#I'm just rambling for no reason. i might try to do this more often

[theguywholikesicecream]

Characters really be like "how did they knew I'm gay?" Meanwhile they look like this

#fact core #fact sphere #portal 2 #tf2 medic #dr habit #boris habit #smile for me #tf2 #dhmis shrignold #yes i have a problem with these guys no i won't get therapy #their entire fandoms agree they're fucked up gay critters #I'm just rambling for no reason. i might try to do this more often #Ozzy rants #i guess?

[blueberry-pride]

hi, can i ask for a part two for this with Floyd,Azul,Riddle,Malleus and Ruggie please?

If u accept request rn?

Don't Deny It Babe~ Part 2

warnings: semi-proof read Berry: I didn't think that the previous post would gain a 2nd part so thank you for the chance! as always, enjoy! <3

"W-wait, are you sure?" Riddle would have a brief mental pause. He'd then have that cute pouty expression when he's embarrassed thus furthering your point. *cue his blush*

Riddle would be a bashful and stuttering mess especially if he's present or within earshot of you talking about his 'cute' qualities to others. He has a reputation of being the strict dorm leader after all!

There would be times that you'd find this young gent to be quiet and a lil timid as you continue to ramble on cuz slowly overtime he'd like this approachable view that you see in him.

Eventually, He'd slowly accept your image of him but I'd imagine you would catch him puffing up his chest as he tries to make himself more refined in the mirror. (Why do I lowkey see him getting "manly" advice from Trey and Cater?) Antics aside, he'd get all warm and fuzzy thinking about your comments, putting a very soft smile to his face whenever he thinks about it <3

If there's anyone who doubts your views, He'd simply watch you debate or argue from afar cuz he enjoys seeing you be so passionate even if the topic is about him. If the others laugh or starts making fun of either you or him tho ...just remember, he IS watching *looks to Ace*

"Uh...what?" Ruggie's ears flattened at the comment. "You think I'm CUTE?" he spoke with wide eyes. I feel like this wouldn't be the first time this hyena was called that compliment. Most likely his grandma. Meemaw Bucchi: *pinches his cheeks* awww you look so cute all dressed up in that uniform!

He'd be the type to ask you the why's, when's, and how's or just whatever type of reasoning you've had to decided out of all descriptions, you chose 'cute' for a guy like him. I see him also being the type to check himself out in front of mirror but in a very confused state.

He'd at first don't want ANY of the Savanaclaw guys hear about this. (he might as well be chopped meat if Leona ever got a word of this) So the moment he'd sense that you're about to go in one your tangents about him, he'd start messing with ya like tickling or hell even spinning you around just to whisk the two of you away from curious eyes and ears.

But I supposed overtime, this hyena beastman would be curious enough to try and use his this 'cute' side to soften people up for opportunities. (Outside of campus most likely) Of course he'd first test it out on you and often times you'd let him cuz after all, who couldn't say no to such a face?

But here's the thing, you're definitely not safe from HIM calling you cute and all~ Imagine he'd playfully steal your pen or something after class and as you try to grab for it he'd give a fleeting peck on the cheek. "Oh would you look at that." He chuckled. "Guess we're both the cute ones now eh (Y/N)~?" goodluck

"eh...HEH?" He stammered. He tries a little too hard to regain his composure afterwards but you'd know that your comments shot through to his classy exterior. Now you're left with a blushing and babbling octo-man.

Similar to Ruggie, our boi also has a lot of questions but the key difference is that he deals with them...internally. You, along with the rest of Octavinelle and even Jamil would notice his scrunched up face at random points throughout the day. A million and one questions running through his mind on why you'd think of him like that.

It was already too late for him because he already overheard you talking about this with the leech twins. He might as well evaporate at that point. You know the gif of the dog smiling while the room is on fire and saying 'This is fine'? That's our boi Azul right there

It takes a while for him to open up to the idea. He takes baby steps by also teasing you and showing you his perceived 'cute' side to you in private just to entertain you and see his precious pearl smile.

Overtime, he'd enjoy it and thinks it's also the best thing ever to rub it in people's face as you talk their ear off especially Jamil. "My precious pearl that is (Y/N) lovingly proclaims that I am the cute one, so that is now law."

"Hmm...You mean" Floyd tilt his head to the side. "Koebi-chan thinks I'm...cute?" He mostly says this out loud to confirm it to himself. After a few seconds he smiles gleefully towards you. Get ready for a wild ride (Y/N)!

Every time he thinks about it or you'd say it again. He'd chuckle and spin you around like as if there weren't any other people around. THAT'S how happy he is. His classmates and the rest of his dorm would find it a lil terrifying seeing this man just humming, kicking his feet in glee during class or in the lounge repeating the words "They think I'm cute~ my Koebi-chan thinks I'm cute~"

I could see him sometimes using this as an excuse to skip his shift at the lounge. Poor Azul cutting his lifespan in half every time he heard Floyd utter the words "Because Koebi-chan said so, wouldn't want to ruin a cute face like mine from all the stress. Maybe you should try it sometime Azul~"

You guys probably already see this one coming but he would be the scary shadow looming over you as you explain your side that your boyfriend is in indeed the cute one out of the two of y'all. 'You dare say otherwise to my (Y/N)?'

Threats aside, I know that Floyd genuinely does love it when you call him cute. I also know that he's clever enough that people would find him scary due to his height and his personality so he lowkey gets all soft when it comes to you, acting all bashfully as he hugs with all the adoration he has for you <3

"Could you please repeat what you've just told me?" He'd ask. "You find me...cute, Child of Man?" Genuinely surprised and has the shooketh or cute dumb-founded expression we all know and love.

This dark Fae overall finds it amusing, chuckles to himself from thinking about it from time to time. The memory of you semi-debating to him, that he, one of the most strongest and formiddable mages in Twisted Wonderland, is adorable.

Diasomnia or just the entirety of NRC is often concerned and question about your state of mind but then you'd shoo them off or rather, they 'unexpectedly have a change of heart and mind' and totally not from the dark aura with horns behind you.

He likes watching you debate about it especially if its his family in Diasomnia (looking at you Sebek) He thinks that when you're like this, he finds it sweet and endearing to defend your case about your judgement of him.

As the mischievous Fae that he often is, I see him doing small tests for you, showing off terrifying magical shi like shaking the ground beneath you, skies littered with thunder and lightning or hell surrounding you in a circle of green flames all to see if you still call him cute afterwards. (GG Night Raven College )

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #disney twst #twstファンアート #twst wonderland #twst headcanons #twst x y/n #twst x reader #twst x mc #riddle rosehearts x reader #ruggie bucci x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #floyd leech x reader #malleus draconia x reader #riddle rosehearts #ruggie bucci #azul ashengrotto #malleus draconia

[paused-waterfall]

Little Details of Feather Preening

I love reading fics in which a character with feathers gets help preening them from another character. I think part of it is because it explores the alienness of the winged/feathered character in a grounded, tactile way, while also exploring the dynamic between two characters. It's worldbuilding and character development all rolled into one! But another huge reason why I like it is just cause my parakeet sometimes lets me help with her feathers, and it's the best experience ever omfg.

I figured, for the sake of fic writers who don't have access to the cutest most patient bird in the world (and for me, who feels like rambling) I'd vomit out a ton of little details of what it's like to help a bird preen, and how it might translate to characters with both human and bird features:

(Note, this isn't exactly researched. My sample size is literally one bird and some casual reading about other species (sounds like crow feathers work similarly to parakeets, for instance: https://urbannature.blog/2022/09/23/the-unbearable-itchiness-of-moulting/). Please take this as an account of what preening a bird is like, and not as advice for things to do to a real bird.)

The exact term for preening something other than oneself is "allopreening". It's a social behavior and not all species do it. But if you're writing about a bird-human hybrid, ehhh humans have grooming instincts to add to the mix, so IMO the species of bird shouldn't hold you back!

Allopreening is most needed on areas the bird can't access themself. Wings and tails are mostly accessible-- the long feathers can be gently bent into reach. The back of the head/neck is the most prime location for allopreening. A humanoid trying to preen on their own would probably try to use a mirror to see what they're doing, and seriously tire out their arms reaching back there to do such finicky work.

Birds are pretty good at spinning their heads to see and work on anything below their necks, but an avian-ish character without that range of motion might need more help on the base of their wings, shoulders, and back.

My bird gets pissed when I so much as touch any feathers that are critical to flight (the longest wing and tail feathers). Care for those feathers is super important, and trusting someone else with that task would be a huge deal!

To request a preening, my bird angles her head at me, shakes it, and gently poofs up her feathers. If it's going well, she'll stay poofed up and maybe close her eyes.

A completed preening session always ends with feathers being shaken out.

Molting!

Often, the first sign of an impending molt is a fluffy down feather floating in the air. These feathers will cling to anything they touch.

The start of molting involves a lot of old feathers falling out, and some chill allopreening can be involved in this. Just lightly ruffling their feathers can help dislodge ones that are ready to go.

After getting rid of the old feathers, pin feathers start to grow in. They start out covered in a waxy sheath and with a blood supply running through them. While the blood supply is there, these are also called blood feathers, and damaging them can cause a lot of bleeding.

Pin/blood feathers are very sensitive. A wrong move can cause them to poke into the skin. Add this to the general vulnerability of not being at peak flight ability and the body's exhaustion at having to produce the feathers, and you've got an irritable and skittish bird. This is all a whole lot like a feathery version of a period.

Allopreening pin feathers is a lot more delicate than helping dislodge old ones. There's a careful art involved in telling which ones are ready to have their sheaths removed. Learning this art as a non-feather-haver involved, for me, a lot of sudden nipping from an unsatisfied customer. These days, I can tell I'm working on the wrong feather if my bird tenses up or glares at me.

Removing the sheath from a feather is SO SATISFYING. You take a dull-colored, irritating pin, and gently unwrap it to reveal a soft, beautiful new feather. Any time I see my bird all disheveled by pin feathers, it takes serious willpower to resist pestering her to let me fix them.

Non-molt preening!

Fully grown feathers also need daily upkeep

Birds secrete oils that they spread over their feathers with their beaks. A bird-person or their allopreening partner might choose to work other oils into the feathers, similar to how we use skincare products.

Feathers lost outside of the molting cycle can start regrowing immediately. However, a partially damaged feather will not regrow until it is removed or falls out during a molt.

Clipped wings are essentially damaged feathers-- an intelligent bird-person might be inclined to rip these out so that new, full feathers will be faster to grow... but, that would mean going without the partial feathers, and the gliding/slight lift they allow. That's a pretty big risk!

Hope someone gets some use out of this :) Happy bird-fic'ing!

#birds #qsmp #<-- this is definitely inspired by all the fics about the qsmp birdfolk #birb talk #⏸️

[freedomfireflies]

iFall for Harry pt. 5

Summary: Harry's got a proposition.

And you're not sure you're ready for it.

Word Count: 1.3k (SHE'S A BABY, I KNOW, BUT I GOTTA SET UP THE BIG STUFF)

(Previous parts to this series are down below at the end!)

So…what’s the appropriate, normal, non-creepy amount of time to wait after fucking your fist to the sound of somebody’s voice over the phone before texting them?

You grin to yourself when you see the text message slide down on your screen, your lip between your teeth as you click on his name.

Well, considering you could have a heart attack and keel over at any moment, I’d say the sooner the better.

How did I know you’d say that?

Cause I’m just so gosh darn charming.

Oh, is that what you are?

You seemed to think so when you were begging me to let you come.

…I wasn’t begging, I was just asking…really…nicely.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

I sleep a lot better after that phone call.

Yeah?

Yeah. Except for the fact that I wake up hard as a fucking rock and leaking into my boxers, but…whatever.

Yum. I mean…yikes. Sounds painful. 

 Careful, Cheese Girl. Or I might just call you again.

And what would be so bad about that?

