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greatprotector-if · 2 years

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DEMO: SOON...

The Great Protector is a 16+ interactive fiction story where you play as the knight responsible for protecting the crown of the tiny kingdom of Tabalos.

(Please keep in mind that this game is in very, very early development. Updates will most likely be very slow as I’m a full-time university student and also just a very slow writer.)

STORY

Forced out of your family's farm against your will, you are now an ocean away from home, and you have somehow been chosen to be the main protector of the heir to some kingdom you’ve hardly even heard of. The spot's only open because the former protector died of old age, so that's probably a good indicator that it won't be as strenuous as it sounds. But despite that, you pour yourself into your work. You can't help it. You feel safer decked out in armour, and you like having something you're trusted to look after.

Protect some royalty, cover all your blind spots, and try not to worry about all you've left behind.

FEATURES

Customize your name, appearance, pronouns, gender, and magic elemental affinity.

Speaking of magic, yours is... faulty. Always has been. But now that you're out in the world, maybe you'll be able to find a way to fix it.

Three ROs: the carefree crown of Tabalos, the stoic town healer, or your fellow royal knight who doesn't like you very much.

See the sides of the royal family the public never will.

Build relationships with a variety of different characters and find your place within the town. When you’re not out knight-ing, you can do other things like... gardening or searching for escaped sheep?

Meet a kid who reminds you a little too much of the past you’ve been running from.

Will be updated as the game develops!

YOUR BIGGEST FANS

Sacha [wind (former), they/them]

The kid, never seen without their chunky blue cap. Their parents dropped them off in Ritherport with the promise to return soon, and two years later, they're still waiting. They're a little arrogant due to their former life as a child of prophecy, but they're well-meaning and a hard worker—and it seems like they've fixated on trying to impress you.

Teddy [duck, she/her]

Sacha's pet duck. She's white and fluffy and absolutely adorable.

ROMANCE OPTIONS

Kallias [fire, m/f/nb]

The heir to the kingdom of Tabalos—and also your liege. To put it frankly, they make you feel like more of a babysitter looking after a toddler with no sense of self-preservation than a knight for a grown adult. They seem to be determined to make your job as difficult as possible, with their insatiable lust for doing stupid, reckless things like sneaking out of the palace in the middle of the night without telling anyone to fist fight a wild animal in the woods, all with an ever-present smile on their face. Perhaps what you’ve really been hired to protect Kallias from is themself…

Though they love to joke, they’re surprisingly humble for someone who’ll literally rule the entire kingdom some day. Sure, it’s a really small kingdom, but it’s a kingdom nonetheless. In fact, they don’t really act like royalty at all, which can probably at least partially be attributed to them spending more time in the city than in the palace. The Queen doesn’t know about this though, so shh, don’t tell.

Kallias has a lean build, freckled light brown skin, and wavy pink hair that they try to keep swept up and out of their face. Their hair is about shoulder length, and it’s always windswept and artfully messy--and also long enough that it's constantly getting in their eyes so they’re always combing it back with their hands. Their eyes are hazel, but they always look especially green in the sunlight. They have a half-sleeve tattoo as well as multiple small ones in various places, all easy to cover up if they need to. They have eight piercings in each ear and one in their tongue.

Galen [water, m/f]

The town’s only healer, and also most definitely the only reason Kallias is still alive. They were born with superhuman physical strength, and they have the thick arms to match. They’re diligent and responsible which helps them be very good at their job. Alas, they aren’t very personable... yet they’re still almost shockingly popular, always offered warm greetings from the townspeople the rare times they’re out and about in the streets. They never smile back, but they greet each of the townspeople by name, and no one seems to mind.

They look a little intimidating at first glance—and they’re still a little intimidating at the fiftieth—but if you pay attention you’ll notice how gentle they are with their patients, and the care they take to regulate their strength when interacting with others. You'll be hard pressed to find a better healer, much less someone who can heal as painlessly as they do, and given your job you’ll probably be getting to know them pretty well.

Galen has a stocky build, warm brown skin littered with scars, and curly black hair, though despite being so young they have the beginnings of a salt and pepper thing going. Male Galen’s hair is short and curls around his ears, but it's still a little too long for his liking. Female Galen has long flowing hair that goes all the way down to her mid back, though she keeps it in a bun with a hair scarf while she’s working. They have thick eyebrows, long, pointy ears outlined by their own bones (don't worry they're fine it's just like nails!) and their eyes are gold. If you can manage to get them to smile, you might even discover that they have dimples, but who knows?

Victoryne/Valen/Vail [f/m/nb]

V is the only nephilim of your fellow royal knights, and they are determined to make one thing clear to you from the moment you meet: they hate your guts. More specifically, they harbour a deep grudge against you for somehow being chosen by the crown themself to be their royal protector, despite your... rather severe lack of experience in the field. V trained their whole life to get where they are, so to have some random farmer's child just show up and steal their dream job from right under their nose? Infuriated doesn't begin to describe how they feel.

Few things in this world are certain, but there is one thing you can know for sure! V will always have you in their thoughts, wishing on your downfall.

V is considered rather short for a nephilim (and feel free to interpret for yourself what that means), but they're quite toned. They have olive skin with a few scattered beauty marks and curly brown hair. Victoryne wears her hair long though she lacks the patience to do anything with it but tie it back in a simple braid or ponytail. They only have one eye, and it is gray. The other one they were born without, but it looks like it was clawed out because of the scars they received later in life. They have three pairs of wings on their back—though one wing never grew to its full size. The skin on their arms tapers off to an ink black once it reaches their wrists, and the same happens on their legs about mid-calf.

The Great Protector is my first ever IF game, and this is also my first time using tumblr, so I have no idea how any of this works! If you have any feedback feel free to let me know!

#if wip #cyoa #interactive fiction #interactive games #interactive fiction wip #the great protector if #twine #twine game #twine if #wip #work in progress #lgbtqia #lgbtq

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bleghxy · 1 month

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GL Manga Recs:

Summary: Mizuno, the daughter of a mayoral candidate, is desperate to escape the suffocating pressure and scrutiny of smalltown life. Chayama, the heiress of the tea company Chayama-en, is adamantly walking down the path laid out for her, despite being forced to atone for her family’s apparent misdeeds. Yet in the bubble of the school’s third floor guidance counseling room-away from rumors, watchful eyes, and their feuding families-they’re simply Mizuno and Chayama, two teenagers who find comfort and hope in each other. But when the outside world tries to tear them apart, the two must find a way to protect their relationship and, more importantly, themselves…

Review: This was such a good read!!! They live in a hell hole and basically find solace in each other and it's just so good. I recommend this a lot! Do look up the trigger warnings for this.

Status: Completed

Yuki and the Authoress by Yuu Nagori

Summary: Young cafe worker Yuki dreams of romance and a life far more wonderful than her own, but has no way to do anything but hope for the future – but a chance encounter with the beautiful, mysterious authoress Azuma Beniko, a woman who seems to know love like the back of her hand, might change the very way she looks at the world…

Review: They're so cutee!!! I genuinely wish it didn't get rushed near the end but I still liked it a lot.

Status: Completed

This Monster Wants to Eat Me by Naekawa Sai

Summary: “I’ve come to eat you.” So softly utters the mermaid Shiori as she emerges from the sea and takes high school girl Hinako by the hand. Hinako lives alone in a town by the sea and possesses an unusually delicious body that is irresistible to nearby monsters. To ensure that she matures to the best condition, Shiori seeks to protect Hinako—all so that someday, she can devour every piece of her. What will become of Hinako’s feelings as this looming unjust death closes in on her…?

Review: I have so many thoughts about this manga! It's doomed yuri and has horror elements! The characters are also very well written! I highly recommend this! However I do recommend looking up the trigger warnings before reading this.

Status: Ongoing

If We Leave on the Dot by Ayu Inui

Summary: Yukawa comes into the office and always hangs up her coat on the rack; most others just sling it over their chairs. That may be because Yukawa is proper, but maybe because she loves receiving handwritten notes from her coworker Mizuki. Until recently, Yukawa only knew Mizuki and her sweet vanilla scent from afar, but one day she was able to befriend her after a mix up with their coats. Since then, Mizuki communicates with Yukawa and asks her to go out after work via pen, paper, and coat. They never make plans ahead of time, nor do they even know each other's phone numbers. As Yukawa navigates her feelings and learns more about Mizuki, will their relationship blossom into more than whatever it is right now?

Review: This was soo adorable! It's an office GL. It's very wholesome. They communicate a whole lot and they start dating very early on so there's lots of dating content!

Status: Completed

Kurai Mori, Shiroi Michi by Chiyu Yoshida

Summary: In a small, lonely country town, a depressed young woman has a bittersweet encounter with a blind girl.

Review: This felt very incomplete. I wish it had more of a better epilogue but it was still a good read.

Status: Completed

Mizuiro Cinema by Hiyori Otsu

Status: Completed

Summary: Aqua Blue Cinema is about an actress and a girl she meets through unusual circumstances.

Review: A very cute read!

If you want more GL recs:

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secondhandsorrows · 3 months

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Some Vital Scenes to Include in a Romantic Subplot, Pt. 2

Back at it again with part two of some scenes to consider adding for a romance subplot. Before we get into it, just a brief reminder that everyone’s story is different. Take that as you will. I find these helpful for planning and keeping a solid foundation for a compelling romance. There's probably a lot more I'm missing out. Some of these tips, I'm thinking, could even be helpful for writing a platonic friendship, in cases like making mistakes or helping each other through tough times.

If there's anything you would like add or share about this process or some of the things that have helped you, let me know! ~

- Moments of intimacy:

This is rather similar to our last point about flirting, but what I’m trying to get across here is the things that are not said. The unspoken. The unmentionables, if we wanna go there. But I’m getting ahead of myself… this is the kind of scene that can be built up gradually as the romance between your characters grows and deepens. Moments of intimacy in a romance subplot involve deeper and more meaningful interactions between the characters, showcasing their emotional closeness. They include physical closeness, such as hugs, touches, or moments of shared proximity.

It doesn’t have to be all touchy-feely, either. These scenes also might include gazing at the stars, a shared adventure, a sudden desire to reach out but chickening out at the last second, or a quiet moment of understanding during a tough situation. These gestures can convey a sense of comfort or safety. Intimate moments can also build anticipation and tension in the narrative, where readers may eagerly await these little, momentous moments as they read and become more invested in their relationship.

- Helping each other out:

Nothing get me more invested in a romance than those moments where the characters offer support, assistance, or guidance to each other, thus reinforcing their bond and showcasing the strength of their connection. Also, while helping each other, the characters can also encourage independence and growth in each other. They can encourage each other’s goals and aspirations, allowing each other to maintain their own unique identity within the relationship.

The characters could also perform acts of kindness, be it big or small — showing to the other character how much they care without explicitly stating it. There’s an element of vulnerability that can be explored here, in which the characters share experiences and insights good and bad — offering each other solace during hard times and joy during the best of times.

Some examples!

- Character A solving a problem in a way that only they would know or character B wouldn’t have thought of in the first place.

- Character B being understanding and listening without judgement to A’s opening up and venting.

- Character A offering support and clear-headed advice to B, who tends to get irrational. On the other hand, B standing up for A and protecting them from harm.

- Character B teaching a new, valuable skill to A, thus providing great opportunity for them to get closer and connect.

- Mistakes or misunderstandings:

Like many others, I’m not a big fan of miscommunication in romantic arcs … unless they’re resolved quickly (because they tend to be predictable, sometimes, or just frustrating when there's every opportunity for them to reconcile but they're ignoring it because drama).

Ahem. But, characters should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. It’s realistic, because who hasn’t made a mistake at least once in their life? Not every budding relationship is ever perfect. It’s rewarding to see characters learn from their errors and work towards a mutual understanding or reconciliation. This helps to show their emotional maturity and resilience, especially if its gradual or important for their character arc.

Narrative elements that introduce complications (often arising from bad impressions, flaws, insecurities, awkward moments, mistakes, or even just being at the wrong place at the wrong time) can add tension to the relationship while providing space for growth. When used right, this can add deeper strength to your characters’ bond as they eventually overcome the bumps along the road of romance. It’s always interesting to see how characters might react in certain situations, for better or for worse. This is also a great point as to force your characters to confront their true feelings and be able to recognize them or communicate them better.

- Declaration of feelings:

Finally! The moment we’ve all been waiting for! This is the special moment where one or both characters express their romantic feelings for each other, marking a significant turning point in the subplot that often dictates how the story would then play then on out. Think about how you want your “declaration” scene to play out and what emotions you want to invoke. Is it elation? Anguish? Confusion? Excitement? Sadness? I mean, not every declaration scene has to be perfect. It all depends on the story you’re wanting to tell, how focused you want your romantic subplot to be, and what your characters are like.

Also consider how your characters are feeling in that moment and what brought them there. Have your characters been waiting for this moment for a long time now? Is it risky? Easy for them to declare their feelings out loud? Could it also be just not the right moment, so hopefully later their love will be fully understood and reciprocated? Just some helpful things to consider.

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002yb · 1 year

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Oh, but Jason saying "I'm going home", them he walks to Dick's house, they're not living together yet but Jason noticing he spend so much time there it feels like home

This is the worst day of his life, hands down. He doesn’t say that lightly, either. Dying doesn’t even begin to compare. Hell, it would be a mercy in comparison to this: turning up on Dick’s doorstep after explicitly telling him that Jason was going home. Just. Fuck him. It doesn’t get worse than this.

