#we literally agree abt nothing ever but the discussions are so good and he has so much general knowledge

[saviourkingslut]

me: i dont have a stupid crush on the guy from the book club

me whenever i meet up with the guy from the book club: oh my god. i have a stupid crush on the guy from the book club

[420technoblazeit]

Abt the jealousy of Cas, I don't think Cas is jealous of Crowley for who he is . because I do think he thinks he's better than him, but in a relationship yea I can see jealousy and possessiveness I mean he did sear deans skin and carved into his ribcage. If they did get together literally all of body will be marked.

So either it's one month with Crowley then the other month with him

But also I just can see Cas just waiting. Until he becomes the priority. And until then let's dean do his own thing and Cas does his.

i mean i agree that cas isnt jealous of crowley for who he is and you can have your own headcanons. cas is certainly a character who has a lot of pride especially in the earlier seasons but i think a lot of that is gone by the time the later seasons come around. i'd argue even after season 6 he has significantly less pride, though i guess you could argue season 8 cas still has a bit of it. i just dont think that there's canon basis for him being a very jealous person when we've already seen a situation where dean chose crowley over cas (the demon dean summer) and cas didn't seem to hold any grudge with crowley over it

remember that we do see a conversation between sam and cas in 10x01 about dean running away, and while sam seems to think that there's a demon running around in dean's body cas understands that dean himself made the choice to run away. sam seems to think that crowley might have forced dean to leave but cas dismisses that almost immediately and instead brings up whether or not dean's too far gone as a demon. there's a focus here on dean leaving being dean's choice

also here's a scene from 10x03 from when crowley first meets up with cas again and discusses curing dean. if cas, like sam, didn't understand just how much dean meant to crowley he would've left it at that thinking that crowley was just using dean as a guard dog. but he makes sure to point out here that dean might be too far gone because he knows that for crowley to have stuck with dean for that entire summer he must care about what happens to him

even much later in the season cas again asks crowley for help in curing dean, even after sam has tried to kill him, and i think it's because cas is maybe the only person who actually gets it. who understands what it's like to be an immortal being in love with a human as reckless and self-destructive as dean. and to sacrifice so much for him and not ask for anything in return. he knew that even with nothing in return crowley would help in getting rid of the mark because he knows how much it's hurting dean

and about the carved ribcage and handprint thing if we're being honest the whole possessive branding thing is like. entirely fanon. to my knowledge the show never explicitly mentions that as being a possessive thing, the fandom just thought it'd be cute to make it into that. we know that the warding's main function is to hide sam and dean from angels and that the handprint is a byproduct of cas dragging dean out of hell. it is by no means proof that cas is actually possessive of dean or would be upset about him being with someone else

idk i just think pretending that cas and crowley's relationship could ever boil down to just ohhhhh cas is jealous of crowley's thing with dean significantly flattens their relationship and gets rid of the most interesting thing about it, which is that basically the only thing they can ever agree on is loving dean. that's unironically their common ground in a significant number of issues. theyre an angel and a demon to begin with so theyre already about as different as you can get but when you really look at the core of who they are, theyre both beings who are too emotional and human for their own good and you can always see that best in how they interact with dean

[gregoftom]

i don't really know how to explain myself properly but i feel like some people are really concerned about Getting A Good Grade In Succession to the point where they've adopted a very cynical view of tg's relationship because being too earnest about them is ~not the point of the show~ or w/e. which is funny because every other relationship in the show is allowed to be nuanced but not theirs i guess? so you have people going "oh their relationship was only ever about them using each other from the start" when that's demonstrably not true and like. i have really mixed feelings about this season so far and i feel like anything could happen with them by virtue of weird writing choices and i hope with all my heart this doesn't end up being the case but even if the finale tries to diminish the depth of their relationship i don't understand the point of Us acting like there was never anything deeper there? but anyway, all this too say that i agree w/ you that the way people are very cynical and dismissive abt tg specifically has rubbed me the wrong way and thank u for your service ❤️

hiii sweet anon!

A GOOD GRADE IN SUCCESSION ASHAKJSA god honestly, i hear you.

i'm getting real tired of this "point of the show" shit bc it's like. just because tg isn't "the point", isn't a main focal plot [which it is, or at least is part of it], isn't integral to character development [which it is too; without tom greg would not be where he is now which is at a point where he actually could be seriously considered as a fucking CEO, without greg tom wouldn't have learned any self respect or self worth/we would never have been able to see him express himself beyond servitude towards shiv], it doesn't mean it can't be explored and considered as a serious part of the show?

media is created for us to enjoy. yes it's there to interpret and discuss but it doesn't always have to be that way? literally you can watch the show just for tomgreg and that is A OKAY. why? because you don't have to justify why you like something! surprise! and yeah i've noticed that too - other relationships get to be seen as nuanced, but not tg i guess. idk why, seeing as its dynamic is something to be studied under a microscope and fun to not only shippers but normies too lmao. clearly there is something more interesting to it than just, oh it's mutual corporate climbing.

exactly! there's even more contexts provided by the scripts, THE SACRED TEXTS lol that provide us with more knowledge and insight into the feelings of these characters, that show us that their relationship goes beyond using each other. there is an element of that of course, but that's not all they are. why reduce them to that when so very clearly on paper we are affirmed of what we thought we could read textually on the screen? it just baffles me.

i'm hoping too anon, like A Lot. from the looks of the trailer i have a. i have a little bit of hope. even if say, tom has to choose between greg and shiv, if he chooses shiv and has visible trouble with it, like it takes him time, it plagues him, it takes effort, it feels like a real decision affecting his life, like. that counts for something you know? that would, to me, not diminish his relationship with greg. obviously it would be heartbreaking after how loyal greg has been to tom, but the very fact that it would be difficult to tom would mean that greg is important to him in some fashion, and the show would be at least acknowledging it by doing that. like, it's that easy. i ain't asking for much. i know what i'd like, but what i would be satisfied/settle with, well i think the bar is reasonable, you know?

i'm glad you understand me! i mean, who knows maybe some of it is people trying to go on the defensive like, "it's the hope that kills you" so they are trying not to have any by lessening it, saying oh there was nothing there, there was no romance, nothing positive, it was all for mutual professional gain and that's it. but like, personally that doesn't work for me. i think you should at least acknowledge its importance otherwise we're regressing right back to the oh it's a mlm ship? never mind then. i'm not about that, i guess.

thanks for the message buddy god speed <3

[daz4i]

actually i wanna rant a little and unfortunately this will be difficult to do w/o naming the characters themselves and the context for this post. sorry

after 2.6 came out i saw ppl discuss his morality and talk abt how his whole "shoot bad guys" monologue is bad and how it feels like hoyo is trying to make him out to seem like a good guy when he does things that we would absolutely consider to be bad irl (like physically attacking or threatening people to get what he wants for example)

which. like. 1 he's fictional why are you judging him by irl standards. like you do you but this feels like a lot of energy being put into smth that's gonna keep happening forever and ever

2 that's kind of the point?? he's meant to be this archetype of a gruff cowboy who doesn't play by the rules, and these characters are often morally grey. hoyo ofc try to make him look good bc this is a gacha game and they need their characters to be likeable in order to sell, but like. this archetype has been enjoyed by many for nearly a century atp (if not more)

3 hsr is very comedic and he plays into that which is another reason why a lot of the bad shit he does is brushed off as a joke. i don't think it quite normalizes his behavior, i think the playerbase is mature enough to not glorify these actions if someone does them irl

speaking of jokes tho this brings me to the more recent trigger for this post and that's ratio

i'm a little 😐 abt how ppl try to paint him as morally pure and like he would never do anything bad to hurt someone in any way

WRONG! while he wouldn't put anyone *in danger*, he. like. very plainly hurts people. emotionally mostly but i assume grabbing someone and throwing them out of class or throwing (fake?) chalk at someone's head is gonna leave a bruise too. it's not anything big and it is very much presented as a joke (or even a positive thing in the first case) bc why make a big deal out of it. hsr isn't that sort of story

and a lot of ppl tend to focus on things like this^ to paint him as horrible too which is also missing the point and ignoring the good he does but that's whatever, everyone has the right to be wrong ♡

anyway he worked for years on an "anti planetary weapon". moving on

he works for the intelligentsia guild which, putting aside the fact that they're a faction of the ipc and he explicitly says himself that he works with the ipc too (in his conversation with sunday in 2.1. also like. his actual work in said patch), they're literally soooooo shady. 2.4 shows it well, with their. weird fucking mechas. idk if he took part in this project but i don't think he was oblivious to it either, he's not stupid, i assume he knows what the organization he belongs to does

(unknowable domain shows even more examples of how shady the guild is as well as the council of mundanites inside it - which ratio is also a part of - but the whole story revolves around a character who *isn't* as evil so like. nothing saying he can't be like her. and i assume he is bc he ultimately does have good goals. you just can't deny this connection tho)

and. this is in reference to a specific post i saw earlier today. abt how he would oppose dr primitive. which, ig? his atavistic research, probably, yeah. but he does bring primitive up during 1.6 and it's not in any negative sense, just agreeing with a thing he said once (it's just interesting that they chose this exact genius society member that was gonna turn out to be. well. bananas. sorry for the pun i will see myself out) so i think he can still appreciate his intellect

basically he's just more complex than "he is purely good and only seeks to help no matter what and only does what's good for everyone" or the way ppl look at his meanness as actual evil. i don't think he has evil inside him - as of what we know about him right now - but he's also not 100% morally pure mostly bc he is still a person and it's impossible to be both

also let me once again remind everyone that argenti's hair turned red from blood bc of how much he killed 👍 (also he forced velite to swear loyalty to idrila for him to save him which is. not great)

^these last 2 sections sound like i'm canceling them or smth lmao sorry. my point is, they're interesting and fun BECAUSE they're not just. morally pure or always good

and sometimes i will read a fic that shows them unable to do any wrong ever, in ratio's case always being careful with his words and taking extra steps to not hurt anyone and such. idk man i just think it's boring. he cares but he is not caring, imo, if that makes sense

hate when ppl sand down characters' morality 😔 why are you making them boring... they need to make mistakes or have flaws... for enrichment (both theirs and mine)

[starglow-xx]

hello! may i request headcanons for chuuya having a crush on someone who's dense? like he could ask them out in the most straightforward way possible and it would still go over their head?

yes, yes of course you may!

sorry this took so long! my computer was out of commission for abt a week (or two..??)

but this is also my birthday writing piece for chuuya!! (4/29/21) i even added a small drabble thingy in addition to the hcs for the occasion hehe

from where i am, it is about fifteen minutes past midnight so it’s officially chuuya day here!!

happy birthday chuuya i love you! you deserve the whole world and everyone is willing to fight tooth and nail to ensure your happiness! we love you! 💗💗

anyways, i hope you all enjoy this! i kinda had some writer’s block but it was still a lot of fun to write! there might be some mistakes, but i’ll scan over it again later. reader is gender neutral! have fun!

chuuya having a crush on a dense! reader

nakahara chuuya x gn! reader

im cackling somebody help him

he’s frustrated bc you can’t take a hint or a thousand but he can’t even be mad bc he’s whipped

“look at you all dressed up today, wanna go out later? my treat?”

