#asks don't show unless i go into it

[dradelcra]

Hello! I love your jnh designs so much! Do you have any info or a story around them?

Thank you!!! It always means a lot when people say they like the designs and even want to hear about the lil headcannons/stories I have! (I should really upload to that AO3...) I try not to deviate from the text too much but I love going nuts on their interactions and life prior to the first chapter.

so uuuuh yeah :>

Long post incoming <3 (Really)

I could go on and on about them but I'll do what is best and give some details so you won't be straining your eyes too much.

(This is actually quite long now sorry. I had too much fun with this!)

Characters:

Mr. Utterson (48/12)

-Estate planning Lawyer -Second Oldest of five (first died in childhood). Has a younger sister and two twin younger brothers. -Happily unmarried (tried but it wasn't his cup of tea). -Chinese descent (He has a Chinese name too). -Near-sighted. -Able to bend his own words to his advantage, Jekyll could only wish to be as good as him. (These are never done with hostile intent) -Different in terms of personality in comparison to his more outgoing, expressive and louder family members but he still shares their kind characteristic. -Although he often keeps to himself, he is rather nosy and invasive when it comes to his friends and those around him. -Although he is generally kind, he doesn't take things to heart, especially when it's from someone he doesn't know. Will brush it off without issue. -Doesn't like when he has to do an in person consultation with his clients, however, if it's important he may get a bit of 'liquid courage' before hand. -Not one to get physical but he did punch a kid in boarding school for trying to harm Jekyll after words failed to resolve the issue. -His ties all have different patterns on them. -Former Theatre kid however he will sometimes act out imaginary situations in the comfort of his own room. -Cheats at cards. His friends still have yet to find out how he keeps winning. -Unlike everyone else, their colour motifs are colour mixes of their parents. Uttermom is Cherry red and his Utterdad is Indigo. -Has two pet cats. A Russian Blue named Motz (short for Mozzarella or Mozart depending on who's asking) who he got after a legal issue with a couple who abandoned everything and left the country, including the cat. And a Li Hua, named Heng, which his mother gifted him so he would be less lonely at home. Victim of the universal cat distribution system.

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Mr. Enfield (28)

-Police officer; Newcomen is his partner. -Moved from the United States to England as his mother's dying wish to get out of the dusty town. (Although smog isn't that much better...) -Was from a miner town and his dad owned the local saloon/bar. -Somewhat like his cousin, he's a stickler for the truth while also being a bit of a gossip. -As you'd expect, the exact opposite of his cousin aside from having the same strong sense of curiousity and justice (and sense of humour). -Although he gives the impression of a refined man, that is only when he doesn't speak. He's still learning the English customs. -Speaks a lot of American slang, often leaving his English counterparts confuzzled. -Unlike everyone else, their colour motifs are colour mixes of their parents. Enfield's Mom was hot pink and his Dad is matcha green.

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Mr. Guest (29)

-Clerk -Near-sighted. -Trinidadian (after a friend <3). -Young lad who left home to pursue a career instead of what his family had planned for him. -One of the few people to both 'butt-heads' with Utterson and yet be comforting company. -Generally handles the conversational side of the job and is very good at it as a result. -Generally prefers to keep to himself but like anyone, he does enjoy going out with others to relax

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Mr. Poole (54)

-House head/servant -Indian; Migrated to France for work. Left France once hired by the Jekyll household. -A professional of his work so well known in the butler society that many households prayed he didn't work for the Jekyll household just so he could help them. -Understanding and willing to be an ear to listen and give advice in return if asked. -Far-sighted -(According to butler work ethics, he's not really supposed to have a mustache but if I try to imagine him without one I'll perish so-) -Although Jekyll is the master of the house, Poole is the one who controls most of the tasks within it, along with the family home. -(Another note, I had to age down everyone a little just to Poole wouldn't be nearing his 60s when he kicks the door down)

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Dr. Jekyll (46)

-Apothecary -French/Russian(Mom)+English(Dad) -Only Child (with an unknown half-brother), as well as lonely child. -Unintentionally acts like his mother whom he had a difficult relationship with growing up (Nature and Nurture sort of scenario). Father was kind but negligent. -Acts more like his *'true self' around Utterson and Lanyon on the account that he grew up with them. (*whatever that means) -Got terrified of misbehaving due to witnessing one of the maids die due to such actions (his mother told him that). Then the typical, acting out to get his parent's attention. After their death, and disappearing for three years, he mellowed out. -Has a scar on the left side of his head made during the 3 year trip at the age of 30; the draping/styling of his hair hides it. -His long hair is a coping mechanism and is styled to appear short. It is dyed lighter than it actually is. -Meticulous about his appearance (even as Hyde; old habits) -Divorced, but on good terms. -Has his own garden where he grows flowers. -Collects stamped wax seals. (Utterson uses wafer seals; Lanyon does not stamp his wax seals) -An anxious man especially when things don't go according to plan. -Depending on the relationship with him, his smile may either be comforting or condescending, Schrodinger's smile (you don't know its intention unless you know what he's thinking). -Something of a people pleaser even when he tries to not be. Force of habit. A push-over in boarding school since he never had much opportunity to make friends but both Lanyon and Utterson made sure to stop this as best as they could. -Utterson and Lanyon sometimes call him Jeck-ul to tease him. -Has a rabbit. She is an English Spot named Lily, after her fur pattern and colouration. She also liked to eat the flowers in Jekyll's garden after gnawing out of her cage for the 10th time. She is missing an eye. She was about to be thrown out of a pet shop but Jekyll saw it as an opportunity to use her as a test subject. He ended up not doing that.

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Dr. Lanyon (47)

-General Physician -Scottish -Tallest of everyone mentioned. -older brother with a half-sister. -Hard of hearing due to an incident which started Jekyll and Lanyon's relationship tension. Has a hearing aid but doesn't like using it. Good at making it seem like he can hear. Both Jekyll and Utterson learned how to sign so he wouldn't feel alienated. -Has signed names for those close with him. (J-'J & Flower' U-'Angel' P- 'Pool' Blaire(wife)-I didn't come up with one yet, maybe sunlight or honey which he signs then signs love to make it more endearing idk) -Had a sick mother which prompted his career to General Medicine. Was a loner as a result in his younger years as he looked for work to be able to feed himself and was rumored to be a witch's child. Luckily that's now in the past. -Married to a nurse, turned doctor, who he met on a work trip to the United States (he passed out from heat exhaustion on the job). He has two kids, both who have Jekyll and Utterson as their godfather's -One is named Catriona, Jekyll's goddaughter. (It is vital to know this) -Typical dad and wife loving guy. -Often has a big smile of his face and will wrap you into a hug or give a hearty handshake if given the chance. -Radiates comfort; great with holding a conversation, it's near impossible not feel relaxed around him while he gives you a check up. Jekyll can only wish to be that good. -Pedantic about situations he's knowledgeable in, especially when it comes to health. -Not afraid to start an argument in situations where he feels disrespected. -Looks like a hardy man who doesn't take things to heart but he's quite the opposite. He dyed his hair when he got bullied for it in his younger years. -Has an old dog named Ruth. She's a Duck Tolling retriever, who is terribly sweet and has the energy of a puppy. Lanyon got her from the will of one his patients. She is named after the original owner's child that they never got to have. She unintentionally makes for a good service dog since she helped the previous owner alot during his old age.

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Relationships :

Jekyll x Utterson x Lanyon (J.U.L/Jewel)

-The trio officially meet at boarding school as Jekyll carries Lanyon with him after the death of his mother. They went to the same school as Utterson by Poole's suggestion to Henry's father. -Utterson and Lanyon had a difficult time getting along with each other at the start due to their contrasting personalities, however Jekyll was a good medium and eventually they managed to work with each other's differences. -Lanyon is the one driving force keeping them from not dying at an early age. Those two can barely cook or monitor their own health for themselves. -Utterson the one driving force keeping them from not going broke or getting into major legal issue. -The lads have had pretty peaceful lives, it's strange. Jekyll surely has no idea why. Any outside ruckus seems to just...stop... -On breaks, the stay with Utterson's family until Jekyll is no longer able to due to training for future obligations. They still visit each other. -Utterson's parents were very supportive and kind, indirectly adopting Jekyll and Lanyon as their own. -The trio hold private events with each other where they gift each other random items or hold lunches at their houses. -The jests amongst these three, you'd think they were children with how they act around each behind closed doors. -They'd kill for each other and who is to say the hadn't?

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Poole x J.U.L.

-Was practically a big brother to them; helped them with school work where he could despite leaving school at a young age to work. He managed to get help from another maid who actually knew the material. -Had his fair share of adventures with the lads when they were younger. Having his plate full underestimates his situation. -They still manage to raise his blood pressure even at this age. It wouldn't be them if he didn't find them passed out on the couch after their loud chatter. -They may be adults but he's still going to cover them with a blanket in those instances.

