#which honestly makes me love him more. he's Mature... and oh so very pretty...

[orcelito]

Tales of Arise has consumed my life

I am already in love with this man

[hwnglx]

he had so much to say, and has such self-degrading tendencies that even his green flags came out tainted in this negative light.. so the lines were a little blurred ㅜ

wonbin's real personality behind the scenes

based on tarot. i do not know these idols personally. energies are always changing. what i say is NOT straight fact. pls take it with a grain of salt!

+ so, very early into the reading, i got this vibe of a “protected child” who's been thrown out into the real world, and is trying his best to find his way and place. wonbin has quite pure energy, he's someone who's kinda obsessed about constantly doing what people expect of him, or want him to do. he's so incredibly focused on always meeting people's expectations, that he's still not entirely sure of who he is beyond that; his “true” self persé. his personality is basically the result of what others want him to be, need him to be or see him as. (his energy somewhat reminds me of a more emotional young jk) he sees his own self in the eyes of others, meaning people's opinions have a huge effect on his self-image, which can become a little unhealthy for someone in the public eye, who's out there left vulnerable to be criticized by the audience left and right. he has so so much pisces and libra energy in him, it's crazy. if you asked wonbin “what are your strengths?” it's likely he'd ask what you think his strengths are, and nod his head saying “yeah, that's probably right.”

interesting thing is, he has an abundance of drive and determination. a lot of achievements he's aiming for, so much ambition. but he's very worried about coming off too strong to people. his own “selfish” desires, which basically everyone has, can weigh on him because of this. he doesn't wanna overwhelm anyone, or have anyone think he's too greedy.

wonbin is honestly, one of the few energies i've read for now, who seems to genuinely care for the people around him, which is why he has the tendency to adjust his behavior according to other people's needs. i remember in the reading i did about riize's feelings towards seunghan, wonbin was one of the members who felt sincerely sad about the situation, and it made him look back on himself a lot. this seems to be a pretty good depiction of the type of person he is. i could see the members in this reading here as well, i just think he bases so much of himself on what he can do for the people that depend on him. he wants to be this figure of generosity and kindness, but he's still so.. scared of doing too much, people being bothered by him. i'm in his energy, and he's just nervous.

i'm also getting a lot of voices telling him how he should behave, how he has to be this star and main character in the group, how he has to be the stan attractor, and wonbin just suffers under that pressure, because it doesn't exactly suit his personality. he's very charming and attracts people easily, but he isn't boisterous, or someone who loves being the center of attention all the time. he wants to be comfortable giving others the spotlight sometimes. however, he doesn't wanna disappoint anyone, and truly thrives off of public validation, so.. it's just difficult for him to navigate it, i can feel him being caught up in a dilemma here.

he just seems like this young and clueless guy not even sure of who he is yet, being thrown out into an industry that basically forces a certain image on him, so now he's just running with that. he's like “oh, you want me to be the attractive and flirty guy? okay, i'll act like him then. oh, you want me to be the mysterious and quiet guy? okay, i'll become him then.” that's the energy he seems to be in right now. but, i can truthfully see this changing as he matures. his energy is very young still.

- he's just walking emotion. soooo so emotional. he can give off the impression of being emotionless, but there's an actual turmoil in his head. he takes things personally a lot, even constructive criticism can hurt his heart, which can make him insecure. he deals with a lot of insecurities behind the scenes, many thoughts and concerns about not being enough for people, not meeting expectations. he's an overthinker who's stuck in his head a lot, and can, as a result, make things worse for himself. create problems out of trivial things and dramatize situations in his mind, when from an outsider's perspective, it isn't nearly as bad. very anxious energy.

he can blame himself for many things, especially not living up to the person he himself wishes he was. he has this exact idea of the man he'd like to be (emotionally mature and intelligent, stable and dependable, grown up) and he has problems accepting his journey for what it is. like he wants himself to be at level 100 already, when it's a process, and only natural for him to be at like.. 20, considering he's still so young.

this seems to be a common trait of libra placements, but wonbin also has a habit of pushing down his thoughts and emotions a lot, avoiding negative situations. he doesn't always enjoy expressing himself. he's worried of it coming off wrong and people misunderstanding him. he is the type of person who can sound way more forceful than he actually wants to, just because he keeps bottling everything up and keeps trying to approach every situation peacefully, up until his emotions just come bubbling out of him in this aggressive manner. he doesn't have any bad intentions, but can give a wrong impression to others in this way.

i can also sense a certain struggle with fame he could be experiencing at this moment. it feels like the rose-colored glasses are fading, and fame is starting to become less appealing and “glamorous” as before, the harsh realities of it are making him a little uneasy. he might've expected and imagined it to be different, and is beginning to realize the shallowness behind the concept of fame. it can feel fake and superficial to him, not as fulfilling as its made out to be.

[meanbossart]

I appreciate how you write Astarion so, SO much. I feel like way too many fic writers infantilize him to a point where I honestly start wondering if I'm the one who misinterpreted him so badly.

I'd love to know more about what you think of his character and his arc. Personally I saw him and immediately went "oh god this guy is gonna be the irritating tumblr sexyman of the year🙄" and it took me until Araj basically to warm up to him. What were your initial thoughts and did they change much while playing the game?

OH thank you so much!!! That's a shame if it's the case, and a little surprising to me, to be honest! While he's definitely written be an aloof jerk a lot of the time, I always found him to be surprisingly mature and introspective whenever he's not dishing out witty remarks. He comes off to me as the kind of person who learned to benefit from seeming dumber than he actually is, overall.

HAHA I had a VERY similar experience, not just towards Astarion but all the characters, really (I really disliked Shadowheart at the beginning, too). I had only seen pictures of him and pretty much expected a vapid character that was being carried to stardom because of a talented VA - and because people go nuts for anne rice style vampires lol.

While I was definitely enjoying his voice lines from the start (Again kudos to Neil) I definitely wasn't expecting much else. He piqued my interest after so devastatingly turning my character down at the tiefling party without me even having inquired, and that's when I, the gamer, was like "well, alright, I GOTTA fuck this guy now" (this is also where DU drow's personality began to come out as you can probably guess)

Obviously, if you have two neurons to rub together you can gather pretty quickly that he's not trying to woo you because you're so interesting and wonderful, so I started getting curious! With that dynamic being so different from what you usually expect of romances in these types of games, plus the charming way in which he is written, I started being won over.

I think what really did it was how gradually his attitude changed when responding to new, mostly trivial dialogue options and doing his greetings as you earned his trust, and ESPECIALLY with how he responds to your tav when you express any kind of fear or insecurity during his romance - which was with a lot of sincerity and confidence in his resolve to support you, and in you as a person, a complete 180 from his usual front - Which, again, makes me all the more surprised to hear that he's often painted with such an immature brush.

And obviously he has a DEEPLY ugly side to him (if you've read ANE, hopefully it's clear that I know this, and that I like to explore it just as much as anything else lmao) but it's very interesting to me how it seem to always come in the form of outbursts, rather than a constant evil-streak, usually followed by a glimpse of self-awareness. It feels very much in line with someone who's actually making a great deal of effort to manage their RAMPANT emotions and going through a lot of internal conflict in the process.

GAH. Yeah if you can't tell by this friggin' thesis I just wrote, I love the way they wrote this character a lot and I was definitely proven PROFOUNDLY wrong in my first impression of him - which, if that's not irony at it's finest I don't know what is.

And as an aside! I also very much appreciate that he's a "queer" coded character who's effeminate (in the Old Homo kind of way, but I digress) and flamboyant, but taken Dead Fucking Seriously. With as much progress as we've made in LGBT rep in media, I still often feel like gay men will only get that kind of treatment for as long as they "Aren't That Gay" (I know Astarion doesn't have a set sexuality - But lets not mince words: stereotypes exist, and he fits into most of them) and as a thin-wristed gay guy who's a little too found of linen shirts, I can honestly say that experiencing a character like that helped me with my own confidence.

[hanbindans]

zb1 as boyfriends!!

word count: 2.8k (only ca 350 for each) a/n: requested!! I wrote them in bulletpoint form in an attempt to keep a structure, but I do apologize if it's in-cohesive because my brain is still in finals mode (cries). I also apologize if you think my use of emojis is too much but it just makes sense. Hanbin stans who hate coffee just pretend you don't for this 1 post <33 thanks

jiwoong

You guys. Jiwoong is THE boyfriend. He knows all the in's and out's of boyfriending™ at this point. Will not disappoint.

He might fall in love a liiittle before you, but honestly it would be pretty mutual from the beginning. I think he would have to meet someone with the mindset that it would lead to a relationship (probably doesn't go from being friends to dating) so if he meets you and likes you he would make it known :)

Pretends to like dates in the beginning; going out to have nice dinners, going on late night walks in the city, visiting animal cafés, anything that gives you a chance to talk a lot and really get to know each other.

When he knows he's got you he will prefer at-home dates though because going out is a little too much effort and he'd rather just chill on his couch <333 If you still want to go out for dates though he would of course compromise!!!

Speaking of which- he's so good at communicating and making sure you're both happy, in the relationship and otherwise. Kind of loves when you come to him for advice or admit when you're struggling with something because he sees that as a big sign of trust.

"hey I bet you can't get me a bag of chips from the convenience store in 15 minutes" and you speed to the convenience store because you're a fool in love <3

I don't think he is super lovey dovey- he's more about the casual displays of affection. A "hey, you look really nice today" when he can tell you made an extra effort. A packed lunch waiting for you in the fridge when he knows you're going to have a busy day. Of course he lets you know he loves you, just not every second of every day.

In general he is a very chill, low maintenance boyfriend who is secure in your relationship. Is mature enough to communicate and compromise with you whenever you disagree on something (which is very sexy of him 🤌 we love).

zhang hao

Oh you're totally the one who falls in love first. He has insane rizz- like you're going to be crushing on him for a good few months before he develops feelings back.

Once he does though he's allllll yours. Looks at you with full on heart eyes and giggles at everything you say but is cool about it if that makes sense?? Like he acts unaffected and tries to be the cool and sophisticated boyfriend but it's painfully obvious he's totally head-over-heels in love.

He is 1. a busy man, and 2. an introvert, so his favourite type of dates are in calm and not-so busy places where you can just wind down and spend time together, like small cafés or going for long strolls in nature and just talking. He would also love to just stay at home as you both do your own things, just vibing in peace and being productive.

Will nag at you for every little thing but it's out of love. It's always "babe a granola bar isn't a meal 😒" and "I can't believe you never remember to apply sunscreen!!" but it's not to be annoying he just cares about you (and most of the time he's right).

Brings you cut fruits to snack on when you're busy doing something <3

One thing about Zhang Hao is that he IS a great boyfriend, but he will remind you himself through small comments. "Am I not the best boyfriend... Where else could you find a boyfriend like me... You're so lucky to have the handsomest boyfriend...." He loves you so much and he doesn't want you to find another boyfriend so he is pitching himself so you don't go away <3

The most caring boyfriend who will look after you and make you feel so so loved. Life is exhausting sometimes but this relationship is the perfect safe space for the both of you to relax and be unapologetically yourselves.

hanbin

I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion but I think he would fall in love first!! He's a soft boi at heart, when he meets someone he likes he falls hard and FAST. Luckily for him you fall back though because duh he's Sung Hanbin.

COOKING AND BAKING DATES OF COURSE!!!!!! He will seduce you by cooking your favourite homemade dishes and making you the best cup of coffee you've ever had. Also learns how to make bread so he can lure you into being his partner forever and ever 😈

If you were up for it, I think he would love to take you out dancing. He will teach you if you want and are worried about embarrassing yourself, he just wants you to go out and have fun together!! Probably knows all the good spots and will take you out on the occasional Friday night 🕺🕺

We know this man stays busy, so he might not have that much free time to spend with you... That being said you have his undivided attention whenever he does see you. You have something to say?? All other conversations are unimportant. You're going into another room?? He won't follow you around but he IS counting the seconds until you come back.

If you compliment him on pretty much anything he is an emotional wreck the rest of the day. Wuws his praise, especially from you <3333

Kind of his favourite thing to do is to sit down with you after a long week, have some snacks and some nice drinks ready, and you just rant to each other about work/school/people or whatever. Sometimes you just need to complain to someone you confide in, ya know?? And he needs to know who your enemies are because they are his enemies too.