As if to mock him, a gale force of wind rushes past when Jason turns on his heel to leave. It’s strong enough that Jason feels the building sway. Unsurprising given Dick chooses to live in a place with zero structural integrity. A calculated risk for the sole purpose of staying central to areas around the city that have had spikes in criminal activity in the past years. It’s an argument curated to appease Jason’s irritability over the dangers and he knows it, but he can’t argue without being called a hypocrite because Jason has done the same damn thing.

Fucking Dick. The noble and manipulative bastard.

There had been a high wind advisory earlier to preface an oncoming storm. He’s about to say that he could make the trek to his actual home before the rain starts, but again the universe taunts him - sending down sheets of rain that get blown around in diagonal sheets and there in the distance, a flash. Followed by a loud, cracking boom that rattles Dick’s unsound apartment building and Jason’s very bones.

With a heaved sigh, Jason crouches and leans back against Dick’s door. He doesn’t dare knock though because the embarrassment might just kill him.

It’s not like they’re a thing, after all. Or, they are. They fool around. More often than not Jason stays after. He had breakfast there just that morning. It’s casual though. So, so casual. Just some fucking, some post coital cuddles; maybe some pillow talk and noncommittal companionship before or after. Because they’re casual.

Jason groans quietly under his breath, head thunking softly against the door behind him. Showing up at the place of the guy he accepts booty calls from because Jason mistook it for home, fuck.

That’s a far off dream and Jason is dramatic, sure, but escalating the good thing they have going to some sort of relationship? Pass. It would be doomed. Jason isn’t going to risk it. They’ve got a good thing going without Jason spooking Dick with commitment.

As one last ‘fuck you,’ the universe spits on him one last time by having the door behind him suddenly open. Capable and coordinated as Jason is, he tumbles backwards with a curse, thrown off kilter.

When he opens his eyes, Dick is looking down at him. Surprised; pleasantly so. The smile that pulls at his lips is crooked and boyish and clearly charmed despite his confusion. The combination of being found out and being the center of Dick’s attention and charm makes Jason grimace though, cheeks flushing warm with a blush.

“Hey,” Dick says, head tilting slightly to better meet Jason’s gaze. “Thought you were headed home?”

“Yeah, I uh.” Jason starts. Stops. Flusters. Shit. For as capable as he is in vigilantism and all the work that comes with it, not a single lie or excuse comes to his mind. All he needs to say is that he changed his mind, that he wanted some dick after all. What comes out instead is, “I ended up here.”

There’s a breath of laughter from above him, but Jason can’t see it - already hidden behind his hands because this really is the worst day of his life. It can’t get any worse than - oh.

Jason peeks up at Dick from between his fingers so that he can get a visual on what sort of damage he’s just wrought, only Dick is smiling at him. Brilliant in a way that chases away Jason’s embarrassment and leaves him feeling both dumbfounded and invincible.

He’s entirely unprepared for what comes next. The building trembles as it gets battered by wind and rain, but the elements have nothing on the force of nature that is Dick Grayson.

“Welcome home then, huh?”

As easy as that.

Pleased as Dick is at this turn of events, at Jason unwittingly exposing just how comfortable he is with Dick and Dick's space and being in said space, Jason still hides himself behind his hands. It's not enough cover though so he throws his arms over his face, instead. Hiding red stained cheeks as Dick laughs and bodily drags Jason the rest of the way into his home. Jason is loathe to help him the mortification cuts so deep. He should have braved the storm; it's nothing compared to Dick and all the menace he can be.

"Oh, come on. It's cute." Dick says, soothing even as he taunts. Although Jason remains resolutely hidden, he can hear how fond Dick is. The door shuts and while Dick locks it, Jason doesn't doubt that the strong wind will throw it back open at some point. There's nothing homey about this collapsing shoebox of an apartment; it's a death trap. The only thing that feels like home is -

"I'm here too often." Jason complains, propping himself up off the ground and glowering at Dick as if he's the one to blame for that. Which he is. Fifty percent of the time. Forty. Maybe even thirty but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of their booty call arrangement.

And Dick, despite the blame and Jason's panic - he smiles. So warm and affectionate that Jason's heart might trip over itself as it skips a beat. He's just crouched there, elbow on his knee and chin propped on his hand - looking at Jason like he's something sweet; like he likes that Jason thought of home and came to him.

"Stay more." Dick tells him. "I'll give you a key."

This bastard - so fucking smooth. The definition of casual, only there's nothing casual about what Dick just laid out there. Even still, there's no denying that the offer makes Jason happy even though he flusters, dumbfounded and awestruck, timid and still stupidly giddy. From booty call to malewife, just like that? Maybe today isn't the worst day. It never really is with Dick though.

=====

This is such a sweet concept, anon!! Thank you for sharing. <3

#jaydick #dickjay #jason todd #dick grayson #words #dorks in love

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spop-romanticizes-abuse · 7 months

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In your opinion what elements make a GOOD Enemies to Lovers ship? Between a Hero and the Antagonist but they’re not the main Villain

i'm so glad you asked! this is going to be a long post so prepare yourselves. i think there are a couple elements that make an enemies to lovers trope good:

Not Previously Acquainted:

this isn't necessary but i feel like what made c//a so extremely difficult to navigate was the fact that they were close friends before. especially since catra was just as hostile to adora when they were friends, as she was when they were enemies. this makes us question how healthy their friendship was in the first place (spoiler: not very). so the best way to go about an enemies to lovers relationship is to make them strangers who are on the opposite sides.

the dragon prince does this twice successfully. with both individuals only disliking each other for their community and not personal reasons, it's much easier to build a healthy foundation where they look past their prejudices and start to respect the other person.

Good Pacing:

enemies to lovers can't be just two people fighting all the time and then suddenly getting together. especially in c//a's case, where catra was supposedly in love with adora all this time, and yet showed no remorse in torturing adora. not only does it spread the wrong message of "they're mean to you because they like you", but it also shows how incompetent the writers are.

there needs to be a bridge where the two characters begin to reconcile with each other. writing enemies to lovers should have at least four stages: the animosity, the interaction, the turning point, and the mutual respect/interest.

we start off with two people hating or disliking each other. then we have them interacting a little more, preferably interactions that aren't fighting. maybe they are force to work together or one of them is given the option to save the other. they get to know each other and see things from the other's perspective. the turning point is where one or both of them decide to abandon whatever prejudices they had in the beginning, and respect the other person for who they are. and finally, the relationship starts where both of them show a mutual interest and cares deeply about each other.

c//a stuck with the first stage for four seasons, then tried to rush the entire development in s5. it doesn't work like that, even though catra and adora knew each other before all of this. especially since they knew each other before all of this. catra needed more time to repend for her actions, face consequences and change for the better.

callum's and rayla's relationship is more like glimmadora in the sense that they were not previously acquainted with each other, and neither of them were antagonists. they just came from two different cultures that were pitted against each other. and this is why glimmadora would have worked a lot better than c//a.

Less Direct Attacks:

catra could be a ruthless villain in all other aspects but if she was more hesitant to hurt adora, i believe this ship would have improved greatly. revelling in being sadistic and smiling while watch adora scream in pain doesn't exactly send the message that catra loved her, no matter how much sexual tension there is. cruelty is cruelty. and catra never once stops being cruel towards adora.

Believable Reason:

the two individuals need a strong reason to dislike each other. in most cases, people go with the prejudice route. the two people come from opposing sides and have very biased perspectives of each other, which they slowly have to overcome. there are also cases where there may be a personal reason such as someone related to one of the characters hurt the other.

in c//a's case, it's a lot more complex and thus, a lot more difficult to navigate. i can understand the feelings of betrayal playing a role, but catra has no right to blame everything on adora after the latter gave her multiple chances to join her. at this point, the conflict seems forced.

it's as if catra is living in a distorted reality, where "come with me" means "i hate you and i'm abandoning you". or, for a more simpler explanation, catra doesn't want to be with adora, she wants adora to stay with her and humor her. which, of course, turns the entire relationship toxic, because adora is her own person and should have the freedom to make her own decision.

again, this brings us to how well the dragon prince does this trope. when confronted with the fact that rayla wants to sacrifice herself guarding zubeia, callum gets angry at first.

Rayla: All of this happened because my parents ran away, so I have to stay and defend the Dragon Queen.

Callum: But you can't face an entire army by yourself, you'll...

Rayla: Die? Probably. But if I die, I'll just be paying the price they should've paid a long time ago. Just... remember me, okay? Goodbye, Callum.

Callum: Really? So, that's it? Just... goodbye. You're going to stay here and die out of pride?

Rayla: It's not pride, Callum! It's more than that. It goes deeper.

Callum: Oh? Do you have a nicer word for it? Honor? Redemption? It's just pride!

but after a bit of reflection and finding out the truth about rayla's parents, he gives her the freedom to choose.

Callum: They didn't run. They fought. To the end. They saved the egg! We're here and Zym is alive all because of them.

Rayla: What does this mean? What should I do?

Callum: I don't know. But it's your choice. No one else's.

Rayla: We should decide together.

callum obviously still doesn't want rayla to die, but he understands that it's her choice to make. and at this point, rayla is calm enough to rethink her choices and make a wise decision. this is how it should have been done. this is how you write a healthy relationship.

the third act conflict in s5 of spop could have been done like this, instead of catra making it all about herself and whining about adora choosing shadow weaver over her. yes, she went back to adora in the end but it was still with selfish intentions. it was less "i don't want adora to die" and more "i don't want adora to leave me".

spop is just one simple misunderstanding stretched out. if catra had taken some time to think about her situation and what would be best for both her and adora, none of this would have happened. but instead, she holds a grudge on adora for something she wasn't responsible for.

A Good Redemption:

any villain/antagonist that are going to be redeemed needs this, but especially if they are to be paired with one of the heroes. you can't just have the villain do one (1) good deed, mutter a short apology, and call it a day. you also can't make all the other characters immediately forgive said villain because you can't be arsed to write a realistic redemption.

in my opinion, there are 4 stages that encompasses a good redemption arc:

realization: the stage where the character is hit with the realization that they have been a horrible person. either someone calls them out on their bs or maybe they befriend someone who inspires them to change. whatever it is, this is the turning point.

reflection: the character reflects on their past and their behaviour. guilt and conscience must be shown here, through words or actions. the character figures out the best way to fix all the damage they've caused.

growth: a sincere apology is necessary. this means that the character apologizes without a. justifying their actions b. shifting the blame to someone else or c. playing the victim. it doesn't have to be a long apology, it just has to be sincere and heartfelt. not to mention, the character must of course put in work to actually follow up on their apology. an apology alone doesn't mean anything.

acceptance: this refers to the reaction of the other characters. acceptance does not necessarily mean forgiveness. it just means that they respect the villain for redeeming themselves or that they even consider the villain as a friend, even if they haven't forgiven them.

i'm sure you're all sick of hearing about how wonderful zuko's redemption arc was, so here are some honorable mentions on how to pull off a good redemption arc:

peridot: probably the only good redemption arc in steven universe. the only person who is at least a little compassionate towards her is steven, the rest of the crystal gems don't forgive her until she unlearns her prejudice and proves herself to be a valuable friend. her redemption arc takes several episodes and doesn't hinge on a romantic relationship.

grace monroe: each season of infinity train only had 10 episodes, yet they successfully redeemed a character within one season. what was that excuse about spop being cut short and not having enough time for development? grace starts off a lot like catra - manipulative, selfish and leading a destructive cult. but over the course of the series, she begins to question her choices and morality, and is on the right path by the finale. she doesn't even get forgiven by the person she hurt, she simply has to accept that and move on.

soren: not the best redemption arc, but it's good enough. soren rarely posed a real threat to the protagonists, since he wasn't a powerful mage like his sister, but he starts off as a lot more apathetic than claudia. over the course of the series, he realizes how horrible his father is and joins the protagonists. he is admittedly forgiven a little sooner than the other characters mentioned here but then again, he was just the villain's sidekick.

alice "daisy" tonner: (art by @starapture ) not a cartoon character but god, TMA did this redemption arc SO WELL. daisy was a horrible person. she is a cop who frequently engaged in police brutality and allegedly murdered many people. after getting disconnected from her entity, she goes through an identity crisis and extreme guilt. she couldn't really undo any of her previous actions, all she could do is stop and try to be a better person. and she does that. by the end of it, she basically sacrifices herself and though the main character had befriended daisy after her redemption, he still admits that he does not forgive her for trying to murder him. this series understood the assignment, forgiveness is not a necessary part of redemption. forgiveness is a choice; regardless of whether people will forgive you, you should be working on yourself.

none of these are EXACTLY like catra and adora. but they are good examples to take inspiration from. if i were to rewrite catra's and adora's relationship, there are a few things i would change:

they would not be adoptive sisters, but simply childhood friends. or preferably, they were just cadets who kind of knew each other, but didn't really have a deeper connection.

catra doesn't join adora because either she is scared to leave the horde, or she still believes that the horde is doing the right thing (instead of knowingly supporting them like she did in canon).

catra doesn't take as much pleasure in torturing adora. she only fights adora when necessary and tries to hold back a little.

after the portal thing, instead of spiralling further into the evil path, catra starts to redeem herself.

adora and the others don't forgive catra immediately. they don't coddle her and accept her as their bestie. like zuko and many other characters who were redeemed well, catra needs to prove herself to them before she could be forgiven or accepted.