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(some of these may have been mentioned and may refer you back to a previous panel or not?)

Jekyll x Everyone

Poole

-Out of everyone in the house, Poole (and a former maid), were the only ones who interacted with Jekyll rather than giving him the cold shoulder. Poole was fired by Henry's mom as a result but luckily the news reached Jekyll's dad before he left and was soon rehired (the former maid was not as lucky). -Despite the work relationship, Poole is like family to Jekyll, although Jekyll does sometimes use the boss position to his advantage whenever he becomes a bit invasive. -Somewhat childish around Poole, complaining about things and asking him to make him his favourite foods even though that's not his job per se. -After he left for boarding school, Poole left the Jekyll house. When he returned from College, Jekyll went out of his way to bring him back. -Respects him more than his parents. -He couldn't count how many times Poole had been there for him during tough times. -When Poole got fired Jekyll planned to run away with Lanyon to go find him and bring him back.

Lanyon

-Jekyll moves between England and Scotland due to dad's' work, eventually meeting Lanyon at age 10 in Scotland. -Love-hate relationship; If arguments ever arise it's rarely about anything serious. -Lanyon is more likely to call out Jekyll for certain actions, which entertains Jekyll. -As much as Jekyll enjoys troubling Lanyon, he does sometimes take it too far. He knows when Lanyon goes quiet. -They trust each other with the worse of themselves. -Jekyll wishes Lanyon would relax more, he's been more his parent than his parents. -Is competitive with him. -He didn't mean to hurt him, it was an accident...

Utterson

-Jekyll(5) met Utterson(7) in England after travelling to town with Poole to a local fabric store, to whom Utterson's mother owns. -Unlike Lanyon, Utterson is less likely to call out Jekyll for certain actions, however that's because he feigns ignorance. -Although Jekyll trusts Utterson with the negatives of himself, he knows Utterson does tent to go overboard with trying to mend a situation so he keeps a bit to himself. -He envies Utterson for being so…himself without risking people outcasting him. -Has actually managed to genuinely upset him, which is difficult. Utterson didn't speak to him for nearly a month. Lanyon had to be the negotiator for once. He stopped being upset after a day. He may seem reasonable but he is also extremely petty.

Guest

-Jekyll wasn't one hundred percent on having someone so young handle his finances but soon came around when he realized it would lighten the work load on Utterson. -Quite likes Guest once they started talking. -Taught him how to play cards. Started losing to him at cards.

Enfield

-Met him when he was a child but after that he hadn't seen him again until the incident (where he didn't recognize him). -He sort of reminds him of someone…oh well.

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Utterson x Everyone

Jekyll

-When they first met he was reading a book and Jekyll asked him about it but he didn't want to hold a conversation. Jekyll suggests sharing the silence then, which did spark Utterson's interest. -Utterson understands that Jekyll likes to keep to himself as he does but also wishes he'd actually trust him more with his troubles. It's a bit hypocritical on his part and he knows this. -Got him hair ribbons and accessories to show his support. -Although he enjoys his company, he sometimes thinks Jekyll prefers Lanyon over him due to how differently he acts between the two.

Lanyon

-Annoying (Affectionate) -He ends up being both a baby sitter and dog sitter for him sometimes. He still isn't sure how he gets put into that position so easily. -Lanyon is a good person to talk to with reasonable solutions but sometimes he can be really unreasonable when he's clouded by his emotions. -He's a bit too 'touchy' for his liking but at this point diverging the course of a river would be easier than telling him to not hug him at every greeting. He's come to term with it . Afterall, it's not so bad if it's him. -Thinks the arguments between him and Jekyll are ridiculous, but entertaining. If he asks them what they were arguing about they end up forgetting. He can't help but to laugh. -Before they met at boarding school, Jekyll would send letters about him and their adventures. It made him want to be more involved. -Sometimes he envied how outgoing and good with people Lanyon is. -He likes to hear him talk. His voice is full of life and charm.

Poole

-Likes Mr. Poole. -Utterson's parents send him stuff like fabrics and vegetables as he is a regular customer at his mom's shop. -If Poole hadn't come to the shop he wouldn't have met Jekyll and by extension Lanyon. -Finds his work ethics impressive and wishes to make him proud as if he was his own parent.

Enfield

-Enfield's mother is Utterson's mother's sister (aunty but it's vital you know which side).. -When Utterson last saw him he was 10. Poor Utterson (and his siblings) were very confused as to who he was when he returned nearly two decades later! -The two get along rather well despite their opposing personalities (not in the same sense of Utterson with Lanyon). -Before Enfield's migration, they saw each other on some New Years' days when Enfield was still a kid. -He thinks he's learned some…questionable behaviours. He doesn't like tea and drinks coffee without anything in there. He once saw his cooking outside. -Whenever something involves Enfield, Utterson has to be mentioned since he is his emergency contact. (luckily it's never serious)

Guest

-Utterson hired him as Guest was having a difficult time searching for work, especially after separating from his family. -After discovering why, Mr. Utterson still kept him around. -Enjoys having him around to either chat or just sit in silence with while working. -It took a bit of convincing on Guest's part (alongside Jekyll and Lanyon who worried he'd overwork himself if he didn't some help) as Utterson wasn't entirely thrilled with someone being at his work place but decided to give him a chance after hearing he was a good conversationalist.

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Lanyon x Everyone

Jekyll

-He grinds his gears (affectionate). -They bicker like brothers and just as quickly make up without needing to apologize directly. -Both his wife and Jekyll seem to make it their duty to tease him endlessly, why had he done this to himself. -When his mother died in their youth, Jekyll held his hand and had a sleep over. -Always says he's finished with him and his antics but they always end up reconciling. I believe if he hadn't died they might have done so again. -The two are always touching each other, whether with a shoulder slung over, a hug, a pat on the back or linked arms. -Was a bit protective of Jekyll and didn't like his parents or some of the destructive things he did. -Didn't like when Jekyll was growing his hair out but eventually learned to style hair thanks to his sister. He's begun to think that Jekyll only invites him over just to do it.

Utterson

-The definition of opposites. If they weren't seen together you'd think they wouldn't know each other. -Because of this, they aren't likely to be around each other for too long, however that does not mean they don't enjoy each other's company. -Where Utterson may press, Lanyon will recede, sometimes causing situations to get out of hand. Luckily they never get too far. -He doesn't understand him sometimes but he tries his best not to be too physical with him since it makes him uncomfortable. Sometimes however, he gets a away with it. -Utterson appears like a very relaxed individual who always knows what he's doing, people like him without him doing much. It's quite admirable. -He can chat a mile with Utterson around and knows he's still listening. -He wishes he'd stop drinking so much, both as his friend and doctor. He once tried to 'borrow' a cup of water from him after a walk over to his house only to find out that it was liquor. Utterson it is 9am.

Poole

-He feels indebted to him for the care he showed him when he was younger. The food he sent him and the stories he told them in the dimly lit space of Jekyll's room made him forget what it was like to be alone. -Gives him check ups whenever he can, even if he may say that he's fine. That guy's health is very important, free of charge! Jekyll will pay.

Guest

-He handles his finances as well at Utterson's law farm. A smart young lad! -Thinks he's a bit small for his age though. Perhaps he'll allow him to make him a hearty meal one day.

Enfield

-Cute kid! He remembers playing cops and Robbers with him. -Gave him a big hug when they met again.

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Guest x Everyone

Utterson

-Thinks he's a good boss, although he wishes he'd actually communicate directly with his clients rather than using him as a medium. -They 'talk' about their lives and clients with each other. It's a huge relief for both of them. -Subjected to a lot of his puns and jokes. Everyday is torture. -Utterson helped him to pick out some clothes when he started working under him. Style is a must when working under Utterson/j.

Enfield

-As they both know Utterson they interact sometimes. -Guest is still dumbfounded as to how the two (Utterson and Enfield) are related. -Rarely interact with each other but Guest thinks Enfield is rambunctious.

Poole

-Reminds him of an uncle. -He get's lunch from him that reminds him of home.

Jekyll

-Respects Jekyll, however, he had heard some things he'd rather not relay to Mr. Utterson. Even if it was to confirm or deny. The risk wasn't worth it.

Lanyon

-Homely father figure. -Has considered making him his doctor but he'd rather not risk anything.

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Enfield x (almost) Everyone

Utterson

-His favourite cousin (more or less). He may say that he doesn't want to leave him house but he knows that actually means he just lacks the motivation. That's okay! He shall be there. -Enfield tries to get Utterson to go out more. It's a gradual work in progress. -Thinks that he needs to relax more, try going to the theatre like he used to. However, Utterson always finds a way to not go. Eventually he stopped trying there but he did manage to make walking the street a common thing. -He's very reserved on the surface. Although, now when Enfield thinks about it, maybe he's just actually like that. Maybe he's shy? (no.) -Tries to get him to smile where he can, even though it only seems to make Utterson less willing to do so. -He doesn't like playing any strategy based games with him because he someone always wins.