“oh really? thanks chuuya-san! you’re such a nice friend. i’ll go invite the others right now, i’ll see you later!”

“...”

fast forward to later in the evening and he finds himself at a little restaurant with the black lizard + higuchi and akutagawa

sigh

in unison all of them go, ���thank you for the meal chuuya-san!” (except aku and hirotsu are quieter & and gin just a nods hehe)

“no problem” (ꐦ ´͈ ᗨ `͈ )

gin only pats him on the back in sympathy

he spends a lot of time trying to think of ways to make it absolutely and undeniably clear that he has feelings for you

he always fails

“(y/n) i like you”

“i like you too chuuya-san”

“really?”

“mhm”

“t-then will you—”

“you’re a really great friend! and superior too”

“...nevermind”

“oh were you saying something?”

“nah, just forget about it”

tachihara is laughing in the corner of the corridor

dont worry, chuuya made sure to get back at him

chuuya’s been pinning after you for years and frankly, his failed attempts to woo you has lead everyone to the breaking point

and i mean everyone

yes, even aku

hell even dazai

but dazai also thinks it’s funny, so he doesn’t mind all that much

okay bye bye dazai-san this headcanon set isn’t abt you rn

PLEASE EVERYONE FEELS SO BAD FOR HIM

they knew even if he kissed you, you still might not get it

so they decided to help him

super secret mission get chuuya and (y/n) together is a go!

they’re still working on a proper mission name, don’t mind them

they had a super secret strategy meeting!

you can bet your ass that they nearly got nothing done

akutagawa & kaiji weren’t much help, neither was higuchi, mori, or elise

tachihara nearly got killed for a thoughtless comment

“just tell them chuuya-san!”

“i already fucking did you ass!”

gin, hirotsu, and kouyou were the most helpful !!

hirotsu and kouyou both agreed on the idea that chuuya should try courting with bouquets of flowers instead of flat out asking you bc they knew you found them pretty

(even if you don’t identify as a female, flowers are for everyone no matter gender or sexuality! so let’s normalize giving flowers to everyone <33 )

gin didn’t speak but she used cards to communicate

everyone knew that you weren’t stupid (you wouldn’t have survived in the mafia if you were) but they did know that you were only stupid when it came to all this lovey dovey stuff

i mean, if chuuya gave you flowers every so often, there’s no way that you wouldn’t piece it together at some point

right...??

but kouyou assured him that even though you wouldn’t get it right away, you’d appreciate the gestures and that he’ll stand out more

she even said that if someone gave her flowers, she would appreciate it, whether or not she reciprocated their feelings

it takes guts to be so up front with your feelings after all

gin and hirotsu only nodded with her explanation

once again, this only provoked a reaction out of tachihara

“what do you know gin? i get the old man and kouyou-san, they’re grown, but you? what do you know abt courting? or flowers? what are you a girl?”

akutagawa choked on his cough, higuchi on air, and on the other side of yokohoma at the ada, dazai is cackling

yes, dazai somehow placed a listening device onto chuuya’s hat and was listening in

don’t ask how, it’s dazai

“DAZAI GET YOUR BANDAGED ASS OFF THE COUCH AND STOP LAUGHING”

anyways

the next day, chuuya did what was barely discussed and for once, things actually started to look up

until they started look to down again

at first, it actually looked like you understood his intentions after he gave you a bouquet of flowers

literally everyone was leaning against the opposite hallway you two were in and then they got excited !!

especially chuuya !

but then your expression sort of changed...??

and then in their heads they simultaneously went, “oh no”

they knew that expression

it was very familiar when you tended to friend zone chuuya

but boy let me tell you what you said next made them facepalm and or make their jaws drop

“ah, so you really are friend zoning me huh chuuya-san; what a shame, i really did like you”

LEMME TELL YOU WHEN I SAY THAT CHUUYA WAS DISTRESSED I MEAN HE WAS DISTRESSED

you liked him??

him of all people??

he wasn’t complaining, no of course not, but he still couldn’t believe it

but that wasn’t what he was really focusing on right now

what in any form or language did it say he was friend zoning you?!

flower language apparently

chuuya chose to buy the bouquet of yellow roses, pink carnations, and yellow carnations bc he thought you would appreciate the brighter colors, and so that you’d remember them better (because remembering them, meant remembering him)

but ooh boy

altogether, they meant the exact opposite message he wanted to send

someone help him pls

“you see chuuya-san, yellow roses mean friendship, pink carnations mean gratitude, and yellow carnations mean rejection; sooo in a nutshell, these pretty much say ‘thank you for being my friend, but im rejecting you”

no one can tell if tachihara is crying or wheezing

and dazai is having the time of his life

yes, he started listening in on him again

and chuuya is just stunned

like speechless and unmoving stunned

is he just bad at this whole courting/dating thing?? it’s only been one day and of it and somehow he was the one doing the rejecting??

“thank you for the flowers chuuya-san, i’ll be going now; i’ll make sure to let this affect our friendship. i’ll see you tomorrow!”

you passed by the not so subtle group of people

“tachihara-kun..?? are you alright?”

just for context, he was leaning his forehead against the wall using his forearm

again, it was hard to tell whether he was crying or wheezing

“i-im okay (y/n)-san...i think c-chuuya-san has it worse than me”

“...okay..?”

BACK TO CHUUYA

he’s still frozen poor baby

but it’s okay bc after like 5 more seconds he’s chasing you down the hallway you were walking in

kouyou, with a knowing smile on her face, ushers everyone away towards the opposite direction

she received some whines (ahem, tachihara and mori) but silenced them by summoning golden demon

but it’s okay

if they run fast enough, they can see what happens through the security cameras

chuuya caught up with you and tried to explain everything but he was exhausted

emotionally, physically (bc since when did you walk that fast??), and generally just tired with the whole situation

he just wanted to call you his; was that too much to ask??

as explosive as he can be, he can be calm and collected too

and he really did try to be that way as he talked with you but it was very difficult at the moment

the dumbfounded and confused look on your face his face twitch with annoyance and his heart started beating faster bc god you were cute

BUT THATS BESIDES THE POINT RIGHT NOW

thank goodness after what seemed like years, you finally somewhat understood what happened

you didn’t understand completely but it was something

The two of you stood in the middle of the unusually empty hallway facing each other, you with the bouquet still in hand. It was quiet as you and Chuuya assessed the situation.

You looked at him skeptically and he stared right back you with his gorgeous blue eyes.

“...So you do like me Chuuya-san??”

“Yes”

“And you were trying to court me just now, not friend zone me??”

“Yes”

You got most of your questions out of the way, but there was something that you’ve been wondering about for quite a while.

“...So you’re not gay for Dazai-san??”

“Yes, im not wait—GAY FOR DAZAI?? THAT MACKEREL??”

Chuuya did a double take. What in heavens name made it seem like he liked that suicidal maniac?? Why would he choose him if he had you?

Like he would choose him anyways; or ever consider him as a possible romantic partner.

“Oh, so you are?”

“NO! I SAID I LIKED YOU DIDN’T I?”

“Well yeah, but I thought you liked Dazai-san too. As annoying as he is, he can be quite charming—”

He was out of patience at this point (nope definitely not because you were talking about Dazai who told you that?) and just decided to kiss you.

You immediately melted into the kiss and kissed him back with the same amount of love and feeling.

Letting the bouquet fall to the ground, you wrapped you arms around his neck and his put his on your lower back and brought you closer to him. After a few more moments, the two of you broke apart for air.

The two of you, slightly out of breath, leaned your foreheads against each other and just basked in each others presence.

Chuuya looked into your (e/c) eyes and asked you just a little bit above a whisper, “Now do you get my intentions and feeling?”

You blinked at him before breaking out into a grin, “Hmm I’m not sure; do you wanna do that again Chuuya?”

The red head only blinked back at you before rolling his eyes, a smile present on his handsome features, his heart fluttering at you using his name with the honorific.

“Dumbass”

Smiling cheekily at him, you pressed a kiss on his cheek and started dragging him towards the lobby to take a walk around the building perimeter, knowing that the two of you can’t be too far from work.

The way down to the lobby was mostly in comfortable silence until you said something that made Chuuya want to bash his head against the wall.

“You know, you could’ve just told me you liked me Chuuya. It’s not like I would’ve said no.”

Once again, as the rest of the more power mafia members watch from security cameras, it is hard to tell whether Tachihara is crying or wheezing of laughter.

omake !!

The two of you just started making your way around the building when suddenly a very familiar voice came from Chuuya’s prized hat.

“Chuuyaaaa!! It was about time you stopped being a chicken, Chibi!”

Removing his hat from his head, he started yelling at it not knowing exactly where the listening device was planted.

“TEME! HOW DID YOU—”

“And (y/n)! I would congratulate you, but I think I would rather offer you my condolences. Why him?! He’s just a slimy slug. OOH OOH how would you like to join me in a double suicide?! A shame it won’t be a lover’s suicide but it’ll annoy Chuuya so I think it’ll be worth it! ”

“YOU—”

“And please don’t kiss while I’m listening in. You made me lose my appetite! And it was such a shame! I was eating crab using Kunikida-kun’s money! Do you know what you’ve cost me?!”

“DAZAI YOU PIECE OF—”

“Ah! Kunikida-kun is here! I have to go!”

You can hear something is the background that vaguely sounds like, “DAZAI YOU WASTE OF BANDAGES STOP USING MY MONEY”

“DAZAI DON’T YOU DARE LEAVE IM NOT DONE WITH—”

*Click!*

The click sound from the hat revealed that Dazai disconnected.

Chuuya twitched and glared furiously at his signature hat hating that the voice he hated the most came out of it.

“Aww, I didn’t get to talk to Dazai-san”

Chuuya whipped his head towards you, a look of mock (or real) betrayal showing on his features.

You laughed at him before taking the hat out of his hands and placing it on his head.

He shyly looked away before muttering a thanks making you smile wider. Just as the two of you were about to start walking, a small explosion erupted from his hat; it was likely that Dazai made the listening device self destruct.

“DAZAI YOU BASTARDD”

At the Armed Detective Agency, a certain suicidal maniac hid from the wrath of his current partner as he thought about the wrath his old one.

“Hmmm I wonder if Chuuya would finally stop wearing his ugly hats if I blow all of them up...”

as always, reblogs and shares are appreciated! i hope you all stay safe! and just in case nobody told you they loved you today, i love you! you are enough! <3

writing belongs to me! please do not plagiarize! the reblog button is there for a reason

[rchardgrayson]

ok ok. ive been writing in my own doc abt it now bc i cant stop thinking abt it but i think it boils down to the fact the robin anniversary shouldve overall been about dick being robin and what it means to him specifically. and how robin has evolved from being his nickname from his mom to being a legacy he’s had to share. and all the stories within the anniversary shouldve been about dick and the different stages in his life..

kind like of the ga anniversary had stories from basically every era of green arrow and the arrowfamily. robin anniversary shouldve had that (but all *mostly* from dick’s pov) vs what we actually got which was literally three stories about him and the other seven were about the other robins. like hello..

and honestly as for the other robins i think one or two stories about them would’ve sufficed, and it should’ve been about dick being a mentor and again his thoughts on sharing a legacy that was never meant to be a legacy.

ok FINAL thought and there should’ve been an entire story dedicated to his parents!!!!!!! because they are the reason robin exists!! there is no robin without john and mary grayson!!!!! and i have my own ideas personally on how i would write a john&mary story for the anniversary too but this ask is so long omg im sorry i appreciate u letting me share :3 now tell me what u think!!