#op i know you wanted me to mention the whole “friends on opposing sides” thing but i couldn't really find a good example of that #anne and sasha are the only ones i know and sasha's redemption wasn't very good either imo #spop critical #spop #spop salt #spop criticism #spop discourse #she ra #anti catradora #anti catra #anti c//a #antic//a #anticatra #anticatradora

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best-supermassive-character · 5 months

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Becky Marney x Felicity Graves (Gravey)

1. Basically from the moment they meet they're ride or die for each other. When a life or death situation comes up, the first person Becky can call isn't her work partner, but Felicity. Felicity risks everything just to try and prove that Becky is innocent in this case. No matter what, Felicity never stops believing that Becky is innocent. Ultimately, it's their trust ans faith in each other that leads to the best ending.

They're basically canon! Always very friendly to each other, with a few suggestive scenes and dialogue that can be easily interpreted as flirty. They deserve more love :)

2. They are unique in that they have a young love vibe in a cynical and bleak setting. By this I mean that they are both established career women in very difficult fields where they see horrific things every day in their lines of work, they had every reason to be cynical and numb to the world, they could have been distrustful or hostile given where they originally stand on the case that kicks off the plot but none of those things are so, all their life experience should prevent their bond forming as it did and still they have that optimism that is usually reserved for teen relationships and first loves and on top of all of that it doesn't clash with the other elements of character and plot and was entirely believable. In conclusion Gravey is choosing to believe in childlike wonder in the midst of darkness

Ryan Erzahler x Dylan Lenivy (Rylan)

1. They’re both dorks and very much deserve each other in the best way

2. "Swarm of bears?" "Yeah ...?" "*Herd* of bears." "Yeah, I've heard of bears ..." (Basically, their dialogue is absolute golden!)

3. I like Dylan Dylan

4. Canon gays ok. They match each other beautifully

#becky marney #felicity graves #ryan erzahler #dylan lenivy #smg pairing tournament #supermassive games tournament #tournament #the devil in me #house of ashes #little hope #the quarry #man of medan #until dawn #the dark pictures #the dark pictures anthology #poll #polls

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yandere-genji · 1 year

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Heyo! Could you do some headcannons for Ashe and Cassidy realizing they're after the same darling? Bonus points if the darling is highly skittish or elusive.

Ashe and Cassidy have a complicated relationship, to say the least. As the leader of the Deadlock Gang, it’s Ashe’s responsibility to keep everyone in check. And Cassidy has always been a rebel, he thrives as a lone wolf. When they were young, Ashe was always trying to tame him. She would bark at him for not obeying orders and he would flash her that signature smug grin of his with a half assed “sorry” and a chuckle. But she had to admit, Cassidy’s aim and quick wit was unmatched among her crew. He got away with shit nothing else would be able to. Still, his confidence and disobedience was spreading to them like a disease and she was determined to stamp it out.

Cassidy got a kick out of Ashes tantrums and would always tease her about them. He was the gasoline to her fire. And when she was fired up, she was near unstoppable. As far as he was concerned, he was doing her a service by entertaining her anger. During his time in the gang, they saw their most success. It was no coincidence, it was their synergy that they were able to make a name for themselves. But they got sloppy, the gang got caught and Cassidy was absorbed by Blackwatch.

Years later, they met yet again, facing each other head to head when Cassidy retrieved Ashe’s stolen contraband. And they realized nothing had changed. Ashe was still as stubborn as an ox and Cassidy was the same smug bastard as ever before.

However defiant Cassidy was out on the field, he was always on his best behavior when it came to you. Keeping a respectful distance, but never missing an opportunity to breach it. That is to say, he’ll play by your rules until he can coax you into playing by his. And he’s charming, it’s easy to let your guard down with him, and you do. You’re slippery as an eel, though, and it’s hard for him to pin you down when you’re vulnerable because you shy aware from him when you are. He’s like a hunter patiently waiting to snare you in his trap.

Ashe is different. She’s impatient and forceful, she lacks the graces that Cassidy has but has some of her own. She can’t lull you into security like he does, but she’s a natural born leader and it’s hard to say no to her when she gives you an order. You find yourself doing as she asks without even realizing it. She loves your obedient nature, adores how easily you fold under her. She’s never really had to seduce anyone before, she’s so used to getting what she wants just by asking for it. But she has to go through the song and dance with you and she’s terrible at it. She usually has all the graces of a socialite but loses it when she realizes her weakness is you.

When the two discover that they’re both pining for you, things get…out of hand. Ashe is absolutely livid and you have to beg her to drop her coach gun and listen to reason. It doesn’t go far and it isn’t long before she mets Cassidy out in the barren desert and threatens to snuff the life out of him then and there. Cassidy calls her bluff, saunters out to meet her, hand hovering over his peacekeeper. He stops, about 20 feet away from her, positioned as if ready to draw in a moments notice.

He’s in his element. Cassidy knows that out of the two of them, he’s easily the most suitable romantic partner. So he faces the conflict as confident as ever, rest assured in his ability to woo you. But that’s not what Ashe is concerned about. It didn’t matter if you prefer Cassidy or not, she was going to take you regardless. But he always had to make himself an obstacle in her path, one she still couldn’t best. Because of him, nabbing you is going to be much more difficult than expected.

In the midst of their fighting, you make yourself scarce, eager to remove yourself from the situation. You weren’t sure how you got into this mess, but now you had the two most notorious outlaws in the New West on your trail. Still, you weren’t completely hopeless. Having been so close to Ashe and Cassidy, you discovered their blind spots and could evade them for a considerable amount of time. When you slipped through their fingers, Ashe jumped at Cassidy’s throat, accusing him of some kind of plot to steal you away. Cassidy was caught completely off guard. He was ready to win your heart for good, defend your honor and you just up and left him to fend for himself. Neither of them were happy with you scurrying off.

Just like the old days, they teamed up again on a mission to search for you. And when they find you, they work together in punishing you for wondering off. It’s in these moments that you belong to the both of them, pushed towards Cassidy and pulled back into the arms of Ashe. They find their camaraderie again in torturing and toying with you. It quells their conflict, if only for a moment. But there’s no way they can share you like this for long.

Cassidy is a passive combattant at first, still confident that you’ll be running to him by the end of this. He’s an experienced playboy that can play your body like a fiddle. But Ashe is more emotionally invested in you than physically, and her sincerity is touching. Sure, she’s harsh and controlling but she cares for you like a doting mother. If he finds you’ve grown more partial to her, that’s when hell breaks loose.

Then, the situation becomes more dire. It’s turned from a playful show into a fight for your favor. Now that bedding you hasn’t worked, Cassidy is much more forceful and violent in his approach, and Ashe doesn’t like this one bit. He might put his hands on you if you misbehave, and if she sees any marks that aren’t hers, these two will spend all day screaming at each other. You’d never seen Cassidy invested in these arguments until now, but it seems like he’s taking this more seriously than before.

There are plenty of times when you slip away from them, but they always find you. Cassidy used to be impressed with your evasiveness, he seemed to get a kick out of your little game of cat and mouse. But once things turned sour, he was swift to make an example of you. Ashe was never entertained, though, and is happy to punish you once Cassidy hardened up a bit.

If you ever feed into your Stockholm syndrome and they break you in, you’re basically their baby. Cassidy will soften up towards you and spoil you rotten, Ashe will still be the disciplinarian that barks orders at you. They still fight over you, and sometimes one or the other will take off with you by themselves for a while. But they always come back to meet each other in the middle, if only to please you.

#yandere!headcanons #yandere asks #yandere au #yandere #yandere overwatch #yandere cole cassidy #yandere cassidy #yandere cassidy x reader #yandere cole cassidy x reader #yandere x darling #yandere x you #yandere x y/n #yandere x reader #cole cassidy x reader #cassidy x reader #yandere ashe #overwatch ashe #ashe x reader #yandere ashe x reader

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linisiane · 7 months

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What do Rick Sanchez, Don Quixote, and Harry Du Bois Have in Common?

In all three of these stories, these characters are ‘self-aware’ in that they intentionally play into the tropes of the stories they’re satirizing (Rick Sanchez satirizing sitcoms, Don Quixote satirizing chivalric romances, and Harry Dubois satirizing roleplaying games). However, the trick to their ‘self-awareness’ is that they’re lying to themselves.

This post is LONG, so feel free to skip to the end if you're just interested in "The Self-Aware Player of Harry Du Bois" (in bolded green) if you don't feel like reading the rest of the analysis. I go into the meaning of the political vision quests, the meaning of the 4th wall breaking RPG elements like copotypes and Jamrock Shuffling, and the effect this has on the player's relationship to Harry Du Bois!

(Common) Rick Sanchez (L)

Although Rick acts like he can see the audience and uses marketable catchphrases like “Wubbalubbadubdub” to appeal to sitcom sensibilities (“Bazinga;” “Did I do that?” “Legen- Wait For It -Dary;” etc.), the truth of the matter is that WITHIN HIS REALITY, he is not a sitcom character.

He truly does not know he’s in a sitcom.

He’s just an asshole.

ID A screenshot from the show Rick and Morty, with subtitled dialogue that says: Wubbalubbadubdub! That's my new thing! I'm kind of like, what's his name, Arsenio! Wubbalubbadubdub! See you next week. Beside the screenshot is a picture of the mentioned Arsenio, who is the titular character to a sitcom called The Arsenio Hall Show End ID

Rick has ATROCIOUS main character syndrome. Truly obnoxious. We happen to be enjoying (debate-able) it from our TV screens, but he doesn’t know that! Hoe’s just calling his family ‘side characters’ and taking them on traumatizing ‘B plot’ adventures to humor-cope with his multiverse induced nihilism. (it is NOT WORKING)

Dan Harmon, as a big fan of the storytelling theory behind sitcoms, has a thing for these type of self-aware-but-not-really characters in his shows. Abed (from his other well-known sitcom named ‘Community') is basically a film student obsessed with film tropes—

Which means he’s eternally making meta self-aware quips on the show without actually being self-aware. He’s not Deadpool, he's just a movie nerd.

It's a wink and a nod to show the audience, Hey, we’re aware that nowadays people are savvy enough to comment on when they’re in a wacky sitcom plot.

This is ‘some looney tunes type shit,’ amirite guys?

(This trick is called lampshading, it got popular recently with Marvel movies and the influence of Joss Whedon's writing (@dingdongyouarewrong), but it's also going through a bit of cliche fatigue right now. "That happened" jokes are an example that I know so many people are sick of, partly because it feels like writers include self-awareness/lampshading as a shield from criticism by pretending you can't critique a problem they're self-aware about!

Let me highlight it to you in the rest of this essay as a tool in satire/pastiche.)

'Donkey Hotel' (according to my speech to text)

To explain Donkey Hotel's deal, I must remark: This guy is on some ancient mental illness type beat.

Now, in the ancient era of Hippocrates, there used to be the hot idea that there are four major human temperaments, and these temperaments are influenced by the balances of liquids in our body called humors. And that an imbalance of the four would lead to an over representing of a temperament.

Don Quixote had a 'Choleric' temperament, which is an overrepresentation of yellow bile and characterized with qualities such as 'hot and dry' and emotional irregularities such as increased anger or behaving irrationally. That's our knight!

Now obviously we know that the idea of 4 Humors in our body controlling our temperament is a BS simplification of mental health, BUT, there’s usually a kernel of truth in ancient theories. The universe really was made up of elements like Aristotle theorized, just not the fire, earth, water, air that he thought they were.

Similarly, our author our man, Cervantes, was using the 4 Humors more to develop a physical/biological explanation to Don's mental illness.

All this to say, Don Quixote is currently deluding himself into believing he is a gallant knight, off to defend the honor of his lady love, the total paragon of a chivalric romance novel because, and I quote, “he became so absorbed in his books that he spent his nights from sunset to sunrise, and his days from dawn to dark, poring over them; and what with little sleep and much reading his brains got so dry that he lost his wits.”

Let's pause.

An escapist stupor that completely wiped the mind of its host?

(FANART BY @so-engery! Check them out!)

ID Two images. One is is Gustave Dore's "Don Quixote Dreaming" drawing. The other is Disco Elysium fanart by Marie Enger @so-engery. Both showcase the main character of their respective works, slumped and surrounded by mad figments of their imagination, highlighting the parallels between the two. Harry with his Skill voices and Don with knights and fairytale creatures. End ID.

That’s our boy, Harrier Du Bois right there!

And while obviously Harry's condition at the start of Disco Elysium is more based on modern understanding of psychology (aka alcohol did it to him, not intense insomnia and a chivalric romance bookathon), it’s real neat we get this this little parallel before we even dig into Harry!

Now, with that neat explanation of why he’s self-aware out of the way, Don Quixote’s deal: Again, he’s not actually self-aware, he’s quite possibly the opposite of self-aware, and EVERYBODY (even the audience!) knows it. He’s only self aware in the sense that he’s acting like a character in a fictional story, which he is, but he’s got the wrong genre.

He thinks he’s in an action/romance, but he’s actually in real life—A satire of the action/romance genre!

Well, caveat.

Is Don Donning the 'Don' Inspirationally or is he Donning the 'Don' to Act as a Don About the Downs of Chivalry?

I read it as Don Quixote donning the 'don' title to act as a don at the college of 'please touch grass and stop romanticizing romantic chivalry.'

A super popular adaptational take, however, is to read him like he's an inspirational dreamer held back by a harsh reality.

