#but it’s just a bit weird to act like people don’t have compassion for the migrants who died just because they’re mocking rich folk for dyi

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

I strongly agree that there are world events that deserve much more news coverage and resources than the Titan because frankly it should’ve been immediately assumed they were dead when sonar couldn’t find them and communication was lost.

However, I don’t necessarily think it’s fair to compare the EU coast guard and the US and Canada's various first response teams that responded to the Titan. Because they’re separate entities.

Do I think people should care more about the refugee ship that capsized due to alleged incompetence of the coast guard? Yes. I do. And I hope more survivors can be found because that was a genuine tragedy.

Do I think that it should be getting the same kind of attention as the Titan? Not really. Because people are just memeing on the Titan, and the average tumblr user has around $0.20 to their name and maybe 400 followers so this isn’t a very good platform for getting meaningful help for those affected by that situation.

This isn’t even a “you can care about two things at once” situation, because again with the Titan you should be very amused by 4/5 of those deaths whereas there’s nothing funny about what happened to that fishing ship. These are very different niches in cultural awareness and your ire should be towards media companies over random people on social media.

#Idk it just feels like getting mad at someone for posting spongebob memes instead of signal boosting that a genocide is occurring #like sure if someone genuinely thinks the Titan is more tragic just because it’s rich white people then yeah #please do clown away #but it’s just a bit weird to act like people don’t have compassion for the migrants who died just because they’re mocking rich folk for dyi #guy who intentionally removed any and all safety features getting crushed into paste instantly by his own hubris #is objectively funny and I will continue laughing at Stockton rush until I die #especially since he talked up how safe it was and then named it after the titanic only for it to share the same fate #perfect set up and punchline #genuine R.I.P. to the innocent guy on board but the others were absolute morons to do it to begin with #The contract you had to allegedly sign to go on the trip? Absurd #it wouldn’t have been a good view even if successful #and it was disrespectful to make a mass grave into a tourist attraction #so I’ll toast to the death of Stockton rush and his idiotic name forever

[miss-tc-nova]

Hunted - Leona Kingscholar & "Yuu"

My piece for the Twst Horror Zine. I had a lot of fun thinking of the possible terror and re-watching one of my favorite horror movies.

Premise: Backpacking around Twisted Wonderland goes bad

Words: 2,962

Trigger Warnings: implied death, stalking, isolation

Art done by the incredibly gifted HoKeki on Twitter!

~~~~~

October 23, 20XX

I’m not sure how to start this, so here goes.

Welcome to my journal! Over the next several months, my friends and I will be backpacking across Twisted Wonderland, taking in the sights and cultures across the world. This is going to be my first excursion and I thought it would be fun to document it.

As anyone who knows me might guess, I’m bringing Ace and Deuce along, though I’m not sure how they came to agree on it when they never seem to agree on anything. Even right now, Ace is badgering Deuce about all the stuff he’s bringing. I agree Deuce might’ve overpacked a bit, but I don’t know how Ace thinks he’s going to be fine with just two sets of clothes and his pajamas. At least I don’t have to wear them. So I’ll be spending a lot more time with these dummies, but I’m excited it’s my best friends I get to share this adventure with.

Our first stop is going to be Sunrise City in the Sunset Savanna. From there, we’ll probably go east to the Shaftlands and then maybe up into the Kingdom of Heroes. The great thing is that we get to decide as we go. I was pretty adamant about starting in Sunrise City though. I’ve always wanted to visit since I learned about its culture and how intermingled it is with the wildlife. Also, being directly south of the Queendom of Roses made it an easy choice to start with.

Tomorrow can’t come soon enough. It’ll be a struggle to keep my excitement in check enough to get even an hour of sleep. Though I should probably finish packing first. Thank goodness Riddle isn’t here or I’d never hear the end of my unpreparedness. But that’s part of the fun, right? The spontaneity and not knowing what adventure the next day will bring. It’s the surprises on the horizon that I want to experience. Even the mishaps—because you know that’s gonna happen with the three of us.

I better cut it here. Ace is about to get punched in the face and I still gotta pack.

Peace!

~~~~~

October 24, 20XX

We finally made it! It took so long the sun is already starting to sink in the sky, but we’re here! Our plane was surprisingly small. In fact, the port here is more rural than I was expecting. It feels a lot more wild—like a safari.

Still, it’s absolutely breathtaking. Clear skies shine bright and the plains ripple like liquid gold in the breeze. Only the captivating local culture could stop me from staring at it for hours. The people are really kind. Most were obviously trying to make money off us, but even they were nice. And it all looked so amazing we had to drag Ace away from a shop selling “Bone Cookies.” This is literally our first day and the temptation to spend money is strong.

Right now, we’re in a cozy guest cabin. Some government officials questioned us about the purpose of our visit, where we’re going, all that stuff. When we told them we planned on taking the scenic route to the capital, the radio chatter started. They insisted we find another route, but the golden plains are one of the “Must See” views of the Sunset Savanna. Plus, we don’t have the money for fancy transportation. I’m sure we’ll be fine with a three-day walk, especially when there are rest stops that have some of the best hospitality.

In the end, our names, details, and contact information were taken. They even took pictures of us from different angles. It’s as if they’re expecting something to happen.

Some of the locals acted odd too, after we told them we were heading through the plains. Some gave us extra food, one gave us a discount, and one strangely gave us a compass—all with the same weird look. Still, I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Anyway, it was an exciting start but I can’t wait to get trekking. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

~~~~~

October 25, 20XX

Waking up to Ace and Deuce arguing is going to get old real fast, but I should probably get used to it. They are “best friends” after all.

After the commotion, we prepared to head out. The locals again reminded us not to get distracted. Explicit instructions told us that there were to be no detours and no delays. Honestly, it started to kill the excitement. However, it’s going to take three days to reach the capital—one day to get to the first camp, one to get to the second, and one to get to the city—so it’s probably just proper precaution.

A single step into the gold plains was all it took for the grass to dwarf us. Elephant grass is notoriously tall, but I couldn’t have prepared for just how small we were. It felt like being thrown into a maze; yellow grass, the dirt under our feet, and the blue sky above were all that could be seen. It became intimidating along with its wonder and beauty. Fortunately, there’s only one path.

Not long after we began, Ace started talking tales of some banished prince. He heard the story from a shop owner he bought cookies from after being kicked from the cabin earlier. The reason I hadn’t heard anything was because of how recent it had been. Supposedly, just days ago, he tried to overthrow the king and murder the heir. People called for his execution, but the king didn’t have the heart to kill his own brother. Instead, he was exiled. But while being transported out of the country, he was set free by his followers—his jailers’ bodies were found maimed beyond recognition. Now the rumors say he’s hiding out to the east in the Shadowlands.

I didn’t want to hear any more, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell Ace to stop. Instead, he just kept talking, probably trying to scare us. And yet I think he also scared himself. It didn’t help that we could hear things rustling in the grass. I thought I saw something once, but couldn’t say for sure. Even though the locals said most wildlife would ignore us, it’s unnerving not to see what we can hear.

Despite the spooky stories, we made good time. The rest stop was within reach well before the sun started to set. Camp guards ushered us inside the fence, demanding our names, birthdays, reasons for travel—the same information we provided at the outpost. It must’ve been to check that we were on the list of expected visitors, which is a little strange considering I noticed ours were the only names on it.

It’s a small campsite. There are a few cabins around the clearing. A massive ring circles the whole place, dotted with devices that appear newly installed. Deuce says they’re for magic defense. Nobody can use magic in the camp and magic can’t get in. For all the security, that’s probably why we were instructed to arrive before sundown.

Well, I better get some sleep. Another long day of walking awaits tomorrow.

~~~~~

October 26, 20XX

A member of the camp staff woke us early this morning—the sun hadn’t even broken the horizon. All color had forsaken his face as he rushed us to dress and pack. No answers were offered to our question, only echoes that we leave immediately.

And again, as we stepped foot into the wilderness, we were warned to stay on the path and stop for nothing.

On our way out, the ruckus could be heard. They found something unusual at one of the barrier projectors. It would make sense to get us out of the way so they could focus on repairs. Yet I can’t help wondering if the hole being dug on the outskirts of the campsite had something to do with it. What was it for? What happened last night while we were all asleep? Did something get in? Where was it now?

That must be my imagination talking. It was early so it would be easy to misunderstand the whole thing. Besides, we needed to leave earlier since today’s trek was longer than yesterday. The sun would be long gone before we reached the next camp otherwise.

If only the boys could’ve kept their mouths shut. They argued the whole way. Ace sulked about not getting to sleep in and Deuce’s phone was missing. He demanded that Ace give it back, but Ace denied having it. The accusations probably come from last night’s teasing over Deuce messaging his mom, but I think he misplaced it in a different pocket. Hopefully he finds it soon or he’ll have to spend some of that souvenir money on a replacement.

Their fighting slowed us down, delaying our arrival at the second camp until just after sundown. Our reception by the staff was rough. After being jerked inside and held under duress, the interrogation went on until they could confirm we were the names on the list of travelers. So much for the hospitality.

There were no apologies as they put us in a cabin for the night. That’s where everything in Ace’s pack got dumped out and it still wasn’t enough to convince Deuce about his phone. So the arguing continued, even as I left to get a break from it all.

This second rest stop is much like the first. Cabins and staff equipment are scattered around. Though people are quiet at night, I could hear animals beyond the barrier. I think I even saw one. It was big, maybe the size of an antelope. It’s crazy how comfortable the wildlife is so close to settlements like this.

Well, I’m tucked in now and Deuce and Ace are pouting in their own beds. We’ll set out again in the morning and, by sunset tomorrow, we’ll be in Sunrise City.

~~~~~

October 27, 20XX

We messed up.

Ace really didn’t have Deuce’s phone. But neither did Deuce.

Like the day before, we were woken up early and sent on our way. Camp staff barely gave us time to pack before shoving us out. There was no time to question the hasty behavior and it left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. Still, we went on our way as planned.

After noon, Deuce made us stop, yelling at us to be quiet. I thought he was crazy, but then I heard it too.

It was his mom’s ringtone.

Coming from the elephant grass.

We couldn’t stop him. He just took off. It was a blind run as Ace and I tried to keep up. We never would’ve caught up if he hadn’t stopped. In his hand was his phone, still ringing yet entirely useless. The screen was shattered and the frame bent. It was a miracle it could still even ring. How it got there and how it got destroyed is a mystery—one made worse by the fact that we couldn’t find the path again.

No one could say for sure which way we ran and the grass gave us nothing to find our bearings. Our phones were just handy clocks with no service in the middle of nowhere. Only the compass gave us any consolation. Surely heading south will get us out of here.

To make matters worse, night fell sooner than we anticipated. Making camp was the only sensible solution, no matter how badly we want to get out of here.

Now here I sit, in our little tent, listening to things creeping all around us. I have this nagging feeling that, whatever they are, they’ve been following us and I don’t know if it makes me feel better or worse that I can’t see them.

It’s probably just my paranoia. If we keep going south, we’ll make it out of here tomorrow. By now the savanna guides must realize we’re missing and be looking for us. We’ll be laughing about this whole thing in Sunrise City by lunch, except Deuce who will have to buy a new phone. Because of course this is the kind of trouble we would get ourselves into.

Everything will be fine.  

~~~~~

October 28, 20XX

Maybe my paranoia last night wasn’t just paranoia.

None of us got any sleep at all. Whatever was sneaking through the grass lingered all night, getting louder and louder with their cackling and snarling. When we finally ventured out of the tent this morning, we were greeted with the destruction of our supplies. Everything was scattered, either destroyed or altogether missing. Here and there were pieces of the map, unsalvageable, and the compass was gone. Our bags were placed right outside the tent because keeping food inside is frowned upon for this reason, but now we have no food, no directions, and maybe half our belongings.

There was nothing to do but pick up what we could and continue walking.

Ace’s pessimism didn’t help. He’s convinced it was the banished prince at our camp, but all we could tell from the flattened grass was that they were large creatures. Still, the constant talk of our doom began to bother me and Deuce. I just hope whatever they are, they realize we don’t have anything else and leave us alone.

I don’t know how, but we must’ve gotten turned around somewhere. We tried to follow the sun, but each step was just more and more grass, hiding the unknown, letting us hope that the end is just one more step. Now the sky is black and we’re still here. We’re exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. So we set up camp to spend another night in this place.

~~~~~

~~~~~

October 29, 20XX

I’m getting really scared now.

Our tent was shaken by a fight just outside last night, but we were all too scared to make a sound. In the morning, not a word was said as we walked. Only this time, we knew the noises in the grass were them. They are following us. No, stalking is more accurate. I can hear them snicker and growl. I’m sure if I reached into the grass, I would touch one.

But they have nothing on the banished prince.

I’m not sure how, but I always knew it wasn’t him stalking us but his hyena henchmen. They’re destructive and menacing, but he’s a monster hiding in the shadows. He’s behind this.

I don’t remember when I spotted him, but I could feel his gaze on me, different from the other beasts. His growl shot through my heart and it felt like I had his claws at my throat. Barely veiled by grass, he wanted me to see him. Fangs eager to tear gleamed in that grin. Behind his gaze was nothing but malice, highlighted by the ink dripping across his skin. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t even breathe. I was so certain that those bloodthirsty green eyes would be the last thing I ever saw.

And then he was gone. He wasn’t really gone, only gone from sight. There’s no doubt that he and his pack are watching us even now. We’ve been sentenced to death and they’re just toying with us.

We’re never getting out of here. Even if it weren’t for the monsters hunting us, we have no food and no more water. I don’t know if we can survive another night out here. I regret everything. I never should’ve suggested this trip. Because of me, we’re going to die out here. I’m sorry. I’m sorry to Ace and Deuce. I’m sorry to Deuce’s mom and Ace’s family. I’m so sorry I got your boys into this mess. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

I wish this nightmare would just end.

~~~~~

October 30, 20XX

We lost Ace today.

Tension was high. We’re being hunted. We know we’re going to die. The fear of what’s in store for us is sickening. Unlike yesterday, Ace and Deuce couldn’t stop arguing. A fight was inevitable. When Ace knocked Deuce to the ground, he took off. We tried to find him—spent hours calling his name. But we never found him.

Long after the sun had gone, the grass finally parted. At first, we were excited. I think I cried. Then I realized where we were.

Rocky, barren land laid before us. Towers of stone loomed above, colder and less forgiving than the grass we escaped. An eerie fog hovered, concealing both new and old monsters. It was bad. We found the Shadowlands. Sunrise City was meant to be south of the port we started at. Those beasts managed to manipulate our path away from our destination and far to the east. He led us here to be slaughtered.

This is where we found Ace’s magic pen.

Nothing else.

We considered our options. The grass gave us no visibility and muddled our sense of direction. On the other hand, the Shadowlands were the prince’s territory. Both were bad choices, but we chose not to go back. At least in the Shadowlands, we had a chance. We knew where we were and how to get to where we needed to. Maybe Deuce and I could still find our way to Sunrise City. Maybe we could send a search party back for Ace.

Maybe this terrible journey will be over soon.

~~~~~

October 31, 20XX

We were wrong! We should’ve gone back!

If anyone finds this, stay out of the Shadowlands!

They took Deuce! They dragged him out of the tent! I can’t hear him scream anymore!

If you see this RUN!

GET OUT OF HERE!

