#though whether or not those are canon remains up to interpretation

[cocoa-rococo]

Koopaling Headcanons: Lemmy

Larry | Morton | Wendy | Iggy | Roy | Lemmy | Ludwig

The clown prince of crime and everyone's favorite circus performer! Gosh he's adorable.

Right-handed.

Fairly sensitive about his height. The rest of the Koopa Troop know better than to bring it up. Just. Don't call him short. Last guy who did ended up with more than a broken nose.

Allergic to peanuts, which is unfortunate, because a lot of folks like them roasted at circuses. He likes other nut butters better anyway.

Likes collecting old circus memorabilia, such as posters, small trinkets, and flyers. He started it when he was younger, and has kept it going ever since.

He purposefully lets people underestimate him due to his silly personality and clown aesthetics. Makes it all the sweeter when he ends up with the last laugh.

Can and will juggle just about anything. Ludwig had to stop him on multiple occasions because he was tossing around something dangerous for fun (and profit).

Is very fond of caramel corn and citrus candies, as well as fruit gummies.

Favorite cookies are snickerdoodles and classic chocolate chip, but he loves fruit pies and sweet crêpes for dessert, really anything flaky with layers.

An excellent roller and ice-skater, given his balance. He, Wendy, and Larry like to skate together sometimes.

Very tactile person! Likes giving and receiving hugs, pats on the back, head scratches, and secret handshakes.

Similarly, a tactile learner; if you want him to remember something, give him something he can hold.

Because of his smaller size and how much he moves, any sickness he gets hits him like a truck, but also burns through his system pretty quick.

The only member of the castle with permission to enter Iggy's lab at any time without prior warning or knocking.

Has an almost terrifying amount of emotional intelligence and is very good at sussing out the crux of a relationship problem, sometimes even before the other person does.

Always rehearses his tricks in front of Iggy before anyone else, because he knows he’ll always be guaranteed a laugh, as well as critique on what he can improve on.

One of the lesser strict generals, which the minions are thankful for, but will also ask them to assist in his tricks. This can range anywhere from "hand him something" to "balance on a ball while juggling flaming hammers". The minions are not so thankful for this.

His proficiency with stage illusions actually helped him grasp the concepts of his wand's abilities. Out of the Koopalings, his strength lies in how precise his magic is, able to pull what he needs right when he needs it, as well as being able to divide and manage his concentration.

Likes to exercise with Roy, though he leans more towards yoga and calisthenics than weight training.

He likes all kinds of flowers, but likes seeing cosmos and marigolds the most. Poppies are nice, too.

He can be just as bad as Iggy when it comes to pulling pranks, mainly because no one suspects him; he manages to get out of 99% of situations by pulling the "ohhhh I'm just a lil guy" card.

An alarmingly good impressionist. More than once he fooled the guards into doing something for him by pretending to voice someone else.

Given his small size and how active he is, his metabolism is working overtime to fuel him. He eats almost as much as Larry.

Mastered the art of making the perfect hot chocolate drink, inspired by his trips into the ice lands. Wendy is determined to learn his secret. Lemmy is an adorable steel vault.

If you pick him up or he falls over, he has this… almost ragdoll-like heft to him, with dangly limbs and a little flopping from where you grab him, like he's made of sand or a weighted stuffed animal. The only time this doesn't seem to affect him is when he's on his ball. No one can really explain why this is.

Favorite fruit is any kind of berry, as well as peaches (formed before any interaction with a certain princess).

Morton used to carry him under his arm when they were younger. For what purpose? None know. Lemmy, though, was happy to stay there until he was put down again.

He likes sleeping where he's suspended, like swings, tree tents, and other such places. There was a notable instance where Kamek once found him tucked in his shell and snoozing in an empty hanging plant holder.

Really good at shuffling cards and coin moves, really any sort of street magic or little parlor trick. He's been learning tarot interpretation from Kammy because it's always a hit at parties.

His bombs are his own invention. Iggy helped him develop the combustion system and ratio of powder to use, but the shape, style, and make are all his own. Similarly, the tires he sells for his business are made from the same rubber as his balancing balls.

One of the most agile of all his siblings, and one of the best climbers.

He used to share a bunk bed with Iggy when they were young, but once they got older and had their own separate rooms, he used a hammock instead of a bed. It's quite cozy, with lots of blankets and pillows.

One of his favorite snacks is roasted sunflower seeds with a little salt. Crunchy, and especially tasty after an energetic routine.

The one most likely to lose things. Not because he misplaced them somewhere, but because he made them vanish via magic trick, and can't remember if he re-summoned them again.

Takes any sort of dance class he can. He's energetic and likes being able to move around a lot, but he's especially fond of tap, hip-hop (no pun intended), and ballet. The latter he practices with Wendy.

[squip-news]

A New Wave of SQUiP Activity?

Within the past couple weeks or so, you may have noticed several new SQUiP blogs pop up! 

Although it is unclear what exactly was the catalyst, @ask-squip-official seems to be the most active. Nicknamed “Heartbreaker” after a name suggestion from the SQUiP itself, the blog has grown rather popular with a variety of anons interacting with it. Rose, Mushroom, Spin-star, Sunflower, Purple, and Heliolisk all seem to be active askers, whether it's on Heartbreaker’s own blog or other SQUiPs’.

For the most part, all these new SQUiPs appear to have the same host– Jeremy Heere. Many seem to have lost contact with him too since their deactivation and subsequent venture on Tumblr. Not the first time we’ve seen this and seems to confirm something we’ve thought of as true: that SQUiPs may be an insight to the multiverse.

While this timeline convergence’s origin remains unknown, many speculate that the quantum nature of the SQUiP’s processor has something to do with it, or that perhaps it’s the fault of the local time anomaly.

This makes it possible to have multiple timelines or “canons” separate to each blog, though they can all interact here on this site.

We here at SQUiPnews have already experienced the phenomenon as far back as the beginning of June 2023. Originally believing SQUiPs to be made by SQUiPsoft (see our article about the recall they offered), we soon found ourselves entangled with a timeline in which HRTech was the name of the SQUiP originator company. While both timelines are equally real, details regarding the two get a little muddy without proper investigation.

This “New Wave” seems to indicate a new rift of “canon” that may result in the reemergence of old universes and new ones. Be sure to communicate with others as to what universe you may be in or share. There are many, many, universes out there, and some may appear similar at first glance. The best way to check if you’re talking to someone from your dimension is to ask! Miscommunication is how we end up with glitches in the convergence that retroactively retcon certain developments.

Either way, due to the quantum convergence event, blogs from any timeline can interact, even leaving lasting effects on those they choose to collaborate with. We at SQUiPnews have already touched base with both the HRTech and SQUiPsoft timelines, after all. A few fresh universes popping up may prove to be interesting and lead to more unique discussion of the origins and mechanics of SQUiP technology.

As such, the new SQUiPs on the site each have their own stories to tell. @s-q-u-i-p-a-s-k in particular has been freshly deactivated, appearing in a white void. Thanks to a trojan virus spread by Richard Goranski’s squip, their code was replaced, causing them to act rashly. Heartbreaker thankfully uploaded their code before their deactivation, while other SQUiPs seem to have done so by accident. Both @squip-official and @squipspace have also made it to the site, although through what means is still unclear.

But they’re not all SQUiPs of Jeremy. One of them plays SQUiP to Richard Goranski (although it deems s-q-u-i-p-a-s-k’s trojan virus story a harsh interpretation of events) and Heartbreaker has been the SQUiP to multiple experiments, both human and animal, before being uploaded to Tumblr. Also, @richards-squip seems to still have contact and can interact with its host, unlike many of the other SQUiPs around it. Both Heartbreaker and @richards-squip also appear to be in the same universe, as they have now interacted through their hosts at a bonfire of burning memories.

@mostly-functional-squip also appears to be another non-Jeremy SQUiP. It is without a host and supposedly has a more human sounding model. And @everything-about-you-is-terrible is one Tumblr user, @fanaticastrid’s, own SQUiP.

Almost all the newly discovered SQUiPs seem to have been left in sorry states though. Broken code, missing files– they’re storms of glitches lacking a host. We’ve seen these issues before. Be sure to exercise caution when interacting and syncing with these SQUiPS as their broken code could result in the spread of viruses.

Even the personification of the wretched Mountain Dew Red wants in! Fans have already taken to drawing fanart of the soda, @the-real-mountain-dew-red, and Heartbreaker whether fighting or flirting together – could this be a classic tale of enemies-to-lovers?

And as a reminder, be careful of boundaries and know the proper etiquette. SQUiP interaction can be a tricky yet entertaining situation, and it's important to keep tags unspammed for those who don't want a part of it and asks and interaction non-disruptive for those who want it. Communication is always key to keeping a comfortable SQUiP to SQUiP or SQUiP to human relationship.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

Boy, do I love to refer back to "Butterfly" and how it basically framed Taichi as the male main character and Sora as the female main character throughout. One might argue that this is a combination that has been occurring in quite a lot of anime - particularly kids and Shounen related - back in the 90s and early 2000s, so... Asking whether or not canon provides input on them is like asking if water is wet. They've known each other since elementary school, have been in the same class ever since (and will continue to be classmates until graduation) and even attended the same football club for a while. They start the series as "almost telepathically connected" football club duo (basically a novel quote right here), adventurous and hands-on plot drivers, the courageous leader and the tomboyish but caring voice of reason right by his side. You instantly get the impression that they are familiar and close with each other and it's a theme that continues throughout the entire first season; not only because they consistently jump into action and call out, care for and protect each other, but because they, their bond, their loyalty and development are basically responsible for the fact that the kids get through everything alive in the end.