Well, for one, I quite literally don’t think there’s any fucking come left in my body.

…I don’t know if I needed to hear that.

Why? Have you fallen in love?

Oh, is that what this strange feeling in my chest is? Love? Huh, I thought it was heartburn.

Aww, are you saying your heart burns for me?

I’m saying you’re lucky your number isn’t blocked.

You’d never block me. You think about me too much.

Who says I think about you?

Do you?

You suck in a sharp breath, eyes glued to the screen as you contemplate a response.

You could lie to him. After all, he wouldn’t know the difference.

But…it would be a lie.

You do think about him. Far more than you care to admit.

The only problem…is that you don’t want to think about him.

After all, what would telling him even do? It’s not like anything could ever happen outside of the occasional phone sex.

You don’t even know the man.

But…what if you want to?

Yeah, I do. When it’s late at night and I can’t sleep.

A solid minute passes before he finally sends his response.

What did I just say? Are you trying to fucking kill me?

If you can survive a heart attack, you can survive this.

I would never survive you.

You’re not sure if this is meant to be a compliment or an insult…but your heart flutters, nonetheless.

Oops, sorry. Bad time? Are you in another meeting?

Nah. Out by the pool. 

That sounds nice. It’s fucking freezing here.

And where is here...exactly? If you don’t mind my asking.

Again, you hesitate. He could be a catfish…or a stalker…or just a fucking creep.

Or maybe he’s just curious. Maybe he wants to get to know you. And it’s not like you’d be telling him your exact address. Just…maybe a vague description of where you are in the country.

I’m guessing Los Angeles from your area code. 

And I only know that because I also have a Los Angeles area code. 

Which you can probably tell, so I don’t know why I said it.

And now I’m rambling, and you aren’t responding, and I think I freaked you out.

As the texts continue to roll in, you have to smirk, slightly relieved by how adorably flustered he is.

You can almost hear each response in his voice.

That sexy fucking voice.

Easy, Gramps. I lived in Los Angeles for a few years, but I’m in New York now.

Ah, the Big Apple. Nice. I like New York, but you’re right, it’s fucking freezing.

Do you come a lot? To New York I mean.

Uh huh. Sure, you did. And yes. To both.

Very nice. Any particular reason?

Well, sometimes it’s because I'm remembering that phone call. But other times it’s because I’m dreaming about that phone call. Either way, I’m just always thinking about you.

Your stomach flips.

I meant any particular reason you come to New York so often, you twat.

Oh, right. Yeah, I do a lot of business there. Or business-related things.

I see.

Suddenly, the chat goes quiet. Far too quiet, and as the minutes begin to tick by…you feel a strange tingle begin to crawl its way up the back of your throat.

And then—

“…hello?”

“Hi.” Harry. His voice. Breathless and seemingly rattled. “Sorry. I just…I figured if I didn’t call, I’d never say it? And I wanted to hear your reaction instead of just staring at those goddamn bubbles until I shit myself.”

A little surprised, you stand up from your desk and begin to pace toward the kitchen. “No, it’s fine. Are you…okay?”

“I’m…no. Yes, no. I’m fine.”

“…yes, no?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” he repeats. “Sorry. I’m…shit. This isn’t going how I wanted it to.”

Your eyebrows raise. 

“I…so, here’s the thing,” he tries again. “There’s a thing. And I know we…don’t know each other, so we don’t really do things…but there’s a thing. That maybe…could be a thing. Like, an us thing.”

“…Harry?”

“…yeah?”

“You’re rambling again.”

You hear him exhale a laugh before there’s a bit of noise and he clears his throat. “Sorry. Yeah, I’m…I do that. When I’m nervous.”

“I see. And why are you nervous?”

“’Cause of…the thing.”

“Ah.” You nod, despite the fact that he can’t see you. “Well…why don’t you tell me what this thing is.”

“Right.” More noise. “So…the thing. I’m…gonna be in New York this week.”

He goes quiet then, as if giving you time to process what he’s saying.

What he’s implying.

“Oh,” you breathe, the realization weighing heavy on your chest. 

“Yeah.” Another beat. “Look, I don’t…I’m not expecting us to meet. I don’t…that’s weird, I know. But…fuck, honestly? All I keep thinking about…is asking you. And I know it’s fucking weird. I know that but I had to ask you. ’Cause it would drive me nuts if I didn’t.”

A long stretch of silence passes between you as your mind begins to work overtime to create any sort of response.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” he adds after a moment, almost sounding embarrassed. “Or at all. I don’t…I really don’t expect anything, but…I’ll be in the city on Friday. And…if you do want to meet…I’ll be at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. At twelve. You could…I don’t know, peek in? See if I look…worth your time? I don’t know. I’m…shit, sorry. I thought this would go better.”

“No, I—” Your eyes squeeze shut. “I’ll…I’ll think about it.”

“Really?” He clears his throat again. “Fuck, sorry. I’m cool. Uh…really. Interesting. Okay, got it. Good to know.”

You smile to yourself as you lean against your kitchen island. “Oh yeah, you are so cool.”

“The coolest—hey, look, I’ve…I’ve gotta go,” he sighs, and for some reason, you feel your heart sink. “I know I keep doing that, and I swear I didn’t mean to drop this on you and then disappear, I’ve just…I’ve…”

“More meetings?” you guess, and you hear him take another breath.

“Yeah. S’always more fucking meetings, and more fucking shit I’m apparently doing wrong.” 

Your expression softens. “I see. Well…good luck.”

“Thanks.” A beat. “So…you’ll think about it?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“’Cause you can tell me if I’m just too attractive for you to actually meet. I’ll believe you.”

“Oh, I’m sure you would.”

“Good,” he chuckles. “Okay, I really do have to go now.”

“Hey, I’m just waiting for you to hang up.”

“Honestly, it might be easier if you hang up first. I don’t really think I have the strength to hang up on you.”

There he fucking goes again. 

You tug your lip between your teeth. “Bye, Harry.”

“Yeah…bye, Cheese Girl. Maybe see you Friday.”

You grin.

“Yeah. Maybe see you Friday.”

Next part! ~ iFall for Harry pt. 6

Previous parts:

~ iFall for Harry pt. 4*

~ Full iFall for Harry Masterlist

~ Other Harry Blurbs

~ Full Masterlist

#harry #harry edward styles #harry styles #harry styles fan #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #harry styles request #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #iFall for Harry

[bailey-dreamfoot]

‼️‼️THE GRAMPA SQUAD COMIC IS DONE‼️‼️

Ok so, wee explanation + headcannons under the cut.

Ok so assuming you've stuck around for my insane ramblings, heres the gist:

This comic is very much inspired by Factual Fantasy's Comics about Marsh, Natquick, and Calico Jack. And while my personal head cannon does share in the idea of the group working together- I thought it would be hilariously fun to include Inkling, and tbh it focuses more on him than the others anyway.

In the show, inkling doesn't really get out much. There are really only a few episodes where he has a significant role, and even less when he actually participates in missions outside of *insert knowledgeable insight*.

I believe this is for 2 reasons:

He just prefers the comfortable vibe of his library. The book-worm role fits his personality well - enjoying studying or cataloging species alongside Shellington - and he likes spending time with the Vegimals.

His Mobility issues. While he can very easily traverse the watery environments in the base show- in a&b, he doesn't really show much interest in exploring the land until he's told an old friend was the one in need of help. He has the ability, its just difficult- and he knows his limitations.

Inkling has his hover chair, that allows him to move around the octopod relatively easily. However - in the Min episode - they make it a point that he cant take it with him on land, or use it over rough terrain.

My version of Inkling uses an actual wheelchair, so I thought it'd be a neat idea that after that adventure- he'd want to try joining missions more often. And to deal with said mobility issues and limitations- say they got specialized tires for his wheelchair- so he could go join up on land missions more often.

After going on a few more missions with the other Octonauts, he hears about Octoagents Calico Jack, and Professor Natquick joining up with Ranger Marsh to help out in the Everglades- you best bet he jumped at the opportunity to tag along. Think of all the species he could ad to his personal catalogue. They might even discover a few new ones! Leaving the Octopod for so long after being basically the one constant to the place was a bit scary sure - and the other Octonauts were certainly emotional ab him leaving (especially Barnacles) - but maybe a change of scenery would do him good.

Sooo He does that! Professor Inkling meets up with the others on a dock near Marsh's Ranger station and get to work! One of the coolest things they did was collecting egg samples and catching an adult specimen of a newly discovered trapdoor spider! the Pine Rockland Trapdoor. Marsh Has a nursery where he cares for tons of snakes, lizards, insects and birds to make sure they have the best chance for survival. Thats where these eggs are going- to hatch in safety and then be released back into the ecosystem. On top of that, they take samples of the adults venom for study, and inkling is sure to make a detailed report of the arachnid in his many journals brought along with him!

As you may expect, Kwazzi takes after his grandad in his fear of spiders. Jack has seen worse, but It doesnt make it any easier to be close to them. Natquick on the other hand- In all his time in the arctic hes never seen anything as freaky as a spider bigger than a quarter.

Aaand that's it! I'm hoping to do some more comics with the lads in the future, although probably not as detailed as this one. It took more than 2 weeks- please.

Also, I find it kinda goofy that the panels get more detailed as you go along. Thats what happens when the first and last panel were made almost a month apart from each other. 💚

Also also- yes I did do actual research for the animals in the last comic. It was going to be a funnel web spider they're researching, but then I looked it up and found out Funnelwebs don't live in the Everglades. :']

#bailey’s art #octonauts #octonauts fanart #octonauts grampa squad #arachnaphobia tw #arachnophobia

[ofallthingsnasty]

Pretty please could you do F, H, N, or Y for crocodile one day! I’m curious on your thoughts about him and I love when you talk about him 😭 my new obsession is the pug who he hates but tolerates just for you, so sweet 🥺

Yandere Alphabet letters a, i and q for crocodile hdsjahj anon I'm glad you like my rambles because they are so much fun to write 💕💕 regarding the little dog - don't be fooled, it's 50% him wanting to see you happy and 50% having even more leverage over you 🤭 mean man...

tw.yandere, violence, minors dni

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Uh oh, you might want to reconsider doing that. You call it fighting back, he calls it being an ungrateful, whiny little brat and it pisses him off. There are few things that make his blood boil when it comes to you, and being defiant and insulting him is one of them. Does he know that you’re here against your will? Sure. Does he care? No. You see, he views himself as some sort of provider - he’s giving you a life a million times better than your old one. You’re cared for, well-fed, nicely dressed, don’t have to work - really, your only job is to play house when he’s around (which he isn’t all that often, busy as he is). He doesn't even expect you to fuck him for it, he just wants someone to come home to, who will let him rest his head on their lap and caress it. (Of course, he oh-so-graciously ignores the gigantic power imbalance between the two of you when it suits him, especially when it comes to the bedroom. But generally speaking, I think he can be rather mellow compared to others, can even be reasoned with to a certain extent. Just be good for him.)

He thinks he’s being more than generous, more than fair - for the position you're in. A lesser pirate would have killed you by now, he tells you, would have gotten a new toy already. No, no - he is here to stay, he wants to see you thrive, even.And if you throw it all in his face, spit at him, dare to fight him - oh, what he’ll feel will be beyond good and evil. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, darling.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Okay, good news first: When it comes to Crocodile, I’d argue that the worst experience is really limited to just one. I’ve talked about him physically lashing out at you in a moment of rage and in the weeks that have passed that thought kind of stuck with me. At his core, this man doesn't want to hurt you (deeply). Manipulating you with visual threats and possibilities is one thing, but genuinely injuring you to make you bend to his will? Not really his style. Yes, he does corporal punishments - but only because they’re so effective and can be done so quickly. (A classic action - réaction, if you will.) So, what exactly is that nebulous worst experience? It’s him either using his Devil Fruit powers or his hook on you. To even get to that point, he’d have to be beyond angry with you. It’s probably something that happens early on while you’re not yet acquainted with your new role and you dare to insult him, try to escape - maybe you spiral, his temper simply cooks over and- Trust me, he’ll never do it again. It’ll leave permanent physical damage. But it’ll also traumatize you into submission, which is the only good thing to come out of this, at least to him. You’ll both regret it. And you’ll both learn from it.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

Spankings. Lots of them. It’s quick, efficient, shows you who is in charge, makes you sit a little straighter, makes you sweeter - he isn’t beyond mind games in general but when it comes to punishments, a quick correction is just more convenient. Manipulation and the likes are the long con, the work he puts in to undermine your self-esteem, to make you doubt your own feelings for your captor. But the spankings are the here and now, the thing that keeps the cat from sharpening its claws on the sofa.