GET OUT BEFORE LEONA KINGSCHOLAR FIN

~~~~~

#twisted wonderland zine #zine feat nova #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi #ace trappola #deuce spade #gender neutral reader #yes reposted because i jumped the gun

[chaichaiiskai]

TITLE: Invisible.

— PART NINE. —

yandere! bully! sukuna x gn! idgaf! fearless! reader! x yandere! yuuji itadori  

MASTERPOST. PREV. NEXT.

CONTENT WARNING: mental breakdowns, bullying, emotional and mental pain, nightmares, overall toxic behavior on sukuna’s end.

WORD COUNT: 3.4k

TAGLIST: @soberdipity @sadgyaltings @kawasbaby @screwyou3

FROM that day on, Sukuna focused all of his advances on one certain individual, much to their misfortune. Besides seeing him in the class that you act as a Teaching Aid in, it appears that you also have two other classes with him, so it’s difficult to not see him around. Sukuna hadn’t even interacted with you yet, but you often felt a heavy gaze constantly watching your every move, but you often ignored it. Until, he finally decided to approach you.

On this particular day, in one of the classes he had with you, he finally decided to shoot his shot as soon as it ended due to the Professor of this particular class deciding to let everyone out early. He did a bit of premature packing, just to make sure he caught you before you slipped between his fingers, and it seemed to pay off, especially since he was able to approach the desk you’d been sitting at, looming over the front of it like some kind of predator. At first, you were unaware of him approaching you as you packed up your things, but when the light in front of you was suddenly blocked, you had no other choice but to look up, meeting a set of fuschia eyes staring back at you. Did he wear colored contacts? Neither of you said anything at first, you had paused your packing and simply stared at him, slowly raising an eyebrow as you tried to figure out who this guy was and what he wanted. He looked familiar, but you couldn’t put your tongue on where you knew him from.

“Y/N, right? Name’s Sukuna. I was wondering, how do you feel about earnin’ a little cash? I’m in need of some tutoring, and you seem smart.”

Sukuna… Sukuna… Sukuna! That’s right! You snapped your fingers in realization and pointed a finger at him, even if it was a little weird and uncalled for. “So, you’re the Sukuna. I’ve heard about you, or more like, my friends have talked about you around me…” You mulled over his words again before considering what class you two were in, as well as what you knew about his academic skills.

“You—“ you pointed to him, “want me—“ you pointed to yourself, “to tutor ‘you’? The Valedictorian of our year? I’m not too sure about that, Sukuna. I’ve graded some of your work in English, and as far as I know you’re the smartest guy in our grade, fuck, maybe even in this school. What assistance could you possibly need from me?”

“You seem to know your way around in this class. Human Psychology and I don’t really get along too well.” He admitted, knowing damn well that he had no problem understanding it, but wanted some reason to get close to you.

You sighed. “How much money are we talking about?”

…

That’s how it had begun. You’d started tutoring Sukuna and he paid more than you’d expected. As far as you could tell, Sukuna didn’t need you to tutor him, but who were you to stop him from paying you to sit there and do your homework with him? He wasn’t as stuck up as you’d originally thought, even if he was a tad bit of a flirt, you always rolled your eyes at his advances and just went about your usual routine.

Where did it go wrong? I’ll tell you.

Sukuna had been getting tutored by you for the past month. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that Sukuna was quite a sexually active man, simply there for the fun and no strings attached. And as one would expect, some people thought they were more special than others, and fooling themselves into this delusion led to some rather… unpleasant occurrences. That truly didn’t matter to him, his moral compass wasn’t exactly pointed in the right direction after all. The reason for this is obvious, to him at least, he’s still attempting to fill the void that his invisibilis has left. And deep down, the new Teaching Aid has been reminding him of them with the way they act, but he’s been ignoring that deep seeded feeling, he doesn’t know if you’re his invisibilis or not. A part of him wished you were, and another wished you weren’t. He’d sworn off getting romantically involved with you, but he still finds himself wanting to get closer to you, even unconsciously.

Taking all of that into consideration, your friends should have been off-limits to his advances, but, Sukuna ignored that unspoken rule, and slept with not one, but three of them. All three of which seemingly developed feelings for him, even after he strictly told them he wasn’t interested in romance.

What does that have to do with anything at the moment? Well, you were forced to console all three of them in your dorm, and when they found out why they were all upset, let’s just say, all Hell broke loose.

The three of them had come over to your dorm, looking for comfort, mainly in you considering they’d all showed up in front of your door boohooing and crying their eyes out. Being the friend you were, you offered your living room to them and the four of you sat where you could get comfortable. You had plopped down on the couch, along with two of your friends, and the third had sat on the floor. After everyone was comfortably situated, you began to question why they were all feeling the way they were. When the answers were all out in the open, there was one common denominator.

Sukuna Ryomen.

“What do you mean you like Sukuna? I liked him first!”

“NO! I did! He said ‘you weren’t as bad as I thought’ and smiled at me!”

“News flash honey, that is not a compliment. He was probably talking about your dick sucking game.”

You sat there in silence, watching as the three of them ended up in a fruitless argument, talking over each other and trying to prove their case that Sukuna was in love with them and not with the others. It was tiring to listen to but you figured that this was the best way for them to realize that they were arguing for now reason, so, you got up and decided to get yourself something to drink from the mini-fridge nearby, getting yourself a can of one of your favorite beverages. You were about to go and sit back down on the couch, only to hear a knock at the door, leading you to cock your head to the side before making your way to the door, opening your drink up simultaneously.

Opening the door, you were met with the problem. Suddenly remembering that the two of you had a ‘tutoring session’ this particular afternoon. Of fucking course the universe decided to dump this pile of horse shit right in your lap. And when you opened your mouth to tell him he needed to leave immediately before things got worse inside of your dorm room, you heard something break behind you and quickly turned around, looking to find out what had broken and who you were about to strangle. Your friends had apparently escalated into a full-on brawl, one was pulling the hair of another, the other was punching one in the gut while screaming profanities, the mess of limbs of hair pulling was absolutely ridiculous. You were frozen for a moment, simply watching as the three crashed onto the floor to continue their meaningless fight. In the beginning process of said fight, apparently, they had made one of your lamps fall onto the ground, shattering into pieces.

Then, you shook away your initial shock to jump into action, rushing towards them to start trying to pull them apart and away from each other. Sukuna, on the other hand, could smell the bloodlust for the fight had even began and stood in the threshold of your dorm, watching with amusement from where he stood. Hey, what kind of demon would he be if he didn’t enjoy a little chaos? He briefly recognized the three of them as people he’s slept with but he had no idea why they were fighting or the fact that he was the cause of it. He was just amused. Human fights were always so messy and unpredictable.

You, poor you, were struggling with them while also trying to make sure you didn’t end up getting hurt in the mist of punches and screaming. For a moment, you separate yourself from them to catch your breath, only to find that Sukuna had just been standing there watching the fight with a look of amusement in his eyes. And maybe, just maybe, you had a lapse of judgment and misplaced anger, but you screamed at him from where you stood, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“This is all your fault! Why can’t you just go away?!!”

Those words. Those fucking words. Sukuna felt one of his hearts start to beat rapidly and he reached up to clench at his chest, pulling at the fabric of his chest before he stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. You watched, confusion written plainly all over your face at his sudden actions, and before you knew it, he was turning tail and running away like you had said the worst thing possible to him.

Little did you know, you were completely right.

…

After Sukuna had made his escape, you went out of your dorm in search of help, and when you finally found it, a couple of athletes who lived on your floor came to help you peel the three individuals apart, and out of your dorm. Thankfully, there wasn’t too much damage done to your place besides your broken lamp and some pushed furniture, and your so-called friends (who you consequently ended up dropping after seeing the way they were quick to fight because of some stupid delusional romance) barely sustaining any injuries, you went about your day. When you had time to yourself again after a quick clean up of the mess that was left behind, you began to mull over the words you’d said to Sukuna, who, in hindsight didn’t exactly do anything seriously wrong. Sure, he’d stood by and stared at the fight without intervening, and sure he was the cause of the fight in the first place, but that look in his eyes that came after you shouted at him was haunting you. For some strange reason, your heart had ached at the terrified expression he held. Was what you said really all that hurtful? It made you feel a little guilty, and so, you decided to contact him and apologize. Or try to at least.

With each call, it all went to voicemail after a couple of rings and he was no longer reading your text messages.

You said them.

You said those forsaken fucking words. You weren’t supposed to, you shouldn’t have, you couldn’t have. Why were you doing this? Why was the universe doing this?

If there was one thing all of his previous Invisibilia Amor Fatis, or otherwise known in the mortal world as ‘soulmates’, had in common, it was that. Those exact words but sometimes varying in languages, they all meant the same thing, and they always told him what he needed to know, and words he’d grown to feel sheer amounts of pain from after hearing them being said to him so often. This meant he’d found you again, but it also meant you had the potential to die again, right in his arms, at the hands of him. It was a bittersweet realization just like all the other times destiny forced you to meet again. This is exactly why he’d avoided coming back to the mortal world, he was destined to meet you one way or another, sooner or later. But he had never expected for whoever the fuck controls his destiny to force him to meet you again so soon. He should have left when he had the chance, he should leave now, shouldn’t he? That was the best thing for the both of you, it would protect you from harm and it would keep him from having to deal with the inevitable.

Then, why is he back in class with you? Why is he ignoring you while also keeping tabs on you at the same time? Why is he letting you approach him despite knowing that the more you come in contact with him the higher chances you are going to suffer another unnecessary death?

Completely ignorant of your previous lives and what it means to become involved with this pink-haired man, you are eager to apologize for your outburst. He had been ignoring you for the last couple of days, but you had to get rid of the guilt and now you were chasing him around, trying to corner him. And today, you were successful. He’d just come out of one of his classes and no you weren’t stalking him, you just wanted to talk. As soon as you saw that familiar fluff of hair, you called out to him and he immediately stopped in his tracks, turning towards you as you speedily approached him, taking strong strides until you were directly in front of him, looking as fierce as ever.

All of his hearts raced when he stared at you, but he kept up his stoic and unbothered expression, his hands digging into the pockets of his joggers as he looked down at you expectedly. “What is it?” He asked, sighing afterwards.

“Ah, well, uh… I wanted to say, I’m sorry about what I said that day. I know you didn’t exactly /initiate/ them fighting or anything like that but I said what I said because I was frustrated that they were fighting over some stupid guy— Not that you’re stupid, I mean, I—“

“Pretty colorful apology. ‘s that all? By the way, I don’t need you to tutor me anymore. Bye.” He kept his statement bland and curt, turning around and began walking back down the hallway, away from you.

That instantly made you stand up straight, sure your tutoring sessions weren’t exactly tutoring, he’d simply paid you to study with him and occasionally hold a conversation with him. Which wasn’t exactly unpleasant, in fact, you enjoyed talking to him when he wasn’t being flirty and trying to get in your pants. Plus, the money was good, it had been helping you with your daily expenses and even with your intuition. And so, you hurried after him and unexpectedly grabbed his wrist, halting him from continuing his walking endeavor.

Perhaps, you running after him wasn’t just about the money and his company, subconsciously, something was telling you not to let him go. You were unsure why, but this felt like the right thing to do, you felt it in your gut.

“Wait, uhm… I-“ You were at a loss for words, you didn’t know /why/ you’d stopped him or what you wanted to say to him exactly, but you just couldn’t let him go. The feeling of your hand wrapped around his wrist sent a shiver up his spine. He was at a great war with himself. He wanted nothing more than to bask in your presence and make you fall in love with him all over again, he wanted to hold you close and never let go, whisper his own tainted apologies to you until he was blue in the face. He was still facing away from you as you gripped his wrist, he could feel his vision blur and his eyes start to water.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

This wasn’t the time to cry, pull it together, Sukuna. The hall may have been empty but it felt like he had a million pair of eyes staring at him, waiting for him to make his decision, judging every breath he made and every breath he took.

He had to put Plan B in motion, as much as he hated the idea of treating you in such a way he had to seperate the two of you before it was too late.

Suddenly, he abruptly snatched his arm away from

you and swiftly turned to face you, an angered look on his face as he spoke down at you. “Will you just fuck off? I don’t need your help anymore. Find someone else to fuckin’ bother.” He venomously spat, glaring at you before turning back around and stomping away, leaving you standing there in confusion, watching his retreating back. Although he was angry, you saw something else in his stride, something uncertain, something… fearing.

Standing there in shock, you hadn’t even registered the way your arm moved on its own, as well as your hand as you began to rub your chest, right where your heart was. And why… was your face wet? Why were you crying? Why did everything hurt?

He’d run away, again. But if he didn’t, he’d be putting a target on your back yet again. Not caring if anyone saw, he teleported into the comfort of his dorm and broke down.

“GOD-FUCKING-DAMNIT.” He screamed at the top of his lungs and began wreaking havoc on the innocent interior decorations of his home.

…

That was only the beginning. You got new friends. You got a new tutoring job. You got used to the unexplainable pain that had started coming to you in sporadic waves after your latest interaction with Sukuna Ryomen. You got used to waking up from the dreamless rests, trembling and sobbing as if you were experiencing the most gruesome fate over and over again. For some strange reason, you had an overwhelming feeling that those dreams weren’t dreamless, your brain was shielding you from something, making you forget your nightmares and the reasons why you were crying. But what you couldn’t get used to was this sudden uptake in Sukuna in your presence, originally you’d started to enjoy his company, but that quickly changed when he began acting like a dick to you and only you. It was like he had it out for you or something, and he wouldn’t leave you alone despite being the one telling you not to bother him. It didn’t make sense, but neither did the random pains that would reveal themselves without you even asking. But, what you’ve noticed is that the pain rises after interacting with Sukuna or even seeing him in the distance. You were starting to think he was the cause of this pain, but you were unsure of how since he wasn't anything or anyone significant to you, not even in the slightest. But why did he make you feel this way? It was almost as if you knew him much more than you originally thought. And why did the pains suddenly start after he told you to leave him alone, why didn’t they start before that? Why was he being so rude to you? You didn’t do anything to him, you’d already apologized.

“Move outta my way. You’re blocking the way.“ When your back hit the wall, you glared at the cause of everything, deciding to ignore him altogether after he’d shoulder checked you to get past you. He didn’t knock you around harshly, only just a light shove to force you to pay attention to him for a few seconds as he walked past you. And you know he does it on purpose because there’s always enough space for him to walk around you but he just has to make it seem like you’re the one blocking his walking path. You’d caught up eventually and whenever he came towards you, you maneuvered your way away from him without batting an eye. That didn’t sit too well with him so he’d always find some way to mildly inconvenience you.

Sometimes he caught you off guard, walking up behind you and childishly brushing past you with an ‘apologetic’ smile and a nod of his head. You didn’t let that bother you, only rolling your eyes at him and shaking him off as you continued on with your day. It was nothing you couldn’t handle, he was basically just an extra large kid who wanted attention. Why your attention? You didn’t know, and probably never would.

It escalated.

He escalated.

And eventually, you grew numb to it. You grew to deal with him and tolerate him. And in some strange way, this felt like the best option.

AUTHOR’S NOTES: tbh i don’t really like the way this chapter came out but i didn’t wanna rework it because it just shows how messy the story is when it comes to these two. this was the last backstory chapter so noW we’re moving onto the present, prepare yourselves bc i am very excited. also, pls know that it may take me time to update but im gonna finish this fucking book, i already have all the events and shit written down + the ending, but i still gotta write the meat sOoo y’know. ive also been writing six other ongoing books and… i have more book ideas im writing 😭