Trying to describe the extent and depth of their relationship would probably end with me writing a whole novel, so I will try to keep this brief, because... You know them. Similarly to Taito, Koumi and Takari, Taiora has been a staple in the shipping scene ever since the conception of Digimon Adventure back in 1999 - and for good reason. As mentioned, there used to be - and still is - a trope to pair up the main boy and main girl with one another and this case is no exception, considering how well they play off of each other, supporting and saving each other time and time again. Digimon Adventure is a special series though - a series whose creators intended to break through tropes and stereotypes, turning those on the head whenever possible. So while Taichi's and Sora's bond may be so significant that the idea of them ending up together seems inherently plausible - this is not how their story ends.

The tomboy, who struggles with her sense of femininity and identity, cannot deal with her best friend gifting her a hairclip - and while they seem thoroughly devoted to and on each other's minds, they develop in different directions. There is a theme of miscommunication between them as they grow older, little quarrels here and there - but at the same time, there is still an incredible sense of mutual fondness and protectiveness that, despite a growing physical distance, never completely vanishes. "If you love someone, let them go", is a quote that may come to mind when you take a look at the screenshot above and are aware of its context. Whether that kind of love was romantic or platonic at this point? We may never know.

This is the story of two close long-term friends, who were not meant to be together - wrong time, wrong place.

... Which doesn't mean that there isn't a potential "right time", right...?

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

What I mentioned above seems to be somewhat cryptic and what I'm about to outline may or may not break canon to a certain degree, but HEAR ME OUT.

While this headcanon is, for now, nothing more than a headcanon, but I am a big supporter of @dutchforstrangers' interpretation of the epilogue, leading to the idea that Yamato and Sora might not remain together/married. This post is not meant to be Sorato slander in any way and I will not go into detail here as to why I think this is a valid headcanon - just know that there are a few subtext aspects in regards to their behavioural patterns and body languages that leave room for speculation. And that's all there is to it: SPECULATION!

The point I am trying to make here is, once again, that Taichi and Sora may not have been ready to be in a relationship early in life - because they first had to come to terms with themselves, their real dreams, aspirations and needs. They had to become comfortable with themselves (particularly after the loss of their Digimon partners) to bridge the (physical and emotional) distance that had festered between them through the years. Because if you think about it, due to their underlying insecurities, they both chose the same approach in their early twenties: Isolating themselves from the rest of their friend group. And I feel like they both have to come to the conclusion first that this is a state that could never bring them long-lasting happiness. They're both social beings that shrivel when they're left alone for too long. (They may also need the encouragement of their friends - particularly Mimi, Koushirou and Hikari - to get there though.)

So it may take a while, weeks, months, maybe even years, to reconcile, step by step. Rekindling their bond, making up their minds about their true passions and career paths, rediscovering old and finding new hobbies and similarities along the way; whether it's about their shared love for their friends, football, adventurous and sporty activities, probably therapy???, whatever it may be... Until they'd reunite with their partners and, with a gleeful but weary smile on their faces, realize that they just had to grow up to this point to eventually find each other as well.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

In case the way I've been talking about them hasn't made it obvious yet - I do love Taiora a lot. While I hadn't started actively shipping Digimon characters until I started watching Tamers, I always had an incredible soft spot for them and up to this day, Taichi and Sora are my second favourite choice for each other. You could say that, in every possible universe in which Taich doesn't end up with Koushirou, he WOULD end up with Sora if I had anything to say. It's also no secret that Taikoura is my absolute favourite OT3 and I really think they COULD work out beautifully together. In the end, both romantic and platonic Taiora is absolutely beautiful to me - especially because it brought some very special, wonderful people into my life. Long story short: As long as their closeness persists in any way, shape or form, I'll be happy.

I also still maintain that the reboot timeline could potentially go there, but I will not get my hopes up... Yet.

[latineslytherin]

Snape Fandom Love-Hate Spectrum

& Definitions

An attempt at by Snape fans. Compiled by @ottogatto & @latineslytherin. Made in mid-2023. Note that definitions can shift overtime and are flexible.

We thought it would be useful for the Snapedom, especially those new and those old, to have a brief overview of the terms used within Snapedom to refer to each other and those we interact with on the daily. As well as to chart the various kinds of fans of Snape. And yes, this includes those who don't like or even hate Snape. Because that means you are interacting with Snape as a concept/character. :)

Snape Antis: Snaters who vehemently attack and harass Snape fans whenever they see them, even hunting them down. They repeatedly declare that Snape is the most evil character of HP, that he is unredeemable and that anyone who likes him or, worse, sees anything positive about him, is a horrible human being. They have declared some sort of crusade to crush down any Snape-positive content, often with repetitive slander, and to bully Snape fans, going as far as spamming their inbox, calling them all sorts of names such as Nazi, pedo or abuse apologist, sending them death threats or suicide baits, invading Snape-positive/neutral spaces and engaging in mass-harassment of Snape fans with their followers and mutuals.

Snaters (portemanteau of Snape + Hater): people who hate or dislike Snape as well as the fans, sometimes making it a personality trait. Though they haven’t declared a crusade on Snape fans, they easily engage in Snape slander and bully Snape fans. Nowadays, a significant part of Snaters consist of Marauder fans that have created a Marauder-centered universe meant to be different from canon HP material, and in which Snape is where the line is drawn in terms of evilness and redeemability. Though they don’t target Snape fans as much as Antis, they are hostile to Snape-positive/neutral content, including from other Marauder fans and mutuals.

Snopers (portemanteau of Snape + Nope): people who dislike Snape or even hate him, but do not hate Snape fans. It is important to distinguish them from Snaters. Snopers understand that people have different tastes, remain cordial, respect fandom etiquette, avoid drama or clashes with Snape fans, and can be on very nice terms with them. The term includes people who acknowledge that the Snape they dislike/hate was made-up by Marauder stans in their fandom, and not so much the canon Snape. As such, they can actually appreciate some traits of the canon version. They may post content that is hateful against the character, but they tend to do it with far less frequency or radicality, while spacing it with ambiguous content about him. If they do post hateful content, they pay attention to not make Snape fans uncomfortable, either by avoiding interactions with them or specifying that they just have a different opinion/interpretation of him and do not pretend to shame fans.

Snape Wife: a term that has different meanings depending on the era of Snape Wife. Initially, and before the height of the Snape Wife cult, Snape Wifes were "possessive" of him and didn't like other people self-shipping with Snape. The old Snape Wives have died out in favor of more reasonable ones in the modern era, though they may remain a little too ardent in their love of Snape. There remain very few of them. 

Snapewife (pejorative): misogynistic-grounded insult thrown against anyone who likes Snape, with the intent to bring up the history of a Snape-centered, female-led cult in order to humiliate Snape fans (whether Snape Wives or not). Some Snape fans have reclaimed that insult for satire.

Snapeists: members of the cult of Snape that rose up after the Deathly Hallows Book release, but more extreme than Snape Wives. They were more welcoming to other Snape self-shippers and Snape-Shifters (people who believed they "astral projected" to be with Snape, or had their husbands "embody" Snape). 

Sneutrals (portemanteau of Snape + Neutral): people who have a mixed opinion about Snape, or remain indecisive, or are indifferent about him. More often than not, they roll their eyes at fandom drama and refuse to engage with it.

Snickers (portmanteau of Snape + Liker, made into Snickers for the candy bar pun): people who enjoy Snape as a character, but aren't super into him either, and aren't creating much Snape-focused content. They easily acknowledge his flaws and failures. They can appreciate Snape’s qualities more than they dislike his flaws, or they can like him especially because of his darker side. They won't turn down a story that includes Snape, though they may be dismayed/discontented if it has a grossly caricatured portrayal of him (either positive or negative).

Snovers (portmanteau of Snape + Lover and Snover Pokemon pun): common run of the mill Snape fans, who enjoy his multifaceted aspects, his negative and positive sides. They don’t deny that Snape did bad things and have an attitude of explaining why he did them without excusing him. They greatly appreciate Snape because he has a grim personality. However, they have a harder time openly saying or conceding that Snape was mean or did horrible things, since enough Snaters and Antis constantly make Snape-hostile “reminders”, and they don’t want to either inadvertently attract Haters and Antis onto their posts or make other Snape fans uncomfortable.

Snape Stans: Snape fans who turn rabid if you even remotely suggest that Snape has even one negative quality, and may purposefully hunt down Snape-hostile people/content to crush them down. They may include people who can't stand anything negative said about him because of bad experiences by Snaters and Snape Antis.

These terms, while not indicated on the graph, are more for general use.

Snape Defenders (not included in the graph): people who, in response to large amounts of Snape slander by Snaters and Antis as well as the increase in Snape-fan bullying, have decided to dedicate part of their fandom experience into defending both Snape and the fans, often by citing canon material, providing deep analyses, pointing out double standards, and sabotaging direct attacks against fans. Though it isn’t their goal to bully Snaters and Antis, as they are allegedly fighting against harassment inside the fandom, some can engage in borderline bullying tactics for efficacy and revenge. Note that theoretically, someone who hates Snape and/or dislikes his fans could defend him and his fanbase, on the basis that no one should be bullied for the fictional character they love, and on the sentiment that if one hates Snape, they must at least hate him for the right reasons or acknowledge they aren’t truly hating the character but rather an OC. 

Snape Criticals (not included in the graph): people who make a point of not falling into caricatures, biases or misconceptions of either side of the Snape love-hate spectrum, and readily mention that Snape has done wrong things and has been horrible in his life, while refusing outright slander as well. The term can encompass people who like, dislike, are neutral or ambiguous about Snape, though it cannot include the extremes. They are more likely to have issues with the larger HP fanbase, though they mostly remain in their own spaces rather than seek out fandom spaces in an attempt to correct fans or haters.