I agree sooo hard omg it would've been so good to have a bunch of stories throughout his life like as robin (like they're doing in robin and batman now - kinda robin: year one-esque) and then becoming Nightwing and the history behind that - like, the origin of the name and what drove dick to become Nightwing etc.

They coulda included the other robins in how dick interacted with them when they were robin (like dick giving Jason his blessing and trainjumping blindfolded with Tim and giving robin to Damian) ik there's nothing for Steph there but ya win some ya lose some.

I'm reading this thesis rn that was written last year about dicks integral importance to the DC universe and comic books as a media in general because he was the first ever sidekick and we've seen him grow into his own man and face many trials and tribulations along the way and how he's been a mentor to sooo many others. They're just such important points that weren't really discussed in the anniversary because they made it about the mantle instead of dick as a character and even then they didn't even truly explore the mantle that well.

And yessssss. I imagine many writers find it boring to write abt dicks life in the circus cause there's no dark gritty heroes there (i.e why they added the court of owls to his history which is 🤢🤮) but I would LOVE to explore that more! I'm totally not writing a fic rn where dick is confronted with a world where his parents didn't die and are still in the circus . I think the lost carnival graphic novel was a nice look at what a teenage dick could be like with his parents in the circus and honestly it should be explored more in main continuity because dicks parents and his upbringing pre-bruce are fundamental to his shaping as a person and character.

And this answer got so long sjhdjdj because there are SO many thoughts in my head but yeah sjhdjdh please DC could have done SO much better smh

[wmiescieinazumy]

i probably won't be able to finish this response before my next class starts but i can try lolol- yeah i didn't make it KSHFJSDK

Really sorry abt taking so long with responses </3 i'm not really built for long, back-to-back discussions, the fatigue catches up to me really fast

I'll respond referring to specific parts like this so it's easier to read for both me and you 😭

It really pains me, though, because the concept is amazing, just the execution that leaves A LOT to be desired.

I totally get the feeling. I think GO in general struggles a lot with executing and expanding on the concepts they choose to introduce. They could have done so much more with Keshin and Keshin Armed, done a better job at making the side characters from opposite teams more memorable (so you don't end up going "who tf are those people" when they show up in resistance japan in galaxy-), led and resolved certain subplots a lot more effectively... I love GO, I think it has so much potential and by god do i wish the writers took more time working on it. I can be pretty harsh on Chrono Stone because the premise really doesn't do it for me since I'm not a big fan of time travel stories. That, and the way CS does it leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. It doesn't flow well at all: the entire club is back really fast, then it turns out uh oh, tsurugi is missing we gotta go get him; yuuichi's appearance is out of nowhere and doesn't get brought up ever again; after that we find out about some random match that got used to make soccer illegal in japan; the team leaves again; fei conviniently remembers there's this super epic soccer manual in the future so now we're doing a museum heist; then we need to find someone who can read that goddamn soccer fanfic; we start jumping from era to era but we make sure to visit the torture facility island (god eden) in the meantime; suddenly after 30+ episodes we're on el dorado's side and nobody mentions that they tried to kill us for so long- it's a mess.

It's so fragmented and has little to no actual weight and consequences. Like you said, CS is aggresively plot-driven. The characters are dragged away from event to event like puppets and nothing they do makes any significant impact on the course of events. The plot idea came first and it's inflexible, the characters have to fit the mold; it's like trying to put a square-shaped block into a circle-shaped hole.

I see the appeal of CS and it's so disappointing that it's not as good as it could have been.

When it comes to Galaxy, I'm at the very start of the season because of other obligations and also the fact that i physically cannot make myself watch more than two episodes at a time. 😭 I spent all my energy reserves when i watched 17 CS episodes in a row that one time.

It's actually something I recall myself talking with people before - how Fei's only bonds (in Raimon) are Tenma and Kinako (more bc he's literally her son than because they're close or anything - speaking of which, what I NEEDED was for Kinako to become friends with Fei, and actually, yknow, put some work to get to know her kid, instead of running of info from Asurei, essentially - I wanted to see her organically grow to care about him).

I totally agree. Their bond in the show feels more like a conceptual connection rather than an actual relationship. In my older texts i sent to my friend i said that Fei's interactions with Kinako are mostly Kinako reaching out to him and Fei passively receiving without giving a lot back. It felt one-sided.

Kinako befriending Fei would have been so good... Especially when you start wondering about her background. What was her life like for her to agree to a stranger's request, not to mention one this outlandish? My personal interpretation is that her life up to that point must have been terribly lonely and devoid of deep, meaningful connections. I doubt a kid who agreed to be swept away on a journey, essentially into a different world, would have done so if they were happy with their life. The promise of a family member somewhere out there, someone who is supposed to love and cherish you no matter what would be extremely appealing to a child in a bad situation. It's really no different from people wishing they could travel to a world from their book and identifying with characters who leave their reality behind for their new life in a fantastical world. Exploring her motivations would bring another dimension to her character, because all of it being about blood-relations is a pretty shallow approach imo.

I would have loved if we saw Kinako finding her family with the raimon soccer club, and not just fei on the basis that they're blood-related. It'd make her inevitable departure SO much more heartbreaking. As a side note, i can't believe the anime didn't show us everyone signing that soccer ball for Kinako and just showed her already holding it. That's prime tear-jerker moment right there and they just let that chance slip by them. 😭

This is the "friendship is magic" show and it's honestly so sad that the friendship takes a backseat for the abomination that is the time travel plot.

Like, Fubuki mattered to everybody, and Fubuki cared about them, too - it was never something that you felt the need to question. With Fei I'd say the only person he genuinely cares about is Tenma, and even that relationship feels more like it's running on They're Similar :) than them actually being friends.

Great comparison to Fubuki! I 100% agree with everything you said here. Genuinely, if you asked Fei to name all of Raimon members i bet he wouldn't have gotten half of them /j And so on point about Tenma and Fei too. Their connection feels so surface level. One other character Fei also interacts with often is that blue bear mascot but like Torb, he's even more of a gag character. i honestly hate that bear sdfhsjkfhskjd whenever he wasn't chosen to be coach i was cheering

As I've said in that other post, even Shindou and Tsurugi aren't given all that much focus beyond their arcs.

Yeahhhhh CS really is the Tenma and Fei show huh. And even then it took them 30 episodes IN A 51 EPISODE SEASON to give Fei anything more to do other from being the chill exposition character. Waiting until the dino arc to start digging into his emotional state and past was a huge misstep in my opinion - this is (essentially) your secondary protagonist for this season for god's sake! When I got to that part i told my friend that if i wasn't insane I would have dropped CS a long time ago because it's ridiculous you have to wait so long to get to know anything meaningful about Fei.

And yeah. Also. Fucking Torb. Like, I don't dislike him, ok? But he's a randomass late addition that doesn't get much of anything, to be honest. He's just kinda there. Kariya should've had this miximax and I'll die on this hill. Especially after he gave Kirino that chance, it kinda felt like he desevred something for it smh.

Yeah fr 😭 And the mental gymnastics the show had to do to justify him going with them had me scratching my head. My guy one second was like "i gotta protect Big now that his mom is dead" and five seconds later he decides to fuck off. I found my direct quote from when i was watching: "just an episode ago he was all like "i will protect rockstar's son" and now hes like "its when you are alone that you find out if ur truly strong or not" sighhhhh".

I like your idea about his spot being given to Kariya! I said Kurama later in the response bc he's my underrated fave and i genuinely forgot that the position was for a defender LMAO Kariya would make a good fit here :]

Gamma is there to be used by Zanark, which pisses me off so fucking much I just can't.

Personally i have no strong feelings about Gamma one way or the other (definitely bc of his very limited screentime, this guy wasn't even given a chance to get to make an impression on the audience-) but i completely uderstand the feeling. The only thing i remember about him is that Zanark kicks the ball into his face during one of the ragnarok matches and that made me laugh. I was so out of it man

Like, I can genuinely believe that Zanark was always meant to join, but his arc is so fragmented that it starts to feel out of nowhere.

Once again, hard agree on Zanark. They really yeeted him into the backrooms and had him come back and be like "im on ur team now" and the rest went "ok". Like bro what was that. wdym you're letting him join just like that

Zanark was kinda my saving grace at the end because he is so fucking funny in the ragnarok matches. Genuinely woke me up from my stupor with all the insane lines and expressions they gave him. is his arc well-written? hell no, but so isn't CS so i was just like you know fuck it. comedic fave right there

the range of emotions chrono stone makes me feel and not feel is lowkey crazy (can you tell im losing my eloquence-)

All of this. But even aside from that, what I wished was for exploration of Shindou and Kirino's relationship, especially post-France. I don't remember, so correct me, did Shindou notice that Kirino was starting to doubt himself before they went there? Like, Kirino is very attentive to Shindou's emotional state, we've seen it, but I don't recall Shindou ever doing the same. I love him dearly, but it does feel like he takes Kirino's presence and support for granted. And, sure, you can chalk it up to Shindou's trust in Kirino being that strong, but there's trusting, and there's ignoring the emotional well-being of your best friend. Kariya was far more attentive and showed far more care for Kirino if my memory doesn't fail me.

AND WE'RE BACK WITH AN ENERGY BURST BABYYYYYYYY

I totally agree, I wish we had a deeper exploration of their bond than what the show has given us. As much as i love those two, I'll be the first to admit that their relationship is often portrayed one-sidedly, with more visible effort coming from Kirino's side. This could be a good set up for a conflict later on, but because it isn't, it just ends up making you feel sad. The curse of a captain and their long-haired best friend is real in the inazuma eleven franchise 😭

Shindou didn't notice Kirino's doubts before leaving for France, in fact, Kariya is the only character who did. It's a double edged sword for me. On one hand there's a point to be made about Kirino's tendency to keep his problems to himself (like how in the Kirino&Kariya subplot in season 1 he never told anyone about Kariya's bullying), and how perhaps he has gotten so good at it that even his friends don't notice when he's worried. On the other, Kirino doesn't make all that big of an effort to hide what he's feeling. In particular, he never tries to fake his expression or anything like that. He'd tell you that it's nothing, but you can clearly see there is something bothering him. And one you start guessing and guess correctly, you can easily get a reaction out of him that will give you a hint or tell you directly what is the problem (just like what Kariya did).

No one else noticing, especially Kirino's best friend, makes everyone look... kinda stupid. Some of them are supposed to have known Kirino for over a year now and you're telling me nobody noticed? I think that the writing is partially at fault here. Having Kirino internalize and hide his worries feels like an intentionally written part of his character, but the lack of reactions from anyone else is a result of weak writing imo. New raimon isn't as well established as the OG cast, and since CS already neglects its characters, i'm not surprised no one else reacts except for that One Character Chosen For This Specific Scene. I have a longer post in my drafts about this moment actually, I might finally revise it and finally send it out into the world haha

Like you said, Shindou has great trust in Kirino - he trusts him to handle his conflict with Kariya, he supports his efforts unconditionally during the France arc - which is very sweet to see, but it's definitely on a more passive side compared to Kirino's actions when it's Shindou who needs the support - visiting him at his place, listening and talking to him, keeping him company. Obviously, relationships aren't a 1:1 equal effort at all times - but I'm not discussing their relationship in the dimension of realism, but the quality of its writing. This lack of Shindou's POV in their relationship creates a disparity in how it's perceived by the audience.