NEXT

#fanfic #anime #yandere #x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen yandere #yandere x reader #poc friendly #jujutsu itadori #jujutsu sukuna #jujutsu icons #jujutsu imagines #jujtsu kaisen fanfic #sukuna x reader #sukuna ryomen x you #yandere sukuna #bully sukuna #possessive sukuna #sukuna #sukuna imagines #sukuna fanfic #monsterfucking cw #tw monsterfucking #gender neautral reader #x gender neutral reader #yandere yuuji #yandere itadori yuuji #yandere x you #yandere x y/n

[blank-house]

usually i just lurk in fandoms and read the answers to other people's asks, but i litr can't hold back anymore. THE STAT RAISING SYSTEM HELLOOO???? i was already obsessed and now this too? how exactly does it work, like if i’m spring but then choose a lot of composed options, do i become winter at some point, or do i do a mix of spring and winter behaviours + will there be any sort of indicator in the game of which stats you’ve raised like a pop up/menu where you can see your 4c/li stats? tysm!!

AH YAYYY SOMEONE'S EXCITED FOR THE STAT RAISING WOO! I'm so glad you asked because I had spent the better half of December last year thinking about it. And now I can finally ramble about this lol

But yes stats! There would be an indicator made so you can easily track the 4C's and the LI affections. As for how the the attribute points work, you won't get to change your season once it's been assigned (it would be, realistically speaking, weird if we make your behavior and speech switch after establishing that this is how you would normally act) but we do make it a point to clock whatever attribute is your highest stat.

So when you start a new game, besides establishing how an MC would act, we also assign you a set of starter points based on your season. For example, if you get Fall then you have a high amount of Compassion, medium amount of Charm and Composure, and a low amount of Confidence. Other seasons would get a similarly mixed bag of these attributes.

As you progress through the game and acquire points from your choices, the balance could start to shift in what is then considered to be your highest attribute, but since you don't get to change seasons again you would just be a more Charming Fall or a Confident Fall instead and the cast will recognize this change in MC.

So if you happened to be a Summer MC that suddenly grew more composed and less confident, you might have a cast member pull you aside to ask you if something's wrong. In a similar vein, if you're a Fall MC that shot up in confidence, they would muse over your new spunk.

Let me actually grab a bit of text from the end of the extended spring demo as an example. (Scroll past the blue text if you'd rather not be spoiled of any content even if it's a blurb).

If confidence is the highest stat: If Spring: mc “Oh, sweet, sweet, Cam. Frequency doesn’t dictate camaraderie. If they show up, then they show up. No need to invite them.” Deja chuckled from above you. de “Flashing your fangs, [name]? Where’s the usual sugar?” From where you laid, you grinned, bearing your proverbial weapons. Being straightforward wasn't usually in your books but you learned to take a page from your roommate. mc “I'm simply saying, the world’s not over if they're a no show, no?” If Summer: mc “Eh, who cares?” Cameron pouted, now completely tugging at their hoodie's drawstrings. ca “I know you like to speak your mind, but damn— harsh.” mc “I mean they’re good people but you don’t gotta twist yourself into a knot just because they’re not here.” mc “Who needs them, right!” de “No holds barred as always.” You shrug yourself, lips pulling back into your trademark grin. If Fall: mc “I mean… just because we’ve been in each other’s company doesn’t mean we’d all be friends.” Silence. Cameron and Deja offered you varying degrees of astonishment. You pursed your lips from their reaction, knowing full well what must be running through their head. And oddly enough, you didn’t feel guilty about it. Slowly, a smirk curled on Deja’s lips. de “Someone missed their daily dose of compassion this morning.” You scrunch your nose, fingers brushing against one of her braids as you swat it from your vision. mc "I'm okay if they're not here but if you want them to be, Cam, of course you're welcome to send them a text.” If Winter: mc “We don’t always have to invite them everywhere, you know.” ca “I mean, yeahhh, sure. But like, they’ve grown on me. Didn’t they on you?” mc “Ehh.” Your lackluster reply had Deja snickering. de “You never cared to say no before. Did one of them hit a nerve?” You rolled your eyes. mc “No. I’m just saying—” de “And that’s the thing, you. Saying something. Did you finally discover you have a voice?” You leveled her an unamused look but she only laughed harder.

It's the same scenario regardless, but because some of the seasons are less inclined to say something out loud, it's more realistic if your friends realize this change and react based on that.

That being said, we won't check for these changes often, since it's more obvious that you've changed after enough time has passed.

And other than these narration differences, attributes also have a hand at how a choice might unfold-- kind of like a DND check, if you have enough composure then you can successfully lie about this thing and if not you'd get caught. Or if you have enough compassion then the cast might feel inclined to let you in on a secret earlier etc, etc.

The attributes play an important role in the game, but like I said in a previous ask regarding the seasons-- please don't get hung up on attributes! They're more for story purposes and they won't have advantages or disadvantages when it comes to the romantic routes. I just think they'll add a wonderful layer to the immersion. ^^

~*~*~*~

Let me know if this is still confusing and I'll do my best to clarify again otherwise thank you for the ask!

#keyframes asks #keyframes vn #kf game mechanic #kf mc

[retshirou]

local egomaniac experiences pure unconditional love and devotion and doesn’t know how to process it

rambling about their relationship below the cut

Betrayus has always been kind of an enigma for people to place on how he’d handle romance and love in general, especially since he flip-flops so often between just being a manchild with massive insecurities and a guy who literally committed war crimes. for me, i think he IS lonely and DOES want adoration and care given to him, but at this point has only registered these things as things you have to earn, either through respect or (in his case) fear. he GREATLY exaggerates just how much he “suffered” growing up, but does still have the mentality that kindness is just a tool for manipulation, and that love is something that you have to fight your way to get, and even then any who shows it to him does it for superficial reasons. it’s both sad, but also a good reflection on the fact he himself is a dishonest and selfish person, balancing it out so its not TOO sympathetic.

that’s kinda where Paz comes in. she’s also kind of an enigma when it comes to love. compared to Betrayus, she is FULL of it, much more than any desire for evil or to cause harm. if she loved someone normal, she’d be seen as a very kind and compassionate person who’s a bit quiet and keeps to herself. but she doesn’t love someone normal, it’s BETRAYUS. all this compassion and pure unconditional love that’s held in her tiny heart is focused on this guy, this annoying high-strung and arrogant supervillain. and when her love is focused on someone, it’s loyal and dedicated to a detrimental degree. really, the things shes done for him should classify her as just as evil, if not more. but it’s weird, as its not exactly like an axe murderer obsession kind of love…

she genuinely cares about him and his happiness. she’s genuinely tired of seeing him angry and upset at the world 24/7, and wants nothing more than to put a smile on his face. she’d never force him to do anything he didn’t want, and she doesn’t even really mind if he never loves her back that way, as long as he’s got her as support. the populace gets terrorized by ghosts, and she performs problematic-to-terrifying kinds of spells for his plans, but all purely with the intent of making him happy because she loves him. it’s a weird situation of evil actions all with an endgoal that, by itself, is extremely wholesome and well-meaning. it reflects a weird detachment in her brain that as long as it makes Betrayus happy, its necessary. she can probably be classified as insane for this.

and Betrayus’s reaction to it… once it slowly registers with him just how deep this loyalty goes, he’s stunned. even if i think he both exaggerates and lies about HOW “cruel” everyone treated him in life, i do think the experience of unconditional love outside of his family is a foreign one to him. especially love he never had to earn. he’s done much more to logically prevent someone from ever seeing him in such a light, but here was Paz, ready to fight the world and Pac-God himself just for him. it wasn’t even someone loving him for their own benefit at the expense of his comfort like Ghoulasha, or because they wanted something out of him. for once, its someone that for whatever insane reason, just wants to see him happy and content and that was it. no strings attached. such a simple goal that, despite his superego, still perplexes him greatly.

there’s probably a nugget of self awareness deep inside that ego of his that he’s definitely the Worst, and everyone thinks this. so interacting with even just one person who disproves that opens that self awareness back up, and Betrayus is left completely bewildered. how is someone managing to say such sweet and sincere things to him? how is it they don’t want ANYTHING from him but his happiness? normally he’d be suspicious its all an act, but for what other endgoal there’s no clue for. everything Paz has done has always proven to be sincere, as she barely gains anything just for herself from the experiences working as his assistant. but still, her patience never weakens, and she still gives him that same adoring smile no matter how much he screws up or acts obnoxious. so as a result, for the first time he actually has to reflect and really try to absorb the kindness someone shares with him. to figure out how it makes him feel, and how to properly respond to it. does he have to be kind back now? he knows its his nature not to be. but the sincerity of it is infectious… and a small part of him actually wants to meet her love with his own positivity, to create more of this feeling. which of course has him feeling like he’s going soft/crazy. but eventually, he does realize this IS a feeling he enjoys having, of being loved unconditionally and wanting to give that love back.

considering what he learns of Paz’s own insecurities and her self-image issues (read my fic for more context), her love for Betrayus could partially be some kind of coping mechanism, to feel like she’s making a difference with someone by giving them something the universe deemed didn’t fit its system for them to have. but that’s just a small part, she really DOES love him and all his little obnoxious mannerisms. once Betrayus does catch wind of her low image of herself though, that and his growing enjoyment of sharing in her kindness gives him that FINAL push to actually step out of his ego and focus on bringing someone else up other than himself. an out of character move that has realistic motivations and development for it!

in the end, i DO think even a war criminal like Betrayus is capable of love, as he’s shown to have a lot more sad and kind of pathetic emotions going on beneath the bad-guy shtick. its something he wants deep down, but just needs to figure out how to handle it and respond to it so it doesn’t die immediately, and with Paz he’s given the patience and loyalty to figure it out on his own terms. and in turn, he realizes the person who loves him has ACTUAL problems of her own regarding her mental health and self esteem, and his ultimate act of understanding love is to help her with that and make her feel loved. so it comes full circle, and what was once a possible unhealthy coping mechanism becomes a healthy realtionship for both. 💖

so yeah. sorry that was so long, they just make me think too much

#pacman and the ghostly adventures #pmatga #lord betrayus #fanart #fan character #pacman oc #pacman sona #oc x canon #selfship #my art

[fumifooms]

Hello! Anon Asker again here. Recently got through the latest volume on Kindle with the Dungeon Master arc.

(Spoilers ahead for others...?) Now that we got most of the characters' backstories, I feel the earlier black magic ritual they did for Falin makes a lot more sense.

Marcille is desperate to keep the people she loves alive given her sense of loss and persisting dread about outliving everyone she knows.

Laios (apart from loving his sister) has lingering guilt from having left Falin behind before, exacerbated by her sacrifice and the way she always puts him first.

Then there's Senshi and Chilchuck who have on more than one occasion shown a distaste for magic.

Yet Senshi didn't fight it much and stood by them, because he himself is not a stranger to loss, especially when it comes to loved ones who have sacrificed for others so that one might survive.

But Chilchuck I'm not so sure. He was the most vocal in how against black/ancient magic he was, but also didn't really stop it. Maybe we can attribute it to his own abandonment issues by his wife, or just that he could imagine what it might be like if it was one of his daughters (as we saw in a small chapter art where he had a nightmare of his daughters dead). But I wanted to hear your take on this if in case you do.

Sorry for taking so long to get back to this ask! It’s a layered topic so I procrastinated on polishing my answer.

I think this is super interesting! Especially because we’re coming at this from totally different angles, since reading the manga I never thought that using dark magic didn’t make sense considering the situation or was weird. You’re coming at this at an angle of what personal reasons would make a character do this, while I looked at it in an angle of what social reasons would make a character let it happen. Post gonna be a lil long so I put it under cut! Tldr with your angle though, I think you’ve pretty much got it spot on and I don’t have much to add, I think your take it’s very interesting, and true.

So, why not do dark magic?

Throughout the whole manga, very early on too, we see our characters testing their society’s perception on morality in ways that we see that the moral wall was pretty baseless in the first place, mainly the disgust towards eating monsters for instance. Or sometimes, the morality of characters is lacking to our standards, having a perception we’d see as twisted, like in the kobold extra. Like Marcille talks about in the barometz/direwolves chapter, eating something "filthy" will make you filthy too and that’s why Marcille was innately so opposed to eating monsters. We also see it with the orcs’ chapter for example, Kui tackles a lot of difficult themes with nuance like racism, both the orcs and the elves have their perspective and their big faults in their part in their conflict, but in the end who’s right and who’s wrong isn’t spelled out for the readers. The point is that morality in the manga isn’t set in stone, it’s something that as the reader you draw the line on yourself, and we see that our characters aren’t infallible moral compasses either. The use of magic, too, is left up in the air on how good and moral it is to use, "unnatural" vs efficent vs cheap cop-out vs harmless or harmful.

So for me, when Marcille explained dark magic, how it works and why it’s forbidden, ‘yeah there’s probably a hidden catch in there’ I thought but I was super on board with it. To me, not using dark magic because it’s different and less known would be like not wanting to eat monsters for the same reason: more born out of fear and ignorance than reasonable and rational.

So we’re coming at this from different angles like I said, while you focused on character motivations for being fine with such an unholy act of magic I thought of it in an ambiguous morality and consequences way. So instead of "why should/would they do it?" to me it’s "why not?". And to me it’s a bit like "Well, no one should steal! But if the person really needs to for food, well I could let it go" for the characters’ thought process, though of course the instinctive revulsion and the stakes are much higher. They have all worked really hard to get there, and if there’s a chance it’ll go well then they would try it. Senshi and Chilchuck are much more reticent than the others like you said, but they’re able in the end to either rationalize doing it enough, or just prefer to listen to the directives and see how it goes by taking a more passive role. Not unlike how peer pressure can get you to participate in something you don’t want to do. But to me it’s a lot about growing accustomed to the unknown, hearing about it from Marcille who researches dark magic instead of the half-foot anecdotes about "dark elves" and "dark magic" used to nefarious ends. Which, presumably dark elves don’t even exist, we don’t know exactly what the half-foot definition of dark elves is, it’s a misconception and it’s a boogeyman, which is part of my point.

Where does Chilchuck’s distaste of magic come from? Elves. But by then Marcille, by being an elf herself and being trustworthy and friendly thus far, has started to chip away at these preconceived notions. Maybe what he heard wasn’t foolproof, after all. Under pressure and stakes like they were, people with even an usually very rigid morality may bend a little, steal, etc. To me, even if Chilchuck brought it up later, still very uneasy with it, it didn’t mean that him doing it was unrealistic or weird. People do things half-heartedly or unsure on if it’s the right thing to do sometimes, especially under pressure. Their will wavered while Laios and Marcille’s didn’t, and ultimately that’s what decided what they would do. What’s the other option? Marcille and Laios weren’t going to back down, so what, fight them so they don’t do it? Otherwise they’ll do it anyways with or without you, and then is there even a point to putting up a fight about it or even leaving? You can see the raationalization being done in real time, if you reverse engineer it.

Ironically enough I think this scene set after they do it depicts it perfectky: Chil lays out why he doesn’t like the thought of it, she responds on why dark magic being bad is up for debate, and he goes to argue but ultimately chooses not to and goes along with the group.

But yes it’s an interesting topic! Marcille researches positive uses for ancient magic so of course she’d be ready to use it to revive Falin, Laios has normalized reviving and magic a lot and overly relies on it, and Senshi doesn’t want to do it, but it’s because of his ideal- because of his instinctive recoil at anything that is magical or "unnatural"… Except for the golems. Because of how he sees himself as part of a larger ecosystem and cycle of life that humans shouldn’t have control over, that should know how to sustainably live with nature without getting greedy or cocky… Except for when he idealized Anne the kelpie as his best friend that even though is a monster would never hurt him. He tends to pull away from others socially needlessly, not letting himself grow too close to people or a community, too. Point is, Senshi has his pitfalls and isn’t as inflexible as we might think, and not everything he does is rational or even consistent with his own beliefs under his normal circumstances, though I do think he’s the one who was/should be the most opposed to the reviving character wise.

