#this is how i grew up in a nutshell

[lynx-sunfall]

Schlatt completely freezing for a picture in his hotel video is exactly what I looked like when anyone took a picture of me as a child, he's just a guy who's mom told him to go to a mirror and learn how to smile as a kid and now only knows that one smile for the rest of his life, the freezing for 15 seconds straight is because mom needs to take at least seven pictures to make sure no one blinked

[jellitchi]

hello friends heres some more artist au ,,, i have A huge infodump under the cut ... u were warned

uhm mumbo is a tattoo artist in this au, hes the towns electrician primarily but he does tattoo work too. hes terrified of needles on his own skin but really enjoys the process of tattooing. i think he mostly does geometric stuff. probably hrm.

gem runs and owns the fishing dock/bait shop. shes born and raised in this town so shes been here her whole life. shes okay at painting but her real passion is with clay- specifically sculpting. shes taking a pottery workshop w grian but she like the freedom sculpting has that the wheel cant really give her...? if that makes sense.. she still likes it. when she paints she gravitates towards gouache and watercolors, she likes the fluidity she can achieve w em. also is very fond of how gouache lets u set it down then return and reactivate it w water again lol

pearl is a relatively successful artist, shes constantly traveling for art shows and also to host workshops/look for inspiration. she used to paint a lot, thats how she kinda got her fame... she used to paint this one girl a lot idk she has curly orange hair and freckles and shes always painted really beautifully. then stuff happened and now pearl mostly sculpts now. she still paints and her paintings are her most popular works but shes more into working w clay.

hm more abt this au, pearl and grian are siblings and both grew up learning oil painting. jimmy is also in this au im still figuring out a role but hes their cousin— basically brother— i was thinking pearls manager js coz i think itd b funny lol.

the setting is a small coastal town hrmm havent thought too much else abt it, was mostly pulling from coastal norcal ish...

in this au scar and grian are really really tight and have been living w each other for like 5/6 ish years. i dont think they officially get tgt... they think theyre woke asf n say they dont like labels (kinda kidding) the real reason is just timing. whenever grian is sick of running circles and works up the courage, scar usually has some complications hes working through and grian feels like hed just be another stressor added to his plate so he just wills it away... then when scar is like Im gonna do it. Im gonna tell him. Grian is experiencing sum kinda dilemma and is rly stressed so then scar is like well it can wait... (this goes on forEver.) whenever they do sync up, usually theyre far too scared about ruining their friendship and having to find a new roommate or something. they both r very important to each other and if bottling up their feelings means they can hold onto each other and keep each other around then thats what theyll do...! yeah theyre doomed🤦‍♂️.... they still basically do romantic activities tgt- they just think its normal coz its them.... also everyone around them thinks theyre secretly dating or smth anyways Yeah this is the au in a nutshell im such a sucker for long term pinning friends to lovers or whatever😭😭😭😭😭...

[drchucktingle]

Mr Chuck, wizard of gay romance, I consult ye. Without knowing a damn thing about the plot of the book I'm writing other than it is gay and has themes of hunger, consumption, joy in spite of suffering, and the fleeting nature of life, how should my story end?

well to create we need to consume, this is how we produce energy and multiply and build. since beginning of time from frothing volcanos to tiny microbes CREATION and CONSUMPTION are linked. in addition an act of creation is an act of love, it is filling the empty void with SOMETHING and that is as powerful and important as it gets

i think what confuses MANY buckaroos is they get caught up by the consumption part. they see this equation i have laid out and say 'well if consuming leads to creation and creation is to point then we must consume everything as a moral imperative.' i mean HECK that is capitalism in a dang nutshell right there. if you trot this path it says the bigger fish should eat the little one, and that war and power are sort of innate. you see a lot of goofball conservative philosophers with melted brains stop here and set up shop to peddle their sad wares

THE PROBLEM IS consuming everything that you can DOES NOT ACTUALLY LEAD TO MORE CREATION IN PRACTICE. maybe sometimes in the very short term, but at the end of the dang trot it leads to destruction on a massive scale. if the biggest fish eats ALL the little fish then it is not just the little fish who dies it is BOTH of them. if you seek power through TAKING AND CONSUMING all that you can you will do more harm than good. you may puff up your chest for a little while but eventually you will go beyond your means and crumble.

consuming yields the best results when you do it in sustainable way, when you share with your neighbor, when you build a community. this is because LOVE is the best fuel and love thrives when buds work together to create a greater whole than themselves. even if you use example of TAKING through violence, ten little cave buckaroos as a team will always take down one big cave buckaroo. COMMUNITY PROVES LOVE. TEAMWORK PROVES LOVE. CONNECTION PROVES LOVE.

fortunately, as much as scoundrels want to convince us that fighting and violence and TAKING is the best way to grow as a dang species, it is not. humans thrived not because of some primal hierarchy (as goofball conservatives say) but because we started villages and societies and systems of working together. the buds who put their chips behind the BIGGEST FISH are only seeing one part of the picture. YES sometimes in the animal kingdom the biggest beast will win the fight, but that is why THEY ARE BEASTS AND WE ARE PEOPLE. we evolved to greater heights as we grew bigger brains for sharing and empathy and love and complexity. WE STARTED COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WITHIN COMMUNITY CREATION AND LOVE THRIVE. THE 'REAL' BIGGEST FISH IS KINDNESS.

so hunger and consuming are ACTUALLY an important part of creation. they are part of bringing joy to this timeline, so long as you are not endlessly hungry even after you are full, and so long as you are not consuming what could be better shared with a bud.

hope that helps with your story buckaroo

[flamingo-writes]

A/N: i am back from the dead after months. And it should’ve come as a surprise that I absolutely loved Hobie. Looks like a rockstar and is an absolute punk. My type in a nutshell.

I’m gonna be using some of these headcanon for future

Gal in The Chair — Hobie Brown x Artist!Reader

I think Hobie would be the kind of guy to fall for someone who he’s known for a long while, that being said, you’d perhaps known him all of your life

Having grown together, the two of you shaped a lot of each other’s beliefs. So no wonder the two of you were so compatible.

After the spider bite, you saw the whole journey from Hobie freaking out at first, to him figuring out how to use his new abilities.

He designed his web shooters, being the genius he is with technology. You helped him with his suit, specially his mask.

You became his Gal in the Chair

You liked to fix up and personalise clothes. All of your pieces of clothings came from second hand shops and you gave them a make over doing all sorts of stuff on them to make them unique and yours.

You also did this with a lot of Hobie’s clothes. As well as teaching him how to use your sewing machine.

After graduating high school, you opened a small alternative clothing shop in with unique pieces, doing the same thing you did for your clothes on this one. As well as doing hand made jewerly like bracelets, necklaces and earrings. You also had a talent with plants, managing to almost magically bring plants back to life and reproduce them like crazy, you added selling plants into your small business.

As Spider-Man gained traction, he low key promoted your work to his followers and people who agreed with him. This in order to keep negative attention from falling on you, and keep bad guys from thinking and theorising that maybe you knew Spider-Man.

As a side gig, you educated yourself on coffee making, and learned about the different processes and types of coffee beans there were. It started as a hobby, but soon you also implemented that into your shop.

The fact that you were so versatile, made Hobie feel incredibly proud of you. You seemed to be so independent, and creative and that never ending curiosity and passion made him harvest feelings for you.

Eventually, the close friendship, and companionship grew into affectionate and romantic feelings.

Hobie was always flirty, but it wasn’t until now that you started behaving differently. Normally he played his electric guitar but now you found him playing his acoustic guitar more.

He showed you a song he wrote. And while it was unusual —however, not imposible— to hear a romantic song coming from him, it wasn’t until the first minute that you realised the song was about you.

That’s how he chose to tell you about his feelings.

He didn’t intend for it to be this romantic, he simply one day word vomited the song and used one free afternoon to add the music.

After hearing his song, it was actually you who grabbed him and kissed him.

More than satisfied with the outcome, he kissed you back, put his guitar down and pulled you over his lap.

You two became inseparable since. You already were, but now it was more evident.

You worked at home, doing all the creative things you did, selling them, helping Spider-Man with art shows and gigs.

Those who paid close attention, they were able to determine you were some sort of associate to Spider-Man. However, all of them were also punks and anarchist so of course they kept their mouths shut. Spider-Man was always looking out for those in need. They were going to help a brother back and not tell anyone whenever any authority or weird-looking threat asked if anyone knew Spider-Man, or someone close to him.

You became widely known between Spider-Man supporters, although none of them would ever dare to snitch on you.

After Hobie met Gwen, she brought her over, you two became close friends right away. Letting Gwen crash at your place more often than not. She even offered to help you with the dishes and the groceries as thanks for letting her stay.

“You’re Hobie’s friend, you’re welcome whenever you want,” You’d told her.

Pav was also a frequent visitor. He loved your coffee, he taught you how to make chai. And you had chai ready for whenever Hobie told you Pav was going to be there.

Pav also bought plants from you all the time. Most of them for his mom. He once asked you if you could make a set of earrings and a necklace for his mom.

The set was a success and Pav always told you how much she loved them,

Eventually Miles also came around. And it wasn’t until Miles met you that his suspicions of Hobie and Gwen dating dissappeared.

Miles saw the absolute pure love with which Hobie looked at you. He still made the same sarcastic and cheeky jokes while talking to you. But the way he looked at you was completely different to the way he looked at anyone else.

Hobie convinced Miles to buy a plant and some earrings for his mother.

“Listen mate, this is what my girl does for a living. Plus the world needs to learn to appreciate the handiwork of an artisan,”

Miles was even surprised at how Hobie still looked cool while being mushy and cheesy with you as he hugged you, kissed your head, or played with your hands or hair.

Hobie had zero fucks to give about what people think about him, he doesn’t give a shit about PDA. Gwen thinks it’s gross, Pav thinks it’s adorable, Miles is simply puzzled as to how he is still cool when seeing his parents doing the same thing would make him cringe so hard.