You’ll learn to associate that telltale-look of tired disappointment with a sigh and over my knee, darling. He’ll ask what you’ve done wrong, will make you count, will leave you feeling so small, like an unruly child and not a fully grown adult - it’s a great way to keep you edge, to never let you forget who is in charge here, no matter how much time passes and in how many gifts he showers you.

And if it’s really dire - you get the belt. 

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

I always waver on this one. We know from the story that he isn’t afraid of planning, slowly building, waiting - Operation Utopia was a goddamn mammoth and he has the patience to wait on you for years and years to make it perfect - but. Doesn’t he deserve something soft? Someone to come home to? And what good is all that plotting and lying in wait and watching if he could have had you by that point already?He definitely won’t go ‘alright, that one’s spouse-shaped, put them in the bag’ when he sees you for the first time but he won’t wait too long for you either. Just long enough to gain sufficient intel, to get to know you a little better, to make your disappearance as smooth and seamless as possible. I’m not trying to sound harsh, but not only does he not want to wait too long - there are also other, more important things to do? He can’t spend months upon months learning about you inch by inch, he has an Ancient Weapon to seize and a country to overthrow. You can’t be mad at him when he pulls the plug at a certain moment and simply takes what he wants. It’s really only logical.

#omg that was waaaaay too much fun. thank you for indulging me!! kiss for you... 💕 #tw.yandere #/crocodile #/one piece #yandere one piece #crocodile x reader

[harukapologist]

rambling about Haruka

As an ND person I just hate how Haruka's character is either completely infantilized or reduced to a selfish, evil murderer, when, to me, he is so much more than that.

Especially the latter; I hate when any MILGRAM character is called evil because what's the point of MILGRAM, then? They're all morally grey! That's how they test us. But Haruka in particular because I feel like it comes from a place of ableism, intentional or not.

I'm not sure if I should put TWs, but well I talk about ableism, murder (obviously lol), childhood trauma and well... it's Haruka

Haruka's outburst in the VD and his implication of killing animals (I know it's basically canon but erm... i can explain why I think it's an implication later) (i just finished writing the post and actually i explained why at the bottom of the post but its not a full explanation so lol) are the reasons I see people calling him either evil or childlike, and while I do think that Haruka is stuck in a childlike state in some aspects, this is emotional dysregulation of an ND and/or traumatized person, to me.

The uglier sides of being ND/traumatized, the ones that get heavily stigmatized and seen as intentional or evil; I think this was a display of one of them. And I really wish to see more people focusing on Haruka's disability in the ways it can affect his communication and day-to-day life skills more than "oh, poor baby, he has a disability that makes him feel unwanted" without actually understanding the details of the disability and, well, the reason why it is a disability.

Like, the emotional dysregulation that comes with being autistic, which is my headcanon for him. The hyperempathy and literal thinking that might make him harder to communicate with, and get people frustrated with him more often.

That and being severely neglected; I think neglect is one of the lesser discussed forms of childhood trauma and the fact that Haruka was shown to be neglected as well as abuse really means a lot to me, because I think some people don't quite understand just how much neglect and isolation fucks you up.

All those factors combined are a recipe for an unstable, impulsive, clingy shell of a human, and him getting called evil for that really saddens me. It's important to remember that these MVs are extracted from the prisoners' own memories and thoughts. It comes from their perception of their surroundings, their murders, and their own selves. The manic look that Haruka has on his face for a lot of AKAA, for example. The makeshift shirt he's wearing, as if he's desperately trying to sew himself together into a normal person, the exhausted, frustrated look when he picks up the necklace, it's important to remember that this is how he sees himself. A monster who has lost control of himself. The line "I'll keep killing to be your good boy" was a shock, but the way he meekly apologized to Es at the end of his VD, I really think that shows that he feels guilty, that he wants to convince himself more than anyone that he was a good person, that he was really trying to be one despite how his unlucky life frustrated him to his breaking point.

As for his infantilization, it has already been addressed by many thoughtful members of the fandom and I'm grateful to see that, but I also want to say it myself since god knows I hate being patronized.

It feels very ableist saying he's just "someone stuck in a childlike mindset/age regressor" Yes, and how does age regression as a coping mechanism develop? Usually through prior trauma that makes you "stuck" at said age, and that can present differently. It can be longing and yearning for a simpler time, for an actual happy childhood, or having flashbacks to a traumatic event that happened at a certain age; it is not uncommon for trauma survivors to be "frozen" at the age their trauma took place.

I think both of these are the case for Haruka. Frozen at that moment, but trying to reduce himself to nothing but a little, unaware child to avoid reliving it again, relishing in the innocence and purity of his good younger times (emphasis on purity--Haruka's murder was by strangulation, yet there's a shot in AKAA where he's covered in blood. I know it's after he killed the animals, but he's in the stitched-together outfit here; I think there's more to this MV than just killing the animals. Since this outfit is... not very likely to be worn in reality, did the animal killing happen at all? Even if it did, I think this shot remains an indicator that he sees himself as impure; guilty. I have a LOT to say about the inconsistencies in Haruka's MVs, but I'll save that for later... Anyway, back on topic) It is NOT "having the mental capacity of a child, so being unable to date etc." Haruka has still lived 17 years, maybe even more, since he isn't too interested in remembering his age. How do you treat actual neurodivergent people if this is how you see him?

When I rewatch the MVs, relisten to the VDs, reread the interrogations and timelines, I see no evil, just an incredibly broken, misunderstood person.

#please excuse any inconsistencies or spelling mistakes its almost 5am ive been awake all night lmaooo #im open to discussion but pls be nice :( #im a relatively new milgram fan (got into it just when ILY MV came out—got hyperfixated oct/nov) so please inform me if I say anything wrong #i love haruka so so much aaugh #i will defend him till my last breath #milgram #sakurai haruka #milgram project #haruka sakurai #jay rambles bleh idk #should i even tag this #i feel so scared to share my thoughts on the milgram prisoners AAA i hope everything makes sense

[hybbart]

Heya! I was wondering how medication and medical devices work in the ranchers au. Most devices need replacing quite often and after five years, many medications would be out of date and useless or even dangerous.

I definitely get if it's just a case of, they don't go off, since medicine is confusing but I was curious since it could lead to plot.

I should say that I specifically don't get into this stuff much just because I don't know much about it and I would rather keep things vague than accidentally impart incorrect information. As well as the fact that it is ultimately a biopunk setting with differences to our world. That said, have more rambles than I expected.

Right you are, there's in fact not a lot of medication left. People hoard anything they find but most is long expired. The hospital is lucky to have two doctors and Scar who know a bit more about medicine than the average person, but a lot of whats kept is just praying it still works.

Cleo thanks to being a gorgon is also in the drug development business, though she specialized in developing antivenom, but she not only knows but can help develop certain medicines. She and Scott have made quite a thing of their inn and I kinda wanna touch on it in the future.

Shubble, Katherine, Gem, Impulse, and Pearl know home remidies for a lot of things and have specifically been growing and creating them. These aren't going to replace complex modern drugs for specific conditions obviously, but they work and its easy to pass it around with the help of the radio station.

Overall, on bad days, Tango generally has to grin and bear it with homemade pain killers at most. It's rough and it contributed to the second wave of population decline after the first wave of zombie deaths. It's Scar's goal to specifically help survivors with this sort of thing, though.

As for medical equipment, it's a bit grim but since there's such a small population now and the hospitals were the first to go there was a lot of spare equipment from storage and patients left behind. In part because of Scar's own medical needs and in part for their desire to help others, Scar and Cub, and later Grian, collected what they could from abandoned hospitals and care homes.

It's obviously not going to cover everything, materials break down and as far as replacing them or things that need customization there isn't a factory just down the road that makes it all in house.

This is where I take the most artistic liberties, but Tango, with Doc and Zed, is the one to maintain Jimmy and Scar's equipment as well as his arm. Whether that's patching the existing, altering replacement, or crafting new parts. He knew a good bit from his job and hobbies but he's spent the past 5 years learning specifically how to diy for Jimmy and himself. It's not perfect but it's the best they have.

This is still a bit of a soft biopunk setting at the end of the day with mutliple species and genetic modification, I imagine it might be a little bit easier to get hold of certain things than it would be in real life. I also think they live in a very different economy, and its probably easier to find sturdier and custom made items due to the variety of their society making mass production more difficult. This leaves the problem of certain species not responding to certain medicines though and needing more specialized treatment.

The degredation of materials is something I do try to take into account, which is the reason gas power is nearly nonexistent, but it's hard to take everything into account and sometimes I would rather not, simply because it allows more stories to be told if something is available but difficult to get rather than impossible. I'm not great with drawing or knowing technology so it's easier to just say something is jerryrigged than it is to actively illustrate how they did it. If it seems it might be possible I allow it.

The important thing to me is to consider the types of people who would think about these things first and if anyone might be that person. You know, someone with asthma is going to think of medication and figure out how to get it, a truck driver might know where to go for storages of specific supplies instead of raiding malls, and a historical reenactor might think of how to get and create sustainable materials. Everyone leads a life that puts certain things at the forefront of their mind that other people probably wouldn't think of at all. Especially going from a modern specialist society collapsing into a society that requires generalized knowledge. And the saved knowledge of these things didn't turn to dust the second the apocalypse hit.

Life's not as rough as it might be in other apocalypse media, just because I guess I generally don't really care for the unrralistically cynical outlook a lot of american apocalypse stories are made in for drama's sake. This is a story about people caring about and helping one another, and developing a new life for themselves. If they don't have access to something, people work together to make due with what they have.

#raau ask #raau notes: technology #raau notes #raau notes: setting #raau notes: character #raau notes: ranchers #raau notes: art

[lil-tachyon]

Got any good resources for clothing drawing tips?

Okay so quick little introduction before I try to answer this question. First of all, sorry for letting this languish in the inbox for so long. I have a lot I want to say about this and I'd really like to make a proper "tutorial" but this week took a lot out of me so what you're going to get are some visual notes on graph paper and some rambling thoughts. Maybe down the line I'll try to flesh this out more into a proper guide, but for now it is what it is.

Second- for many different art concepts I can give you some really great recommended reading for self-teaching. There's a whole section of my website with links to things that helped me learn. Clothing is one of those things where I never found a book or tutorial that really "clicked" with me. It's one of the few areas of art where I feel like it's fair to say I'm genuinely self-taught. So what you're going to get here is very much my opinion, not undisputed common wisdom or whatever. Take it with a grain of salt. This is how I draw, not the "right way" to draw.

Third- drawing clothes is not something fundamental like perspective or rendering where there are actual hard-and-fast "rules" you can learn to guide you. It's not even like anatomy where there are approaches that have been worked out and passed down by artists over generations. I think about drawing clothing as a synthesis of several different skills- a little bit of anatomy, a little bit of perspective, a little bit of rendering. Honestly a smidge of graphic design. You're employing a "cloud" of your artistic skills towards a specific end. What this means is that the TLDR of this post is going to be "do what you would normally do to improve at drawing but apply it to clothing." So don't expect something life-changing, instead just open your mind to maybe trying some new things you hadn't thought of before. Also this is going to be more about drawing than painting, that is more about "lines" than "shapes" but the two skills overlap and the same concepts should be broadly applicable. But my examples are going to be drawings.