Big Nate's Book Reviews on YouTube did a sweet review that highlights this perspective, along with his lil doobie,

that Don Quixote's perspective brings fresh child-like imagination and fantasy to the mundanity of the lives of the people around him. Nate says that Don Quixote and Sancho are "Truly the homies;" they're the first times he's ever felt that he could "find friends in characters in a book."

So there's definitely a joy and a message to the dreamer reading! BUT I tend to be a bit cynical about this, like it can feel a bit too similar to USAmerican Exceptionalism to me.

To clarify what I mean, let's do a Rick parallel.

Don Quixote, as a character, is more similar to the FANS of Rick and Morty than he is to Rick. (Which is its own commentary about how little we have progressed as a society since this book was published like 400 years ago, but also the way media is influenced by prior media.)

To explain THAT, lemme first say that there’s a sort of meta irony (which is how I describe this phenomena according to J-Reg’s theory of satire, but I don’t know the actual name of this) in the ‘he’s just like me fr’ guys. ‘Literally me’ guys. Guys who pseudo imitate Patrick Bateman, literally any Ryan gosling character, etc.

ID A youtube screenshot of 3 different videos titled "literally me" "Literally Me" or "Literally me (I'm mentally insane)" with different Ryan Reynolds characters as the thumbnail. In the "I'm mentally insane" video description, one of the tags is the word "sigma." End ID

Often these characters are meant to be made fun of as parodies of another trope, like Don Quixote is to a chivalric romance protagonist, but there’s a certain subset of the audience that is either too dumb to get it or just doesn’t have the context or background to get it.

Like the dudes who watch fight club, and just end up making fight clubs of their own. Or the way people misinterpreted Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’ as celebrating the US, instead of its true message of lambasting the US for its hypocritical treatment of its veterans. Or the glorification of Rorschach from Watchmen despite him basically being a MAGA. Or the way USAmericans didn’t get Starship Troopers because it was a parody of US military fascism.

There are tons of examples of these because of satire usually says more about the reader/viewer than it does about the author, like a Rorschach test (he really is aptly named). (And it’s why it’s more often fascists/conservatives wildly misinterpreting leftist media. People are more likely to come with a conservative perspective than vice versa bc conservatism is, by its definition, the norm. Though this does still happen on more progressive sides e.g. TJLC.) They didn't see or chose not to see the irony.

Cue the Reddit dudebros misinterpreting Disco Elysium as pro centrist or “all ideologies are equally bad" and the INSANE 'you have to have a high IQ...' 'rick is good and objectively correct' Rick and Morty fans.

ID Two screenshots. One of the infamous "To Be Fair, You Have To Have a Very High IQ to Understand Rick and Morty" copypasta. One of a Disco Elysium Reddit post titled "Disco Elysium is Not Politically In Favor Of Any Ideology." End ID

Speaking of Rick and Morty fans, this is what I mean by the idea that Don Quixote is more like Rick's fans than he is like Rick. Much like the way Don un-self-aware-ly misinterprets his satirical reality for the chivalric romance of his favorite novels, so too do Rick and Morty fans un-self-aware-ly misinterpret Rick's nihilist satire on the sitcom for what is cool and good to do in real life. Plus, I can totally see these type of dudes unironically saying "Milady" to keep chivalry alive. But, there's one level further to this, beyond even seeing the irony, which I call the 'he's just like me fr' guys.

Now, in the case of the 'he's just like me fr' guys, it's not that they're mistaking the satire for sincerity—they totally understand that Patrick Bateman is a satirical take on Yuppie 'grind till you make it alpha' culture.

They're doing a secret third thing—meta irony—where they understand that Patrick Bateman is meant to be bad but act like they're un-self-aware and missed the irony anyway.

It's supposed to be a joke, buuuuut it's a joke the same way people will say "SLAY!" as a joke until it's unironically a part of their vocabulary. The ambiguity is key.

I'd argue that the dreamer Quixote approach is an application of 'he's just like me fr' view to Don Quixote, where he's 'a Chad rejecting reality in favor of the perseverance of man's whimsy' to some people, even as they joke that he's delusional ("Literally me (I'm mentally insane)").

Don Quixote certainly isn't doing it on purpose—again, he's un-self-aware, and he even got bullied out of it in part 2 (which admittedly I haven't read). Yet, there's a genuine sadness there of a man with such a penchant for adventure getting bullied that makes you wanna start humoring him.

It's ironic but not: Meta irony.

ID A screenshot of Jreg's "Post-Irony, Meta-Irony, and Post-Truth Satire (Video)" thumbnail. End ID

But yeah, meta irony is all fine and dandy when it's about slaying, but when it's about emulating the patriarchal psychopath, Patrick Bateman, or using edge-y humor to spread alt-right talking points, you start to wonder if there can be something insidious to the 'he's just like me fr' approach.

To put it best, the wild popularity of the Dreamer Don Quixote interpretation feels like the result of USAmerican 'grind till you make it' 'individual exceptionalism' 'it would suck for you, but i'm built different' values distorting the absurdity of being a reality denying dreamer, the same way we struggle to understand the Starship Troopers because it just feels normal/celebratory to us.

Don Quixote

So I think Don Quixote resonates strongest, for me, in the way it boldly states that reality is beautiful and worth living in without needing the opium of escapist fantasy.

For one, Cervantes is a rare ye olden feminist king who takes the time to point out that one man's escapist chivalric masculine fantasy is another woman's misogynistic reality.

To demonstrate, he has many examples of female characters telling off men for projecting romantic fantasies on them, but a more relevant way is how he writes Don Quixote as literally renaming some random woman he's never met 'Dulcinea' because he's decided she is his Lady he's given his eternal servitude to.

He renames her Dulcinea because it's "a name, to his mind, musical, uncommon, and significant, like all those he had already bestowed upon himself and the things belonging to him."

Which is PEAK satire of the misogynistic objectification of chivalry. If only the Rick and Morty "Milady" stans had the self-awareness this book had 400 years ago.

(Sidebar, but does anybody else think Don Quixote would make an absolutely killer Drag King persona? Don Queerote... Plus the ballet about him would help with the pre-existing choreo/music. Just a thought!)

But on another level, Don Quixote is full of interesting characters or stories outside of the chivalric knight conceit!

ID Pen illustrations (aka engravings by Gustave Dore) of two events happening simultaneously at the same inn in Don Quixote. The one above is of Don's assault on the wineskins in his sleep. The one below is of the reunion of Dorotea, Luscinda, Cardenio, and Fernando in the inn. End ID

People often clown on the novel for having so much time dedicated to the soap opera antics of side characters totally unrelated to the knight plot, but their antics being outside of Quixote's chivalric view emphasizes how life is interesting even when you're not following a delusional knight lifestyle!

Romance and reunions and betrayals that Don never really understands because he's too busy fighting windmills and wineskins! Yes, the delusion allowed him to go out and explore the world, but there's something so silly and sad about missing whimsy of real life in favor of living in escapist Knight Fanfiction. Reading about Cervantes's soap-opera-worthy life only reinforces this whimsy for reality and touching grass.

The Self-Aware Player of Harry Du Bois

Preface: My main experience is JRPGs, not so much other Western RPGs and tabletop games. So although I’m saying it’s a satire of these tropes, and I noticed a lot of these things as ‘satire’ and 'parody,' I’m not totally enmeshed in the subculture the creators were going for, so I might need some corrections.

Finally, this transitions into the deal with Harry! It's fascinating to me to think about how satire is used as the 'touch grass' or 'be fucking for real' genre. Oftentimes it's making fun of tropes/conventions by humorously contrasting them with reality—so how does this play out with the RPG!?

Weeellll, it goes hand in hand with the idea of RPGs as escapist power fantasy. RPGs are often thought of as the ultimate self-insert fantasy by its detractors or worst players, ahem looking at all those DND horror stories about entitled mangsty murderhobos.

One of the most infamous criticisms of Disco Elysium is its lackluster combat.

ID A screenshot of a random forum discussion post by dungeon master Zed Duke of Banville. It reads: "Disco Elysium has neither combat nor exploration, and therefore is missing two of the three fundamental components (or sets of components) that define the RPG genre." End ID

The game has essentially bordered off your ability to make Harry into a power fantasy murderhobo because you just are physically unable to equip an longsword or cuisse to murder your average citizen on the street of Martinaise.

But even on a less mangsty level, it subverts a lot of the basic expectations of RPGs.

Like the encounter with the racist lorry driver! You never get the ability or quest to change his mind, you only choose how you react to him.

Where other RPGs might let you act as the white savior or the white knight of chivalric romance, no questions asked, you're changing the minds of everybody who's wrong so we can all get along, Disco Elysium really makes you confront your ability to whiteknight, makes you confront if whiteknighting is even helpful, and why you wanted to whiteknight in the first place.

It’s part of the fun/humor experience of Disco Elysium that you at first expect to solve the world’s problems with a couple quests and lines of ‘good’ dialogue and then get socked in the faced with the fact that yeah, you can’t do much, you’re one person, what did you expect, asshole? Cuno doesn't fucking care!

ID a screenshot of Disco Elysium dialogue YOU - "Don't call it a dump, you've made it nice and cosy here." NOVELTY DICEMAKER - "Yeah." She stares out of the window, not really hearing your words. "Or maybe it's the entire world that's cursed? It's such a precarious place. Nothing ever works out the way you wanted." "That's why people like role-playing games. You can be whoever you want to be. You can try again. Still, there's something inherently violent even about dice rolls." "It's like every time you cast a die, something disappears. Some alternative ending, or an entirely different world...." She picks up a pair of dice from the table and examines them under the light. End ID

Like, Neha is highlighting this little meta element of how you can stack your Harry in any RPG to pursue a certain ending or situation, but the actual outcome is still influenced by a dice roll out of your control.

A lot of the satirical humor in Disco Elysium comes from the absurdity that you can do everything right or everything wrong, and the dice can still fuck it up or save it for you—not just for things like high-fantasy attacks, but mundane things like remembering your name.

The dice are, at their core, about how RPGs aren't just for the control fantasy, of winning high-fantasy battles, but also can represent life as it is, mundane and uncontrollable.

Similarly, Harry is clearly written—complete with all the 'lore' that this would entail—to couch his RPG protagonist nature in the real.

If RPG characters are blank slates? Let's give ours amnesia! Need fast travel?! Kim teases the 41st Precinct for constantly running everywhere by calling it the Jamrock Shuffle. He needs to have deep and intimate conversations with everyone, even when they're strangers? Yeah, that's so weird we gave him the name 'Human Can-Opener,' and everybody remarks on his uncanny manipulation skills.

It's commenting on difference between controlling an RPG avatar and navigating in a human body.

As Kurvits said: “In reality we do not have control, or complete control, of our minds. Just like our body, it is something that we give-not even commands wishes to, and we hope it's gonna do it. We hope it's not gonna break down, we hope it's not gonna rebel against us.”

In one type of RPG fantasy, we don't even question our total control and even assume the joy is from the control. But in Disco Elysium, we lack control and find joy in it anyway. That is the fun of the game making us, the players, 'self-aware' about its RPG elements, and it especially resonates with anybody not able-bodied, anybody neurodivergent.

Harry Du Bois and Self-Awareness: Copotypes? More like Cope-otypes.

So that's on Disco Elysium and being aware of RPG elements in general, but let's deep dive into Harry and his Copotypes and political alignments like the OP!

I kind of want to round this last one out with what this all means. WHY am I, and others, linking self-awareness and satire? What's the link here?

Irony is one of the major tools of satirical writing, and there's always a little irony in being self-aware and doing it anyway, I think. It's specifically that Meta-Ironic element/Lampshading that is so rich for Touch-Grass satire because it parallels the futility/irony of self-awareness in real life.

The copotypes work this way.

ID A screenshot of a youtube comment. @jbeast3385 "Harry fundamentally takes on extreme interpretations of every ideology in the game as a coping mechanism for the tragedy that is his life, and it's amazing to see the amount of care given to extending an understanding of why each ideology appeals to his fractured mind. Each quest makes him something of a Don Quixote, searching for a purer purpose through political thought, failing spectacularly with it, but still fundamentally developing him and inspiring others beside him." End ID

The copotypes and the political alignments are a parody of classes and moral alignments. Rather than being a knight or a wizard, you're a superstarcop or a sorrycop! They don't do much, like there are no fireballs for an art cop, but they do poke fun at the ways the player is choosing to play Harry! Instead of chaotic good or neutral evil, you can be a communard or an ultralib! Which both involve spouting hilariously inappropriate talking points to the other citizens of Revachol.

What's fascinating, as @fagcrisis of this post says, is that these alignments are statements of how your Harry copes with the real world and the past/how he justifies what he does.

From the Solution to the Boring Cop Thought:

When someone says something political, the first three thoughts in your head are a ludicrous hodgepodge of communism, fascism and stock tips. When they ask you why you did something, it's superstardom, apocalypse, or the *mea culpas* of a flagellant cop monk

You start off making some choices based on the limited dialogue options of Harry's bizarre personality. If you play it like any other RPG power fantasy, BAM, the game hits you with the "Regular Law Official" thought, and you're labeled "Boring Cop." Or if you're apologizing to get the 'good' route, BAM, the game hits you with the "Rigorous Self-Critique" thought, and you're labelled "Sorry Cop!"

The game makes you 'aware' of your playing style, a little poke to say 'Stop being so scared of failures! You're boring! Sorry is not enough! Stop trying to be 'lawful good' (ACAB) and be a human!'

From the same Solution:

It's not easy, reaching for the fourth option -- the normal one. But you have. And now you're not *just* crazy, you're also *boring*.