And I said that Chilchuck’s reason for not liking dark magic is rooted in superstitions and elves and history- and that’s certainly true but it isn’t the full story either. While Senshi’s preoccupied about morals and his world view, Chilchuck is SCARED of it, he thinks of the CONSEQUENCES, not the act itself (though it also def doesn’t charm him either). And not just the direct consequences of what a dark magic resurrection means either, it comes up a lot that Chilchuck is worried for others and for himself, about careers or the law and generally the future, and tends to micromanage them or be on their case because of it. Made a lil compilation below, notice the trend, he’s very focused on what others will do if they learn that they did dark magic, he’s focused on hiding that they did, not grappling with the morality of it as much. He’s very worried about the legality of it. He sees it as a crime but not something that shatters his worldview y’know. And even after Marcille did it and uncovered that she researched dark magic, he still trusts her and her judgement, is only wary of her a but for a bit before going right back to being thick as thieves together.

I was gonna talk about racism as a plot point and through arcs in the series here but I think I made my point without it, so that’ll be a topic for another day. But yeah… Spoilers for the last volume stop here and skip to the last paragraph if you still haven’t read ut all (bless your Kindle reader soul, good luck waiting for the next chapters). Is the winged lion bad? He’s harmful, certainly, but he’s not evil, and at its base it’s an entity without a sense of morality. Dunmeshi tackles morality in a really interesting, typical of seinens way, and unity is another big theme, as much as racism is a narrative tool and plot point the lesson is that putting efforts into befriending people you don’t understand is good. And with some, like the winged lion, that’s not gonna pay off, but everyone deserves to be understood regardless. Narratively that’s why Laios is the character he is, and why we get to learn about Kabru, the orcs, the canaries, Thistle, even the demon, and see it under new lights. Kui is big on critical race theory and sociopolitical issues used in/for storytelling, and it shows. During canon Chilchuck is growing closer to an elf coworker and tentatively giving her his trust, which pays off, and that is enough to make him reconsider wether dark magic is that bad, and think of how much risk he’s willing to get into for the party. Whew got sidetracked by the narrative genius of Dunmeshi and Kui but, the point is that in the story, characters changing their mind on issues and having their viewpoints challenged is very much common and important.

Sooo yeah! As I said I do enjoy your perspective as well, I’d never thought of it that way so it was interesting. Hopefully this is an insightful post and not just a load of nothing that wasn’t relevant to your question haha. But yeah, while reading I truly approached it from a "why not" angle, instead of a "why yes". They don’t like the method but they do want Falin to live, which makes it easier to dirty their hands for. Wash your hands of it and don’t think about it too much afterwards. (Top 10 reasons why it’ll backfire! none of them will surprise you 🌟)

#Ask #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #meta #analysis #i don’t think i’ll tag specific characters for this one #🫶 Ty for the ask srry for not being normal #Spoilers #dungeon meshi manga spoilers

[swamp-spirit]

Gritty Danny Phantom Netflix Reboot

It's inevitable. Here's my pitch.

So obviously the title is ‘Phantom’. It’s reboot inevitably that it’s gonna be the edgy, one word version of the original title.

For tone, leaning a bit into the dark/horror elements and getting a bit worldbuilding heavy, but also trying to keep a fun action feel that’s not too scared to be silly. Obviously, with me writing, being ‘half-ghost’ is a lot about being a community outsider and a lot about going through something traumatic and feeling like the you from before is gone.

Characters:

Danny Fenton

In the main show, he’s a bit of an ‘everyman’, so I want to get a little more specific with him,

He’s supposed to be a huge nerd, but he doesn’t act that nerdy. He’s pretty confident and straight laced.

I like the idea of Danny as a character who, especially growing up with Jazz and his parents fighting, wants to keep everyone happy, even when it isn’t practical. He focuses on trying to get people to get along and not taking sides, even when it’s a bad idea. He often ends up trying to make peace between Tucker and Sam and pulling the ‘both sides have points’, even when one of them is clearly wrong. He goes along with his parent’s ghost hunting while not believing in it, and tries to convince Jazz to ‘be reasonable’.

In Phantom form, his actual opinions start to surface. He’s frustrated that people can’t just be nice, and frustrated at feeling like he’s always cleaning up other people’s messes. He’s free to be opinionated, aggressive, and take action for what he believes. On the flipside, Phantom is prone to making irrational, emotional decisions and following poor priorities.

Besides being caught between two emotional extremes, he’s physically and metaphysically ‘caught between’ living and dead. His ghost form feels unstable and insubstantial, but, in his human form, Danny is hyperconscious of his own death. His heartbeat and pulse feel wrong‘.

Sam Manson

So I think the trick with Sam is every CW/Netflix teen show’s attempts to write very political characters, especially women, is… very bad. Very surface and ham-fisted. First, instead of updating Mall-Goth to E-Girl, go for a crunchy goth/punk/grunge look, especially for a rebelling rich kid. Shoes held together with duct-tape, big jackets she wrote on in sharpie, but keep the stompy boots.

Avoid the whole ‘haha she’s going too far’ and vegetarian jokes, and give her some specific local politics to be involved in (that can help inform later plots). 

As an ‘outsider’ teen activist, she probably doesn’t have many people her own age who don’t see her as weird and pushy, so maybe has an older group of acquaintances. Teen goth with phone contacts full of old activist ladies maybe? 

She has a very strong moral compass, but is insecure about her own wealth and privilege and compensated by being a bit blind on certain issues. She can also be unempathetic to people’s personal circumstances.

Tucker Foley

The teen Cassanova bit gets a bit cringy, so first I want to change this from ‘hanging outside the girl’s locker room’ cringe to ‘oh no, this 14 year old just read a wiki-how article on how to be confident’ cringe. He’s sincere and good hearted, but much more of a teen boy trying to be cool and it just highlighting his insecurity. As the show goes on, he becomes more confident as a Teen Hero and stops trying to impress assholes.

He’s a tech nerd from a middle class family, so is an expert at working with the supplies he can get. He is also prone to going to ‘hang out with Danny’ and then ditching Danny and Sam to obsess over Maddie Fenton’s latest tech. All attempts to be cool are lost in the face of Neat Electronics.

Jazz Fenton

Pretty much the same situation as canon. Her parents are immature, so she’s decided she’s Danny’s parent, but she’s also a teenager herself and not as mature as she’s decided she is. She barges in to fix problems when it’s not helpful/wanted, but she is also the only reason Danny lived to age fourteen.

Maddie and Jack Fenton

Mostly the same as canon. They do everything 100%, and don’t always notice the world around them. Jack is pure enthusiasm, and tries hard to connect with his kids while utterly failing to notice that they have their own interests and lives. Maddie is a little more perceptive, but easily distracted by her passions.

The family has a decent fortune on a previous Fenton Thermos prototype getting sold as the next Hydroflask. It’s a super trendy, high-class thermos, and Jack and Maddie are endlessly frustrated that their money comes from their world-saving ghost capture device being used as an actual soup thermos. It also means there’s a handy yet unreliable ghost thermos around whenever the story needs it.

Vlad Masters

A lot of Vlad’s goals stay the same, but a slightly more serious tone means he needs to be a bit… less stupid. He’s just as manipulative and self-centered, but he’s a bit better at putting on a polite face to get what he wants.

His ghost form gives him powers, but, like Phantom, it’s much more emotionally volatile. Vlad will often carefully set the stage, only for Plasmius to ruin it all for a chance to get one over on Jack or impress Maddie. If Vlad is trying to convince Danny to work with him, Plasmius will lose his temper. If Vlad is trying to attack, Plasmius will fall to base emotional manipulation.

Valerie Grey

Like Jazz, I pretty much like what she’s already got going on. Get pissed, join the villain, become a reluctant ally as a super and a protective GF in normal life.

Some Major Shifts:

-Tucker and Sam are not initially aware of Danny’s death and find out mid-way through Season 1

-When the story begins, Vlad and Jack are already ‘reconciling’, and Vlad is present around the Fenton house

-The sci-fi elements of the world belong purely to the human realm. The ghost realm is dreamlike and magical, while things like portals and shields are human ways of interfering with the metaphorical and metaphysical.

-Speaking of which, Danny is less ‘gene-spliced half creature’ and more ‘dead ghost possessing his own living body’

-Danny takes longer to become a known presence, managing to keep hidden for most of the first season, then going from ‘legend’ to ‘oddity’ to ‘yeah, the ghost hero, we all know him’

Ghost Powers:Keeping some Phandom lore here. Since it’s not a kid’s show, most ghosts can be actually dead people with regrets. Also keeping ghost cores and Obsessions because it gives an excuse for weird, campy undead on wild missions. (cores - a ghost’s center organ, and also sorta their soul, Obsession - the tendency of ghosts to become wholly focused on their passions or regrets to the point or irrationality)

For Danny specifically, I’m switching from Magical Transformation to Astral Projection. Part of this is for tone shift reasons, but it also adds a few narrative levers. There’s a ticker timer for Phantom to return to his body as Danny could perma die and leave Phantom stuck as a ghost. It also leaves Danny’s body open to possession while his ghost is away. (On the helpful end, it means his body can rest while Phantom does the teen superhero thing)

Phantom is naturally invisible and intangible, but becoming tangible forces him to become visible and neither is easy.

In human form, Danny retains access to extra strength and healing and, eventually, his ice powers, but lacks most of his more ghostly abilities.

Other Worldbuilding Things

The Ghost Zone serves two functions. First, it makes a cushioned pocket between life and death so the realms don’t damage each other. Second, it gives a place for those not ready to move on to dispel regrets. It’s intentionally separate from the human realm because watching the living world tends not to dispel regrets. Concepts from the human world tend to ‘echo’ there, and there’s a second society that some ghosts choose not to leave, sustaining a second life in the Ghost Zone. Most of the non-dead entities (like Clockwork) that live there exist to protect the Zone and keep it stable and functional.

Besides moving on, the way to escape the Ghost Zone is ripping through the border. It takes incredible will, so is usually only doable with a very meaningful ‘unfinished business’. It also does extreme damage to the spirit, leaving them weakened and confused. Entities in the ghost zone also work hard to prevent this as weakening the borders could lead to the collapse of the entire Zone.

The Fenton Portal created a weakened spot between the Zone and the living world and Danny ripping through it turned the weak spot into a permanent gap. Ghosts can cross full without damage and at full power, even if their goals in the human realm are mundane. It’s the gap in the fence all the local teens know, and it can’t be patched.

Stylistic

This will get me eaten alive, but I like switching the jumpsuit for pajamas so the ghost form has kinda loose, simple clothes.

Overall, the show brings big budgeting issues. I like the idea of using underwater footage to get ghost movement and get that floaty look. The ghost zone in general, use everyday sets, but with a strong purple light and a teal kick light. Using sets from other things and taking advantage of the nature of sets to wander between locations in ways that don’t make sense is a plus, but shoots could be at night pretty much anywhere.

I also suggest using different locations for the same location, for example, shooting a scene at a ghost zone diner at various diners, even mid scene.

Romance Thoughts:

It’s the CW reboot. There’s got to be romance, but I’d prefer to keep it on the back-burner. 

Personally, I think Danny/Val has that good ‘conflicting identities’ thing, and it’s a romance arc that isn’t obvious from page 1, which I like. Before that, I think Danny should have at least one tragic romance with a ghost.

Lesbian Sam feels stereotypically predictable, but I also enjoy the idea of shipteasing Danny/Sam before it’s revealed that Sam having a ‘crush’ on Danny has been a long series of misunderstandings as she attempts to hide her huge crush on Jazz. 

Tucker gets an internet girlfriend who nobody believes is real for a solid season. They met getting into petty forum wars over an MMO they both play. Once he has a girlfriend, he switches from Casanova to just constantly bringing up his Girlfriend, Who is Real and Hot and Plays Video Games.

Episode 1: Origin Story

Episode opens with Danny clearly stretched too thin. Sam has managed to force Tucker hiking and wants Danny there too, Tucker wants him there for emotional support, and Jazz thinks Danny should stay home and work on homework. Danny has promised his parents he’ll join them on a ghost hunt. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all point out that Danny doesn’t even believe in ghosts and he always lets himself get dragged into this stuff, while Danny insists this hunt is extra important to their parents.

It’s revealed that the reason for this importance is the Fenton parents reconnecting and reconciling with their college friend Vlad. Vlad is polite, but keeps subtly avoiding saying anything nice about Jack while paying attention to Maddie. (“It’s wonderful to see you again” vs “It’s been a while”) He brings gifts for the kids and asks about their lives.

Jazz is immediately taken with Vlad. He talks about her school life and seems polite and educated, an example of an adult who can handle himself. Danny is a bit more hesitant, pointing out that he doesn’t seem that happy to see Jack.

The Fentons excitedly show Vlad the new portal. Vlad makes an excuse to get everyone out of the room. Afterwards, he excitedly asks Jack to demonstrate the portal. (A later episode confirms he intentionally sabotaged the portal for revenge, but him getting people out of the room should be as plausible as possible so viewers can feel proud for putting it together). Before they can show Vlad, Jack rushes them out on a ghost hunt. He says the portal takes time to warm up

It’s a long, boring car ride. During the ghost hunt, there does seem to be an actual ghost. Danny keeps seeing glimpses of the haunting and is getting genuinely scared. The adult Fentons, meanwhile, are excitedly chasing various non-paranormal occurrences, certain it’s ghostly activity.

They come home late and Maddie insists the portal be left until morning so they can eat and get some rest. Danny decides to get online with friends instead. He realizes the computer won’t work because the portal’s on and tells his friends he’s going to go shut it down while he plays, then sneak down to boot it back up.

We see the ghost from earlier watching and static building on the portal. He reaches out to touch it and the scene becomes surreal. We hear Danny’s heart racing. Danny collapses and, at the same time, is pulled across the portal.

In the final shot, we hear dead silence, no heart beating, and Danny lying lifelessly on the floor. The camera pulls out and his ghost form floats on the other side of the portal, away from the body. He looks confused and frightened and, as the show ends, he’s pounding on the door.

Episode 2: The World Without You

Danny pounds on the wall between him and his body, panicking, and is pulled away by a female ghost (later revealed to be Ember). He’s angry with her, but she points to the guards coming to see what the disruption was about. She tells him he’d never make it through anyway, because he’s not angry enough.

She tells him that she’d never cross over herself, preferring to avoid the madness that comes with breaking through to the human realm, but his case is different. His body is still alive, and, if he returns, he could live again. She asks him what he’d regret if he died now, and Danny talks about his dreams to go to space. It’s not enough, so she attempts to get him angry, but it’s not working. He’s just sad and scared. Finally, she seems to have an idea.

They enter a ghost town and she walks him to an old-style theatre. There is only one movie showing, “The World Without You”. The ghost tells Danny everyone comes here at least once, even though it’s not anything good, but it might help him. She hands Danny his ticket and goes to wait outside. Danny sits down to watch the screen.

We cut to Sam and Tucker. Sam’s trying to text Danny to see what’s taking him so long and Tucker says he’s probably asleep. After an hour, Sam starts to panic, but Tucker points out he had a long day and keeps insisting fell asleep.

Jazz comes down in the morning and finds Danny dead beside the portal. She goes into fix-it mode, refusing to admit he’s dead. Maddie tries to force Jazz away and let the EMTs do their work, Jack looks confused and frightened, and Vlad looks shocked and a bit ill.

The scenes get faster and we see Danny’s community fall apart. Sam blames Tucker for saying it was fine, Tucker points out his death was instant and is sick of taking the blame. Sam runs away and Tucker loses energy for his passions. Jazz is furious with her parents, saying their obsession killed her little brother. Jack becomes obsessed with trying to contact his dead son, leaving Maddie alone to deal with the reality of death.

We cut back to the theatre. Danny sits in an audience of ghosts. All, including Danniy, are crying glowing green ectoplasm. He rushes out and towards the portal. He thanks his guide, and she smiles and tell him to ‘remember he owes her’

The same guards arrive, forcing Danny to fight his way past them. He makes it to the border between realms. Ripping back to reality seems even more violent than the fight, an act of rage against the unfairness of death. He goes to his body and attempts to line himself up with it, muttering hopefully.

There’s a pause and then we hear a strange, sludgy noise that isn’t quite a heartbeat. It speeds up, sounding more like a heart and more like static, building to a frantic roll, then stops again. There’s a single beat, then another, until there’s a strangely slow and shallow, but constant, heartbeat.

Danny’s eyes open with a gasp and glowing green fades to blue.

#danny phantom #almost 3K

[krillin-fanfic]

Small Worries