Okay intro out of the way. Clothes are mostly just tubes of fabric, fabric wants to fall down. The human body and sometimes wind and water and other fluids will stop this fabric from falling down all at once and instead give it a shape. Keep this in mind. It's helpful to know how clothes are actually constructed if you want to know how they will deform when falling across the figure. Where a garment is simply a length of fabric, it's very flexible. It can bunch together or be stretched taught. This is most noticeable at the parts of the body that open and shut like hinges- knees, elbows, and armpits. The behavior of garments at these areas of the body is highly dynamic.

At seams where different sections of fabric are stitched together, movement can be come more limited. Seams are usually imperfect- pieces of fabric of slightly different lengths might be stitched together or fabric may shrink over time around a thread causing it to pucker and wrinkle. For these reasons, seams often act as the originating areas for folds and wrinkles, even when a garment is not in a particularly flexed/active state.

In a two-dimensional image, it can be helpful to describe a garment in terms of silhouette and wrinkles/folds. The silhouette is the actual boundary of the garment, where the fabric comes to an end. The wrinkles/folds are where different parts of the garment pass in front of each other or where the fabric becomes bunched up to the point that light can't reach inside and occlusion shadows form. You should always keep the overall silhouette of the garment in mind to inform the bigger shapes you draw, but you will use wrinkles and folds to demonstrate how the garment twists and deforms. These are the basic tools in your arsenal. Keep it simple.

There are lots of different ways to approach wrinkles. My advice and my personal preference is to draw wrinkles as shapes and not just lines. Specifically, tapered shapes (like triangles) and be really good both for implying motion and the varying depth of a fold/wrinkle. Experiment with different shapes of varying angularity, fill texture, etc. Your hands and eyes will guide you towards what looks and feels good. There's no right way but I would advise you to exaggerate! Ask yourself- what's the biggest shape I can draw here? How can I twist it to make it bigger, crazier but still describe the form in a way that makes sense? It can be exhausting to just try to perfectly copy a reference and also using your imagination like this when doing studies will help build up your visual library for when you're drawing/designing clothing from imagination. In general I would advise you to focus more on drawing something that looks good (ie is composed of shapes that you find aesthetically pleasant) than is "correct."

Quick recap: Garments fall down, you can simplify an article of clothing into a silhouette described by folds and wrinkles. What next? Observe! Take notes! It is worth your time to think about how common articles of clothing are constructed. Jeans, t-shirts, dresses, etc. I used to do some hobbyist sewing and clothing alteration and I think that hands-on work with clothes has really affected the way I think about drawing them. You don't have to go that far but like- look at the world around you. Stuck on the bus, in school, in a meeting, etc? Even if you can't draw, look at how your pants bunch up around your legs, look at the sleeves of someone sitting next to you. I mean, don't be weird about it, but these are valuable observations. Think about how you would draw those things! Really getting good at drawing clothes involves studying them in the wild, understanding how they work, building up your visual library. Look at a faded denim jacket- at the puckered places where the indigo has rubbed away or the permanent creases that hardly see the light of day and remain a deeper blue. Look at petrochemical techwear outfits that break into jagged, high-sheen triangular wrinkles. Soak it all in!

Save pictures of and take notes on outfits you like, designers you like, garments you like. Keep track of these things. Come back and study them over time. Have fun with it! I have folders and folders and folders of images of clothes that I come back to constantly. Over time and with lots of study you'll learn what you want to draw when you draw clothes and that's half the battle. You'll have images of buttons, pockets, belts, laces, fabrics, seams, dancing around in your head that you can deploy at will. It's delightful.

Hope this helps! If anyone has more advice to add, please do! If this tutorial helped anyone, please show me your drawings! If you'd like more stuff like this from me, just send me an ask or an email and I'll answer it when I can.

Peace,

Logan

#illustration #art tutorial #art thoughts #clothing design #drawing tutorial

[bitter-hibiscus]

Hey hi you have piqued my interest and I would love to hear your thoughts on Jason and Roy's interaction in New Titans #20-21 :)

OKAY OKAY OKAY!!! SO THOSE ISSUES ARE SO SO SO IMPORTANT TO ME BC THEY SET THE FOUNDATION OF JASON'S RELATIONSHIP WITH AUTHORITY HERO FIGURES AND. ROY IS PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY POSITIVE ONE

Sorry for rambling about more than just Roy and Jason but I had to set a foundation for my points.

The only three people who actually speak to Jason at any point for more than a single line in those issues are Donna, Hawk, and Roy.

Donna, as is plainly stated in the text, is not actually talking to Jason, but to Robin, and she expects him to act exactly like Dick Grayson does.

In the beginning of the story, this isn't particularly an issue, since Jason is very excited to be included and Donna isn't actually putting any kind of pressure on him. HOWEVER, as issue #20 progresses, it becomes really, really serious. Particularly in this scene:

Donna, who up until this point Jason generally worshipped in that way children always do, just showed him she's not only capable of extreme violence against her teammates, but also willing to completely leave the people depending on her behind. (I may not be the biggest Donna lorehead but I'm pretty sure this isn't something she does often. It is, however, what Jason sees her doing, and that's important.)

Jason, kindhearted, boneheaded Jason, immediately calls her out on this. He trusts that Donna is a capable and trustworthy hero and team leader, but the image of a perfect heroine has been broken.

Donna puts almost the... complete opposite kind of pressure on Jason that Bruce does. Bruce has trained Jason to obey, and to try and force him into a leadership role while three of your teammates are literally unconscious is, to say the least, stress-inducing to a little kid.

(oops, the Donna part got long. I have a lot of feelings about them, okay?)

The second person who interacts with Jason in those issues is Hawk, who is, you know. Hawk.

The first thing he says to Jason is mocking his age, which Jason seems to be pretty self-aware of in a negative way, being the only child in a group of 20-something-year-olds.

Then, he actively stops Jason from joining a fight and doing his part as a Titan:

It's the polar opposite of how Donna treats Jason in this issue. Hawk sees Jason as incapable and unfit for being a Titan. It's both demotivating and incredibly insulting, especially when Jason was trying to do the right thing.

So we're 0 for 2 for grown-up superheroes being dicks to Jason.

Enter Roy Harper, stage left.

Roy is the only member of the team to both acknowledge Jason as a teammate and still speak to him like the child he is without being patronizing or mocking, despite his conflicting and complicated emotions on the mission they're going to, because Cheshire. He keeps himself friendly and inviting to Jason, forces himself to joke around, because Jason is a child who shouldn't be responsible for Roy's Whole Ordeal.

He actively humors Jason's worship and wonder of superheroes, but still jokes around with him like Jason is an equal and not a kid he's babysitting.

He offers Jason company and empathy, and encourages him to share his view of the situation, once again treating Jason as a team member worthy of being listened to, but not particularly of being in charge of anything. Jason, for his part, pays attention to what's happening with Roy, and expresses concern over what Roy's feelings on the situation might be.

(long pause to admire how beautiful Jade looks in this story. anyway)

This scene is also really important, I think. Not only for the obvious reasons of Lian Being Revealed, but because even though Roy is reeling from the knowledge that he has a child, he still has space in his thoughts to care about Jason and want him safe. Even though Jason's attempt to lighten the mood was... less than optimal. Lol. I love him so much

Jason is there for what some may argue is the biggest part of Roy's development as a character, and even though he's secondary to everything that's happening, Roy still considers Jason an important part of the situation. He still takes Jason into account, despite desperately wanting answers from Jade.

I have nothing to say about those panels but look at them. my babies. jason is so so worried. his new friend is not ok and he cant help :(

TLDR: Jason's interactions with most adult heroes are.. pretty bad, (Not all. Shoutout to my men Joey Wilson and Garfield Logan,) but Roy is a major exception to that rule. He's compassionate and funny and a hurricane of emotions, and he's the first adult outside of Batman and Nightwing to canonically show Jason a little bit of kindness. While not in any way backed by canon, I do think that Jason's interactions with Roy filled him with determination to be a good hero and earn other people's trust. Those two issues have very small interactions, but I do believe they're some of the most important pieces of original Robin Jason content, largely due to Roy's presence.

#sorry this is a veery long post kind #youre one of my favorite mutuals so I wanted to make it especially good for u #i also got so fixated on replying to your ask that I forgot to take my flu meds on time. oopsie #hope the answer is satisfactory. feel free to send me another ask or rb this post w questions if not!! #ramble ramble ramble #dc comics #jason todd #roy harper #robin dc #speedy #red arrow #arsenal dc #red hood #teen titans #character analysis #long post #royboy ask

[burst-of-iridescent]

so sorry you've been getting these anons ana :( i thought as a native i could give my two cents on the fire lady katara trope? ill admit im more of a casual zutara shipper, so i havent seen a good chunk of the fandom, but ill give it my thoughts. for me personally, i am not a fan of fire lady katara- it's not particularly to do with the trope itself, but the execution often done by the fandom. ive discussed this with other natives before, but sometimes in the fire lady trope, it is often that katara moves to the fire nation, that she wears fire nation clothes and is surrounded by fire nation culture. obviously, that isn't wrong! the sharing of culture is a beautiful thing, but there is a good majority of fics where it feels like her water tribe culture is forgotten, that she is made to move permanently to the fire nation in favour of zuko. specifically in a post war climate, where a good majority of the people in the fire nation would still hold onto imperialist and racist beliefs, the idea of katara living there permanently is uncomfortable. i moved out of my mostly native village into a nearly fully white uni, and it's scary, and so when i apply those thoughts to katara living in the fire nation, its uncomfortable. and as for the rest, it's mainly just how sometimes it feels like the fandom doesn't value her culture as much as zukos, even unconsciously- it often feels like the fandom values the perceived glamour and power of the fire nation royalty, and finds fire nation culture more understandable than anything water tribe, and so prefer to have katara in a setting that is more 'easy' for them. in hand with this, is often the fandom perception that the water tribe is less progressive than the fire nation, that they are sexist and that zuko is giving katara a better life (i will say that this is not something i have not seen often, especially recently, but it is something i have discussed w people so i thought id mention it, especially since its usually not intentional). sorry this got so long, i went on a bit of a ramble but obviously this isn't the be all end all. like you said, there are lots of people who are fine, or enjoy fire lady katara because they perceive or write it differently, and that is fine! everyone perceives media differently, just like some people will be uncomfortable with zutara, some might not be. i just thought id send this as a reason why some of us do dislike the trope, and things to keep in mind when ppl are writing it

hi anon, thank you so much for sharing this with me! i really appreciate you taking the time to write out your thoughts and offer your perspective on this.

i definitely agree that the fire lady katara trope can be executed in some exceedingly problematic ways. there are many zutara fics that i've clicked out of for the reasons that you've mentioned, especially older ones that were written around when the show aired or shortly after. i won't deny at all that there are ways people write the zutara relationship that make me profoundly uncomfortable. my problem arises when someone assumes that the trope itself is inherently racist or wrong, instead of understanding that it can be written in a variety of ways by a variety of people, who bring their own perspectives - and prejudices - to their individual portrayals.

what you said about moving from your mostly native village to a fully white university really struck a chord with me because (although it's not the same, and can never be) i can really sympathize with those feelings of alienation and sudden lack of belonging. i'm part of the desi diaspora myself, and i've grown up in a country where i've always been the minority, and had to deal with racism and ignorance, so your experience really spoke to me. i hope that doesn't come across like i'm trying to co-opt your struggle or anything like that, because that was not my intention at all. i just wanted to let you know that i can understand what a scary feeling it is, even if not exactly in the same way.

that being said, personally if i could choose between spending my life in india or growing up overseas, i would still choose to do the latter even if it meant living through the bigotry and ostracization i've experienced again. i love the life i've built here, though it's a more difficult one than what i could've led back home.

in the context of atla, i agree that katara would most likely face racism and discrimination in the fire nation, at least in the immediate years following the war. but personally i also find a very empowering narrative in seeing her confront and dismantle the prejudices within the fire nation system, just as she did with the sexism of the northern water tribe. katara wouldn't abide bigotry in any form, and i think fighting inequality is a battle that she would want to take on, and would willingly choose to take on whether she ended up with zuko or not. that's why i take issue with the insistence that her becoming queen of the fire nation inherently equates to her victimization, because it can also very much be a power fantasy, and i know many woc who do see it as such.