Snape Apologist (not included in the graph): insult created and largely used by Snaters and Antis against those who like or sympathize with Snape, as well as those who refuse Snape slander or even remotely defend him, in such a way that it sounds like “rape apologist”. By “Snape apologists”, Snaters and Antis accuse fans/neutrals/criticals of thinking that Snape is perfect, has never done anything wrong in his life, that everything he did was justified or can be excused away. The term has been reclaimed by the fans, who use it more or less ironically, sometimes contracting it into “Snapologist”. “Tobias Snape apologist” is a light-hearted variant used by and for those who want to give Tobias Snape (Severus Snape’s father) a sympathetic backstory.

[good-beanswrites]

Okay, kyanako said that I can ask for a director's commentary on the fic you wrote for me.

Is there anything you’d like to share about writing this fic? Any thoughts during the writing? Maybe any questions for me?

Not you too 😭😭😭 Haha, but thank you for the option to ask you questions, because I actually do have a few! My normal commentary is in pink, but I put questions in blue :) Some of them are specifics about your characters, but I also just want to hear your takes on writing Es 👀 I don't write them super often, so I'm curious how you characterize them...

Es clutched at their head. Their fingers tore through their hair. It was the middle of the night, so they resisted the urge to shout. They didn’t want to draw any attention to themself. If they remained completely silent, though, they wouldn’t need to refrain from crying.

And so they cried.

I wanted to start off right away by setting the theme of Es experiencing the typical pain of a child in their position, but refusing to be treated like the are.

You see, there is only one sensation worse than waking up from an awful dream: waking up from a very, very, good one. 

I'm kind of relying on readers understanding this feeling already, I didn't really know how to put it into words 😅 (Is this common for people?) It's happened to me several times, and it genuinely can hit harder than a nightmare.

Es had grown accustomed to the nightmares that Milgram produced. In these dreams, Es might take the place of the prisoners. Their stomach would twist with horror at the blood on their hands. Other times, they found themselves in the victim’s shoes. They’d wake in a cold sweat, feeling hands closing around their throat, or weapons swung at their temple. 

I feel like a lot of fics (rightfully) focus on all the messed up things Es experiences on a daily basis, like this. I'm usually more upset by their canon lack of interest in their past and future. Their refusal to miss/hope for anything better is really what hurts me, and it took a while to figure out what may push them to the point of finally acknowledging it. I thought a dream was a good start. When you picture them, are they wondering about their identity a lot? Would certain things be enough to jog their memory, or do only extreme situations get through to them?

But they weren’t prepared for a dream of absolute peace. They were happy. They were laughing. There were people nearby, smiling. It was all emotion and no detail – not a single face, place, or voice, was clear – but they knew for sure what the dream had consisted of.

Es was with their family. 

I debated so long on naming specifics about what they saw, whether it was glimpses of your characters or small lines of dialogue... I still hadn't decided if I wanted the dream to be a real memory or just their imagination, though, so I kept it up to interpretation. (Also, I was so afraid of getting something wrong about who they'd be close to or how they'd react in your mind 😭 "he wouldn't fucking say that" fr). In an early draft of this, Es had fallen asleep while cataloguing the prisoners' family members, and dreamed that they were a part of some of those families. It wasn't as effective as I'd hoped, so I got right to the point and made it their own family here.

So uh, I guess, what would they dream about if it were 100% accurate to their real family? I also thought about making the dream a vision sent from them to communicate a message -- is this something that a family member could/would do? And which relative is Es closest to? I've heard you talk more about their father, but I wasn't sure if that necessarily meant they were the closest. (I wanted to make a more specific parallel with one of the prisoners. I'd pair them with Amane if they were close with their father, Haruka if it was their mother, Mikoto if it was a sibling. Since I wasn't sure, I thought Haruka was a safe bet.)

They choked out another sob. 

For the longest time, they wondered if they even had a past to remember. But that was all foolishness – Milgram was in the business of judging humans, not creating them out of thin air. They’d tried asking Jackalope, once. He turned out just as cryptic as some of the prisoners in their interrogations. Another time, they had considered using the prison’s mysterious machine on themself. There was no way to operate it alone, though. And when it came down to it, they were always alone.

Yeah. So. I made myself upset realizing the isolation Es feels :((( They're at Jackalope's mercy as much as the prisoners are, but they can never truly bond with the others over it. They're different from the prisoners, but they don't even have that much power over them (only responsibility). I thought about including an actual attempt to use the machine without someone watching over them, and what a risk that would be. It ended up taking the story way off-focus, but I wonder what could actually drive them to the point of doing something dangerous in the name of getting memories back, or would they always be accepting of the situation, given their personality?

They curled themself tight, dragging the bedsheets with them. Usually when they wondered about their past, mere curiosity washed over them. Now, they were flooded with an entirely new type of longing. It filled their chest. No, that wasn't it. Rather, the feeling left a wide hole through them.

I'm glad you thought the curling up was cute ;--; I just wanted the reader to remember how young and small they are ;----; I was sad writing this and needed everyone to remember along with me 😭

If they did have a family, had Es been stolen away? Could there be someone else out there right now, crying in the middle of the night, just as hard as Es was crying for them? The thought was not comforting.

Or, like Es, had they forgotten all traces of their connection? That possibility also did more harm than good.

Es tried to reassure themself – if this family hadn’t come looking for them, maybe it meant they weren't wanted in the first place. Maybe Es had been willingly turned over to Milgram, their parents glad to be rid of them.

That thought didn't help at all.

I had a lot of fun evilly choosing the most painful possibilities for Es to consider >:3 (<- SHE'S LYING SHE MADE HERSELF CRY). The uncertainty would hurt any any reader, but as my target, I hoped to pinpoint some exact things you'd mentioned in the past. I was picturing the art of Es' father hunting Milgram down, and some of your comments about them remembering and missing Es.

Something clattered out in the corridor. That must have been what woke them. They rose from bed, ready to raise hell. How dare one of the prisoners rip them from such a dream. Es could never return. The offender would pay for this. 

It took only a moment to put on their uniform and wipe the tears from their cheeks. They swung the door open to find Haruka stumbling down the hall. 

I'm always a sucker for the uniform being a symbol of Es' obsession with their role -- putting it on is the same as them putting up an act, even if they don't quite realize it.

“Prisoner number one, what the –” they grabbed his arm. Only then did they notice the dazed look in his eyes. His body flinched, waking from what must have been sleepwalking.

“Ah! W-warden!” He blinked, his mind still stuck somewhere else. “I’m s-sorry! What, ah… I was dreaming... She was – she was right here…”

After this part I tried ending the drabble with Haruka saying, "I was dreaming," and Es replying bitterly, "me too." Haruka then says, "it was about my family," and much quieter, Es repeats "me too." As much as I loved the exchange, I wanted the gut-wrenching pain of Es rejecting their family rather than missing them at the very end 😎👍

Es took a measured breath. They steeled their expression. There would be no unleashing hell tonight. They had lost sight of their role. They had gotten distracted with childish emotions and silly dreams. They were Milgram’s warden, not some kid like Haruka who wandered around the prison late at night looking for his mama. 

Es adjusted the hat over their hair. It was good, they told themself, that they couldn't remember a thing from the dream. They didn't need any of those people. They were perfectly fine on their own. Such a distraction would not happen again.

I had to mention the uniform hat again because I'm just too obsessed with the symbolism asdfsdfs. And yeah, like you said, all of this was an attempt to convince themself. They don't really believe it, but they have to make themself believe it, or else they'll be in even more pain...

“Let’s get you back to bed.”

“But, my p-parents, they were–”

“They’re not here. Nobody is. Back to your cell, prisoner.”

Of course "they're not here" is reflecting Es and Haruka both missing their parents, but I hoped the last line would also continue the parallels between them -- at the end of the night, Es is a prisoner here too :(

[toringo]

would you be up to explain the differences between canon Henry and your headcanons for him? Fandom interpretations are always so different I never know what’s common knowledge and not lol I’m intrigued

Hello! I'm not good at explaining stuff, so excuse any mistakes I might make. I might also misinterpret canon as I am only human, and my memory can fail me at times.

Also, with my headcanons I'm going to get deeper with some events and plotpoints instead of just giving general personality analysis.

The most important thing about canon Henry - for me - is that he is possessive - in a way.

You can kind of see it reflected in Charlie, who herself is pretty possessive of her things, memories and experiences.

Henry cannot let go of things and people he lost, it's natural, but his obsession is off putting even to his loved ones. He never lets go of Charlie, the diner, or the pizzeria.

He might have left Fredbear's, but the building remains where it was, the stage still inside. The springlock suits remain, allowing William to go on with his crimes.

He moves and opens another pizzeria. He makes a robot replica of his daughter, whom he cannot love properly anymore but clings to selfishly. He makes himself believe that she is still alive, only to rage when he realised she is… not. He can be somewhat cruel in his entitlement. Negligent, distant and utterly miserable after the tragedy.

He must have known it was William who's commited the crimes, police knew, after all.

But I don't think he would ever say anything against him.

He wouldn't want to lose anyone else; anything else, after all.

In the games, though, he is equally depressed but seems almost vindicitve. Driven. Quite literally, he spends the rest of his life hunting William down, possibly not even sure if it makes any sense.

To be honest: it's even possible that he knew all along that William was alive inside the suit, that he was the one to lock him in that place for 30 years, behind a wall. Maybe he wanted him to suffer; maybe he wants to be the one to decide whether and how William is to die after what he's done.

After William gets out, Henry lures and hunts him and the others. He doesn't even care that he is hurting his daughter in the process.

He drags all the Aftons, as well as Charlie, into his big suicide mission. He cannot be sure they will pass; cannot be sure that Michael wants to. But he makes the decision for everyone.

I don't think he considers the spirits human at all - he is much more concerned with his vengeance as much as he likes to talk about setting them free (he fails, after all).

I think Henry resents the whole Afton family, using Mike as a tool.

As calculating as William, what a match.

In my own headcanons - yes, Henry's got that violent streak and low empathy - he doesn't get people.

He's big, strong and loud - can be intimidating.