Currently, with the way they're portrayed, it really does feel like Shindou takes Kirino's support for granted. And like I said, i would have loved if this was grounds for conflict further down the line, that would end up strengthening their relationship. What's interesting is that in the CS anime, we get the moment where Shindou tells Kirino he feels reassured that he's with him, BUT in the game this exchange is different, specifically Kirino's reaction. Since the inalog CS game script released i can screenshot those lines, but i knew about them before from my trips around old ina11 tumblr.

I have this moment somewhere in my drafts- Their expressions during that exchange are pretty telling. Shindou says his line with a smile, but Kirino looks upset when he replies "have you?". It gives you an impression that Kirino doesn't believe Shindou when he says that. And how sad it is that he feels so distant from his best friend that he doesn't believe him when he says he missed his presence?

In the anime he doesn't reply but the face he makes expresses a similar sentiment, but more on the sad rather than angry side.

But in classic CS fashion this exchange never matters lol

I'm gonna wrap this up somewhat ungracefully since it's late and i'm sleepy: goodnight („• ֊ •„)੭

still thinking about them. they're both wearing green sob

i love this scene so bad, kirino walks up to this nobleman with no fear, tells him like it is and when kinako sees it she jumps in to support him, letting him do the main talking and have his moment while she gets to taunt the guy (and use her upperclassman as a shield skshfhfkjs). her support of kirino during this arc was SO sweet. she liked jeanne too, she connected with her as well but she saw that as much as she wanted to miximax with her, it was not something she needed. but kirino did, so she selflessly decided to help him achieve that :( screaming crying throwing up

truly the duo of all time, if chrono stone bothered to give them more moments together

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Texts from the Lost Tomb part 6.1

🎶 Back on the bullshit I never got off🎶

Is this another unnecessary story arc?? With three sections??

Yes.

Wushanju Crew Chat

Wang Meng: You know, I’m someone who appreciates consistency in my day. My life is pleasant, very few issues indeed if you ignore the big ones. And yet. Yet here we are. With unresolved messes at the end of a day.

Wang Pangzi: SOMETHIN YOU NEED TO SAY MARY POPPINS

Wang Meng: We need to talk about Huo Daofu and the glittery bead curtain.

Wang Pangzi: MY FAVE TEEN WIZARD SERIES

Wu Xie: did you turn on that suggested word thingy lol

What glittery bead curtain

Wang Meng: I closed the shop at 6:00pm this evening on the dot. I locked all of the doors in and out of the shop very carefully, especially in light of recent events. The hall leading to the back office was empty. I filed the day’s paperwork, updated and sent emails, and then spent an extra hour organizing receipts and dusting. When I came back out, there were glittery iridescent bead curtains over the front entrance to the shop.

What could this mean?

Wu Xie: uh that you need to spend less time at work?

Wang Pangzi: LOOKS LIKE WE GOT ONE FOR THE DETECTIVES. THE MYSTERY OF THE BEDAZZLED THRESHOLD COMMENCES

Wu Xie: I think we can be relatively secure in thinking a glittery bead curtain isn’t a hostile threat

Wang Pangzi: SAYS YOU

I REMEMBER YE OLDE EXPLORATION TIMES HOW FAST THINGS GOT FURIOUS

BEANBAG CHAIRS SET AFLAME AND LEFT ON DOORSTEPS AS A WARNING

GLITTERBOMBS FOR DAYS

PANIC AT THE DISCO

Wang Meng: Ugh, forget it. I should have just taken them down, regardless of who they belong to.

Zhang Qiling: They are not mine.

Wang Pangzi: A BOLD STATEMENT COMING FROM OUR PRIME SUSPECT

SOMEONE QUICK GO DRAW CHALK AROUND THE DOORWAY TO MARK THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

Wang Meng: Do we know anyone who *would* sneak in and put those up? For whatever reason, legal or not? Even as a joke?

Wang Pangzi: ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING WHETHER WE KNOW ANYONE WHO IS CHAOTIC, AN OUTLAW, A PRANKSTER AND/OR SNEAKS INTO PLACES

BECAUSE THAT WOULD MEAN OUR SUSPECT LIST IS LITERALLY EVERYONE WE KNOW EXCEPT FOR YOU.

Wu Xie: okay let’s think about this; for starters, I didn’t break into my own shop

Wang Meng: You would be in danger of doing some work in the process, that’s true.

Wang Pangzi: LOL

Wu Xie: ANYWAY let’s keep going. For example, Xiao Ge would only break in somewhere for a good reason. Xiao Ge, did you do this?

Zhang Qiling: No.

Wu Xie: okay who’s next

Wang Pangzi: YOU REALLY MISSED YOUR CALLING IN INTERROGATION TIANZHEN

REALLY PUT THE SCREWS TO HIM

IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE;)

Zhang Qiling: How can we be certain *you* didn’t do it?

Wang Meng: Admittedly that was my guess, too.

Wang Pangzi: WOW I SEE HOW IT IS

BLAME PANGZI AS USUAL

ANYWAY HOW DOES HUO DAOFU FIT INTO THIS

Wu Xie: Oh yeah him! Oops I got distracted

Wang Pangzi: UR ENTIRE HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL

Wu Xie: Ugh fuck off

Wang Meng what abt Huo Daofu??

Zhang Qiling: ?

Wu Xie: oh sorry xiaoge I didn’t realize you wouldn’t have spent much time around him last year

He and I go way back

Zhang Qiling: Way back where?

Babysitters Club Chat

Wang Pangzi: I CANNOT BELIEVE HE IS BUYING YOUR INNOCENT ACT

IF YOU EVER TURN TO EVIL WE ARE FUCKED

Zhang Qiling: ?

Wang Pangzi: YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO HUO DAOFU IS

YOU WERE EXTREMELY POLITE AND BORDERLINE FRIENDLY TOWARDS HIM

Zhang Qiling: I wanted him to feel welcome. I wanted to be sure he understands he has a place here. A specific place.

Wang Pangzi: FOR A SILENT GUY YOU ARE A MASTER AT SUBTLE POWER PLAYS IM ALL TINGLY

LMAO THE IDEA OF WU XIE LEAVING YOU FOR HUO DAOFU IS HILARIOUS AND ALSO NOPE

Zhang Qiling: Rationally, I understand that.

Main Chat

Wang Meng: Huo Daofu is coming for the weekend—didn’t Wu Xie tell you? Wu Xie asked me to check in a week ahead so we could start getting ready for his arrival

Wu Xie: oh yeah I did do that

Wang Meng: Fortunately I know you and so I already went ahead and took care of everything.

Re: the trip

He made a deal with Wu Xie’s doctor that he would do periodic checkups on him here at Wushanju

Bc Wu Xie hates being in the hospital

And frankly the hospital hates him too

Wang Pangzi: FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT LOL

I FORGOT HUO DAOFU WAS DOING THAT

A VERY CHIVALROUS GESTURE

WOULDNT YOU SAY

XIOAGE

Zhang Qiling: Is it safe for him to be here with a criminal loose on the premises?

Wu Xie: Right, back to the curtain! Let’s focus on the curtain, hmm?

Wang Pangzi: I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEKEND.

ALSO WE CAN RULE OUT XIAO BAI FOR THE CURTAIN SHE JUST SENT A SELFIE FROM NORWAY COVERED IN GREEN SLIME WITH ZERO CONTEXT, UR PROTEGE INDEED

Wu Xie: okay but who else would do something so oddly charming yet illegal and—wait.

Snake Eyes Chat

Wu Xie: hey, Glasses hasn’t been in touch lately right?

Li Cu: uh nope

Unless u count the outdated memes

Why, is money or Xie Yuchen missing

Or is this curtain related, I saw Wang Meng’s tweet

Wu Xie: haha no nothing to worry about really

(I mean maybe? but who knows)

Wang Meng is probably just getting a little paranoid in his old age

Li Cu: better than getting reckless and stupid as hell in ur old age

Wu Xie: …hey:(

Unknown Number: Li Cu, we discussed this.

Wu Xie: ????????

Li Cu: *sigh* fine, reckless and stupid as heck

Unknown Number: …close enough.

Wu Xie: EXCUSE who is that

Madame, Sir, Non-Binary Tree Spirit, etc—whomst the fuck

Are you

Li Cu is underage FYI

So Im staying on this chat

Li Cu: okay first of all, it’s not like that

Second of all I’m literally not underage I s2g

u threw the embarrassing surprise bday party, okay so u should remember

And C, that’s my counselor and I invited her. She wanted to meet u and I knew u wouldn’t agree to a visit so I added her to our chat

we have been discussing u

Wu Xie: Oh wow!!!!!!!

What a surprise:)

hi so nice to meet you:)

Main Chat:

Wu Xie: RED FUCKING ALERT

FUCK THE CURTAIN FUCK THE VISIT

IVE BEEN TRICKED INTO FAMILY THERAPY BY A SMUG TEENAGER WHO TEXTS UNKNOWN NUMBERS

Wang Meng: I assume that means something to someone here?

Not my problem? Good.

Wang Pangzi: AHAHAHA GOD I LOVE LI CU

HES LIKE ADORABLE KARMA FOR ALL THE SHIT YOUVE PUT ME THROUGH

IM RAISING HIS ALLOWANCE

Wu Xie: wait i give him an allowance

has he been collecting on two allowances??

Zhang Qiling: Three. I knew about both of yours.

Snake Eyes Chat

Wu Xie: so uh may I ask your name?

Unknown Number: you can call me Ms. Lee.

Now, if you’re comfortable talking in this format, why don’t you tell me how things have been going?

Wu Xie: oh everything is normal and fine and safe as usual, why do you ask:)

Li Cu: I heard about ur necklace thing. nice of you to NOT mention it.

another dangerous adventure. again. prick.

Ur lucky your cool boyfriend cares about you so much or you’d have already died like ten years ago

Wu Xie: lol try twenty years ago

Li Cu: That isn’t funny.

Unknown Number: …What?

Wu Xie: shit ur right, okay that was a bit glib, my apologies.

…I use humor as a coping mechanism?

Unknown Number: and Li Cu, how do you feel about that?

Li Cu: he doesn’t even know what that phrase means

He doesn’t cope, like ever

In fact

It’s kind of why we met

Which is a funny story in retrospect tbh

Wu Xie: haha what are you talking about sweetie hahaha need I remind you of certain anecdotes that could idk send me to jail maybe lmao

Unknown Number: …You know, perhaps an in-person meeting might be more effective?

Wu Xie: haha such a nice idea but why

Main Chat

Wu Xie: If I go to jail, I’ll have to create alliances for protection, right, that’s how it works on tv

Who do we know who spends time in jail

Other than Hei Yangjing, he’s only ever there for like 12 hours and i suspect he just gets himself arrested bc he enjoys the breaking out process

Also how’s the curtain case coming along

Zhang Qiling: Has someone threatened you?