(of course, that is just my own perspective, and i completely understand why others see it differently and might not be comfortable with it. their feelings are just as valid and legitimate.)

ultimately, i think correctly executing the fire lady katara trope isn't just about katara herself valuing her culture, but zuko doing it as well. i love seeing explorations of the trope (and the zutara relationship in general) where zuko takes an active interest in katara's heritage, incorporates her traditions and practices into his own life and home, and involves himself in her culture just as much as she involves herself in his. zutara is a ship that has always been about equality to me, and that's something that can and should carry over to how they blend their cultures together. like you said, there is nothing wrong in katara wearing fire nation clothes, or being surrounded by fire nation culture - so long as she isn't the only one in the relationship taking an interest in her partner's heritage. thankfully, in most zutara content i've seen, she isn't.

in my own personal view of katara becoming fire lady, it happens only years after the war ends. she spends her time postwar travelling the world and kicking ass, empowering women in the north to learn waterbending, rebuilding the southern water tribe, meeting and learning from everyone she can. when she becomes fire lady, she continues to travel often - home, of course, but also to the other nations when necessary, using her skill of inspiring and motivating others, and her desire to help the less fortunate, in matters of international diplomacy. when she returns, her husband is in blue, and her children wear whalebone beads in their hair, and there are fire flakes next to stewed sea prunes on her dining table. there are hard times, but there is also love and respect, and so she changes the world as she damn well deserved to in canon.

#zutara #fire lady katara

[kyouka-supremacy]

A little, not very polished ramble on Fukuchi and political theory, initially meant to be the answer to an ask questioning what I thought of the last chapter but posting separately because it ended up having little to do with the actual chapter.

This arc is good. I mean, the politics dilemmas it tackles are real and relevant (or maybe it's just me and loving politics discussion, that's a real chance too). Themes and interrogatives such as whether the eradication of states is possible; the critic to democracy in favour of a single authoritarian leader as the optimal solution for citizens' wellbeing; the utilitarian reasoning behind the justification of sacrificing a few in order ensure the greatest good to the most; the trolley problem– would you be willing to sacrifice five hundred in order to save two-hundred and ten million; the general interrogatives on why war happens; those are all real questions that political scientists try to give an answer to. I feel like bsd still hasn't cleared up where it stands in relation to these interrogatives– a lot of it is going to be determined on what Fukuzawa is going to do with his role of Army of Mankind's leader, whether he's going to accept it or something else. But I'm EXTREMELY curious to find out how the author will answer them and the worldview bsd is going to propose accordingly.

So far, bsd has seemed to me to propose a nihilistic-political realist-nationalist worldview: good and evil are meaningless binomials (Oda in his last speech to Dazai), every man acts in their own interest and the strongest prevails (Teruko in chapter 76), a strong sentiment of pride for own country that often translates in denigration of foreigners (the way all characters from other countries are villains, a somewhat reverence for military police (though other people have interpreted it being exactly the opposite))¹. Such reading of bsd is reinforced by Fukuchi's speech in chapter 85, with Fukuchi's character being made overall unsympathetic to the reader. At that point, I was like “Ah! Of course! The nationalist-realist manga makes of the anarchist an unsympathetic terrorist!” (and I'm quite confident I'm not misinterpreting by saying he was framed unsympathetically, at least as far as his ideals go. A lot of emphasis is put on his role of torturer, and the story protagonist looks very upset by it, which feels like inducing the reader to be as well).

But perhaps I was mistaken? Maybe I really jumped to the conclusion by believing this arc would have turned in one anti-anarchism morale. And even though it's still too soon to say it won't, in the arc conclusion we saw so far anarchism was at least framed in much more favourable lenses. Episode 5x11 and the last chapters have vastly subverted the lenses the reader is called to see Fukuchi under, and it's been SO interesting to see. Because Fukuchi isn't made unsympathetic, and as consequence his anarchist ideals aren't being framed as the senseless ravings of the villain anymore. Which I didn't see coming, and was pleasantly surprised by!! Fukuchi's desire to stop war by erasing all states, if not feasible, is now at least being framed as sensate and even noble; which is quite silly given that it's the same ideals he was carrying on in chapter 85, just with more details on political theory and positive lenses. Moreover, the world integration and creation of an single-state is framed as being a natural and unavoidable progression of history, which is CRAZY to me. I mean, it's crazy because it wholly contradicts the nationalist worldviews I found previously quite solidly established in this manga (which, again, might be just a big misreading on my side but. Wow.). Double crazy because there's about one million political scientists who would disagree with it… I don't think it's that much of an affirmed theory anywhere? If anything, because it's got some pretty strong historical negations: I'd like to ask Fukuchi how the gradual disgregation of states reconciles with the dissolution of the ussr and the objective difficulty to maintain wide pieces of land unified, the equally objective difficulty to concretize the goal of European integration, the new wave of nationalism in the world and new countries actively seeking independence rather than cohesion. In the end, Fukuchi seems to propose this insane hybrid of anarchism and authoritarianism with the denial of all states and one single leader detaining all the power (aka no separation of powers, the most rudimental basis to democracy), which sounds absolutely insane to any sensate person but I suppose can even make sense in the bsd world where there's no end to craziness.

I'm very very curious to see how the army of mankind's leader thing is going to be solved. Because if Fukuzawa accepts it, that's quite affirming that the best outcome for society is an authoritarian, antidemocratic regime. And although Fukuzawa himself was shown to be critic of that much (“Even if war did cease to exist, what would remain in that world is a single leader– a dictator. History has shown time and time again that dictatorships only rot.”, chapter 112), him being cornered to ultimately accept the role would seem to suggest that THAT is the only possible answer. Which is an odd subtly not-so-subtly authoritarian agenda which would be… Interesting to see affirmed? but at least that one *is* coherent with the previous signs of nationalism. That said, again, Fukuzawa was critical of it, so I'm not sure he will be willing to follow through (and I find it hard to image a new bsd where world order has been changed. And with Fukuzawa on top of the world, for the matter.) But Fukuzawa did not crush One Order… And overall the narrative seems to have trapped him into yielding to take on the role… Aaaahh, I'm just very curious from a political theory standpoint to see how the author is going to untangle the dilemma!!!

¹ In parenthesis I'm only bringing up the most notable indicators, but those doctrines are an underlying pattern of the whole manga and several events can lead back to these beliefs; for example, how Atsushi's abuse by the hand of the orphanage director is not morally condamned and even implied to have made him stronger, the emphasis on the great power of Japan (here emblematically represented by Yokohama) as a small country / city able to stand up against several evil foreign powers that make repeated attempts to destroy it, and more.

#Ah yes posting at 4am when the dash is dead and everyone is sure to see it #ōchi fukuchi #yukichi fukuzawa #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd analysis #mine

[isalisewrites]

A ramble on writing where April broke my heart

Hooo boi.

March was a dream in comparison to April.

Emergency gallbladder surgery? Someone faking their death in my server? Good times. I wanna go back.

I have been through much in three short months. April has shown that it's taken a toll. I have missed many more days of writing. I'm still missing them in May. But I'm slowly gripping onto the last vestiges of my raw determination, all while in the face of so much.

I had a falling out with my closest family member that shook me to the core of my heart. I barely slept for most of the month again. Gallbladder surgery has proven to have some complications on my nervous system, making normal daily life difficult where it's hard to sit or lie down without experiencing full body numbness and tingling in various areas, including my hands and fingers. (No, not blood clots. 100% without a doubt it's my nerves.)

If you've followed me here (post one and two) and have read my author's on Terrible, But Great Chapter 30, then you know what went down with my family member. It took so much of my time and energy. I wrote well over 8,000 words trying to reason with this family member, only for all of it to be scorned and mocked. A part of me feels like that energy was wasted. I could have 8,000 more words in TBG, but I don't. This is all I have.

A part of me looks at it and says, "Give it back. Give me back my writing." What happened to January? Or even February? What happened to the girl who could wake up at 4am in the morning, an hour before she had to leave for her hysteroscopy, to power write 700 words?

Some days, I go up the stairs and I'm winded like I ran a marathon.

Some days, if I walk on the treadmill for more than 6 to 10 minutes, I feel like I'm dying.

It's been an uphill battle. The struggle is real, but so am I.

In the last week of December of 2023, when I realized how long it would take me to finish Terrible, But Great, I was overcome with what I call 'The Stirring.' I don't know what else to call it, but it always has an air of mystery and premonition for what it is to come. I thought at that time, "If I had limited time to live, what do I want to do?"

"I want to write."

So, I did.

In 2023, I published a total of 43,000 words in TBG. In 2024, from January to April, I've written 110,604 words and have published 35,000 words thus far. The year isn't even halfway over and I've done better this year than I have last year.

In spite of it all, I'm doing pretty damn good.

There's still hope. I'm not giving up. It might feel like morale is low, but it's not. I'm going to keep going as much as I can through all the hardships because writing is truly the one thing that breathes life into me.

By the end of April, I finished my business class with an essay about how the class shifted my beliefs. This class in combination with all of my health issues and social conflicts sparked an overwhelming revelation and a new rising determination within my soul.

You see, you all have witnessed my love and passion for writing Terrible, But Great, a Harry Potter fanfiction, but I also have original stories that I've wanted to write. Yet, I haven't been able to finish them because I'm always thinking about the market in the real world, instead of what I want and what the story wants. Fanfiction, I can do whatever the hell I want and yall are just gonna have to strap in and hold onto dear life cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Original novels, however, are done differently and I've often struggled due to so many factors.

I have ADHD. I am autistic. I have health issues which are rapidly piling up on top of each other. My career choice might not even be feasible for me in the long run, so why I am allowing myself to be pressured into doing more than I can handle with a class load?

I want to write. I want to write. I want to create.

Oh, how I want to create.

So, I will.

Two years ago, I gave up on my dream of writing original novels and earning a living through them. I've since repented of that notion. As I continue write Terrible, But Great, I'm also going to be working on my original novels on the side. Someday, perhaps, I'll be able to earn a living as a published author.

That's my realistic ideal.

I wrote 457 words today, May 9th. That's good enough. The goal this month is to write more than April. I can do that. On the days where prose is hard, I simply write my scene idea in a zero draft style. I don't worry about the prose; I'll fix it later. Every word counts. Every word can be changed. Every word can be made better.

Every word is good enough.

Until next month.

#mywriting #fanfic writer #fanfiction writer #writing #tomarry #hp #hp fanfic #harry potter #tom riddle #fanfiction #fanfic #terrible but great #2024 writing goal update #writer #2024 writing goals #isa's ramblings #isa's thoughts #isa's writing

[googleitlol]

AAAAAA This took longer than I wanted, life has been wild. I was planning on showing more of the Yellow-Robe Demon arc but with how long this took I'm just gonna give you guys this instead. Maybe if I ever decide to put this on AO3, I can include more of it but for now, this has been LONG overdue

Dove Masterlist:

Doubles

“There is no way this will end well for us, you know.”

You roll your eyes from behind Zhu Bajie, the pig demon carrying you on his back as he soars over the sparse clouds of the chilled night sky. Everything had been alright after Sun Wukong left– for a little bit, at least. Everything went wrong the minute your friends became involved in a royal debacle between a kingdom and a powerful demon. The demon, called Yellow-Robe, had kidnapped the kingdom’s princess to be his wife. After that princess aided you in rescuing Tripitaka from her monstrous husband, you and your friends agreed to help save her and dispose of her captor.