Here we go, my K18 Day 2023 Entry! Had to power through a stomach bug that seemed to go away and then had a resurgence (and may have lost sleep and caught a cold trying to get this written down) but we did it! So, without further ado, enjoy this entry.

“Look, Babe, I appreciate the concern and all, but I'm OK, honest.” A short, disheveled man, sat in a chair facing the living room couch, bald head splotched with small burns and sweat-streaked dirt.

“Hush. Let me work.” A beautiful blonde woman shook her head and shifted slightly on the couch as she swabbed at a small burn on her patient's cheek

Krillin sat slumped in his chair, frowning. He'd come home from his training session with Goku just a bit disheveled, and 18 was acting as if he'd just come back from the middle of a war zone. She was totally overreacting... though he dare not tell her that. When 18 got like this, he found it best not to protest.

She dipped a fresh swab into some rubbing alcohol and touched it to one of the burn marks on his head, causing him to wince and pull back in discomfort. “Gah!”

“Stop whining, you've been through worse. Though not usually from training with friends.” Her expression was unreadable to most, but Krillin knew what was on her mind.

“18, I know it looks bad, but this happens sometimes. You don't need to worry about me, alright?”

She halted for a moment, fixing her icy blue eyes on his, expression still unchanging. “I don't, huh? I seem to recall you saying that the first time you came home from spending the day with Goku with your gi shredded like this, bruises all ove-” she jabbed the cotton swab at him. “Don't bother with the joke, I saw the other guy and he was fine.” She frowned. “I... worry sometimes. Can't help it.”

Krillin turned his head downward to stare at the floor. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize this was worrying you so much. It just feels... so good to be back in action again, I guess. Spend more time with Goku again.”

18 rubbed his cheek softly. “I know that, honey. I really do.” She gently cupped his chin and lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Hey... I'm not telling you this has to stop. OK? Just... I really need you to try to take a little more care of yourself. Marron and I both worry about you. You're not some weird alien who bounces back stronger from this sort of thing.”

Krllin broke eye contact, trying to look anywhere else than at her. “...yeah. I know...”

18 frowned again, softer and less stern. “Sweetheart, look at me.” She cupped his cheeks and turned him to face her once again. “You're still strong. You still have more strength in you than anyone else I know. You have such a strong moral compass. You have the strength to be willing to put others above yourself and your desires, which is not as common as people think. She smiled. “You have the strength to show compassion to people that even your own friends thought didn't deserve it, and for that I'm forever grateful.” She gestured toward the window with a tilt of her head. “And so's 17, not that the tsundere bastard will ever admit that to your face...” she saw him try to suppress a smile. “There's more to being strong than just muscles, dear.” She allowed a hand to drift down and gently rub his shoulder. “Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy these too. Just know I'd still love you even without them, OK?”

He blushed and allowed a small smile to slip through. “Yeah. OK.” He reached over and placed a hand on top of hers resting on his shoulder. “I really don't like to make you guys worry. It's part of why I've been a lot more careful lately, honest. And so has Goku.”

18 raised an eyebrow. “If he's been so careful, how exactly did you wind up coming back looking like you'd just survived planetary destruction?”

Krillin removed his hand quickly and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Well-ah... y'see... it wasn't actually Goku who did this. See, he and I were training together and our session was going on for a while. Then Vegeta showed up all upset about it-”

“Vegeta?!” 18 froze, bottle and swab she'd been preparing still in hand. “What did that prick have to do with you?”

“So, ah, funny story... it turns out that he said Goku told him he'd come train with him for a while over on Bulma's private island, and he said what we were doing was cutting into his time...” Krillin tapped his index fingers together. “And well, he kinda, sorta... stepped in to hurry things along. Heh...”

Krillin gulped as he saw 18's eyes narrow. “S-sorry, babe. I can always stop for a while, it's fine.”

18 closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. Krillin, why do you think I'm mad at you?” She leaned forward and gently swabbed a scrape on top of his head. “You did nothing wrong, Goku didn't do anything wrong here really...” she frowned and looked out the window. “That pig-headed 'Prince', on the other hand...”

She sighed. “Krillin, I know how much you sacrifice for Marron and I, and I know how much this makes you happy. Seeing you so enthusiastic and full of energy again... it makes us happy too.” She caressed his cheek again. “I need you to stop worrying that you need to apologize for enjoying yourself here. Do I worry? Absolutely. You're kind of a big deal to me, y'know?” He chuckled and looked down, blushing. “I'm serious. You're my best friend. My home. My everything. So of course I'm going to worry a bit. But if a little bit of temporary worry is what I need to endure for you to have your happy place, then so be it. Besides,” she winked. “You always know how to help me get over it.”

Krillin felt himself turn beet red and shifted a bit in his chair. “Heheheh... I suppose so.”

She poked him lightly in the chest. “So let's stop with the moping, huh? Next time that royal pain in the rear shows up and lets himself get carried away though, you tell me. I'll deal with him.”

Krillin's eyes went wide. “Uh... 18, don't get me wrong, you're strong, amazing, wonderful, tough as nails, and I love you so please don't kill me here, but Vegeta is kind of leagues stronger than you and me put together now. I'm not sure that's a great idea.”

18 chuckled and lifted her phone. “You'd be surprised what a simple phone call to Bulma can do. She scares him more than his own fears of irrelevancy. She'd have him here apologizing within an hour.”

Krillin laughed and leaned forward to peck 18's lips. “You're amazing, you know that?”

“I do. You're not so bad yourself, Mister.” She leaned in and kissed him again, lingering just a little longer, relishing the feeling of butterflies he still managed to give her.

“Now,” she said, pulling out a bandage and more antiseptic, “time to let me finish patching you up.” Krillin reluctantly agreed, mumbling minor complaints as she did so. But even so, 18 found herself smiling. Sometimes, she had to admit, it was nice to have an excuse to fuss over her husband. When she finished, she draped her arms around his neck and leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on top of his bandaged head. “There. All done, big baby.”

Krillin smiled and craned his neck to look up at her. “Thanks, babe. Best nurse a guy could ask for.”

She returned his smile and tapped the spot where his nose would be. “And you better not forget it. Now, would you like to help me make dinner before Marron gets home?”

Krillin hopped up from his chair and stretched. “Sure thing. What are we having?”

“Taco night, “ she called over her shoulder on the way into the kitchen.

Krillin grinned. Tonight was going to be sweet indeed!

#K18 Day #K18 Day 2023 #ChestnutFest2K23 #Chestnut Fest 2023 #Krillin #Android 18 #Android18 #Android Eighteen #DBZ #fanfiction #Fanfic #Dragon Ball #Dragon Ball Z #Dragon Ball Super #DB #DBS #Dragonball #Dragonball Z

[coraniaid]

I Only Have Eyes For You isn’t a perfect episode – for one thing, there are a couple of incidental lines of dialogue which I really don’t think should have made it past the first draft – but it is certainly a very very good one.

It’s also, I think, the first episode of the show that’s made me care about Buffy and Angel as an actual couple.  Before this point it’s been … well, I’d certainly argue that Buffy’s relationship with Angel is pretty fundamental to understanding who Buffy is as a person after this season and why she acts the way she does (when it comes to Faith and Parker and Riley and Spike, yes, but also more generally her reluctance to open herself up emotionally to her mother and her sister and her friends all goes back to that whispered and rejected ‘I love you’ in Angel’s bedroom in Innocence).  

But I’d not been invested in it at all before now.  The relationship is important, yes, but I don’t think it’s particularly interesting in its own right before this episode.  (Obviously there are people who find the idea of a vampire slayer in love with a vampire inherently interesting – “rather poetic, in a maudlin sort of way” – but I am not one of them.)  I’m never convinced by how the relationship itself develops, and this rewatch was no different.  It’s established as early as Angel that Buffy might be in love with him, but I’ve never really understood why, based on the little screen time they have together.  They’re not even properly dating until the end of Reptile Boy and then they only have a handful of episodes of actually being a couple before the events of Surprise.  It does not feel that the relationship develops so much as it is suddenly something that has always existed.

And I know a lot of people don’t like this ship because of the age and power imbalance and how unthinkingly condescending and paternalistic Angel can often be, but I think that misses the point a bit. Episodes like this one demonstrate that the writers are very aware of how messed up this relationship is, in ways that will be discussed again next season in The Prom (also written by Marti Noxon).  The Becoming flashbacks coming up will also (I think intentionally) do a good job of deconstructing the love-at-first-sight thing that the show’s been relying on up to now.  (I’m not convinced, honestly, that Season 3 consistently deals with things with quite the same level of awareness, but I guess that’s something to discuss when I get there in this rewatch.)

I don’t know that I’d have necessarily given David Boreanaz his own five season long spin-off show on the back of it, but the final scene between Buffy-as-James and Angel-as-Grace is really strong.  That repeated last confrontation between James and Grace almost feels like it’s being overdone, right up until the pay-off of James/Buffy shouting “don’t walk away from me, bitch” to a departing Grace/Angel.  For all that the show’s attempt at feminism is often laughably shallow (even for network television in the 1990s), I think the gender reversal here is a surprisingly clever touch. 

Other thoughts:

The anachronism around the song the episode is named after (the version by The Flamingos that plays in the flashbacks was released in 1959, four years after the flashbacks are supposed to be happening) is a little weird, largely because I’m not sure why the original murder-suicide had to take place in 1955 at all.  (I could understand if it was 1958, say, making the episode’s original air date the forty year anniversary of the deaths, but what is important about 1955 specifically?)  Did the writers just pick a year at random and not check when the song was from until it was too late to change it?

(It’s a nice version of the song though.)

I’m also not sure what I feel about Giles's whole “to forgive is an act of compassion.  It’s not done because people deserve it” speech. People online seem to really like it, but I’m not sure whether it really means anything, or – if it is meaningful – whether it’s actually something I agree with.  

On the one hand, the episode is not actually subtle about the fact that in this episode James is Buffy: so Buffy is really being asked to forgive herself – in fact she’s being told that she needs to forgive herself – for her role in Angel’s death (having been the trigger for him losing his soul in Surprise and now, after Passion, having announced her intention to kill Angelus too). It’s hard to argue against that, given that Buffy (despite her protests) obviously didn’t do anything wrong. But then, the fact that she didn’t do anything wrong means that Buffy obviously does “deserve” to be forgiven, so what’s the relevance of Giles's quote here?  Who is it that’s being forgiven who doesn’t deserve forgiveness? (OK, James, literally, but we don’t actually care about James: he’s just a plot device.)

“People who have done bad things need to be forgiven whether they deserve it or not” does not seem like a particularly good take.  Presumably this is not what Giles is actually saying.  But how else are we to interpret these lines?  What does this quote actually mean?

#btvs #buffy rewatch 2023

[freaky-munson]

and i thought we were meant to be forever

navigation

hi guys!! it is a little bit different than what i had in mind during writing it’s teaser but i couldn’t bring myself to make it that angsty - if you want more heartbreaking version let me know

story that began in high school when steve was still an asshole

steve harrington x reader

warnings: angst; slight fluff in the end

words: 2,794

present

there were many things Steve Harrington regretted in his 19 years old life. he was sure that great amount of them he didn’t even remember properly, spending most of his high school years partying and drinking till unconsciousness.

the thing what would make him cringe the most was dating Nancy - at least dating Nancy that long to make her call him and their whole relationship bullshit; he knew it was mistake, almost from the beginning of their relationship. he saw the longing looks either Nancy or Jonathan would send each other. but of course he chose to ignore it due to his “King Steve” era - because how could he, the most handsome, funny and athletic guy lose a Hawkins’ princess to some weird loser.

sometimes he wished he befriended other people. tommy and carol were bullies from the beginning, laughing at others’ expense - that flag should be red enough to stop him from hanging out with them. although, then what? he would be left alone, with no one to talk with during lunch, maybe some guys would even plead to remove him from basketball team because “he wasn’t in the clique anymore” and that - besides swimming team - was the only thing bringing him joy those days.

the only thing he left in the dark parts of his memories was brief romance with shy girl in sophomore year of high school. he felt kind of bad that he didn’t even try to learn her last name, maybe that was his way of coping with this whole blue situation; in that sad part of his life where he was real asshole, with capital A, he didn’t have any thoughts of trying to reach the girl, trying to ease the situation.

„Why can’t you just say it?!”

“I have nothing left”

“Are fucking kidding me? You go around telling all of our friends some fucked up shit about me and you dare to lie straight to my face that you don’t have anything against me?”

“It isn’t fucked up shit if it’s 100% sure! Why would I use my energy to talk to you when you never listened to me? It’s surprising that you pulled your head out of your selfish ass and actually paid attention to others!”

“You know what - I don’t fucking care anymore. We are done. I’m so tired of you belittling me and trying to gaslight me. I hope that you will grow up someday, Steve.”

“If I knew you were such a bitch, I would never agreed to take that bet. If Tommy didn’t pay me 50 bucks you would always remain that sad, insecure virgin that no one wants. So be glad cause I actually made you a little bit desired. Cause you couldn’t do that on your own, obviously.”

there was no shame in admitting that, no point in lying; because in the end it was true and everybody was aware of it.

now, after getting his own ass beaten intermittently in the past made him act with hint of humility. perhaps it was his slightly crooked nose from being broken one too many times that made him think about fucking this stupid hierarchy, learn some compassion, start to actually think about his future rather than live in the present, spending daddy’s money and sleeping around with every volunteering girl.

was that new lifestyle worth all the hustle? one could say no, it cost him his title, popularity, long queue of waiting girls. for steve though, it was refreshing, the wake up call he needed for the long time.

and that helped him actually find good friends; robin who he worked with, who was big part in his change; dustin getting the role of younger brother who felt more like his family than his own blood parents; nancy and jonathan - what made him the most surprised - they were huge help with correcting his SATs results to get him better chance at college. even eddie munson worked his way into close friends group.

maybe earlier he was treated with more seriousness and some weird teenage respect - being the person all guys wanted to be and all girls wanting to be with. right now when he was called dingus, mom of the group, the hair, the best babysitter - he didn’t mind; he knew that it was all meant in love, fun, it had sincere tone, not like the previous praises.

did he ever think about repairing his mistakes? yes, he mend amends with byers boy, even upgraded from enemies to neutral acquaintances with one and only billy hargrove.

albeit his conscience wasn’t peaceful yet. his heart and soul couldn’t deal with the fact of this one ill-fated bet that made that pretty girl leave town. cause he knew that no coincidence would magically take place in the same time his harsh and cruel words did just to make him feel better.

he asked about her his girl-friends; both of them heard rumours, even knew personally y/n but in the end only the pair knew what exactly happened. even then, y/n remained as sweet as she was the whole time, never wanting to harm anyone the way she was treated. it only made steve feel even worse; how could he behave like that? not remembering anything specific about the girl, besides few little happy, now seeming meaningless moments, didn’t stop him from constantly having flashbacks of these hurtful words. and wishing he would do it all again, but differently.

what made him shiver was the fact that at that moment he almost meant every single word.

because if asked what was she like, he would immediately answer “beautiful like an angel, with even prettier smile”; because of course he was aware of her beauty and disgusting comments of her body, connected to this fact, he heard almost daily in the men locker room

“i would fuck her bare, i’m sure her cunt is like a wonderful glove”

“have you seen her boobs? she could suffocate me with them”

“and that juicy ass, if she won’t give herself to my fortunately i know a way”

as much as he was a jerk, he was respectful; and talking about any girl that objectifing way made him mad. so when the opportunity came he firstly agreed to that “ask her out” bet. in a way he wanted to be a hero, but part of him wanted to get her, to make him look even more like a king in peers’ eyes.

but besides the part of her being not desirable, at that moment his 16 years old self was almost sure he was telling the truth.

they had multiple fights earlier, as any young couples, he couldn’t count how many times carol and tommy were breaking up and getting back together.

but the arguments weren’t the worst. what he mostly disliked about the girl was how genuine she was; she was selfish but in the way steve was jealous about - she fought for herself, if she set her mind on something, she would do it. but her slight egoism didn’t hurt anyone - unlike his.

