking at the miniature camera the company had lent jiung for the rest of the day.

“yeah, when the light is red that means it’s filming,” he clarifies, making you hum in understanding. “hello, everyone,” he greets the camera, reminding himself that he has to act as if he is speaking to a live audience.

the company wanted some behind the scenes footage of jiung composing p1harmony’s songs, which explains the two of you sitting in his studio as well as the mini camera and tripod that were now on his desk.

“so this the process of me writing the first couple lyrics to one of our upcoming songs,” he explains, placing the camera down so that you were not in frame and it was mainly him and his keyboard in sight. “i have someone here to kind of help me through it, but i honestly think i know how i want to do this,”

you crack a smile at the reference to yourself, jiung already watching your reaction with a smile on his face, too.

“it’s a love ballad, softer than a lot of our songs. and it’s supposed to be on the refreshing side, so i hope i can show that process to you now,” he hums, looking at his computer screen, “should i do this or should i do that, is what i’m thinking now because i have a lot of lyrics already drafted up. i can’t show you, but i’m going through my digital notes right now,”

his words make you curiously look up, shifting in your seat to get a good glimpse of the lyrics. reading over the cheesy, sappy, and dramatic lines jiung had crafted about you makes a smile break out on your face.

“do you like them? which one is your favorite?” he asks, scooting over so you can get a better look. you’re in frame now, but it’s fine because he knows the company will blur out your face for your privacy.

all the lines jiung had written about you were all so sweet, it tempted you to give him a kiss right then and there. but you withheld, instead focusing on picking just one line to be your favorite. meanwhile, jiung is watching you like an excited kid showing something to their parent. he really loves hearing any feedback you give him as it believes it makes him a stronger artist.

his hand goes to gently caress the back of your thigh as he awaits to hear what you say. he can see in the view finder the camera can’t see it, so he’s carefree in his actions. anyone can tell that the look in his eyes is that of pure admiration, but he knows that p1ece will be none the wiser.

“hm, this one!” you point a finger at the screen, making jiung lean forward and read it over. the both of you are grinning ear to ear and those eyes of his are crinkled so obviously at the ends.

“really? those one are your favorite?” you hum in confirmation, for a moment forgetting that there is a camera recording you two. “i like those too, i feel like they’re pretty specific so it might not be that relatable to others…but to me, they’re really strong lyrics that show genuine love,” near the end of his sentence he realizes that he has to have some sort of filter and adds in, “only if you know what true love is, everyone, will you be able to relate.”

you roll your eyes at his cheesy line and cheap save, going back to sit on the sofa that was in his studio and going to sit on the couch.

“oh, here there are some lines in here about a forbidden love you guys might like — it’s also a little specific, sorry, but if you’ve ever experienced anything like it, you’ll get it right away!”

┆chronic yapper jiung being the most adorable, caring, and attentive boyfriend out there — i would know, i’m his real boyfriend everyone!! okay but seriously you’d be the center of this guys’ universe if you were his, he loves connecting everything back to you UGH i love jiung.

[monstersinthecosmos]

I read your answer, where did you say "Pandora is his actual type and Armand was his pet"

But how could Armand be just a pet for him? He is one of only three of his turned children. Marius speaks of him as the greatest love (along with Pandora). Although I see some hypocrisy in this. Marius loves no one as much as Pandora. But certainly more than just a pet

Well !

Babe the thing is that, I said what I said and it’s okay if you don’t agree!!! And I’m gonna take this opportunity to double down. (Assuming that you’re asking in good faith and not to pick on me for my analysis lmao please this fandom has traumatized me too much.)

(((TLDR the text never treats Armand like he’s Marius’s equal but also I never said that being a pet was a bad thing.)))

I want to start by talking about the concept of MAKER in VC and how canon tells us that vampires exist outside of human social constructs, including traditional family roles right? Like for example, the moment Gabrielle is turned, she ceases to be Lestat’s mother. 

But with Marius I think a lot about how he’s crafted a persona for himself, and tries to operate in a very rigid set of rules. And part of this is like, how determined he is to live by stoicism even when he’s a mess on the inside, but I also think about in TVL when he says that thing about how it’s easier to just knock a glass on the floor, and how he goes out of his way to appear more human and retain human gestures. 

So like, in the way a MAKER is kinda like, a parent/lover/companion/something too big for our tiny human minds to comprehend. We still get a Marius who is determined to be a father & mentor, and I think a lot about how his need for stoicism and humanity is probably also expressed with his need to be the paterfamilias. 