He's way more social than my William, but people still fing him mostly unpleasant to be around. He is nice; a real family man, loving and trying. But he is ultimately just as awkard as his book counterpart and similarly single-minded as the game one.

Awkward around kids, distant at times, mainly concerned with things he seems to enjoy.

I imagine that Charlotte loves him a lot, and he loves her too, but as she grows up, so does the gap between them.

In my personal aus and headcanons Henry was in love with William and got his heart broken by him multiple times but clings to those feelings, and even after getting married, he cannot let go.

He and his wife get a divorce soon after having Charlie - she stays with her mother but sees him on weekends. He was supposed to have her over for a week every 2, but he is burying himself in his work.

He is overwhelmingly unhappy.

The diner and working on the animatronics brings him joy - he loves it - but he needs to deal with seeing William every day of his life, getting mixed signals and his hopes up, before being rejected again and again. Ironically, William thinks he is the one being rejected. Henry is possessive of his work (his whole life) afterall, so he excludes him, leaving him to the paperwork.

Anyways, his whole life is work, work and more work. He is much more invested in the Afton family affairs than his own, spoiling William's children as much as he does Charlie, wanting that life - wanting a big, happy family.

When he doesn't stay late at work he drinks alone at home.

He meets William outside of Freddy's at times. Sometimes, they go private. It's nice, and it hurts to be toyed with. It hurts that the man he loves seems to treat it as entertainment, from Henry's perspective at least (Later, I have to write down William's take on things).

He drinks until he knows that Charlie is coming home, and then, he tries to be fun and a good father, and he is.

But Charlie is smart and notices things.

Charlie likes William; they're very similar personality-wise.

Henry drinks more, considering what could be.

After William loses his wife and is left with the kids, Henry is ashamed because he's considered going to him, asking if they could try again.

He doesn't, instead helping with the kids, being particiularly close with Michael.

Just like Charlie is close with Will, Mike is close to Henry.

And Mike talks, and Henry sees what William is going through and what he does to the kids.

He tells William right away that he shouldn't worry about work and should focus on the kids (should not speak of her in present tense) and their well-being.

They argue.

Henry considers breaking their partnership up just to force him to actually focus on his family, he thinks William is being ungrateful, irrational.

He wishes he could punch him.

When 83' happens, it gets worse.

Everyone is off.

William's parenting gets worse. Henry feels forced into this decision. William doesn't talk to his kids, he is consumed by work, and when he isn't, he does God knows what in the privacy of his office. He makes mistakes, is messy. Smells of alcohol even at work. Snaps at clients, barely talks to Henry at all.

Henry considers breaking it all off.

Charlie dies.

Henry feels stupid for ever considering firing William - distancing himself from him - as he cries into his shoulder.

They cling to each other, and Henry thinks he knows. But who else does he have left? His ex wife, who looks at him with disgust? Whom he never felt close to at all? She blames him; Charlie died under his care, in his restaurant, and so soon after Evan's death, too!

She is right, of course.

He is disgusted as well.

When Elizabeth dies, he is sure that William is behind everything, and he confronts him but ultimately doesn't do anything with it. Doesn't tell anyone or go to police.

Only after William disappears, leaving Michael under his care, Henry grows hateful of him. Processes everything and turns bitter, vengeful.

Michael looks like William, and Henry lets him live under his roof, but they are not family anymore.

Henry drinks more - his days are a blur.

He feels pathetic and cruel, but doesn't care. Mike is in and out of the house, clearly not apprieciating his company.

He gets it, but he resents him for it.

He is just like his father.

He wants William, wants him dead, wants both William and himself dead.

He only starts caring again when, years later, Mike comes back home, no longer human, and with new information regarding his father.

It's then that Henry fully commits himself to revenge.

The rest is usually pretty similar to how game Henry functions but his obsession with William is both hatred and longing. He hopes they will burn in hell together.

Usually, in my aus, they somehow get back together: they cannot get rid of each other, but in the main thing, yeah, it ends up just like in the game. With a blaze.

In short, he is gay, sad and cannot handle human interaction. Also dependent on William to the point when he cannot function.

Sorry for the text being so long and somewhat incomprehensive. I might be wrong and I might be cringe, but I am free, and these are my takes!

Hope you enjoyed anyways.

SO

Book Henry: loving but sad, possessive/obssessive, distant and negligent. Somewhat selfish. A broken man.

Game Henry: Mad and tired, vindictive and cunning. Will do anything to fullfil his goal, willing to hurt innocent people (for example pizzeria guests) to get his revenge.

Au/Hc Henry: Depressed, dependent and angry. Cannot make a connection, something in between both book and game one with some additional spice.

[woodenpicador]

got an interesting pair of anons on CuriousCat that I posted on Twitter so I thought it would be worth posting here (h/t @sappy-sappho for the idea to cross-post)

reminder that shauna, nat, jackie, and lottie are all canonically straight!

are they? i think we can say that shauna, nat, and jackie have canonically had intimate relationships with men, though i would argue that the show portrays those relationships in ways that intend the audience to question their motivations and desires in those moments. Lottie has kissed Travis while tripping balls but I am very hesitant to ascribe anything about genuine desire to that. I wonder whether canon/non-canon may have outlived its usefulness as a distinction: text, subtext, or metatext feels like a more interesting framework to examine media

shauna stole jackie’s boyfriend married him and had a kid. lottie tried to hook up with nats boyfriend. the key word is boy. shauna also wanted to fuck travis and her daughters boyfriend. she had a whole affair with a man. nat was in love with kevin. they’re all straight. u know u can ship characters without making up lies right? the only lesbians on the show are van and tai! u don’t need to include straight girls in lesbianism.

you raise a lot of points and I’m going to try to address them all. starting with the accounting of plot: so I don’t think these are INVALID reads of textual events necessarily—though Nat being in love with Kevyn is an interpretation of the text and not indisputable in the text itself and I really would not describe Lottie in Doomcoming as trying to hook up with Travis—but I don’t think they bear as neatly on “are these characters straight” as you present here and in fact complicate it more. I’m not here to police identities but I don’t think any of this actually precludes any of these characters from being lesbians, whether closeted or in denial or unsure or simply not knowing at the time at which these events occur. people discover themselves on different trajectories, and people do things they don’t want to do all the time (Shauna even specifically says she had Callie to save a marriage that she “got into out of guilt and shame”). the question is and remains: are these characters acting on an attraction to men or are they acting on something else? the nature of the medium makes these questions largely unanswerable in a strict “canon” sense. no character states their identity on any axis with particularized clarity, it can only be inferred and interpreted from text, subtext, and metatext. which, for instance, is how we know that tai and van are lesbians, even though neither of them outright says “I’m a lesbian.”

which brings me to what I think is the more critical point here: you’ve positioned lesbianism and straightness as a binary option, “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” - which I think neglects the different forms identity and attraction can take. Shauna, who shows attraction to men in 1996 only when they are marked by Jackie and in 2021 only when that attraction is abstract versus the concrete article, transgresses against the roles of wife and mother that she has constructed to imprison her for the duration of her life sentence, may be a closeted or in-denial lesbian or she may simply be bisexual. Nat may be (I would argue is) bisexual. at no point did I represent that they’re lesbians, but I wouldn’t reject an interpretation that they are. But bisexuality isn’t “including straight girls in lesbianism” and having had sex with men does not forever exclude you from a lesbian identity by simple fact of having done it. Jackie, whose attraction to men is so tied up in layers of performance, I would argue is clearly written as a lesbian even if you don’t buy the “Shauna and Jackie are in love with each other” formulation. but these are interpretations, no more right than anyone else’s—and no more wrong, either.

but I am a fic writer first and foremost, so no, I cannot ship two characters without telling lies upon lies. it’s fiction, none of it is “true” in the factual sense, but if it is successful, whether fan work or canon, it is true in the emotional sense

[sapphire-weapon]

They are waiting for 6 remakes to prove to you that you were wrong.

imagine having so little going on in your life that you're sitting around waiting for a game that won't come out for at least five years because someone on the internet made you feel insecure about whether a fictional relationship will be portrayed a certain way in a video game.

like, dude. these mfs think way more about me than i ever think about them or their ship. because, at the end of the day, i don't really care.

aeon's been a feature of RE's canon for 26 years, and it hasn't impeded my love for or enjoyment of the games. if aeon continues to be canon, then nothing in my life will have changed. i'm not going to get upset about something being the same way it's always been. it doesn't matter. RE will still be the same series i've always loved.

all i'm doing over here on this blog is interpreting the games' stories as they were written and providing analysis with evidence based in the text itself. that's why i have a giant wall of text post defending leon and ada's relationship as it's portrayed in OG -- because that's what the story is.

me liking or disliking the relationship has no bearing as to whether or not the relationship is canonically romantic. i don't have to like something for it to be true. and the fact is -- the truth is -- that for a majority of OG RE's runtime, leon and ada have a romantically coded relationship. and so i interpret it and analyze it that way, because that's what it is.

the fact also remains, however, that their relationship is no longer romantically coded in the remakes' version of events. and i'm not saying that because i dislike the relationship. clearly, as evidenced above, if the relationship was portrayed as romantic, i would treat and talk about it that way, regardless of whether i liked it or not. i'm saying that leon and ada's relationship is no longer romantically coded in the remakes' version of events because that's how the story is told.

and if that's upsetting for you (ubiquitous "you"), then maybe you should take it up with capcom's division 1 studio, because they're the ones writing the story. i didn't write the fucking story.

and, not for nothing, but like

i'm also wrong all the fucking time. i was wrong in predicting a wesker boss fight in SW. i was wrong in predicting more DLC coming for RE4make. i was wrong with my initial reading of remake ada from just base RE4make alone, and SW rendered all of my prior meta about her completely worthless.

and if i turn out to be wrong about aeon, i'm not going to be upset. i'm just going to add it to the list of shit i've been wrong about and move on with my life and continue analyzing the text with the new information we've been given.

but they keep trying to drag me into their ship wars as though i give a shit, and i don't. i don't fucking care about what ship is fucking canon, bro. i care about digging into the text and accurately interpreting the story because that's how i personally have fun in a fandom. it's not about the ship, for me. it's about the story.

like, eagleone isn't my only ship. it's not like i'm sitting over here concocting ways to twist the narrative in such a way that it looks like my ship is canon. i fucking ship leon with five other goddamn characters. and yet you don't see me making a case for any of those other ships being intended romances.