He just likes you a LOT and wants to involve you in all his favourite things. Hanbin loves life and having fun- and he wants you to have fun too!! You are his most beloved person ever and he shows that by making you a part of his life in all the ways he can.

matthew

There's not a single alternate universe where a relationship with Matthew wouldn't start as friends to lovers. I'm sorry it just works too well with him. You start falling for each other at around the same time, but he's probably the first one to confess. You're both just two fools extremely in love <3

Absolute date master but it's completely unintentional?? Idk, I think he would plan really cute date like picnics in the park or at-home movie nights with dinner. He just has a knack for dates that make you feel like the main character in a movie.

He has one (1) mission and it is to devastate you all the time. Prepare to receive cute texts for no reason, matching jewellery, and for him to ask to take couple pics that he can use as his phone background 🥲

Will teach you his choreographies. Even if it's only two easy steps. Doesn't matter if you are a dancer or not. His baby will be able to dance to his songs!!!

You know how he wants to be the hot Canadian oppa or whatever? Your partner privilege is that you're the only one allowed to tell him he's cute. Like he loves when you giggle and ruffle his hair and kiss his cheeks but that's only because he loves you. If Gyubin tried that shit on Matthew he would be on the floor in a chokehold. Use this privilege wisely.

When it's just the two of you he literally can't keep his hands off of you. Wraps his arms around you so you have no choice but to lie down on the couch and let him hold you and press kisses all over your face. He just likes his cuddles.

Overall a very loving boyfriend who lives to let you know how special you are. You deserve to be treated like a k-drama main character- so he ends up doing all the cliché, cute and romantic things for you that he never imagined himself enjoying before- but now has a special person to do them with <3

taerae

You both start liking each other around the same time. He's a pretty social guy and just very easy to like, so I feel like you would become close pretty fast, and he would confess that he likes you pretty quickly too.

As great as he is to spend time with and talk to- he sucks at the whole dating thing. He does really like you and wants to spend time with you almost always, he just doesn't like the logistics of arranging a date. What do you mean they don't show that movie next Friday?? What do you mean we have to decide where to have dinner?? Please just tell him where you want to go and he will happily go there with you. He just doesn't want to do the whole planning bit.

Sitting together in his bedroom as he strums on his guitar and you do something else.

Very cheesy boyfriend but it's so cute <3 Tooth-rottingly sweet texts and compliments for absolutely no reason, thoughtful birthday gifts, randomly getting you flowers, the works.

He could be the mature, calm, chill boyfriend..... but why would he want to?? Much more fun being your kind of insane boyfriend who acts like the calm and chill boyfriend in front of other people. Like sometimes he has Einstein level thoughts. Sometimes he lies to you that there is a dog behind you just for shits and giggles.

I think he has a pretty high EQ and he would give great comfort and advice if you needed it. Always there for you if you need to rant about your day and that annoying person you don't like, or if you have a problem that he has to help you solve. Empathises really well and never judges you for your honest thoughts.

Taerae really is just a great guy to begin with, but when he's in a relationship with you he is the nicest, most fun and supportive boyfriend . Always willing to go the extra mile for you and make you feel like the most loved person in the world :)

ricky

Hmmm.... I mean there's a much bigger chance that you fall in love first than the other way around. That being said: he's absolutely whipped when he does start liking you back. Like. Gyubin would make fun of him because he literally can't focus on anything else when you're around. So in the end you're both fools in love <3

Oh the dates are going to be top tier. Your wish is his command and the budget is LARGE, so pretty much wherever you want to go or whatever you want to do, he will make it happen. But I think he has a soft spot for museums, art galleries, basically anything "cultural". Or just walking around the city at night and seeing what's open.

Wants to engage in your hobbies!! He will ask a million questions about your interests (sports, music, cinema, drawing, whatever you're passionate about) so he can see you nerd out and maybe understand you a little better. He will also be SO SO SO happy if you're willing to engage in his interests and watch his favourite shows with him because THAT is true love <33

Tbh he's not always great at clearly expressing or asking for affection- but the one thing he would actually ask for is head massages. After a long day, he just can't resist the temptation of spacing out while you run your hands through his hair. He is still too embarrassed to ask for it with his words though, so he just gets all quiet and leans his head onto you and hopes you get the hint (you do).

He also wants to share everything. Mostly shirts, hoodies, jackets- sometimes jewellery. Be careful because while this does mean you can borrow his stuff, he will also borrow yours. Hide your shit if there's something you want to keep to yourself.

He is trying to be the cool, sophisticated boyfriend- but he's just a big softie at the end of the day!! He secretly loves all the cute coupley things like fancy dates and matching necklaces, and he loves to surprise you and watch your eyes go all wide in awe. Really just wants to walk around and be in love all day <3

gyubin

Friends to lovers where you meet through mutual friends and are in the same friend group for a while, silently crushing on each other until one of your other friends gets sick of the tension and tells both of you that you like each other.

Dates are very spontaneous but always fun!! If he has to run errands or go somewhere he will force you to come with him to keep him company. In return he says something to make you laugh approx. every 4 minutes to keep you entertained.

Oh when I say that he is attached to you at the hip... He can't go a full day without talking to you- either by text, on the phone, or face to face. Even when he is with you he HAS to be touching you pretty much all the time- holding your hand and playing with your fingers. If you ask him to tone it down in public he will... Begrudgingly..... Actually physically holding himself back from grabbing your hand.

His one mission every day is to make you laugh at least once. Has a folder of memes saved on his phone that he updates regularly so he can send you something every day.

Prepare to share all your drinks and food for the rest of your life. You got a smoothie?? He's taking the first sip "tO mAkE sUrE iT's nOt pOiSonEd" (you get to try his smoothie too don't worry).

Other than the fact that he needs to be next to you all the time?? He's pretty low maintenance!! Is perfectly fine with spending a whole weekend rotting away in his bedroom, cuddling up to you and scrolling through tiktok as you show each other funny videos that pop up on your fyp's.

In general I see him as being a very fun and loving boyfriend. You are kind of just besties who kiss, ya know? He genuinely likes spending time with you doing whatever- you're the funniest, kindest, best person he knows- and he lets you know by sending "ily" texts at least twice a day and holding your hand everywhere you go <3

gunwook

Oh he has the world's biggest crush on you for a while before you ask him out (yes you need to ask first he's too scared <3). I'm talking "doodling your name in his notebook with hearts next to it" levels of crush. Loses his mind when you ask him out like YOU LIKE HIM BACK???? Crazy.

A very sweet and polite young man to begin with (lucky you!!), but it's going to be 10x more intense with the person he likes. Prepare yourself to be treated like you saved the world 3 times, ended world poverty, hung the stars in the sky, etc.

He's still pretty young and gets too attached too fast so initially he's very scared to mess things up. Googles 'date ideas' to come up with stuff to do and watches K-dramas to learn how to boyfriend (he has NO idea what he's doing. send help. but it's very cute). With time he becomes more chill though.

Think classic dates in the beginning; watching a movie at the cinema, going to a café, stuff like that. When he gets more comfortable it's more like chilling in his bedroom as you binge watch a netflix show or cuddle and scroll through social media in comfortable silence.

A little dramatic sometimes: he gets super excited over all your small achievements and exaggerates when he tells you how TERRIBLE and AWFUL his day was. Also needs reassurance every once in a while that you really do like him back because he gets in his own head too much. Kind of a drama queen but in the best way.

Wayyy too shy to initiate pretty much ANY type of physical affection so he hopes you will just initiate instead and hold his hand. Ya boy is trying to play it cool but is also a little ~insecure~ so he is in a constant dilemma between holding your hand versus not holding your hand. WHAT IF HE DOESN'T HOLD YOUR HAND AND THEN YOU BREAK UP WITH HIM????? He is distressed 24/7.

Overall- very sweet and shy and confused but he WILL try his best to be the bf you deserve!! He's still working on exactly how to do that but rest assured: he does love you to bits and wants more than anything to make you smile every day 🥲 Best boy.

[aclowntiny]

Hiii, can you do svt meeting your parents for the first time?

Hiiiiiiiii!!!! My first request, I'm so excited 😁 I so can friend!!!

(To keep it inclusive, I am putting a bit for *if* there is any language barrier with your parents, but if there wouldn't be, then feel free to ignore that hehe 😌 enjoy queens, kings, all my little monarch butterflies 🥰🦋)

Seventeen Meeting Your Parents For the First Time (Gender Neutral Reader)

Warnings: some slight language is all!

S.Coups

♡ He's simultaneously nervous & excited, AKA get ready to see Seungcheol practically bursting at the seams before you walk into your house. You, for your part, remind him that he's a great guy anyone's parents would love & to think of all the fun you two already had in your hometown that day.

♡ He immediately introduces himself so politely, saying it's an honor to meet your parents and you smile, any vestigial worries you had fading away.

♡ If your he and parents don't speak the same language fluently, he may rely on you a little bit to help bridge the gaps, but he really wants to do his best, so he tries to say anything he can himself and make eye contact with your parents. Will absolutely try his darndest to compliment their house, what they feed him, everything!

♡ Seungcheol is so caring and used to managing lots of people, so he immediately jumps in with offers to help or even serve your parents. They thank him, but insist he sit down because he's a guest. Neither you nor your boyfriend miss the glance they shoot you, one that says seems like a keeper to me.

♡ My gosh, we all know he's a family man too, so when they ask him about what he wants in life, if he wants to get married or *hint hint* would you guys give them grandchildren, and he says yes, he'd love that, hopefully three sons and a daughter if he can get (y/n) on board, well shoot, they'll practically help him pick out rings then and there!

♡ He sighs in relief as you guys leave, a big smile on his face. "That went well!" You exclaim, taking his hands in excitement. "I told you!" "You're right, I knew to trust you~" "I think my parents will want to see a lot more of you," you joke. "I don't have a problem with that," Seungcheol responds. What a man!

Jeonghan

♡ Oh you already know this man is going to WIN YOUR PARENTS OVER. He's pretty ready TBH. Honestly, while his heart is beating faster, it makes him so happy to be meeting your parents, that almost overrides the nerves (almost). You're so sure they'll love him, it fills his heart, too.

♡ He comes with a gift for your parents, this generous guy! He brings flowers for your mom and a drink you tell him your dad will like, which they happily accept.

♡ If there's a language barrier, he does his best to convey how thankful he is to them to be visiting the home of your family and how well they raised you. If you have to say it for him, he greatly appreciates how flustered you look repeating his words, barely resisting the urge to pinch your cheeks in front of your mom and dad.

♡ He helps you set the table, meeting your eyes as you lay everything out with a deep gaze because this all feels so domestic and as a loving homebody, it's perfect. Where you guys are almost fades away in his mind until he hears your mother thank him, shooting back up and away from you to look at her once more.

♡ Goodness me this man is an intent listener. He truly enjoys hearing the stories your parents tell and has very clear answers to their questions. He knows what he likes to do and is mature enough to answer with confidence that he wants a committed relationship, a future with their child if you want that, too- which you of course agree you do. He also delights your parents by answering the grandkid question, getting a bit flustered but happily telling them if you were down, he loves the idea of becoming a father of two personally.

♡ They can see as you sit together how much love Jeonghan looks at you with. It just totally fills up his eyes and the way he turns to you. So much so that when you go over to where the dishes are being washed, your father having been chatting with the two of you, she tells you she's never seen someone so loving with you. When you tell your boyfriend how he touched your mom's heart, he almost tears up, but instead settles for just about yanking you into the house and cuddling the heck out of you. He also thanks you for the experience, it was very sweet even if there were awkward moments at first.

Joshua

♡ "Meeting the parents is always the hardest part!" Joshua exclaims, though his tone sounds half-joking, not despairing. You chuckle at him, leaning a bit closer. "Be for real, Joshua, have you ever had problems with people's parents?" "No," he admits, "they usually seem to like me." "Then don't be worried," you tease him.

♡ Joshua knows a little bit of a handful of languages, so while the chances of a big barrier are sort of small, if it's there he'll probably ask you how to say all the most basic and polite things so he can properly let your parents know he's grateful to them for opening their home to him.

♡ And that's exactly what he does, says thank you before introducing himself, and right away you see your dad is pleased you're in the hands of a polite young man. He says their house is pretty, too, which your mom never forgets ever.

♡ When it's time to eat, Joshua pulls out your chair for you, leading you to flash a victorious grin to your mother, who looks down and chuckles, giving an amused little head shake. You're so proud of this one.