I’ve been also thinking a lot lately about Bad Fathers in Media—specifically people like Tony Soprano, Logan Roy, Roderick Usher—and how the toxic patriarchy affects their relationships with their sons. Tony Soprano in particular is one who resonates with me a lot when I think about Marius—Tony often indulges in anger because he enjoys being feared (he thinks it’s respect but it’s usually fear), and that’s a bit different on a material level from Marius “anger is too pathetic” de Romanus but they’re both sort of obsessed with the idea of stoicism and trying to be a ~ strong silent type ~ on the outside, even when they’re actually quite messy and emotional underneath.

But wait — put a pin in this for a second. We’ll come back to this, and the concept of fathers and sons. I want to pause real quick to swerve to clarify:

Armand being a pet isn’t a bad thing.

It wasn’t “pet (derogatory) 😒” —  it’s “pet (adorable creature that I care for) 🥰”.

Here’s the thing about MARIMAND if you will (I hate all the VC ship names oh my god theyre all hideous lmao) but like OKAY OKAY. THE THING IS. WHAT ARE WE HERE FOR IF WE’RE NOT INTO THE FUCKEDUPEDNESS ? 

Like I’m not telling anyone how to enjoy a ship, please have fun ! Do you! But to ME? That inter-species friction and 1,517 year age gap is like WHAT THE DYNAMIC IS ABOUT, THAT’S THE FLAVOR BABY!!! Anne Rice herself even said the book was about “a boy’s love for a monster” !!

WHAT’S THE POINT OF MONSTERFUCKER EROTICA IF HE’S NOT A MONSTER LOL

And YEAH I get that not everyone wants to read TVA as a monsterfucker story. That’s okay! It also reads as a savior fantasy. But I enjoy the messiness of it—I LIKE that Marius is an apex predator & ghoulish ancient thing. I like that it’s problematic. I LOVE that Marius really does love him, though, amidst all these other themes. I find it SO compelling.

But I never once said that Marius doesn’t love him. Of course Marius loves him. What I said is that he loves Armand the way we love a pet. I would fucking die for my cats. I regularly burst into tears looking at my cats because I love them so much. But they’re fucking cats lmao.

I never for one minute forget that Marius isn’t human. He’s operating on a whole different wavelength with different points of references and ethics and life experiences. Like, people get so hung up on Armand being 17 and IT WOULD BE JUST AS BAD IF HE WAS 18 OR 25 OR 30 LOL. A frail little human cannot comprehend !!!!!

What’s interesting with Marius’s fledglings though is that he tends not to treat them as equals. Like I think you could read TVA thinking: Once Marius turns him, they’ll be real partners. But no, they stick to their mentor/mentee, dom/sub, father/son roles. We don’t have tons of examples in canon of other maker/fledgling relationships but it’s not a coincidence that Roman Patriarch Marius maintains status over his fledglings. Even once Armand is a vampire, he’s still not Marius’s equal, and Marius’s age and power are still held over him. 

BUT LIKE.

That’s weird, right?

I MEAN THE DARK GIFT IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE but it’s interesting to me that Lestat & Gabrielle’s relationship completely dissolves once she’s a vampire, but Marius & Armand’s doesn’t.

(Sidebar that like, I think there’s also ways to acknowledge that if we think their relationship is good that it’s OKAY for them to maintain these roles because Armand WANTS to be his sub but let me focus on my point here. We should also make time to talk about diegetic BDSM and whether or not it’s appropriate to use a D/s framework for this discussion if the roles are baked into the text and not a choice for the characters and not a game they are agreeing to but that’s for another post.)

So back to the thing about fathers.

I’ve been thinking a lot about bad father characters, specifically Logan Roy and Tony Soprano (also bad mother Margaret Chenowith) and the impossible standards they give their children. Logan and Tony are both men who are disappointed in their sons for being soft, because they were able to provide better lives for their children. They both spoil their sons with all the material wealth that they did not have in their own lives. For Logan we see how badly he resents his kids—Kendall even accuses him of being jealous of what they have—and for Tony he seems to be at a loss on how to parse his feelings. Part of him literally hates AJ for being such a whimsical little fuckup, and at the same time he wants to protect that part of AJ and doesn’t even WANT AJ to follow in his footsteps. Still, he hates to see that AJ is spoiled with no work ethic, and doesn’t know how to set an example for him.