Lanyon

-Barely remembers him but Utterson talks highly of him, albeit in a round about way.

Jekyll

-Doesn't remember much about him but Utterson and Guest speak highly of him. Maybe one day he'll be as respectable as him.

Guest

-Rarely interact with each other but Enfield wishes Guest would be more open. He thinks hanging around Utterson is making him 'too quiet'.

Poole: They don't know each other.

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Poole x (almost) Everyone

Jekyll

-He understands that children become more closed off when they grow older but…why did it have to happen to him! -Such things are expected…at least he turned out fine for the most part. -His mother had the whole house terrified if anyone interacted with the young master. He only got the pass because Jekyll's dad found out after he was fired without him knowing. -He was distant with him after being threatened by her but it broke his heart when the young Jekyll thought it was his fault. -Did everything in his power to ensure that Jekyll could have some semblance of a normal childhood, even if that was limited and risky. -Happy he found friends to which he could be close with. -Jekyll is still as sneaky as he was as a kid as he is now. -Sometimes he'd find the doctor try to seek comfort from him as he used to with a hug. Some things never change…

Lanyon

-When he first met Lanyon, he already discovered his intention of using Jekyll for his own benefits. However, despite that, he treated him as the friend Jekyll terribly needed. With some care, he found that Lanyon's intentions soon turned genuine. -Tried to make his visits as enjoyable as possible when he was younger. -Convinced Lanyon's step father to send him to boarding school with Jekyll rather than separating them. It was a risk meddling with lives however it went as hoped for him. -Very relieved with how Lanyon tuned out. Although he wish he'd stop nearly squishing him when he hugged him.

Utterson

-He was a quiet kid overall and Poole is glad he turned out so well. -His parents have helped him multiple times when it came to organization, management and how to ensure a child reaches their fullest potential although that wasn't entirely his job. -Jekyll and Utterson once returned from the creek covered in mud. Utterdad had never been so amused that his son was capable of such activities. Poor Poole is truly using all his luck when being responsible for them.

Guest

-Poole has had some interactions with Guest as it relates to finances due to him working at the firm where Jekyll keeps his funding. -Guest sometimes gets snacks from when he visits Jekyll's house on work.

Enfield: They don't know each other.

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Bonus:

Hyde (23~28)

-looks like their mother -Has a cleft lip. -Due to their chemical make-up, he gives the impression of a ruffian, however she doesn't do anything that would cause that much of a ruckus outside of the area they are in. How else would they have hidden their presence form his friends? -Bribes her way into doing odd jobs when bored. -Unless they say what they were, the person asking wouldn't know. But where's the fun in telling, unless it has its advantages. -The clip in their hair is actually a repurposed tie clip from Utterson. -Oddly flexible, oddly agile.

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Hyde x Everyone

Lanyon -Lanyon doesn't notice them but there was a cup of coffee that appeared at the stand when he forgot his pouch at home. -Almost got hit by a carriage when he wasn't paying attention but a strong tug pulled him back. Before he could confront the person for felling him, they seemed to have never existed. Maybe his coat got caught on something?

Utterson -Utterson doesn't like him but he can't bring himself to hate him on account that he's oddly familiar. -Sometime Hyde surprises him with when shows actual 'kind' behaviour or sports a genuine smile. (Jekyll forgets he is Hyde sometimes)

Poole -They remind them of Jekyll when he was younger. He's a lot more unruly in comparison however and Poole does not have the energy to keep up like he used to. -Thinks that Hyde is a secret child of Jekyll as a result but he isn't going to ask.

Guest -Asks for money from a separate account via Guest which is convenient since Utterson doesn't interact directly with his clients. -Guest often forgets Hyde every time he returns but then he partially remembers him because of his 'vibe' and when he uses the same account upon returning. -Guest only wonders what they do as a job but he's not getting paid to question.

Enfield

-Hyde thinks Enfield is annoying because he keeps imposing on his actions with his sense of justice and as an officer he's even more persistent. -Enfield thinks they are a ruffian but blames it on Hyde being young (Although Hyde said they were the same age). Thinks he could 'fix' them to be a proper individual, like him for example. -(I know Jekyll canonically never met Enfield before the incident but my vers. has Jekyll and Lanyon partially meeting Enfield when J.U.L. were still in boarding and visited Utterson's home during break)

#sorry this took so long #i uhh #i was busy #and I use mobile #asks don't show unless i go into it #and it's usually empty so #lil asks #lil draws #lil anon #the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde #dr jekyll and mr hyde #dr jekyll #mr hyde #mr poole #mr utterson #dr lanyon #mr guest #mr enfield #long post #i may cringe looking back at this in the future #who knows #enjoy anon

[kenobihater]

of all the star wars movies, which of them do y'all 1) enjoy the most 2) consider the best quality and 3) think you've rewatched the most. add your answers in the reblogs or replies, i'm genuinely curious how much of an overlap there is within everyone's three answers. mine don't overlap at all! they're revenge of the sith, empire strikes back, and the force awakens :^)

#len speaks #star wars #revenge of the sith #empire strikes back #the force awakens #not tagging more films than that bc i cant b bothered. incoming tag ramble ahead bc i have sw brainrot rn and im making it everyones prob❤️ #i rlly struggled 2 remember if id watched tfa or aotc more. i went w/ tfa bc it was formative to me as a teen and ive seen it probably 6ish #times? whereas aotc was the first sw movie i remember (specifically the scene of obiwan serving c*nt in the bar lmao) but i've only seen it #for sure 4.5 and maybe 5.5 times. the .5 is from when i got bored after obi-wan's scene ended and ran off to go play in the mud or smthn 😭 #i'm sure tfa will eventually get surpassed in number of rewatches by aotc and rots bc i don't fw the direction of the ST but that's my #current ballpark estimate of my total number of rewatches #as an adult tho if i just wanna watch a star war i'll go with aotc bc it's fun and ends semihappily and i can turn my brain off for the #spinny lightsabers. it's great background noise or for if you're sick or whatever. rots on the other hand? i won't talk through that unless #i'm quoting it with my brother and i am LOCKED IN 100% entirely entranced by it all #i almost picked rogue one for the best quality answer but i think the character writing is weaker and the facial cgi is creepy. esb beats #it by a hair imho bc of that. the vader hallway scene goes hard tho!!! #also i'm not covering shows or games or books or anything else in this post - simply the films. might ask abt shows later but that might #also give me hives bc so many of the shows suck ass and i don't rlly want ppl extolling the virtues of t.bb in my notes 💀 #and yes i do think one's enjoyment and one's opinion of quality are two things that often overlap. but sometimes you just like something #bad and that's awesome. like rots is the best of the prequels by a large margin and i adore the opening and characters and many of the #scenes but that doesn't mean it's the best star wars has to offer ykwim? it's my specialest most favoritest sw movie but that doesn't blind #me to the dialogue lmfaooo

[daily-whistlepaw]

You must be so freaking pumped rn. The writers are considering making Whistlepaw a POV!!!

I am away from Tumblr for ONE NIGHT, one night where I'm going to a play with some friends and they post it THEN.

My god this is terrible for my heart, they are going to kill me eventually with this. Yes I Am Hyped.

Also, @vulturequills' drawing of my design of Whis is in this article. They Know About Me Lol.

#asks #Also sorry for no Whis I forgot to prepare it and the night got me busy tank #The next few days might also get a bit wild because I've got a big drawing I want to draw and I'm going to begin on that thing soon #And trust me I will be focussing on that. Sorry but the Whisses might just be on the sketch because I'm doing that drawing #The amount of Whis art that is literally just Frostwhistle unless it's a daily Whis is also Really Funny to me #They've also kot taken a single daily Whis despite there being MANY to choose from #I've got Whis with family. Mentors. Other cats. Doing silly things #But They don't want to Openly Aknowledge my existence or something I Don't Know #They are driving me mad tho. I literally just sent a wall of text to a friend about this. She is also into warrior cats #But only the Dutch translations so she's still stuck in Avos (hasn't even read those yet) so I can't give her the Full Infordump #But I did have to tell her that the writers of those books we both read Know I Exist #I do have to admit I hope they're A Bit Intimidated by those three years (and going!) of Whis #This post does give me a fucking MASSIVE boost to not give up #I was maybe going to finish at Ivypool's heart BUT NOW I'M KEEPING ON GOING UNTIL THAT SE SHOWS UP

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

If you had to chose one of your villains/antagonists to give a Disney villain song to, who would it be and why?

Hahaha, thanks for the ask.

That's too easy.

Gaston for... Gaston, from Undeserved.

(And yes, I named him after that Disney Villain. Though, honestly, I'm not a big fan of the song. None of my villains is disturbing in just the right way to use the best one, Hellfire. Clayton has lots of issues, but attraction is not one of them.)