♡ Eloquent and calm of a speaker as he is, Joshua doesn't seem nervous as he gives explanations to what his parents want to know and describes how he enjoys playing the guitar, some of his favorite experiences he's had with you, like the time he took you skating, and even his favorite parts of living in LA and how it compares to Seoul. The whole time, though, one of his hands has reached for yours under the table and is gently holding it like you're his little anchor.

♡ "Why couldn't you have done this the first time?" Your parents joke to you, a message you surreptitiously relay to Joshua. "Your streak remains intact," you tell him. "So I'm a keeper?" He asks, eyes shining at you like you were a trophy he'd won. "I knew that without them," you shoot back, leaning in to give him a peck on the lips, "but now my parents know it too."

Jun

♡ Jun's nervous, but also finds meeting the parents super endearing, so he has some extra energy buzzing as you get ready. He can't wait to see if you look like your parents up close and personal and if their mannerisms are like yours. People have senses of how they are similar to their parents, yet they can never see it all. The way you guys move, the faces you make, all of those are things Jun can't wait to see.

♡ If he has any trouble communicating with your parents, he'll probably get inquisitive, like asking them what they call things or checking with you to make sure what he says is right. May accidentally slip up and call something by its Chinese name in a moment of confusion, but everyone has a good laugh, even Junhui itself.

♡ He tells your parents he can see where you got your good looks from :)))

♡ They ask him questions about his hobbies and work and stuff, so he ends up showing your parents some really impressive dance moves, getting shy when he sees the surprise on their faces, but it gives him some energy. Soon, he's doing impressions of other Seventeen members, giving a colorful picture of his bandmates that makes them laugh.

♡ Something they enjoy about Jun even more is the stories he tells about his little brother. They can tell he's caring and could be a family man: someone they could see themselves trusting with their child. He loves his mother, too, which is clear in the adoring way he talks about her. Definitely a few son-in-law points for Jun lol

♡ You can't help but tease him after you get back in the car. "Oh, you've done it now." Jun's face falls. "Did I make a mistake? Was someone upset?" "No, you love your mom so much my mom's really going to want you as her son now!" "O-oh." Jun blushes, but he can't stop smiling and showing you affection all night, whether it's holding your hand in the car or giving you a hug as you walk.

Hoshi

♡ Mr. Kwon Soonyoung wants THE FULL CRASH COURSE. He'll want to know things your parents like, any pet peeves they have so he can avoid doing them, this man will be studying like it's final exam week! You laugh after a while at all the effort he's putting in considering how to bring up your dad's favorite sport or the movies you guys love to watch. "Don't worry, you're a total people person, Soonyoung. And don't try to pull the introvert card on me, that's different!"

♡ A language barrier would put a slight damper on everything just because all his little tips and pointers he gave himself would be that much harder to bring up, but his desire to connect with people and energy shine through and through no matter what! He probably finds an excuse to give your parents a dance show hehe

♡ He takes such good care of you, all but hovering over you which your parents think is cute. The whole meal you guys share, he's making sure you're getting enough and asking what your favorite is both to make sure you get it and to try a bit himself :)

♡ When talking, Soonyoung stutters a fair bit, but manages to slip in a few of the mentions he wanted, making a reference that lights your parents' faces up with joy and yours with pride. Points scored, tiger!

♡ After dinner you guys start playing a game at your boyfriend's suggestion; he wants to get some of his energy out, his leg having been bouncing all dinner. Plus, if your parents ask him a ton of questions he might pass out. Games are more fun! He suggests your favorite game because he knows how much you like it, giving you a knowing look that your parents catch and smile at.

♡ The game seemed to be a good call of an icebreaker, you and Soonyoung strolling out of your parents' in high spirits. You're holding onto the tall frame of your boyfriend, who's waving brightly and enthusiastically with that adorable grin you loved so much. "Looks like you had a good time." "Yeah, but did they?" "My mom texted me and called you cute, so I think you won some points." Soonyoung leaps in the air, then grabs you and kisses you joyously, giving a whoop. "Your studies paid off," you giggle.

Wonwoo

♡ Wonwoo is naturally a more reserved person, so he worries that it's hard to grab the spotlight in social situations, but you reassure him. "Are you kidding? Think of all the boisterous people parents meet when their kids are young. I'm sure my parents will be refreshed by you- you're smart, reasonable, kind..." "Yeah, that's true, I am huh?" You just laugh, head falling onto his shoulder.

♡ Just as you said, you have an intelligent boyfriend, so even if he isn't able to fluently speak to your parents, he did some research and can pick up things to say to them pretty quickly, especially if you do any on-the-go translations.

♡ Your parents ask him some questions, naturally, like what Wonwoo enjoys doing. Their eyebrows raise at first when he says he likes to play games, but when he starts talking about reading, they look pleased.

♡ Like duh they are, this guy actually takes care of himself and manage living on his own like an adult and has an international driver's license and can handle interacting with them almost like a peer??? King.

♡ He makes an offhand comment during dinner to reassure you about something and that's when he really sees your parents light up because this man knows and understands you deeply- it's a subtle thing about you that others haven't picked up on or worked with and there he was getting it like it was nothing.

♡ "I think they're happy with you," you commented when the evening was over. "You think so?" "Yeah, they cut the questions and got into deeper stuff pretty fast. I could tell they respected you. My guess is they call me tonight or tomorrow and tell me they're glad I chose you." "Well, I have to say I agree with them there, too," Wonwoo tells you with a smile and a quick hug.

Woozi

♡ "What if they don't like me?" Jihoon asks, shooting you a nervous glance. You just laugh. "Jihoon, everyone likes you. Have you seen any of your members lately?" "Yeah, I guess they do, but I'm not dating any of their kids. They don't even have-" Resting a hand on your shoulder, you give him one more firm reassurance. "Trust me, don't try or anything. Just be yourself and get to know them."

♡ If Jihoon and your parents speak different languages, he may rely on you a little bit, but the last way he wants to come across is too dependent on you, so he may push himself further out of his comfort zone than he usually would.

♡ He's extremely polite, almost to the point of being formal, so you take the reins of the conversation at first to loosen him up, telling him things about your parents that he can bond with them over or even straight-up hyping him up to them.

♡ Of course, you inevitably bring up music, enjoying the smile that breaks across Jihoon's face, shyly at first at the praise and spotlight, but soon he relaxes, passion flooding into him as he forgets himself just a little. Your parents have their own styles of music and favorite artists, so of course they want to know if your boyfriend ever listens to them. They're impressed to learn how many songs he really writes, that his group has a producer within it, not just singing whatever they're given. Your heart swells with pride as Jihoon gets more in his element.

♡ Your dad and him get chatting, just sort of going down a rabbit hole, but it makes you laugh because they sort of have similar temperaments??? They just sort of shoot the breeze after a while, you guys chilling after you ate with anything you wanted to drink, sitting on the couches.

♡ Jihoon still wasn't sure as you guys left what your parents were thinking. "You did fine," you told him, "they were relaxed, which is a good thing. They felt at ease." "You could tell?" "Oh, yeah, they weren't being fake at all. They stopped feeling weird when you did!" "Well, that was thanks to you." "And you! Believe in yourself, darn it!" Jihoon just laughed, shaking his head. "That's why I love you."

DK

♡ "I want them to love me! (y/n), how do I get them to love me?" Shaking your head, you smile. "Just be yourself, Seokmin, that's all you had to do to get me to love you."

♡ All Seokmin's nerves manifest in the form of giddiness and awkward humor, so you try to still him as he cracks semi-self-deprecating jokes in the car by holding his hand and telling him to trust you, that you wouldn't have taken him home if you thought it would go badly: heck, most people wouldn't even stay with their partner if they thought it would go so bad at home!

♡ With the possibility of your parents speaking a different language, he'll definitely be extra nervous, but try to say as much as possible. He tries to work in as many jokes as he can and be extra expressive in other ways to get his point across, which is pretty much how he is naturally anyway. No matter if your parents and him speak the same language or not, they'll be laughing a lot together!

♡ One thing you can tell your parents appreciate about Seokmin besides his natural joy and humor is that he's attentive to you; he serves you once your meal is ready, gets you your drink, and makes sure you're situated before lifting a finger for himself. Your parents are visibly pleased by the way he values you.

♡ A member of the 'hey, let's play a game :)' squad because what better way to lighten the mood and take pressure off of everyone talking and performing, right? Will absolutely let your parents pick what game, though, even if he's never played it. "What's parcheesi? ...I mean, yes, that sounds great!"

♡ He pretends to faint when you leave, and as you laugh and play along, "picking him back up", you ask him how he honestly felt. "I had a good time. Do you think they did, too?" "Well, they laughed a lot. I think your story about Hosh at the pizza place really got them hooked. I told you, remember? I was confident your lovable ways wouldn't fail." At that, your boyfriend blushes. "If it wasn't for you, I totally would have spilled your drink everywhere and probably wouldn't have shaken your dad's hand." "Yeah, but they didn't see either of those things, so you're good."

Mingyu

♡ Get ready for charming guy! Mingyu isn't worried about meeting your parents. Well, there's a small, little teensy tiny part of him that worries he'll do something embarrassing, but he's confident in himself.

♡ If you didn't know your boyfriend so well, you'd be surprised at how boldly he just goes up to your parents and greets them, like wow, so... professional???

♡ Mingyu views a potential language barrier as a personal challenge, something he wants to put work in to overcome. That's probably one of the first things he'll say, in fact: that he wants to work on being able to speak well to your parents for everyone's sake.

♡ From that fear of embarrassment, the closest thing he does to anything like that is just a funny misspeak, and though he blushes everyone laughs so it's really not even all that!

♡ The thing he impresses your parents with besides being outgoing and respectful in his greetings is that Mingyu can cook! As you guys eat dinner, it's something he can bond with your parents over and gain an extra few points of mother's approval with because who doesn't want their kid to score a man who knows his way around a kitchen? Plus your mom mouths to you when he's not looking that he's handsome, lol.

♡ Mingyu gets a huge grin on his face the moment you leave. All you can do is smile and roll your eyes. "They liked me, didn't they?" "Well, if you could tell, of course I could! We both knew they would. You're the most outgoing and mature person I've ever brought home!" "And I cook, too~ What a keeper I am~" You smack his shoulder, but also kiss his cheek because what can you say, he's right? You wouldn't have brought Mingyu home otherwise.

The8

♡ Minghao doesn't usually care what people think, like he is who he is and he's secure in that, but hey, no one wants their partner's parents to hate them you know? 🤷🏻‍♀️ he doesn't make some grand plan or worry about establishing a pretense, but just hopes they can see how much he loves their child, too.

♡ If there's a language barrier between them, Minghao puts his all into listening and being intentional with how he interacts with your parents, but he also appreciates that you don't leave him alone with them forever if that's the case, keeping the line of communication open.

♡ He gets kind of shy and smiley because you start hyping him up, reminding your parents what an amazing artist and all around talented man he is, asking if he would show them pictures of things he's made.

♡ Hope your parents have pets, because this man will absolutely melt everyone's hearts with how sweetly he interacts with them, holding them so gently if they let him and giggling at anything adorable they do!

♡ Your boyfriend also has the sweetest view of the future, like the way he talks about his own parents and how their love story really inspires how he wants to live, and of course your own parents love that. He is able to come across as the kind, mature person he is, and no parents can be mad about that!

♡ He also manages to make them laugh with a few choice impressions of the other Seventeen members, and when you leave you congratulate him on how well he did, that you could see how your parents relaxed and enjoyed spending time with him. "I think they're really sure now I'm in good hands. But warning: they'll probably try inviting you around whenever they can!" "That's alright with me. I want to get close to the people who raised you into who you are." How did you get so lucky???

Seungkwan

♡ Seungkwan looks like he wants to throw up on the way to your parents' home. Volunteering to drive was clearly a good call. "Sweetheart, you're amazing with people, what are you so worried about?" You chuckle, grabbing one of the hands he has folded in his lap. "Well, I've heard stories about your mom, and-" "My mom didn't like my last boyfriend because he was a dick, ok? He barely would talk to her. You're going to be leagues better." "That's true, I still can't believe how he treated you," Seungkwan comments, gripping your hand now that he's successfully distracted, "If I ever saw him, I'd-" "Yeah, yeah, save that, my mom'll love that, she still hates him."