Everything in Venice is designed to spoil Armand with all the things Marius didn’t get—it’s such a specific & deliberate opposite of how Marius was turned. And I think him seeing Armand as a pet puts a little bit of distance between the hurt he’d feel if he thought of Armand as a true son, or even an equal. He doesn’t have to resent Armand for having it easier than he did, but also doesn’t have to feel extremely betrayed by Armand fitting in with the cult. Like, let’s never 4get that by the time Marius catches up with Armand, Armand is right at home and thriving with them. A CULT? THE THING THAT KILLED ME????? Marius has no idea what the fuck they did to him, he just knows that Armand settled in just fine and has discarded everything that Marius tried to teach him. 

I think these roles are appropriately all muddled because it’s VC—like we said, the No Social Constructs series—so like, how do we compare the words SON and PET and FLEDGLING and SUB, I’m not sure. But my point is that he’s never seen or treated Armand as an equal, and perhaps never even a full adult person. 

ARE THESE IDEAS CONFLICTING? A little. But that’s okay. Am I incoherent and ill-equipped to tackle this analysis or is it because Marius is not a consistent person and never quite lives up to the ideal he’s trying to be? Does he want Armand to be his pet but secretly has feelings? Does he fail at being a father figure? Is he brushing off his Big Big Emotions so that he doesn’t have to admit how wrecked and destroyed he is and how badly his feelings were hurt? Idk man. I’m sure you can send me another anon to tell me I’m wrong. 

I wonder sometimes if like, keeping Armand at this lower status (like a pet) actually protects Armand from Marius’s ire and disappointment. Marius is sort of a father, but sort of not. He’s crafted a role for himself that is never all the way sincere, and it allows him some space to protect his own feelings of betrayal and disappointment when it comes to Armand. Marius is also classically bad at following his own rules, and never quite sticks the landing on the people he’s trying to be. 

I can imagine a version of events where Armand does gain some ground with Marius, maybe pays his dues and matures into someone that Marius trusts and respects, but that’s not the version of events we get in canon. Marius turns Armand, Armand remains his pupil, they visit Kiev and Marius is jealous of Armand’s father, they make it all the way to the raid without Marius ever confiding about The Parents. Even in the present day, during a dispute, Marius tells Armand he has the savage & ignorant soul of a child. Even in the present day, Marius won’t stop calling him Amadeo!!!! 

And like!!!!! It feels like Marius is more upset about Santino wronging him by ruining his home and taking his toys than he is about what Santino did to ARMAND. It’s more about Marius’s own feelings and possessions than it is about Armand’s own feelings and experience of what happened. AN ARMAND FRIDGING, IF YOU WILL. 

Anyway.

By never seeing Armand as a complete person, Marius never has to feel threatened by him. We see this in toxic parents a lot. Like, I want you to be good, but I’m insecure if you’re better than me. Or I can never fully respect your feelings because I always see you as a child and not a fully grown adult. And the truth is that Marius is actually quite threatened by Armand, on the inside. He is very hurt. He cares what Armand thinks of him. He’s relieved at the end of BCtu when he assumes that Armand wants to open his heart again. 

So idk like. I think the books end with a little bit of a hope for them; we see a lot of growth and self-acceptance from Marius in the last book and it’s reasonable to assume that he and Armand might have a long chat and nice long cry and work it out. I don’t think it’s completely set in stone, but it’s nice to think about! A nice happy ending. And I wonder if this is when Marius finally takes Armand seriously and listens to what he has to say without demeaning him! 

Am I gonna add 2000 more words to this point by tying it what the whole like “I fear him because I could love him again” thing in TVA means? No I’m not. But like. Again! It’s okay to be a pet, I think Armand liked being his pet. :) 

[opal-owl-flight]

Can you please tell us more about Neo4. What's their background.

“I need your help.”

Thing is -- I dont exactly own that character! Hes owned by @pastille-pain ... I asked them abt his deets, so here it is under the readmore!

His recruitment by 3 is also under the readmore :) (+more notes abt pre-sploon3)

(From my pal)

My Precious Soy Sauz

Aka croissant

Where he comes from is inkopolis

Lived there his whole life actually. A very sheltered kid due to being raised by grandparents that were in Octaria at one point. So they wanted to make sure nothing really happened to him

An only child but he had his cousin (Nakji, Takoyaki) of the three, he'd be the middle child with Nakji and the youngest.