#salad-ask #writingamongther0ses #Undeserved #I don't even know any new villain songs #I could give be prepared to Eilis' father 🙃 #and since that's the first ask since last night #I spent an hour trying to figure out why asks appeared and disappeared from my inbox #on this account the next/previous buttons are fucked #setting a wrong offset #so I do not see my 10th ask unless I go to the second page and then back to the first #where it then hides the first ask but shows the 10th #i also had one ask that was only visible on mobile independently of that #and on my other tumblr it's also messed up but in a different way #what the fuck.gif

[politemagic]

hey gang if you're in the market for some new ambient, "naturey" metal music, might i suggest checking out the band til fauna?

they're a small band & they've only got 3 songs out now but they're working on a full album! i'm really digging their music so far and i'm excited to see what else they release!! breathe is my fav right now, but honestly all of the songs are good. (also i followed them on instagram and they messaged me to thank me for listening and gang i went 🥺 i think they're really good please listen to them🖤)

#if any of you actually listen to them please let me know!!! i would love to hear what you think #i discovered them literally an hour ago but they FUCK okay?? #they're based not too far from me and i'm hoping that if they start playing shows i can go to support!!! i think that would be sick #also lowkey trying to hype myself up to reach out to them about trying to do some video/photo work for them in the future #because that would be so fucking sick & a goddamn DREAM but i feel like its so silly like i'm sure they could do better than my amateur ass #(i say amateur like i don't literally have a mass communications degree in film & professional experience. it's just not in music) #but idk you never know unless you ask or whatever but ohhhhh that would be too much. don't think i can do it. #em's tasty tunes #Spotify #til fauna

[musical-chick-13]

"This show is SO good, you should watch it!!"

I gotta be honest. If I look at a character list on Wikipedia and get five characters down without seeing a single woman, it's probably not for me.

#I have no patience for 'there is exactly one woman in the main/supporting cast' anymore #unless the writing is INCREDIBLE and the themes are explored with a type of depth and nuance I can't get anywhere else (like shiki) #(daily media plug for shiki) #then I just. probably will not vibe with it. if there are no women. (also shiki DOES have interesting female characters in it) #and this isn't to say that like. things involving men or talking about men or that have a male protagonist are Not Worth #My Time that is NOT what I'm saying at all. I just want like. several women. who show up and affect the story. like LITERALLY that is all I #am asking for. I feel like that's just. the bare minimum. but alas. #mel screams about fictional ladies again #there are plenty of things that are male-character-focused that I enjoy and even genuinely think are good! but I do want people to #ask themselves why they aren't willing to go to bat for media that DOES have more women in the cast than men. #(I mean. the answer is misogyny. but I want people to be. aware of that. and evaluate accordingly) #(evaluate meaning 'acknowledge I have some biases I need to continue deconstructing' not 'drop interest in everything tumblr #user musical-chick-13 personally doesn't like') #I feel like so many times we get trapped in this space between overcorrection via 'don't like ANYTHING that's pRoBLeMaTiC in ANY way' #and people taking the 'it's fiction it's not that deep' to the conclusion of 'because I cannot actually hurt fictional characters because #they're not real that means I am incapable of hurting irl people when they talk about those characters' #like there is. nuance here. there is a middle ground. and most people have NO interest in finding it lmao #and like...if you carry your biases from irl (which EVERYONE HAS. INCLUDING ME. COURTESY OF LIVING IN A PREJUDICED SOCIETY.) into a #direct and one-to-one evaluation of stories or characters that allow you to exercise those biased ideas. then that reinforces those biases #like. no hating...for example every anime lady isn't the same as structural misogyny like the pay gap or anti-women violence #but if you automatically associate the idea of 'female character' with 'lesser-than' it strengthens the already-present societal idea that #women are not as important or dynamic or worthy of support and attention as their male peers. if you are willing to see every (white) #fictional man as having interiority and depth but struggle to see that in any fictional woman then it adds to the things society is already #telling us about women. it creates an association of 'women' with 'inferiority' and uh. that's what misogyny is. #it is not the same as misogynistic crimes against irl women but it IS a reflection of the rhetoric and societal impulses that lead to them #and even if it's a reflection and not the actual thing. it's still important to break down and examine and reevaluate because #if we don't examine our OWN biases. then even if we tear down the greater oppressive structure we'll just end up building it back up again #no your thousands of words of m/m fanfiction or liking late 2000s shonen anime isn't responsible for misogyny nor are these things #inherently misogynistic. I just want like. some acknowledgement that something being 'for fun' doesn't automatically mean that bias/ #prejudice is nowhere to be found

[transxfiles]

someone tell theatre majors to stop being such massive flirts, i get feelings too easily

#Y'ALL. #in the cafeteria today a friend from the theatre design/tech program came up to me while i was sitting with other friends #and they started flirting with me and they genuinely want to hook up probably (but i'm not sure i want to go for it with them #unless they actually want to like date and all that bc i really just can't do FWB rn i don't think) but regardless i got VERY flustered #and had no idea what to say and needless to say i've been thinking about it nonstop #and while i was still processing all of that i was on my way to class and i started talking to some acting majors i'm friends with #and they asked me if i was trying out for our production of romeo and juliet and i said i couldn't bc i'm ASMing another show #and they said “aw but you'd be such a cute romeo” GIRL. Y'ALL GOTTA STOP SAYING WORDS. #cricket.chatterbox #bruh #the dyke drama tag

[arsonist-chicken]

Aha! It's been less than 12h since the fight about "I'm not giving away my key as long as I still pay rent here", and we're already at the next one! At 8am as I'm on my way out the door to a class I hate that I have to get up too early for.

It was just the more annoying one this time, and apparently they've decided now that it's okay if I keep my house key, but I am not allowed to keep the key to my room because... of reasons, I guess. Something something I can't just lock the room if I don't live there anymore? And when I said I'm keeping both keys until the next renter has taken over my contract and is paying rent for the room and then that renter gets them from me, she yelled after me as I was walking out the door about what's wrong with me.

Of all the things we've had fights about so far, this is the dumbest one yet I think - why in the world would I give up my keys if I might still be paying rent for another three months?? Regardless of if I never show up there again because why the fuck would I want to, or sleep there or let my parents or friends sleep there every weekend, that's none of their business - it's MY room that I pay rent for and I can do with it whatever I want.

#also she asked if I'd already cleaned my room for the showings tomorrow #ma'am i am not a toddler who needs to be micromanaged; you don't tell me how to clean; and it's my room and I clean it when and how I want #I was thinking hmmmm. what if the new renter takes the contract from 1 january? #say I'm not taking everything this weekend because I'm not up for the fith but it turns out I'm allowed to take the table etc #how petty would it be to drive there early on christmas morning; because they surely won't be there then; and just take away the furniture #they don't own? and give the keys to the new renter without meeting those two again and block everyone's number? #now that's a theoretical scenario of course and probably would cost me more nerves than it'd be worth #i just hope they'll decide on a renter in the next two days with the many showings they have #that they told me I can't be here for because they'd be embarrassed about me #i mean i won't be here because i can't be bothered but it's so fucking stupid they think they have the right #to kick me out of my own home and room #jess' flatmate rants #she 'informed herself' about if i can just take furniture. on juraforum dot de. a german forum. where anyone can write anything. we're also #in austria not germany #i'm going over to the rental advice place tomorrow and at this point it's out of pure spite #i'm so fucking sick of them #and if they want to be more annoying tonight they can reschedule all their showings because then i'll insist that #no one is looking at my room unless i'm there and they schedulded stuff for when i'm not there #so if they want to be annoying they can reschedule everything to times when i'll be at homr

[youremyonlyhope]

In Defense of Tolya/Inej

(A long rambling essay exploring asexuality, "shipping wars," and the effect that constant cancellations has had on fandom. 4600 words. I'm not even sorry that it's long. There's a tldr at the end.)

Let's start this off by saying I am asexual. Or demisexual... greysexual... aceflux... the point is I am on the asexual spectrum. I don't know where precisely. I don't personally think it really matters for me to specifically define it. I am somewhere over there. I also consider myself to be somewhere on the aromantic spectrum (for that one I'm 90% sure I lean toward greyromantic).

All of this is to say: asexuality and aromanticism are both spectrums. They are umbrella terms. There are subgroups within them to help describe the range of the spectrum, but if people want to just use asexual or aromantic to describe themselves then they can. Where I fall is different from where someone else falls, and that's different from where another person falls, and that's probably different from the person reading this if you are ace and/or aro too. And it's different for Tolya. There isn't one aroace experience and there isn't one type of aroace representation.

A little more about me. I am also mixed race. More specifically Black and white like Jesper, but mixed people of all races know the shared experiences of feeling like we're between two worlds. It's not as obvious in the show (I can't remember if it's even mentioned but I can see that some fans don't seem to know), but in in the books Tamar and Tolya are half-Shu and half-Ravkan. Also, I am a twin. I am a girl with a boy twin. My twin brother is a foot taller than me. So, Tamar and Tolya's existence in the Grishaverse speak to MY SOUL. Tamar, Tolya, and Jesper make me feel like so many parts of myself are represented on these pages.