♡ If there's any language barriers with your parents, Seungkwan is an amazing boyfriend to have. Even though he's nervous, he immediately smiles and does his best to communicate with them. He'll try using any amount of your parents' language he knows and isn't afraid to repeat things they say to him to learn. He even makes jokes about his own mistakes or just starts talking in gibberish when he's confused, so that breaks tension and lightens the mood too!

♡ His usually affectionate ways stiffen and fade, though, at least at first, because he doesn't know how his parents will react if he touches you, even though he prefers innocent affection like holding your hands in his, putting his arm around you, or giving you a hug from behind. He just doesn't want them to beat his ass lol

♡ Just as you called, Seungkwan is such a naturally outgoing and funny person, he has your parents laughing with the way he tells stories and listens to them intently too, smiling and interjecting little things like "oh really?" and "wow!" so they know he's really giving listening his all.

♡ The moment you guys finish dinner, he starts cleaning up without any discussion, and though they make him sit back down, you and Seungkwan can both tell how much your parents appreciate it. He tries to still make things easier like collecting and stacking dishes he can reach from the table, which makes your mom especially smile.

♡ The one time you bring up your ex in talking about somewhere you went with him, Seungkwan manages to throw in a small shade, his expression contorting hilariously as he does it, which your mom does in fact love. They have a mini shade session and that's how you know Seungkwan is in. You make sure to tell him that when you guys leave. "See? I told you, you're amazing, my parents are open-minded anyway, there was no way it would go badly! They'll probably want to talk to you now whenever we call." "That's alright with me, your parents are fun to be around. I see where you get it from," he comments, wrapping his arm around your shoulders now that your parents can't see.

Vernon

♡ He's wide-eyed the whole drive, lowkey looking like he's on another astral plane. "You ok?" "Yeah, I just...can't believe this is happening. It's kinda crazy, I've heard stories about your parents, but now I'm going to really see them." "They'll like you," you tell him, a joking smile crossing your face as you elbow him, "they'll be happy I'm finally with someone chill."

♡ If your parents have pets, Vernon totally becomes immediate besties with them, which endears your parents to your boyfriend that much more. He's quiet and gentle with them, and showing a respect for life is a good sign in their eyes.

♡ He'll know already if there's any potential of a language barrier. It intimidates him, especially since he's already a pretty quiet person, so he may do a lot of talking through you, but everything he says is sincere. Probably tries to make a joke to make up for it.

♡ Vernon is one of the more inquisitive ones, asking your parents questions, too. Not interrogating them like they'll want to do to him lol, but he wants to know what they enjoy, how long they've lived where they lived, just little things like that to help him understand them. I mean hey, they're strangers too, you know?

♡ You're different around your parents. More relaxed. You lived with these people for how many years, after all? Vernon smiles, feeling like he's truly seeing you in your element now that you're home. You crack some super goofy running joke you have with your family that has him in stitches, and it finally helps him shake off some stiffness and formality. They may be your parents, but they're also people, you know?

♡ He gathers info about your parent's humor and interest, probably finding a meme or something he read that breaks the ice a little more so he can relate to them. They love it if he already knows anything about their interests. When you and Vernon finally take off, he tells your parents how nice it was to meet them and thanks them for having him. You tell him as you guys pull away that he did good. "You were so easy, they'll love you for that. No shmoozing or anything. I can tell they had fun." "Well," Vernon smiles, "I did too."

Dino

♡ This man right here??? Is absolutely DETERMINED to make your parents love him, whatever that takes. You'll probably have to remind him that trying too hard and showing off will have the opposite effect. "Trust me, my first boyfriend was like that. It didn't work," you told him with a laugh.

♡ Chan wants to overcome any potential language barriers, so he'll probably keep things concise but as charming as possible, like interjecting small jokes and compliments when he can just to make your parents smile and show he's making an effort.

♡ When they start asking him about goals and passions, that's when he really lights up. In his mind, that's his time to shine. He tells them that he's still learning, but working to improve himself and grow every day, explaining that performing is his life, but he never wants that to come at the expense of neglecting their kid either! He wants to take care of you! If you have to translate this, my gosh he'll have you getting shy and blushing, trying to keep down his own satisfied smile at this because he doesn't want to seem cocky.

♡ He'll probably be another one to suggest playing a game with your parents to help break the ice, making everyone comfortable and releasing some of the interrogation pressure.

♡ This particular game you happen to beat his ass badly at, which honestly just gives your parents that much more to be proud of you for and laugh at so Chan can't even be mad, he just joins in! Your joy is infectious, negating his competitive side...for now. The next game, it's so on. He probably teams up with your mom to take down you and your dad, which they have a lot of fun with.

♡ "That was fun, right?" "Yes," Chan sighs, arms falling around you, "but I'm kind of glad it was over." "Uh oh." "What?" "I hope you won't be disappointed if they want to do this again. They're going to want to be close to you, you know." Chan puts his hand under his chin, pretending to think. "Well, if it lets your mom and I get revenge for that cheap move you pulled, then I'll do it!" "There's the Lee Chan I know," you grin.

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

Meet the Parents Part 2

Okay, once again, I rambled for too long and needed to do a second part. Sorry that this post is also coming delayed, real life stuff comes first.

Part 1 to be up to speed!

You know? Maybe it was for the best that the post got cut short, I realized of a small detail that didn't notice yesterday.

The sequence where this four frames are from last around a 1 or 2, I am not really doing this in any professional fashion so I cannot say the exact time; but it is pretty quick, even at half speed.

But you can see how for a moment, Gwen either realizes this is not going well, or drops the enthusiastic persona for a second. Either way, I think it shows that this is not going how she expected.

While Gwen hasn't heard enough to know it was a bad idea using their first names, I don't doubt that Miles talks about them fondly.

She got along well with May and Ben (I notice later that there are some flashbacks including Ben.) And that probably meant a lot to her because you can see how prevalent was the relationship between those families, eating together, talking, etc. Almost like a family.

I don't think Gwen would like to replace Peter and his family, but Miles is not a replacement of Peter anyways. She probably wanted meeting them (Even if I am sure she didn't want to have this meeting today,) would run a lot more smoother.

Because she knows Miles loves his parents, and they do sound like good people; she didn't even seem to think this could actually turn so awkward.

This moment just last a couple of seconds at best, so this goes fairly quickly.

And again, I am not saying this because I want to paint Miles' parents in a bad light; even if they are not giving a fair shot to Gwen, all things consider they are been extremely patient with Miles.

(I really need to do a post about that.)

Now going back to where we left it.

Oh this scene is so hard for me to see.

(Sorry, but DAMN the representation here; this didn't exactly happen to me, but similar enough that is giving me the most embarrassing flashbacks. No I am not saying this is an universal experience, just very painfully real to me.)

Okay, Miles' parents are being over protective here? Oh for sure.

While I think their actions are very logical and understandable once you remember they have no idea what Miles is doing; this is really the part where Rio and Jeff shows us they also need to mature in this movie.

And I don't say it as an insult; a lot of parents have trouble with this transition, and Miles is their first and only child; with said child suddenly not acting as the same kid anymore.

(Sidenote; I am surprised Miles doesn't have any siblings, Jeff and Rio look so in love I am surprised it didn't happen.)

I love how Gwen just takes her hand back, like "well damn I didn't even get a date with him and his parents already are telling me to back off."

Also oof, poor Miles. Honestly forget three months this is probably worse than that already.

Rio making that joke is painfully realistic and let's move on to the other part of that dialogue.

I think Rio and Jeff aren't just trying to establish some rules with Miles (considering the amount he has broken today,) but they also need to reaffirm themselves of being able to dictate what's going on Miles's life.

Again, this is coming just after they grounded him, and then he dipped out. They are feeling they are losing him.

I love Rio, I do, but ma'am this is how you get your kid to keep even more secrets for you.

Not much else to say here, this is the lesson she and Jeff need to learn. Miles is (probably) still hating being alive right now; and Gwen is somehow able to keep that composed face despite everything which has to be one of her most impressive feats in this film.

I honestly have to feel it for Gwen right now.

She probably knows the alert her watch is giving her is bad news, so she really doesn't have another choice.

Forget not making a good impression with Jeff and Rio, now she just lost her chance to have a decent goodbye with Miles.

At this point I don't think she would had admitted to herself this couldn't happen again, I think even now she hoped for another chance later down the line. But there is no idea to know when.

I have no idea what she would had said if she had the chance to say goodbye on her own terms, to his face; but it was certainly not what she ended up doing.

Girl, 3 years being spiderwoman and you can't still come up with good lies for situations like this?

Ok I cannot blame her for not being able to come with up with something better; this entire conversation was already not going well and now she basically needs to flee, which doesn't help.

Oof, look at Miles's face, he really looks so heartbroken here.

For all the awkwardness Gwen has sported during this conversation, this is among her most natural expressions; while she is probably not stranger for dipping early, I do think this is not how she wanted to leave.

Gwen really didn't want to leave, at least not leave Miles. While she couldn't really explain what was going on, I think she wanted to let him no that this isn't about his parents or him, she wouldn't be going out if she didn't have any other choice really.

Jeff hasn't really said much during this conversation, mostly having judgy stares at most, but you can see his expression become a bit more open once he sees Gwen's behaviour change.

Rio I think is trying to maintain a mask because she probably also caught on this looking a bit off, but also because is around here that she starts to realizing how much Gwen means to Miles.

I think is also around this point that Rio seemed to want to say something else.

She could just be trying to say goodbye, but I think her expression and her hand point out more than she actually wanted to intervene here.

I am pretty sure that regardless of how Jeff and Rio felt about Gwen, they didn't want to make her run away like that.

Because again, they are missing context; Gwen is leaving because the Spot flee and she just got herself into a mess, Miles knows this is related to spidey issues.

But as far as Jeff and Rio are concerned, this girl tried to be friendly (way too friendly for their liking but friendly nonetheless,) and is now running away after Rio decided to play Mother Hen.

(Sorry, that joke may not be understandable in english. Mama Gallina/Mother Hen is an expression used a lot in my country for moms that are very protective of their kids.)

Oh, this shot.

This is an interesting comparison because when Miles heard that Gwen was leaving, he looked so crestfallen; she could see it so did his parents but he didn't register the fact that it was so pain this was for him.

Gwen maintained a somewhat composed face to them, but on this shot that she is giving everyone the back, she looks so sad.

This, is basically their relationship in a nutshell. Miles wears his heart in his sleeve and can't help himself on it, and Gwen tries her hardest to keep her emotions at bay, but everything so often they creep back.

This is awkward, and it looks awkward, and this is really more into speculation territory than analysis, but I think she did it because she wanted to go for a hug, or similar.

I had mentioned in other posts how I believe Gwen is an affectionate person, or at least, someone who likes and seeks physical affection to those important to her.

The way she went to hug her dad both at the beginning and end show how much she craves affection; and how she barely contained herself before hugging Miles tells me not just that she probably has even less people to hug nowadays, but how much important he is to her.

But she probably doesn't want to upset his parents more, and his mom told her just a minute ago to basically leave Miles alone; so this was the best she could think of.

Nobody is really happy. Even Rio and Jeff are realizing how uncomfortable is Gwen; thought again, they are probably thinking this is all their fault.

This is really the moment when Rio and Jeff are probably realizing that whatever the heck is going on with Gwen and Miles, is important to them, or at least Miles.

Again, Jeff and Rio are worried, and they have no idea what Gwen's situation is, Miles mentioned she left town but they didn't even believe she existed prior this so they probably doesn't think that's case. Or even if it was, well, keeping contact can't be that hard in this day and age right?

(Sadly, Miles really needed to fall in love with a girl who to get in contact with you need technology from another timeline.)

Miles is 15, and they just met this girl, they couldn't imagine how much she matters to him, specially with all the secrets.

And here, is when Rio finally can let her own feelings aside for a moment, and see her actual son, and not the idea she has of him.

Of course, he is just staring at where she is at, no idea when he would see her again.

A part of me wonders, if he would had tried to go and say something else if his parents wouldn't had been here.

I really, do think Gwen wanted to say something else.

Now with all the context, it makes me so sad to see Gwen leave, and still have trouble to actually do so.

Because she knows this meeting wasn't suppose to happen, and she has no idea if she could ever repeat it or when. She has been so focused on Miles she completely neglected the mission, heck, she even neglected to keep an eye on the guy, which wasn't even so much of a fix for this situation.