He's got two friends (three if we count malachite -- the smallfrt) outside of the platoon. Dulce, and (unfortunately) Scara

He dating Melon (oc of mine), we know this

Kinda funny it started as her just battling with him cause he was good but then it turned something more

His time before the platoon was mostly

"Hey are you related to that Sauz idol?" Or "hey, you related to that Sauz wrestler?" It got annoying very quickly so he started introducing himself as croissant and nothing else

Aside from that, if he wasn't turfing he was at home reading or watching shows. Guys a very boring person

He's a pretty big OTH fan...

All this above is still the same even while being apart of the platoon minus the constant questions about his relatives and adding college into the mix

He can do some really cool shit when he's focused (like absolutely demolish competition in turf) but he's also easily distracted so I think you can imagine how that goes

His stress relief is shopping (mostly window shopping, very rarely does he actually buy anything)

He never gets too mad but we know the face if he does

Fun fact, you will never catch this man in pants

Short and anything else

Not pants

The only time he's ever seen wearing pants is in his agent gear and that's cause it's what was given to him.

-----------------------

Heres a bonus too, of 3s recruitment of him!

It was a turfing match, and theyve been watching the krak-on user the whole round. They took note of how he responded to stress, to bad calls, and how he acted on his own following calls he had judged as bad. Once it was over, they followed the team into the lobby.

They stand tall against the doorframe theyre leaning against, presence as cold and as commanding as ever.

(Nevermind that Croissant is taller AND older than them, that squid is intimidating as FUCK)

A whistle, calling the team over.

"|May I have a word?|" they sign, "|Ive been watching your team turf for the last few rounds.|"

Scara, the team captain, spits a "Who the FUCK are you."

3s eyebrows raise in surprise. But they should expect it... casual turfers dont usually know their name.

They went to the smaller leagues for a reason. If something happened to a big name in the scene, and its found that they had something to do with it-

No. No. They mentally shake their head. They are NOT picking this person because they are going to be fucking canon fodder.

"|Who I am is not important. Not much, anyway.

I am... interested in one of your teammates.|"

a nod towards Croissant. "|As a krak-on user myself, his performance has impressed me.|"

"Has he now. You seen our losses?? Are you making fun of us??"

"|He has great potential.|" they sign, ignoring the outburst. "|I would like to...|" theres a slight pause. "|...train with him.|"

"I can train my team perfectly, all by myself. Get lost."

They give a cold stare back. "|Im sure that has worked very well for you thus far.|"

The captain didnt seem to want to back down. 3 continues, ear twitching.

"|This request was not aimed towards you, anyway. Im asking him.|"

"BUT-"

"|I want to hear HIS answer.|"

A test. 3 saw that Scara was pushing him around and the only reason they won the match was bc Croissant decided to go his own way. Will he go his own way now?

"Well I know he'll choose to stick with me-"

"Oh I'd love to train with you I like helping others :D"

"You weren't supposed to say that."

3 nods. "|It begins now. Come. We have much to discuss. And as for you.|"

They clack their beak. "|Captain to captain. You need to listen to your teammates more.|"

-----------------------

Once they are in a more private space...

"|Training is only one part of the deal.

I apologize for not being upfront. This is a matter of national security, and I cannot mention much about it beyond base.|"

I suppose Croissant hasnt heard...or at least, isnt into much of the so-called Hero of Inkadia thats plastered everywhere in Inkopolis? If he was, hed at least start thinking of all that being like... "wait all that media was based on something real???"

(3 mentioning national security and a base may also inspire thoughts of "wow this squid's a fucking nerd...")

"|You are free to reject my request if you feel unfit for the task at hand. But where are my manners? I have yet to formally introduce myself.

Topside, I am known as FOR3VRFRSH. Here, I am the Captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.

I suppose youve heard of such a force...? No?|

Mm.

|Just know that we keep Inkadia more or less safe from nation-destroying threats.|"

He accepts the offer... but he also wasn't thinking too hard on it cause he saw an opportunity to step away from Scara and took it immediately.

3 nods, beckoning him towards the sewer line. As they walked backwards into base, they signed to him. "|From this point onwards, you will be referred to as Agent...Four.|"

Theres a very slight waver of their hand as they signed the number.

"|You show much promise, from what Ive observed in turf. Dont disappoint me.|"

"The only person I disappoint is that guy, but he's just very critical-"*

Theres a glint in 3s eye, a look of amusement... "|...Overly critical is putting it lightly.|"

"I promise to do my best still."