Moving on from my background. Just another reminder that ace is a spectrum. Aro is a spectrum. Life. Is. A. Spectrum.

Onto the actual topic: Tolya. In the books, Tolya doesn't have any love interests. He also notably says "I have my faith, my books. I've never wanted more," in Rule of Wolves. This leads many fans to headcanon him as ace, aro, or aroace. I headcanon him as aroace too. I loved that one almost throwaway line and it made me feel even more connected to Tolya. I recently reread the Shadow and Bone trilogy and it renewed my love for Tolya. The perfect casting of Lewis Tan also reignited my excitement for seeing this character that I adore appear onscreen.

It seems, from the scene of Tolya helping Inej onto the boat, that the show will explore the possibility of Tolya and Inej being together. THIS IS OK. This is ok specifically because THE STORY IS NOT OVER.

I find that when I am worried about something, going over worst case scenarios and best case scenarios can help me calm down. Let's list a few possibilities of where this will lead:

Tolya and Inej fall in love. Inej forgets Kaz exists. Tolya's possible aroace-ness is never acknowledged. They spend all their time kissing and having sex, never again hunting slavers or reciting poetry ever. If Inej and Kaz meet again, she'll break his heart because they'll never get together. Kaz dies alone. Tolya and Inej then have 20 kids.

Tolya develops (or has already developed) a crush on Inej. It's understandable, she helped save his life and they fought well together against Ohval. Tolya is a very outwardly affectionate person: he's open about his feelings (hence the constant poetry recitation), he loves to care for the people around him (sharing food with multiple characters, helping Jesper with Wylan), he values his blade (his hallucination nightmare is Tamar dying on his blade, he doesn't notice people ducking out of the way of his handle), and he is incredibly spiritual (praying in Shu-Han, but many more examples in the books, the show has barely touched the surface of his spirituality). He is nearly the polar opposite of Kaz, and Inej has said that Kaz cannot give her what she wants, so that probably draws Inej towards Tolya. They get closer after spending time at sea, and they start a relationship. They stay together through the end of the show. Kaz either stays alone or finds someone else. Tolya's aroace-ness is never acknowledged.

Everything from #2, except they don't stay together through the end of the show. Inej realizes that despite Tolya being able to give her what she thinks Kaz can't, she still wants Kaz. And Kaz, now having been away from Inej for a period of time and possibly working through some of his touch aversion and other anxieties, wants to try to meet Inej somewhere in the middle after knowing with it's like to almost lose her to someone else. She accepts Kaz, leaves Tolya, and Tolya is fine with it (because I can't imagine Tolya ever holding a grudge for that). Tolya's aroace-ness isn't never acknowledged, but is probably somewhat implied (something along the lines of telling Inej the "faith and books" line to reassure her).

Everything from #2, but this time Tolya is the one who realizes that this might not be what he wants. Maybe he realizes that he has romantic feelings for Inej but not sexual. Maybe he realizes that he has sexual feelings for Inej but not romantic. Maybe he realizes his feelings for Inej are purely platonic and the intensity comes from his gratitude for saving him. Or maybe the intensity comes from them connecting through their spirituality. This could either lead to Inej feeling sad and rejected and turning to Kaz for some comfort, OR she just agrees that the feelings aren't the same as what she had for Kaz. Kaz has now worked through some of his trauma. So they end the relationship, Toya is happy with his faith and books, and Inej reconnects with Kaz romantically.

The look that Tolya gave Inej wasn't from some sort of romantic interest, but instead intrigue at the chance of getting to know her better. They become best friends with their bond starting from their mutual love for blades and their spirituality. They become the blade fighting duo we never knew we needed. The show never mentions his sexuality, he just stays single.

Same as #5, but they also Tolya say the "faith and books" line and confirm he's aroace.

The show sees the negative response from some fans and does a complete 180, never addressing the possibility Tolya and Inej again. I do not want this to happen. Not because I like Tolnej, but because I hate that fan response and pandering has become a thing in the current age of social media and letting fans influence media. It completely ruined the Rise of Skywalker. I fully believe it's influenced RTD's Doctor Who (I can go more in depth on that another time). Looking at these examples, I would rather the Shadow and Bone writers continue with whatever storyline they already have planned rather than shift to appease some of the fans, even if that planned storyline isn't something I will like. People need to remember that the fans who care enough to speak on social media, both positively and negatively, only make up a small percentage compared to the entire viewership. So I definitely do not want them to take fan response into account when planning the show. Leigh is an executive producer, so I trust she wouldn't let them explore something with her characters and her world that she wouldn't mind seeing herself.

Kaz, in my headcanon, also falls somewhere on the asexual spectrum. Whether it's because of his touch aversion or if that's just a part of it, I do think he's somewhat asexual. While most of us are ace just because we're ace, there are some people who are ace due to past trauma and I've imagined Kaz falls in that category. To me, subtly in the books but definitely in the show, Inej desires a sexual relationship and she's well aware that Kaz doesn't want that. Her hallucination, which I see so many Kanej fans gif'ing and fangiring over, would never happen at this point in Kaz's life. Inej realizes it in the moment, and that's how she knows it isn't real. Tolya is literally using his Heartrender abilities to try to slow down the effects of the poison before succumbing to the horror of his hallucination, but it's Inej who snaps out of her hallucination first BECAUSE she knows what she's seeing is not possible. It's different from Jesper, who knows his hallucination isn't real since his mom is gone and yet still wants to stay in it, because Inej knows this could theoretically happen, but also knows that Kaz would never let it happen. She doesn't even let herself enjoy the hallucination the way Jesper did because it's something she doesn't think she can ever have with Kaz. There is a very real possibility that the show could ultimately decide (after some combination of the earlier scenarios in my list) that Tolnej doesn't work/doesn't happen AND then that Inej and Kaz will never have any sort of relationship either. They could all end up single or with other characters. Even at the end of Crooked Kingdom, the Kanej relationship is still somewhat ambiguous. They hold hands, she says she's not ready to give up on him, and he helped find her family, but they aren't explicitly in love. I wouldn't be surprised if the show goes the book route and leaves Kanej ambiguous yet hopeful at the end.

BONUS! Just because I think it'd be fun. Make Tolya canonically aromantic and just care deeply and platonically for Inej, but maybe he can still fulfill Inej's desire for a sexual relationship since he can be demi or greysexual or even asexual with a libido. Kaz may never fully stop being touch averse, which is perfectly fine, and he and Inej connect romantically with a fulfilling life of love. And then Kaz and Tolya get to bond deeply platonically over their mutual love for life's beauty (poetry and Inej). Make them some sort of triad that mixes and fulfills everyone's romantic, sexual, and platonic needs. It's a win-win-win for all three. It doesn't have to be a love triangle, Inej has two hands. Do I expect the show to go in this direction? No. Would I love to see it? Yes.

Obviously I'm exaggerating scenerio #1 on purpose. Because that exaggeration is what I imagine people to seem to think the show is leading to based on how intense their responses have been so far. I also tried to address some other things I've seen people freaking out about when making the scenarios, like how Kaz will react to Tolya or worrying if Tolya being aroace will ever be acknowledged in the show.

What do I think is most likely to happen? Honestly, scenario #3 or #4. Maybe #6. That's why I'm not freaking out. Yes I ship Kanej, yes I think Tolya is aroace, but I also like the idea of them exploring Tolnej and I think either #3 or #4 would be fun to see. While the show strays from the books in a lot of ways, I don't think they'll stray from the final relationships by the end of it.

At the end of Ruin and Rising, Mal and Alina get to leave, get married, and live an ordinary life full of ordinary things. I LOVE the ending (apparently that's another controversial opinion I have about the Grishaverse) but that didn't happen in the show. Yet. The show has separated Mal and Alina so that Mal can figure out who he is without his tracking and so they can find out if they love each other for each other, or if it was just destiny that pulls them together. This is not in the book at all. And yet I love it. It can lead to strengthening their relationship since I trust the show will still end eventually with them together, hopefully with their ordinary ending. I think the show is doing the same thing with Kanej. The "I'll have you without your armor or not at all" conversation actually came towards the end of the duology, but the show moved it much earlier. I like that they did because this gives them something to build up from. Another reason I like scenarios #3 and #4 is because they still give Kaz the opportunity take what Inej said to heart and try to live without his armor. At the end of Crooked Kingdom, he takes off his glove and holds Inej's hand, but he is not at that point in the show yet. He will be eventually. And knowing that Inej might move on with Tolya can give him more reason to work to get to that point. I don't think the show is telling us Kanej will never happen, I think the possibility of Tolnej is the same as them separating Malina. I believe they will all come back together.