Unfortunately, things had gotten out of hand the minute Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing left to defeat him. Wujing was captured instead, and to make it worse, Yellow-Robe tricked the king and his court into thinking Tripitaka was a beast. You and Ao Lie had nearly defeated him, but you alone were not enough. With enough berating, you managed to convince Pigsy that the only course of action now was turning to the only disciple Yellow-Robe had yet to meet. You only hope he will go back with you.

“There is none that monkey hates more than the two of us.” Bajie persisted, and you roll your eyes at his pessimism.

“Will you cease your whining? I am sure Sun Wukong will understand and agree to return with us.” You try your best to reassure him, though your belief in your own words is shaky at best.

The demon huffs. “And if he doesn’t?” You frown, your companion voicing the concern that’s been picking at you skin since you started flying to the Monkey King’s mountain. What if he refuses to help? With how his involvement in the journey ended, you’re not sure what it might take to convince him to come back.

“…He will.” He has to.

It’s difficult to see much once you reach Flower-Fruit. With the cloak of darkness, you’re not sure where to begin your search. After a second, you’re able to land by and begin the trek uphill. While he was still with you, the Great Sage often mentioned his home.

All you had to do now was find it. “He said the entrance was behind a waterfall, didn’t he? If we find running water, we can follow it upstream and hopefully it can lead us to him.”

“Hmm…” You turn when you hear Pigsy’s voice a little ways behind. “Perhaps we can cover more ground if we split up?”

His smile makes it clear that he isn’t digesting the tired look you give him. He isn’t fooling you with this proposal, no matter what reasoning he conjures to justify it. You know he will likely wander off somewhere and leave you to do all the talking, he’s too afraid of Sun Wukong to confront him head on. Maybe he’ll find a cosy little space tucked away somewhere to doze off.

In all honesty, you would rather Bajie not be around to accidentally set off the Monkey King with his nonsensical ramblings. It also didn’t help that you had to listen to him all night during the flight here, and you feel completely done with the demon at this point. “Fine.” At your agreement, the pig perks up. You gesture over in one direction. “I will go this way, you go the opposite. If you find him before I do, try not to give him any more reasons to be spiteful.” You warn.

“You think so low of me, I have a silver tongue!” He argues, to which you can’t help but chuckle.

“I would say you were right, but I’d rather not waste my breath lying.” You sigh, making the pig demon look back at you in surprise.

He gives a shout as you begin walking away. “Hey!” His clear irritation makes you snicker. He played a big hand in his master banishing Wukong, so some light teasing was the least of the punishments he could receive.

You don’t acknowledge the pig any further, instead moving deeper into the mountain. Crickets sing their songs in the safety of shadows as you move, the croaks of hidden frogs overlap one another. Even with the veil of night blanketing the mountain, you can see the beauty of the landscape before you. Several of the trees you pass are ripe with fruit, bushes are peppered with bundles of berries, and in some areas you have to shift into a dove to get through the dense greenery.

It’s only when you hear running water that you perch on a low-hanging branch. You take a moment to listen for where the sound may be coming from before following it. It takes you only a few seconds to fly your way over, transforming back once you see the stream of water running downhill. 

The moment you do, something lets out a startled noise from the opposite side of the water. Squinting, you notice a flash of brown behind the trunk of a tree. Is it an animal?

It peeks out from behind the trunk, the curious eyes of a young monkey following your every move. You subconsciously smile at the timid creature. “Hello, there.” You greet, but the monkey remains still as a statue. After a few moments of being subjected to its little stare-down, you tear your gaze away and spot a mango tree on your side of the stream. You take a fruit before holding it out to the monkey. “You don’t have to be scared.”

The little monkey looks between you and the offering before disappearing behind the tree again. Then, ever so cautiously, the monkey emerges on the ground behind the tree. The creature takes a few careful steps closer, reaching the edge of the stream. Now closer, you can see some scarring on the side of the monkey’s faze, by her ear. She manages to hop across the water, undeterred despite how she was missing a large portion of her left arm.

You frown for a moment as she approaches, kneeling down to greet her. Taking out a small dagger, you cut the mango in half, offering it to her. “Here you go, take it.” Part of you understands her skittish nature now, as she quickly grabs the half and runs back to keep her distance. You wonder what could have happened to give the poor monkey those wounds.

With the monkey still watching, you sit on the ground and take a bite of your half of the mango, the little simian watching as you do. After another bite, she slowly approaches again. It takes a little time, but eventually, she’s at your feet again.

“You are a brave one, aren’t you?” You smile, offering your hand to the young monkey. Her head tilts with curiosity, and she puts the mango back in your hand, making you laugh. “No, that’s yours.” You hand it back to her and give her head a slow pet.

She chitters at that, and in a flash she’s climbing up your arm and onto your shoulder, holding her mango in her mouth to get up. The picture of the little monkey right in your face with mango hanging from her mouth makes you giggle. She starts to eat with you, her tail wrapping around to the other side of your neck for support. You tend not to see many other monkeys on your travels, and the glimpses of the ones you do see in the treetops rarely approach like this little one. She seems much too young to be on her own, though. Could she have a mother nearby?

As if to answer your silent inquiry, you start to hear more chattering in the treetops. A gasp escapes you the moment you look up from the sheer number of curious eyes looking down at you. More monkeys begin to show from the trees, sharing little hoots and hollers between themselves before a small portion of them move to meet you as well. Some smaller ones that try to follow are dragged back, supposedly by their mothers, while the others hop across the stream.

“Wow, there’s quite a few of you, huh?” Were they all hiding before? The few that approach you tilt their heads, their seemingly synchronised curiosity makes you smile. One brave soul hops onto your lap, snatching your half of the mango from your hands and biting into it himself. “Hey!”

The first monkey on your shoulder gives a little shout, and the newcomer chitters back some sort of argument before continuing to eat the stolen fruit. “Count yourself lucky that I think you’re cute.” You mumble with a smile, resting your hand on the monkey’s head to give the thief a little scratch. The monkey begins to lean into your hand as you coat him with affection. “I don’t suppose any of you could lead me to the Water-Curtain Cave? I need to find some simian royalty.”

Unsurprisingly, none of them answer. In fact, many of them start to retreat back into the shadows. In just seconds, the only ones still there are the two on your shoulder and lap. A twig snaps from behind and you whip your head back to find the source of the noise. Is someone else here? Could it be–

The monkey in your laps hops away, shouting as you jump to your feet. The one on your shoulder climbs down to face the newcomer as your face contorts in confusion.. “What the…” Your words trail into nonexistence, confusion stopping them before you can speak. A stranger standing as still as a portrait, their eyes stare into you, their expression as concerned as you feel. But how else can you feel, when you’re staring at yourself?

Everything from facial features to clothing, she looks like an exact copy of you. There’s barely any time to process the lookalike before she turns to run deeper into the trees. “Hey, wait!” You call out, giving chase to the new you. Leaving the monkeys, you chase your copy past trees and around bushes, jumping over exposed roots and ducking under low-hanging branches.

No matter how fast you go, you can’t seem to catch up to her, though she never seems to make out of your sight. The second you shift into a dove, and you follow suit, taking flight and manoeuvring between leaves and branches. She makes a few tight turns that you’re able to follow, right until following her into a small clearing where she vanishes completely.

Now, more confused than before, you perch on a tree to scope out the area for any trace of her. What was that? It looked just like you… could have been an illusion? Or maybe a trick of the eye, a hallucination? What else could explain a second you? In all your life, you have never seen something so… odd. These past days have been stressful to say the least. Even before the stress of Tripitaka being captured, your life has been nothing short of chaotic since this journey began. Perhaps now it is starting to take its toll on you. Part of you had been wondering how long it would take for you to snap. Maybe this is it.

Before you can ponder any longer, you’re tackled out of the tree from behind. A small noise of surprise escapes you as you’re forced to meet the ground, hands keeping your small form stuck beneath them. You transform back to your original state but your assailant is ready for the change, grabbing hold of your arms and keeping you pinned to the ground. You try to push back but whoever this might be is strong, supernaturally-so. "So, you're looking for the Monkey King?"

The stranger chuckles as you pause, attaining your focus. "Why waste your time with him?" The weight keeping you down lightens, and you're able to get back to your feet.

Standing, you're now able to see your would-be attacker. It's another monkey demon, his build similar to the one you were looking for, maybe a bit leaner. His hair is black, eyes an unnatural violet. His arms stay close to his chest, crossed, with a lazy smirk stretched over his face.

Though, what catches your attention the most are his three sets of ears.

You don’t let the oddity throw you off guard. “Who are you?”

“Someone who can help.” He shrugs casually, one arm dropping to rest at his side while he holds his other out to you. “That is, if you’re willing to give me a chance.”

You eye the gesture with suspicion. “Do you expect me to believe that? You just knocked me out of a tree.” You scoff, though it only seems to amuse the stranger.

“I ask that you pardon my actions, I meant no offence. I could not pass up the opportunity, you were just sitting there…” He trails off for a moment before chuckling, almost sheepishly. “Sometimes my impulses override my judgement.”

He moves around you as he speaks, circling. You follow his movements, refusing to turn your back on this demon. “I doubt you want to waste time debating my actions. Your friend might only have so much time.” His words make you frown. “How long do you think that poor monk has before that king decides to kill that evil ‘tiger’, hmm?”

“How do you–?”

“Maybe the Yellow-Robe Demon will find where they’re keeping him and eat the Golden Cicada before the humans have a chance to do anything themselves?” He ponders with a small grin, stopping to watch your face contort in surprise. “I know a lot more than you think, Dove.”

You take a moment to stop yourself from snapping back with harsh words. It's obvious that he seems to be looking for such a reaction. “Then do you know where Sun Wukong is?” You ask, and one of his six ears twitches at the question.

“I do.” He replies, his expression never shifting from this smug look as he takes a step closer. You refuse to move back, and notice that aside from the differences you’ve already picked at, this monkey demon also stands a bit taller than the Monkey King.

He stares down at you for a bit, his eyes drifting over each of your features. You almost want to squirm under the intense gaze, uncomfortable. “Well?”

Your voice seems to snap him out of whatever was making his mind drift, and a chuckle rumbles from his chest. “I apologise, you might say I am in awe at the moment. I have heard about you and your pilgrim friends, however, being with you here feels different than what I expected it to be. I suppose hearing about a person is different than seeing them yourself.” Has Sun Wukong spoken about you and the others? It would not surprise you to hear if he had complained about the whole ordeal to his subjects, they must have all been curious as to what happened to their monarch.

“I have heard that you are quite cunning,” He continues, Leaning down a bit to whisper as if it were a secret, “tricking the Monkey King into wearing that circlet? I thought that was an admirable feat.”

You step back at that, regaining some space between the two of you. The reminder of your previous actions makes your skin crawl. “I’m sorry to cut your admiration short, but like you said, I do need to hurry. If you do not intend on helping me, I will be leaving to find Wukong myself.”

Stepping to the side, you move past the demon to continue your search. However, after just a few steps, the monkey is at your side again. “You should know, Sun Wukong is not the only one that can help you.” He smiles, and you roll your eyes.

A scoff slips through your lips. “Oh, really?”

“I have quite a handful of abilities, well-suited for your needs.” He continues. “I can take on that demon with as much ease as the Monkey King, save that Tang monk of yours– not to mention I can be much more well-mannered than the Great Sage.” You can’t help but let out a quiet laugh at that. Did Sun Wukong let all his subjects speak about him like this?

You glance over to the monkey with a smirk of your own. “Your words are sweet, but I would be a fool to take the word of a stranger who attacked me upon meeting. I would rather take my chances with the monkey I know than one I am unfamiliar with.”

