#i just don’t want new folks totally lost

[dragonrider9905]

Hunter is not a villain for his caution….What did you take away from Ep 16?

A lot of people have been vilifying Hunter these past few episodes and while we love characters, they have flaws. I’m not saying he doesn’t. I can make fun of Hunter and will definitely call out his flaws but people are putting a lot on his shoulders. Do you not think he’s doing that as well?

“When will it be enough” when he’s talking to Echo. This statement seems cold but maybe he wasn’t talking snotty like us fans are doing so that’s why we took it that way? Fans are at each other’s throats. I saw disagreements but both loved and respected each other. Maybe he wasn’t saying “when will you have saved enough people” but rather “Echo when will you be at peace with all you’ve done?” Because Hunter knows this isn’t a winning fight. He knows the guilt Echo carries. Notice how it’s not a problem for Rex? He asked Rex once why fight and Rex has a totally different aura about it. He just knows it’s what he’s supposed to do. Echo is passionate and angsty. He’s driven by another force. Echo thinks about his time on Skako Minor a lot, as shown in S2 by his comments. How much has he shared with Hunter? Hunter still looking out for him?

I already shared a post about Hunter’s cautions about Crosshair’s warning here.

“I don’t know if it’s worth it” we literally watched Tech fall to his possible demise. THIS IS WHAT HE WAS AFRAID OF. The man wasn’t saying Crosshair wasn’t worth it, but maybe this chance was a foolhardy one to take and wait it out till they had a better one. He knew how sketchy it would be and it’s his call. He wasn’t going to take it lightly because the brothers and sister who are all he has left in the galaxy might be taken. The man is literally paralyzed in fear. We’ve seen him running and not facing problems. It’s not good but it is his coping mechanism. He’s not being mean, he’s choking up and dying inside. And he doesn’t argue when everyone of their own free will wants to go because he does want his brother safe.

“We’ve decided to settle on Pabu” he wasn’t giving up on Crosshair folks. Do you think Echo would drop the hunt not just for Crosshair but because there is a base full of clone prisoners somewhere? They thought Hemlock was killed in the explosion so there’d be time. He was a prisoner now not a lab rat. Once Echo had news, he’d probably share it and they’d bust their brother out. In the meantime….they are grieving Tech! Hunter literally shut down! His face when he told Omega he didn’t make it?! His eyes? And Omega didn’t handle it well when Tech fell OR when she woke up, adding to the fact SHE almost died. Think about someone you lost/almost lost. I know my thinking got emotional and protective when I was in that situation with people I knew.

Hunter is going after Omega, and is seemingly more determined to find her than Crosshair because he has nothing left to lose. Find Omega and find Crosshair. Omega was Hunter’s weakness in a way. If she wasn’t with them, he might have been more along Echo’s line of thinking earlier. Now that she’s taken, that last scene? Hunter’s face, man? That guy is out for blood. It is the first spark of determination and not tiredness in a long time. He’s getting his muster back. The baddassery is about to get real because he’s freakin sick of his family getting torn from him. Hunter needed to be pushed this way for the sake of his character writing. He needed to come to a breaking point. He lost so much when he was desperately trying to hold it together. That’s why he was so cautious. He didn’t want to see his brother fall. He’ll dream of this and blame himself because he sent Tech. He won’t sleep well because he’ll blame himself for Omega getting caught because he chose to go back to Cid’s right after her Almost dying. Sitting by her bed? That was one worried dad. So you expect him to want to keep fighting after she was hitting him because Tech didn’t make it?

We as fans need to stop thinking the worst right away. We need to be kinder and more cordial. We don’t have to agree because that’s the fun of it, to debate friendly certain ideas but the intense hatred for fictional characters who have real human flaws (which is what makes the writing intriguing) needs to end. You don’t have to like him, but please be fair, that’s all I ask. Crosshair has done plenty but it’s forgiven and overlooked (I love the man too guys, but let’s be honest, he’s morally grey.) we’re all grieving. I love Tech and that really hurt to see. Whether or not he’s really gone, I don’t know. But we’re all grieving so I understand being hurt.

I just needed to let it out.