And if any of my listed scenarios do happen: THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN TOLYA'S SEXUALITY IS ERASED.

Sexuality in the Grishaverse is never defined. The fans can make inferences based on the relationships that Leigh gives her characters, but they don't define the characters' sexualities with labels in the books. This is because in the Grishaverse, labels as we know them don't seem to exist. You can kind of think of it in the way that we should treat LGBT+ people in history: we can give them labels of what we would consider them to be in our current era, but we'll never truly know what they would have labeled themselves because either they were closeted or there were just no labels for their sexualities at the time. And when they did have labels, they often called themselves things that many LGBT+ people would never use today. I look at the Grishaverse characters' sexualities in a similar way; they don't label themselves, and we can make assumptions based on the labels we would use, but they will never be explicitly canon unless Leigh puts it in the books.

For example, Hanne in Rule of Wolves (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THIS PARAGRAPH) Leigh uses "she/her" pronouns for them up until the last part of the book, and then Leigh is careful to NEVER use any pronouns for Hanne again. The fandom assumes Hanne identifies as a transman from that point on or maybe nonbinary, but we really don't know for sure yet because it happened so late in the book. The Grishaverse wiki uses "they/them" pronouns for Hanne precisely because we don't know what they prefer. All we know is that they always felt uncomfortable when they presented as a girl, and they enjoyed Tailoring themself to be more masculine. Maybe in future books we will get a definite answer as to whether they are a transman or nonbinary, but for now we technically don't know. But out of respect, the fandom has agreed to use they/them for Hanne. (RULE OF WOLVES SPOILERS ARE DONE)

So, if Tolya does have a relationship with Inej at some point in the show, whether or not it lasts, it doesn't erase the possibility of Tolya being on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrums. The show and books are never going to give him a definitive label. He could be demisexual/romantic and figure out after forming a bond with Inej that he has sexual or romantic feelings for her. Or he could be greysexual/romantic, which has a purposefully wide definition (rare specific circumstance that he desires having a relationship, weak attraction or difficulty telling it apart from platonic feelings, etc), and his experiences with Inej could fall into one of those categories. In these cases, we'd probably get a scene where he'd say something like "I've always thought I only needed my books and faith, but after getting to know you, Inej, I have never felt this way before and I don't think I'll ever feel this way again." This would still be representation for people who fall along the middle of the aroace spectrum, but not those at the furthest edge. If the relationship doesn't last and through it he realizes that he's sure that these are things he's not interested in, then that represents every aroace person who had to go through that before coming to terms with their sexuality. It's not erasure. Maybe it doesn't specifically represent YOU if you consider yourself aroace, but it definitely represents SOMEONE who does (I'd find it very relatable).

And all of this goes back to something I mentioned at the start: the show is not DONE. If it gets renewed, which it likely will, then there is more to see. To me, the people I see freaking out about the possibility of Tolnej, whether it's because they ship Kanej and don't want a triangle or because they don't want Tolya's sexuality to be "erased," are reacting the way you'd usually see people react if the show ended at this point. But it probably will not. And then when I see posts from the people who are thinking ahead, they seem to only be considering scenario #1 and not realizing there are a multitude of directions for the show to go in. It's not worth freaking out over. Plus, there's always the saying "don't like don't read," so if you find you really are disliking even the possibility that any scenario I listed could come true, you can just not watch the show and pretend it doesn't exist. The books are never changing. Even if the show changes everything, even if they have Alina end up with Jesper or Wylan end up with Nadia or Zoya marry a volcra or any other ridiculous outcome that utterly changes the show's canon, the book's canon will never change. You can always turn to the books if things don't ultimately turn out in a way you want them to.

Also, why am I seeing people complain that fans are writing fanfiction already about Tolnej? Why are you complaining about what other fans are doing that has zero affect on you? Fanfiction is not just for the canon ships. It's not even just for shipping in general, but it's definitely not reserved to the ships that are canon. You can write fanfiction for any ship you want to. Shipping wars have never truly made sense to me, but maybe that's because my first big online fandom was Glee and the ships were constantly changing and switching around so there was no point in putting too much effort into arguing because it may all change in the next episode anyway. Yes, we had lots of ship wars, but when people shipped the most random "crackships" possible then the appropriate response for most people was "wow, they really ship that, weird" and then to move on. Let people write fanfics. That's why AO3 exists. You can just write whatever you like. And yes of course a new crop of fans hate AO3, which is a whole other issue I cannot wrap my head around, but the point is to just let people write the fanfic they want to write and make the fanart they want to. Someone has already made a Tolnej fanvid on YouTube? Wow that's incredible since they did it so quickly! Malina on the moon AU? Cool throw in some sun and moon jokes! Do you think that Wylan and Hershaw would be best friends? Go for it, they'll probably blow everything up! The Darkling and Mal and Alina incest AU fic? Not my cup of tea but you do you and I just won't read it. People will write what they want to, and they aren't hurting anyone in the process, so if you don't want to see it then don't read it.

I see people complaining that shipping wars will begin to start after this fandom had been so peaceful for years. Honestly, the only reason there weren't shipping wars before this was because Six of Crows didn't have enough characters and possible ships to have a war over. Mixing with Shadow and Bone earlier in the timeline has opened up the possibilities. You know how to prevent shipping wars? Just don't fight with people who ship the things that you don't ship. Don't engage. If you see a Tolnej fanfiction, don't tell the author "Ew I hate Tolnej. You shouldn't have written this." just don't read it. Or if you do read it and still don't like it, then move on. If someone who ships Tolnej comes on a Kanej post and starts saying Tolnej is better, or vice versa, you can press the block button. Or you can just not respond to them. A shipping war doesn't start if you don't fight in it. There can just be people who ship Tolnej, people who ship Kanej, people who ship all 3 of them together, and everyone can just choose what they want to interact with and scroll past what they don't.

When it comes to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am a gigantic Zutara shipper, and the Zutara vs Kataang ship war was infamously a bad one, but I just try not to engage in it. I know my ship isn't canon. Sure, I'll complain that it's not canon, maybe say "Oh in this scene they were so in love" and think about what could have been, but then I just go read Zutara fanfics. If you don't want to see shipping wars, don't participate. Ignore it. Move on.

But you know what? I think I know what the ultimate source of this is, or at least one of the sources. I've been seeing similar uproars in the Stranger Things and Umbrella Academy fandoms this year. Both are fandoms that also tend to skew younger than myself. I think fans, especially younger fans, are now reacting in these intense ways as a defense mechanism because so many shows get cancelled early. They're preparing in advance for this to be the last of whatever media they love, they're preparing for this to be canon forever, and they aren't happy.

Using Stranger Things as my example, I saw it happen when people were mad that Will didn't come out as gay at the end of Season 4 and that Mike didn't fall in love with him. I get that you guys ship them, and I love Will and want him to be happy, but just because it didn't happen in Season 4 doesn't mean it's not going to happen. First of all, Will is a 14 year old kid in the 1986 from a small town in Indiana that can barely handle Dungeons and Dragons and he's already been bullied at school for possibly being gay, coming out is not as easy as it is today. Reagan only just acknowledged AIDS one year earlier. Even Robyn hasn't come out to anyone but Steve. If they had thrown in Will coming out amongst the chaos of Elle fighting Vecna and trying to save Max, I know people would complain that it got shoehorned in as an afterthought. And because it didn't happen at all, people are complaining about that too. I know people will always complain about something, but I'm sure that fewer fans would complain if they didn't have the fear of cancellation instilled in them. Sure, Stranger Things would never get cancelled before finishing the planned story, but these fans are just used to feeling that the end of each season of every show could possibly be The End, and then complain about the loose ends accordingly.

That's what I think I'm seeing from the people who are upset about the possibility of Tolya and Inej being together. The show will probably be renewed, but it's not guaranteed. If it were to end right now, then yeah, fans who only watch the show would assume Inej and Kaz will never be together, that Tolya is interested Inej, and they'd have no idea that he's implied to be aroace in the books. But here's the thing: if you read the books, you know none of this is true. In the books, Tolya is aroace representation. In the books, Kaz and Inej are implied to have a romantic future. Why does it matter to you and your life if some people who watch the show don't know about the parts of the books that haven't happened yet? The fans who are mad about this change are all book fans because we're the ones who know it's a change. If we don't like the change, we can always choose to only acknowledge the books. The books can't be cancelled. The books are not going to change. Even if the show goes in directions you don't like, you can always take solace in the books.

Also, I see way too many people complaining about Tolya and Inej who have only read SoC/CK but not any of the books that Tolya actually appears in.