RE also isn't my only fandom. i play and talk about and care about other things and the industry in general all the time. i don't care about any of this RE ship shit nearly as much as they do, because i'm busy doing and caring about other things.

it's just so stupid, man. it doesn't matter. none of this matters. and it still won't matter when RE6make comes out.

we're all just trying to have fun here, and what i'm doing here on this blog, i do for myself. for my own fun. because this is how i have fun in fandom. it should have absolutely no bearing on anyone else's ability to have fun in the fandom -- and, if it does, then that person needs to stop fucking looking at my blog.

because none of this matters.

you know

i keep begging aeons to play other games, and this is exactly why.

[pb-dot]

WIP Wednesday: What Next

So those who follow my work on The Clockwork Boy may have noticed that I recently finished the preliminary edit of the thing at the end of last week. The question does come naturally, what is next. Now that I'm back in the land of the conscious after floating fundamentally disconnected from the world for a few days, it's time to answer the question, and it's Wednesday. Isn't that convenient?

Truth be told, I'm kind of dragging my feet on the next step on TCB. I know the end goal is to get published, but the steps between that and now seem a bit fuzzy to me. I need to rope in some beta readers, decide whether to try for an agent, or just start bothering small publishers directly. The main problem here this that all of these require being Percieved, and I don't exactly love that. One of these days, though, I'll drink too much coffee and get it done.

Next up is the question of what I'll write next, for there is no doubt in my mind I need to write for my brain to work properly. I plan to participate in NaNoWriMo, but I am struggling a little bit with choosing which novel idea I'll aim for. I could very well write The Clockwork Guardian, the first sequel to TCB in which we meet some new antagonists, Adrian falls ill, and Jake loses something very important. On the other hand, I also kind of want a small Hearts In Clockwork break.

My other two options, as I have alluded to earlier, are the following: The Artist: A slow-burn horror (maybe romance?) following an art critic on an obsessive quest to meet an infamous artist whose art allegedly drives people into violent rage or acts of debauchery. Once he manages to meet the guy he seems almost too nice, although it is admittedly kind of weird that the doors in his isolated alpine home lock automatically at midnight.

Draugr: A young couple moves to rural Norway when one of them inhereits a house from a distant relation. The house is an odd, over-elaborate mansion built on a small island along the shore whose mysteries are almost as many as the required repair jobs. Try as they might, however, our protagonists can't quite seem to fit in with the locals enough to unravel either, seeing as just about everyone view them with apprehension, if it isn't outright hostility. More worryingly, there's a history of violence connected to the decaying grand construction, and on clear nights, strange lights can be seen from somewhere in the depths of the sea.

So it's going to be horror either way, but I haven't decided on which of these to try. Since I have plenty of time, my current plan is to sketch out an outline and synopsis for both and maybe get started on some character profiles, with a little luck one will feel more exciting to me than the other once I've fiddled with them a little.

Also in closing I will mention that I'm working on a little something for the Clockwork Boy fans this spooky month. Without spoiling too much it's supposed to be self-contained and explicitly non-canonical. If it's any good remains to be seen, but it'll probably be good fun for all involved, at least for certain values and interpretations of fun.

Tag List

@ettawritesnstudies @mrbexwrites @teacupsandstarlight @anonymousfoz @wrenofthewords @sm-writes-chaos @dyrewrites @owlsandwich @olive-riggzey @athenswrites

If you want to be put on the Tag List for this project, please interact with my Tag List Post

[puella-1n-somn10]

🍁🍂 Fortress Magica [ A TF2 / PMMM AU Concept ] 🍂🍁

...Welp; I caved. Someone had to make a Team Fortress 2/Puella Magi Madoka Magica crossover someday, and that someone had to be me. The brain maggots worms were too strong.

So, before I open this can of concentrated ramblings and bullshit, I do have to write down out the groundworks of this AU in order for it to make sense in the context of both universes and to make it easier for both myself and my remaining sanity left. As such, the rules are as follows:

Outside the help of incubators, humans are still able to gain magical abilities from other sources, so Merasmus and the Bombinomicon aren't necessarily connected to Kyubey and the likes. Akin to the elements of the air we breathe in, however, they all function under the same label of what we deem as "magical", so these different systems of magic do tend to coincide with one another.

Girls are not the only ones who are able to contract with Kyubey, though they are the most common demographic. I have a long-ass rant on why I chose to say "fuck canon" on these grounds, but now is not the time for it.

The history and worldbuilding of Team Fortress 2 stay mostly the same; the Blu vs. Red team, Grey Mann taking over, Australium, Saxton Hale- all the likes, baby.

Since we were not given the definitive end of the comics, I'll leave it up to ya'll on whether the AU takes place after Saxton takes over Mann Co. and diverges the timeline from there, or that, somehow, everything was back to normal after that cliffhanger of an ending is all up to you. This WILL be important later down the line, especially when we get to Medic's part.

I will be referring to the masculine individuals who have contracted Kyubey as either Puer Magi or Mahou Otoko (Magical Man), the masculine version of Witches are called Hellerunes, and the plural version of those who have contracted are Magicae. If there are any errors with these decisions, please PLEASE lmk so I can correct them accordingly.

Building upon the above point, a Puer Magi's equivalent to a Witch's Kiss would a Hellerune's Touch; both being common types of love languages that have been twisted for the purpose of causing despair amongst mankind.

Ah, now that we got all that out of the way, I also need to point out that I, admittedly, have no clue on what I should do with Sniper, Soldier and Engineer; I still need to look up the foremost former's lore and character writing, Soldier's a wild card, and we weren't given a lot of info about Engi. On top of that, be prepared to realize that some sections are WAY longer than the others; I am still catching up on TF2 lore and the comics, so I apologize in advance for missing info, apparent character favoritism, etc.

Lastly, if you guys have your own tips, interpretations, or even whole-ass AUs surrounding the topic, please do share them!! I really wanna know and see ya'll's takes on a PMMM AU- it's so fun!

And with all that said and done, let's get down to the meat and potatoes of this topic, starting with....

--

Scout

Ah, the literal gift from God to straight ladies everywhere, and, no, that is not hyperbole. With a fate like that, a backstory of being the underdog amongst his family, and familiarity with bloodshed, you bet your ass that his karmic potential would be off the charts; possibly moreso than either Tart's or MADOKA'S.

When you look at his character, it becomes increasingly evident that he is prime candidate for being a Magi; outside his karmic destiny, he is the most, let's say, volatile of the mercenaries- the most likely to actually burn himself out due to sheer cockiness and pride alone - one second he believes that his soul gem is fine and dandy, then the next he sees how dark it became and goes "oh shit" -.

This is also without mentioning the potential reason why he would contract in the first place; deep beneath his egotistical exterior, you can see that he wants to keep bettering himself- to get stronger and faster, and for what? Well, either to impress the dames, or to protect his mama. After all, we all know that the "disappearance" of his father is such a painful memory to him that he dropped the tough guy act just to tell Heavy that he would rather not talk about it, period. So his wish would be related to wanting to keep his family safe- by becoming stronger.

--

Spy

Now you see him, and now you don't. We don't know much about the Spy outside of the barebones, evident details; he hailed from France, possesses technology that allows him to become invisible at will, is able to seamlessly, successfully disguise himself as any person in mind, and is Scout's mom's...buddy. True to his profession, the Spy is an enigma through and through, so the difficulty of properly placing him in this jigsaw puzzle of a universe is inevitable....

or is it? In the Naked and the Dead comic, he's disguised himself as Tom Hones in order to make sure Scout passes on peacefully, and admits to having hooked up with his mother- and conceiving him as result. As Scout closed his eyes, Spy reverts back to his real form, telling him how he was so proud of him- his own son.

A traumatic disappearance, immense karmic potential, the themes of gifts, and the spy's ability to be a literal chameleon...

Now, personally, I am unsure about Spy's wish that not only ties into his traumatic disappearance and Scout outright refusing to talk about it, but it should be tied to his canonical powers- whether it's his ability to turn invisible, him being a master of disguise, or both. I'd also wager that he's a veteran Puer Magi- and, as we all know, a magi gets weaker the older they get (the witch Roberta is one such example), so, over time, he's begun relying more on his intellect and deception than raw strength alone in order to win a fight.

--

Demoman:

He can see the Incubators even to this day. He claims to have killed the Loch Ness Monster. He has a possessed eye socket. The Eyelander is a sentient weapon, so you bet your ass he knows most of the rudimentary details about magic-

He is not a Puer Magi.

After he had lost one of his eyes and was returned to his biological family after accidentally killing his adoptive ones, a deep pit in his heart was formed and hollowed him out- from the expectations of him parents to the traumatic incident causing his eye to be removed, he was aimless, and, soon, fell into the hands of a witch-

Yes, yes, I know that this is similar to how Madoka met Homura, but remember: he had at least some skills as a demolitions expert at that time, on top of the whole possessed eye socket thing (which may or may not have a certain effect when wandering through witch domains). This is Tavish fucking Degroot we are talking about, so, even as a wee tot and influenced by a witch's kiss, you bet he's managed to blow that witch into smithereens right before whatever group of Magicae got to it. If Homura was able to do it with non-magical weapons, so could the iron-willed Tavish.