You know? Something I kept thinking while analyzing this scene, is how is not just Miles struggling to keep a civial life and a spider life, Gwen is going to the same thing, or similar enough at least.

At this point, she has embraced the Spidey life, she literally has no other choice because she cannot go back home. Her life as Gwen Stacy was gone; being able to just be a carefree teen is left by the times she can be crashing at Hobbie's dimension, and even then, you see that is not enough.

In this sequence, she tries to go back to those patterns, like the camaraderie she had with May, or the jokes she probably shared with her dad's buddies.

But it doesn't go well, and her last moments with Miles were extremely awkward, and them discussing about the organization.

This all feels just like a bitter reminder, she can't be just a teen anymore.

Is a shame, because on the Clock Tower we basically confirm, that Miles was the only person that could make her feel that someone was seeing her for all her. To combine those two worlds she belonged.

But she can't have that now, just like she believes, she can't have Miles.

[all-seems-no-well]

"Testing...Hello? Can you hear me?..."

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

-Hello. AHEM... Regarding the past events of "Kalloway Kindergarten" , We have decided to hear from the victims 20 years later to get a better insight on what really happened. The following paragraphs will be from our latest interviews with each, separate person. - These will be repeated from what our subjects had said to the interviewers. - Sadly, some people hadn't come to the interview. So please bear with us on this unfortunate mishap. Thank you for listening, Thank you for your patience, and thank you for coming.

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

-Subject no. 1 (???)

"Subject number one was unable to make it today.

-Subject no. 2 (Lilith (Lily) Prescott.)

"Slow and painful it was. At least, that's how it felt for me. But I can't imagine the more brutal things my brother had to go through. He was missing for a while, and...Nobody knew where he went. Until that very day, I and...someone else, had found him...... Under the school. The principal was doing experiments on him. It was all so... horrific. Too horrific for a child to see... If I could go back in time and give my younger self a hug, I wouldn't think twice. As for my brother, I would've done the same, even at the time. I wish In that moment I could've told him how much I loved him, how much he meant to me... But now I can't..."

-Subject no. 3 (???)

"Subject number three was unable to make it today."

-Subject no. 4 (Jerome Kennedy.)

"Hearing about the awful stuff my dad did after he died, broke me as a kid. If I had known what he was doing before, I would've told someone before it got so bad... Sometimes I still blame myself for everything that happened. I know I shouldn't, but he was MY dad. I can't get over it."

-Subject no. 5 (Buggs V. Mallory.)

"Shit sucked. Those other kids were awful to me. And yeahhh, I may or may not have been awful to them back. But YOU would be a dick too if YOU were constantly bullied! Oh, right...that... Well, I wasn't really a part of the whole thing. All I know is one day our principal died, and then another day our other principal died. A lot of principals died that week, man. So uh. I don't know.

-Subject no. 6 (Cynthia (Cindy) Louelle.)

"Okay, well. Kindergarten was kinda blehh... y'know? I met some decent people there, I guess. But I also met the most rudest girl in the world! Ugh... But yeah, like, I didn't really care about the whole "principal experimenting on us" jig. It was kinda just stupid... and annoying.... And I honestly don't even recall half of the teachers there, sooo...."

-Subject no. 7 (Monty Hyde.)

"I lost a lot at that damn school. I mean seriously, they didn't think to fire the janitor after day two?! I lost my legs because of him! And now I've just been stuck with these unflattering girl legs. But y'know what? Kindergarten was pretty fun at times. Cause' I was a little shit, and all the teachers knew it. I was even smarter than the science teacher, which says a lot about how smart I am now as an adult! ....are you recording this? Yeah? Good. YOU HEAR THAT DR. DANNER?! I'M BETTER NOW. IM A SUCCESSFUL MILLIONAIRE, AND WHERE ARE YOU? PROBABLY IN A RETIREMENT HOME...... Uh- Thank you for having me here..."

-Subject no. 8 (Felix K. Huxley.)

"I say... Kindergarten was certainly quite the experience. Younger me would've said it was horrible, but now that I've matured I see just how dramatic I was being. Though, there were some things I did that....I'm not quite proud of.... But! That aside, the experience looking back at it was quite swell. If not for that place, I wouldn't have met my lovely Cynthia...or what's his face- uh- Monty!... He's helped me a lot with my business, and I tip my metaphorical and imaginary hat to him."

-Subject no 9. (Theodore (Ted) K. Huxley)

"I believe they should've had much better funding, and staff. Because that place was just...awful. The teachers obviously despised their jobs, and the bathrooms... Oh the bathrooms were foul...! And even thinking about Kindergarten brings back horrible memories of what my brothe- actually nevermind... But anyway, thinking about the pain and suffering those poor students before me must've gone through...it makes me sick to my stomach. They could've done so much better for the students and the school itself."

-Subject no. 10 (???)

"Subject number ten was unable to make it today."

-Subject no. 11 (???)

"Subject number eleven was also unable to make it today."

-Subject no. 12 (Ozzy Harrison.)

"I don't have any good memories of that place. Not one. I'm sorry, but I don't even wanna talk about it anymore..."

-Subject no. 13 (Madison Bonneau.)

"It was like one second I was at recess, and then another I was in some sci-fi looking lab! But me and my friends got saved by some randos, so all was well after that I think! But in all seriousness, that mean lady got what she deserved. I'm glad nobody has to put up with her ever again... oh, oh! And also there was a girl there when it happened...and her head freakin' exploded!! I couldn't sleep for days because of the sight!"

-Subject no. 14 (Alison (Alice) M. Claire.)

"I heard Madi from the other room... I am incredibly sorry about her... excitement? She's never been interviewed before, and quite frankly, neither have i- o-oh, yes...my apologies... The whole situation had really put a negative toll on my well-being. I was scared to go back to school, I had a hard time trusting people, and I was overall terrified of everyone and everything around me. It felt like a bunch of eyes had been laid upon my person, and hands were out to hurt me at any moment. I and my friends were kidnapped by the other school's principal, and to say it was traumatizing would be an understatement..."

-Subject no. 15 (Ronaldo (Ron) Duncan.)

"hey do you have any cheese? No? Okay.. Well anyway. What I remember is like.. kinda crazy. So bear with me. I was just on the playground, swinging on the swings, okay? And then suddenly IM KNOCKED OUT, LIKE BLAM! And then, I woke up in some bunker with a bunch of sciencey stuff in it. And I'm like floating around in this giant tube thingy, right? And then these kids come into the bunker and they're like "well save you!!" And then the evil principle lady turns me into a monster and I'm all like "blehghh" and my friends are also like "blehghh." BUT THEN the principal lady also turns into a giant, ugly monster!! And then the kids kill her like superheroes. True story."

-Subject no 16 and 18 (???)

"These two subjects were unable to come in today due to their own plans together."

-Subject no. 17 (Austin Scarrow)

"I don't actually CARE about the stuff that happened in kindergarten! That stuff was a long time ago, and it doesn't matter to me anymore..."

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

"By listening to our subject's stories, We hope you know how much this means to them, finally being able to speak up about their own experiences from the tragedy. These people are powerful, and strong, and we wish nothing but the best for them."

------

------

"...Jesus...these kids are gonna make me a killing. I've got to get in contact with those other subjects... If I don't, this whole jig is gonna go out of business..."

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Kiko’s Masterlist

This is a Master for the important links for my stories 😊

*We are not spoiler-free here, so please block the JJK Manga Spoilers tag if you don't want spoilers!*

Some of my posts contain mature content, and I try to mark them with proper community labels. If you're not seeing them, you'll need to make sure your settings are updated to display content marked as mature. Please consume mature/explicit content at your own discretion!

Please do not copy, imitate, or recreate any of my works. If my works inspired yours, please give proper credit.

AO3 💕 | ko-fi ☕️ | Patreon | twitter | Vocal

Another Level Masterlist

Status: Complete

“You’re a Zenin.”

More like an unwanted mistake. Which, funny enough, had actually been the first words she ever heard her father say to her. - Kurisaki Rinko was born an unwanted bastard child to the Zenin clan, having since grown into an unwanted bastard adult. Her stubborn refusal to be discarded resulted in a display of strength that many would call (they had, many times to her face, in fact) an unhinged lack of self-preservation. But lucky for her, that unhinged display caught the attention of a particular blue-eyed menace who happens to be more fun to rile up than anyone she’s ever met.

Read Another Level on AO3

Physical Paradox Masterlist

Status: In Progress

How they went from: “I’m kinda impressed,” Gojo stated, sliding his sunglasses onto his face. “Didn’t expect a psych major to know this much about philosophical theory.” Rinko blinked at him slowly, raising her eyebrows as she scoffed. “I’m sorry, mister unresolved childhood trauma,” she said, stepping closer and poking a finger in his chest. “But I don’t really give a fuck if you’re impressed.”

To: “Your professor is leading the world of cognitive and behavioral research,” Gojo told Rinko's students, chest swelling with pride. “And she’s really pretty-” “Oh, she’s fucking gorgeous!” he agreed. “She has it all. Smart, funny, beautiful. She’s honestly perfect. It’s incredible she-” “Married you?” Touma interjected. “I know. I thought the same thing when I first met you.”

Read Physical Paradox on AO3

Gokudō Masterlist

Status: On Hold (I will finish this eventually, though)

Gokudō (極道): the extreme path. A term used to refer to members of a Yakuza syndicate.

-

“Now, why is a pretty girl like you in an ugly place like this?” “Some might say the contrast is tragically poetic,” she replied easily. “Yeah, well,” he drawled, a smirk pulling at his lips as he stepped up to stand beside her. “Others would say it’s tragically idiotic. What’s your name, pretty girl?” “Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?” she asked, her pulse jumping at his quiet chuckle. “You already know who I am.”

-

She never asked to be part of this world. A world filled with greed and violence and revenge. She never asked to be part of the world where life was as meaningless as dust. The world stained red by the blood that pooled beneath her mother’s body after she was forced to watch her die. She never asked to be part of the world driven by hatred and bloodlust, but she never asked to leave, either.

Read Gokudō on AO3

One-Shots

Before I Love You - (angsty Gojo/Rinko AU, hopeful ending) - Part 2: Broken Lens | Author's Discussion

Fight Me? - (Nurse!Gojo shoots his shot with a grumpy patient)

Blurbs

For Your Health - (College!Gojo just wants to help his girlfriend stay healthy)

Untitled Unfinished Angst (very angsty Goinko bc Kiko is not ok)

Previews

Untitled (a self-indulgent Goinko AU about healthy relationships) - Preview 2

Bittersweet Memories (an angsty au inspired by The Vow)

Random Asks and Kiko's Rants

Ask: Advice for AO3 writers and when you're in a creativity rut

Ask: How Do I plan the plot for stories?

Rant: The issue with meaningless angst

Kiko's Original Work

Sample: Summary and blurbs

Sample: Blurbs 2

Meet some characters

Another Life - Short Story

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 3! MATCH 2 OUT OF 4

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Queen Red Riding Hood:

She's a girlboss who is sometimes a little vain but still loves her friends and will do anything to save her kingdom. Also she was in love with a guy since she was like 8 and he continuously rejected her, and then she found out he was in love with her archenemy. So yeah, she needs this.

She's kinda spoiled and high maintenance but gets better. I just think she's a fun character

i loved the land of stories series as a kid and i especially loved red because shes sooo full of herself and wears beautiful dresses and expensive jewelry and stuff (she became a queen lol) but also she does come to genuinely care for people and her friends and has a good heart (even if she does brag about it) she’s a very funny character x)

She’s a great example of how sudden fame and wealth at a young age can go to your head, and she gets great character development about it. She has an entire giant chamber in her castle full of baskets (it’s unfortunately quite flammable). My most favorite detail about her is when she finds a wolf pup in the woods, she assumes it’s a dog and names him Clawdius (yes, spelled like that). Everyone else knows it’s a wolf but no one wants to be the one to tell her. She learns the truth and gets over it and now Clawdius is her guard wolf. (Oh also she had the original Big Bad Wolf made into a winter coat, and that’s the original reason Clawdius came to her) I love her, she’s married to a giant frog man, she got elected queen, please vote for her.

Queen Red ftw!!!!!!