y/n was actually gradually making him better version of himself; she introduced him to her friends, who were way more pleasant than his own; she forced him to learn and read more. at first he didn’t mind, it was nice change of environment, the problems started to build up when those amendments have been seen by tommy and the rest. steve, having no parents around, wanting some kind of appreciation, couldn’t been seen as a pussy. it was around that time were he stared rumours about her being freak in the sheets, describing her body in detailed way, shown for his eyes only.

when she didn’t like those, he stared calling her slut and bitchy prude, not knowing how to have fun; to make it worse, all the new friends she made during her relationship with steve turned her back to her, valuing their reputation over the truth the girl wanted to share.

the fight where he screamed at her was the day he admitted to himself that he stared to fall for the girl. but he couldn’t, it was only a bet and his great “friends” would eat him alive if he backed out of this challenge; it would also bring more prats her way, trying to mount her just to show their toxic masculinity. then he did what he thought was the best - he pushed her away, made her less attractive to other people, running away from responsibilities. just because he was not man enough to abandon his toxic friends to choose girl who made him feel hundreds times happier.

so after almost these 3 years, he still told himself that he actually saved her. those words they threw around during the breakup which led the girl away were for him just a small price for this high award of peers’ acceptance and girl’s freedom from creeps.

only that allowed him to forget and hide this in the back of his mind.

to be honest, he had no idea what he would say to y/n if she came back to hawkins; “i’m sorry” in this situation seemed almost stupid; it couldn’t take back any pain the girl experienced that day. he destroyed her self-confidence to the point, she would rather pack her bags and leave for some private school

and y/n really tried to be tough; she has been building her bad, stone cold bitch image for the whole first half of the high school. but these words hit her hard. hard enough to make her decision to leave Hawkins for private school so much easier.

would she change her decision if she had a chance? maybe. she left her friends, her family, her whole life. but it the end she was glad; hawkins was small, sometimes suffocating. and new york? it opened so much new perspectives. new friends, new environment, new teachers. college now seemed like a beautiful continuation of the dream, not the only way to escape small town life.

it also made her think about this whole steve situation; after moving in to her dorm, she had plenty time to think. even when the boy hurt her incredibly she couldn’t bring herself to hate him; in those little moment of his sincerity, she saw that he was small, insecure boy with no support from his closest family. it took her a little more time to forgive him but in the end she did. ‘make love, not war’ they said.

but with this whole understanding came curiosity; she had just one question; why?

fortunately for her, less for him, she had quite opportunity to came back to indiana. she couldn’t imagine not being able to participate in her dearest older sister’s wedding day.

hawkins didn’t specifically change; it still was a small town, full of family houses and this hint of mysteriousness; as it was nearing the end of summer it was full of teenagers and young adults trying to enjoy their last free days;

y/s/n being the introvert her whole life, didn’t want his huge bridal party what only could make her feel anxious and uncomfortable - so y/n being this great sister planned a rom com movie night in the recess of their peaceful backyard.

the obvious place to get the movies was family video. as she wasn’t aware of this new steve era, all the more so she was shocked to see harrington there; was it another stupid bet of his?

but seeing him honestly smiling and bickering with the short haired girl, made her not so sure. did the miracle happen and steve harrington actually become nice and somewhat normal person?

“well mr harrington this is the last place i would imagine seeing you in. and additionally as a worker? actually you may be human not walking ass!” the happy joking tone of her voice made steve almost jump out of his body; was the heat so big that he fainted and it was all in his dream? why it appeared now a after so much time?

“y/n?”

“in the flesh! how are you?”

steve didn’t like it; he was aware that she was one of the nicest people alive, only wearing mask of cold bitch, but he couldn’t believe she was actually nice to him.

“been good. been better, worse too. you cut your hair.”

y/n smiled a little; she knew that the boy was feeling like in some weird ass dream, his face now was much more expressive than when he was 16 years old, only starting to become a young man.

“yeah, i thought that it would match more the whole new york vibe. i’m actually glad i met you though.”

“i’m sorry but i’m not going to pretend it’s normal situation anymore.” removing his vest he turned his head to his coworker and grabbed his car keys from the cupboard “i’m taking my lunch break. and we are going to talk”

shrugging her shoulders, y/n followed her ex boyfriend to his car. the somehow pleasant silence taking place in the car made their drive to local diner seemed almost like they were some best friends, never needing to talk to understand each other.

“i don’t want to seem more jerkish than i already am in your eyes, but what game are you playing?”

“steve, i don’t know what you mean. i made a slight mistake of leaving abruptly, not wanting to resolve our problems by communication as we should. i want to know the reason why we didn’t made it through.”

“y/n, we didn’t survive because i was a stupid boy. there was no chance because as much as i cared about you then, i cared about popularity more. how can you still talk to me after all those things i said. after the bet i took. are you trying to get revenge? go for it, cause so you know, i kinda grew up, just as you asked me. i reflected my life and i have been so disappointed in myself that it made me realise that i’m not surprised that for such a long time i didn’t have real friends. so whatever you do, won’t even hurt me any more than i already hurt myself.”

y/n was surprised; she never thought about some revenge; it was stupid, childish and unnecessary. she believed in second chances. she saw them as new, blank piece of paper to write a new story

“i’m not here for revenge. i just wanted the whole picture, not only my assumptions. which may be stupid, cause i’m hanging onto something from time long ago. to be honest i knew about the bet from the beginning. it wasn’t natural for one of the most popular boys go for quiet, bookwormish girl. just i’m curious why did you lie to whole school? as i remember being slut and prude was quite accomplishment” steve clearly saw that the girl was still as genuine as she was then. her eyes were laughing, telling him she overworked all that high school drama and was above it. he just couldn’t understand why she forgave him that easily “i see that you are still beating yourself with all of this. i really forgave you. i cherish those moments where you showed me your true self, i clearly see in you right now, because it helped me understand that it wasn’t you in that moment”

“as cheesy as i may sound, i chose to cut you to protect you. from myself for the most part. i stared to fall for you, and it was something new. feelings i have never felt before, which have never been shown to me. besides as i mentioned i cared about my status so when guys stared to mock me for falling in love with you, i tried to defend my honour in return ruining yours. and i’m really sorry for that. hearing what those other guys said about you, made my blood boil, so i tried to remove their attention from you, shitty way i know.”

“i cared about you too. even then where you treated me like shit. maybe we should talk then, like normal, adult people”

“except that we weren’t adults then, at least i wasn’t. even now i don’t think i have an adult mindset like you”

“it takes years of practice dear friend. i think i want to really get to know your new personality steve harrington. now that there is no obstacles in our way.”

“you know what, i think that’s a great idea. can i tell you a secret?” y/n nodded vigorously smiling like and idiot “in my nice moments i always had a feeling our story won’t end where it stopped 3 years ago”

“i will tell you a secret too. in our cute little moments i always thought we were meant to be forever.”

taglist

@555stargirl555 @bibliophilewednesday @junglecoxk @justanothersepticeyefan @clxire-clxrrisse

#stranger things imagine #steve harrington angst #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader

[tenpintsofsundrop]

I’m rewatching Titans season 3 to catch up for season 4 and I really wanna dump about Dick a lil. I’m sorry if this is just garbled info that you don’t get but I really had to put this somewhere :’) feel free to just skim over this ask!

also i’m sorry if this is formatted weird, tumblr is acting up for me </3

i’m a tiny eeny weeny bit of a dc comics nerd and something I’ve loved about Dick’s character is his commitment to his family. In the comics, while Jason still has a strained relationship with his family, his relationship with Dick is stable for the most part. I get that Titans is about The Titans and not so much the ‘bat family’ but again, I would have loved to the family dynamics explored a little if there had been more seasons.

And it just hurts me heart to see Dick be such a bitch to his honorary kid brother. Like dude stop it please.

(also pleaser bear with me, I’m remembering stuff about Dick from earlier seasons just off the top of my head, so if i say smth that’s rlly off about his character, please correct me!)

In the comics, I especially love Dick’s relationship with his youngest brother, Damian. He takes a major paternal role in Damian’s life while Bruce is absent and some terrible, traumatic things go down and Damian just adores his brother for it, even if he’s too stubborn to admit it.

This isn’t me saying Comic!Dick>Titans!Dick at all! it’s mostly me saying I wish we could have had more of him as a whole to see how they adapted his character and his growth.

tldr; I’m sad titans was canceled because I would have loooovveeed to see more of Dick’s growth.

this is so funny omg. you need to talk to @star-mum because we have both decided that Titans!Dick is Public Enemy Number One and it sounds like you're there too

(long winded rant below the cut but thank you for letting me talk about this lmao)

so in general, I don't read a lot of comics, but I know a lot of comic book lore because of youtube videos, tiktoks, etc. (because my general curiosity brings me to watch videos about that stuff) and because Jaycen talks my ear off about that stuff and I love her for it <3. and it's also intensely interesting to me, because I read a lot of DC fanfiction (because it's one of the most diverse and well written fandoms when it comes to fanfiction) and you can always tell when someone is using comic book characterization for characters vs strictly Titans characterization for the characters - which, the ladder is rare. Most people are only fans of the comic version - which is very understandable.

But Comic Dick Grayson vs Titans Dick Grayson are miles apart (especially considering that Comic Bruce is a calm, well rounded father who adopted Dick out of the goodness of his heart and raised a well rounded, polite, charming son, and Titans Bruce is a sociopath who adopted Dick as a coping mechanism, emotionally abused him for years, which resulted in him raising a 'son' with intense anger issues and pent up rage, and then Bruce tried to commit suicide when he realized he made the same mistakes with Jason).

Comic Dick is the golden boy.

He is very sociable, charming, sweet - he's a playboy because he has intense natural empathy, and in general he's known as the 'golden boy' because he's well rounded in every aspect. He's smart, he's a people person (without pretending), he naturally meshes well with others, he has a good natural compass for justice, he's clever.

Titans Dick is a fucking mess.

Bruce emotionally abused, and it informs so fucking much of his character and his issues - he has attachment issues; he desperately wants a family/a long term attachment but he refuses to form one because he doesn't want to get hurt, so he is constantly pushing people away, he has pent up rage because of how he lost his parents (and because of how Bruce treated that loss, telling him that the world is cold and cruel and no one is ever going to comfort him in that world so he has to make his own justice through violence). He takes every single loss or injustice (however big or small) deeply personally, he doesn't fucking talk about his feelings or communicate properly.

And Jason does get the brunt of the ... wreckage? Of Dick's issues.

It is very clear that because Bruce 'replaced' him with Jason, Dick is consciously or unconsciously taking out his anger toward Bruce on Jason. This is not a problem in the comic books, because Bruce and Dick have a great relationship. But in Titans, Dick and Bruce have a lot of unresolved problems (as much as Dick claims he has forgiven Bruce) so when he sees Jason going down the exact same path he went down - no parents, no proper guidance in the world other than Robin and being Bruce Wayne's little pet - it makes him furious toward Jason because he is furious at a past version of himself.

So because Dick has a lot of unresolved anger and fucked up communication issues, rather than being gentle with Jason and guiding him (and becoming Jason's new mentor, a better mentor than Bruce) he just takes his anger out on Jason because he is unconsciously fighting a past version of himself that let himself believe Bruce Wayne was a good parent.

And when it comes to Season 3 specifically with Red Hood - oooof - I have so much to say about this.

Nightwing and Red Hood are such intense parallels in Titans.

When we first meet Dick, he is at an intense turning point with his violence - he is very brutal, and though it's clear that he thinks killing people is shocking and wrong, he thinks nothing of doling out severe, brutal, possibly life-changing and disabling injuries. And what really gets me is when Dawn is shocked by the level of violence that Dick is displaying, and she is clearly concerned by it.

So when he becomes Nightwing, he reforms himself - he comes back from the edge, he eases up on the violence, and he has a lot of self reflection and realizes that it wasn't about the criminals, it was about him. And he makes an effort not to be as violent.

But it's clear that when he sees Red Hood - someone who kills criminals without a second thought - Dick simply sees a path that he could have gone down. Especially with the themes of that season 'killing vs not killing'. Dick thinks that he's morally superior for easing up on his violence and not killing, but really, when he sees Red Hood, he just sees an alternate version of himself - someone who was fucked up by Bruce and went down a different path, and someone whose ways are maybe a bit more justified than he would like to admit.

So rather than being brotherly toward Jason, rather than acknowledging the legitimate mental illness and trauma that Jason has, Dick talks about Jason (and Red Hood) as though he is a concept. As though Jason is doing this out of spite and pure evil, because Dick wants to extinguish that side of himself that would have embraced Red Hood's ideals if he had gone down the wrong path himself.

Those are my thoughts lmao. Titans Dick doesn't have the capacity to be brotherly toward Jason unfortunately. That's why he's so annoying

#pikispixies #my lovely moots #sundrop answers #discussion #character discussion #dick grayson #jason todd #titans #dc titans #dc #titans!dick grayson #titans!jason todd

[septembersghost]

reflecting on some experiences in light of weirdness today, and honestly i am so continually thankful for the fun and enjoyment and escape and comfort that fiction and music and art has given me, because i don’t think it’s possible to quantify what my life is like trapped in my body and my room from illness and unable to have anything close to resembling normalcy, how without this i wouldn’t have social interaction at *all*, this is my outlet and window and gathering place. when i say i would not be alive, it is not an exaggeration. it’s also probably why i am quite sensitive about it, because it’s my sole place, my lifeline, and it’s why i’m very what you see is what you get, with my personality and things i experience and things i love. but i do feel like sometimes we forget or discard that people on the other side of social media and screens are just human too. my friend getting harassed today is one of the kindest and most generous people i have the fortune of knowing, she’s helped me privately in ways nobody else knows about, and the idea of coming for someone over fiction and acting like you have the moral high ground when you have no idea who they are as a person or what they may be going through makes me queasy. i watched an interview with this very thoughtful woman the other day and she mentioned how she treats social media like any other social interaction - there are conducts of politeness, you try your best to be considerate, ultimately you remember every person on the other end of a post or message is another soul, is someone connecting with you for a moment. sure, some people are rude and awful from the jump and don’t deserve consideration or respect, but to immediately assume you are correct to mock or bully someone just because they love or interpret something differently than you do is not only absurd, it’s mean-spirited for nothing. we’re all just little people on our little glowing boxes, hopefully trying our best. there is always a benefit to lending compassion. the world is hard enough. we can be a bit softer with one another.

#anyway #jess.mess #bubble wrap around my heart

[nateriverswife]

I hate it, haaateee it when people would go back and forth about the Manga and the Anime just to scavenged what evidence to support their analysis on Light Yagami's character; saying that he's neccesary evil and that he is like that because his father is a chief police officer and everything.

I hate it when people say that Light Yagami initially does have a morale compass and perceived himself as some sort of martyr in creating his fledging utopia when all they did in L's character analaysis was practically saying that he's an asshole and leave it at that. I hate it when they said that L is a bad person because he's autistic while writing a 10 paragraphs, 25k words essays on Light's character alone about how he's actually a nice person but went about it in the wrong way in the same post.

For clarifications; I don't despise the analysis on itself, but the sheer hypocracy that revolves around it. I hates it when people said that Light Yagami is way smarter than L while ignoring the fact that had Ohba not equipped him with massive plot armor, Light would be in jail 20 chapters in.

I hate it when people said that Misa Amane deserves better while glossing over the fact how she basically initiate the toxic relationship despite being well aware that Light has no interest in her.