Wu Xie: well not yet but soon I’m sure

Wang Pangzi: WHERE WAS THIS PARANOIA WHEN WE GOT TAKEN TO THE TEA HOUSE HUH

Snake Eyes Minus Your Fucking Therapist Chat

Li Cu: okay how tf did u pull off spy and undercover shit

u are sus as hell

Wu Xie: damn son is it pick on Wu Xie night

I missed the flyers or I would’ve invited my uncles

Also re: the curtain it’s been mostly solved

Li Cu: I’m not your son, idiot.

Wu Xie: …oh. Sorry, sorry, you’re right, bad choice of words, haha

Forget i said anything

Delete this chat even

Li Cu: shit I meant

Legally, biologically, I meant—

shit

…I turn into an asshole as a coping mechanism?

Wu Xie: oh that’s all okay! I have to go do something else now let me know if you need anything okay kid thanks!

Li Cu: goddamn it calm down who’s the kid here

lemme organize my thoughts so I can articulate my emotions fuckin healthily or w/e

Ugh maybe for like one afternoon we could go to Ms. Lee together? She knows how to word stuff

Wu Xie: uh…okay.

Li Cu: Anyway you don’t need to worry abt jail

As if you would survive prison for one day you’d piss off half the place in like an hour or less

I gave Ms. Lee the heavily edited version of the desert highway to hell roadtrip and i discussed it more in terms of like “nightmarish but still wouldn’t take any of it back”

Well maybe the sand

that shit was everywhere

Wu Xie: oh kiddo. It’s fine, really…You don’t have to explain yourself to me.

Li Cu: no, no it’s just

I do technically have a dad

who is an asshole. Being a son doesn’t really mean shit to me bc it sucked.

So you need to stop backing down just cuz ur guilty abt stuff. I’m really really glad ur not my dad in a good way. Do u get what I mean there

Where’s the mafia widower I followed into hell, huh

Wu Xie: Ur a good kid, despite my influence. I’m really glad you have someone to talk to after everything I…after everything. Wow this talking through feelings thing is kind of weird but nice ur right

Jfc no wonder it took me and xiaoge so long to—you know what, we won’t get into that

Li Cu: ew tmi

Also re: this week’s recent necklace fuckery

I moved my stuff here, I live here now

So you can’t die anymore

Or else…Idk I don’t have a threat planned

anyways abt the curtain

Wu Xie: oh my god, kid…kid you have no idea

I am in tears.

Li Cu: see this is why I can’t be nice to you I can sense the hallmark channel from here

Ugh don’t be sad in ur room that’s dumb

Go hug Pangzi or something

Maybe delete this chat

Or the curtain thing

Focus on the curtain thing

Just stfu and go away

Wu Xie: <3 screenshotting this <3

Li Cu: I take back everything I said. This is why Xiao Ge sleeps on the roof. I hope the ghosts of the Wangs put up that curtain to strangle you somehow. Go die in a stupid way, it’ll suit you.

Wu Xie: lol don’t worry I’m not gonna embarrass you with it or anything

Main Chat

Wu Xie: omg guys look how cute my kid is *sending screenshot*

Wang Pangzi: I MEAN

HE IS WISHING YOU DEATH

BUT SURE

CUTE I GUESS

Wu Xie: no but read the whole thing:):):)

Zhang Qiling: It is indeed very hard to remain angry with you. And you are welcome to join me on the roof.

Wang Pangzi: UH NOPE

NOT WHENI HAD TO BLEACH THE COUNTER IN THE KITCHEN

DONT TRAUMATIZE THE EARLY BIRDS THEYRE ALREADY FREAKED OUT BY U YA HOODIE CRYPTID

Wu Xie: ok true but babe ur like a sexy cryptid

Wang Meng: so, are we just accepting that there is a glittery curtain of unknown origin, and Huo Daofu is going to have to see it while he’s waiting for you at Wushanju bc you’re going to family therapy?

Wu Xie: right

Wang Pangzi: SHOULDA TAKEN EARLY RETIREMENT HUH

Wang Meng: I’m going to go dust something.

Unnamed Chat:

Unknown number: so the curtain…

Unknown number 2: yep, not my best work but I kinda panicked last minute u know

Unknown number: what is in the water at Wushanju that makes everyone dumb and attractive

Unknown number 2: relax they’ll figure it out

[4haechie]

son of apollo!donghyuck

pairing: son of apollo!donghyuck x child of athena!reader genre: fluff, comedy, some adventure/action, pjo au, e2l au words: 3,173 warning: couple of curse words here n there a/n: i reference a bunch of pjo characters in this so if u haven’t read pjo *crowd booing*

so donghyuck’s the son of apollo right

there’s like no arguing when it comes to that

he’s extremely talented at singing and making music, dancing, rapping, songwriting, so he’s no doubt apollo’s offspring

and he’s naturally gifted at archery as well

you can’t spell haechan without ACE teehee

u on the other hand

you’re athena’s child

you love to read and write you’re incredibly smart ofc

you love competing and winning and taking part in strategy making to bring your opponents DOWN 💅🏼

athena’s the goddess of wisdom as well as warcraft so needless to say you’re exceptional in both fields

you’re not just textbook smart, no no, you’re able to apply all the knowledge you learn…well…irl

not to mention you’re good with all kinds of weapons

ur fave weapons include swords and spears :D

you’re okay w knives too!!! and daggers!!! you’re not picky

but you’re better w longer blades just cuz u have more experience w them

fun fact: you’re the head of the athena cabin and donghyuck’s the head of the apollo cabin

you’re both great leaders, always doing your best to make the best strategies to win capture the flag, the chariot races, and other fun activities chiron plans for the campers 😁

but . you guys are Sworn Enemies

actually the better term to use would be “rivals”

you guys r So competitive to the point where you actually developed a rivalry during your first few years at camp half-blood

donghyuck LOVES to win but so do you… so obv he’s gonna go out of his way to make sure he/his cabin wins

that doesn’t mean you’ve ever backed down from his challenges…

if he’s competitive you’re twice as competitive

one day after breakfast during your fifth year at camp when you’re both about 18, chiron decides to host a good old game of capture the flag

u know . for old times’ sake 😼

once he makes the announcement you immediately turn to your cabin mates

“we have to win no matter what”

“y/n, it’s just capture the flag. we’re not fighting gaea”

“bitch are u in or not”

the entire dining hall is buzzing with excitement

nothing makes a demigod’s day like a capture the flag announcement 😌

chiron suddenly grabs the megaphone again and calls out “this time however there’s a little twist,” he chuckles as everybody goes silent

you raise an eyebrow

“you’ll be in teams of course. everybody has to play. there’s twenty cabins, so there will be ten teams of two cabins each. i’ll pair you guys up myself. each pair gets a flag–so there’s ten flags in total. the game will be won by the pair who manages to collect all flags and brings them back to their base before anyone has the chance to steal their own flag.”

the demigods burst into intense chatter and discussion once more

you turn your head back to your siblings and tilt your head in slight confusion

you’ve never played capture the flag in teams before

“anyone but apollo. i’m literally begging. sam, pray to athena right now”

“y/n RELAX”

“i think if we’re partners with apollo’s cabin i’ll actually jump into tartarus”

“…”

“what? percy and annabeth survived” 🙄

chiron pulls out a scroll and calls out the pairings one by one

poseidon and demeter, hades and ares (good luck to them), so on and so forth

your heart keeps racing . athena’s name has not been called out yet

and just like that your worst fear comes true

“athena cabin with apollo cabin. the game will commence in thirty minutes, which is how much time you have to prepare. good luck and stay safe!”

you drop your head into your palm (aka head in hands meme jpg)

“this is the worst day of my entire life”

“y/n, you’re hands down the most dramatic person i’ve ever met”

maybe it’s just you–bc your siblings seem fine with the apollo kids

they have so many apollo cabin friends :(

curse u and donghyuck’s little rivalry that the entire camp and chiron knows about

so him putting yall together definitely was not a coincidence cough cough

can u blame him

🌤🌈 he just wants all of u to get along 🌈🌤

he’s seen w his own two centaur eyes what happens when demigods fight between themselves

it’s not healthy

he needs u guys to get along bc u and donghyuck are some of the best demigods at camp rn

ur quick wits and amazing sword skills

his position as the camp’s best archer

imagine how powerful yall would be if u two worked together

if only you got along from the start.. but nooooo

ur egos r just too high F

but anyway, back to the present

you’re sitting there, head in your hands, dreading this already when some of the apollo kids swagger over to your guys’ table

donghyuck is in front of them as he scoffs after seeing your dreadful state

“why the sad face, y/n?”

you lift your head up to see him hovering over your seat and roll your eyes

you get up and your siblings follow

you’re just gonna have to make do. you don’t have time to complain

the thing is

you’ve only lost capture the flag once 👎🏼

a few summers ago the apollo cabin defeated the entire camp leaving everybody speechless

it’s true they didn’t defeat JUST you but somehow you thought it was personal

you had the PERFECT record 😕

zero losses . only wins

but bc of the apollo kids your cabin’s record was tarnished

which is sorta why you started hating them (esp donghyuck their leader) so much

donghyuck caught on immediately and made it a point to compete just as hard as u

so yea. that’s how you became rivals

he knows how much ur gonna hate working with him but u don’t really have a choice now do u :/

so he knows exactly why u have a sad face

but this is donghyuck we’re talking about

just bc yall r “rivals” doesn’t mean he’s not gonna tease u 😂😂😂

(or maybe he teases u bc he thinks ur cute and he hopes one day u realise him teasing is actually donghyuck for flirting 🤭)

“you know damn well why, lee donghyuck”

“oh c’mon i think it’ll be fun! if we combine our skills, we definitely have a hundred percent chance of winning”

you cross your arms and glance at your siblings who just shrug in agreement

you sigh loudly

“don’t even think about fucking this is up, donghyuck. and just so we’re clear, i’m in charge”

he laughs, “yup! got it”

so you start talking strategy

you only have 30 minutes so you need to make the best of it

you divide the two cabins into pairs so that an athena and an apollo kid will be paired together and in charge of smth diff

you have plenty of people on your team – 5 in athena’s cabin and 5 in apollo’s cabin

some will handle weapons and safety gear, some will handle mapping out the playing area which was basically the entirety of the woods, some will be setting up traps near your team’s flag to prevent others from coming close

30 minutes quickly pass and after dividing the work and planning your strategy with donghyuck and friends you turn your attention back to chiron who has his megaphone in hand

everyone’s told to gather outside the dining hall at the open field before the game commences

you, donghyuck, and your teammates briefly talk strategy once more . just to make sure everybody knows what they’re supposed to do

“let the game begin!” chiron blows a loud whistle and the demigods scramble out of the field, going to their designated flag locations

your spot is near a little creek, but the forest around your flag is quite dense so u figure it’s relatively hard to locate

it’s not that late so the afternoon sun makes your skin glisten with sweat

“damn, can you tell your dad to chill tf out for a while,” you tell donghyuck jokingly

he just rolls his eyes but on the inside he’s kinda glad you’re being casual with him rather than 😡😡😡😡😡 like u normally are

u don’t know what it is about him today but u swear he’s acting different around u

he wasn’t… as annoying while discussing strategy ????

he actually ?????? listened ?????? to what u had to say 🤔🤔🤔🤔

he didn’t argue, he didn’t even throw around witty burns like he usually does w/o hesitation

u were like… is he ok

little do u know!!! he actually l*kes u 🤭🤭🤭

well… it’s not a 100% fact that HE himself knows as well

but his siblings caught on to his weird behaviour n figured smth was up

mark being one of hyuck’s closest friends n siblings in the apollo cabin, realised he was acting weird ever since yall got grouped together

he seemed nervous ⁉️ which he never ever is

he’s like the most confident person mark’s ever known

so mark was like *thinks*

after putting two and two together mark came to the conclusion that he might have a small crush on u

bc hyuck kept glancing over at u, kept talking abt how ur a good leader (he’s never gonna tell YOU that tho. he crossed his heart on that one)

mark was like i didn’t even ask but ok

mark was confused at first tho cuz everybody and their mom knows about your guys’ rivalry so why tf would hyuck have a crush on someone he considers his rival

mark decides not to get ahead of himself bc hey!!! maybe he doesn’t have a crush, maybe he just thinks ur a good leader

like that’s it u know?