I'm nearly done. I wanted to address the aroace fans who are sad because they saw themselves in Tolya and now feel he doesn't represent them. I'm sorry that a character you connected to doesn't touch you the same way in the show as they did in the book. But you can't say Tolya isn't aroace representation in the show, at least not yet. At this point, he doesn't represent YOU and you definitely deserve representation, but he does represent SOMEONE. And hopefully he will continue to represent someone. So many aroace people had relationships with people they cared about and thought they felt romantic or sexual love for, before they eventually realized they were aroace. If this ends up as Tolya's story, then that rings true to SO MANY people. As I keep repeating, the show is not over, this could be leading to one of the scenarios where Tolya figures out that he is aroace through pursuing a relationship with Inej. He could already be demi or grey and it just hasn't come up in the show yet, but meeting Inej is one of the few times in his life that he does feel romantic and/or sexual attraction. Or, the look he gave her was just platonic and he's excited to have her aboard the Volkvolny.

We don't know for sure. It's better to just let the show's story unfold and remember that you will always have the books you love, rather than waste energy worrying about where the show is heading.

So yeah. I love Tolya. I love the idea of Tolnej. I love any plot point that can put more Tolya on my screen. I am greyromantic and demi/grey/flux/asexual/whatever and I personally like where they're taking his character and I want to see what it leads to. I hope it ultimately leads to him staying on the asexual and aromantic spectrums, but we don't know for sure right now. We just need to wait and see.

Also, don't tag any hate posts for the ship in the Tolya Yul-Bataar, Tolnej, Tolya x Inej, and Inej x Tolya tags. That's just fandom etiquette 101.

.......................

tl;dr:

1) The show isn't done yet and we don't know where it's heading. 2) The show can be heading in a bunch of different directions, including keeping Tolya as aroace and having Kanej be canon. 3) Asexuality and aromanticism are spectrums and umbrella terms, so Tolya could be with Inej and still be considered aroace. 4) This isn't erasing aroace representation because there will still be aroace people who will feel represented by him. 5) The books are not going away so if worst comes to worst, he'll still always be aroace representation in the books.

#tolya yul bataar #grishaverse #shadow and bone #inej ghafa #sab spoilers #shadow and bone spoilers #anyway if you're gonna try to argue with me then at least read the whole thing first #i try to anticipate things people will ask about or argue against when i write stuff like this. so at least read it if you wanna argue. #since i likely tried to touch on whatever point you wanted to make. if not then cool. #if you don't wanna read the whole thing and if even the tldr is too long for you then just don't try to argue #also my anon is off. it hasn't been turned on in years. so. yay. #my replies are also off unless i follow you or you've followed me for a week. but not because of this post. #it's because i had a racist call me the N-word over House of the Dragon. so. i got bigger things to worry about. #oh especially listen to that last point and don't tag any hate. notice i didn't tag this as kanej. #this isn't even kanej hate. this isn't remotely kanej hate. you can see from my SoC duology review post #i ship kanej. i like kanej. but i still didn't tag it. this will show up in searches because i said kanej throughout. #but it's not going to show up in the kanej tag. because i just don't want to open that can of worms. #anyway i spent like... 7 total hours writing this over the course of this afternoon and evening #when i get in the zone i get in the zone

[cinna-bunnie]

i had a rly lovely day. i got rly stoned earlier n spent a few hours sorta ranting to myself about my gender n sexuality and got a lot of stuff squared away i haven't gotten to dig into before, then my friend n her bf got me drunk as hell and treated me to dinner n a movie ‹: im still kinda 😵‍💫 hours after the fact.

#she got a bit of a headache now but will see ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა i might just go to bed soon unless it goes away #hehe i got to briefly talk w the trans girl working at the snack area. i just asked for a straw but she loved my chokers (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ #lmao my friend also just finding out I'm a furry 😹 girl i showed u my bunny girl and u call me bunny wym #i don't even remember what context she thought it was in but 💀 i told her to introduce me to her furry friend n was like wait r they trans #“i have trans friends and furry friends but idk anyone who's both” ngl i forget cis furries exist all the time #i told her to introduce me to her trans friends and gay women 🙏🤞 #also i am still a bisexual enby tgirl 😏 it just has a lot more nuance to it now and i get to understand myself a lil better ♡⁠

[procrastinationaccount]

I'm going to lose my fucking mind

#For context: I was going to make a post complaining about how lesbians don't have enough good musical theater duets #(like we have the love songs from 'The Color Purple' which're alright but doesn't match the passion or desperation present in the book imo #'Changing My Major' which is a great love song but doesn't hit that sweet duet spot #'Dance With You' and the last verse of 'You Happened' from The Prom are sweet but the girls barely get to actually sing about each other #Honestly 'Oh Well' from Love In Hate Nation comes closest to what I want but it ends on a bittersweet note unless you see the show live #If only Elphaba and Glinda were canon... #But anyway. I can't believe that there's an adaptation of The Color Purple coming in the year of our lord 2023 and this is #how they're talking about Shug Avery. Her *role model*. Lock up your *husbands*. Ick. Pfaff. #I mean they're going to be gay. You can't get around that. But Shug is the love of her life. Can we please talk about that in the character #Don't mind me I'm just over here overreacting #From what I've read one of the biggest adaptational changes in the musical is her reaction to Shug's affair. #Like in the book Shug is the one light in her life. I sobbed myself to sleep over her nosedive in self-worth when they took a break #In the musical she's just...fine with it? I get why that's more satisfying emotionally but I still think it undermines their relationship #I don't get the curse thing either. I'm a little fuzzier on this part but in the book doesn't she just leave him and she's able to thrive? #Then when he asks her to get back together she's able to just know that the worst with Shug or alone is better than the best with him? #This book man. I hate that there isn't an adaptation as devoted to the Celie/Shug relationship as the book is. #Hate that the only recommendation I've seen calling it a sapphic book was from someone who thought that Celie's letters were to her lover #I remember watching this steamy adaptation of a Shakespeare play in soph Eng and seething because they only kiss once in the 1985 movie #Ig I can't expect too much from 1985 but...it was in the book! It was one of the most important parts! They don't even live together in it! #This was all to say I wast a lesbian 'Green Green Dress' a lesbian 'Home' a lesbian 'Natasha & Anatole' a lesbian Legally Blonde finale #The list goes on #I'm sure The Color Purple (2023) will be a good adaptation and movie. I will not pop blood vessels while watching it. #Maybe I should just avoid press releases and the movie will surprise me in a good way.

[altocat]

If cloud met genesis would that be the start of the Sephiroth hate train?

Cloud would honestly find CC era Genesis pretty annoying, with his arrogance and constant poetry recitals.

Post CC Gen is mostly just tired and gloomy, and extremely conflicted to even hear Sephiroth's name being mentioned. Part of him might butt heads with Cloud since he feels as if he knows Sephiroth better than anyone (and is generally reluctant to the idea of killing him). Cloud just sees him as a potential ally to Sephiroth and doesn't trust him one bit! Thus, they have a kind of rivalry where Genesis has no intention of letting Cloud kill his ex-boyfriend former comrade, and Cloud being this this close to clipping Genesis' wing.

...watch Genesis show up in Rebirth and be unquestioningly gung-ho alongside the others on the Seph-killing adventure. Oh Square.

#Genesis rhapsodos #Cloud strife #Sephcanons #Sephiroth #Ffvii #FF7 #Crisis Core #Asks #Final Fantasy 7 #I don't think Gen is going to show up as anything other than a short cameo #During the events of FF7 he's sleeping #So unless post Dirge era Gen is pulling some time travel shenanigans I don't know how we'd be able to run into him

[wernerherzogs]

two full seasons deep into yellowstone and i still don't get why beth hates jamie so much

#yeah i go there now. yeah don't ask. #nothing in the show so far explains such vitrol towards him like??? will s3 finally shed some light on this or #john too has been more cruel towards him than to any other of his children #he's literally tried to be independent once (1) so far and even that was because of the path his father had pushed him on first before he #changed his mind #i just want to get it bro!!!!!!!!! #yellowstone lb #yellowstone spoilers #i know they're probably gonna turn jamie into a full blown villain later on or sth but you know what? good for him ! #can't believe he's not actually gay too what a letdown 😞 #yellowstone: gay people? don't know her unless it's a category F character #gonna be telling myself it was the son who died at the beginning of the show i guess. #like..... you have all those children and you expect me to believe they're all straight..... Sure. #also i can't wait for john to die <3 hope rainwater gets his entire ranch at some point 😌

[twilight-deviant]

Do you have theories about what Maya did to Fisk in Echo’s finale? Also, do you plan to write more? I’d love a sequel of your AU where Fisk buys Matt from an abusive husband.

1. Thank you for interest in that AU. I won't say I'll never add to it, but I don't think I currently have enough ideas to continue. Maybe one day. Never say, "Never." But I am writing on another FiskMatt fic right now, if you're interested in it. I just hit a bit of writer's block, but I finally finished the next chapter. Should be up soon.

+

2. You mean in the final confrontation when Maya used her new healing powers (the MCU will do anything but give Maya her comic ability) on Fisk? I do, yes! I guess you could almost say it was like a therapy speedrun. Hahaha.