-----------------------

3 introduces him as the new Agent 4 and I feel Marie just scrunches her nose a bit. Then sees the look in 3s eye...

To the folks from the regions around 3s home (Callie, Marie, Cuttlefish), theyre not subtle about missing her.

[propfortytwo]

its so funny to me how de made all these alternate history legally distinct names for everything in 1999 except xipe totec is still xipe totec. there was some massive point of (at the very least linguistic) divergence in the warframe timeline with our own, except for the aztecs, theyre a universal constant.

jokes aside its interesting actually whats changed and what hasnt, like it seems like its specifically the anglophonic world thats diverged the most, since plenty of myths from other cultures have apparently endured long enough to have orokin terminology named after them. and of course to some extent this is, from a doylist perspective, a result of orientalism and viewing non-european cultures as inherently exotic. which is frustrating but not surprising from a western dev team.

having said that, im going to keep talking about the in-universe perspective because its fun and toys. anyway im assuming that the sol-lua mythology is the "principle of dualism" that ballas says came before "the vain faith"- which i'm also assuming is the whole orokin thing. given that other mythologies still existed, as evidenced by xipe totec, and the context clues of it being present in britannia (enough for eleanor to complain about it sneaking into childrens stories) and höllvania (theorized to be near where cetus ends up being by some), my assumption would be that in this timeline christianity did not emerge but this new mythology is still occupying a similar role in history, which is kind of low hanging fruit to notice, but still. its particularly interesting that ballas ascribes this faith to "our people"- either the orokin or the culture that proceeded them, despite the chat logs establishing that it was not the sole mythology of this timeline, which to me seems to imply a very chauvinistic origin to the orokin, presumably the socioeconomic bloc that the icr answers to.

the orokin, if im remembering right, had access to kuva prior to albrecht's Incident (unless im misinterpreting his statement of "i will not take the kuva"- it could be that it was invented after the fact and he's recording the logs much later, but its ambiguous, and i feel like the writers would have made a bigger deal out of it being a new invention from his perspective), and a tablet in duviri explicitly refers to kuva as being void-empowered. at this point, i wouldnt be surprised if kuva is a bootstrap paradox, being introduced into the timeline from the future and allowing the orokin to emerge from the ruling classes of 1999- after all, between the technocyte coda, scaldra's attempts to use the techrot for political upheaval, and the digital extremes infestation gag in the arg, its clear that the bourgeoise of this time have no qualms about trying to use dangerous eldritch forces for their own gain. they absolutely would establish the orokin empire, given the chance. this wouldnt be a huge far reaching lore reveal if it was true, of course, if anything it would be painfully mundane and anticlimactic- but unsurprising. scaldra especially, with its religious undertones, would make sense as an origin.

that just leaves this sol-lua culture as the only unexplained variable. is it the divergence point of the warframe timeline? when did it come about? we know its ancient even in 1999, since komi apparently comes from it, but just how ancient is the question. modern german, french, and jamaican patois exist in 1999, which seems to imply that certain aspects of history havent changed- its just very unclear how much has been influenced and its driving me nuts. i need drifter to go find a world history book and take notes for me to read.

[chaifootsteps]

i saw an interview this morning where valentinos voice actor is asked about his characters relationship to the other vees and he briefly explains that vox and val in this weird gay relationship where they make out and do stuff but then straight up says "uhhhh i dont know what valentinos relationship is with velvet lol!"

the bar is in hell for women characters (pun intended) because a velvet USED to have a relationship with vox and val during the instagram days. i like that she was more like a daughter to him and that they bonded over violence! shit like that was what actually made valentino feel like a complex character who can be good and bad. because i literally cannot think of a single relationship hes on good terms with. voxvals whole appeal is that theyre toxic gay bitches! so having just ONE good relationship in his life, even if its just with his weird 30 year old coworker daughter, could actually make him feel like a person with layers like valentino fans desperately insist he is in the show.

since rn velvet just kind of. exists! she barely speaks to the other vees, doesn't seem to enjoy spending time with them unless she can film them dancing and making out, shes mostly frowning in the finale whenever vox opens his mouth, and never directly even speaks to val. why would val not speak to someone he lives (i think) and considers his equal?

like she very much has the ability to become a compelling fun character/villian when shes separated from the other vees. which sucks! because it just makes me wonder "would valentino or vox tangibly lose anything if velvet didnt work with them? and would anything change about their dynamic if she wasnt there?" and i know the answer is "probably not!"