As you can see from these little excerpts [Mod's note: click on link to look at the excerpts] that I managed to gather in less than ten minutes, you should vote for Queen Red :D

YESSSS VOTE FOR QUEEN RED, SHE DESERVES THIS SO MUCH

Vote for Queen Red TLoS!!! She's a girlboss who married a frog man :D

Cerise:

She’s the child of the red riding hood and the big bad wolf. Don’t question it to okay. Also she was the first character I thought of when I saw this!

She’s the daughter of red riding hood and the big bad wolf! She’s a werewolf!

Love her design very much. She gets a lot of great outfits. Also, another version of Red Riding Hood that incorporates both the girl and the wolf together.

1: ever after high was iconic and amazing and so well written and i'm really bitter that it was cancelled so i think cerise deserves this win (i do too) 2: her design is really good. like no one else could EVER if you ask me 3: wolf girl. do i NEED to say more. ...honestly, my brain cannot bring out any more words so fingers crossed someone else submits her and she gets some ACTUAL GOOD propaganda (sorry cerise forgive me)

She’s a badass red riding hood with a secret (her dad is the big bad wolf)

She's the daughter of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, so she has wolf ears and is really strong. She's supposed to be the next Red Riding Hood so she should count.

She's the daughter of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf making her a daughter of forbidden love and thus a double representation of Little Red Riding Hood's age-old story of maturity and adolescence.

She's really cool! She was born from a forbidden romance between the wolf (don't worry he turns into a human lmao) and Little Red Riding Hood and has to hide her heritage from other people which I think is really interesting. Also her hood is really pretty.

She's the daughter of red riding hood and is meant to take over that role when it's her time

she slays so hard!! while technically shes not THE little red riding hood, she is her daughter and the FUTURE little red riding hood. shes also half wolf, which is really cool!! and yea. she slays.

idk she’s just cool & definitely gay

She’s meant to be the next Red Riding Hood but her whole bit is that not only is her mom Red Riding Hood, her father is the Big Bad Wolf and she needs to keep it a secret. The best of both worlds. The tween girls went crazy for the wolf thing. Had a pretty doll and cool outfits. Has an older sister who’s meant to be the next Big Bad Wolf (Ramona Badwolf) who she comes into conflict with. Identity crisis! She was everything to eleven year old me

She’s half wolf, she has cool white streaks in her hair, she’s a jock with super speed and I like her a lot.

she turned me lesbian.

Fan favourite, my first lesbian crush on a character

She is a daughter of previous Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf, how cool is that

She’s a furry yeuwu

she’s the daughter of red riding hood and the big bad wolf. she’s a wolf girl. i love her

[its-shugo-chara-time]

Shugo Chara Jewel Joker Ch. 1 Review

I thought I'd go over my thoughts about the first chapter of the sequel.

So, can we first start off with how gorgeous this chapter cover is? Like I absolutely love how the same art style is still there but it seems more refined and...mature (I don't know how but it just does).

I'll be completely honest that I'm not super thrilled about them adding on another love interest to the sequel. It makes sense, but, not super excited about it. The fact that he already appears to just be a younger version of Ikuto feels a bit lazy on Peach-Pit's end. Sorry if that's offensive but those were just my initial thoughts.

I also really like that it's a sequel directly after the events of Shugo Chara Encore. I think exploring Amu's growth through middle school is such a great concept. The ~ cool and spicy ~ line still makes me smile every time.

It's so good to see Rima, Yaya, and Kairi!! AAAH THEY ARE ALL SO PRECIOUS, especially Rima. I always have adored her.

Also, Kairi and Yaya's dynamic is so cute. I think they balance each other out really well. I know some thought their "pairing", if you can even call it that, in Shugo Chara Encore random, but I think it actually works well. I'd love to see some of the chapters show how Kairi and Yaya are doing taking over the Seiyo Academy Elementary guardians, maybe even see who the new King, Queen, and Joker end up being.

And then there's the adorable prince. I spent so much of middle and high school years going back and forth between him and Ikuto as my favorite. I started off liking Ikuto then went to Tadase then back to Ikuto haha. Now that I am 26 years old, I can acknowledge that the age gap between Amu and Ikuto is definitely valid in people considering it problematic, which I would have adamantly disagreed with at 16. Now that I am a therapist and have seen a lot (to say the least), my opinion has changed. I can't deny the appeal of that relationship in a fictional setting but also can't deny that the age gap is not something that can be overlooked. It would never fly in real life. I'll just leave it at that.

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed when I first read this about her going to a new school. I was like NOOO I WANT TO SEE AMU WITH THE SAME CHARACTERS AND JUST SEE ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS DEVELOP MORE. Alas, though, I also can agree that the new school and new characters can be great for Amu's growth and journey. Plus, I mean, there's got to be an actual plot lol. So there's that.

I also love how Tsukasa is downplaying all of this. Like it'll actually only take a week or two. Or a semester haha. Also weird how he's just shipping them off with little regard for their actual education or wants. Did Amu's parents actually say yes to this? Haha. It's those little things that I think about that I wonder if anyone else does.

First appearance of the new mysterious cat boy. I wonder if they're making him (at least appearance wise) identical to Ikuto because Peach-Pit realized that Ikuto being with Amu is deemed problematic more so now or if it's just another distraction until Amu ends up with Ikuto ..or Tadase? I honestly have no clue what they'll end up doing. I also just wanted to say that if you all do ship Amuto or Amu with Ikuto, there is no judgment from me. I must acknowledge that it is inappropriate but at the same time, I also know the nostalgia and very cute story they have too. Their relationship is very sweet, but the age gap can't be overlooked. But anyway, still not thrilled about this new guy, sorry.

Oh my gosh look how cute they are!!! Amu's uniform suits her so well, I 100% support her wearing that the rest of the series. Tadase also looks super cute too with that coat. He looks more grown up, aw.

I don't know how all these children get to go to these academies that look more beautiful than some cathedrals. Also can't wait to see how this new cute villain guy contributes to this story. I wonder how he'll differ from the other villains like Nikaidou and Kairi's sister (why can't I remember her name?) or the Easter director guy. I think Nikaidou has been my favorite "villain" so far. I think he was the most developed one.

I like the concept of the X not disappearing and having this cultish academy where everyone already has guardian characters. Where did the X egg go though? Did it just disappear? Am I stupid because I seriously don't know why it's not mentioned after this haha like where did it go? And whose was it? Can't wait to see why all the students are desensitized to this haha.

Possible villain number 2. I like her character design. I kind of like how she's more passive aggressive toward Amu instead of how it was with Rima and Utau where it was full on aggression at the beginning. I don't think we've really seen Amu handle that dynamic and I'm curious how their relationship will develop. It's funny how Amu knows there's something off about her immediately. Amu definitely isn't naive like she can read that the girl doesn't have good intentions pretty quickly.

Okay, this conversation that Amu has with Rima is so cute though. Whether I can fully ship Amuto or not, I have to say Rima giving Amu relationship advice (albeit, not good advice haha) is hilarious and we need to see more of this please.

Gosh I love Amu's different faces. And that's she's a scaredy cat.

Can we just remember -

And many, many more amazing Amu reactions from the anime.

I'll close with, I still don't like new boy but I guess I can't say I permanently think that until he actually gets formally introduced. I hope he's distinctly different from Ikuto or else it just feels kind of pointless having him there.

Welp, that's my commentary! Sorry that was EXTREMELY long. It's also almost midnight where I live, like wow I sure can blab about this manga for a long time. Please comment or like if you at least somewhat enjoyed this little review. Or if you didn't like it. I'm open to suggestions haha, or light-hearted, respectful debates. I'm very new to being back on tumblr so if my formatting is horrendous I'm down for some advice. I also will be posting about the second chapter in the upcoming days so be looking out for that too! Excited to be back on here and see what you all think about the sequel :)

[nonbinaryeddiekaspbrak]

FANFIC RECS!

here's a revamped version of my rec post - each fic will link to it's corresponding ao3 page, a summary in my words, small notes/review, and a disclaimer for more mature ratings if needed.

enjoy!

(* = new entry, last updated: Dec 3rd, 2023, still going through recent bookmarks)

(ps. let me know if you want your mention to be removed!)

IT

and a stain on my shirt - venom crossover, vv good, also a fix-it, venom finds another eddie to latch onto, a lot of humor, reddie get together, venom saves eddie

awake my soul - pretty angsty, keep an eye on those trigger warnings, this was pretty good, i rlly couldn’t take any breaks with this one, richie and eddie get jumped but in the process of putting away the ones responsible for the hate crime richie finds that he’ll have to come out sooner than he’s ready for, added bonus of art!!, happy ending, has fan reactions and news coverage as things are slowly revealed

come over here and overwhelm me - nsfw, a VERY GOOD rec, SO tender, the fluff is so well written, richie is having a bad day nd eddie comes to the rescue being so hfwjaklhj!!!, this fic said bottom richie rights nd it opened my eyes

don’t break character - HE/THEY RICHIE RIGHTS, richie finds that maybe his journey of identity isn’t over when he hears the word “nonbinary”, very!!!!, fjkdkslahfkl, just him having he/they pronouns is so exciting and flappy hands-worthy

I killed a clown. ama! - it chapter 2 except it’s through the lens of social media from posts by richie eddie myra and background fans, very very entertaining, canon compliant until eddie’s death it’s actually a fix-it, fair amount of angst??

it’s not real - WATCH THE TRIGGER WARNINGS, a lot of angst, very intense, eddie has an amazing richie impression, almost like they share the same braincell, eddie is also vv caring and will drag any faceless internet account down with him, could def make it in celebrity PR according to richie’s manager steve, richie comes out but he gets a horrible reaction and then finds himself in the middle of a clusterfuck of things that unfortunately couldn’t stay in the past, bill apparently also gets cancelled a lot and he cannot cook, he’s also the only other loser in here, a black mirror au, AGAIN WATCH THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS ONE

oh, wouldn’t it be nice? - nsfw, some angst, eddie finds richie’s obituary that he got from adrien (the park scene in chap 2; at least i think it was adrien), SUPER SWEET OMG, i had to stop a few times from the sheer amount of emotion this gave me

parental interference - in 1989 some parents are coming to their senses when it comes to a certain clown, i love went he’s an awesome dad, T rating, i suggest a peek at the trigger warnings/tags just in case, canon-typical triggers, again i really love wentworth tozier in this fic he’s a 10/10 dad

predicament bondage - nsfw, richie is 100% a sweetheart, eddie is fjdsljfkslf i love this version of him, richie is cast as a dom in a movie so he decides to get information from a professional which is eddie but he finds that working with eddie might bring his heart into the mix, a lot of internalized homophobia so watch out, ur honor i love eddie here

puppets and plants - the way this was written? *muah* my number two rec, some angst, the intimacy of u nd the guy set up across from u at the farmer’s market, amazing stanpat dynamic, trans eddie and ben!, pride parade!!

the king is gone - absolutely AMAZING time travel fix-it, fairly long, some angst, some fluff, not at all a boring read

the lockbox - pushing an M rating? maybe a T?, asexual eddie finding out that he’s ace and everything that comes with realizing u aren’t straight, honestly made my ace heart so happy, bit of angst

work friends and emergency contacts - outsider pov, eddie makes a work friend, fix-it w both eddie and stan living, eddie gets a divorce pre-itch2, damon just wants the best for richie and eddie, reddie getting together, richie visits eddie at work

STRANGER THINGS

bottle it up until it overflows - ohhhh boy, i absolutely love the vecna possessing mike trope and this fic definitely lives up to high standards, rated mature, bad parent ted wheeler and internalized homophobia, basically mike gets vecna'd is the entire plot - @ghoulsanderson

i feel like i know you (but we never met) - post season 4 of stranger things, ambiguous / open ending, teen rating, oh boy this made me emotional!, without spoilers i have to say this is such an angsty fic and i love it, this fic is written beautifully, the party all forget will because of vecna suppressing their memories, spoilers: mike puts everything together to figure out who the "missing person" is - @andiwriteordie

something's made your eyes go cold - TW SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, rated mature, mike is chronically suicidal, very very angsty but relatable (sadly), oneshot - @defendingtammythompson

when everything was fiction, future and prediction - two words: time travel, mike is confronted by his younger self and figures out a few things, very much hurt/comfort, rated teen

9-1-1 TV

*all the time in the world - i literally know nothing about the dsmp but the way this was written is so beautiful, i love angst and buddie but also buck angst gets me the most, evan buckley used to be someone called karl jacobs but eddie doesn't know that and thinks buck is a war veteran, he's not entirely wrong but also don't make me fact check that beyond reading this, this fic makes me feel super autistic in a way i can't explain, time travel and secret identities are just so my jam dude, bonus chris moment that made me squeal bc chris eddie and buck are so family material - @official-impravidus

*my palms and fingers still reek of gasoline - such a good crossover, the characterization is very very good, i definitely need to read it again, a pjo au that has a twist, demigod buck and eddie are special to me now, having buck be on that side is an interesting choice and i like it, buck's mom being aphrodite makes so much sense - @trashyinfernomusic

[valeriefauxnom]

Interesting(?) Corollary on Aroarce!Euden

So, I've kinda already dug up the more obvious scenes that hint that Euden seemed to be Aroace (as seen here if you missed it).