Hobie is amused by the different reactions he gets. Especially Gwen’s grossed out face.

He still loves kissing you every chance he gets. Whether if it’s kissing you passionately. A subtle peck. Sweet kissed on your cheek or your forehead.

[yuki2sksksk]

Another KNY drabble with Obanai but it just came across my mind that some people might think Obanai hates all women and is misogynist -- SHUT UPPP IT'S CALLED TRAUMA FOR A REASON.

I think the correct way to describe how Obanai acts around women would be more 'uncomfortable'. He doesn't dislike them because he thinks men are superior and women are less than men yada yada -- he dislikes women because he was raised in an all women family and treated like a sacrifice for a snake demon.

Hello?? Is that not traumatizing then idk what is. He was a baby even then and grew up in a cage with no contact of outside world! Obviously this caused him to be uncomfortable around women and tends to be awkward.

You know, actually, i really REALLY like that Obanai was saved by Shinjuro and this led him possibly to know Kyoujuro since they were young. Something about a boy that was so used to hypocrite people and then met someone that radiates genuine honesty so much it's baffling. I think that's why Obanai likes Kyoujuro, because everything about him is real and truthful.

The same applies with his attraction to Mitsuri, who has an easily readable expression so lying is not her best forte. Also with Sanemi, due to his unfiltered words.

(oh god Obanai saying Giyuu's face looks like a rat and that's why he doesn't like him is probably because it's hard to know what Giyuu is thinking, so automatically Obanai hates him)

Ah I just thought of Shinobu with her emotions masking! Obanai probably hates her at first, feeling SUPER wary of her cause she's all smiles and sweet and he just has instant flashback AKDNSKSN.

Oh my god. Enemies to besties with Obanai and Shinobu. Besties that talk about swords cause their sword structures are unique. Obanai allowing Shinobu to extract Kaburamaru's poison for test. Shinobu giving special permission for Obanai bringing in Kaburamaru into the butterfly estate cause she knows he keeps his snake friend clean and healthy.

Shinobu, without realising it, helps Obanai to interact with girls more after spending time with each other. Obanai, offering support and encouragement for Shinobu when she feels insecure of her lack of physical strength.

(I'd say enemies to besties cause Obanai hates people that masked their intentions with sweet words and would word something like 'I hate fake women like you: and Shinobu misunderstood his hostility as a superior feeling against women then the aggressive tension between them is WILD until maybe they had a talk about their pasts)

Obanai appreciates honest people y'all, in a nutshell.

[angelwishess]

Okay so— im gonna ramble about my new oc because!!!! Yes!!! 😈

Eirian “Damaris”-Vanrougue

OKAY SOO, Ive actually had him as an oc concept for super long, but only got a good idea for what kind of character he is yesterday 😭

Have I ever watched The Last Unicorn?? No. But that will NEVER stop me…

ANYWAYS!!! Eirian is a unicorn-fae(??), how does that work? No idea, but im going w it!!!

If it wasnt obvious from his name, he and Lilia are married LMFAOO I JUST THOUGHT IT’D BE REALLY REALLY FUNNY FOR A WHOLE MARRIED COUPLE TO BE ATTENDING A COLLEGE TOGETHER😭

Eirian and Lilia met back when the war was still waging on, Eirian grew up with his mother and other sisters but he ended up getting seperated from them after an attack on their little village

The humans that captured Eirian cut off his horn and tail, which is why he has those scars

Lilia ended up finding where he was being held by random, and !! GENERAL LILIA TO RHE REsCUE!!!!!!

Ya ever since then Eirian just … never left his side LMFAOO

He ended up hating humans— specifically, men. Hes a man hater i fear !!!!

(^^ This is based on actual unicorn mythology btw!! Unicorns were considered protectors of women and only women could “tame” unicorns. Unicorns were also known to represent estatic destruction and literally fight everything but yk… ANYWAYS in a nutshell— Unicorns originated as a wild beast that could only be tamed by a “pure woman”.)

Eirian actually helped Lilia raise Silver and Malleus, acting as a second parent for both of them. Despite being a man hater ™️ and wanting humans to BURN/j hes a very good parent to Silver :33

Honestly though?? He’d be a total girl dad if he had a daughter. He ADORES Kyra, Elena and Jester. If u have a fem oc WATCH OUT because he IS considering adopting one.

An instigator for Lilia’s shennanigans, but hey, atleast hes the best cook ever to make up for Lilia’s horrid cooking skills 😭

Hes honestly so mother lowkey he’d absolutely slay at doing drag or smth I can imagine him doing it 😭😭😭

@screamintoad @blood-red-hummingbee @jadelover69 TAGGING BCS!!! NEW OC!!! HEHE 😈

[scretladyspider]

Here’s a reminder for anyone who thinks that conservatives accept aces: they think we need to be fixed. They think women and feminine people are inherently asexual but they mean it in a way that agency is removed, not as an orientation.

It’s also not a sudden switch. The churches I grew up in preached that sexuality was reserved for your husband, and that if you had boobs (they didn’t recognize anything but cis existed) that your body was inherently tempting, and men’s attraction to you was your responsibility.

Also — while I went to church camp every summer and did Bible Quizzing (I was really good at that actually) and was in the church pageant and youth groups and all of that — I know many people raised in much stricter churches, and that includes stricter purity culture beliefs.

The idea that men and masculine people wouldn’t want sex? Utterly unthinkable. I even remember having conversations in my Christian college with women who wanted to get married who said that part of their marriage was the duty to be sexually available to their husbands.

The body I was raised with was meant for the service of a future husband, not me. And that bled into secular culture (still does). Claiming my aceness was a huge part of claiming agency over my body and healing from the idea that it could only exist for others.

Here’s the thing: in a nutshell, women and feminine people are seen as not wanting sex, but having bodies inherently sexually tempting to men and masculine people. When the two marry, she must give her body to her husband in every way. And yeah, it’s as gross as it sounds.

Just because conservatives didn’t say “asexual” before doesn’t make this rhetoric new. Purity culture has been against anything not based in some 1950s idealized sexuality in marriage for a very long time. Very cis heteronormative— two things aces are not. The only difference is that conservatives are including the word “asexual” in their sexual ethics now.

Wrote an essay about it here.

But yeah it’s not new. They’re just learning how to use more vocabulary to say what they were already saying.

[gibsongirled]

hii.. I'm new here, but I wanna request a Jschlatt fic!! Maybe the reader gets uncomfortable by a guy at the subway or somewhere and calls Jschlatt, and he comes to get her when he hears she's really anxious?? :-)

Take your time with it and whatnot :D, thx!!

SUBWAY !!

description: people at subway stations were definitely something.

a/n: this is a bit short, but i hope you like it !!

Ah, New York City. Probably the distant cousin of Texas and Florida.

The pizza rats and the mobs of buskers wearing knockoff costumes of beloved cartoon characters that’d swarm unsuspecting tourists for pictures and tips. That was probably the epitome of New York City in a nutshell.

You moved from LA to The Big Apple last year. Living in New York in your twenties was something that younger you had dreamed of.

You grew up watching Friends because your mother thought it was the best show in the world and you tried to stomach that as much as you could before the laugh tracks started to sound grating to your ears, but the idea and aesthetic of living in The Big Apple seemed appealing to your young and naive mind. Now actually living in it, you had half a mind to sock your younger self in the face and scream: “Do not move!”, because New York was nothing like how Friends portrayed it to be - okay, maybe you related to the theme song more than you’d like to admit.

To be fair, New York was like LA - nothing really changed in your move, the latter just ranked semi low on the insane scale of places to live in. Influencers flock to sunny Los Angeles for its overpriced stores like Erewhon. You might have shed some tears when you wanted to try a smoothie from them and found out about the price - with Schlatt cackling maniacally while you were trying to defend your choices, you were glad to move out after that.

“I’m gonna be a little late,” you said into your phone that was wedged between your shoulder and face. You stepped off the platform and onto the relatively empty subway car with its doors closing behind you, quickly finding a place to sit. “I picked up dinner from that place - yeah, turns out they didn’t shut down. There was a raid or some shit, I dunno, man.”

Schlatt said something on the other line that made you roll your eyes and laugh under your breath. “Hey, they have amazing egg rolls. I will not accept slander on their name.”

“I’ll call you back,” you hung up, cutting off whatever retort Schlatt was cooking up when you noticed a man, who was sitting on the opposite side of you. He started an unprompted conversation with you, making you nod with an awkward smile on your face. Two more stops before you’re home.

“You’re pretty,” he piped up.

You made a face, clutching your phone. “Uh, thanks…”

You cut the conversation off by going on your phone, causing the guy to let out a scoff as you kept your attention on your phone. You texted Schlatt, telling him about the weird guy and to pick you up from your stop if he wasn’t super busy.

You: super weird guy on the subway You: meet me at my stop? You: i’m like t-minus one stop away Schlart: Yeah, sure Schlart: Will be waiting

You sent a smiling emoji back. Your stop was coming up so you stood up from your seat, walking near the doors for a quick exit. Surprisingly, the man didn’t follow you - he didn’t even look at you now - and you let out a deep breath. Usually, those types of encounters didn’t happen to you, but that was also because Schlatt was like a guard dog each time the two of you went anywhere.

The doors opened and you stepped out, a few other people walking in different directions behind you. You saw Schlatt quickly walking down the steps, pushing past some strangers. “Hey!” You waved at him, holding up the takeout bag.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, handing him the bag. Schlatt took it, leading you out of the subway station with a hand on your shoulder as you talked his ear off about random things.

[erinoma9]

Problems with "The Search" Comic

Retconning Ursa's backstory

Some old lore about Ursa, before the comic came out.

Admittedly, this page conflates "royalty" with "nobility," which extends to Mai and Onji's page.

Contrast these excerpts to the Search. (SPOILERS AHEAD! And Long!)

"Born to Fire Nation royalty [nobility] and - raised as such."