I have Thoughts on a lot of how they wrote Fisk in Echo (some good, some bad), and I may make a larger post just to get my thoughts out of my head. (Instead of texting my friend a lot.) But I was happy with the choice they made to have Maya challenge Fisk emotionally instead of physically. She didn't want to kill him (again), but instead heal him from past pain, like her mother's spirit did for her.

It makes me think of this bit from an X-Men comic. (Don't mistake me for someone who knows a lot about X-Men. lol. Just a few things.) Pietro's daughter, Luna, has the ability to alter people's emotions. She think she is helping pop-pop Magneto (I refuse retconning that he isn't Wanda/Pietro's father) by making him let go of the negative and traumatic emotions associated with his past. But Magneto does not want to be "saved" from that pain and anger. It belongs to him and is a driving force in everything he does.

That but with Maya and Fisk.

She still cares for the good parts of him she loved, and she wanted to be the bigger person and help him instead of hurt him further. I think it might even be empathetically motivated. It felt good when Taloa healed Maya from her emotional pain, and she thought it would help Fisk to do the same.

So when Fisk went on about how the trauma of an abusive childhood shaped him and motivated him, Maya thought if she could remove those negative emotions and get him to embrace her, let go of the hammer/violence/pain, it would help Fisk be less inclined towards evil in the now. In a sense, it might "cure" him.

But like with Magneto, it's not what Fisk wanted. He needs that anger and violence to be who he is. He doesn't want to be saved from it, not even for Maya. That's why he screamed, "I am not who you want me to be!" (Sad line, btw.) As if she wants to scrape away the "bad parts" of him and leave behind a better version. Fisk denies that he is or can be that person. (We love self-aware characters.)

It's not explicitly confirmed in the psychic vision of his childhood bedroom (*chef's kiss* for that choice of setting) if he does relinquish the hammer to her. The scene cuts away to reality. But you kind of get the sense that maybe he did, given his reaction.

I love how genuinely unsettled he appears for the rest of the episode. Like the ground collapsed beneath his feet, and he's trying to reconcile what his own emotions mean anymore.

Sitting in his plane, distractedly rubbing his fingertips together, as he is wont to do in times of unease. (Can't gif right now.)

So I'm not completely certain if Maya "turned off" the origin of all his anger, but it does sort of feel that way, right?

I don't doubt he'll once more be the unhinged anger man we love when we get to DD: Born Again, but I would love to see a small character arc where Fisk has to forcibly retake his rage or else lose all efficacy. (Something legitimately dangerous when you have as many enemies as he does.) I think it could be really, really good if they follow up with something like that.

#Long Post #Don't ask me a question about Fisk unless you want the long answer #LOL #Don't necessarily want to tag with the series because I get the feeling very few people in that fandom care about Fisk #But the show hasn't even been out for a week and I'm not not going to tag #Echo #Echo Spoilers #If anyone tries to hate Fisk on my post (exception: good faith debate) Imma block you #I don't need or want that negativity #Wilson Fisk #Kingpin #Daredevil #(That one's for my blog and my poor followers' blacklists lol) #And any Fisk material goes under the DD tag #Ask #Anonymous

[musical-chick-13]

What do you think is up with the male protagonist of Apothecary's Diaries???

Prefacing this by saying that I'm about two-thirds of the way through the show, so I don't really, completely know all of what Jinshi's deal is. Nonetheless, I shall try and collect my thoughts so far!

Spoilers through episode 16 of The Apothecary Diaries under the cut.

Jinshi is an odd character for me to try to define. Because I do genuinely find him annoying at times (and not just in an "All people are annoying sometimes and characters should have flaws to enrich their personalities and feel more real" kind of way), but...I don't find myself hating him.

For one, his interest in Maomao (despite her open and obvious abhorrence of a good portion of his behavior) isn't based in any of the story beats I hate that frequently accompany this kind of dynamic (i.e. "Interested guy maintains long-standing attraction toward disinterested woman"). It's not, "I hate women, except for this super special one who is my Only Equal," it's not, "She's the only person who doesn't fawn over me, so she's the only one here who isn't Completely Stupid," and it's not, "I think winning her over is a challenge that will prove how macho and cool and suave I am."

Jinshi is considered unearthly beautiful, to the point where people are constantly making passes at him, leaving him creepy gifts to express their obsession, and trying to slip him aphrodisiacs to push romantic and/or sexual contact on him. It's so bad that he can't have younger servants, no one except his older attendants (and later Maomao) is even allowed to see him when he wakes up in the morning, and he has to bar the doors to his office at night. Despite her consistent disdain toward his antics, Maomao is, paradoxically, the only person in Jinshi's relative age range who actually sees him as a person; because her hatred of his behavior means she's evaluating him for something other than his beauty. Even if she doesn't often like how he presents himself to her, her judgment of him is based on who he is and what he does, rather than how he looks.

And this lends a level of nuance to the show that I think prevents me from just being frustrated at Jinshi and that being the end of it. There's other nuance there, too: he does take his political work seriously; he obviously possesses significant analytical ability, and is pretty good at fighting, but doesn't think those qualities mean anything because he doesn't supremely excel at them (which, wow, what a mood, as the kids say); he tries to play nice with Lakan despite finding him incredibly off-putting because he knows it'll help keep things stable. Jinshi has some. Trouble. With personal boundaries (more on that in a second), but we are shown that he has some standards. He's willing to let Maomao go when he thinks that's what she wants. He seems genuinely horrified at Lakan's predatory comments about the courtesan he was attracted to, and at Maomao's story of how she got kidnapped. He pays for Maomao's removal from Verdigris House, but this only happens after he makes a comment to her about it and she says that it might be a good idea. And (at least so far, again, I haven't finished the show yet), when he takes her on as his personal servant, he never considers using that position to order her to accept his romantic advances. He definitely has some flaws (and I can understand if those flaws make him too off-putting to care about to some people). But I do recognize and respect the obvious effort that was put into making sure Jinshi doesn't come across as a one-dimensional character.

I've seen a theory that his, uh...less-than-stellar understanding of day-to-day personal boundaries are related to all of the things I mentioned above, in regard to how doggedly people keep pursuing him. (My sincerest apologies to whoever wrote that post, I tried to find it again and I can't.) And I do think this makes sense--that he internalized a lot of negative behaviors from his immediate environment and the way people act toward him. (I even think you could argue that, since beauty is so important for women in this setting--to the point where it's almost seen as a necessity--extreme physical attractiveness is more broadly viewed as a "feminine" quality. And since Jinshi possesses this """feminine""" quality, plenty of people treat him the way they would a woman: as an object to be looked at and obtained for clout.) I think it's also worth noting that Maomao only really responds positively toward him when he's not being flirty or pushy, during moments where he's being genuinely thoughtful (like the hairpin giving scene, Jinshi taking her to the infirmary after ingesting poison at the garden party, and catching her when she falls off the wall after drinking with Ah-Duo). So, between the deeper aspects of Jinshi's characterization, the fact that he does clearly have some principles, and the specific way Maomao's reactions to him are framed, I still find myself interested in seeing what will happen with him next.

All of that being said. I also frequently find myself going, "Dude. Wtf." And given my own personal preferences in characters and the types of relationships I like to see (which I will not get into because it's not particularly important and this response is already very long), I doubt that will change during these upcoming episodes.

#mc13 watches the apothecary diaries #mel on anime lockdown #multi t(ASK)ing #I guess my feelings on jinshi boil down to: 'I'm interested in his plot/enjoy him in many respects but I'm not going to go feral™ over him' #(he is no seishin) #and ditto with the ship? I'm not opposed to it but I don't see myself Adopting It Into The Fold unless a LOT of other stuff happens #but I think the writing is excellent (obviously. because I've been on Show Lockdown since I started it.) and I also think there's value #in depicting the story in this particular way #I'm not sure I'm the best person to try and break down the aspects of his characterization considering that I am BY FAR more invested #in maomao and the way the women are presented. because our female lead was...basically tailor-made for me to love dearly. and that #DOES kind of eclipse everything else for me to a certain degree. but I'd like to think I can recognize when an aspect of a story is done #well but doesn't necessarily directly appeal to the deepest parts of my soul

[constantvariations]

Do we have any solid evidence as to who Alyx was? In the beginning of the season, she was a girl using deception to survive a strange world, then Jaune says she was a cruel bitch with no qualms about murder, and now the cat is saying she was a kind soul who wanted to stay behind and fix her mistakes

WHO THE FUCK WAS ALYX

#rwde #once again i am asking why we the audience were not given any info on the tale before it was shoved down our throats in pieces #worst part is we can only assume things abt alyx thru other people's perspectives #unless in her ascension she retained her memories Alyx is gone. only the blacksmith with her final wish remains #so we have the words of two men and a murder cat to go on #don't you love this show :)) the writing is just :))) super :)))