LMAO 🤫

so anywayz where was i

ah right

the flag

OK SO ur team’s flag is yellow ! :D

it’s like the colour of sunflowers

you and donghyuck r in charge of guarding the flag while ur team members scout around for the other flags

easy peasy

you and donghyuck are at your base now, weapons drawn just in case

the flag is hung on a poll couple feet taller than you

you’re dressed in ur usual training clothes – a pair of washed out shorts, a very old orange camp half-blood shirt; your sword’s sheath hanging from one of the belt loops of your shorts

donghyuck’s dressed similarly – a pair of blue ripped jeans, the same orange camp shirt tucked into them, but he has a purple flannel on, which he takes off and ties around his waist

“it’s so freaking hot,” he says, mentally agreeing with the comment u made about apollo earlier

“tell me about it”

there’s a silence that follows, the only sound heard is the subtle flow of the creek water

you’re thankful for the silence

it’s easier to keep an ear open for opponents on their way to steal your flag

just as you think about it, an ares and a hades kid approach your base

they’re on the other side of the creek, less than ten to fifteen feet away

“hi y/n,” the hades kid you’re kind of close to says

you shoot him a fake smile before holding your sword in front of you

donghyuck pulls out an arrow from his quiver and nocks it in his bow, aiming for the two demigods in front of you

the creek isn’t that deep, so the two demigods cross it with ease

they have their weapons drawn; they’re now a couple of feet away from you and more importantly the flag

no words are said as donghyuck lets his arrow fly and knock the hades’ kid sword out of his hands

he didn’t use an arrow with a sharp tip, you note

the hades’ kid stumbles backwards, imbalanced after he gets unarmed

you stand your ground as the ares’ kid scrambles forward, attacking you with her sword

your blades clash defiantly

you continue to spar with all your might

from the corner of your eye you see that the hades’ kid, sword back in hand, is battling donghyuck on your left

the flag is right behind you and donghyuck; you can’t let the two demigods get near it

you and the ares kid are still battling each other, putting all your strength into making sure she surrenders

but u should know better

ares and athena kids have many similarities like their love for winning, their confidence in battle, etc.

it’s like looking in a mirror

you don’t have anything against this particular ares kid, though

“c’mon, y/n, give up already”

that REALLY makes your blood boil

you never give up, no matter what

with one final blow of your sword, you knock her sword out of her hands, making her think she distracted you with her words

she goes flying back, half her body landing in the creek water

her sword lies in between you and her, but you doubt she’ll have the courage to fight again

the hades kid sees this and quickly scrambles away from hyuck, picking up the ares kid’s sword and giving her a hand up

“this is why i hate you and your siblings–your huge ego always gets in the way,” you hear the hades kid grumble to his partner as they run away from you, shame written all over their defeat

hyuck laughs and wipes sweat from his forehead

you can’t help but laugh either

you love it here at 🧡 camp half-blood 🧡

a few moments pass as your teammates emerge from the dense woods, each pair with a different colour flag held between them

you smile in victory

you quickly bring down your flag from its pole and give it to hyuck

“me? it was your plan…”

“yeah, but i couldn’t have done it without you, hyuck”

he almost passes out at your choice of nickname

back at the main hall, chiron announces your team as the winner, and that the prize yall being excused from doing chores all week long!!!!

it’s not much, but hey, at least you and hyuck ended up working together and winning the game, right?

later, hyuck pulls you aside from your cabin mates, and walks you to the lakeside

you two sit at the deck, side by side, watching the water doing nothing in particular

you watch as hyuck swings his feet lightly, his toes barely touching the water

“y/n, do you hate me?” donghyuck asks out of the blue

you’re like 😳 what

now that he asks you that . like straight up . it makes u think

do u REALLY hate him

or do u just hate losing to him

“why would i hate you?” you question back

“i don’t know? i guess because of our, um, rivalry thing i thought you can’t stand me”

you play with the beads of your camp necklace

“i don’t hate you, donghyuck. i just hate losing. i guess it’s the athena in me,” you laugh at how lame you sound

“i hate losing too, but i don’t hate you, in case you’re wondering.”

he takes a deep breath

“i know we started going against one another ‘cause of that one time my cabin won capture the flag, but i don’t want things to stay this way,” he pushes his hair back

“i guess what i’m saying is… i like working with you.” he pauses

“yeah,” he says, as if more convinced now, “and i would really like to get to know you better,” he clears his throat, very clearly embarrassed

you laugh at his flustered state

“stop laughing at me,” he stretches the last syllable as he lightly shoves you with his shoulder

you’re trying even harder to not laugh now, but for his sake, you hold it in

“that’s probably the cutest thing you’ve ever said”

he crosses his arms, “i’m always cute”

you’re like. THE NERVE?????? 😒😒😒

“how ‘bout we go slow? i mean, we just became un-enemies, we’re gonna need to be friends first, right?” you poke his shoulder

“you make a good point”

“i’m literally athena’s child, but okay”

“shut up!”

✨ time skip ✨

both u and hyuck stay at camp over the holidays which means more bonding time!!! yay!!!!!

a year has passed and u and hyuck r basically bffs, attached at the hip, and everybody except mark is surprised as fuck

rmb the days when hyuck thought u were “cute”?

welp 🤭 he’s at that point where everything u do makes his heart flutter

yeah… he likes u Like A Lot

u have no clue abt his feelings for u and he has no clue abt ur feelings for him either

exactly a year after the iconic capture the flag game, ur both seated at the deck by the lakeside, side by side, again

“y/n…there’s something you need to know”

“if you’re gonna tell me about the mixtape you’re dropping with mark, i literally don’t want to hear it”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME”

“YOU GOT THE ENTIRE CAMP’S HOPES UP FOR NO REASON”

both of you burst into fits of laughter

after calming down, he shoves your shoulder lightly with his shoulder, like he always does (only to u tho)

“no, seriously, i need to tell you something”

“what’s up?”

“i,” he pauses, clears his throat, “like you. a lot–i have for a while now.”

you swear your heart stops beating and your brain explodes

HE? LIKES? U?????????

he continues, “i don’t know if you like me back, but i’ve been wanting to tell you this for so long–guess i didn’t have the courage until recently,” he lets out an airy laugh

you’re looking at him in the eyes now; a subtle shimmer of the afternoon sun sparkling in his eyes

“hyuck, i like you too. how could i possibly not?” you chuckle at his shocked expression

he goes :O

he’s genuinely speechless when you lean forward and press your lips ever so softly onto his

you literally feel him freeze, which worries you for a second, but your worry is washed away when he slowly kisses you back

you melt right then and there

he takes your hand in his, interlocking fingers, as you pull away, a faint pink blush painting both your cheeks

“wow”

“really, y/n? that’s all you have to say? what happened to being wisdom’s child, huh?”

“donghyuck, i SWEAR to ALL THE GODS–!”

your sentence is cut off when he presses his lips onto yours again, you smile into the kiss which causes him to smile with you

he kisses you again and again, and then again, until you’re both a giggling mess

“let’s stay like this forever, yeah? what do you say?” he says, bringing his lips to your forehead, lingering there for a moment before pulling back and looking at you

you look at your intertwined hands, and then back up at him, “i’d like that”

[gerrydelano]

disability ask dump!

so, after my post about needing more disability representation, i received a lot of really great asks! headcanons, general input, some questions. answering them individually would kill me, so i’m putting them all here! i started this hours ago and was almost done when the page crashed, so take two :’-)

TW for ED discussion at one point!

@tiinykaiju: your disability meta!!! your brain is huge. may I add to the pile, I hc Martin as having adhd and arthritis (or similarly fucked-up joints) bc I love to project! and also holding a warm mug of tea is nice for days when your hands are especially grouchy

(another sent later): oop also don’t feel obligated to answer this (I know you got a bunch of disability asks so literally don’t stress abt this one) but I also wanted to add that I fucking love how you & ren write Tim’s bpd? I don’t know if I have that (was self dx’d for a while & my shrink agreed it was a maybe but nothing solid) but he is a Whole Entire Mood, which is hugely ironic bc my ex (also named Tim, hilariously) was a dick specifically about the concept of me having bpd

I HC HIM WITH ADHD TOO. autism, ADHD, c-PTSD, (also BPD hoohoo), and disordered eating due to that nifty lifetime of poverty, neglect, and abuse. the arthritis is a good touch! somebody hold he hand!

also HEH. thank you!!!! i’m really glad that people vibe with a portrayal of this disorder that quite frankly has been making my life a living hell for Quite Some Time, like. i want to dismantle and write around the stigma and just write a character who reads this way without demonizing him for g-d’s sake. if you ever want to chat BPD things, my DMs are always open for you! and that NotTim motherfucker WILL die by my blade personality disorder bet your ass!!!!

@feral-piano-rat: Tma disability headcanons are my comfort food at this point! Somewhere around S4 of my listen (during the pre S5 break in real time) was when my chronic pain and joint issues got worse and I started to use a cane as a stabilizer... LITERALLY at the same time I started to see cane-user Jon headcanons and various fibro headcanons. It ended up being something I really took to heart and helped me vibe shame-free. I'm glad to see other people take something similar emotionally from it!

ME TOO it makes me so happy to see them!!!! oh gosh wow the timing, that’s lovely! i’m so glad that something was able to help you feel more comfortable and skip some of the shame stage. there’s no shame in a cane! my mom sort of took mine because she started needing it more often than me but my legs are very 8) unhappy with that so i might need a new one LOL. ahhhh though like! exactly! this is WHY we need to see more of this!

anon: Projecting on tma characters be like; Sasha doesn’t have the correct prescription on her glasses and constantly has a low grade eye strain headache. Georgie has asthma and has to spend so long editing the sound of her breath / wheezing out of WTG. Jon had burning shoulder pain as a kid and the physio he went to told him he was faking so it took him years to actually go to the doctor for his joint pain. Tim has a lazy eye that’s super noticeable when he’s tired.