#the bad batch #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #star wars the bad batch #tbb echo #tbb omega #star wars #the bad batch season 2 #the bad batch season 2 spoilers

[theresattrpgforthat]

What's a game/some games you wish you could talk about more?

THEME: Mint’s Favourite Games. (Part 1/2)

Dear friend, I do not know if you know how much pain this causes me because…there are so many games! Games I’ve run, games I haven’t run, games I’ve purchased, games I want to buy… narrowing it down is so so hard. It’s like asking to choose which child is your favourite. So first things first I’m going to drop a link to the Games that Intrigue Me collection that I’ve been fostering on Itch, because that’s where you’re going to see games that I really really want to talk about and play in the future. (There are currently 148 games in there, and that’s just what’s available on Itch!!!) With that out of the way, let’s talk about some of my highlights.

There are 12 games in total that I managed to narrow it down to, so let's take a look at the first 6!

Changeling: the Lost 1e, by White Wolf / Onyx Path (Played)

The most trad game on this list, Changeling: The Lost was the reason I stepped into roleplaying games. It was advertised as a fantastical allegory for healing from trauma, which is exactly the kind of hard-hitting, emotional depth that got me interested when it came to roleplaying games. One of my favourite ways to sell it is to tell you this:

Imagine your favourite piece of media and pick a particular character from that media. Now imagine that the entire story that this character experienced was a lie: a story they were put in, in order to fulfill the whims and wiles of an inhuman, eldritch Fae. Now imagine them clawing their way back into the real world only to find out that nobody missed them, that their parents and girlfriend never realized that they left because the thing that took them left behind a shell of a copy. What’s more, they still feel the pull of the magical world - they can’t forget it, even if they want to. How do you heal from a magic that you can never leave behind?

Changeling: The Lost has a lot of drawbacks. It’s clunky. It requires an unhealthy amount of d10s. It’s got two editions, and most folks prefer the one edition over the other. It requires a lot of prep. The “beautiful madness” can definitely lead into some negative stereotypes about mental health (which is why I recommend re-working the Clarity mechanic into a mechanic about how trauma affects your emotions). White Wolf cannot write a fucking index. But the combination of personal horror with the glitter around the edges has got me in a choke-hold and I don’t know how to let it go.

Bones Deep, by Technical Grimoire. (Played)

I cannot emphasize how well-formatted Bones Deep is. The bookmarking on the PDF for this game is the best I’ve ever seen, and I’m an avid player of Numenera. This is a Troika game about freshly-hatched skeletons travelling the ocean floor, tussling with a cephalopod invasion, cursed wizards, a crab cabal, and the Skeleton War. Each location in this book can naturally lead to others, and there’s roll tables that allow for you to generate a number of story prompts before you run a session. It’s heavily improv friendly, and allows combat but so much more than that.

You need the Troika handbook to run this game, but honestly, Troika is such a great, gonzo system that I don’t even consider that a drawback, especially because the Skeleton characters from Bones Deep are 100% compatible with the larger game as a whole. I’m not going to say that this is a combat-free game, because it certainly isn’t, but I was surprised at how many problems the players could solve without having to resort to combat

External Containment Bureau, by Mythic Gazetteer. (Played)

This game introduced me to the concept of an open-ended mystery that the players kind of put together as they play. The idea of leaving a few possibilities for a whodunit is not exactly new, and ECB is definitely not the first game to embrace a generative style of play, but it implements it very very well. This is an adaptation of Forged-in-the-Dark that speeds up character creation and makes one-shot play more viable than some of the traditional hacks of Blades. The setting also fucking slaps. Its X-Files meets SCP meets the Office. It has the ability to alter how serious or goofy you want the tone to be. It has mechanics for supernatural powers and drawn-out conspiracies.

It also has a cult-flavoured hack called Congregation, which is just as good and you should also check out.

Subway Runners, by Gem Room Games. (Played)

A hella-fast game with a character generator that lets you pick up and play in minutes, Subway Runners is extremely online friendly, extremely reasonably priced, and extremely funny. You’re subway maintenance crews dealing with magical problems in the underground of a fantastical metropolis. It’s a gig economy. It’s got stations built out of buried giants. It’s got traumas like “nervous”, “romantic” and “brave to a fault”. It’s one-shot Forged-In-The-Dark.