Search! Ursa: Her family went into hiding after Roku's death. She grew up as a commoner in Hira'a - a small, remote 'backwater village' located on the far edge of the Fire Nation. Her father, Jinzuk worked as the town's magistrate, and her mother, Rina was a master herbalist. Her mother is the daughter of Avatar Roku and has his headpiece in her possession.

"She was the perfect match for Prince Ozai and soon became his wife"

Search! Ursa: Azulon and Ozai track down Avatar Roku's (supposedly remaining) descendants and possibly monitor them for months. They (forcibly) propose a union between Ursa and Ozai for eugenics purposes.

In a nutshell, her relation to Avatar Roku is enough to qualify her as the perfect match.

"There was a time when it probably wasn't such a bad marriage. I think they probably started okay. Certainly better than it ended up."

Search! Ursa: She didn't want to marry Ozai, she wanted to marry her one true love, Ikem but she didn't get much of a say. And come the wedding, Ozai drops a massive bombshell on her.

In short, it starts out as a bad marriage, to put it mildly.

Someone on TV tropes (Fridge Horror section. Be Warned!) posited that "started out okay" can mean anything. And that "okay" doesn't mean happy or willing.

To that I say, it's a massive stretch to claim this scene is equivalent to "started out okay." Okay is not another word for utterly miserable! Words similar to okay can range from alright, pleasant, acceptable or tolerable. So, "started out okay" and the conveniently ignored "better than it ended up" doesn't apply to the Search.

"She is a very sweet woman and a wonderful mother, but she is also very protective -- especially of her favorite child Zuko" ... "Ursa spent most of her time raising her children to be good Fire Nation citizens and the ideal royal family."

Search! Ursa: The comics intentionally or unintentionally avoid portraying Ursa as an imperialist but don't contradict that she taught Zuko and Azula Fire Nation Propaganda offscreen.

She didn't seem to care about being the "ideal royal" herself, privately at least.

For instance, she writes that infamous letter falsely citing Ikem as Zuko's father to spite Ozai among other reasons. Most damningly, she sees her life in the palace as "a life that [she] did not choose for herself," leading to the infamous memory wipe. Both examples have attracted critics, hence the "infamous" connotation, and arguably butcher her 'protective mother' characterisation.

Zuko Alone Ursa: Zuko. That's what moms are like. If you mess with their babies, humph, they're gonna bite you back! [Later on] Ursa: Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are. DoBS pt 2Ozai: My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan, a plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared. [Later] Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished. "She (Ursa) kind of saved Zuko's life by doing something not very nice to Fire Lord Azulon" ~ Mike "Ursa mysteriously disappeared on the same night as Fire Lord Azulon's death. Some say that she was somehow involved in Fire Lord Azulon's death -- and that she did it to protect Zuko. But the truth is not known."

Search! Ursa: Despite these quotes stressing her role in Azulon's death and clearly implying that she murdered him, that role is given to Ozai. Instead, Search! Ursa merely makes the plan and a deadly poison, all because the writers didn't want her hands dirty.

Is it just me or is this scene so rushed? What happened to the "swore she would protect you at any cost" line?

Why does she assume she'll get to take her children, even though they are his heirs?

And then there's Ozai's response: he calls them, his collateral and has no problem referring to them as your children. He even threatens their lives, along with Ursa's, if she doesn’t keep her word.

Aside from how stupid it is for him to say that, it begs the question of why he didn't kill Ursa afterwards? He just lets her walk free when she's a loose end to him. Plot hole much!

So, Ursa's mum taught her how to make that poison - okay, in the vein of "what kind of mother forgets her children", what kind of mother teaches her daughter how to make an extremely deadly poison? Literally, no one talks about that!

[feralferretxp]

Okay so this is a intro post about my headcanons for Bang's parents and his childhood. So yeah, buckle in guys :D

This is Meg, short for Margaret, and Ned, short for Edwin.

Meg was designed by @supgoddo while i designed Ned. These are just some early doodles of them.

Also this last one is my most recent drawing of them which was a while ago but I plan on drawing a lot of stuff of them and Bang for future posts ↴

I headcanon them to be rich/high class because:

Bang's whole canon name is pretty dang fancy, like come on there's no way he just has that name for no reason

As made in a older post of mine (this one) I talked about how Bang shows a lot of signs that he comes from a wealthy upbringing of some sorts. Including him having proper manners like when he greets a royal sand architect and some kid named "King"

Here's just a synopsis for Bang's parents and his childhood and how it all affected him:

Bangford "Bang" Bipplebop III grew up in a wealthy family under the weight of big expectations. His father, Ned (Bangford Edwin "Ned" Bipplebop II), was a self-made millionaire who pushed himself to succeed as his own father wanted. He hoped Bang would inherit this same drive and set high, often unrealistic goals for him to carry on the family legacy. Bang’s mother, Margaret "Meg", came from old money and embraced tradition, placing high value on elegance and respectability. Though she loved Bang, she struggled with his transition and often deadnamed or misgendered him, which only deepened the distance between them. As a kid, Bang struggled academically and socially, showing neurodivergent traits like his father has, but Ned is not even aware of his own traits so he's blind to Bang's struggles with causes more stain on their relationship. Bang was often clumsy and felt slow or “behind,” which led to frustration and yelling from his parents, leaving him feeling out of place even in his own home. Still, he idolized his dad, and when he transitioned, he chose to become Bangford "Bang" Bipplebop III. Ned was proud, but Meg quietly missed her “little girl”. Now an adult, Bang has adopted a chill, stoner-surfer vibe, projecting effortless cool demeanor. Beneath that, though, he constantly wrestles with feelings of inadequacy and failure. He dropped out of college, never achieving the high-class life his parents imagined. He even got his current job on Answer Team 341B by accident, after receiving someone else’s acceptance letter, which only adds to his sense of not belonging or “being behind,” since he was never properly trained. To cope, he uses weed to numb the pain and avoid his worries, but he fears this habit only reinforces the image of an ambitionless pothead that his parents likely suspect him to be. Beneath his mellow exterior, Bang battles with self-worth, struggling to break free of family expectations that never quite fit.

So in a nutshell, he’s a trans man dealing with generational trauma who masks his insecurities and self-doubt with a laid-back persona while using weed to numb the pain 👍

Also my headcanons for his childhood struggles help explain why he shields his face and head when he gets yelled at times, which i also talked about in a different post. (right here) Like him fearing of being scolded at again for doing something wrong. Or even just to shield and protect himself when he feels like he's in danger. Poor dude🥺

Also to point out that there are a few moments in Answer Time where you can see where Bang is not at all interested in business, like in the Internet episode where he looks disengaged and even a little bored when Stacy, the human calling them, was talking about his corporate job that's all about serious business. And plus the Stocks episode where Bang has no idea or interest in how to run a company when he was trying to figure out how stocks work. Which helps with my headcanon that he ofc doesn't find any interest in business like his father does and doesn't want to be in it.

Heck, even Sue tells Bang in the Stocks episode, "Some folks are just born with a innate talent for business." Which could hint that business is in his family blood somehow.

Anyways, back on track. My voice claims for Meg and Ned are Mother Gothel from Tangled and Wheatley from Portal, and those could also kind of show how they both act like but not entirely of course but just sorta the gist of it in a nutshell.

Since moving out for college, Bang has been living on his own away from his parents and after dropping out, he cut off all contact with them, being too ashamed to face them as their only child who was a far cry from what they had hoped for. But I do theorize that perhaps after the Stock episode when Bang's red t-shirt company flunked in stocks, Ned took notice of this (not to mention all of the adverts with Bang's face in them) and thus could lead to him and Meg soon finding Bang and meeting him after so many years. Which would scare the living hell out of him if he ever saw them knocking at his door, but that's for another time I think.

So yeah that's what i have for y'all so far with Med and Neg. I'll probably make other posts talking about Meg and Ned in more depth with their own backstories and lore. I hope you guys like my headcanons or whatever. Please feel free to comment or share your ideas or thoughts!

Thank you for reading this far and have a good day! ✨

[lopposting]

Some more Lies of P translation notes!

Some cool translation details that I thought were fun that didn't fit anywhere else.

[long!]

[Spoilers]

In the Korean version, Geppetto is speaking an "old-fashioned"/archaic form of Korean to reflect the time period that the game is set in

Set around the turn of the century (late 1800s), mimicking the Belle Époque of France's industrial revolution, we can guess that the game's events take place during the late 1800s. Given Geppetto's status as "old geezer", we can guess that he's closer to 100 than not, so he would have been born around the early 1800s. I might not be completely accurate - basically, he's speaking as an elderly person might speak in current time to culturally reflect his age; other times I notice he's using some words that are now out of use.

From the game's initial trailer:

깨어나거라, 아들아. 이제 이 아비를 기쁘게 해다오. Wake up, son. Make this father happy/proud.

The word he uses for "father" is "Abi" (아비), which is an archaic word for "father". In current day, korean speakers would generally use "Abeoji" (아버지).

The -gura(거라)/-DaOh(다오) conjugation is also an additional syllable that has since fallen out of use, or is considered archaic, in current korean:

아들아, 네 심장을 다오. Son, give me your heart.

하지만 알아 다오, 나는 너도 사랑했단다. But know this, I loved you too. English VA version: In my own way, I grew to love you.

This is also apparent in Geppetto's final letter at the end:

우릴 방해할 자는 이제 없을 거란다. 너를 위한 크라트를 다시 만들어주마. (-juma, Supposedly, only a "superior" speaker can use -juma) 그때까지 호텔에 조심해서 머물러 다오. 너를 누구보다도 아끼는 아버지가.

He also uses the -Oh ending again. (although he does call himself "Abeoji" 아버지 here and not "abi" like the trailer. He uses "Abi" again in another instance when responding to a guesture)

It's a very cool detail to me. I think it's a bit missed opportunity that, as far as I know, the english version doesn't seem to reflect this! Although to be fair, I'm struggling to imagine how they would. 19th century english/french maybe isn't as different or isn't different in the same ways from "modern" english that 19th century Korean would be from "modern" Korean. [Well, my only education on this stuff is from watching episodes of Dae Jang Geum]. I haven't checked to see if any other character (like Antonia) speaks this way. [Pls message me if Geppetto also speaks like this in your or any other language version!!]