Some people get this taste of self-awareness and fully embrace diving into the deep end of the game—Disco baby! Others lean into the sorry/boring/moralist cop in an ironic 'self-aware' sort of way—like the technique of Lampshading, since we're our own writers as RPG players.

But on a Harry level, it's also about HIM becoming self-aware of his habits, of internalizing these thoughts about his actions, his past, his coping mechanisms.

Seeking either “sweet oblivion” or to become “a different kind of animal,” many of the possible roleplaying choices are rooted in his desire to forget, evade or reframe the past. Whether self-destruction through drug abuse, fantasies of superstardom or visions of impending doom; it’s all in the service of not wanting to face the past, and the disastrous effects Harry’s continuous failure to do so has had on his life. - Vice

As the @fagcrisis of this post noted, Dora pretty much ALWAYS mentions the way Harry escapes reality by thinking of himself as an archetype, like other people are NPCs in an RPG. "like hes a self aware character but in the shitty way where him knowing he is a character and him acting like it only makes it worse because there isnt a story to escape from, he just cant cope with the real world" He's pulling a meta-ironic ''he's just like me fr" with Guillaume Le Million (who hangs himself) and superstardom the way "he's just like me fr" guys do it for Ryan Gosling.

And each copotype and political alignment are an opportunity to satirically critique the flaws and failures of each coping mechanism.

Cope-otype: Fascism

"Fascism, being marked, according to Paxton, by a need to compensate for humiliation, promises easy solutions to someone like Harry. It’s a crutch to prop up threatened masculinity, a rhetoric to shift blame for personal failings to ominous outside forces." - Vice

This game's satirical take on fascism is sort of perfect, literally making it about the lower intestines, 'gut instinct,' and bullshit (@spilledkaleidoscope). To be frank, fascists are 'full of shit,' and the vision quest highlights the way fascism isn't about a coherent ideology like 'returning to the past,' but rather it's a hodgepodge of SHIT thrown together to prop up hurt ego, threatened masculinity, of giving an easy scape-goated answer to the question of how Harry's supposed to face his past and his future.

The answer? He shoots it.

It's accurate in a way that doesn't reinforce the 'cool' aesthetics and pageantry fascism is obsessed with, what with literally calling fascists full of shit and all. Kim notices your change in expression, your stoic 'noble suffering' fascist face, and immediately calls it constipated. Bless.

Yet, even as Kim calls you out, even as you're aware of fascism's failures, how it destroys you ala Harry Du Bois -> Detective Raphaël Ambrosius Costeau, Fascist!Harry still believes because he can't face a wounded ego.

Cope-otype: Ultralib

Ultralibs on the other hand? I think it's telling that Idiot Doom Spiral is basically ultralib Harry's foil and a major questline NPC—the one who gives you Tequila Sunset.

Even the names are foils. Idiot Doom Spiral names himself that way to romanticize it, to make it into a marketable story, "but it keeps him in this state too, like a vicious cycle. The name ‘George’ is a name that still connects him to humanity," while Idiot Doom Spiral is a way to 'accept his place' even though it's miserable and keeps him from doing something about it, nor connect with other people, as @kindaeccentric put it in this post.

Similarly, the megarich light bending guy in the UltraLib quest LITERALLY is much more unlikely to connect with poorer people because the Rougon-Macquart coefficient literally dictates that we cannot see the richest people because their networth bends the light around them. It's an inversion of the way rich people are ignorant to poverty in real life, and here's a really good fic that covers this coefficient!

Finally, this mirrors Tequila Sunset as a name as well, the way it's a cope for hating himself. Instead of being miserable, he glorifies his misery by calling himself a funky, disco drink name, even as it symbolizes being washed up or even symbolizes the pale swallowing all, depending on how you play him (@palin-tropos).

So much of the ultralib plotline is about adding value — whether by sprucing yourself up with a new name like Tequila or Idiot or by 're-conceptualization' — through stuff like grind/hustle culture. An obsession with increasing networth but also 'giving back' to the community, as philanthropists put it.

But the satire of the ultralib vision quest is highlighting how hollow 'adding value' is, how much of it's just competition for wealth for the sake of wealth with no real meaningful answer or value.

ID Two screenshots of the game Disco Elysium. The first is of the horseback monument as it is. A matrix of cables and ropes isolate the fragmented bits in thin air. The second is described as this through in-game dialogue: HORSEBACK MONUMENT - The scaffolding around the old monument has been taken down, In its place are the spoils of your investment. Numerous rods and ropes still hold the original reassemblage in place. YOU- Reflect on the re-conceptualization. HORSEBACK MONUMENT - An apricot sceptre shines party-bright across the monument. Glitter balls dangle like severed heads below the eternal king of disco. It is unmistakably a vision of you in your prime -- a killer on the performance floor, icon for all. End ID

It's 'reconceptualizing' the Horseback Monument — the symbol of both the bombing of the revolution and the enduring of spirit the communards anyways, the way they've built a monument to freeze in time the moment of the profligate king being blown up — by building it in your own image. The fact that to do so you need to exploit the labor of an artist so you can make a profit, and it doesn't truly 'give back' to the community in any way. In fact, it's almost the opposite, like you've ruined the community monument by painting yourself AS THE KING.

It's why even Harry admits that "You're just insane, insane and gone. Even six billion won't fix you if she’s not there." Each copotype and political ideology contends with their own version of this as Harry learns to grow and face his past head on.

The Marriage of Fictional Conventions and Real Human Psychology

In the end, you can't just lean into an ideology or an archetype and hope that it'll answer all you problems.

But more than that — being self-aware about your issues doesn't solve anything either, no more than lampshading "fixes" any problems with your TV show.

It is this parallel between what Harry learns as he progresses and what the player learns as they progress that makes us empathize/resonate with Harry.

From acting erratically, then realizing it's part of an ideology, self-awarely adopting an ideology, to seeing how it fails and learning not to hide behind it. From "He's a blank slate so I can project my power fantasy onto him," then "I don't actually have a lot of power or control here," to "He's not just my RPG character, he's a person."

He's becoming a person, twice over.

It's ludonarrative resonance or consistency. A marriage of literary convention and real human psychology, on two scales.

And this resonance demonstrates why this genre of self-aware pastiche character is so popular: At it's best, you're forced to contend with the characters as fully realized people, paradoxically because they highlight the difference between fictional conventions and reality.

By acknowledging and poking fun of the fictional conventions, Harry Du Bois, Don Quixote, and Rick Sanchez feel more real to us.

And their stories come packaged with rich themes about dangers of disconnecting yourself from reality and the short distance 'self-awareness' alone can take you, which will resonate with almost every one of us here on the Internet. At least, I know it resonated with me.

BONUS:

Shen Yuan from Scum Villain Self-Saving System (@whetstonefires) also fits this list!!!!!!

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suffersinfandom · 29 days

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I’m still thinking about dumb discourse because my brain is broken and guys there’s so much “Ed and Stede are not as queer as Izzy” out there what the heck.

Anyway. I said this in response to a different post:

There are so many ways to be queer and so many kinds of queer experiences. Not everyone is going to see themselves in Ed or Stede, and that's fine. Some people are going to see themselves in Izzy, and that's also fine. What's not fine is asserting that your pet white guy (who, yes, conforms to pirate standards of masculinity better than anyone else on the Revenge) is the only character with a valid queer arc.

But why do some Izzy fans (can we call them Izzy Heads? Izheads? I want a word for that specific flavor of fan) relate only to the queerness in Izzy's story? I can't stop thinking about it.

It seems that at least some people who consider Izzy the best example of queer rep in OFMD do so because they relate to the character. They don’t have a romantic partner or they’re in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same way. They’re disabled and focus on the intersection of disability and queerness. They feel as though they’re outsiders, even in a queer community (or a largely queer fandom like this one). They’re not cis men and they’re not trans in the same way as Jim is, so they don’t see their gender explicitly represented onscreen.

On paper, most of that describes me too. The thing is? I do relate to Stede and Ed and I don’t relate to Izzy at all.

I’m an AFAB nonbinary person who’s physically and mentally disabled. I’m aromantic and asexual with the sliders all set to 100%; I have never so much as dated, and I almost never engage with romantic media because I just don’t get it. I feel like a freak in most circles, like I’m missing a fundamental part of what makes humans human. There isn’t a character in OFMD who shares my specific gender or sexual identity, but Ed and Stede are absolutely queer in ways that are understandable to me and, I think, a lot of other people in this community.

Ed and Stede both grow up and live the first decades of their adult lives in societies that don’t want them to be themselves. Stede can’t love flowers or bright and flashy fashion; he needs to dress down and become a family man. He’s forced to marry a woman he doesn’t love (and who doesn’t love him) and father children to inherit his wealth. Ed can’t fancy a fine fabric or pursue a peaceful life because his world is one that demands cruelty and violence. He has to wrap himself up in leather and layers of myth and legend to survive. They’re both GNC and wearing masks and entirely miserable.

I know -- I think most of us know -- what it’s like to suppress who we are so we can fit in or be who the people around us expect us to be. I think we know what it’s like to be miserable and lonely for ages -- to bury who we really are deeper and deeper until we barely remember who that person is -- right up until we find out that there are people out there who get us. There are places where we can be who we are, or at least experiment a bit and discover ourselves.

Even if we don’t know what it’s like to find a great love like Stede and Ed do, there are parts of their relationship that we understand. I'm sure plenty of us know what it’s like to meet someone who doesn’t ask us to pretend for the first time. We know what it’s like to be on the same silly, stupid wavelength as someone else, and we know how it feels to play with someone who gets us. I think that the friendship that Ed and Stede share, even with the romantic and sexual elements removed, is a distinctly queer one.

So I guess I still don't know why Izheads only relate to his queer experience when Ed and Stede, in my opinion, are both extremely queer even beyond, like, the thing where they're wildly in love.

I want to think it has something to do with Izzy's status as a side character and not racism, internalized homophobia, or anything else like that. Characters without fully fleshed-out backgrounds provide opportunities to project whatever we want, you know? If you want to see your specific gender or sexual identity in a character, just grab one with little canon lore and fill in the blanks. Maybe I can be happy with characters who aren't just like me, but I don't expect everyone to be content with that.

What was I even typing about?

Oh, right.

Ed and Stede are super fucking queer. You don't have to relate to them because there are infinite ways to be queer, but you do have to acknowledge that there is nothing heteronormative about their relationship or them as individuals.

#ofmd #me typing things #like no really #i'm just out here typing things #no thesis no plan #gentlebeard #ofmd discourse #edward teach #stede bonnet #breaking news: ace discovers their first OTP #now i even read smut!#(if there's good character work)#(which there usually is with these guys)#queer #< tagging just in case

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liyazaki · 2 years

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Kinn carries himself with the relaxed ease of an heir born to inherit a throne, and the singular, brutal focus required to keep it. The first time we see him, he casually shoots a man point-blank without a sideways glance (literally)- not out of necessity, but as an almost-aside power play.

Time & time again, we've watched him seamlessly transition from compassionate and thoughtful to icy calculation in the blink of an eye. He lives life on a razor’s edge and makes it all look easy…effortless, even.

These qualities alone would make for a fascinating character, but the pièce de résistance: the more time we spend with Kinn, the more his complexity grows.

The glowing, beaming Kinn in the forest scenes of episode six was so far removed from the man we had seen so far, he could almost pass for another person entirely. It would require an enormous amount of mental and emotional effort for most people to slip in and out of starkly-different personas like they’re a second skin, but Kinn does it on the regular.

Note: there are plenty of brilliant meta posts out there analyzing the decisions Kinn makes, the way he leads, etc., so I won’t be delving into that here. When I’m trying to understand why a character acts the way they do or anticipate what they might do next, I always go back to back to the beginning- both in the literal sense (their past), but also to the fundamental building blocks of who they are. I won’t be going into any theories here, either (Jesus, Mor; WTF are you even writing, then?).

My goal here is to establish a baseline of what makes Kinn, Kinn, because everything else- his choices, his mistakes, his strengths and weaknesses- all flow from it. I'm also fascinated by why Porsche appeals to Kinn in this fundamental, elemental sort of way, which ties back big-time to that character baseline.

You are waiting inside your father’s shadow. -Wale Ayinla, Portrait of a Boy with Grief

Always deferential to his father, Kinn takes his duty as the obedient heir apparent very seriously. This undoubtedly comes just as much from the drive to fulfill his obligations to his family- and keep them safe by extension- as it does from a baser, fundamental need for love and approval. In Kinn’s world, both are irrevocably tied up in the harsh realities of being a part of Bangkok’s strongest mafia family.

All three Theerapanyakul brothers were born into a bloody, no-win game. There is no opt-out option, no alternative to this life they're in. There is no room for flawed, human sons with needs and desires and concerns and hurts- well, not the heir, anyway. Work-life separation can’t exist here, and forget any expectation of autonomy: in this world, choosing any other kind of life is tantamount to betrayal.

In almost every conversation Kinn and Korn have, the focus remains the same: the family- the mafia family- always comes first. When conversations take the rare turn toward the personal, Korn always redirects the focus back to the business, painting a picture of a father-son relationship based not on unconditional love and acceptance, but on performance, strategy and success.

Caring equals vulnerability. Never show either. -Malorie Blackman, Knife Edge

Constantly playing chess both literally and figuratively, Korn is such an intelligent strategist, I’m sure he’s only too aware of the softer, sensitive Kinn underneath the persona- a fact that he’ll undoubtedly use to his advantage at some point. Korn knows how his son ticks, and I can see him trying to use that knowledge to keep Kinn exactly where he wants him: firmly under his thumb.