The six-eared demon is silent for a few moments, and when you look over to him, you can’t seem to decipher his neutral expression. However, it does not take long for him to regain his grin and shrug. “It is hard to argue with that. It’s wise to choose what you know over what you do not.” He stops walking, his head shaking seemingly in disappointment. “Though, I should mention, your monkey is in the other direction.”

Seriously? You bite back a groan, though the tired look on your face is enough to get a laugh out of your tagalong. “I can take you to him, though he may not agree to go with you.” He voices what you already know. You might have come out here only to be sent away, this trip might all be for nothing. What, then?

“If you would rather not risk it, you have another demon at your disposal here. Just ask, and we can grab that pig demon you brought with you and go.” He offers, and you frown. Why does this stranger seem so insistent on joining the pilgrimage? Everything about this demon, it all felt off. Wrong.

Even if nothing was wrong with this demon, it would not change your answer. The possibility of Sun Wukong refusing to come back may be great, but that doesn’t mean it can stop you from trying. “With all due respect, Sun Wukong was chosen for this pilgrimage. He is the one I have come for.” You step closer to the demon with a smile. “So, please, lead the way.”

The demon scoffs a bit, his clear chagrin quickly wilting into a smirk before he shakes his head. “…It is difficult to feel disappointed with that precious aura of yours.” He leans down at you, a little too close for comfort. “You’re quite a treasure with that ‘gift’ as you call it.”

He stays like that for a moment, his eyes narrowed in seeming-amusement. It feels as though he’s watching for some sort of reaction, some sort of crack to your resolve. You refuse to show any, and with a grunt, he turns back and calls over his shoulder. “I am glad to be of service! Allow me to show you to our Monkey Majesty.” You roll your eyes at the nickname before following the six-eared monkey.

The two of you travel for some time in silence, so long that the dark sky starts to lighten just slightly. Part of you wonders if this is all some convoluted trap, but you eventually dismiss the idea. He already had his opportunity to do something if that was really his goal. From initial contact, it’s clear that any sort of fight on your own would weigh well in his favour, and with just the two of you, there’s nobody that would ever know what happened. It doesn’t mean you trust him, you still need to be cautious, but at the moment it seems as though he is keeping to his word.

Maybe he thinks helping you will convince you to accept him on the journey, which you still feel confused over. Perhaps he thinks it could be a way of getting close to Tripitaka and taking him for himself? Your thoughts are put on hold as he calls out over his shoulder. “Tell me, beautiful, why are you so intent on bringing back Sun Wukong?”

“It sounds to me like you already know the answer,” You do your best to pretend you didn’t hear the nickname, “we have to save Tripitaka.”

He pushes out a breath of air. “Sure, but you have others you can rely on for that.” One ear twitches slightly, and he turns to continue being your guide. “That Bodhisattva of yours would do anything for the little girl she found in that burnt-down house, why not go to her?”

His words make you pause, your eyes betraying your previously-composed expression with your surprise. You never mentioned how your master found you. None of the other pilgrims knew, not Wujing, not Tripitaka, and definitely not Sun Wukong. How could he know? “Who told you–?” “Like I said, I’ve heard a lot about you and your friends.” Even without seeing his face, you can hear his smirk, and it sends a shiver down your back. He knows so much about you, and he’s just carelessly throwing this information around in idle conversation! What else does he know? You continue to follow him and whether he cares for your concerns over his knowledge or not, he doesn’t show it. “But that’s beside the point. Why come looking for this demon for help out of all the people you know?” He asks again, ducking under a low-hanging branch.

“Don’t you loathe him?” He digs, and you glance away, gaze drilling into the ground in front of you as you follow. You would not say you loathe the Monkey King, he was actually becoming a little more bearable before his banishment. “Your journey has been so much quieter without him there.”

“Why do you care?” You frown, looking back up to face the monkey demon.

He looks back at you with eyelids dropped in an almost bored look. “I like to be entertained, especially by the hijinks of my…” He glances to the side, “…beloved king. I speak for many of my brothers when I say we were troubled by his disappearance.”

He pauses before meeting your eyes again with a twinkle in his eye that screams mischief in the same look you have seen from Sun Wukong so many times. “Luckily, you and your merry band of pilgrims are exactly the excitement I have been missing in my life. But enough about me, you’re avoiding the question.” He smirks, and you stop yourself from grumbling. “You do that a lot, huh?”

He’s right, though you would have rathered he just kept rambling on and forgot about how the conversation started entirely. Mostly because you have an idea of the answer he’s looking for, though you’re not entirely sure it was true. Even if it is, you would never admit it out loud. “I told you before, he was chosen for this journey. He never should have been sent away in the first place.” You frown to yourself, unable to help but relive the events in your mind, how terrible of a disbandment it really was.

Despite your own feelings, the demon laughs. “I see.” You watch him in confusion as he continues guiding, seemingly dropping the conversation entirely as he approaches a larger bush.

“See what?” He doesn’t respond, instead parting some of the leaves and leaning closer to the shrubbery.

He chuckles a bit under his breath, voice now a whisper. “Your friend seems to have already found Sun Wukong.”

“What?!” You race to his side, peering through the opening he holds open to see none other than Zhu Bajie sitting with Sun Wukong on a large stone. Are they just lounging about?! “That little– ugh!” Has he even told Wukong about Tripitaka and Wujing?

Before you’re able to jump out and confront the two, you pause upon taking in another look at Sun Wukong. He is laughing hard at whatever the two are discussing, in seemingly much better spirits than when you went your separate ways. You’re unsure if you have seen him like this before, or perhaps you’ve been so caught up in your vendetta against the King, you never cared to pay attention to his well-being.

You’re so caught up in the difference in Wukong’s demeanour, that you find yourself caught off guard again when your guide clears his throat. Only when you look up to give him your attention do you realise how close you are, just inches apart to share the space and look through his little window. “Oh, sorry.” You just catch the demon’s small smile before you step away. It’s been a long night, and you’re beyond tired after dealing with this entire situation.

Speaking of, you create your own space to spy through the bush, annoyed by the sight of the two brothers chatting like they were old friends catching up with all the time in the world. If it was not for Ao Lie being injured, you never would have dragged Pigsy here. You have to admit, though, Bajie really must have been telling the truth about that silver tongue of his, otherwise you would think that Wukong would have the pig roasting over a fire by now.

With a sigh, you mentally prepare yourself for confronting the two. “At least this saves me the time of finding a lost Pigsy somewhere else on the mountain. Thank you for the help– huh, I guess I never actually asked for your…” You turn back to your guide, only to find where he previously stood now vacant. “…name.”

A chuckle comes from behind, but when you turn in its direction you only see the whir of a figure, a shadow amidst the trees. You try to scan the area for a trace of the demon, but he is nowhere to be seen.

That was… you aren’t entirely sure what that was.

As creepy as it was, you have no time to ponder it, not when Tripitaka is still waiting for you. You come out from behind the bush, quickly moving to meet the two disciples. “Sun Wukong!” You call out, and the two turn to see you steadily approaching. Pigsy’s eyes widen and he lets out a nervous chuckle while the Monkey King– surprisingly– smiles.

“Dove?” He looks a little surprised, though seeing you doesn’t seem to put a damper on his mood. This is a good start. The monkey slides off the stone they were resting on, to stand and greet you. “Brother, how could you forget to mention you brought along a little birdie to visit me?” 

You rest a hand on your hip as the pig looks frantically between the two of you. ‘Haha… We, um, got separated when we arrived.” He laughs nervously, making you roll your eyes.

“Spare him your lies, Bajie.” You glare at your companion before looking back to the Great Sage. “Sun Wukong, we have come to ask that you return with us to help Tripitaka.”

He laughs softly, side eyeing Pigsy as understanding dawns over him. “Oh, I see.” The pig shrinks beneath his glare before the Monkey King turns his attention back to you. “You want me to return? For what? So Master can give me another head-splitting migraine?” Your frown lessens at the mention of the circlet, and he continues with a chuckle before you can retort.

“You two are fortunate I am in such a gracious mood. Come share some wine with me back in Water-Curtain Cave, then I can send you off together. Wujing must be having a difficult enough time on his own, dealing with demons.” The King shrugs. “Or maybe they’re all sharing a bowl of rice and maggots together, who knows?”

Did Bajie not tell him anything?! “This is not some joke! Tripitaka needs you–”

“Really?” He interrupts you, crossing his arms as he gets closer. “Because he made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t.”

You start to feel annoyance pricking at your skin. You remembered how stubborn he is, but it is still frustrating to deal with.“This is serious, Wukong.”

“So am I.” He stops in front of you, his amused smirk now gone. “Besides, I thought you hated having me around. What are all those things you’ve called me again? Impudent, brazen, callous? I thought your misery was made all the worse the day I entered your life.” You cringe as he uses your own words against you. That is what you called him, what you told him.

You are unable to meet his eyes, looking away in shame. “I am sorry if my words have offended you in the past, but we do not have the time to–”

“Ah, I did not say you could speak.” Your head whips back to face him as he cuts you off, your guilt quickly being overshadowed by irritation. He cannot be serious.

“Excuse me?!” You glare at the Great Sage, who only grins at your reaction. “You do not tell me what I can and cannot do!”

“Yeah, I do here. Or did you forget?” He scoffs playfully, clearly amused before leaning closer “I’m King, Dove. It would do you well to remember that.” His grin stretches out even more as he speaks, his eyes egging you on.

Your glare sharpens as you attempt to reign your anger in. As much as you might like to bite back at his oh-so-cocky words, that isn’t what you’re here for. Saying anything to make him angry will only ensure that he does not return with you, and this entire trip will have been a waste.

When he sees that you have no retort, he lets out a small but content huff and turns back to Pigsy. “Thank you for coming all this way, Brother, but maybe you should take this one back to Master, hmm?” He walks back to the pig demon, gesturing back to you. “I hate to see her feathers get all ruffled like this.”

He snickers at his own joke as he walks past his brother, the pig going to speak but unable to say anything. You start racking your brain for what to say to make him stay, he is obviously in no mood to listen to either of you, but what can make him stop? What can you say to get him to…

Your mind goes back to that day in the orchard, just before that bone demon. All his questions you shut down, avoided. That stranger was right, unfortunately, you do that a lot. Just as Sun Wukong is about to disappear into the trees, you sigh. If this is what it takes to get that nosey ape to listen, then so be it.

“The reason I don’t eat peaches…” You say loudly, making the monkey pause. “…I was embarrassed to say it, because I know how petty it sounds. I… I don’t eat them because of you.”

Pigsy looks between the two of you, a little confused, but Sun Wukong did stop. His back is turned to the both of you, but you see his ears perk up ever-so slightly. You take it as a sign to keep going and walk closer. “I was there for the peach festival. Guan Yin planned to give me a peach of immortality, so I would live long enough to see this journey through.” You hold your arms close to your chest, smiling a bit at the memory.

“I had never felt so happy before. I think, in my mind…” You look down at your arms as you think of how to phrase what was in your mind. “I thought it was her way of saying I was worthy. That I had earned an eternity at her side once the pilgrimage was over, caring for others the way she had taken care of me.

“And when we arrived, you had already taken everything.” Your smile fades as you look back up to Sun Wukong. His head is turned slightly in your direction, though you can’t see his face. “The peaches, the wine, Laozi’s elixir! You took every and all methods we had! I was in the jade palace because without immortality, it was my master’s solution for living until the time came to accompany the Tang monk. I only was ever allowed to leave so I could say goodbye to my friends on their deathbeds. I spent everyday there waiting for when I could begin the journey and guide Tripitaka to the west so I can prove myself and I cannot even do that anymore because the monk was locked away by a king after this demon transformed him into a tiger and–”

“WHAT?!” You barely have time to blink before the Great Sage is in your face, his hands holding your arms in a tight grip. “Why didn’t you lead with that?!”