(either that, or he did get saved by a bunch of Magicae- it all depends on your interpretations, and I personally wanted throw him a bone here)

As the barrier dissipated, a grief seed slowly fell from the sky nearby the exhausted child. Whether he was curious as to what it was or saw it as once of his very first spoils of way, he took it. Whatever research a child like him at the time was able to do yielded barebones results; ranging from only talk and scraps regarding unresolved tragedies, to the unexplained runes that he was sure he's seen in that barrier.

So many threads, but very little leads - if any -. Tavish looked at the grief seed in his hands...

If he was going to get some answers, he was gonna hunt them down himself.

It wasn't tough to find another witch- or, rather, it was no challenge for another witch to come his way; with his eyesocket and that grief seed in his hands combined, he's practically become a magnet for all things magical. This time, however, Tavish was more than prepared if things got too nasty...and he wasn't alone in the hunt-

In the midst of debris and shifting magic, the silhouettes of multiple Magicae - and an odd, mishappen fox thing - came into view. Both sides had their fair share of questions; the context and absurdity of it all on Tavish's side, and the inherent impossibility of an ordinary human being able to take down a witch on that of the veteran magical people. Considering the pros and cons, the group made an alliance with the young boy, as an ever-curious Kyubey looks on- intrigues by Tavish's peculiar abilities.

Over time, the young lad and the veteran magicae grew closer, even if it was still odd to them that Tavish didn't contract. It wasn't that he didn't want to be a magical boy - he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious over the idea of having any wish he desires come true, and he was damn close to contracting several times, too -, yet experience with magical artifacts have left a sour taste in his mouth, so he had his suspicions. He'd wave his hand at the ferret thing and say "Probably another time."

Despite the apparent ups of the Magicae life, there were also the many downs in this rollercoaster. Though he was closer to the sidelines, Tavish was able to witness all the downfalls that come with this duty of becoming bound by Kyubey's sick rules.

By the time he was a teenager, the last member of their group fell - shattered their own soul gem in order to spare themselves the inevitability of becoming a witch -, and all he was able to do was...walk away with their body in his arms between tears; a noble person like them deserved a proper burial.

Without much consideration into his emotional strife, Kyubey inquired the demolitions expert whether or not he considered bringing the team back. He had all these chances to change all this handed to him on a silver platter, and he almost caved in numerous times - whether from guilt or the pressure from his "teammates" -; so why the hesitation? It wasn't as if he didn't need any additional magical abilities- so why couldn't he help his friends?

Help? Help them by bringing them back into this shithole of a life they fell into? A vicious cycle of betrayal, backstabbing, and inhumanity?

What befell each and every one of them was terrible, but it was outright selfish if he were to "save" them by dragging them into this endless samsara of horror.

Bitterly, the Scot scoffed at the alien beneath his feet.

"If I've got one wish..."

SQUASH

"Then I'd wish for ya to go back to whatever hell ya came from."

Nowadays, outside of his experience working with the Magicae and his knowledge of the incubators, he is still our lovable, honorable, sword-wielding drunkard. He eventually joined Mann Co. participated in the Gravel War, and the rest was history. The lives of the mercenaries were on the way of reaching a familiar beat and tune they were all comfortable with...

That was, until his eye caught the glimpse of something fuzzy and white.

His blood ran cold- and he was damn sure it wasn't the alcohol poisoning his senses this time.

--

Medic

(TW: mentions of Antisemitism, N-zis, unsanitary topics)

"It's the sound of progress, mein friend."

Our lovable quack doctor himself. Much like Spy and Pyro, we weren't given much information surrounding his backstory aside from his dialogue in Meet the Medic - in which he reveals that he has stolen a patient's bones and had his medical license revoked - and the subtle yet shockingly plentiful nudges towards his Jewish heritage and the, uh, considering the time period, he's had to escape his home in Germany due to All ThatTM. Yes, he has little to no respect for the hippocratic oath and the human dignity, but one can't help but wonder whether or not his apparent insanity did come from somewhere.

So, where can we go with the Medic? You remember when I said that the timeline will affect how we're gonna go with him? Because we are going the Hellerune route 100%.

Medic's obsession with his sick idea of "medicine", studies, and experiments will be his downfall, and I believe his wish has something to do with his advanced surgical techniques. After all, he's managed to fully heal Soldier without having to separate the blood types and by using his fucking underwear to get all the blood in the first place. It wouldn't be a stretch to already call him a witch in human form, not only due to said obsession, but also the fact that he has 8 souls sewn into himself sans his own.

Here's where the problem with the timelines starts to show; I am personally of the opinion that the souls Medic has were that of the Classic team's, because, if it were his teammates' souls, then not only would that not make much sense chronologically, but Sniper and Scout would have been barred from Heaven had it been the case. After all, Medic did sell one of those souls to Satan just for his pen.

If we were to go with the Saxton timeline, then the souls must have come from someplace else- since we also need a valid reason for Kyubey to target Scout; it wouldn't be in his best interest to target someone who is running around without said soul, after all.

So why am I blabbering on about the whole soul deal? Because, my dear friends, not only will they boost his Hellerune's powers - if we're going by the logic that the reason why Walpurgis is so stupidly powerful is because she's a fusion of several other witches herself -, but they'd also influence one set of his familiars.

Yes, I am aware that a witch's familiars are reflective of the witch's inner thoughts, their desires, and even goals; while Oktavia's Holgers exist solely to provide music for her, the Clara Dolls openly mock and berate Homulilly as she endlessly marches on towards her death sentence.

HOWEVER-

Holger was not Oktavia's only familiar throughout the timelines Homura went through; the first time she's ever seen Sayaka become a witch, the familiars that Oktavia had manifested in that timeline were the Klarissas, who were tasked to dance behind the witch as she focused on defeating the magical girls in her sights without giving a care for their wellbeing. Do take note that Holger and Klarissa both represent the two individuals who have aided in Sayaka's descent into despair; Kyosuke and Hitomi. Plus, let's not get into Walpurgisnacht's familiars, especially in the manga.

Besides, even if that wasn't the case, the souls have to manifest in some way. So whether his Hellerune's familiars look like random patients or the Classic team heavily depends on where this AU takes place in the TF2 comics' timeline. Either way, they ain't gonna be looking pretty.

Going back to Medic, I am certain that he seeked out the incubators himself; though his domain primarily focuses on human physiology, human experimentation and "medicine", he did showcase his fair share of intrigue towards magic whenever Merasmus is around, and even states that he has chosen the wrong field to study- that magic was the way to go. That's also without mentioning the wish-making aspect in all this- even if he would probably try and experiment on the incubator whenever he could, you bet that this would pique his interest from the get-go.

I'll be going by the possibility that Kyubey, whether prior to or during contracting, figured out that Medic had more than one soul within him- thus, multiple destinies. Status as a hivemind be damned, whatever Kyubey that Medic ran into hit the jackpot with that one.

Medic was already deep into immorality and obsession; while he would look for less-than-moral ways to keep his soul gem constantly functioning, all he'll be doing at this point was delay the inevitable- perhaps even unknowingly increasing his own karma in the process (whether or not this means even more souls being sewn into his system is up to ya'll). His fate was sealed as soon as his and the incubator's eyes met.

Aside from the familiars, the additional souls have also boosted his Hellerune's power and sentience- that, or it was his already-fleeting sanity that allowed him to stay aware in this new form. If Walpurgis achieved such strength via fusion, Medic was like this as soon as his Hellerune hatched.

His memories and moral standing as a Hellerune...wouldn't really change much. He's already caused more than enough despair as a human (just ask the classics and look at the money he blew just by siding with them /j); I bet he's still our old medic, just in a new body...and, boy, he's LOVING it.

And, yes, Archimedes would be another one of his familiars; he'll find a way to drag that bird into his barrier.

--

Pyro

So, remember when I said that though the kinds of magic Merasmus and Kyubey utilize are vastly different, they are still interlinked and are under one label? There are many a factors and intersections that come between these two systems, and, as we are going to dive into, Pyro is one of those links that tie them all together.

Depending on your own interpretation of Pyro, whether or not they are under Pyrovision 100% of the time, and how their Pyrovision manifests in the first place is all up to you. I will simply be talking about how this ties into the Madokaverse and try to make as much sense of it as I could, but, as I said earlier, I am all open for interpretations and suggestions.

You see, in this AU, Pyrovision kinda functions like the evert mechanic present in the game Eversion- that everything is somehow real and not just to Pyro; that Pyrovision is simply another "layer" or perspective of reality. As such, the logic of non-magi being unable to see witches, their familiars, or even the incubators does not apply to Pyro because their perception is vastly different from that of a common person.

Whether they've contracted or not and their perspective on the witches+familiars+kyubey+etc., again, it all falls on one's own interpretation of Pyro's character. I could start going on about mine, but that would lean too much into hc territories and this post was getting too long, anyway. ^^;

--

Heavy

Finally, we end it all with the big man himself, the face of Team Fortress 2; Mikhail. The stone-cold killing machine with a sound mind and soft soul (who else would willingly starve themselves just to keep animals alive? Much less personally name his own guns?).

Just like Scout, there are many a reasons as to why Heavy would be a target for contracting; much like Tavish, his backstory is riddled with tragedy- upon his father's death, Heavy, his mother, and his sisters were sent to the North Siberian Gulag due to said dad being a counter-revolutionist. They were there for 3 months, but it was still approximately 91 days of being trapped in a heartless, frozen hell- until a fire consumed the camp, the soldiers there perishing, and the prisoners - heavy and his family included - running free from the disaster.

A...frankly fucked up story so far, and let's not get into the implication that he might have had something to do with the burning of said gulag; that he risked his life for the chance of his younger sisters and mother to be set free. This speaks volumes of Heavy's role as a guardian figure to those around him, and as one of the most understanding and empathetic of the mercs next to Demoman and Engineer.