Lies of P, Blood, puns, and the P-Organ

The P-Organ, in Korean, is referred to as the P기관. 기관 (gi-gwan), however, doesn't necessarily correlate directly to the word "Organ": It's quite an interesting word to choose because it can refer to any system of moving parts, both organic or mechanical; and it can mean an organ, a machine, or even a governmental body or institute.

As you may have heard by now, the game's titular pun revolves around the fact that the english character for P sounds the word for "blood" in korean (피), making the title (P의 거짓 P-ie Geojit?) read like Lies of Blood, in a nutshell. The title Lies of Blood then fits into the becoming-real flesh-and-blood themes of the game, perhaps also suggests that the deception in Krat has cost the lives of many - and, of course, references the lying of the titular character, who is inferred to be none other than (P)inocchio! So, in Korean, the P-Organ (P기관) becomes something like the Blood Engine. Which rather sounds like a euphemism for a heart!

[Perhaps: It's also a bit of narrative that Geppetto refuses to refer to it as our heart, unless he refers to it as belonging to Carlo.]

In English, this wordplay no longer exists, and so it's rather awkwardly literally translated (as the P-Organ).

How do you say, "NEOWIZ"?

I've seen a few people ask about the pronunciation of NEOWIZ (Lies' publishing company). Hangul is phonetic, so you could (technically) say the official pronunciation of NEOWIZ (네오위즈) is Nae-Oh Wiz and not Neo (like the Matrix character) -wiz.

However [in my opinion], I don't think this matters, because when something is translated to another language, it often takes the pronunciation of the language it is read in. Kind of like how in english you would read the capital of France correctly as Paris (with an S sound at the end), and not "Pari" (french pronunciation).

Also, Krat is consistently pronounced by in-game characters as "Krot" (Long O, rhymes with "Cot" or "Not") in the english version. In the game korean releases, "Krat" is written as 크라트, which would be pronounced and read as "Krat" (short A, rhymes with "Rat" or "Cat").

[I think the devs also say "Krat" too. The rounder "O" pronunciation of "A" in words seem like more of a European pronunciation in general]

The "Youngest of the Black Rabbit Brotherhood" and Gender

In Korean culture, Age is particularly significant in both Korean social hierarchy and language, and the role/position of being the youngest in a group is a particular role known as being the "maknae" (I mean, I definitely think this also exists in the western world, people definitely would understand being the "youngest" one in your family, but it's slightly different from that).

Despite being a member of the brotherhood, she refers to her brothers as "Oppa", which is when the word "brother" is used by female speakers to an older male subject (Remember Gangnam style?) [A male speaker would use "Hyung". I debated putting this one in, because to me, it seemed kind of obvious, but I did see others asking about this.]

[Given that the developers are from a korean studio, I am choosing to believe that the subtitles provided by the game's "korean" version are the text/script as originally written intended by the developers!]

[spanishskulduggery]

I'm at such a weird place in my Spanish-learning journey.

I've been actively learning for 4 years now. I don't use it very often though so I still kinda suck lmao. I'm good at speaking as long as the listener is patient; reading and writing are solid; but I still suck at my listening skills (why are some accents so difficult to understand!!!!!!!!!)

So anyway.

I have a bunch of coworkers who grew up speaking Spanish natively. I don't use Spanish with them because I still suck at it (affectionate to myself), but oftentimes they/we all will be taking about Spanish grammar and such. And I'll chime in like "yes when it's conjugated like this, it means that, so you yada yada and yada" and "well it depends on where you're from, but generally xyz."

So I don't exhibit any understanding of Spanish but then I'll pull out my knowledge of the language. I've discovered that, due to how I have learned the language, I typically I understand the nuances better than my native speaking coworkers.

Like I said. I'm in a weird place.

Yeah, I was in that space for a few years myself. I think that's the B1/B2 experience in a nutshell, you know enough to know what you're talking about, but not enough to feel comfortable

Unfortunately the only way to get better is to talk more. For me, listening is still the hardest part because of that - I'll try to hear and translate every single word and then trip myself up by focusing too much on one word or phrase I don't know, then miss everything else

I think it also depends on your comfort level with the other person

And how frustrated you get with yourself, because the more self-conscious you feel, the more you end up doubting yourself

It's rough. Unfortunately the intermediate phase lasts a long time lol

[doverstar]

A paltry 3 people have asked me to expand on my opinion that Clara (who I like) is bad for the Doctor, so here I go below.

Strap in, this will be long. I disliked Clara back when her tenure was happening live, but upon rewatching the show now, with my husband, I completely changed my mind and grew to really appreciate her and cried when she died. I like Clara. But I came to this conclusion you’re about to read during that rewatch. In a nutshell, Clara and the Doctor’s relationship is unhealthy. Stop wait let me explain-

*hands you the nutshell* First. The show itself acknowledges that this Doctor/companion relationship is something unprecedented and ugly and bad for both of them towards the end. Why? Is it Clara? YES AND NO children. Clara as a companion, personality-wise, is not different from or more special than many Classic Who companions, and Jenna Coleman is ridiculously likeable as Clara. I know Clara is The Impossible Girl (because Moffat can’t write 100% ordinary people), and I know she has met all of the Doctors up to Twelve at least once, but take away her decision to throw herself into his timeline �� take away the fact that the Master literally orchestrated events so that Clara and the Doctor would travel together because their personalities would create something dangerous and unhealthy in the end – and Clara herself really is just a twenty-something who wants to travel and acts like she’s the coolest person in the room. So Clara herself on the surface wasn’t the catalyst for the relationship becoming unhealthy. At least not the way she was written in the beginning. At first, it’s the Doctor making big Red Flag decisions. And I say that with so much love towards Matt Smith’s Doctor, who is dearly missed in these trying times. The Doctor meets the first version of Clara (from his perspective) as a barmaid/nanny in 20th century London. She’s exceptional (and unnecessarily flirty because Moffat can’t write women who don’t lust after the protagonist) and the Doctor invites her to travel with him. This is huge because the Doctor has just spent who-knows-how-long mourning the Ponds, who he was not ready to lose and who he had grown increasingly afraid of losing before he lost them. He sits on a cloud and has sworn off of travelling or helping anyone because he is that sick of losing people. He’s hurting and he doesn’t want to go through something like that again. The Ponds were just the latest in a very long line of lost people—remember, directly before Amy and Rory, the Doctor had to say goodbye to Donna, Martha, Wilf, Mickey, Jackie, Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith oh my goodness, and Rose Tyler. And then he loses the Ponds. It’s agony. And it just keeps happening to him over and over again, and the Eleventh Doctor is especially vulnerable because he’s so tender-hearted and raw from Tennant’s losses, and this is the first time he’s lost companions with this face. The Eleventh Doctor is literally described by Moffat as the incarnation of the Doctor who chooses to forget. He’s consistently not addressing things like Gallifrey, the Time War, Rose, Donna, Martha, etc. When he’s reminded of them, the only thing he really reacts with is a strained admission of guilt (Let’s Kill Hitler and The Doctor’s Wife, anyone?). Eleven does not focus on what he has lost and worked really, really, selfishly-at-times hard to preserve the safety of the Ponds in particular. And then he loses them and throws a Doctor pity party on a cloud in a top hat.

Enter Nanny Clara, and she reminds him of what he’s missing and how things should be and helps him get his mojo back. Great, good. But she also reminds him of this one chick in the Dalek Asylum who begged the Doctor for help and was already dead. And the Doctor not only loves a mystery, but hates losing (losing people in particular). So he invites this Clara to come away with him and begin his never-ending adventure all over again, because she seems perfect for the job. And then she dies. Just like Oswin the crazy Dalek. Just like Amy and Rory, and the DoctorDonna, and Rose Tyler on the list of fatalities during the incident at Canary Wharf. Like Adric. But the Doctor doesn’t give up and pout in the 20th century this time. Instead, he gets determined to figure out what is connecting Nanny Clara and Dalek Clara, and determined to find a version of this mystery girl who can travel with him and not die this time. Third time’s the charm.

He finds Clara Oswald in the present, saves her life, freaks her out with his desperation to befriend her, and then she finally comes away with him. It’s played incredibly sweet specifically because it’s the Doctor trying to entice a companion and working for it, because he’s already seen she’s the one—twice—and is determined to keep her. This is an inversion of what usually happens, which is that the companion has to prove themselves worthy of the position to the Doctor during a meet-cute adventure. Classy. Fun. But we see from that point forward that the Doctor is kind of…weirdly obsessed with Clara. And not just because she’s appeared as three different-but-the-same people in his life lately, but because he’s the man who forgets and he lost people and never deals with that, and now he has this girl who he’s been unable to save twice before and he wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. What’s worse, Clara becomes “the ultimate companion”, saving the Doctor throughout all his lifetimes by jumping into his timeline so she’s technically companion to all of him at one point. This is bad because not only is it not fair (as the gamers call it, it’s OP, yes I’m hip with the kids) it solidifies to the Doctor that she is the culmination of all his past failures in companion tenures.

She’s not the ultimate companion; she’s the ultimate do-over.