FUCK yeah, anon. CHASE your BLISS. i don’t have too much to add to some of these but BIG high five on the jon one in particular, i write his Health Backstory as being that he had a rough time getting his EDS diagnosis because doctors are Useless and no one EVER wants to fucking diagnose that, and it’s even harder for an Autistic Kid Of Colour to be taken seriously which 8)))) BOY! get him to a doctor who will help him! give him some useful PT!

anon: Duude your recent post made me realize me going "jon probably isn't schizo spec that's just me projecting" was rlly bullshit like. The man had delusions most of season 2 my delusional ass just didn't connect that there could be a. Reason for those outside canon stressors

oh my g-d no WAY he’s got canon paranoid delusions, you’re TOTALLY fine to be HCing that! he’s so loudly sz-spec!!!! the canon stressors obviously exacerbated it like hell but the speed at which he got swept up in it definitely implies predisposition. i think we’ve been leaning schizoaffective for him? that mania, man. the cross there with bipolar symptoms resonates big jdshfkghds.

anon: So much of what you said was just like Oh Shit Yeah!!! really made me think about a Lot of things. the timing is a little funny because recently i've been thinking a lot about mike crew and abt how if he got struck by lightning bad enough to Burn His Skin he'd probably have nerve damage of some form, esp. with the quote "the doctors told me there would be no long-term damage from the accident. they were wrong of course, but the damage wasn't something they could see, so how could they know?"

DING DING DING there it is! that’s the ticket! you would not BELIEVE how much i’ve been talking about this angle on mike for the past week or so with seraf, he’d have a HELL OF A LOT MORE GOING ON THAN JUST NERVE DAMAGE. especially being directly struck, at that age, and like???? it’d damage his hearing, his skin, his muscles, he’d have neurological symptoms, i’m honestly forgetting a lot of what we’ve discussed but like.

mike crew is disabled, my dudes. there’s such a slim chance that it would Actually be No Damage like yeah some people get by with minimal shit but most people aren’t directly struck like that and so young and extra vulnerable, like. lightning does devastating damage. just write disabled mike! 

@pollylittlehigher-littlelower: Please consider autistic Melanie because the way she tends to feel everything so intensely is A Mood

I AM CONSIDERING! I AM HEAVILY CONSIDERING IT!!!! i don’t have any thoughts on it specifically right now because i am brain soup and been going through some Shit to get this post done but know that i am cheering loudly!

anon: sometimes a bitch projects very hard onto martin with eating disorders and how wrationing out food because of a lack of it lead to weight loss which lead to more confidence and more starvation. until he either got an intervention or (more likely) hospitalized and the pendulum swung back so hard he had significant weight gain, leading to insecurity despite being/looking healthier than he has in a very long time? m a y h a p s

look. sometimes a bitch is just vibing with a guy who is very easy to project disregulation of eating on. and it happens.

i actually have a fucking Lot of thoughts about martin re: food in connection to his poverty and his abuse. i was originally going to put this ask into that 3 parter that brought up those things first, but i think it’s slightly better separated because even as someone with all those issues myself, i don’t feel super confident portraying it through this angle as much as i absolutely support you exploring it because you know what it’s like.

let martin gain weight and be healthier and have support and resources and love himself! i love the idea of martin being confidently fat and everything but there’s no way that he didn’t struggle with it growing up at the very least, because kids are cruel and society is cruel and fatphobia is so deeply ingrained into our culture that it’s Going to impact your formative years even if you unlearn a lot of it later. 

i’m just. g-d, he’d probably feel guilty gaining weight while he’s struggling to make ends meet money wise because society just tells you “oh, you must eat So Much if you’re this big” and he’s like Am I Eating Too Much? Am I Wasting Money? Am I Being Selfish And Gross? and it’s like. no that’s just how your body retains things and it’s okay please martin i’m begging you i promise it’s okay to be fat and also to eat because you need to eat to live please

anwyay i havve . feelings. and am going to stop now so i don’t get swallowed up in them because i could go ON jgvhbknm HOO

anon: It's really neat to see another system into magnus archives!

putting this one with these, too, just to keep it contained. multiple high five!!!! i know at least six other systems in this fandom, it’s really great to not be alone (not that we’re ever alone ;D haha zing ;D) 

EDIT: another came in!

@bisexual-evanhansen​: you just did a tma disability hc ask dump but. sasha dyslexic and you CANNOT change my mind because I have had her calliope discussion almost verbatim on four different occasions. martin also dyslexic and I have no backup I'm just right. 

adding this because it’s a good HC that people should see!!!! i fully support you!!!!!!!! she’s also wrong about how to pronounce it and i die!!!!!!!!

both of them handshake on this it’s so good. also someone needs dyscalculia who the hell here is the worst at math

and there we have it. that took me. so long. i’m so sorry. but, yes, the only one i have left from that night now is a 3 part martin one about his poverty experience and i’m gonna make a meta from it some other time, i Really need to recover spoons now HAHA. thank you everybody, and i hope the anons who sent these get to see this!

[ohsweetflips]

DAO really was the best game, the lore the ability to absolutely wreck shit, the fact that they didnt do that bullshit ‘all sides are grey’ and clearly showed oppression. I think of my warden, an elven mage, and wonder how she’ll be rewritten more than anything.

right like!!!! i love each dragon age game with my whole heart and they all have super special places in said heart, but origins handles a lot of the social problems really well, or at least from the perspective that i play it as (also an elven mage!)

the rest i’m putting under the cut bc holy shit i can talk abt dragon age a lot. also nothing is proofred. i’m so sorry this got so long i hear “bioware” and “grey morality” and i go wild

(pls talk to me abt dragon age.....)

(also please don’t reblog this!!)

like i understand da2 having a type of grey-morality thing bc the final battle was choosing between the mages and the templars (tho imo they could’ve done better than “the mages hate us bc we keep them locked in a tower and there are multiple accounts of us abusing them and therefore some of them turn to blood magic so therefore we should kill all of them” but still, in a setting like that where the Main End Game Choice was mages vs. templars, then that is understandable)

(but also i haven’t played da2 in a couple years so maybe it’s more nuanced than that)

but inquisition! it’s weird bc inq has a super special place in my heart. i’ve played it 6 or 7 times to completion, not counting the other times i got 20/30 hours into it before external forces distracted me. inq is overall the game i think abt the most, most of my playthroughs average over 100 hours, it’s the only game that i have all the dlcs for, for me it’s the easiest to replay, and yet there’s so much that frustrates me abt it! like, i’m gonna avoid talking abt the actual parts of the writing that bother me, bc that can be it’s own standalone thing, but imo it felt like they never actually solidified what actually caused the mage/templar war? there are those that say anders started it (seems likely), then there are those who talk abt fiona leading the rebel mages in the war? and there, of course, is the “the templars have done wrong but so have they mages and therefore you’re shamed either way for what you do” like i Get what they’re trying to do, trying to encourage players to explore their options and really delve into their own moral values of the game and not just adhere to what the game says, but idk the way they always went abt it always rubbed me some type of wrong

i think part of it is bc, when people mention circle mages turning to blood mages and demons and such like that, it was always framed as “ah these evil mages!” and not “[if these are circle mages] most likely their want for freedom pushed them to that”

does that make it right? no, not necessarily! look at uldred from dao! imo, he was wrong! i don’t like the circle and my warden herself has a complicated relationship with it, but i like that you can say “hey! this is wrong!” without legitimate plot-based “but what if it isn’t?”

of course there will always be companions who push for the more chaotic/harsh choices (morrigan is the one i have the most experience with giving me disapproval for being what i think is nice) (still love her tho), but i think dao handled “okay, look at the big picture, and really think abt what hill u want to die on” stance well

and then there’s the way the mage/templar thing is handled in inquisition vis a vis companions. specifically cullen. and, listen, i as a player have a very complicated relationship with cullen and my heros do too lmao. and i really don’t want to get into the nuances of that bc that can 1) turn into a fight i don’t feel like having and 2) can be it’s own discussion, but basically, from my own perspective, he’s a well-written character who makes for a good antag to a mage-siding hawke in da2 bc of how pro-templar/anti-mage he is. again, don’t agree with any of it (honestly da2 alone puts me on the “okay fuck this” level w/ his character), but it does offer an extreme that is interesting to see. origins is more complicated bc in a game not directly stepped in mage/templar and also a game that stems from 6 different origin stories, it’s very easy to be a non-mage and be like “why do i care abt this guy” (if you get what i’m saying? like i got immediately invested in saving the mages bc my first warden was a circle mage so i was very put off by being told to kill all of them, as compared to if i played a non-mage origin and didn’t really have that background knowledge). but overall, origins and da2 puts cullen on the “pro-templars, mages are more dangerous than they are good side.” and then inquisition is where things get interesting!!

and, for a quick ref, i’m very into getting invested in my characters and really figuring out their morals and what they would actually do, or at least think, so dai becomes interesting bc i play as another elven mage who has never stepped foot in a circle and never will. so, bc of that, i play him as naturally more inclined to not initially Think abt cullen’s past like as a templar bc, as a dalish mage, i hc that he does not know what actually goes on in circles (as compared to my warden, a circle mage, and my hawke, an apostate) (but i hc that, overtime, as he has more and more experiences with templars, he becomes more cognizant of that) (but bioware doesn’t give me the option to just dictate everything my camris lavellan is thinking akjsjkdjk)

and dai-cullen, imo, is actually very interesting! and, tbh, i do have to give it to bioware. i feel like i’m abt to say an unironic controversial opinion, and i feel like i’ve already talked abt the nuances of all of this, but i do think dai did well at reworking cullen’s character. however, i feel like that was also done to feed into the grey-ness of the mage/templars. and, imo, i think they almost did well at actually making cullen show regret for how he treated mages. almost. again, i think there’s a lot of nuance! bc we do see him show some type of regret for how he treated a mage!warden (if he said all that shit like “all these people’s blood are on your hands” if u talk abt not wanting to kill innocent mages) and we do see him step away from templar life (that is, if you tell him to stop taking lyrium)

but!!!! there’s One Thing that puts a thorn in this, and it’s that cullen says something along the lines of, “meredith wasn’t all wrong, she had reason” like bitch!!! no matter what side you choose in da2, you fucking fight meredith!!! she’s wanted to kill innocent mages/make them tranquil even before anders blew up the chantry!!! meredith was all wrong!! she was evil!!!!! she was objectively a harmful person!!!!!!!!! bioware really makes this bitch the final boss of da2 and then has the audacity to say “but maybe she wasn’t all bad” in dai like WHERE IS THIS FOR ORSINO??? ORSINO ISN’T ALL BAD, IS HE???????? OH BUT HE IS BC HE RESORTED TO SUDDEN BLOOD MAGIC IN THE LAST TEN MINUTES OF THE GAME, AS COMPARED TO MEREDITH WHO WAS A DANGER FOR THE ENTIRE FINAL ACT and i digress but the fact that bioware is trying to redeem cullen but also showing that he still sympathizes with a woman who 1) turned against the templars and 2) Literally Everything She Did To The Mages always makes me “hmmmm are u really trying tho :/”

also tho one thing i’m actually not the biggest fan of is that cullen is like “oh i knew hawke in passing........ knew varric in passing.............” meanwhile let’s just cut to everything that happened at kirkwall. this is my own opinion bc i see varric as hawke’s #1 but i personally think that at least half of the comraderie varric and cullen sorta-kinda-had in inq was varric testing the waters of “okay what is cullen going to be like if and when hawke shows up”

also tho i will say a hot-take of mine is that if cullen gets to be redeemed by bioware, then i want something for anders, too, but i doubt bioware would do something so clearly pro-mage. but it could be two sides of the extreme! extremist templar gets redemption, extremist mage does, too! come on, bioware, show your grey morality

(again, i think it’s interesting what they did with cullen in dai and does give some sympathetic light but i also do think the reworking of his character was working towards bioware’s moral-greyness agenda with dragon age. not that that’s necessarily a terrible thing, i understand them wanting some nuance, but it’s the way they do it. like, you can show bad templars and bad mages and still not have “but who is really the bad guy? the oppressors or the oppressed? who is it really?”)