I also genuinely loathe how they just leave her in the 'girlboss' category and not analyse her character like Light.

In short, sometimes I just hate people in this community.

Thank you for your time and peace out. Drink water, or something.

Sorry for the late reply, but this got me writing. Putting a read more, because it’s quite long.

Before I start, I love you. And I wonder if there was a missing “not” in the first paragraph, because otherwise the rest of the text wouldn’t make sense lol. I’ll take that it’s missing.

Now, I want to preface everything I’m going to write by saying that, in my opinion, a lot of discourse around the characters is due to Ohba’s poor writing when it comes to them. They are not conjured as “people”, but as roles, and I have proof. Nothing wrong with it, but it’s clear when it comes to secondary characters, while not so much when it comes to Light or L, but it’s still there.

I’ve always wondered about Matsuda’s life outside of the case, but there’s nothing.

Ide and Mogi are just... There, so much so that people forget their existence. Mogi a bit less because he had a more prominent role in the second part.

Ukita, after 5 months in universe, dies, and yet no one in the fandom cares, which is odd, because it becomes a point used by L against Aizawa later. If you don’t care about a character by the third volume, there’s clearly something wrong with the way he was written or presented – or the lack of.

Misa’s popularity is used only in a few instances, which is weird because I would expect a celebrity to be busier with her job. She doesn’t even have any celebrity friends. She’s also a shallow character overall, but I want to talk about this later.

Light’s past is a big dark hole, to the point that people would write long ass essays trying to explain why he wasn’t evil in the beginning, like... Yeah, he wasn’t evil, because he didn’t find the Death Note yet, but that it’s just two pages. And he found the Death Note in those pages, and simply acted “normal”, while still murdering people. The fandom has barely something on which to infer about Light’s former attitude, which can’t be so different from the one he has throughout the series, because you can’t change overnight. He was just given a weapon that could help fill the gap between how he thought his life should be and how it was.

L is the only character for which makes sense not to know much about him. The problem begins when you must fill that hole, and you start to say stuff just to please the fandom and are most likely contradictory to his attitude, behaviour and personality. The chapter in which L dies is published in July 2005. A year and a half later, HTR13 is published. In it, Ohba says that he looks at L as slightly evil, which I think is the wrong term. I would say he’s more ruthless than evil, and only in some instances, because he generally cares about others.

In this fandom, I see a constant trend of people trying to paint L as morally corrupt as Light (to add more depth to their dynamic?), without any regard for L’s character. Most of the times, L’s attitude is actually coherent with the situation he is in and his job. He has to lie and deceit to get something out of Light, because otherwise he would get nowhere, yet that is seen as bad as Light’s murdering habit. And he doesn’t even manipulate people in the same way Light does or for the same reasons.

Aizawa’s gateway is the most evident way in which L does it. He sees that he’s the most hesitant among all of them and knows that he would regret it in the future, so he manipulates him to leave the task force for his own sake. However, he doesn’t force upon him a certain behaviour by threatening him, and he’s straightforward about how he feels towards him. He tries to convince him and withholds the fund information so that his tactic could work. He wants him to assume a position and gradually tries to get him there. He leaves his “targets” at least some room of action. I got told by @lost-and-found-jc (sorry for the tag, lmao) that even in the prologue game, he is also quite nice to criminals during the interrogations (and I quote, "he is also incredibly polite even to criminals, always uses polite Japanese and even when one of them was just straight up insulting him L was like 'Okay, that wasn't very nice'"). If you want to take that as canon or not doesn’t matter, because the manga alone proves L’s willingness to comprise and his habit of compensating his “bad” actions.

To be fair, L is the closest character to a real human being.

Another thing which proves my point of Ohba (and Obata) adding details about L that don’t make sense, but just because they want to please the fandom is the big ass washing machine they introduced, like... No. Stop it. That is ridiculous. You would die if you were to use that. He doesn’t conform to some social norms, I get it, most human thing ever... But that thing? It’s not possible. Just say you wanted to add to his quirkiness and move on, because there’s no way anyone would think about that. It’s even more impractical than just washing yourself normally, because you have a higher chance of drowning.

... Ridiculous.

Here what Ohba had to say about the planning of his character:

td;dr: "idk, i just didn't want an old man"

Don't know where to put them, but here, I think these are in favour of my idea of Ohba's incomplete character writing:

"A character to talk to" - that is so sad.

Anyways.

Let’s go over Light’s character.

I started to read the supernova’s analysis, but I stopped mid way because I felt it was trying to convince me that my opinion was objectively wrong, which it can’t be, because we have no objective truth. And most of the points read there are things I’ve heard thousands of times (probably that was the starting point?).

I’m now reading about Light and Sayu’s situation, because I am open to change my mind about Light’s attitude towards his family, even though I’ll never forgive him for what he did to them.

People can be evil and care for their family, e.g. mafia, which are very family based yet they do atrocities. And in HTR13, it’s written that Light cares about his family – even though he said that he might need to kill them – and humanity – which is, er, interesting to say the least.

We have to understand that no matter how well written an analysis is, it is still biased. When writing them, people start with an idea: “I want to prove that Light is not evil”, and so they start to look for details that prove their point and often ignore those who refute it.

It’s very hard to write a completely objective analysis of a character.

I am biased too. I’m not going to deny it. It’s up to you to agree with what I say. If you don’t think Light’s evil, okay, go on. If you think L is the absolute worst, okay, whatever. The “problem” lies when you ignore canon details that are contradictory to what you say, because you want your narrative to be intact, and then tell others they are wrong in their interpretation, because it doesn’t match yours. An example is the 22 reasons why L is as bad as Light post. It ignores pretty much anything canon, because they didn’t like the idea that L is deemed as “good”.

I hate Light. I’m not going to lie. He killed my favourite characters (valid reason to hate someone), and I don’t like his ideal of justice, his actions, his idea of himself and the way he thought justice should be administrated. Overall, everything he stands for and just him.

I don’t hate him because he’s a villain (no matter how much people say it, he’s not an anti-hero. I’m sorry, he just isn’t).

I also think he’s very dull without Kira (made a post about it), which goes to show that Ohba didn’t think too much about his past and how he was before the Death Note, other than Mr. Perfect Guy with The Perfect Life. The stereotypical prefect person that hides a very dark secret, you know what I mean.

His interactions with others, like his friends, are also shallow, so the discourse is here very divided:

he’s popular because of his charm and looks, but no one is a real friend of him (which also goes to support the idea that L and Light were somewhat the closest thing to friends they both had – I disagree; HTR13 states that he had many friends, while L doesn’t have friends because he thinks humans are cunning in nature and hates Light);

Ohba didn’t write them in too much because they are unimportant to the plot, since everything is strongly plot driven, and not character driven, but they were still important to Light (doesn’t seem so because he literally forgets about them lol);

simply used to showcase that everything in his life is perfect, because he’s social and all.

Even the girl he dated disappears after the bus hijack, which I find weird, because the date didn’t go wrong (between them, I mean) and so I expected it there to be a follow-up, but nothing. The girl doesn’t even try to get an explanation as to why Light didn’t ask her out again, even though she’s considered stubborn by Ryuk and she insisted to continue the date after the hijack. Light says to keep it a secret, but you can still ask for a secret date. She simply ceases to exist.

He’s nothing outside of Kira, which is quite sad and infuriating to see.

(lmao, co-star just sent me a notification saying that I should “start by seeing them as a person”)

In the post I made about Light, I highlighted other things I won’t go over, because I don’t want to repeat myself too much.

It’s totally valid to hate when people try to redeem him, when he’s not redeemable. He would’ve been it if he had realized that death note actually killed people, and so he refused to continue. We wouldn’t have Death Note, of course, but that’s how far I can go to excuse him, because he realised that it’s not the way to go about it.

(By the way, I don’t hate Light stans. I hate however how willing people are to support the idea of killing criminals in real life. That’s when my problem with his apologists begins. I won’t sit here and tell you how wrong and useless the death penalty is, because it’s not an essay about it – I still have my arguments from high school, from a debate during religion education lol –, but if you support it, please, inform yourself well about the topic.)

He’s not even responsible for the drops in crime, as the manga tries to portray it. I did a post (not written that well lmao). It’s quite impossible to me that he could do that (maybe another part in which Ohba didn’t care too much about adding credibility? I mean, he himself said that he didn’t do a lot of research about anything outside Japan, so maybe he didn't consider how impactless killing 200k people over the course of 6 years would be).

He first used the Death Note because he was bored. That was the main thing that he and Ryuk had in common. “The world is rotten” wasn’t used about criminals in that context. He then killed two people, realized what he did and gave himself a moral justification and goal, so he could continue, just so he wouldn’t be bored anymore. He started to even believe that he had that goal since ever, that he was meant to save the world and become the God of a utopia.

I sometimes have the impression people like saying he’s not evil, because they share some of his values and so, hearing that that is not well seen makes them justify what he does. You can share some of his values, even though I don’t know which those would be, but you just don’t have to act in the way he did. I think it’s pretty simple to grasp.

Ohba sees him as “very evil”, by the way. You could make the same argument I did for L, but while I can disprove that claim, it’s very hard to do the same with Light. For everything good Light did (saved that girl from being harassed), he did multiple bad things (first of all, killed him, and then believed he had to save the world and began killing multiple people in a day). For everything bad L did (putting cameras in Light’s house), he tried to compensate it (only Soichiro could see those tapes other than him; he wouldn’t extend the time period in which they would be placed without them knowing).

I won’t go into L’s character, because I talk 24/7 about this bitch, and it’s pretty clear to see that I do see him as better person than Light. I have several posts about him – not analysis though, just random thoughts. And I agree with your two points, since it’s also canon that he’s smarter than Light, and people who keep saying that it’s not true are simply in denial.

Now, about Misa.

You are so right for pointing out the lack of character analysis on her, and I want to add that most of the posts about her that we have try to portray her as an undercover real true genius™. She’s not, and that’s okay. That was not Ohba’s project (a woman that is smart, acts on her own and is able to possibly defeat Light? Impossible).

Her character is based on two main things: childish, fashionable girl (and) obsessed with Light (Kira, to be honest). That’s all she was to Ohba and that’s how she is shown to us.

Honestly, I don’t mind people saying that she could actually be much smarter than how she was presented. You do you.

And, while her forcing Light into a relationship is bad, the worst thing is that she is quite literally a murderer. She is not innocent. She’s a stalker, she killed innocent people for selfish ends, she threatened to kill any girl that Light went out with, and she was willing to kill a “friend” just to prove her devotion to him, whom she met 5 minutes prior to this.

It makes sense that she would want to serve the person who killed those responsible for her parents’ death, but whatever she did isn’t excusable.

I think I’ve always said she deserved to be written better, not that she deserves better in universe (but if I didn’t, forgive me, that’s all I meant). She just doesn’t, at least not after what she did to get Kira’s attention. She’s awful. Her past shouldn’t be an excuse for killing innocent people – Ukita, among all.

She chooses to be used by Light. And Light is simply being himself, bad as always, and treating her as an inferior, because he looks down on everyone – men included. I want to specify this because people keep pretending he’s gay and Misa did a bad thing by forcing him into a hetero relationship. He had five or six girlfriends before her, and I feel like he dated them to show that he can get what he wants, not to hide the fact he’s gay. Misa forcing Light into a relationship is bad just because… She forced him. Full stop. Even if he were gay, Misa didn’t know that, so you can’t put that against her or as an aggravating factor.

Now, onto the infamous scene that I literally can’t wrap my head around it.

The fandom points out that her imprisonment was torture. By definition, it was not. We aren’t shown Watari inflicting physical pain on her and she doesn’t even show to be afflicted by it mentally. Only exhausted towards the end of the whole thing, just like Light and Soichiro. Was it fucking immoral? Yes (and probably also fan service – Obata even said he went easy on her… like, bitch, what). Her hands and body could’ve been restricted differently, like Light’s for example (his body wasn't tied but whatever).

However, I would argue that restricting (not in that way, though, hell no) and blindfolding her was the safest way to ensure the survival of Watari, since he was there, or anyone she would come in contact, since L didn’t know how she could kill (she literally murdered Ukita in front of everyone’s eyes).

One thing that I still don’t understand is the water part. Aizawa points out that she hasn’t had water for three days. However, a few panels later – supposedly the day after –, Misa asks to go to the bathroom, and L tells her that’s she had been there a few minutes prior. So, I don’t get it. L wouldn’t let her go to the bathroom if he knew that she hasn’t had any water. If she wanted to move, why would she ask for that specific thing? Did he start to give it to her after Aizawa’s comment? Because: no water - > no need to pee - > obvious refusal by L to let her go to the toilet.

I stand by my belief that Ohba didn’t put much thought into that, only in her case though, which is so fucking annoying. I’ve reread HTR13 and the lack of anything regarding that scene is mind-blowing. It’s always, “Light here, Light there”. That scene gets mentioned a few times as “arrested”, like hello? She’s your other main character, could you give her a bit of consideration too?

Also, she’s an idol... How come no one questioned her disappearance? Okay, let’s say, the public knew she got arrested. And did she just go back to work after that? As nothing? Just got accused of being a mass murderer and they accepted her with open arms? I don’t get it. If they didn’t know, why wouldn’t anybody ask her where she had been? No contact with the outside world for 53 days, and no one cared to check on her? Weird.

“53 days”, but the manga counts only 50 days, because it all focuses on Light, which proves to me that Ohba didn’t care about Misa at all and it was just an excuse for Light to do the whole memory loss thing.

I should read the second part of Death Note, because I don’t remember her role there very well, which alone tells you a lot. I just know Light was constantly frustrated with her.

Did I write enough? Lol.

That was pretty much what I had to say. I’m not usually one to pay a lot of mind to Light or Misa if I have to be completely honest, as they are not my favourite characters. Love the fanarts, the memes and all, but that’s how far I can go. It’s been a lot of time since I’ve known Death Note, I’ve always disliked both of them, so it’s really hard at this point to rewire my brain and have a positive opinion on the two. I also feel like it’s a waste of my time to try to convince myself that I can like them, because I would rather spend it on my favourites.

Misa and Light makes me prone to conservatism here. Props to them. Power couple.

Got to say this, but I think it’s very hard for me to discern what to impute on the characters because that is what they would do and what the authors wanted to put into the story but didn’t know how and chose the most suitable character, just because. I mean, it’s not, “they do this because it’s in their character”, but “damn, I need to make the plot continue and do this, but who can do this for me? Oh, yeah, X! The readers wouldn’t bat an eye if they did this, even if it’s not really in their character.” To me, these are two very different things, but whatever.

#as always hopefully my english is good enough to be understandable #also i love that people feel safe enough here to write opinions that are quite different from the ones of the majority of the fandom #but it's probably because i do agree with them so there's that lmao #death note #dn.inbox #l lawliet #light yagami #misa amane #dn.general #meta analysis #death note meta

[lillyosaurus]

unhinged character bingo thorn and smolder

OKAY FOR THORN