He’s obsessed with keeping Clara safe. He’s obsessed with keeping her with him. It’s not because Clara is this gorgeous, super-special, Not Like Other Girl(s). It’s not because he’s madly in love with her (though Moffat wants repeatedly to be able to imply that without properly saying it because he can’t write a female who is not in lust with the protagonist, hey let go of my soapbox I’m using that-). It’s not even because he lost two Claras previously and he feels really bad about that. It's because he’s projecting every single failure to keep a companion onto this one girl. The Doctor is trying so hard not to be controlled by the circumstances around him. He is trying so hard to keep this one, just this one, with him this time that he kind of turns into a withdrawal maniac when she’s in danger or choosing to do anything other than travel with him. The Master (Missy) orchestrated events so that Clara and the Doctor would be able to travel together because it was obvious the two of them would destroy each other in the end. The Doctor was such a person (Eleven) at such a time in his long life that could not stand the idea of losing one more friend and would do anything to keep history from repeating itself. He has to have Clara. He can’t quit Clara. She’s all of them. She’s everyone. And poor Clara—Clara is great, but being with the Doctor brings out only the worst in her. The woman is obsessed with herself. She was better off before he came around! Keeping pace with the Doctor, traveling the universe with him, feeling like she had something with him no one else could touch—all of that inflated her sense of importance; she has to be special. She has to be in control. She’s bossy and confident and as long as the Doctor is around, she’s the most incredible human being in her species and he is lucky to have her. That’s how he makes her feel—because it’s obvious he can’t let her go. (“Traveling with you made me feel really special.”) And worse, Clara can’t let him go—but not even specifically the Doctor. The Doctor, to Clara, is only as valuable as he makes her feel. It’s very sad because the two of them are kind of convinced they’re best friends and that’s why they’re together, but that’s not it. They’re not best friends. They’re toxic.

(Best friends do not trick other best friends, lie to them, threaten their way of life and only home to get their boyfriends back and then say “I’m sorry but I’d do it again”. Best friends do not notice that their best friend is there for them in spite of that line of action and then still disregard their best friend’s safety and needs in order to get what they themselves want above all else. Death in Heaven, I hate you.) And! Clara was so rattled by Eleven changing into Twelve. The sweet young man who flirted with her and made her feel so romantically important was gone, now there’s this grisly old fella who is rude to her and makes disparaging personal remarks about her physical appearance, and who doesn’t like hugs. But they’re not done. Because now the relationship has changed even further—we went from “he likes me and he should because I am Important” and “she’s staying with me and she should because I am gonna keep her safe and it won’t be like last time(s) and that’s why she’s special, that’s why she’s Impossible” to “I’m with him because he needs me and because I am Important like he is” and “she’s staying with me and she should because I am gonna keep her safe and she’s still special and she’s still Impossible and I can’t lose her no matter what”.

Clara is controlling and the Doctor is controlling. Missy would have you believe the Doctor won’t be controlled, but that’s just another form of control. The Doctor can’t stop travelling with Clara. Twelve will not let her rest, Twelve will not let her die. Clara will not stay home, Clara will not put anyone or anything else before herself, before traveling and saving the day and feeling special. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where the Doctor treats Clara with such reverence, she actually believes she’s 100% his equal and should be him. That was not a typo. I did not say she should be like him. I said she thinks she should be him. It gets worse and worse as time goes on. Clara thinks she can be the Doctor. She can travel anywhere, she can do whatever she wants, and she will always win. Because she’s important. Because she’s special. She doesn’t realize that she can’t, and that that’s not who the Doctor is anyway. And the Doctor watches Clara get eaten up by this addiction to travel, addiction to heroics. Clara loses Danny and that’s her last tether to normal life. It’s sad because Danny was twice the man anybody expected him to be and he was almost there, almost good enough for Clara to stay and be safe with. But the Doctor and time and space are a tough act to follow, and when Danny died, Clara felt she was owed better. She wasn’t angry because Danny was young and she loved him and she wanted better for him. She was angry because as a time traveling hero, she deserved to have her boyfriend alive and not hit by an ordinary car in the middle of an ordinary day on Earth. (But she wouldn’t have stayed with him anyway, and she wasted so much time with him treating him like he wasn’t special enough and then it was too late. If the Doctor had not been part of the equation, treating her like she hung the stars and making her believe it, they could have been happy. She could have been okay.)

More adventures, more close calls. At this point everything likeable about Clara in the past has faded away because she is just not the same person anymore. She’s ruined. And it’s her fault, and it’s the Doctor’s fault. Clara isn’t addicted to travel or heroics. Now she’s addicted to feeling important. She’s addicted to being special. And she needs to feel that so badly that she decides she is the Doctor and can do what he does and ignores the danger and ignores the rules and the risks and what it might do to the Doctor to lose her, and she faces the stupid raven. This girl legit dies a painful, scary death because she thought she could do whatever she wanted, control every situation, and it couldn’t possibly turn out badly because she’s Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl. Did the Doctor ever give her any idea that that wasn’t true? Didn’t he worship the ground she marched on? She dies for it. And the Doctor, bless his poisoned hearts, cannot handle it. No way, it is not happening again. Not Clara! He’s avoided her death every other time. It’s not even about Clara anymore—Clara is actually a pretty rotten friend to the Doctor at this point; he’s nothing to her, not really, just a means to an end (and you can tell because when push comes to shove, she will choose herself and time and space over him, and over any sense at all, but if anyone asks, that’s her best friend and do you know why? because it’s very special to be the Doctor’s best friend). It’s not about her, it’s about them. About Adric, and River, and Rose, and Donna, and Tegan and Susan and Ace and Vicki. It’s about Ian and Barbara and Wilfred Mott. Not this time, universe! Not this time, Clara! "I have a duty of care." "Which you take very seriously, I know." Twelve goes through the most contrived, horrendous, comically-lengthened torture Moffat can think of (Heaven Sent) and comes out on the other side only to bring Clara back from the dead. Think of that. The woman is actually very long dead at this point and the Doctor braves literal Gallifrey to pull her out of the moment before the end. He breaks every single rule he has ever, ever had. And he does it violently, are you telling me for real that Clara is the best companion for him? She drives him to do right, to be the greatest he can be? She helps, she brings him back to who he’s always tried to be? No she doesn’t. She drives him to total depraved madman status because they can’t quit each other, and no, not the cutesy quippy Madman With A Box type of madman.

What makes Clara so different from all the other people the Doctor had to lose and who remained lost? Nothing at all. Nothing except that the Doctor decided this one isn’t going anywhere. Because she is every companion to him. This poor woman has a sack full of the Doctor’s past-companion baggage tied to her back but to her it feels light, because he treats it outwardly like a pedestal. So he “brings her back” and she figures out what he’s done and what he went through to do it, and they both learn that their relationship is actually so toxic that together, they would destroy the universe just to have what they want. Because that’s what they bring out in each other. The Doctor has to keep Clara safe, and Clara has to be special. They’re so unhealthy it affects everything around them, to the point where the Time Lords literally have a name for their destructive dynamic in their prophecies called the Hybrid (go lie down, Moffat). And the Master knew that because Time Lord…stuff…and deliberately ensured that Clara and the Doctor get together.

Luckily the Doctor is still, somewhere, miraculously, himself—so he recognizes at last that this is going too far and it’s bad, it’s all bad. The only solution, because he still can’t just return Clara to her fate, is to wipe her memory (hello Donna) of him so that they aren’t together but she also doesn’t have to die. So that he still doesn’t have to deal with losing people. And then the very worst part, writing-wise, happens. Clara complains and decides she must be allowed her memories, she’s entitled to them (too special to lose her memories!) but goodie for her, she doesn’t lose them. The Doctor, instead, loses his memories of her. Now, this is ultimately a good thing for him because of the horse I beat to death over there, don’t make eye contact, but—how sad is it that he still has to lose? That he still can’t keep someone, even after all that carnage? The healing process is beginning and he’ll be a better man than ever after this, but take a moment to mourn because that really sucks for him.

Okay here’s the worst part—Clara lives. And not only does Clara live, Clara lives forever. Clara is immortal. Clara gets her own Tardis. Clara gets her own immortal companion! (Ashildr.) Who learned something? Anyone? Not Clara! Who grew as a person around here? No one? Not Clara! Poor Clara Oswald, who started out nicely enough and likeable enough, at least on level with Classic Who companions, is ruined in the end. She gets exactly what she wants. She’s the Ultimate Companion! She’s met all the Doctors. He even fancied her at one point, well, how could he not? She didn’t die, she didn’t learn anything, she didn’t even really grow, she just got worse. Danny died and the Doctor lost, but Clara got to keep her memories, lose her mortality, and gain her own infinite time travelling machine. She became the Doctor. Yippee. Neither of them were made better by the other’s company. Rose Tyler said more than once, at least in three different ways, that the Doctor’s influence, that the opportunity to travel in time and space and help, brings out the extraordinary qualities ordinary people already have. He taps into their potential to be better, even better than him sometimes. The human factor, I call it. And they inspire him to be better, which is important for someone who is essentially immortal and can essentially go anywhere and do anything he likes. Wilfred said it, too, that Donna was better with the Doctor. But the codependency, the noxious way the Doctor and Clara interacted with each other—their whole relationship—it’s devoid of that improving quality. It wasn’t at first, at least not on Clara’s side, but that’s what it turned out to be. At least Moffat acknowledges that in Hell Bent, but he does it more in a way that is trying to communicate to you that that’s how deep and special the Doctor and Clara’s relationship is, isn’t it so important, isn’t it the best companion/Doctor relationship ever? Isn’t she hot, isn’t he whipped? Have you ever seen such devotion? Gag me. He doesn’t say it like it’s a bad thing. He’s just trying to win the 60-year-long companion race. And Clara and the Doctor both suffer for it.

I still like Clara. I blame the writing entirely for how things turned out, because I genuinely, really enjoyed her this last rewatch, and I wish that she’d met a better end. I wish she’d stayed with Danny and figured out what Danny was trying to tell her all along—that normal life is precious and worth it, and worth giving up the big sparkly universe for if you find someone else to live for besides yourself. I wish she’d sacrificed herself to save the Doctor in the present, not just throughout his past, because she proved that at one point she was capable of that. I wish she’d come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t control everything, couldn’t have what she wanted every time, and then chose to learn from that and use what she could control for the benefit of others (including the Doctor). I wish she’d gotten out the way Martha had gotten out. And I really, really wish the Doctor hadn’t had to prolong the pain he was always going to feel when someone else had to say goodbye. Anyway, that’s the essay a trifling three lovely people asked me for. Not really an essay, just word vomit. If you read it all, please let me know what you think! I could be wrong.