Case in point: Korn pressing a finger into the metaphorical wound in reminding Kinn of how things turned out the last time he fell in love.

Like the saying goes, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them.” No scene gives us as much insight into Korn than the conversation he and Kinn have at the dining room table.

Kinn is so fresh out of the hospital that he’s still hooked up to a machine monitoring his vitals. Korn briefly acknowledges his injuries before getting to the task at hand: giving Kinn a history lesson in how his love for Kinn’s mother distracted him from his goals, and by inference, from what’s really important.

She wants you to be a god. -Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

At the end of his speech, Korn hands Kinn a piece of an apple, telling him to come back to his family- that they’re waiting for him. Kinn hesitates before casting his gaze downwards, then taking and eating the apple with silent resignation.

There are so many symbolic interpretations here, but the heart of it is that this is far from a sentimental, fatherly request: Korn is asking Kinn to rise above the “distractions” he couldn’t, above the joys essential to the human experience.

To elevate himself beyond common humanity and essentially 'become a god' (meant in the literal sense in the quote's source material, but too good of a quote not to use here). Be everything his brothers could not, or would not. Take on the mantle. Earn the love.

Kinn is motivated by familial duty beyond his father, too. Tankhun's kidnapping likely created little ripples of trauma in the family that went well beyond him- and there’s no way it was dealt with in a healthy way- or more likely, dealt with or acknowledged at all.

At some point, Kinn- the middle child- stepped up and took on the burden of leadership that was meant for Tankhun. While we don't have the full story yet (if we ever will), he probably did it with zero complaints. The only moment when we get a hint at how much the his role weighs on him- and the fairness of him having to bear it- is in his (micro) confession in the woods with Porsche.

Left to his own devices in the shadow of Korn's expectations, Kinn would never able to fully step into whoever he could be (or may have been)- all in this insidiously-intelligent way that masquerades as freedom. The epitome of the gilded cage. Is it any wonder Korn seems to consider love & human connection the ultimate threat?

You wanted to be in love again. To feel that feeling where a man you hardly know gazes into your eyes & seems to be the only human being who ever understood the real you. -Nancy Horan, Loving Frank Kiss me & you’ll see how important I am. -Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals

Before Porsche enters the picture, Kinn is getting by on whatever scraps of pseudo-affection he can get (read: booty calls kept at a careful emotional distance) while pouring himself into his responsibilities to escape the pain of the past. In public, he's all princely grace, ease and power personified. In private, he's hurting but he's an island, and it shows.

From an outside perspective, Porsche is the polar opposite of Kinn and the life he leads. When Kinn looks at Porsche, though? Like a mirror*, I think he sees the truest version of himself reflected back: bright, filled with joy and laughter and life. The man he would've liked to have been always, not just in small moments hidden away from judgmental eyes, and a life that doesn’t allow for anything less than absolute strength and perfection.

*I've mentioned many times how Porsche is like mirror in that he reflects back whatever he's given (or not given). I think the analogy applies to Kinn's experience beautifully, just in a completely different way.

The first time we see Kinn smile- and I mean, really smile- was with Porsche on the dance floor. He felt comfortable enough in Porsche’s presence to drop the facade and allow himself to get carried away in pure, simple joy. When Kinn leaned in to kiss Porsche on the dock, he moved toward him like he was a magnet- a flower stretching toward the sun. And who wouldn't after meeting someone who personified everything you wanted to be while simultaneously being so incredibly easy to love?

It is perhaps when our lives are at their most problematic that we are likely to be most receptive to beautiful things. -Alain de Botton

Despite every logical reason why he shouldn’t have gotten involved with Porsche, of all people- who drove him borderline insane in the beginning, to boot- shadows can only resist the sunlight for so long, or all the life and new possibilities its warmth brings with it.

I think this is the unique appeal of Porsche to Kinn: when he sees Porsche smile that megawatt grin or throw his head back with full-body, unrestrained laughter, he doesn’t just see the best parts of himself. A hope for more- for just one more taste of this delicious, new sort of life- starts to grow there, too.

I see you, beneath the surface. I see your untamable wild. I see you… You are seen. You are seen. You are seen. And my god- you are beautiful. -Jeanette LeBlanc

We all crave the feeling of being truly seen, romantically or otherwise- to have someone intrinsically know us, who easily sees through our all niceties and public-facing facades to the soul underneath. Porsche does this for Kinn just by virtue of being himself. And for a man who’s had to be everything but himself his whole life? That’s everything.

In a world where dropping your guard could mean death, just being in Porsche’s presence must feel a little like freedom to Kinn. Porsche is likely one of the realest, most straightforward people Kinn’s ever encountered: he can’t be bought, he doesn’t need or want anything from Kinn, and he’s violently (affectionate) himself at all times. That kind of unapologetic authenticity would be pretty attractive to most of us, let alone to a man with a past and upbringing like Kinn’s.

The Kinn we meet in episode 1 seemed to be carrying the world on his shoulders- like he's already lived several lives, all of them filled with constant danger and betrayal. Porsche having a tattoo of the symbolic representation of resurrection- of life after death- couldn’t illustrate just how much he means to Kinn more beautifully.

When we hold each other in the darkness, it doesn't make the darkness go away. The bad things are still out there. The nightmares still walking. When we hold each other we feel not safe, but better… For just a moment or two, the darkness doesn't seem so bad. -Neil Gaiman

Kinn in love is practically lit from within, radiating childlike joy. The more Kinn and Porsche find meaning and connection with each other, the more we see the truest, most fundamental version of Kinn emerge- and it’s a beautiful thing.

There’s nothing performative in the least between them; no metric of perfection Kinn needs to meet first to earn and keep Porsche’s affection. The tender, kind, softer side of Kinn isn’t just seen by Porsche, but celebrated.

There's some sad poetry here, too- in Kinn experiencing carefree happiness like this possibly for the first time (or for the first time in a long time), if only his world were different.

While the grim realities of Kinn’s world probably never completely disappear when he’s with Porsche, his love makes the darkness more bearable- worth the struggle, even. The world lifts off his shoulders for a minute, and for the first time in probably a good long while, he’s Kinn- just Kinn.

I know you’ll speak no truth at this time. I’m to be guided solely by your silence, your eyes & the inaudible appeals of your heart. -Suman Pokhrel

Kinn has been brutally betrayed in the past: his struggle (Porsche’s, too) will be in letting himself go and allowing himself to trust. That sounds pedestrian enough- who doesn’t struggle in some way or another in letting other people in?- but this is going to require a monumental amount of vulnerability for a man in Kinn’s position.

It’s the equivalent of a lion going against his every instinct to willingly expose his throat, only to then show you exactly where to make the killing cut. He’s had a lifetime’s worth of lessons taught to him by his father, his environment and his own lived experience, all working against this fragile, beautiful new connection he’s found.

With everything Kinn stands to lose- and the losses and heartbreak he’s survived to get here- the fact that he can love and hope at all is a testament to his incredible inner strength.

It also makes his every surrender to Porsche’s love- big and small- that much more meaningful.

(I'm sure I could've wrapped this up more poignantly somehow, but I'm 8+ cumulative hours in at this point & now the flu** is trying to kill me, so. hope you got something out what feels like a giant nothing burger to me at this point 🙃)

**edit: that flu? she was COVID. I feel like one of those fan fic writers that apologizes in the notes for being late on posting the chapter because they gave birth or something, except I, uh- finished this while hacking up a lung? ignore me; I have a fever)

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche meta #kinn theerapanyakul #kinnporsche edit #& now i collapse 👋#mile phakphum #apo nattawin #tonanons #userspicy #userjap #usernuria #uservik #userjaehwany #tosnimeat #kinnporschesource #thai bl #bl drama #kinnporsche*

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shadowsandshapes · 1 year

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FFTB | CH 3: The League of Normal Fucking People (Dabi/F!Reader)

Summary: The League is not all it's cracked up to be...and you don't think it's a bad thing at all. Life has become strangely domestic for you. Not just that -- your relationship with a certain arsonist progresses to a point where you're far too comfortable with his presence. Contains: Swearing, Canon-Typical Violence, Power Fantasy Elements, A Lot of Food? Guess I Was Really Hungry Writing This, Domestic LOV, They're BONDING Your Honour

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For a notorious villain, Dabi sure seemed casual about walking around town in broad daylight. Sure – his sunglasses and hood covered most of his appearance – but you couldn’t escape the nagging feeling in your stomach that this was crazy. You were just out for a stroll with a man who burned people. Professionally and for fun.

A strained groan escaped him as he stretched, flexing his muscles to soothe the stiffness in his limbs. “Man – I’m starving. Shoulda brought a snack. I’m sure Crusty wouldn’t mind if we took a little longer. Too bad I’m out of cash though, we coulda gone for some grub before reporting back.”

You were kinda hungry too. Before the mission, you didn’t really have an appetite. Something about being sent to beat up a bunch of greasy, grimy dudes just spoiled your desire for food. Now that that was behind you, though – you couldn’t help but agree. It was already late afternoon – something to eat would be nice right about now. “Money’s not an issue,” you said. “I can pay for us.”

“Oh – you a material girl, huh?” Dabi teased. “Big spender. Bet you’ve got someone paying your bills for you if you’ve got cash to burn on something like this.”

“Not exactly – just watch, you’ll catch on.”

Dabi slowed his pace as you jogged up ahead into the crowd. You vanished into the masses for just a moment and when he caught up, you’d already set your plan into motion. He found you bumping into a businessman – then bowing and apologizing profusely. Your target simply smiled and waved you off. The exchange only lasted a few seconds and it took Dabi a moment to realize what you had done. The guy had no idea a pretty little thing like you meant trouble. A smirk crept onto his features as you strolled back to him – a brown leather wallet grasped firmly within your fingers. You handed it over. Inside were at least two credit cards and some cash.

“You little fuckin’ thief –” Dabi said, in awe at how easily you had swiped your prize. “This how you make your money?”

“Yup. And gambling but y’know – pickpocketing the 1% is good for the economy. They’re not spending that trust fund money, so I will.” You beamed at him proudly. Eat the fucking rich. There was much more your Quirk could be used for, of course – but right now you were just happy to provide.

Dabi checked the cash in the wallet – the guy must almost exclusively pay by card. All he found was chump change in the form of a few crumpled-up bills. Not enough for a proper meal for two. “You up for swiping some more, slick?” he asked. “We might wanna get more cash in case these cards are a bust.”

You cracked your knuckles and flashed him a smile. “Pick a suit, Dabi.” He shook his head in response, grinning – then pointed out another sharply-dressed man. There was a lot you could learn about a person by the way they dressed and Dabi had chosen the perfect target. Rich and in a hurry. A briefcase clasped firmly under his arm. Typical bureaucrat. “Child’s play,” you announced before approaching your mark.

It didn’t take long for you to devise a system. Dabi picked the sucker – you went and rolled their pockets. Turns out he had a good eye for rich idiots and you were just cute enough to get away with stealing from them. Twenty minutes later, you had a handful of cash and enough credit cards to last a lifetime. You took your ill-gotten spoils to the nearest food joint, splurging on a three-course meal for two. The sun had begun to set and dinnertime had arrived – which meant you could enjoy some privacy as the hum and buzz of a busy fast-food restaurant made for the perfect cover. You took a corner booth – slapping your trays down and digging in.

Dabi took a big bite from his burger and let out a satisfied groan – he pointed at you with one hand, chowing down on his fries with the other. “Fuuuuuck – you’re worth keeping around just for this. D’you know how often I get to eat like this? Fuckin’ never. You’re alright, Lucky – you’re alright.”

“As long as you stop calling me that, I think I might be able to forgive you for nearly roasting me.” You poked at your burger – taking the top bun off to fish out an offending ingredient. Who put carrots on a fucking burger anyway? Heathens, that’s who.

“Not a fan of Lucky?” Dabi questioned with a mouthful of food. “After what I’ve seen today, I think it suits you just fine.” When you didn’t answer, he let out a sigh, dropping his burger back into the wrapper. “Alright – alright,” he conceded. “(Y/n) it is. Y’know – I put Shigaraki up to this. This whole test. Wasn’t too sure about you before. Now though? I think you’ll fit in just fine. Just watch your back, keep your nose clean and stick to the plan.”

“That almost sounded like a compliment. You starting to like me, hotshot?”

“And what if I am, huh?” Dabi chuckled, tossing a fry directly into your cleavage. He clapped in childish victory as you fished it from between your tits and ate it. “It’s not like I’m planning on getting too attached to ya. In our line of work, people come and go all the time. Doesn’t hurt to have some fun along the way.”

“Oh, don’t you worry –” You smiled. “You’ll end up hating me eventually. I’m a pain in the ass to deal with on a good day.”

Something about the way you said that rubbed Dabi the wrong way. Sure, you laughed at the joke – but it wasn’t genuine. You genuinely believed he would hate you. What you said and what you showed didn’t always match, did it? He would have to take note of that.

Horrified, you grimaced as Dabi popped the top off his milkshake and then dipped a handful of fries into it. “You’re so fucking gross, dude – that’s disgusting.”

The man shrugged and shoved the chocolate-covered fries into his mouth – exaggerating a moan of enjoyment just to nauseate you even more. “Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, sweet thing. It’s really good actually.” Dabi dipped another handful in – holding them out for you.