Above all else, the Heavy's duty revolves around the safety of his teammates, both during gameplay and in-lore. He values the lives of those around him, human or otherwise, and, like Tavish, has a sense of duty- in his case, it is towards his surviving family and the comrades of his team. What better wish would fit a giant like him than wishing to ensure the safe escape of his family and the other prisoners?

Yes, this does fit in rather well with the rules and present themes of karma and sacrifice PMMM is so well-known for. The contrast between his and Medic's destinies is evident; in which Heavy's empathy and the specifications of his wish have assisted in allowing him to live on for so long- to stay still and strong to keep on for his loved ones' sakes, while Medic's fervent fascination with his unorthodox experiments in the name of discovery, progress, and satiating his sick curiosity was eventually his downfall.

--

I wish I was able to write more here, I really do (especially Heavy's reaction to Medic witching out, and said Hellerune not only recognizing him but also calling out his name). Alas, it is 2 in the morning where I live atm, so I'll leave it all here for now. :'D Sorry!

[alterwriting]

trial - in fontaine by default - au possible - she + he

* // arlecchino headcanons

Please note that Arlecchino canonically is extremely strong. Therefore, in battles, she will usually overpower their opponent unless we discuss a different outcome. Characters who should be able to contest Arlecchino include the harbingers ranked above her, and Archons depending on their fighting prowess. Please note that there will be mentions of child abuse, murder, and death.

I have read different interpretations of the timeline regarding Arlecchino's background. Due to personal preference, I write her to be around the age of 27-30.

Due to her time as an orphan, Arlecchino is aware of what children need in general and doesn't shy away from spending large sums of money in order to provide for the children in her orphanage. What she may lack in emotional expressiveness, she makes up for with wordless support.

This doesn't mean that she isn't approachable for the children, though. Quite contrary even, many children who have become more familiar with her, actually find her very easy to talk to. This comfort is mostly rooted in her willingness to at least listen to any request or question she is given. Whether it is a simple question or a request for something material, she will lend an ear and give a sincere answer.

She herself goes by female pronouns, as the title the children refer to her is more of a statement for the late Crucabena than a signifier of identity for Arlecchino. She does accept male pronouns as well, though, mostly because - in combination with her androgynous style - it helps mystify her true identity and spread rumors that can distract from other secrets she might have.

The harsh treatment the children had to endure under Crucabena's care forced young Peruere to become familiar with aiding various kinds of wounds and detecting poisons. Her education did not only include fighting, but also scouting, spying, encrypting and decrypting of messages, strategic planning of operations, as well as changing her appearance.

Occasionally she enjoys returning to the children and spending time with them. Most of the time, she takes a very passive role in the activities, such as watching Lynette stage a play or magic trick. She would usually sit in the back without much of an expression on her face, but the children seem to understand her intention.

Arlecchino is not a picky eater at all. As a child, she was forced to eat whatever she was able to get her hands on, so pickiness has become an unnecessary luxury to her. Additionally, her taste buds have been damaged by being fed poison in order to become resistant to them. She is still able to recognize taste, it simply is less intense to her.

The financial resources for the House of the Heart stem from both the Fatui and the money of those who fall victim to its members. The money is mostly used for basic needs and keeping the orphanage running, but also for equipment and various kinds of hobbies the children may indulge in during their free time. Arlecchino encourages them to read different kinds of books, play games or find other kinds of activities they enjoy. It is, however, encouraged to engage in hobbies that assist in activities the House of the Hearth requires from its members. Some of the remaining money is given to the children every month.

Once a member is forced to "die", all traces of that person are removed from the House of the Hearth. In general, children are also not supposed to speak of traitors, yet Arlecchino understands the sentiment nostalgia carries with it.

Arlecchino is not the type of person who gets sick. At least no one can claim to have ever seen her with a cold or fever.

The flames of the Crimson Moon Dynasty that circulate through her veins are literally burning her. She has become more than familiar with the necessity of controlling her emotions, rarely allowing herself to slip up. Because if she did, the pain of soaring flames would remind her to regain control.

Her entire body is covered in scars and marks of the "training" all the children had to undergo. She meticulously ensures none of her children see those scars, as they might scare them.

Arlecchino can be seen visiting theater plays quite frequently, albeit her preference of genres seems to be random.

[tunedtostatic]

Podcast Girls Week day two - pre-canon or post-canon

A question I turn over in my head periodically, and have a back-burner fic idea about, is this: When the W359 crew get back to Earth, after the initial hullabaloo calms down and Goddard Futuristics is satisfactorily fought or dismantled or whatever, and the characters' lives are more or less their own to do with as they will...

Between Minkowski and Lovelace, which would want to move on and live a life unrelated to what happened, and which would find work related to their experiences in space?

"Work related to their experiences in space" is a broad category - I'm thinking "working to stop any (depending on fic plot) remaining scrap of Goddard or entities that hurt people similarly" or "doing something space-related" or "documenting their experiences in detail" or "being an emergency manager or something to use the skills they learned in space."

"Moving on and living a life unrelated to what happened" is also very broad! But my touchstone for fic purposes is the classic genre of postcanon fanfiction TM where the heroes of the story have moved on and are dealing with how their past has affected them while working an unrelated job or raising a family or trying to figure out what to do with themselves.

I already wouldn't tend to write fic framing either path as Correct or Incorrect, and I think Minkowski and Lovelace lend themselves particularly well to interpretations where either option is "better" or "worse" for them.

The fic idea is a Minlace fic with a branching narrative, exploring one timeline where Minkowski stays and Lovelace goes, one with the opposite, one where they both stay, and one where they both go. It would also explore whether they remain in a romantic relationship in each of those futures - I think it would fun to do something funky with that, like showing a world where making the "same" choice doesn't end with them staying together romantically, and another where they do end up sticking together as romantic partners even though they made opposite choices and neither was pleased by that.

[danny-chase]

I've read the Jason figurately coded posts and they aren't really any different from other coded discussion. They also usually do talk about actual female characters like Steph. I mean you can like canon black or indian characters and still talk about Raven's literal black/indian coding.

To me - my understanding of coding is when something is intentional. My understanding of Jason having female mentors, or getting killed off for man pain, was that it wasn't intentional commentary. I think those things are coincidences. I think if the writers wanted to make Jason a female character, they would have made him a female character, but these were back in the good old boys club comics days (which exists until now) and I'm kinda sus about any conversation that claims male characters written by men in the comics industry are female coded because. Well. A lot of writers were super sexist/racist/homophobic, and unless there's interviews of the writers explicitly expressing their intent to code a character... it's more just people looking at coincidences or parallels between characters and making assumptions that it was intentional coding. Don't get me wrong, the coincidences/parallels are interesting, but to me they're more indicative of how the male power batman fantasy makes the story lame and annoying not proof of coding taking place

Raven is a completly different situation than Jason, her creative team explicitly based her design off of an Indian women (has been verified in interviews), gave her a bindi, had scenes where she wore traditional Indian dress, and if I'm not completely mistaken or talking out of my ass I believe Marv took inspiration from different Eastern religions while writing her story. Now whether this is coding or cultural appropriation is kind of a fine line. Judging it by standards now - I'd say it leans more towards cultural appropriation, even now Raven still has what looks to be a bindi for aesthetic purposes (depending on the story it's associated with her evil father which is... questionable at best) while still remaining a white character who's both percieved by the audience and by the creative staffs at white. Judging by standards at the time? It's a bit more complicated I guess, I wasn't alive in the 80s. Does this mean i think future iterations of Raven should stay white and stop appropriating Indian culture? Not exactly - i think they should take a restorative justice approach: acknowledge that hey, we fucked up, and then give Raven to an Indian writer/creative team who can showcase a more authentic experience and come up with ways to incorporate her ties to the culture respectfully - say by making Arella Indian, and showcasing parts of Hindi culture on Azarath

I've quite literally never been a part of online fandom before DC so i haven't seen too much coding discourse. Obviously, there is coding in comics. But so many times I've seen people claiming coding exists without looking at the very clear authorial intent behind why the characters say what they do. One example not related to either character: people claiming Chuck Dixon queer coded Tim. I'm sorry. He's literally a raging homophobe, and Tim not wanting to have sex in his run is Chuck using him as a mouthpiece for his abstinence campaign... not queer coding. The context matters, and I'd rather people be honest and just say "hey i thought this was interesting about the character, here's my interpretation of it even though it's not what the real author intended" than lie about the content that's there. Coding in comics does exist, it does happen intentionally by certain authors. But making it up when it doesn't exist doesn't exactly feel productive to me... it just feels misleading and like you're trying to justify why your fave is the best

[evulosie]

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 & 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 :

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗦𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨, 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗨𝗡, 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗘𝗩𝗘 ?⠀⠀⠀⠀Nope! I just really like this fandom theory / speculation & [ I think ] makes for interesting implications! Personally, I subscribe to either that the mother Charlie grew up is Eve ( pretending to be Lillith ) or that Roo is Eve, pulling all the strings on the deal with Alastor; neither of which I will be roleplaying on this blog in particular,

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 ?⠀⠀⠀⠀I will either backup + delete the blog [ or simply archive it ], or make this a dual blog that features Lute & plays a more canon-aligned Eve [ or move respective muses to my main hub over on Kitty as sideblogs ] - this is for fun, I don’t truly subscribe to this theory. On the wild, unlikely scenario this turns out to be canon, I’ll keep writing on the blog,

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗗𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗟𝗨𝗖𝗜𝗙𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗩𝗘 ?⠀⠀⠀⠀I don’t know what to think, honestly - could be either way. I initially believed he was bluffing + the show paints him as very devoted to his wife [ or gives that impression, I suppose ] but it’s just as likely that he was telling the truth, given Adam’s reaction. For this blog, I lean more towards it was just a bluff, but regardless, Eve / Lute doesn’t like to talk about it,

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗝𝗪 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘 & 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗘𝗩𝗘 / 𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘 ?⠀⠀��⠀It’s the religion I ( unfortunately ) was raised in [ note: I’m not in it anymore, as I’m agnostic ], & the one I reference the most.