But as I was spamming Dragalia to my friend today, I found another thing that I think is an interesting addition to this previous evidence.

Specifically, Orion's stories. His base form doesn't exactly give out any flags, aside from his continuing absolute blind spot re. romance...

...But his Valentine's alt has an interesting line in it indeed.

The exchange is as follows:

Again, pretty innocent. Euden thinks he's 'too young' essentially, to be worrying about that, etc. Fair enough.

But this concept seems to be echoed again all the way later in Summer Mym's story.

I'll stress the 'not mature enough to understand what it means to be in love' part for this one.

Here's where it gets hypothetical, but to me, it almost comes across as if Euden, growing up, has learned to associate 'romantic love' with 'maturity' in some fashion. It might stand to reason: kids are often told that, when they see couples behaving certain ways that are weird to them, etc, 'you'll understand when you're older/an adult/when you find that special someone/etc.' So child!Euden might have had a similar moment or three, and associated that romantic love=maturity.

The mere omnipresence of romance as a major theme in society probably doesn't help to dissuade the notion that it's the 'normal' state in the world, and that he is the weird one as he grew up to never having that spark of 'oh now I get romantic love'. Combined with the aforementioned connection he's made, Euden might believe that since he still doesn't feel it, it means he's not mature/too young.

Combined with his other comments over the years like flat-out stating to Naveed he doesn't understand the kind of love he's talking about (romantic) to Malora's story where he says "(romantic love/'capturing someone's affections') [is] just not the kind of thing [he] think about", Euden is consistent on the notion that he just flat out doesn't understand what people mean and feel regarding romance and the corresponding love.

At the very most, he can echo some of the trope sentiments people commonly say word-for-word in media, but even that kinda reinforces that he can at best throw out the most common tropes when trying to come up with what 'romantic love' is: this fanciful 'love at first sight' devotion where one puts absolutely everything about their partners ahead of anything else.

Even then, he doesn't mean a word of it and doesn't really understand why Elisanne is acting all weird about it, because he understands it was an act, she knows that, why would anyone react to having that spoke to them? He was just mindlessly repeating tropes from romance books to upset a dumb fiend. At most, he could see why it was uncomfortable - because it is uncomfortable having that kind of stuff professed to you when you don't like someone, which Euden would perceive Elly as feeling (Heck, he doesn't even really know Elisanne is big into romance novels, thinking 'it's not like her'). In fact, he more bases this comment on making her uncomfortable from a religious sense with the whole 'undying love of Ilia' thing she's forsworn above all else.

So yeah. Valentine's Orion provided an interesting prequel to Summer Mym's story that I felt added a new little layer of elaboration about what Euden thinks of love. All in all, it's surprising just how consistent they were in the messaging some of Euden's thoughts regarding romantic love and its associates.

Bonus round:

Also, apparently the dev team was being funny, and decided to add a running joke for Orion's anniversary lines that Euden just immediately starts walking away and ignoring him whenever he starts waxing poetic about love:

Which, as my friend said, "Honestly what a mood for Euden to walk away/zone out when it comes to things he doesn't experience, aka romance. If he doesn't know what it's like then it's hard to focus or even relate"

The idea of Euden just getting a glaze over his eyes and meandering off whenever somebody starts talking like this is a funny one, though!

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Iron Squadron"

Unexpected Sato backstory??? And other fun things!

Oh hey, the rare Star Wars planet that is not one single biome!

My son looking cutely contemplative. :)

Hera's the first to mention that Sato has "connections" here, and my brain automatically assumed family even before the reveal.

This freighter the kids are using is a YT-2400, which apparently was kind of a big deal to Legends fans because of some dude named Dash Rendar. This is not my area of lore expertise so I won't comment on that, but I will observe that if fanbros had an expectation of seeing that guy in this episode then it makes more sense why they got pissy when it was revealed the crew was upstart plucky kids instead.

Still, adult Star Wars fans really have got to stop mindlessly hating on teen/kid characters.

"They're attacking the Empire head on!" I mean, y'all have a Corellian freighter too and you do that all the time. I guess the YT-2400 looks way more civilian grade to them, no obvious modifications.

Why is Kanan in the turret, guys? Yeah yeah I know he has the Force to help him "see" but this is just... silly.

Hera still operating under the impression that it's a civilian ship. I mean technically it is but also you're in the Rebellion Hera, we literally just had an Imperial ace talk about how y'all use whatever ship that flies a few episodes ago lol.

You know the trick with the cargo crates is actually pretty clever. The YT-2400 obviously has very little actual armament aside from the one top gun, very easy to lull your enemy into thinking you're harmless.

Lol Zeb accurately calling that Iron Squadron is "a ship-full of Ezras".

I haven't commented on it before but sometimes Ezra just sits like such a typical teenager, using the furniture in all the wrong ways.

Big fan of the slightly vulnerable note in Sato's voice here.

Lol Ezra and Sabine's faces here.

"If you like a junk pile." "Be nice." A+ adorable banter moment, love it.

There goes Chopper antagonizing other droids again.

Mart is surly and grumpy and looks like a shaggy kitten and I love him. <3

Gooti trying to diffuse the tension in the room by offering waffles. Relatable.

Mart honestly sounds just a bit like Dark Side Drunk Ezra, the undernotes of anger in his voice, insisting that they have things under control and don't need help. Honestly it was kind of an amazing and interesting idea to put Ezra alongside a bunch of (slightly) younger kids a few rungs back on the character development ladder to contrast how much more mature he's gotten.

Mart confusing different Imperial ships for a Star Destroyer is also a great running gag. Sabine gets so annoyed lol.

Lothal still looking relatively pretty.

I would really like to praise Lars Mikkelson for making me creeped out by the most innocuous of scenes with Thrawn, all the man has to do is comment on Iron Squadron being interesting and mildly insult Konstantine and my skin crawls, ggughhhh.

Thrawn setting up lesser officers for failure again.

Relating to deliberately casting Ezra as the more mature one, it even extends to how they keep posing him this episode. He's not more than a year or two older than the Iron Squadron kids and yet he feels so much older in his bearing and manner of speaking.

The shoulder nudge and the way Sabine goes, "Hmm?" makes me think they're improving this on the fly.

I've joked before about this looking like a cute family photo but it's still true.

Spaceparents be skeptical lol.

Chopper just whacking the panel with hammer. XD

"This might be just a planet to you, but it's our home!" Hoo boy, that's the heart of it isn't it? Ezra has been through this exact thing. So he understands the instinct to dig in and fight back. But like Mon Mothma would later remind him in Season Four, you can't save every planet right away. Sometimes you have to retreat and regroup, and come back stronger later.

Sometimes you have to leave home.

It doesn't mean you don't fight. It just means you don't let your fear of loss make you stupid.

Once again leaning on that message of "How we choose to fight."

This is purely in the realm of headcanon but Mart's obsession with suicidally charging a Star Destroyer makes me think that might be how his father died, or something similar to it at least.

Gooti and Jonner sharing a look like, "Uhhhhhh maybe they have a point about our ship being way too small to take on the Empire alone."

Yeah, no, I'm sticking with my idea that Mart has just a little bit of a death wish and wants to go out taking revenge against the Empire that killed his father.

Precious little rage bean. <3

Sabine reminding Ezra not to get in trouble with Hera for disobeying orders again.

It's okay Sabine, he's learned that lesson lol.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The sheer floof to Mart's hair. I can't believe how much volume it feels like has, just from the way it shifts around his head.

"I am all the family he has left." :((((

STILL SO MAD THAT WE NEVER GOT MART'S REACTION TO SATO'S SACRIFICE AT THE BATTLE OF ATOLLON.

Right, continuing with the Mart-is-literally-Ezra-from-a-couple-seasons-prior parallels, Mart's disbelief and delight at the Ghost coming back for him.

And Konstantine makes a really stupid decision in the effort to... idk, give himself more glory? He literally has enough ships and firepower to blow both freighters to bits and he insists on this showy mine trap move.

This is why Thrawn sent you by yourself, pal, he wanted to see if you'd croak.

Lol the Ghost took a potshot at the light cruiser as it was passing.

Chopper continuing in the grand habit of bullying other droids.

Ahhhhhhh Sato came! He was too far away to be able to get there on time and he came anyway!

HIS FACE.

Yeah uh, Konstantine? You should have known the mine plan would never have worked as soon as you lost signal contact with it. Also it's really stupid to let them get the ship that close to your cruiser before you try to detonate it.

Mart's little "...Oh." expression. <3 A+ running gag payoff, no complaints.

HNNNNNGGHHHHH YOU CAN'T JUST IMPLY THAT THRAWN AND SATO HAVE SOME KIND OF CONNECTION AND THEN NOT FOLLOW UP ON THAT. At least let us get some Sato backstory out of it, c'mon.

Thrawn calling Konstantine just to rub the embarrassment in.

THIS IS WHY HE DISOBEYED YOUR ORDERS AT ATOLLON DUDE. MAYBE NEXT TIME DON'T HUMILIATE YOUR UNDERLINGS BY DELIBERATELY SENDING THEM INTO SITUATIONS YOU KNOW THEY'LL BUNGLE.

Aw frick.

Don't think about the Kanan-Ezra parallels, don't think about the Kanan-Ezra parallels, don't think about the Kanan-Ezra parallels--

They're adorable.

And we couldn't let the episode close without getting one last gag in by way of Chopper rolling up to R3 and smacking him for no damn reason lololol.

I unironically love this episode and these kids. <3 Fandom was way too mean about this episode, why do y'all hate fun?

There are a few things introduced in this episode that really should have been picked back up and followed through on and yeah, a couple moments are a smidge cringe. But the humor is overall solid and sue me Mart Mattin is precious and I love the depth his existence adds to Sato. AND I WANTED SO MUCH MORE I DON'T CARE THAT I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVES THEM I NEEDED MORE IRON SQUADRON.

*ahem* I'm normal about this episode. Soooo normal.

[tobiasdrake]

Impromptu Story Time just outside the walls is over; Back to infiltrating.

See? What'd I say. We're inside the gates now, because nothing is ever locked to a sufficiently determined burglar. And at this point, we have a lot of experience burgling things that shall not be burgled.

Oh good, they're opening the front doors for us. That's always a good sign.

I'm sympathetic to your motives but factionally opposed to you nonetheless. Get out of the way or we're going to have to do the violence.

Credit where it's due, that is a fire comeback.

This is not a conflict that can be solved diplomatically, Brugaves. Get out of the way or we do the violence. Those are the options. Pick one.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little intimidated about fighting our mentors. But also, we killed Torment so I have a big well of confidence to draw from.

Did you just try to pull "Control your hysterical sibling" on us!?

Oh, I am about two seconds from taking "Step aside" off the list of options and going straight to the violence. Zale does not speak for me. I sometimes speak for him. That's how our dynamic works.

Wait, we're in time to thwart the waking ritual? Good to know. Thanks for that tidbit.

Now choke on my staff.

I want you to know that this brings me no joy.

...

Okay, actually, this brings me some joy because it's very nostalgic. Despite everything, there's a strong sense of "If things were different I would very much love to be having this sparring session with you." This is fun in a tragic way.

But things aren't different so fucking back down already.

Oh shit. Right. Stalling for time. I walked my bloodthirsty ass right into that.

It's okay. We can make up for this. There's no time inside the castle so, logically, it's impossible for enough time to pass that the ritual is completed. Therefore, I hereby demand that the Dweller ritual remain suspended in-progress indefinitely.

...