[samgirl98]

Wail of the Silent 5/?

Prev | Next

TW: Mention of suicide

I would like to state that I know nothing about artificial voice boxes, but I do know the way I'm writing about them isn't accurate so please don't take it that way. Enjoy

Danny ate the best omelet he had ever had with gusto.

“Have you ever considered opening a diner?”

Jason smiled wryly.

You got that idea from an omelet? What if that’s the only thing I know how to make?

Danny read the notepad and laughed.

God, Jason thought, he has a nice laugh.

Danny smiled impishly at him. Fuck, Jason needed to learn how to control this new form of communication.

Amusement. You’re funny, amused. Amused.

Jason gave Danny the bird, trying not to blush.

“It’s okay. I think you’re cute, too.”

Jason’s blush deepened. He didn’t know what to do with Danny’s mild flirting.

Finish your food. I want to talk about this Spectra and how we’re gonna get her.

Danny sighed. Ancients, Jason was stubborn.

“Jason, she’s fed off you and caused you almost to kill yourself. Don’t try to deny it; I felt your emotions. Your core was screaming in pain. I don’t think it’s a good idea, especially since you don’t know how to control your core and emotions.”

Jason snarled silently.

Anger. No, I’m going. You can’t stop me—anger, determination, determination. You can’t stop me.

Calm, calm. I won’t stop you, Danny chirped (it was still weird to think about a human being chirping and Jason understanding.)

It was weirder still that Jason answered back in chirps, have to do it. I have to get my revenge. Please, please. I have TO!

“Ugh, fine. But first things first. I have to be completely honest with you. I accidentally found out you’re the Red Hood when searching for the ghost that was screaming; when searching for you.”

Jason got a fistful of Danny’s embarrassment. He couldn’t help but smile—finally, something to make fun of Danny for.

Danny felt Jason’s amusement. He saw Jason’s chest move as he gave silent laughs. The man signed something, but Danny couldn’t understand him. He sighed.

“I’m glad my suffering gives you pleasure,” Danny said petulantly.

Jason continued signing while he laughed.

“Seriously, dude, I don’t know sign language.”

Jason wiped invisible tears.

Amusement, fun. Happy. Happy.

This was the first time Danny had heard Jason with no negative emotions calling through his core. He was humming his happiness in full volume.

Fine. If Danny had to feel a little embarrassed for Jason to feel even a bit of amusement, well, Danny could (un)live with that.

Ancients, he had just met the other halfa, and Danny already wanted to make Jason happy.

Jason’s smile grew. Fuck, Danny had it bad.

I was trying to say that since you know, I’m gonna bring my helmet. I have an artificial voice box on it. It’ll make it easier to talk to you with it on.

Danny shrugged, “That’s up to you.”

Jason smirked and left Danny alone. Danny took time to look around the small living room. Either than the bookshelf full of well-worn books, the place didn’t look lived in. There was no TV, only a couch and coffee table. No photos, no decorations, no plants. It almost looked like a model for an apartment brochure. The kitchen was a little more well-used with state-of-the-art appliances.

“Okay,” a mechanized voice said behind him, “Let’s talk.”

Danny turned to see Jason in the red helmet he had seen the night before. Danny couldn’t see the other halfa’s expressions, but considering how unused Jason was communicating with his core, Danny knew that wouldn’t be a problem for him.

“What does this Spectra want?”

“In a nutshell? To be young and beautiful forever. The way she achieves that is by feeding off others’ misery. She posed as my school psychiatrist my freshman year and fed off me and my whole school.”

Jason stayed silent, waiting for Danny to continue.

“She’s upped the ante now. Before, she fed off people's misery, but now she’s causing them to kill themselves. I found two of them who hung themselves in Amity Park, where I’m from, and the other died because of the overwhelming sadness. Unfortunately, I couldn’t save them.” Danny clenched his fists.

“When she found out I was after her, she fled Amity Park and came here. It makes sense; even the ghosts and shades here are miserable, let alone those who live here. It’s a buffet for her. I can’t find her, though. I felt her earlier, but it’s so weird because I could tell she wasn’t near; my ghost sense hadn’t gone off.”

 “Okay,” Jason said, “That’s a lot to take in. So, this bitch was feeding off me last night?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t get to her before she left, though.”

“Lucky for you, Batman raised me; I can help you look for her.”

Danny frowned, still not liking that Jason would be close to Spectra.

“Hey, none of that. I deserve to get my revenge.”

“Yeah, I get that. Besides, if you don’t come with me, you might go alone and get in trouble.”

Amusement—yeah, I will—amusement.

Danny rolled his eyes.

“Okay, if we’re gonna do this together, I have to give you a crash course on ghosts. First things first, ghosts are made of ectoplasm,” Danny raised the palm of his hand and called for ectoplasm to form.

The effect was immediate. Jason got off his chair as far as he could from Danny.

Fear, his core yelled out, anger, not right—fear, anger. Evil.

Danny made the ectoball disappear and put his hands up.

“Jason? What’s wrong?”

Jason took a deep breath that the artificial voice box didn’t pick up and said, “Give me a second. I have bad experiences with that color and…” Jason trailed off.

“You’ve seen ectoplasm before, and it wasn’t a good experience, was it?”

Fear, scared, drowning—it will drown me again—fear, get it away from me. Anger. Anger. FURY! Madness. Rage

Danny said nothing, letting Jason deal with his emotions. It’d be good practice for when they deal with Spectra.

Eventually, Jason calmed down, but Danny could still feel the anger simmering under the surface.

Jason didn’t come to sit by Danny again. He was wary of the other man. He crossed his arms and silently let Danny continue.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t think it would affect you.”

Jason waved the apology away.

“Continue,” he said curtly.

“Well, ectoplasm is what every ghost is made of. It is imprinted emotions given form. A core develops deep in the ectoplasm. The core is the brain and heart of a ghost. The only organ a ghost has, the ectoplasm protects the core. That’s how we’re communicating, by the way. Your core processes your feelings into chirps and hums. The hums are raw emotions; the chirps are kind of like human words.”

Jason touched the middle of his chest. It felt warm.

“Yeah, that’s where your core is. It isn’t fully developed. It’s almost as if it has been stunted in its growth. Actually, the ectoplasm in you is…dirty? Corrupted?” Danny shrugged, “It’s probably why you haven’t been able to transform. Have you noticed any powers?”

“No,” Jason answered. Of course, he was dirty. (Only a corrupt person would kill.) Jason felt sadness and rejection settle deep in his bones. He always knew something was wrong with him, but to have it confirmed that it was inside and settled in his body? Well, it certainly hit hard.

Acceptance, calm, calm—I accept you for who you are.

Why?

He looked up and wished his helmet wasn’t in the way so Danny could see his face. Why was he helping Jason?

“When I was looking for you, a bunch of shades and ghosts surrounded your place. They didn’t have much strength to come and help, but they asked me to help you. You want to know what they called you?”

“What,” he asked. His mechanical voice couldn’t pick up the emotions behind his question. Jason knew Danny could tell what he was feeling.

“They called you the avenger of the dead. The protector of the living. I’m more inclined to trust the dead’s judgment than the living’s.”

Jason felt like crying. There was someone who wasn’t condemning him, wasn’t calling him a killer. Not that he wasn’t, but it was nice to be acknowledged that he was doing something good. At least the dead appreciated him.

“You don’t know what I’ve done,” Jason said, “how can you just accept me?”

Jason felt the sting of betrayal from his family, his father. What if Danny did the same thing eventually?

Danny looked at Jason softly. The other halfa had suffered so much. It’s no wonder Spectra had latched on to Jason so quickly.

Danny let his emotions encircle Jason.

Acceptance, acceptance, calm—it’s okay.

“I know I’m a stranger; there’s no reason to trust me, but I want to help you. I promise.

“I believe you,” Jason answered. He took off his helmet so Danny could see Jason’s expression. Jason looked up at Danny’s shockingly blue eyes and saw the same thing that Danny surrounded him with. Acceptance.

Jason didn’t know if he just wanted to believe or why he latched on to Danny so quickly, but he hoped it wasn’t a mistake.

Danny sighed. He so wanted to touch Jason’s (handsome) face, but that would be too fast. Like Jason, Danny was also confused about how he could’ve latched on to a virtual stranger so quickly. Maybe it was because they were both lonely, or being halfas could’ve been something to do with it, but Danny wasn’t complaining.

 “Come on, let’s continue our talk.”

Danny got Jason’s hand and led him to the couch. Jason couldn’t help but blush.

“Anything you want to ask before I continue,” Danny asked as he got the notepad and sat on the couch. He waited for Jason to do the same.

Jason shook his head no. He didn’t feel like putting the helmet on or writing, but he still took the pad and pen.

Jason pointed to himself and then put his finger over his mouth.

Danny smiled; he should learn sign language. Even if he left Gotham, he would like to keep in touch with Jason, and the other man wouldn’t be able to communicate with his core if Danny was far away.

“Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, cores. There are different types of cores. Fire cores, shadow ones, ice ones, like the one I have.”

Jason cocked his head to the side; is that why the apartment was colder?

“I don’t know what type you have, but it seems to depend on how a ghost usually dies. I’m the exception, not the rule.”

Jason wanted to ask how Danny died, but something in him told him it would be wrong to do so.

“I can feel your curiosity. I won’t be able to talk about it. Also, don’t go around asking ghosts how they died; it’s rude.”

Jason was glad he kept his mouth (ha!) shut.

“Next, there are obsessions. An obsession is a ghost's reason for being, the thing that keeps them tethered. Spectra’s obsession is being young and powerful. I know of another ghost that wants to be remembered and hypnotizes people through her music. Another one is obsessed with playing games. They could be deadly sometimes. The point is that obsessions equal staying in the mortal and infinite realms.”

What’s yours?

Danny read it and got pensive. Jason hoped it wasn’t taboo to ask about obsessions.

“Mine are protecting and space.”

There can be more than one?

“Yeah, I mean, Spectra has two, too. Youth, power. The way she obtains it can be deadly, though.”