the fact that no ones mentioned her despite s2 having a "heavier focus on the vees" is so fucking telling. she really doesnt feel like the backbone of the vees! she feels like the third wheel vox and val hired and she just stays with them for power despite her not speaking/having a relationship with them at all. its not even like the idea of "30 year old woman stops caring so much about her gay dads she created and slowly begins to resent them, working with them anyway for power" is a terrible idea, but i absolutely know thats not what viv intended. vel is absolutely an afterthought in the writing when shes with the other vees and its apart of what makes me dislike them now more then ever. if s1 couldnt even have velvet speak to the other vees about ANYTHING other then important business stuff (like, idk, fashion, technology, love potions, the few fucking things these characters have in common) then i doubt s2 is gonna be much better.

anyway velvet should leave the vees and get some granny gyatt from carmilla thank u 4 reading <3

Calling it now, season 2's going to contain as little Velvette as Viv can get away with. Because you said it best yourself -- she's not so much a character as a third wheel Vox and Val hired. If they're not around then she's sometimes allowed to shine, but if they are, forget it. It's all about them.

[sanstropfremir]

Have you checked out the xikers debut? I'm curious about them since they seem to be tricksters in their concept I think? What do you think? 👀

LOVED the xikers debut!!!! the styling is a bit on the uninspired side imo, but i don't really have too many gripes with it because they are meant to be mischevious teenage trickster types and it doesn't not fit. the mv is soooooooo good though, it's super well produced and has a really fun concept with a simple and clear narrative + audience stand in. i think kq really honed what makes a good debut with them; they took a lot of the things they've learned with ateez over the years and applied them with a new spin to xikers, which makes me look forward to see where the group goes, bc i think they'll interesting to watch, if anything at least to see how their concept plays out.

[denkilightning]

Why is Jay a mom to Lloyd and not a dad, he's more paternal imo

oh this is a very very fun question

short answer: jay draws parallels with edna libber and misako in the most actually maternal scenes + exploration of aspects of womanhood from a transmasc perspective, which is a very very nuanced conversation + the effect it has on jay

long answer:

soooo personally im a big freak when it comes to anything female-gender-role related mixed with transmasculinity which is crucial in my interpretation of jay

ive talked previously about jay paralleling their mothers so lets go over it quickly

1. edna - the rollerskates episode in s4 where jay explicitly states that he was in a tournament with edna and they won, which is exactly what he does with lloyd later in the episode

2. misako - in the second to last episode of s2 when lloyds had his ass handed to him by the overlord he mimics misakos actions beat for beat

3. libber - all we actually know about her is her relation to jay and cliff and through a lot of overthinking ive come to believe that she parallels jays relationship with lloyd and nya greatly, especially with leaving jay never to be seen again kinda like jay does in dr

jays relationship with lloyd is set up very differently than the other ninja - hes the one to actually carry him onto the bounty; when lloyd begun his training as the green ninja, he had the recreation/leisure time with jay, meaning the few moments of the day where he could unpack emotions and unwind leaving jay way more in tune with lloyds emotions which we've seen plenty examples of (also paralleling misako);

(here jays the first to notice and ask whats wrong)

the way hes willing to give up both his and everyone elses lives for lloyd

(here hes willing to give up his last wish - the thing hes been tortured for weeks for just to save lloyd)

i cant add any more pictures here but heres the example of it!! jay ripped lloyd away from cole so he wouldnt get corrupted, later he pushed lloyd away to take the hit

and episode prior hes shown having a literal panic attack over lloyd fighting the overlord

and most importantly - ✨ THE LOSS OF PERSONHOOD THAT COMES WITH BEING A MOTHER ✨

that is something i want to explore so so so much and jay seems like a perfect opportunity, along with other mothers of ninjago.

(also why i think its such a fun concept to bring morro back, since theyre so similar and its the team that saved jay from morros path, having your narrative twin hit you with a 'fucking hell youre losing yourself dude' hits so much harder imo)

tldr: i think it parallels the mothers weve seen in ninjago + it fits my own personal experiences+issues i have currently and themes i want to explore!!

and diclaimer: you have every right in the world to have your own interpretation of these characters and their relationships, this is simply the way i read the text and narrative weve been given :))

[fatuismooches]

HEHE HAIHAI SMOOCHES ITS ME ANON WHO CANT STOP THINKING ABT FAILURE AND DELTA SEGMENTS SINCE U ASKED SO NICELY U SHALL RECIEVE MORE BRAINROTS thud time a cute little imagine? scenario? (i have no idea hut we roll) with failure segment

Since this segment doesn’t acknowledge anyone other than fragile!reader (and prime i think) i imagine that when the agents are assigned with tasks related to this segment, they feel immense reluctance.. but worry not! fragile!reader to the rescue!