Okay, I think the metaphysics heard me. We should be clear to take our time now. That's how it works, right?

Honestly, this place would just seem like your basic tinkerer's workshop if not for all the organic Dweller gunk infecting the clockwork.

I wonder what the Watchmaker thinks of all this crap getting on her lovely mechanisms?

OH MY GOD THEY LOOK LIKE LITTLE WORKSHOP ELVES

But it's actually eternal child labor! Which. In a way. Is kinda what workshop elves are too. Huh.

Well, in any case, it looks like we've found Cael and his crew. Let's see if they want to help us really piss off Aephorul.

...okay, you are not what I anticipated when I was told there'd be immortal children in this workshop.

You know what, you're right. I have a talent for pissing people off and making unnecessary threats. You do the talking, Garl. You're pretty much the master at inoffensive diplomacy.

No amount of skill points can defend against a Nat 1. That will do, Garl. Let me take over.

Yeah, but you own it. You've got this whole Ancient Gnome Head Researcher vibe that's working for you, and you're leaning into it. The outfit really brings it together. 10/10 Brilliant fashion choice.

Yeah, Teaks told me how that works. Though I'm surprised that the castle doesn't let you mature but does let you age. The rules of magic are obnoxiously arbitrary sometimes.

Oh shit. He's calling you out, Serai. Does your mystery secret have something to do with this place? Are you the Watchmaker or something?

Oh, we're just going to breeze past that. Okay.

That's fine. I'm even more curious than ever but I do trust Serai. I mean, if she had any ill intent, she could have slit all of our throats while we slept and then portaled away before anyone was the wiser. Instead, she tried to thwart Strife's revival and helped us kill Torment.

She has earned more than enough leeway to come clean about her secrets on her own time or keep it to herself forever.

[elizalyn]

Please may I have Fairy tail platonic headcanons of Gray Fullbuster with a little brother age 11 who is exactly like Harry Potter with Harry Potter's personality as well as Harry Potter's personality flaws and everything from the Harry Potter films. He is undeniably a sweet kid and he is a ice mage like Gray as well and he is a member of Team Natsu and a member of Fairy tail. Admittedly he is S class material and he is better than Gray at ice magic and everything and he is a kind boy...and very polite. He doesn't find Danger..it seemed to find him. He was willing to stand up to extremely powerful enemy Wizards to protect his friends no matter what the cost may be..it was a risk and it means asking for death but he is a Fairy tail wizard and if it means he can protect his friends so be it.

Team Natsu's relationship with Gray's sweet little brother.

Gray's relationship with his baby brother

Juvia's relationship with Gray's little brother

Fluffy as well.

Oh man, it’s been a while since I’ve read the books and movie Harry is so different from book Harry. But yes! Of course! Fairy Tail is my favorite anime, it was the first long series I started and even if some people call it childish, I still love it. I honestly wish more people wrote for Fairy Tail. Maybe I'll write some more self-indulgent imagines/headcanons or something after.

A/N: That being said, I am terribly sorry for how long this has taken me. I've been struggling with uni lately which just creates horrid writer's block not to mention just makes me so unmotivated to write in general.

But it's done! And I really hope it's to your liking! I address Gray's younger brother as Little Fullbuster but I honestly could see him named something like Ash or Sterling, just something that fits the colour scheme of Gray and Silver.

Warnings: none! Well, slight spoilers if you haven't seen/read much of the series but nothing really major also, not proofread

Let’s see…

General headcanons

Adored by the entire guild, obviously, how could Gray’s younger brother not be

Looks like a miniature Gray, same black hair, same dark blue eyes

Only difference really is his personality

Unlike Gray’s cold exterior, his little brother is an absolute sweetheart

I can see him making ice sculptures for friends

He’s so much stronger than Gray but so humble about it too

For an 11-year-old he’s so mature (but trauma will do that to a person 😭)

Speaking of trauma though, Little Fullbuster was only a toddler when Deliora attacked

Despite his sweetness, he can be a sarcasm god

Constantly throws witty quips in the conversation

Little Fullbuster learnt magic from Gray rather than Ur

Gray wanted his brother to be able to protect himself and magic was the best way he knew how

Little Fullbuster is pretty stubborn

When he wants to go on a specific mission he usually ends up going

Like Galuna Island

Gray was adamant his brother would stay behind

Little Fullbuster ended up going anyways, following Gray secretly

Natsu welcomed him happily after knocking out Gray

Natsu knows when to put a foot down though when it comes to Gray’s younger brother

He made Little Fullbuster stay behind with the villagers when he and the others went to explore

Relationship headcanons – Gray

Little Fullbester’s sarcasm really shines when he’s with Gray

G: “I don’t care where I get hurt, as long as my in juries are visible” LF: “Clearly, cause you can’t prove your stories otherwise” or something witty like that (I personally am not good at sarcasm 😔)

Gray can be overprotective of Little Fullbuster

Won’t let him go on some missions with the rest of team Natsu because it’s too dangerous

Struggles to let him go on missions without him

Gray honestly doesn’t know what he’d do if he lost his younger brother, they’re all each other have left (aside from their found family in Fairy Tail)

Little Fullbuster sometimes feels smothered by Gray, they fight about it sometimes

Little Fullbuster full on believes he’s capable of taking care of himself, and he is, to an extent, he’s still just a child

Gray doesn’t know how to get that through his brother’s head

Their fights don’t usually involve yelling, more like a lot of passive-aggressive comments or choices/actions

For example, Little Fullbuster has a habit of holding Gray’s eye contact while asking Natsu to train with him and complimenting him because he knows it’ll irk Gray

Little Fullbuster always ends up feeling bad about his petty choices and Gray usually feels bad about how the conflict was handled

They always make up, sometimes without apologies (I feel like this is a really common sibling thing, my sister and I never apologized to each other after fights), but sometimes one or the other would cave and apologize

They are both really grateful to have each other as brothers (not that they would ever admit it out-loud) and where one brother is, the other usually isn’t far behind

Gray struggles with the fact that his younger brother is stronger than him

It’s not because he’s insecure or anything

It’s just because he’s scared he’ll lose his brother

He trusts his brother is capable

But he’s scared something underhanded could happen

Like if it comes to a fight, Little Fullbuster fights fairly, but his opponent might not have the same morals as fairy tail wizards

Relationship headcanons – Team Natsu

The whole team knows little Fullbuster is more than capable of taking care of himself

Doesn’t stop them from hovering or worrying all the time

Lucy mothers him the most

Totally sees him as the little brother she never had

Erza trains with him without holding back

Natsu gets along with him way better than Gray

Natsu is actually willing to ask little Fullbuster to train with him to improve both of their quirks

Happy likes to think he’s a wiser older brother to little Fullbuster

Invites him out fishing so he can share his “words of wisdom”

To which Lucy usually comments on with a roll of her eyes or a quip about any “words of wisdom” Happy told her in the past

Wendy and Little Fullbuster are close in age and get along really well

Carla and Gray aren't too happy about it, especially with Happy's constant, "he's in love"

Wendy and Little Fullbuster honestly ignore Happy and all their older guildmates who comment things like "won't they make the cutest couple?"

The two train together a lot since they get along so well

Relationship headcanons – Juvia

Juvia is in love with how sweet he is

In turn, little Fullbuster tries his hardest to get Juvia together with Gray

Already sees Juvia as an older sister of sorts

Usually goes to her when he’s upset about something Gray did

They bake together for Gray

Juvia teaches him how to make her Gray dolls and weather dolls

Little Fullbuster starts making Gray dolls and leaving them in the most ominous places to freak his brother out

It’s Little Fullbuster’s favorite thing

Little Fullbuster is always there for Juvia

He knows full well that his brother isn’t oblivious to her feelings

He feels bad about it and really tries to be there for her without getting involved

Because he also knows that Gray is interested in Juvia, he just doesn’t know to what extent

Juvia never asks him to do anything to help her pursue Gray

She doesn’t ask him if Gray’s ever told him anything about her, she respects boundaries

But she does complain about her failed attempts

Which just makes Little Fullbuster kick himself mentally because his brother is just so emotionally constipated it’s so aggravating

But he stays out of it, it’s not his job

Though he would love if Juvia were to officially become his older sister

Relationship headcanons – danger

Little Fullbuster really has no control over it

It’s just that everywhere he goes, something happens

Danger follows him like a bad cold

Little Fullbuster has grown accustomed to something going wrong on jobs that puts his life in danger

He’s used to powerful wizards finding him during combat

This doesn’t worry him, not usually

Little Fullbuster is more than happy, well not happy, he’s more than willing to risk his life for his guild, they practically raised him after all

Gray isn’t as willing

The amount of grey hairs that he’s grown due to constantly worrying lol

Nor is he pleased with his brother’s attitude on the matter

Actually, you know the scene in Harry Potter where Professor McGonagall is like,

“Why is it when something happens, it is always you three?” and Ron’s just like, “Believe me professor, I’ve been asking myself the same question for 6 years”

Yeah, but Makarov and Little Fullbuster

Given this unfortunate circumstance, Little Fullbuster has gotten really good at thinking on his feet

*possible spoilers* Like in the Tower of Heaven, when Simon was ‘aiming’ for Gray, rather than creating an ice copy of himself, Little Fullbuster was there in seconds, physically putting himself in between Simon and Gray and Juvia while simultaneously building ice copies of all three of them before Gray even thinks to do the same

Little Fullbuster is just so smart and quick, his incredibly skilled and it offers Gray some relief (not a lot tho because danger following your sibling everywhere is no walk in the park)

[imaginesixguys]

What kind of boyfriend would Osomatsu be?

- ur local Oso Simp™️

This is pretty open-ended but I’ll do my best! Lot’s of potential answers here so I apologize if it ends up being not as in-depth as it could be (I could go on for hours about Oso really...)

Osomatsu is a gooder boy than the fandom gives him credit for, so let me give my honest thoughts here.

Osomatsu as a Boyfriend At the start of the relationship, I could see there being a lot of uh, well, teaching moments with Oso, as well as reassuring him you’re okay with being his partner. Up until getting an S/O, Oso hadn’t really feel like he’d been good enough for one, that he would just be a disappointment. We can see in the season 3 ep where Nyaa asks him out that his emotional response was one of terror, and I feel like it’s because he’s terrified at the idea of someone interested in him actually finding out how “terrible” he is, or him being terrified that he wouldn’t be able to be a good boyfriend. It didn’t help either that both his friends and his entire family were basically throwing receipts and evidence at the potential love interest to try and scare her away from him, so I feel like his confidence in regards to dating is VERY low, maybe even more than Ichi’s.

He’s essentially convinced himself that nothing will ever really happen, which is why he makes so many lewd jokes and comments, he doesn’t think he has anything to lose.

At first, you’d probably have to tell him about things like boundaries, maybe give him some nudges every now and then about anything you might be uncomfortable with. He’s definitely a longterm investment for sure. But I think that once you guys had been dating for a few months without too many hiccups, and that it really felt like this wasn’t something that was gonna end or collapse, he’d start to open up more, become more sweet and thoughtful. Once he realizes “oh wait, this person actually really likes me? Even though they’ve seen me do all this stupid stuff?” he’d finally relax. 

I could see him being fine with dates that just consisted of going to a convenience store at 3 am, or acting dumb at the park at night, or even just saying home to watch a dumb movie. Simple things. That’s sort of  what he’s all about.

This might be a weird off-the-cuff take, but whenever I think of Osomatsu as a steady boyfriend, I think of the arc Rigby from Regular Show went through after he started dating Eileen.

Some examples in case people haven’t seen the show. Again, I know it’s a bit out there of a reference to make but it’s honestly the closest I’ve found in media to how I think Osomatsu would be as a longterm boyfriend. Weirdly emotionally mature and pretty chill/confident, it’d basically be like dating your best friend.

His love language, aside from physical affection and quality time, would be honesty. He wants someone he can tell everything to, even the less favorable bits. Though admittedly, sometimes he struggles with putting words to the things he’s actually feeling, so being honest with him about that would be helpful.

Overall, he’s not used to being genuinely liked, so I think if he was consistently and genuinely liked for awhile, you’d gain his trust and loyalty, and he’d feel pretty indebted to you, even if he never really said anything “cheesy” like that out loud.

I have a lot I could say about Osomatsu but this post is already getting pretty long... People are welcome to ask more specific things though! I know he’s always been one of my favorite Matsus to write for.