“I’ll take your word for it…” you said, opting to politely decline his offer. “I’ll pass.”

Dabi shrugged. “Your loss – more for me.”

This was not how you pictured ending your first day as a member of the League of Villains. Dabi was not what you had expected. Right now, he just seemed like a dude enjoying a good meal after a long day. You could appreciate that. The normalcy of sitting in a fast-food joint with a friend. Even if that friendship was still in its budding stages.

Days went by and your life at the League had been largely uneventful. Far fewer decapitations and ritual sacrifices than expected and a lot more inelegant domesticity. Most times, you held down the fort while the others went out on missions or recruiting tours. In the evenings, the members gathered to relax. At first, you felt out of place. It just didn’t feel right to insert yourself into these people’s lives. But they were welcoming. Far more so than you had initially expected. Maybe it was because you’d gotten into the habit of doing household chores for them. Cooking, cleaning, brushing Toga’s hair in the evening, or helping Mr. Compress with his daily needs after his injuries. It somehow all fell into your lap. You didn’t do this from the goodness of your heart exactly, no – it was busy work that kept your mind from wandering too much. Still – when Twice invited you to sit next to him while the gang watched a movie for the first time – it felt significant. Ever since then, you felt more at peace with your role in the League.

You’d been alone for so long, you’d forgotten what it was like to have roomies. Feral, criminal and downright chaotic roomies. They weren’t at all like the cutthroat, murderous demons their reputation made them out to be. Sure – you still wouldn’t fuck with them on a bad day, but you had realized one very important thing. They were just people. Trying their fucking best with the cards they had been dealt in life. Just like you.

“I’m doing laundry – BRING YOUR SHIT!” Spinner shouted down the hall – answered by a chorus of affirmative noises and grunts from the other members.

You glanced in the direction of the ruckus before turning your attention back to the vegetables on the cutting board in front of you. Best not to get distracted with a sharp object in your hand. As you returned to peeling a handful of potatoes, you took a moment to reflect. At least the kitchen was clean. That was more than you could say for the majority of the safe house. Most times, everyone was responsible for their own food. If you were hungry – you cooked. Simple as that. You always ended up making bigger portions though. Any leftover servings were quickly claimed and gobbled up by whoever got their hands on it first. Not that you minded – it would have gone to waste otherwise. Had you already become the League’s resident chef? Riveting. Not quite the chaotic, fearsome experience you were expecting. Still – you had to admit this was a welcome change of pace from scrounging for food and scamming assholes out of their money every day.

That didn’t mean you couldn’t make rules for yourself though.

Dabi dumped an empty laundry basket by the door and gave you a quick nod, strolling into the kitchen to inspect the pots and pans you had simmering away on the stove. He lifted the lid off the sauce – a rogue finger coming dangerously close to dipping in for a taste. You were quick to swat it with a wooden spoon.

“Ouch – what the hell,” he cursed, inspecting his hand as if he’d been gravely injured by your unjust attack. “What gives?”

“Hands off. It’s not done. You want a taste, you work for it.” You motioned to a pile of unpeeled onions and the dishes you had dumped in the sink. If Dabi wanted to snack – he could put in the effort to help you.

The raven-haired arsonist wasn’t having any of it though – crossing his arms in defiance. “Are you kidding? It’s just sauce. Besides, I see you eating all the time when you’re cooking.”

“Kitchen tax.” You shrugged. “I go through the hassle of cooking – I get to try the food before everyone else. Either pick up a chore or get the fuck outta my kitchen, hotshot.”

Dabi scoffed at your attitude at first. Nonetheless, after a moment of silent brooding, he shifted over to the dishes – organizing them and filling the sink with hot water. You worked diligently to peel your potatoes and clean the onions, slicing them into small wedges and half-rings respectively while he cleaned the pots and pans. From the corner of your eye, you spotted him watching you – almost like he was trying to figure something out.

Sure enough – “Y’know, you’re pretty good at this. Bet your daddy was absent, huh?” Dabi asked, not looking up as he rinsed off some of the tools you had used in the soapy water.

“That a real question or are you just hoping to fill the vacancy?”

He laughed. You tried exceptionally hard to make it seem like a nonchalant response, but Dabi couldn’t help but notice your defensive tone. Seemed like he had hit the nail on the head. “Don't get too excited, sweetheart. You're not my type.”

That was a lie. You were a vision to be admired but Dabi wasn’t the type to get attached like that. Guys were probably tipping over themselves and their own egos to get your attention. He had more important things to worry about than impressing a viper like you. The prettiest creatures were often the most dangerous ones. That didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate the view though especially when that view entailed you brushing your hair from your eyes and getting an adorably focussed look on your face.

A mischievous gleam shined in your gaze as you snapped back at him. “I don’t need two disappointing men in my life, thanks.”

“Goddamn, girl. Did you have to swing that hard?” You had spunk. Dabi could appreciate that. “You’re breaking my heart.”

“Thought I wasn’t your type?” you questioned, trying your damndest not to smile at the blue-eyed arsonist. It wasn’t working – you couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a strangled, snorting laugh.

“That smart mouth of yours is gonna get you into trouble, (Y/n).”

“Ooh~” you cooed, fluttering your lashes at him in an exaggerated manner. “I sure hope so.”

Dabi shook his head, reaching a hand up to cover the grin spreading across his features. Yeah – you weren’t so bad after all.

Turns out you made a good team with the local arsonist for more than just picking pockets. After adjusting to your new life, you found yourself teaming up with Dabi more often. Part of you knew this was because Shigaraki didn’t trust you to go on missions alone yet – but you liked to think you had a friend in the League’s most fearsome fighter. You blamed the magic of bonding over shitty burgers and grease-drenched fries on your first day.

Dabi leaned against the doorframe, casually crossing his arms as he watched you lounge on your bed. Despite having a place to yourself downtown, you preferred staying here. He had no idea why – but having you around was certainly more entertaining.

“I’m going out for a walk – you wanna come?” he asked. Dabi’s azure eyes followed the movement of your swaying legs with each swing, covertly admiring the curve of them. You looked comfortable in your night attire. Too bad he was really rooting for you to join him – you’d have to put some pants on for that.

“Don’t lie. You’re going out to cause trouble.”

He chuckled, pushing himself off the door to stroll into your space. “Can’t get anything past you, can I?” Dabi allowed himself to fall back onto your bed next to you. “I wanna go get burgers, actually –” he admitted, poking the side of your thigh absentmindedly. “You’re paying.”

It was no secret that the two of you often ended your nights with a meal. It had become your way to conclude a mission. Somehow you always ended up where you started on your first day – across from each other at a cheap fast-food joint. This time, though – there had been no prior mission. That was a first. Dabi usually kept to himself when you weren’t working, aside from occasionally coming to pester you in the privacy of your own room. Sort of like right now.

“C’mon (Y/n), get your ass in gear. I wanna be back before sunrise this time.”

Fucking hell. Sure, what’s the harm? You tore yourself off of the mattress reluctantly. “Stop busting my balls, Dabi – I’ll be dressed in a minute.” Halfway through lifting your shirt over your head, you caught Dabi smirking at you. “Do you fucking mind?” you scoffed out. “Get out.”

“And miss the show?” Dabi planted a dramatic hand on his chest and pretended to be shocked – appalled by the fact that you would deny him the pleasure of seeing you naked. “No way.”

Un-fucking-believable, this guy.

“Out.” You pointed at the door.

Dabi rolled off the side of your bed with a sigh and stood up – closing the small gap between you with a single stride. His hand grasped the side of your face, angling your head up so he could look you in the eye. You damn near bit his finger as it swiped across your bottom lip. “You should really stop being mean to me, (Y/n).”

You snapped your teeth at him in response – he pinched his fingers tighter as a result, smushing your cheeks together. “No – I don’t think I will.” Despite your seemingly harsh words you were smiling from ear to ear. Dabi was too. This was just how things worked for the both of you.

It was nice. In fact, you couldn’t imagine your time at the LOV without him.

A/N: I'll be posting another, shorter chapter today as well! In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this one. This chapter KICKED my ass when I was writing it. It just wouldn't work. The tone was killing me but I think we're finally there. (: Hope you guys enjoyed your date (cough)

Taglist: @kelin-is-writing @dynamars @dabislittlemouse @simpysheep @ohnoitsthatonekid

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#dabi x y/n #dabi x reader #dabi x you #dabi fanfic #dabi fic #touya x you #touya todoroki x reader #touya x reader #touya x y/n #todoroki toya x reader #shade's fftb

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seitosokusha · 3 months

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set it free

You're not supposed to be able to betray your Sky. That's not how it works, that's not what is supposed to happen.

And yet it did.

Jing Yuan blames himself, really. If he was better, stronger, could he have kept them? Maybe that's why they say don't court Elements who are much older than you, who learned to live without you. (But he never wants to be their cage. He's self aware enough to know that from a certain viewpoint, the relationship between a Sky and an Element can be a little... predatory. A Sky doesn't make themselves the most important person in their Elements' life without a little bit of guilt. If they do it without guilt, then they’re a horrible Sky.)

So they leave him behind, one by one. Baiheng goes first, not because of betrayal but because worse, death. Jingliu, his master, falls to mara and its insanity and nothing Jing Yuan does can get through to her. To this day, Jing Yuan doesn’t understand the motivations behind Yingxing’s betrayal or Dan Feng’s sedition, but they're gone, slipping through his fingers like trying to catch water.

And just like that he is alone.

Is a Sky really a Sky if there are no Elements?

(Or KHR fusion, where everyone on the Xianzhou has Dying Will Flames and Jing Yuan is a Sky who was just abandoned by all of his Elements. It's fine, this is fine. He doesn't want to trap them, but... it's just... lonely, is all.)

#honkai star rail #hsr #hsr dan heng #hsr jing yuan #hsr blade #hsr yanqing #hsr jingliu #hsr fu xuan #seitowrites #hsr fanfic

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writingquestionsanswered · 10 months

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I’m currently writing a story where the protagonist has a sister, and unfortunately since I’m an only child and my cousins lived really far away or were much older/younger than me, I’m not 100% sure how to write sibling relationships, particularly this very specific situation I want to include. Any advice would be appreciated!

For context: the MC is about 6 or 7 years younger than her older sister, and they’re both young adults (18 and 24 respectively) when the story begins. While they do have banter and arguments as adults, the older sister was dealing with bullying and mental health troubles as a kid/teen, so she was a bit closed off from the MC during those years (which the MC does remark on during the story). It’s only after the older sister goes to college and gets a fresh start that my MC is able to have something like a normal relationship with her. How would I go about portraying their sisterly relationship keeping the context in mind?

Thank you!!

Unusual Sister Dynamic

No two sibling relationships are exactly alike, so there's no wrong way to write this. Don't think of it as writing siblings but as writing people. Write them as though they're really close friends. The only difference is that they share some situational elements that friends don't usually have in common, things like same parent/s, growing up in the same house, same childhood experiences and memories, etc. You know what each of these characters are like, what each of their situations are like, and the context of the older sister's past, so again, just write it as though they were close friends and you're on the right track. :)

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fanfic-inator795 · 4 months

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Why I love the Jeoffs in "The Ghost and Molly McGee"

(Warning, VERY long essay ahead)

There’s a lot to love about “The Ghost and Molly McGee” - from its lovable characters and fantastic animation, to its hilarious jokes and incredibly catchy songs, to its morals on kindness and spreading positivity. But while I admire all of these elements, one of my personal favorite things from TGAMM is the relationship between Geoff and Jeff.

To me, Geoff and Jeff seem to stand above a lot of the rest in terms of mlm rep. They aren’t just used for comedy relief, nor do they rely on cliches, and they aren’t just the dads of a side character that we hardly see - though they're still a middle-aged queer couple, which is pretty rare and just nice to see. They’re recurring characters who help out with plots and who actually FEEL like actual characters. To fully explain this, let’s take a deeper dive into these two and what makes them so great both as individuals and as a pair.

Meet Geoff

While he only appears in a handful of episodes throughout the series, I can appreciate that - much like characters such as Libby and Andrea - Geoff was introduced and established early on in the show. Voiced by Eric Edelstein, who some may recognize as Grizz from We Bare Bears, Geoff is the happy-go-lucky and somewhat ditzy ghost-best friend of Scratch. While Scratch may not always appreciate him (ESPECIALLY in the early half of the 1st Season), Geoff is always there to lend a hand or a hug, often letting whatever insults or cold-shoulders that Scratch throws at him just slide off his back.

It would have been INCREDIBLY easy to just make Geoff the brainless comedy relief character ala Patrick Star, but much like with Grizz, there’s a lot of genuine heart put into this character, even if he isn’t always the sharpest crayon in the box. Given that his first appearance shows him altering his calendar so he can hang out with Scratch and then playing dumb about it when Scratch tries to call him out, we’re able to get the feeling pretty early on that there’s more to this ghost than it seems.

Something similar happens in the Sart Duan Sib episode when Geoff takes advantage of Scratch’s poor grammar to invite a bunch of other ghosts to the dinner. We then see him help save Scratch’s butt by talking up Scratch’s ‘unique scaring technique’ in the episode “Scare Tactics” - so we know that even if he doesn’t know stuff like basic history facts about Lincoln, Geoff is still just a bit more clever than he looks.