Imagine one of the times where reader is sat on his table, trapped between his arms as he stares at them (this is a regular occurrence atp), an unlucky fatui agent assigned to retrieve something from this segments’ office comes in and asks for said thing, they get ignored as usual, so fragile! reader, being the kind and gentle soul they are take it upon themselves to help them, since theyre the only person this segment would willingly listen to without facing any difficulties.

So the reader repeats the agents’ question but less nervously and in a more softer tone, they stroke his cheeks with their thumbs as he gets lost in the soft glint in their eyes, and almost as if hypnotised, he nods along to the sound of their lovely voice and in a voice so low he answers the reader, then points to the direction of said object the agent was assigned to get. The agent takes it and walks off (almost darts out tbh), and reader just kisses the segment as thank you, i imagine he keeps his half lidded eyes open whenever fragile!reader presses their lips against his, but just for a couple of seconds, i like to think he mainly does this to memorize the feeling of the moment, how soft their lips feel, the way you look so content kissing him, the feeling of your hands on his cheeks (how they’re no longer as cold as he remembers them to be when you were in a comatose state), the feeling of yearning and love in his chest, etc.

And only then does he closes his eyes shut to enjoy the moment even more.

And then when you try to pull away, he doesn’t let you. He lightly places a hand under your chin and a hand on the back of your neck and pulls you back for a peck, a peck turns into two, then he goes in for thirds and fourths and its like he can’t get enough of the sweet taste of your lips (honestly none of the segments nor Dottore himself can get enough). I know it was stated that this segment doesnt initiate physical affection since he’s content with watching you go about your day from afar, but i like to imagine that although occasionally, he sometimes reciprocates double the affection you give him, its like he’s lost control of his own movements and moves in a trance. And then reader can’t take anymore because of how flustered and breathless they feel and immediately bury their face in the crook of his neck, with their arms wrapped tight around him as he sigh in contentment.

Their face burns even more when he absentmindedly murmurs in that voice of his about the feel of their lips as if he was documenting checkup results so close to their ear.

hehe this was fun to write but i did not beta read at sll :3c can i be 🐙 anon pretty pleasr C:

(x) Although being asked to speak to any of the segments is a challenging task for the average person, Zeta is a special case. Each segment is unique in their own way, perhaps loud and crazy, or calm yet intimidating, but at least they can communicate with their underlings. Zeta, on the other hand, has very little contact with the regular Fatuis, only capable of working in solitude considering his state of mind. Most agents are forced to return empty-handed and instead fetch another segment to help. He's not seen very often either - it's either Prime's office, his office, the hallways to and from, and maybe his room. So Zeta certainly isn't a segment one would want to deal with, especially since his ticks and likes are vastly unknown to the general Fatui... (the handbook is severely lacking in this area...)

But despite the air around Zeta, you weren't scared off in the slightest, and of course, found yourself snuggling with him in due time. His general demeanor was far different from the other segments but that wasn't an issue, you found it endearing but also quite sad at how gently he treated you as if you were glass that was just about to break... you wanted to try and show him how you were still stronger than that! (Despite your frail health.)

You didn't expect helping him with his job to be part of spending time with him, but you're not mad. Rather, you find it a bit cute how he's willing to listen and indulge your wishes. (The handbook definitely has a rule like - [Name] 100% has magic powers. Definitely an angel bestowed upon us.) Meanwhile, Zeta has no issue with this, in fact, he finds it reminiscent of all the times you used to ask favors from him, when you used to rely on him for anything and everything. So now that finally you're awake, alive, smiling, he wants you to rely on him again. (Though he does find it a bit annoying how nice you are to these agents, he'd prefer to help you with your own requests...)

You can never really predict when Zeta will have one of those days when he needs to kiss you all over, and although it catches you off guard you will never not reciprocate. You know how long he's had to watch you be motionless, and you need to make up for that time. It's also kind of funny because while all the other segments fluster you on purpose, Zeta doesn't realize it sometimes.