Jason pondered Danny’s words. He wondered what his obsession was. Should he instinctively know?

“Don’t worry. I’m here to help.”

Jason smiled, grateful.

Thanks, it’s a lot to think about.

“Yeah, you should’ve seen when I first got my powers. I was a mess. Freshman year sucked ass.”

Jason’s brow creased, and then his eyes widened. Freshman year, Danny would’ve been what, fourteen? Did he die at fourteen?

Sadness, anger.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Jason shook his head, not wanting to make Danny feel bad.

Danny sighed and put his hands under his chin, his elbows resting on his knees.

“I came here for Spectra but have no idea how to find her.”

Jason looked at Danny.

I have an idea where she could show up.

____

Lady Gotham felt her favorite knight’s emotions as if they were hers.

She smiled; Jason felt lighter, and it was all thanks to the other halfa. She would make sure that the other halfa was under her protection.

She watched as Bruce Wayne stepped on a puddle she didn’t think to show him.

Now she had to think of ways to help Jason and Danny.

[mercillery]

Would you be opposed to writing for silly Kirschie? The Vermillion flower boy grew on me 🌸 (relationship overview?)

WARNINGS: GENDER NOT SPECIFIED + NOT PROOFREAD

NOTES: My life changed in 92722928 different ways when I found out he existed. Sorry this took so long, anon. ❤️‍🩹

From the moment he realizes he's in love with you, buckle up—you're about to be placed on a pedestal so high, even a magic knight would struggle to reach it. Kirsch isn’t just falling in love; he’s having a whole opera performed in his head about how you, the most divine being to ever exist, were handcrafted by angels of heaven themselves purely as a reward for him. It’s like he believes the heavens saw how gorgeous he was and decided, "You know what? Let’s give him someone who’s equally perfect." He’ll shower you with compliments so extravagant, even the word “flattery” would feel modest. It’s like living in a Shakespearean play where the soliloquies never stop—and they're all about how radiant you are.

And just when you think it’s impossible for him to love anything more than his own reflection, guess what? He proves you wrong. Sure, he’ll talk about his own beauty—it’s Kirsch, after all—but he’s just as obsessed with promoting your looks. In fact, he might be too busy singing your praises to even get through a sentence about himself. Think of it this way: if Kirsch is the president of his own fan club, you’re the vice president—except he’s trying to hand over the entire operation to you because in his eyes, you’re the real star.

Every little action you take is glorified like you’re performing on a royal stage, and Kirsch is your most dedicated and vocal audience member. You could be doing something as simple as picking a flower, and suddenly it’s as if you’re creating a masterpiece worthy of a gallery exhibit. Kirsch will dramatically place a hand over his heart, swooning, and launch into a full-on poetic monologue about how “only the most delicate hands could possibly pluck nature’s finest creation with such grace!” It’s like living with your own personal hype man who’s constantly stuck in an emotional art film.

You could be doing something very simple as tying your shoe, and he’d still manage to make it sound like you’re unraveling the mysteries of the universe with unparalleled elegance. “The way you loop those laces… such precision! Such finesse! I’ve never witnessed anything so perfectly executed.” It’s hard to ever feel mundane or average when Kirsch is around because, to him, you’re not just special—you’re a walking masterpiece of elegance and grace, even when you’re just, you know, pouring a glass of water.

Kirsch spares no expense when it comes to showering you with luxurious gifts—it’s basically his love language, except it’s less about words and more about drowning you in pink roses and glittering jewels. Expect hand-picked bouquets that look like they were arranged by angels themselves (or, more accurately, arranged to match his aesthetic), ornate jewelry that would make royalty jealous, and customized clothing that screams opulence. He’ll insist that only the finest silks and rarest gems should even dare touch your skin, and honestly, he’s not taking "no" for an answer. If you thought you could casually slip out of the house in a simple outfit to run errands, think again.

This man will have you looking like you’re about to walk the runway—even if you're just going to the corner store for some milk. It’s like living in that one meme: “Bye, I’m going to [insert mundane place here]!” and then the other person says, “Not dressed like that you aren’t young lady!” And then the other person who was leaving changes into way more stylish clothing, to which the other person says “Yesss queen slayyy!!” Like, that meme is your relationship in a nutshell—any time you leave the house, there’s a full-on wardrobe transformation sequence where Kirsch has you dazzling like the spotlight was meant just for you. If you don’t get the reference, I’ll leave the meme at the very bottom of this post lol.

Also, after Kirsch is done, it’s not just you stealing the spotlight—you’re taking the whole stage. You’re over there trying to buy groceries, and suddenly people are stopping mid-aisle, jaws dropping, as if you’re about to give an acceptance speech for “Best Dressed at the Supermarket.”

He’s quite literally the epitome of romanticism, the guy who watched one too many telenovelas and said, “Challenge accepted.” He’s like those super-dramatic, lovestruck characters you see in Spanish soap operas—the ones who stand in the rain delivering heartfelt speeches while violins play in the background—except, well… it’s Kirsch, and he’s probably not going to get his hair wet. But honestly? It’s so Kirsch to be that extra. One speech from him and you’re already a flustered, blushing mess. It’s like he’s got this magical power to turn even the most casual compliments into an event. “Your eyes, my love—they sparkle brighter than the heavens themselves!” Cue the swooning.

But oh, it doesn’t stop there. Kirsch is the guy who writes you long, poetic love letters that read like something from the Romantic Era—and we’re talking full-on sonnets. There’s probably at least one mention of you being the moon to his sun, the stars in his sky, or something equally dramatic. He’ll hand-deliver it to you with a flourish, as if he’s presenting you with the Holy Grail.

And if you think that’s over the top, just wait for the serenades. He’ll burst into a room or most likely a public space and then dramatically place a hand on his chest, and declare his love as if he’s performing for an audience. He’s got metaphors comparing your beauty to the brilliance of nature, the stars, the sun, and whatever else sounds poetic in the moment. Honestly, at this point, you might be wondering if Shakespeare himself reincarnated as Kirsch Vermillion just to write you flowery declarations of love. Actually, scratch that—Shakespeare has NOTHING on Kirsch. 🤞

Kirsch’s vanity is the stuff of legends—everyone knows it, and if you didn’t before, you will once you’re in a relationship with him. His confidence is so big, it practically has its own gravitational pull, and yes, it’s going to extend into your relationship in the most hilariously Kirsch-like ways. He’ll often look at you with that dazzling smile of his and say, “My love, how fortunate you are to be with someone as magnificent as me!” But don’t worry—he’s not just here to inflate his own ego. Oh no, Kirsch is very generous when it comes to dishing out compliments. He’ll stroke both your egos at once, like some kind of mutual admiration society where you’re the president, and he’s the very enthusiastic vice president…

Obviously his ego is absolutely massive, but as his partner, you’ll never feel left out. Kirsch will make sure you know that while he is obviously perfection, you’re right there with him at the top. “Together, we are the Clover Kingdom’s most beautiful couple,” he’ll say, with complete sincerity, as if it’s a universally accepted fact. He genuinely believes that when people see the two of you, they stop in awe, blinded by the sheer radiance of your combined beauty. If there ever was a "Most Beautiful Couple" contest in the Clover Kingdom, you’d better believe Kirsch is signing you both up and personally ensuring that you win first place. Just don’t be surprised if he asks you to practice your “winning couple’s wave” in front of a mirror—you know, for when you accept the award you’ve already won in his mind.

The only real downside I can think of when it comes to dating Kirsch is his self-obsession. I know I just said he’s great at praising both himself and you, but let’s be honest—his self-love can be a bit… much. It’s the kind of thing that could make anyone, even you, feel like you’re dating a walking, talking mirror. His obsession with his own beauty can be borderline unbearable at times, but that’s where you come in! As his partner, you’ve basically become a pro at balancing things out—playfully stroking his ego to keep him smiling, but also grounding him when he starts floating off into the stratosphere of his own vanity.

And surprisingly? Kirsch really values your opinion. Sure, he’s as arrogant as they come, but if you point out something he needs to work on, he’ll listen—though maybe with a reluctant sigh or two, and definitely after a couple of gentle nudges. It’s like he’s internally grappling with the idea that there’s even the slightest thing about him that could improve. But because it’s coming from you, he’ll eventually try to make an effort. Just don’t expect a miracle overnight—Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Kirsch’s ego.

That being said, he’s always seeking your validation, constantly fishing for compliments like it’s his favorite hobby. You’ll often catch him asking, “Am I not the most handsome nobleman in the land?” And now, you have two options: humor him and bask in his beaming smile as he revels in your agreement, or find a playful way to respond while reminding him not to get too carried away. Maybe something like, “Yes, dear, but let’s not forget that modesty is also a virtue,” or “Of course you are, but you know, some of us are trying to look good too!” Either way, you’ve become the master at handling his vanity without letting it completely take over—keeping him in check while still letting him feel like the nobleman he so deeply believes he is. <3

Kirsch’s affection is like a hurricane of love—you’re constantly in the eye of the storm, surrounded by his attention, compliments, and a never-ending desire to be near you. He’ll find any excuse to touch you, whether it’s holding hands, brushing a strand of hair from your face, or simply sitting as close as humanly possible, just so you’re both basking in his glorious presence—oh, and yours too, of course. He’ll make sure you’re soaking in all the benefits of being with him, but not without returning the favor by idolizing you in the process. However, it can get a little intense, especially when Kirsch starts micromanaging your appearance in the name of "enhancing your perfection" or, even better, "shielding you from corruption," as if you’re about to be swayed by the forces of darkness just because one single piece of hair of yours is out of place. Yeah, he’s weird like that—but you love him anyway.

Sometimes, his overwhelming need to pamper you and monitor every little detail of your look can feel like you’re being smothered in pink velvet and rose petals—luxurious, but a little too much when all you wanted was a cozy shirt and pants kind of day. He’s that guy who will lovingly remind you that “a queen must always look the part,” even when all you’re doing is sitting on the couch for movie night. Sure, it’s Kirsch’s way of showing his love, but you may find yourself playfully wrestling the brush or mirror that he magically just spawned out of his hands every now and then.