She’s one of our favorite characters I love her SO MUCH. Her dynamic with the scorpion den is incredibly interesting and how she basically went from “oh I’m the big boss poster child of it” to now running the whole kingdom and begrudgingly leaving vulture to deal with it. Thorn and vultures dynamic is really interesting to me aswell with how well they play off each other I personally imagine them both as morally grey but on opposite ends of the spectrum, thorn being the “cares about people but only certain people/kingdom and will do what she thinks is best for them despite maybe hurting others in the process but it’s okay it’s best for them” similar to how I imagine qibli that’s where he got it from and vulture heavily leaning towards the morally grey of “oh I’m doing what’s best for me and me only sorry 😂😂😂” I do wish however when thorn became queen Tui kept the more morally ehhhhh parts of thorn she kind of gets toned down when she becomes queen even though a whole thing of her character is that. She ran part of the scorpion den your moral compass is going to be iffy after that yknow???? I wish she didn’t try to make her just silly she’s silly AND fucked up. Morally grey thorn my beloved and it just fits her character as a whole more!!! Her being queen felt like a convenient way to put an end to book 5 but honestly I don’t mind it that much? I liked her character more in Sunny’s book but her being queen is an okay move not the best but it could’ve gone alot worse. Id think that she was BY FAR not the best option to be queen if she was actually kept like book 5 her but the eye of onyx was like “well. everyone sucks.” I also think about her and stone mover a lot not as partners but T4t then they got divorced and now they’re buddies and thorn visits stonemover sometimes to tell him all the weird stuff that’s happened in the sand kingdom and also to talk about qibli and sunny. Even though thorn and morrowseer had only one interaction over stonemover I find their quick conversation very… interesting? It’s street-smarts vs people smarts and kinda wish we got a little bit more of that. I don’t particularly like thorn x smolder, mainly because headcanon thorn as a lesbian, iffy age gap and also don’t really like the pairing with thorn because that also goes against thorn not being royalty and standing against the royals but then dating a prince. I think of them as just buddies who got thrown into the limelight of royalty either being born into it or gaining it and bonding over the fact that they have way too much spotlight on them!! Smolder also shows thorn all of the weird little hidden areas of the stronghold (like those bookshelf’s that rotate and then bam there’s a whole other room back there) and thorn helps smolder with coming back into society after the Sandwing war of succession because it literally just happened

FOR SMOLDER

Smolder doesn’t really hold that much space in my brain? I REALLY like his design and honestly headcanon him to look very similar to char I do actually really enjoy him as a character minus the thorn stuff, specifically I really like him in deserters where he’s the cowardly prince and continues to stay that way. I do enjoy how he builds around oasis as this all powerful dragon if a PRINCE has to act this way in order to survive hell what’s the queen like??? His relationship with palm also is a bit sad and again goes to show oasis as this all controlling the queen was to where he feared himself and his girlfriend would be put to death for just existing together. He’s like those princes in fairy tales where “oh I’m the big strong knight here to save the princess oh!! Dragon scary AHHH” and he runs off and I think that’s a really funny contrast to thorn who is exactly the opposite, I’d also think he’d kinda act as a mediator to thorn when she gets too pissed and also helps her navigate the political system of pyrriha because hell she knows nothing about it and he’s been a prince all his life. I think they’re buddies, and as it stands smolder in canon for me is eehhh story-roll wise. Love him personality wise but he just really doesn’t have enough on him to call him my favorite, neutral about him canonically love the one in my head though.

#i love thorn sorry anon you probably weren’t expecting all this #thorn wof #smolder wof #long post #dinosaurs rampage rambles #unhinged character bingo

[bongo-spindash]

"Sonic? Like, The Hedgehog?" Chapter 3

The thing about being a global hero whose entire schtick is running faster than the eye can see is that, well, people don’t actually see an awful lot of him. They know his name, they know what he’s done, and they recognise the iconic blue blur he leaves in his wake—but, just walking down the street, you don’t expect every single blue Mobian you see to be the one that routinely fights off giant mechs and ancient deities.  Really, how were they supposed to know who the guy actually was? (Or: Five times Sonic invoked the Tony Hawk phenomenon, and one time someone recognised him.)

First Chapter, Second Chapter, Ao3 Version Despite the title of this chapter, there's not any real descriptions of injuries beyond the passing mention of one happening, so don't worry if that's something you're not big on!! Either way, hope you enjoy!! :D

Chapter 3: First Aid

(Fic under the cut!!)

-

Despite the tournament very obviously being another one of Doctor Eggman’s weird schemes, Peter is still pretty excited for the EX World Grand Prix. He can never resist a chance to see some Extreme Gear in action, and he heard the group calling themselves the Babylon Rogues are participating—sure, they’re thieves, but they’re also some of the best Extreme Gear users around—sue him for being just a tad hyped up about it. 

Also, the money for acting as an onsite paramedic for the whole thing is really good. Peter can either stay home and find out about an Eggman attack on the news, or he can be at the Eggman attack where everyone’s flying around on Extreme Gear, help out, and get paid. Really, it’s not even a choice. 

As always, he’s got to keep a level head on his shoulders while he’s working, just in case anything happens, though he can’t help the slight swell of excitement as he meets with the seven competitors, all holding their boards. He was assigned the task of meeting with each beforehand to discuss anything the paramedic team might need to know about them during an emergency—allergies, preexisting conditions, and the like. It’s not the most pleasant topic, but still, even if he can’t linger, he’s elated to meet all of them up close. 

The first three, Peter recognises on sight. 

It’s hard not to know who Tails is, based on his characteristic namesakes alone. The kid is bright, enthusiastic—he answers all of the necessary questions politely and succinctly, though when the puffin expresses even a hint of interest, he begins to talk about all the research he’s been doing on Extreme Gear schematics at roughly a thousand miles per hour. If the puffin didn’t have only the allotted time to see them, he’d have loved nothing more than to keep listening to the fox talk. The kid’s a genius; he can see why he’s become so well known for giving Eggman a run for his money. 

Knuckles’ defining characteristic is pretty much his… everything, considering he’s the last echidna alive, and he answers Peter’s questions easily enough—albeit, it feels a little awkward having to ask if there’s anything significant about echidna biology that the paramedic team might need to know. A little bit of a grumpy teenager, although, to be honest, he really can’t blame the guy. He didn’t expect the echidna to be into Extreme Gear; perhaps he only came because of the connection to Eggman, and the others asked for him to be here. Maybe living on a floating island helps with the vertigo?

The last of the heroes is Amy Rose, coming into the room decked out in full athletic gear. She’s as chatty as anything; every answer to his questions is probably about three sentences longer than it needs to be, but… well, it’s much better to over-explain than under. She tells him she’s ecstatic to participate in the tournament—although, quietly, she warns him that Eggman’s probably going to pull something during the event, and asks that he keeps himself safe. The compassion of the girl is heart-warming, but he tells her she doesn’t have to worry about him. She just needs to show off her Extreme Gear skills, and he’ll concern himself with any injuries that may occur, should Eggman attempt an attack. 

The Babylon Rogues are just as blasé about his questions as he was expecting them to be, certain that their mastery of the gear will leave no room for injury. Though… Wave does ask how prepared they are to treat someone who’s fallen far off their board. If he’s being honest, Peter doesn’t think she’s asking for herself. He’s excited to see them race, of course, but he dreads to think of anything happening to those little heroes, when they should just be able to enjoy a good competition for once—something where the world isn’t ending. All he can do is raise the red flag to his colleagues and keep doing his job.

The last competitor, he’s not sure is anyone as notorious as the last six. A blue hedgehog with green goggles on his head, presumably to shield his eyes from the drag while he’s riding. His shoes are pretty dang fancy—specialised for Extreme Gear, he’s sure—but beyond that, nothing really sticks out. His demeanour’s friendly, easy-going, and his tone is joking when he answers the questions, but Peter’s fairly certain he’s being sincere when he says they won’t need to worry too much about him, anyway. 

“You’ve got real courage going up against all these big names,” The puffin laughs, not unkindly. “But good luck, kid. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

The hedgehog grins, giving him a bright thumbs up—it’s a familiar sort of gesture, he thinks, but he can’t quite put his feathers on it. “Ah, don’t worry. I always pull through in the end.” He reassures, and once he’s sure all the questions have been covered, he leaves the guy to his last-minute preparations. 

The Grand Prix is, in all honesty, just as exhilarating to watch as the puffin hoped it would be. The larger medical team is handling any issues that the audiences might have, so the competitors’ paramedic team are free to watch the races—they kind of have to—and Peter has absolutely no complaints on that front. It’s thrilling to look at them all dart about in the air, pulling off increasingly absurd stunts to get ahead of each other. He can’t wait to get home and watch it all again on tape.

He’s not surprised that one of the Babylon Rogues wins each of the first couple of races, but he’s elated for the heroes when they get their bearings and start pulling ahead. More shocking than that, though, is how quickly the hedgehog is outmanoeuvring them—he’d wanted the kid to do well, but he hadn’t been expecting him to come first in the penultimate race. Peter’s pretty certain he’s going to win the whole thing. There’s only one point between him and who he assumes is the leader of the Babylon Rogues now, and the last race awards the most points.

Finally, everyone’s convened in the Sand Ruins, the main paramedic’s station situated underneath an awning to shield from the sun. There’s other tents posited in different parts of the course, to ensure there’s always staff close by, but Peter himself is in the colosseum, watching the race unfold from the huge screens at the front alongside everyone else.

It’s close. When he’d watched the first race, he’d expected the whole competition to be a clean sweep for the Babylon Rogues, but not only do the others gain on them, some of them even outpace them; Wave falls away from the race with a careening loop as Tails pulls ahead, the team by the section radioing in that she’s okay. Call it beginner’s luck, but the puffin is pretty dang impressed.

In the end, it’s the leader of the Babylon Rogues and the hedgehog fighting it out for first place. In terms of technical skill with the boards, it’s clear that the hawk is better, but the other is using the terrain in a way Peter’s never seen anyone pull off without breaking something. Even on the projectors, he can see the bright grin on the teenager’s face, adrenaline pushing him forward with wild joy; as they split into the stadium, Peter is genuinely convinced that the hedgehog’s going to win.

Nothing was going wrong until it was. One second, the hedgehog’s on a straight-shot to first place—the next, something on his board is blowing out under his feet, and he’s sent tumbling towards the ground from a height that makes the puffin break out in a cold sweat. 

Immediately, he and two other paramedics are rushing forward, forcing themselves to ignore the rumbling of the crowd and the competitors flying overhead. He’s the first to make it to the teenager, just as the kid’s stiltedly attempting to sit up. He puts a hand to the hedgehog’s shoulder, and avoids the side he’d seen him land on for now.

“You alright, kid?” He says, purposefully calm even as a strange anger wells in his chest. The kid was winning; that was all he’d been trying to do, and Peter’s pretty sure he knows why that didn’t happen. 

To his credit, if anything’s bothering him, the hedgehog doesn’t show it on his face. “All good!” He smiles, just slightly hoarse from the dust that got kicked up when he fell. One of the paramedics has a bottle of water, and the kid takes it gratefully, opening it up for a long sip, gaze still trained on the hawk waving to the crowd behind the finish line, ascending the stairs towards the Chaos Emeralds.

“Does anything hurt? You don’t feel dizzy or nauseous?” He questions once the hedgehog’s put the bottle down. 

The kid’s response is just slightly absent, still focused on whatever the rogue’s doing at the pedestal. “Nothing but scrapes.” He says, even as the puffin spots a small burn from the blast on the arm opposite and starts to get something out of the first aid kit. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Honestly, what is it with kids these days and being so dang valiant? If Peter had just fallen from that height, he’d have lay on that floor groaning for a good ten minutes. The teenager’s already hankering to stand. 

The puffin wasn’t paying any attention to what the rogue was doing on the pedestal, but the hedgehog clearly was, because he startles and yells out just as a bright beam of light flashes out from the direction of the Chaos Emeralds. Everyone turns to find the hawk holding a strange blue cube, and the pulsing glow is the only warning they get before the ground begins to rumble. Peter holds the kid’s shoulder to make sure he doesn’t fall—just in case the sudden shaking makes him dizzy. 

Peter watches, utterly flabbergasted, as an entire island bursts out of the ground like a volcanic eruption, ascending into the air in ancient-looking pieces. There’s a brief pause where no one seems to know what to do, before everything rockets into fast forward. Eggman appears over the crowd to snatch whatever that cube thing is out of the hawk’s hands—yelling something about Babylonian treasure—and Amy Rose sprints forward out of nowhere, taking a running leap and grabbing onto the Eggmobile before it can take off. 

He goes to look at the teenager next to him, to gauge if the chaos has affected him any—but the kid’s already shrugging his hand off, turning to look behind him. 

“Tails! Knuckles!” He calls, and sure enough, the two are sprinting towards them with their Extreme Gear in hand. “Come on, we gotta go get Eggman!”

The hedgehog rushes off in a streak of cobalt blue like he hadn’t just been lying prone on the floor mere minutes before. Peter and the other paramedics can do nothing but stare on as the three leap in the air and take off in a near synchronised motion, feeling all at once incredibly oblivious as the dots finally connect. 

Dang, he’s an idiot. “Did anyone else know that was Sonic The Hedgehog?” He asks, just slightly hysterical. “Or am I just completely stupid? Because I feel completely stupid.”

“He entered the competition with his team. I literally saw his name on the medical forms.” His colleague wheezes, and the sheer stress in their voice makes him feel just a little better. “I just thought ‘oh, hey, what a neat coincidence! Guess it must be a popular name these days!’. Good Gaia.”

Peter sincerely hopes they’re all getting paid extra for this, because—quite frankly—none of what just happened was mentioned in the contract. He should really give his therapist a call. 

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog fanfiction #sonic fanfiction #sth fanfic #sonic riders #(Since that's when this chapter takes place!!) #outsider pov #Chapter 4 will be posted next Friday if you're interested!! Hope you liked this one either way!! :D #Bongo's Writing!!!

[ollyou]

If you don't mind me asking. Why do you personally headcanon Olly and Olivia as a young adult?

I never thought of any age for them. I draw Olly a lot as a child because when I see him, my brain goes, "Small little ball of anger goes to the anger burrito" The idea is infantilizing by itself, so lean into it.

Olivia is to match, but also because children have more chances to meet wonder in the world. I think she would love that.

Good question! While of course I technically see them as ageless/a few days/weeks old, you already know my interpretations are supposed to resemble older teenagers/young adults!

TL;DR: The way the origami siblings act and scenarios they get into in canon makes me most comfortable hc’ing them as twins no younger than 17-18, but they have younger traits to them as well that makes the age fit for me. I also project myself onto them, including my age (Me being 17-19 years old from 2020-2023).

For me, I definitely can see why people headcanon them as children. Y’know, they’re naïve, and also Olivia in particular is very curious about the world, like you said. For me, it’s been nearly three years since I came up with their hc ages, so I can’t remember EXACTLY what compelled me to think of this, but the main thing was how Olly acts.

Olly acts really pretentious. He can say some pretty big words, but at his core, he’s just as immature as Olivia. He presents himself like a grown adult, strong and powerful and all-ruling, but when annoyed enough, may drop that mask, like how he straight up just called Mario and co. “losers” in game, a really immature insult.

As for Olivia, part of my age hc for her comes with the fact I headcanon the siblings to be twins. I just kind of like that dynamic more than an age gap for siblings! Olivia scolds Olly in the game, and I remember it used to remind me of a mother scolding her son, which probably sounds really weird, but it just made me think Olivia’s a bit more responsible than a little kid would be.

Another thing is kind of just some of the scenarios Olivia is put in…? Like when she gets super embarrassed watching Birdo stage kiss Mario, and says it was really “racy”. I personally feel uncomfortable having a child say that stuff with such a reaction, and I’m sure there’s a lot of other things in the game that can be taken as sorts of dirtier jokes or innuendoes, so I don’t want to involve a child in that, if that makes any sense. ^^”

So basically, I thought having them as little kids didn’t fit for me, and having them as, like, in their 20s seemed a little too old for me, too. I had just turned 17 exactly a day less than a month before PMTOK released, so I also projected my age upon them a bit, too. (Originally, I thought of them both as 16-19, but now I narrowed it down to 17-18.) That’s… something I’ve done a lot with Olly and Olivia. I’ve projected myself onto them, a LOT.

I’m 5’6”, Olly’s 5’6”. I’m 110-120 lbs, Olly’s around 110-120 lbs. I’m wasian, Olly’s wasian (but white + Japanese instead of Korean).

Olivia’s… basically the same, just 1-2 inches shorter and probably weighing slightly less, too.

I like Olly being a little angry guy, too, though. I tend to draw my humanization mostly elegant or nonchalant, but I really like portraying him as a stubborn teen, as well. Well, teen in the adult sense (like how an 18 year old is still technically a teenager, but legally an adult). I also really enjoy drawing him completely cold and devoid of compassion for others… but also emotionally vulnerable and just a tragic character overall.

But I digress. I hope this answered your question well, though!

#thank you for the ask! #pmtok #paper mario the origami king #👑colly #pmtok au