“It’s all I’ve been trying to get through your thick skull since we’ve been here! I told you Tripitaka needs your help!” You argue, recovering from the whiplash of how quickly he appeared in front of you.

His eyes widen a bit as you speak, his nose scrunching up as his hold tightens, almost hurting. You don’t even have the time to complain before he shakes his head and looks back at Zhu Bajie with a grave glare. “You. Follow me.”

“Yes.” He squeaks, nodding quickly while his brother looks back at you.

Before you can ask him to let go, the demon throws you over his shoulder. “What are you– put me down, Wukong!”

“What, do you want to walk up the mountain?” He snaps sarcastically before jumping up into the sky. Pigsy follows after, and in seconds the three of you approach a wooden bridge leading into a waterfall. 

The bridge leads through a parting in the water, and only once the three of you are in the cave behind the falls does Sun Wukong set you down. You start to smooth out your sleeves from where he had been holding your arms previously as two monkey demons greet you all at the entrance of the cave. Now on the inside, you see how much larger the cave really is. A sheet iron bridge arches over running water, leading to a grand stone palace. Moss and flowers gave colour to the area, several trees sprouted from the ground, their leaves touched by the morning’s light that seeps in through cracks and larger openings from above. Over the entrance to the stone palace is a banner proclaiming, ‘The Flower-Fruit Mountain Rebuilt, the Water-Curtain Cave Restored – The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven’.

“Draw me a bath, quickly.” Sun Wukong addresses one of the monkeys, who quickly runs off to follow his orders.

Pigsy frowns with a befuddled look. “Seriously, a bath right now?”

“Master likes cleanliness.” Wukong is quick to reply. “I would like to clean up quickly before I see him again.” He admits, albeit quietly.

His words immediately catch your attention. Does this mean… “You’re coming back?”

The demon gives you a look you cannot fully digest, conflicted between concern and a simmering anger. Eventually, he sighs and looks back at Pigsy. “You two seem so desperate to have me return, and if Master is in trouble, of course I will help. I will need to talk with some of my generals before I go. The last time I left without a word, there were some… troubles that my people encountered.”

He glances at you again, his frown deepening. Before you can ask what might be wrong, he addresses the remaining monkey demon. “Take my brother to get some food while he waits, and have a bath drawn for her as well. She stinks.”

“Excuse me?! Have you smelt Pigsy?” “Hey!” The pig demon barely has a moment to retort before he’s guided away into the stone palace.

Now alone, Wukong takes your arm in his hand again. “Dove, what did he do?”

“What?” You frown, now feeling completely lost from the whiplash of everything that has happened in the last minute.

“That coward, his stench is like a blanket over you.” He explains, as if it would help you to understand what he might be talking about.

Could he be talking about that stranger? “The six-eared demon?” “Yes!” He puts energy into the word that makes you take a half-step back. “What did he do?”

“He guided me to you and Pigsy, why?” You frown, feeling your stomach become unsettled from his tone.

Wukong’s eyes feel as though they could burn into your head, you feel as though you can see his mind racing, but whatever he’s thinking remains a mystery to you. “…I can have someone show you where to go, we can talk more after we leave.” He lets go, walking past you towards the iron bridge. “And, Dove?”

“Yes?”

“I–” He cuts himself off, glancing back at you with a troubled look before turning back. “I’ll be back.”

#I’ve been so excited to get here #let’s finally get to the ✨communication✨ #little dove #jttw sun wukong #jttw zhu bajie #jttw macaque #sun wukong x reader

[desultory-novice]

I recently found out that “weekend Susie” is a mistranslation and it’s actually called “susie on vacation” in jpn. I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be Susie in the future like Manager Magolor..any ideas on why shes missing her hairclip and the “Secretary” title she always has in jpn? Susie is so hard to figure out..like how she only smiles three times in the entirety of robobot (once when she takes the program controller and twice when singing the noble haltmann but ONLY when saying the words father in jpn) so I’m curious on what your thoughts are on her (and unfortunately has the worst localization ever…i had to look at the robobot translations from @/kaialone on tumblr) sorry for rambling but shes so interesting to me and it’s a bit sad seeing how a lot of the details she has in characterization never get talked about

Anon...Did you somehow know I've been replaying Robobot in Japanese?! And it's basically strengthened my confirmation that some people - though less than before - are a bit too harsh and/or restrictive in their takes on both Susie and her father. 

That said, I do I try to give people room to "safely hate" these fictional characters as, for a lot of people, it may be one of their only ways of processing a gross problem that affects the real world/so much of history that they can't do much about.

But I love the silly/tragic Haltmann family. I'm sympathetic and even semi-defensive towards 'em. Which is why I'm happy to answer any good faith Haltmann asks.

Ahem! Also, before I get into it, I wanted to say that technically "Weekend Susie" vs "Susie on Vacation" is not a mistranslation per se.

What it IS is a localization.

休日 can mean "vacation," yes. When you break down the kanji, literally it is made up of the words "rest day." So it can also be just about any day when you're not working/not at school/not busy.

For most of western civilization (not me because I'm a contractor XD ) the weekends are people's "rest days." To read 休日 as "weekend" might not even be that much of a stretch/localization!

Probably explains the lack of "secretary" title. She's literally not on the clock! As for the hairclip, who can say...? Similar reasons? I know in Susie's case, it's sentimental, though hairpins in Japan often have this association with studiousness/"time to get serious" so removing it is an easy indicator "She's allowing herself time to be silly!"

I do like to imagine that this is a post-canon Susie though. That girl deserves something nice after her trauma...

Anyway, reminder that post-FL, the localizers have been working more closely with the Japanese team to create a more accurate translation for us. I know the wounds from PR's rough translation (and SA's fast-and-loose in weird places one) still hurt, oof, but the Kirby series is getting better about its translations!!

Actually... you know... there's not THAT many cutscenes...

Maybe I will make my own "If they'd hired Dess to translate Planet Robobot" translation of the game? I've already threatened several times to do a full translation of "The Noble Haltmann" with all references/metaphors intact...

But yes! Speaking of how Susie uses her emotions, I was so moved by something in her first meeting with Kirby, I actually wrote about it! And I'm going to share it here, because you might find it interesting~

-

So, I had my eyes peeled for any interesting bits of characterization left behind on the cutting room floor. Immediately, I was amused by how politely Susie talks to Kirby in the beginning. She doesn't really "talk down to him" or insult his intelligence in the slightest. (One could argue that it's a false business politeness, of course. Although she only breaks that in like, the second to last cutscene) Any dismissal of him feels very "company-mandated." (And the company is run by a murderous computer but leaving that aside...)

She gently praises how beautiful the water and the air on this planet is and that's when something... starts to change in her...

Susie gets impossibly sad. And her attitude changes COMPLETELY.

I stopped for a second reading this. "Hold on. What? Why does she lose her cool HERE? Is this some indication that the place she and her dad used to live on was a really poor planet without clean air and drinking water?" And heck, maybe that is the case!

But something else struck me about her line:

"...You don't even know the value of what you have..."

It's not the snooty we-know-better-than-you "misappropriation of resources" that is triggering her. It is having something precious right next to you and you don't even recognize it.

It's about her dad. Right from the beginning.

She can't NOT talk about it. It affects all her actions. Maybe another reason while I feel like it's better to judge Susie on a whole than any one individual action she takes, because (like Magolor, oops oops oops) she is masking her intentions alllll the time.

Also, omg, I know some people are still sensitive about the Mechaknight thing but that is PEAK grim humor in Japanese! It is treated way too cold and business-like in English, imo.

In Japanese, she starts to describe him exactly like she's telling her bestie that she just met the man of her dreams and then the WHAM line: "So, I gave him a full-body modification!"

Yes, it's unhinged. But it's also wonderful. (She's so Eggman-core.)

#Kirby #Susie Haltmann #Dess Rambles #Dess Theories #Saying it again: Susie is very Eggman-core #...Or Robotnik-core. Robotnik-coded??? #Localizations get a bad wrap but they are not all bad #A good localization WILL be better than a stiff translation!! #But a bad localization can be WORSE than one...

[sampofan28]

Aventurine and the Masked Fools: An Uncut Ramble of a Mad Man With Bad Sleep

OKAY I'VE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THIS FOR AGES SO HERE GOES: Aventurine being invited to join the masked fools is so awesome. Like just, genuinely so so so awesome. I LOVE THE MASKED FOOLS, THEIR EASILY MY FAVORITE FACTION IN GAME, AHA IS MY FAVORITE AEON. I've been big into their lore since 1.0 but for a lot of non-masked fool fans Penacony was an introduction to the masked fools for a lot of people.

I think they did great, AND HERE'S WHY. During Penacony we get to see Sampo and Sparkle, what I'd say are the two opposite ends of the masked fools:

Sparkle is a genuinely chaotic evil type of character; she enjoys suffering, she finds pleasure in the pain she causes right. She just likes messing with people in often the most cruel ways, and revels in the chaos. She is the most heinous and evil type of masked fool (and its really cool I love a good chaotic evil). She also appears to be how a lot of the Galaxy views the masked fools: as these evil weirdos who make no sense.

On the other hand, you get Sampo. Now, big lore enthusiasts have been theorizing he's a masked fool since like day 1, and it was confirmed back in the version Topaz came out in (I wanna say 1.4 but I might be wrong). But he's the exact opposite: he views those who find their elation through suffering (like Sparkle) to be distasteful. He doesn't like them, and it almost seems like he looks down/dislikes MOST of the other masked fools. Sure, he is all for going against the law, a little petty crime, some fun chaos, but he clearly has boundaries; he never seriously harms anyone, he never does any really horrific crimes, and we know he's good with kids. In fact, he enjoys playing with Hook and the other moles. He's a chaotic neutral sure but overall he's probably a positive force to Belobog. (Also I have a theory that he orchestrated most of the Belobog plot to take down Cocolia and save it but its not technically canon so yknow).

NOW WE GET TO THE DECISION TO THE FACT AVENTURINE WAS INVITED TO JOIN.

Now I'm gonna explain something a lot of people don't get about the Masked Fools; they are not purely chaotic, they do have a basic ideology, they believe life is meaningless and thus one should have as much elation in their lives as possible. BASICALLY: LIFE IS POINTLESS, HAVE FUN. Which each Masked Fool we've met interprets differently. The other aspect of the Masked Fools is often, NOT ALWAYS BUT OFTEN the ideology attracts people desperate, depressed by life, destroyed in some way. And they tend to reach out to these people as well; it makes sense, if your life has been miserable suffering for no reason, then yeah that would appeal.

AND AVENTURINE IS ONE OF THE BEST APPEAL TO SHOW THIS WITH. His life is horrific, tragedy after tragedy, loss after loss, his freedom almost always out of his hands; he's lived a terrible life that he really never had control in. And prior to the ending of 2.2 he didn't believe he had anyone like truly anyone there for him.

So the Masked fools call out to him, and I think this was a great way to show the masked fools to a lot of more casual fans too: immediately you can connect the dots a lot of them probably were miserable or had horrible lives. Hell I haven't read Sparkle's lil character stories but from my understanding her life was/is pretty damn terrible. It also helps with Aventurine's character; he doesn't want to view life as meaningless, despite the fact he's clearly suicidal, he clearly sees a point in life. My mutual has much better explained it but yeah he connects much more to the preservation than you might initially think. Also ignoring the iffy elements of it I think having Sparkle and Aventurine interact so much was a smart decision thematically, as though this hopelessness the Masked Fools embrace is clawing at Aventurine, trying to lure him in, encapsalate him, and yet it doesn't. He finds a purpose, a will to live, he realizes he does have people who care for him ITS GREAT.

ANWYAYS RAMBLE OVER I JUST NEEDED TO GET THAT OUTTA MY BRAIN HOPEFULLY IT MAKES SOME SENSE.

#hsr aventurine #hsr #rambles #masked fools