If anyone even thinks about insulting or offending you, brace yourself—Kirsch’s attitude will switch faster than you can say “noble fury.” One minute he’s all smiles, the next, he’s making it his personal mission to obliterate whoever dared to sully your perfect image. And let’s be real, he’s not going to handle it quietly. Oh no, Kirsch will make sure everyone in a 10-mile radius knows just how deeply offended he is on your behalf. Expect a grand, dramatic scene that could rival any Clover Kingdom festival—he’ll probably stand up straight, flick his hair back, and give the most dramatic speech known to mankind.

Kirsch has no chill when it comes to defending your honor. It’s as if someone insulting you is the same as insulting him, and honestly, in his mind, it kind of is. You, his flawless partner, are an extension of his beauty, his life’s masterpiece, and if anyone dares to tarnish that image? Oh, they’re going to regret it. And I’m talking big time regret. He might throw in some lines about how they’ve dishonored the very concept of perfection, or that their words have caused irreparable damage to his delicate heart all the while clutching his chest like a damsel in distress. You’d think they insulted his reflection, not yours, with how over-the-top his reaction is.

In Kirsch’s eyes, an insult to you is an attack on everything—his pride, his love, his very existence. He’ll dramatically lament how this heinous act has affected his life in 927292179172 different ways, acting like this insult has personally struck him down. "How dare they! They have brought ruin upon us both!" And while, yes, the offense was aimed at you, it’s clear that the real victim here in Kirsch’s world, is him. Because anything that causes you distress ultimately causes him distress—and that simply cannot stand.

Kirsch has this innate drive to be the best, not just as a Magic Knight but also as your partner. He’s got a little scoreboard in his head, constantly comparing himself to others—even if they don’t know they’re in the competition—and always seeking your reassurance that he’s the best person for you. If he senses anyone might be trying to get your attention, even in the slightest, his competitive streak flares up like a wildfire.

But don’t expect Kirsch to get jealous in that quiet, brooding, “staring out the window dramatically” kind of way. No, Kirsch’s jealousy is far more... theatrical. Instead of sulking, he goes all in on proving that he’s the most elegant, refined, and capable man in your life. Picture him suddenly giving you a demonstration of his magic, casting the most intricate, glittering spell just to remind you how unmatched his beauty and skill are. Even if all you did was casually mention another Magic Knight in passing—“Oh, Finral was really helpful today”—Kirsch will immediately launch into a soliloquy about how they pale in comparison to his grace, his magic, and of course, his irresistible beauty.

He’ll say something like, “Ah, yes, Finral is skilled in his own... humble way. But does he possess the same elegance? The refined flair that only a nobleman such as myself could master? I think not!” And then he’ll probably strike some ridiculous, over-the-top pose as if he's modeling for a portrait. The funny part is that Kirsch is dead serious. He genuinely believes that nobody could possibly compare to him—and that includes everyone from your best friends to the Clover Kingdom’s most powerful Magic Knights. In his mind, he’s already won the “Most Perfect Partner” contest, but just in case you forgot, he’ll spend every waking moment reminding you of it.

As a noble, Kirsch takes his role with the utmost seriousness. He treats nobility like it’s an Olympic sport—and spoiler alert: he’s going for gold. Naturally, he wants you to be right there beside him, shining just as bright. So brace yourself, because he may or may not push you toward his ideal of refinement. You might be thinking, "What does that even mean?" Well, it means Kirsch is going to turn every casual moment into an impromptu finishing school lesson.

If your posture isn’t perfectly regal, don’t worry—Kirsch will swoop in to correct it with the finesse of someone adjusting a priceless vase. He’ll insist on teaching you courtly manners, giving little pointers on the best etiquette for high-society events. “No, no, darling, you must tilt your chin slightly more, like this. It’s all about grace!” It’s exhausting, yes, but Kirsch doesn’t do this to be condescending—he genuinely wants the two of you to be seen as the ultimate power couple, the absolute pinnacle of nobility. It’s like he’s on a personal mission to make sure when people talk about perfect couples, your names are at the top of the list with a spotlight and confetti.

And if you thought date night meant a quiet evening at home, think again. You’ll be expected to attend an endless stream of noble functions and events with him. Kirsch practically lives for these occasions, where he can parade you around in front of high society, beaming with pride. It’s like a red-carpet event every time. He’ll make sure everyone knows just how perfect and enviable your relationship is, always throwing in a few dramatic flourishes. “Isn’t my partner just the embodiment of grace and elegance?” he’ll say, loudly enough for the whole room to hear. Meanwhile, you’re standing there, trying not to not fall under pressure by how many eyes are set on you.

But here’s the thing—Kirsch can sometimes get a little too carried away. In his quest to maintain this flawless image, he might become overly picky or controlling, especially when it comes to appearances. Did you put the wrong fork on the wrong side of the plate at dinner? Oh no, here comes a mini lesson on the "true art" of table setting. It's not that he means to be overbearing, but sometimes his obsession with perfection takes the wheel, and suddenly you’re in a crash course for “How to Be a Noble 101.”

But that’s where you come in. You’re the only one who knows how to rein him in when he gets a bit too intense. With a playful nudge or a well-timed eye roll, you remind him that love is about more than just appearances. It’s about the two of you enjoying each other’s company, not putting on a show for everyone else. And despite his dramatic tendencies, Kirsch listens to you. He values your input, and even though it might take a little while for him to fully realize it, he does eventually see that his obsession with perfection isn’t what keeps your relationship strong—it’s the genuine love you share. And who knows, maybe you’ll get him to relax a little at the next noble event. Well, okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

For all his flair, dramatic speeches, and parade-worthy personality, Kirsch has a softer, more genuine side—one he saves just for you. Behind all the extravagance, there’s a tenderness that only comes out when it’s just the two of you. He loves running his fingers through your hair, each stroke so gentle and caring, it’s almost a surprise that this is the same Kirsch who acts like he’s starring in a romantic drama 24/7. His usual flamboyant energy takes a backseat to real, intimate affection, and you start to see a different side of him. This isn’t the Kirsch who’s commanding attention in a crowded ballroom or waxing poetic about his own reflection. This is the Kirsch who’s just…in love, quietly and sincerely.

And speaking of poetic, he’s surprisingly good at that too. Sure, his public displays of affection are often grandiose and over-the-top, but in these softer moments, he’s unexpectedly deep. He’ll share his thoughts with you about beauty, nature, and the way you make him feel, speaking with a calm, almost philosophical tone. He’s the type to sit beside you, gaze out at the stars, and talk about how the brilliance of the cosmos could never compare to your radiance. Yes, it sounds a little like something you’d find in a romance novel, but trust me—it’s the sincerity in his voice that makes it work. These are the moments where he’s not just admiring your outward beauty, but the deeper connection the two of you share, which is saying a lot for someone as obsessed with appearances as Kirsch.

When the night winds down, you’ll often find Kirsch falling asleep beside you, his arms wrapped around you in a protective yet tender embrace. It’s as if he never wants to let go, like holding you close is the only thing keeping him grounded. It’s here, in these quieter times, that you catch a glimpse of the real Kirsch—the man behind the glamour. The one who just wants to love and be loved, without the pomp, without the flair, without the need to constantly put on a show for the world. In these moments, all the outward bravado melts away, and you’re left with someone who, deep down, just wants to make sure you feel as cherished as he does. And despite all the showmanship, this side of him, this softer side, is just as real and just as beautiful.

Here’s the meme I was talking about. I couldn’t find the original one. Oops.

[sprnklersplashes]

I can't find the original post and am probably misremembering some of its meaning but I found a post about RTD companions vs Moffat companions and how "relatable" they are and it got me thinking again about that one post about how its more important that characters are resonant rather than relatable. This is a mindset I think could go a long way in how DW fandom perceives and compares companions.

To illustrate my point, let's talk about Rose and Amy.

Rose is consistently praised for being, above most things, relatable. Because she Has A Job and A Family and Went To School and hey, we have jobs and families and go to school, so we can relate to that, right? In a sense, Rose could be us. Now, I'm not going to sit and claim none of this praise is warranted, I think one of the biggest strengths of RTD's era is how it melded the sci-fi wonders of the show with companion's families who feel like characters from a completely different genre, a soap or a sitcom. To quote full-fat videos, Davies achieved a perfect balance between the domestic and the fantastical. However, I also think its worth noting that, after Moffat started leaning more into the fantastical elements of the show, there was a bigger cry from the fandom of "Rose has family, family makes character relatable" which served to erase a lot of the complexities of the Moffat-era companions.

Take Amy for example. Amy was constantly accused of being 'unrelatable', the biggest crime a character can commit apparently because she was "too special" and "we don't know about her family". Ergo, we don't know about her. And yes, you can tell a lot about a character through their family life, RTD did it beautifully, it's not the only way we can learn about a character. We learn about them through how they interact with the world they are in and through their arc.

You can claim Amy isn't relatable, in that she isn't The Everyman like Rose, because she was The Girl Who Waited and grew up with a crack in her wall and we can't relate to that. But... Amy also spends the entire first season running away from adulthood, its her reason for leaving with the Doctor in the first place. Essentially, series five, hell you could argue the entire Pond run, is her coming-of-age story where she finally grows up and accepts that she's an adult now. And that, my friends, is resonant. Only speaking for myself, I find this resonates with me even more at 25 than at 12. Amy's lack of a stable job was criticised again for not being 'relatable', but holy hell does it resonate as a confused millennial in the job market trying to find who I am that Amy spends seasons 6 and 7 constantly switching careers because she can't settle on one that feels like her.

I've made this post longer than it needs to be but my point in a nutshell is that although Amy, Clara and Bill were criticised for not being relatable because they didn't have things like schools and jobs and families, I'd argue they were never meant to be relatable. They were meant to be resonant; you were meant to connect with them, not their circumstances.