(and also just bc i feel like i need to put my own player claim in this, my opinion on cullen is complicated and also i’m gonna be completely forth-right with u, dear anon, i appreciate cullen in inquisition but, as a whole, he can be terrible to ur warden in dao (that’s not me being shifty it literally just depends on the choice you make in broken circle) and in da2 he’s a nightmare, so bioware had to do a lot of legwork in dai) (tbh tho in my personal-player opinion, if i was to ever romance cullen in inq, it’s not gonna be with a mage)

god this got so out of hand anon i’m so sorry you probably didn’t want this messy essay but i just love talking abt dragon age!!! i think abt it a lot and i have five years worth of headcanons and i have a family tree set up for my surana/lavellan bc of some bullshit i pulled and also!!!! bioware’s writing can get so frustrating but i also think it’s so interesting to pull apart and discuss bc i think the bioware has actually shifted from pro-mage (origins) to neutral-mage (da2 kinda) to anti-mage (dai) and i feel like So Many Choices with characters and their plots reveal that!!! so it’s a frustrating agenda but i also just love dragon age so much that i can’t help but get excited and talk abt it!!!

like, as all things, i do believe there are times when grey morality does work, but, at least from a mage-siding perspective, it hasn’t really landed well for dragon age. bc, and i don’t want to drag in real-life scenarios bc i feel like it would be incredibly inappropriate of me to use any oppressed minority as a comparison for a fantasy world, but it’s the age-old thing of people saying the shitty “but the oppressed fight back and therefore they’re just as bad as the oppressors!” and that’s like....... not how it works.

but also you’ve caught me in a wonderful mood so i feel like, if i was in a bad mood, this would be a lot more “and fucking bioware can’t make a goddamn decision on what side they actually support so instead most of the companions are gonna made rude remarks abt you supporting mages and the ones that support you are seen as distrustful and fuck this and fuck that” but i think that is the joy of loving something with you’re whole heart and also saying “there are so many things abt this that piss me off and so many things that i would change”

and also!!!! ik bioware probably killed my warden so like rip electra surana but i would love for the warden to make an appearance in da4 as a temporary companion/advisor. but! but!!!!!! i also don’t know how much i trust bioware with my “elven mage who is alistair’s mistress and preferred the mages and wanted to free the circles and etc etc etc” bc... idk how to explain it? like, i don’t want them taking my warden and putting words in her mouth that go against choices i meticulously made in dao

[rrxnjun]

THE HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO UUUU!!! I HOPE U HAVE THE BEST DAY EVER AND HAVE FUN!!!!! U ARE JUST SUCH A LOVELY PERSON SO I HOPE THIS YEAR WILL TREAT U WELL!!!!!🥳🥳🥳💕💞💗💘🩷🌷🌷

tbh idk if we have discussed this but i was born in 2003 as well😎 (tbh i think i might have just seen u saying that u were born in the same year as treasure doyoung so i was like crazy we are bringing in the same year but never really thought about saying it 🤣😶) well i want to learn knitting that's my plan for the summer but i do embroidery and i love painting baking and reading so i'm ready for the grandma life (tbh i also braid bracelets but i don't think many grandmas do that 🫣)

U CAN DO IT!! I BELIEVE!!! but godddamn u are a king for that istg like getting an a after that u are just too powerful!!! and thank u💗🩷

ooo man☹️☹️☹️ that just sucks☹️☹️i almost couldn't go i had to beg my one friend to just come with me and convince her that it will be fun😭so i somewhat understand the pain it's hard out here not having friends with the same music taste😔👊

LMAO SORRY DIDNT MEAN IT AS A THREAT JUST AS A WARNING U KNOW🥲🤣 oh my u are really getting deep with treasure then:o AND LIKE MANS HAS THAT EFFECT ITS LIKE A SUPERPOWER ISTG JUST SO GREAT FOR THE PARASOCIAL MINDS

U DO DESERVE ALL OF THIS!!! but u know if u want to repay me with the drabble i won't complain 🫣 AND I ACTUALLY HOPE THAT U WILL HAVE MUCH FUN AS A 20YEAR OLD AND U SPEND IT WITH DOING STUFF THAT U LOVE!!! MUCH LOVE HIHI🩷💕 (liebestraum anon💗💘)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! 🥺🥺 awh you are such a lovely person too, this means a lot ❣❣

AYYY 03 LINE BESTIES 😌✊ (i lowkey freaked out when i found out abt doyoung but also the fact that both of us are older than him by a few months😭 also his bday is on my name day LMAO 😭😭😭 speaking of doyoung btw he be hitting different lately but u didnt hear that from me) omg you must have a lot of patience to do embroidery but thats so cool !!!! painting, baking and reading are my fav acitivities too so i guess im a grandma too😌 i am also a big plant enthusiast so that adds up too (send me a friendship bracelet pls)

THANK YOU AHAH i hope so!!! And i am glad your friend agreed to go✊✊ you have to send me all the pics (esp calums 👁) after and tell me how u liked it!!! 💓💓

THANKS FOR THE WARNING!!! IT DID NOTHING TO COMFORT ME ❤ /j yesyes i am getting deep into treasure unfortunately DHSJ i am in the hyperfixation phase rn 😔😔 JIHOON IS SO GOOD FOR THE PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIP GIRLIES but he's literally perfect i- when i saw him covering ko ko bop in ygtb i lost my shit lowkey

okay i will try to write the drabble then 😌 AND THANK YOU SOSO MUCH i hope 20 is kind to me ❣ (and you too, but i'll wish you that on your bday. Altho idk how to contact u i will just post it for everyone to see ig LMAO)

[queensofmystery]

Re: this post

#because you already do all that with someone else #back when he made all the ‘you’re not meant for a normal relationship’ to Joan I started hoping against hope #that it would lead to them developing a platonic romance where maybe they would seek sexual relationships with other people #but emotionally they would fullfil each other’s romantic needs #and now it seems like they’re actually doing that #sort of #like Sherlock is a 100% up for it but Joan isn’t #(also we all know tptb wouldn’t really do it) #and it pains me cause it would be so great (via @margoleon)

Gloria. Gloria write it. You know what, me, you, @disheveledcurls, we’re all thinking variations of the same thing - polyamorous Joanlock. Queer platonic, aromantic, asexual, a combination or none of those things, polyamory is a thing with these two, I just know it is. And they’re soulmates in every way who understand each other more than anyone else in their lives and we’re gonna write it I don’t even care.

Also I could go off on a Watsonian rant on why Joan feels differently than Sherlock, but that ties into the whole jealous!Sherlock thing that I still haven’t been able to organize my thoughts on, so for now I’ll just say: The emotional angst and repression between these two is the most infuriating wonderful thing to ever grace the small screen IMHO and I am a disaster

disheveledcurls:

god, yes to all that. i can’t stop thinking abt where they’re going w/ this and i don’t want to hope but they’ve written themselves into a little bit of a corner here… i mean i’ll write the fic anyway but if they actually do anything that points to them becoming a “”“couple”“”“ (i’m using that term instead of referring to the concept of romance bc u know i think that word is useless for these two) in a polyamorous/asexual/aromantic way i’m going to cry actual tears of joy, ok. like –to be very cortesian abt it–, they’re already right on that edge, or at least i think LL and JLM are playing it that way. for sherlock to admit that he values his work mostly because of joan and then right after insist that he is what he does, is at the very least a strong indicator that his feelings for her are veering towards sth unclassifiable which doesn’t exactly fit in the category of friendship they already have. (and maybe it’s codependency and maybe it’s not but either way they need to talk abt it.) we don’t know what joan feels bc the writers give us nothing (which never ceases to be infuriating) but if i were her i’d be at least apprehensive abt starting a relationship if my last boyfriend died because of me and my best friend’s ex happens to be a psychopath. so idk!! realistically*, i guess by the end of the season we could be looking at a relationship that will be coded as "romantic” (i.e. w/ sherlock and joan as a “couple”, not dating other people or looking for a “romantic” partner elsewhere) and asexual/platonic (with the implication that either or both of them could be looking for occasional sexual partners elsewhere). i don’t dare hope for more. but i guess they could give us this much if it were left on the subtextual level. clearly, they’re not brave enough to come out and openly give us an asexual/aromantic interracial couple. (and particularly this couple, since they’re so //adamant// on respecting the canon all of a sudden. #yourracismisshowing) but even if it’s implied, even if it’s subtext, it will be important and i will embrace it.

if they were good writers –paging the people who wrote s1 please, wherever they are– this would naturally tie into the question of the growing rift between sherlock and joan abt their professional lives, as posed by 5.04 (and 5.01 of course), bc clearly for them the personal and professional are impossibly intertwined. if they were good writers, this would lead to a) an unearthing of the pain joan has been delaing w/ (or rather, burying and denying) for years, with sherlock stepping the f*ck up to help her address it as she has done for him in the past, b) an open discussion of their careers and a renegotiation of their partnership so that it’s fulfilling and right for both of them (it has to be their world not just his), which could possibly involve joan going back to medicine in some shape or form in addition to her detective work, and c) a renegotiation of their partnership on a personal level, i.e., can they take it any further in any direction, and if so, how? or if not, are they happy with how they stand & satisfied w/ what they can give each other? i don’t trust these writers anymore, but at the very least some of this should come up throughout the season.

ange – i wanna read that rant. please write it. gloria, u keep on ranting too & write the fic. i’ll write my fic as well someday (i’m so slow i hate itttt).

*though also “realistically” they could literally give us the world bc these two love each other so much you could come back from a midseason hiatus telling me they got married for Reasons TM and i’d be down w/ it. again, they’re not gonna give us much, but they oughta give us something, especially if this  turns out to be their last season.

@disheveledcurls "If i were her i’d be at least apprehensive abt starting a relationship if my last boyfriend died because of me and my best friend’s ex happens to be a psychopath.”

Rocío I’m so glad you said this, because yes I’ve considered how Joan’s traumas affect her complete lack of a dating life but /of course/ they would also affect any consideration of her deepening her relationship with Sherlock in any emotional capacity. I wonder if she’s even considered it consciously or if she’s buried that want along with the pain of her traumas so she can’t even properly recognize that’s something she would want.

Like, I just feel for Joan so much. I have to write with her because there’s so much she deserves that she hasn’t gotten. So much that I’m sure this fandom has already written the equivalent of several novels because her character needs and deserves that much consideration. As a writer and just, as a person who’s been through my own versions of loss, I want so much for Joan.

And like you I’ll write my own version of this amazing relationship regardless, but if this show even /comes close/ to implying that these two have more than a damn working relationship or a simple friendship, I will have some feeling of fulfillment. It will be small, but it’ll be something. Also #yourracismisshowing LMAO I agree sooo much but you knew that