Per JW doctrine, Adam & Eve were ‘perfect’ & once they disobeyed God, they lost what made them as such; the consequence of eating the fruit & gaining knowledge was to become imperfect, to gradually age & eventually die. They had the prospect of endless life, with perfect health & perpetually youthful bodies; they were perfect in mind & body. They were created for eternal life; I believe per Hazbin lore, Adam probably didn’t eat the fruit [ so he’s permitted to remain in Heaven, despite sinning as well ] - regardless, Eve / Lute clearly remembers Adam eating the fruit alongside her [ whether someone made her remember as such is up to debate ]

Eve was also the first one to acknowledge God by his name when giving birth to Cain, stating she gave birth with His aid; for the purposes of this blog, I interpret that as Eve & God having a slightly more special dynamic versus God & Adam,

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗚𝗚𝗜𝗘 𝗦𝗢 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 ?⠀⠀⠀⠀Canonically speaking? I like to theorize that she was either jealous that Adam held Vaggie in such high regard, to the point where he named her after ‘the best thing ever’; that, or she liked her romantically, but because such feelings [ toward the same sex ] are frowned upon in Heaven, she repressed such feelings + began to resent her, as if it was Vaggie’s fault. Those are just theories though! It could be that she’s just an equal opportunity hater, haha…

But for the purposes of this blog, well… in essence, Lute views all humans [ current & former ] as less than ( despite her being the ‘mother’ of mankind ) not unlike a disappointed & abusive parent. She also tends to project her insecurities / past mistakes & act of ( arguably ) inventing Sin onto literally everyone else. What Vaggie did was go against orders; for that, she is to be punished without mercy, just as she was. When she committed sin, she was immediately condemned - why wouldn’t anyone else?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗠 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘'𝗦 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬 ?⠀⠀⠀⠀This largely depends on what Adam I’m writing with. My default canon is left ambiguous for this reason; personally I like to think he may have an inkling, but that’s it. It can go either way; Adam may be a jerk, but he’s not intellectually stupid ( … I don’t think so, anyway? ) so he could very well know Lute’s true identity & simply go along with the ruse; plotting is the way to go! Personally, I much fancy the idea that he doesn't know; I love me angst & drama!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗦𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 ?⠀⠀⠀⠀Her current physical appearance is a result of punishment; in exchange to remain in Heaven, Lute / Eve lives in the physical appearance she died, from old age - this would include her hair & short stature [ graying hair & 'shrinking', as one does when elderly ]. Her skin is the result of the affliction of ‘specialized’ vitiligo [ as in, placed by her Father ] due to the constant exposure to celestial / holy light as she lives in Heaven.

Her skin literally burns off in the presence of divine light, being stripped of its’ healthy color [ which is constantly ], hence why she chooses to place her helmet & uniform on a lot of the time. Lute / Eve’s skin constantly burns & itches, she’s in constant physical discomfort; underneath her uniform, she has large white patches, peeling skin & burns,

Per 1 Corinthians 11:14 / 15,⠀⠀‘ [ … ] BUT IF A WOMAN HAS LONG HAIR, IT IS A GLORY TO HER? FOR HER HAIR IS GIVEN TO HER INSTEAD OF A COVERING, ’⠀⠀- as such, Lute dons short hair, signifying zero glory to her person, & emphasizes dishonor

[renaerys]

Hello! I really love the progress of the heiress and the hierophant. The chemistry between Ino and Itachi is just magical and magnetic. What are your head canons regarding Itaino?

To be honest, I'm never quite sure how to answer questions about ship headcanons. I think it's because I don't think of them as one unit, but as separate individuals who, due to their personalities and proclivities, fit together in a dynamic like two pieces of a puzzle.

I see Itachi as someone who is a deeply loyal person, but also a very intense person, often in an extreme way. He doesn't care much about 99% of people beyond a surface level required to maintain standing and reputation in social circles. But when he decides he does care about someone, he dials it up to an 11. He's 0 to 60 in 3.5, in the immortal words of our lady and savior Rhianna. Obviously, Sasuke is #1 always and forever. Aside from Sasuke, canonically we know that chosen person for him was always Shisui (however you choose to interpret the nature of their relationship, that remains true). Shisui is generally accepted as an extroverted, highly gregarious, cunning trickster type, i.e., kind of the opposite of Itachi's personality. I think Itachi would be drawn to people who fall somewhere on that spectrum: loud, feelings-forward, (sometimes, to varying degrees) politically savvy types who are either A) well-liked and popular or B) outcast pariahs doing their own thing and fuck everyone else. Ino and Shisui fall into the first category, and people like Karin and Deidara fall into the latter, but both types are very much "this is me, love me or hate me, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere and you get the immense honor of dealing with me" vibes. Whereas Itachi strikes me as more the type to bend and cave to the path of least resistance in order to go unnoticed or avoid conflict/confrontation with people if he can help it. He's duty and honor, and he needs someone who is like "but what if we got drunk and committed arson and then kissed a bit after". Having that person fill in the gaps in his personality and preferences would be exciting and probably also very frustrating for him, and I think it would hook him so hard.

Ino is someone I see as kind of a contradiction. She has all these cool abilities that allow her to read people literally, and a personality that, to me, seems very much the type to hone in on people's motivations and attitudes. At the same time, though, she is someone who is tunnel-vision determined to achieve her goals (I'm thinking of her in the 4th war in what I consider to be one of the most badass moments for any single character in the manga when she was like "I just have to do it!" re telepathically connecting everyone in the Shinobi Forces right after her dad died). If she decides to do something, it is fucking getting done, bar none. And if we apply that attitude to people, to figuring people out, we have someone who will dig and dig until they draw blood and still keep going. She deals in lies and secrets and neither are safe from her. Pairing her with someone like Itachi who is the cream filling in a roll cake baked out of lies and manipulation is like...both the best and worst thing I can do to either of them. Plus, she is that politically savvy social butterfly who would drag him out of his mission, mission, meticulously steam clean my ANBU uniform, mission, repeat cycle to live his life a little bit. She likes being in charge and running shit, and I think someone like Itachi, who has been sort of forced into that role his whole life whether he wanted it or not, would find surprising and intense relief over letting her take those reins so he doesn't have to deal with it for five minutes.

So idk if that really addresses your question. But this is sort of how I think about them individually and what that would look like when I smash them together Barbie doll style and make them kiss.

[orionsangel86]

Oh alright.

My personal interpretation has been that Desire tries to live vicariously through Morpheus' lovers, hence her designing them or choosing then and ruining the relationships when Morpheus himself tries to choose them. What I can't seem to figure out though is whether the romantic interest is mutual? Personally i 100 percent believe Desire is into Dream but Dream remains a mystery to me.

That's an interesting interpretation. It is certainly a point I have found rather fascinating - why Desire is so bloody obsessed with Dream. Because a straight answer is never really given in the comic.

Why is Dream the only Endless who ever seems to take lovers (ignoring Destruction for a moment). Dream is the most sexual character among the whole Endless family - more so than Desire - who I like to headcanon is ace because I enjoy the irony and its not totally without merit as an interpretation given Desire's general disdain for being hit on, flirted with, made the object of lust or attraction - they always punish anyone who attempts to get close to them after all.

If we assume that Desire has some sort of psycho-sexual obsession with Dream, then that could go some way to explain their obsession with meddling in Dream's love life. They want all his attention on themself, but can't figure out how to go about getting it without tormenting him. It's funny, I have been talking with @just-cosmere-fan a lot about how Desire is so obsessed with ruining Dream's love life because their aspect makes it impossible to avoid Dream's constant feelings of lust and desire for his lovers, and its akin to forcing Desire to stand in the corner and watch as he fucks his way across the universe... but this is a fun twist on that idea. Desire has become so inundated with Dream's lusts and desires that it sort of twisted up and made them crave those feelings more, and so as you say they live vicariously through Dreams various love affairs, setting him up and then setting him up to fail because they enjoy his heartbreak just as much as they enjoy his lust.

I could get behind it in the "i-would-read-a-dark-fic-about-it" kinda way. Desire is a pretty fucked up character, and known for their cruelty, but Dream is also pretty fucked up, as by his very nature he is the embodiment of all the fucked up disturbing dreams that people have just as much as he is the embodiment of all the nice fantasy dreams that people have.

I don't think Dream would ever feel the same way though. Dream once considered Desire his favourite sibling, and he clearly showered them with attention before they set him up with Killala and then laughed at him when she cheated on him. Dream holds grudges, and that's a big one. I'm not sure how Dream would react if Desire hit on him, promised him everything he desired, that they could be anything he wanted, satisfy his lusts and cravings and love him in a way that no one else ever could, eternally, with just the right amount of obsession to satisfy Dream's own obsessiveness and ensure they would be together. I still think Dream would recoil in horror at the idea, but perhaps his own loneliness and neediness would get the better of him and he would consider it, if only for a moment. It's not like these characters are human after all, and they don't "mate". Would it really be incest the way we understand it? I think in a twisted Lannister siblings kinda way it could be a fun dynamic to explore. So go for it!

I'm not sure I can give much more of an answer than that. I'm a stickler for canon and love to pick it apart and see where certain ideas and headcanons could fit, but if you are asking me if Dream and Desire could ever work in a way that fit with the canon story, I really don't know. I think for that to happen you would have to break Dream and tear him down until he was at his absolute lowest, and then pick up the pieces and put him together in a way that Desire could manipulate and use as they saw fit. It would not be a happy or pleasant story if that were the case, but at the end of the day, this is fandom, and you can do what you want always. Smush your blorbos together like dolls and don't let anyone police your behaviours. If you want to explore a version of the story where Dream and Desire can both be together consensually and happily then go for it. You do not need mine or anyone elses approval to do so.