It should also be noted that Geoff knew Scratch before the McGees moved into his house - in other words, he likely noticed that for as grumpy and anti-social as Scratch was, he was also probably very lonely. So, much like Molly, Geoff was willing to do what he could to help pull Scratch out of his shell, seeing the good in him and - as such - being able to ignore the fact that Scratch was a pretty crappy friend in the early stages of their relationship. The show makes it clear that Geoff isn’t oblivious to Scratch’s obvious flaws, even acknowledging them in some instances (see him nodding along to Scratch’s points about how he can be lazy and selfish at the end of “Jinx VS the Human World”), he just chooses to easily forgive them in favor of seeing and believing in the best in his buddy.

So yeah, while there are small instances of Scratch manipulating him, it never outright feels like Geoff is a full-on doormat for Scratch - and, once Scratch is able to let down some of his walls, they’re even able to have fun together! Geoff also gets to show off his loyalty in episodes like “The Turnip Twist” and the season 1 finale, with these instances also showing how much of a power-house he’s able to be when he’s determined or when one of his loved ones is in danger through him destroying the festival or fighting off the SobGoblins.

By the end of season 1, we pretty much have a full grasp on Geoff’s character. He’s a bit dopey and is often seen spacing out, but he can also be observant and clever when he wants to be. He’s friendly, genuine, loyal and incredibly supportive towards others - and in that sense, he's less Patrick Star and more Olaf the Snowman in terms of goofy side characters. All in all, he’s a simple but still fully realized character - and, while he may not get as much overall screen time as his after-life partner, the same could be said for Jeff.

Meet Jeff

Funnily enough, while Jeff doesn’t get a proper introduction until s2, the show actually hints at him pretty early on. In “Not So Honest Abe” when Scratch and Geoff are at their favorite coffee house, the barista calls out an order, and Geoff immediately knows that it’s his partner’s order, not his.

On the surface, it just seems like Geoff just supernaturally knows whenever someone is saying J-E-F-F instead of G-E-O-F-F - which, knowing him, he probably does have that ability… somehow. But, interestingly, the order that the barista calls out is a Misery Mocha with extra whip. While it’s not the cookie frightaccino that we see Jeff drinking in s2, he does take both drinks with extra whipped cream (or rather, whipped screams, because ghosts). So yeah, that’s a nice little easter egg there.

Then, in the Sart Duan Sib episode, we get to fully see Jeff for the first time. The two Jeoffs sit together at the table, and there’s actually a quick shot of the two of them in the background where Geoff is feeding something to Jeff, all while just giving him this absolutely adoring look (love it).

Finally, during the s2 premiere, we see Jeff standing next to Geoff during Scratch’s big Chairman ceremony. So yeah, while it’s unclear WHEN exactly the creators decided on this relationship, it was at the very least established by mid-s1.

Voiced by Vincent Rodriguez III, who previously voiced Ansel Beauregard in Netflix’s “Arlo the Alligator Boy” - though others may know him for his work in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Jeff finally gets his proper introduction in “The (After)Life of the Party”, and actually gets to appear in several episodes afterwards. Again, it’s just nice to see this character - and his relationship with Geoff - actually get to stick around instead of being shunted to the background/void. What’s more, while Jeff obviously loves Geoff a ton and would most likely kill for his man, him being happily in love is not his only character trait.

Both Jeoffs are sociable extroverts and are incredibly friendly guys, but while Geoff tends to be friendly almost to a fault at some points, Jeff is willing to be just a bit mean when he needs to be. This, of course, is shown when he point-blank tells Scratch that if he ever does something to seriously hurt his partner, he’s gonna have to answer to him. Thankfully, Jeff doesn’t hold TOO much of a grudge once he lays down the law. Still, that connects to another similarity between the Jeoffs, as they can both be supportive and incredibly protective of the ones they love.

As for differences, Jeff is shown to subtly be just a bit of a humble bragger - like when he talks about how the guest list at his and Geoff’s anniversary party is going to include “the best of the best” or when he points out how he’s “classically trained” when he shows off his tap dancing skills during the “This House is Haunted” song.

Speaking of that episode, I really love the bit during the scare-off between Geoff and Howlin' Harriet where Jeff just blatantly chooses Geoff as the winner, all while claiming that he’s a 'non-bias judge'. Honestly, it’s both hilarious and adorable, if also just a bit petty.

Moving on, we see that while both Jeoffs are pretty openly honest guys, Geoff will often try to sugarcoat things while Jeff can be incredibly blunt and more than a little snarky, as seen when he got annoyed with Jinx during their fake Wheel of Fortune game in the episode “Jinx!” or with his “soft rock personality” comment towards Scratch in “Davenport’s in Demise”. Although, with the latter, I have to wonder if that was just Jeff being petty again, given that Scratch very clearly interrupted their coffee date just to get some shallow validation - and, yeah, I’d be just a bit annoyed too.

We should also acknowledge his “terrible chairman” comments in “Jinx VS the Human World” - as, while these comments definitely aren’t quite accurate, given that Scratch did quite a few good things as chairman, namely getting rid of the Flow of Failed Phantoms permanently - they do speak to Jeff having just a bit of a temper leading to him occasionally being harsher than necessary, showing that BOTH Jeoffs can be pretty emotional, just on different sides of the spectrum.

It really is an amazing feat just how much character the TGAMM crew was able to put into Jeff despite him only really being prominently featured in the last third or so of the series. Again, they could have taken the lazy route and made him JUST Geoff’s love interest, likely making Jeff a near-carbon copy of his partner instead of the two of them having a good amount of similarities and differences. But because BOTH characters are decently fleshed out, we’re able to get a really good grasp on their incredibly sweet and enjoyable relationship.

Time to gush about Jeoff

There really is just sooooooo much to praise about this pairing - right down to their character designs having a sort of yin-yang aspect to them, with Geoff’s bottom-heavy design and Jeff’s top-heavy design allowing them to fit together perfectly! Their colors also go together incredibly well.

Honestly, you could mute their dialogue and still be able to tell how much they love each other, just because they’re constantly giving each other loving looks and being physically affectionate with each other - hugging, holding hands, holding each other, Geoff hanging off Jeff’s arm, giving each other looks that just SCREAM “I love you” all that great stuff. We only get one actual kiss on the lips between them - and a quick one at that - but it’s one of those cases where I don’t mind too much, given that they really aren’t subtle or lacking when it comes to other examples of physical affection so it never feels like the TGAMM crew is trying to hide their romance like other shows might. Heck, just the fact that they’ve canonically been together for a full 100 years speaks to the strength of their relationship.

Episodes like “(After)Life of the Party”, “Frightmares on Main Street” and “Dance Dad Revolution” show how much they enjoy dancing with each other - which, seeing this, now I kinda want to see a 2-V-2 dance off between the Jeoffs, Pete and Sonia AKA the Ice Princess. I feel like that’d be both super fun and incredibly entertaining.

(just look at how happy they are. It's so cute, I can't- My heart-! *also I still find it hilarious that these two just foiled Scratch's whole scheme in Dance Dad completely on accident, haha*)

We also learn that they make each other homemade gifts - like Jeff apparently making Geoff a sweater for his Death Day, and Geoff talking about how all his holiday gifts for Jeff are always homemade so that they always come from the heart.

But beyond the cute visuals, what really sells these two for me is their dynamic. When you think about Geoff and all we saw of him during s1, he is very much the type of guy who not only supports those he loves, but is willing to sacrifice them as well. After all, Geoff literally got himself thrown into the Flow of Failed Phantoms for the sake of trying to protect Molly and Scratch in the s1 finale. Again, much like Molly, he just naturally cares a ton and he’ll fight for those he cares about, even when it’s at detriment to himself - and what’s more, people like Scratch sometimes take advantage of that.

In that sense, it’s incredibly sweet that for as supportive and loyal as Geoff is towards others, Jeff is able to be that sort of person for him. While Geoff can sometimes disregard his own needs or concerns in favor of helping others, Jeff is the only one consistently looking out for Geoff and protecting him, such as when he outright refuses to leave Geoff behind in the Halloween episode - even after Geoff worries about slowing him down - or when he makes it clear to Scratch that he isn’t going to stand by and let him be a bad friend to his partner. Heck, even more joke-y moments like Jeff giving Geoff the win in the scare-off shows that he always has his partner’s back.

And of course, Geoff is just as supportive and affectionate in return, referring to Jeff as “amazing” and “awesome” and declaring how he’s happy to spend the rest of his after-life with him at their anniversary party. When he thinks he’s about to die from poisoned candy in the Halloween ep, his so-called last words are “tell Jeff I love him!” When Jeff is playing the host of their fake Wheel of Fortune show, Geoff is right there supporting him as his ‘lovely assistant’, even using his explanation of one of the show’s prizes (the foam finger) as an excuse to flirt with him.

(One of my fave moments between them ngl)

Additionally - and this is getting a bit into headcanon territory but - when you look at Jeff, he has a very traditionally strong and masculine look to him, which likely caused other people to likely have certain expectations of him back when he was alive. As such, I sort of get the vibe that, when it came to Geoff and Jeff falling in love with him, the main thing that Jeff appreciated about him was Geoff’s unconditional love - and, from that, the ability to just feel comfortable and ‘soft’ around him. To dance and be snarky and sappy and lovey-dovey without ever being judged for it.

You truly feel like these two are ride-or-die for each other, even when they might not always be on the same page… which brings us to the Dana Synder-voiced blue blob in the room.

While these two aren’t really shown bickering or arguing at all, any time there IS any sort of tension, it usually involves Scratch - which makes sense, given that he and Jeff didn’t exactly start off on the right foot. Sometimes they’re able to work together fine and be friendly enough with each other, and other times Jeff is understandably annoyed or frustrated by Scratch’s antics.

As for Geoff, it’s made very clear that he’s the type of guy who holds friendly and platonic relationships with just as much importance as romantic ones - which, as an ace/aro person, I can definitely appreciate. This does cause him to be more than a little forgiving towards Scratch’s follies - but while he won’t go so far as to let Jeff call Scratch the “worst chairman ever”, he also won’t force Jeff to hide his feelings/not call Scratch out or take back his other less-than-nice comments regarding Scratch and seems to understand and accept that his partner doesn’t necessarily hold Scratch in as high regard as he does.

In that sense, it almost feels like a typical sitcom dynamic where one character is constantly getting into little squabbles with their spouse’s friend or family member - but in this case, Geoff thankfully never tries to force the two of them to constantly get along, being fine with their dynamic as is while, naturally, still being thrilled when Jeff and Scratch DO improve their relationship.

Really, the only time where Geoff maaaaaybe went a bit too far regarding Scratch was when, after he and Jeff were captured by the Chens in the halloween episode, he told Molly that they were fine and to go save “his precious Scratch” instead, with this leading to Jeff saying how they needed to have a talk about Geoff’s obsession with him.

In Geoff’s defense, Scratch was all alone and the Jeoffs at least had each other, plus the Chens were distracted at the time, meaning that they weren’t in immediate danger while Scratch potentially was. I should also mention that while the line itself is more of a quick joke than anything else, I do appreciate it sort of hinting at the Jeoffs being good communicators who are willing to actually talk things out whenever they have a disagreement or concern with one another.

It’s a small thing, but given how many fictional long-term couples we’ve seen bottle things up, miscommunicate constantly and argue nearly half the time they’re on screen to the point of their relationship consistently being on the rocks, it’s nice to see a more healthy and realistic dynamic between an older couple - because hey, you don’t make it to your 100th year anniversary without knowing how to properly communicate with your partner.

I’m also glad that while Jeff and Scratch had their own sort of tensions between them, Jeff was never shown being jealous, possessive or insecure about Geoff being friends with or being affectionate with Scratch. Sure, he called his partner out for putting Scratch’s safety above his/their own - which I’d say is fairly reasonable, even if I can also understand Geoff’s side - and I’m sure he didn’t fully get WHY exactly Geoff cared about Scratch so much given how much of a jerk and nuisance Scratch could be, but he never went so far as to tell Geoff he couldn’t be friends with Scratch, leading to Jeff himself eventually warm up to the little guy by the end of “Jinx VS the Human World” after Scratch made up for his big mistake, which was admittedly really nice to see.

All in all, the relationship between the Jeoffs is cute, wholesome, healthy and just really enjoyable to watch whenever it comes up. Both characters are not only great as a pair but also great on their own. Even if we don’t know every little detail about their relationship and history together, it’s made clear over and over again following Jeff’s introduction that these two are still incredibly in love with each other and there are plenty of reasons why this is both clearly-shown and implied.

In terms of LGBTQ+ rep and especially mlm rep, I’d say they’re a really great example! The Jeoffs aren’t just tokens nor do they rely on cliches. They’re fully fleshed out characters that work just as well together as they do apart, assuring that they aren’t defined by just their relationship, and they’re actually shown helping out or participating in the plot in certain episodes instead of just being stuck in the background. They have their jokes, sure, but the relationship is never only used for comedy relief, and while it’s a shame that we never got more than one kiss between them, it’s still great seeing just how physically, emotionally and verbally affectionate they are with each other, proudly making their love for one another clear as day. They’re literally shown being each other’s joy during the “Give Them Joy” song - you can’t get much more blatant than that!

In a show full of just amazing relationships - whether they be based on friendship, familial ties, found family, or romance - I’m just so satisfied that one of the main pairs regarding the latter category got to be Geoff and Jeff. So kudos to the TGAMM crew for doing just an absolutely fantastic job with these two.

#tgamm #tgamm geoff #tgamm jeff #my thoughts #jeoff #geff #love these two sm #making up for the fact that I can't make video essays by writing super long text essays lol

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