Your online-generated character sheet reads like a Contractor File, complete with side hustles, custom inventories, your Lunch Order and your Demerits. Fix train lines, find missing passengers, and send eldritch monstrosities back into the inter dimensional portals from whence they came. All so you can pay rent. This game is off-the-wall and it’s only three fucking dollars. Please, I’m begging you to check out this game.

Slugblaster, by Mikey Hamm. (Bought, not yet played).

I was so excited for this game that I managed to get on the proofreading team! And gosh I am stoked about that. This is another Forged-in-the-Dark game (I think I’m sensing a theme here), this time about teenagers hoverboarding through the multiverse. This game is so kooky and has such a unique take on FitD, with mechanics that really emulate the idea of cobbling together gear and tech to make your kit personalized. It’s a game wholly about teenage self-expression and self-discovery, in a world that's doing its best to limit your independence.

The layout for this game is also wonderfully fun and evocative. It’s brightly-coloured, with contributions from around the world, and suggestions for playing in towns other than Hillview, Canada (although as a Canadian I am also deeply fond of the built-in setting). I wrote an add-on for this game, called Charlock, and you can get it, as well as a whole bundle of goodies in the Slugblasting for Teen Mental Health Bundle here, until the end of July!!!!

i’m sorry did you say street magic, by Caro Ascersion. (Played)

This is a city-building game that I adore playing as a set-up to a one-shot or a campaign. I’ve used it to create a superhero city, as well as a Ghibli-inspired city, and there are resources for making gothic cities, cyberpunk cities, and so so much more. There’s a supplement that I adore called there are names here more powerful than our own, which is pay-what-you-want but makes play more accessible for folks who have trouble coming up with ideas on the spot.

The art for these games is by Shannon Kao, and it’s whimsically mundane. It perfectly communicates the vibe of play. The city generation helps you create neighbourhoods, as well as landmarks and characters located in those neighbourhoods, but it doesn’t stop there. It also helps you generate story hooks that you could pick up for an upcoming game. Finally, the mutual element of creation gives players ownership and investment in the city they create, so when it comes to character creation, you should find that the players will easily be able to anchor themselves in the world.

If you want to hear an example of this game, I recommend @partyofonepod ’s episode, which was recorded with the creator of the game.

You can find Part 2 of this post here!

#dnd #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #game recommendations #asks #indie ttrpg #Mint Plays Games #if you can figure out a thread that ties all of my fave games together can you please tell me #best thing I can describe it is settings with KICK

[nattikay]

“I’m so sad that we won’t get more of Neteyam (outside of potential flashbacks or spirit tree visits) in future movies—”

yes I totally agree, his death absolutely broke my heart and the fact that his family now has to move on and continue the story without him still weighs heavy and even puts a damper on the hype for the next movie because it’s still a bit hard to see the group shots of the remaining family together without the lurking thought that they’re missing one hanging over everything—

“—because we won’t get any new content to thirst over!”

…oh (T_T)

sigh look. The reason Neteyam’s death shook my feels to the core is because that’s Jake and Neytiri’s baby y’all. That’s their little boy, their firstborn, forcibly taken from them way too soon. He was such a good boy too, brave and noble and selfless and he had his whole life ahead of him…and even though they can visit him in Eywa, his family now has to deal with the fact that they they lost one, they’re missing one, in the living world there’s now a certain hole in the family that can never be filled…it’s absolutely tragic on every level, it’s heartwrenching and something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy…

I don’t miss him just because he’s “hot”. Heck, I’m a 26 year old grown flippin’ woman, the idea of fawning over the attractiveness a teenager is naturally incredibly uncomfy for me. And yes, I acknowledge that most of the folks fangirling over Neteyam (and Lo’ak etc) are teenagers themselves, and there’s nothing wrong with teens having a crush on a character their own age, so no, I’m not going to cry p-word or any of that drama…but for me simply wanting to browse the fandom tags, find some cute fanart, read some fics, etc., it is still uncomfy to be constantly surrounded by it.

And yes, I’m aware that this may come off as “holier than thou” or thinking that my reasons for being sad about Neteyam are more noble or justified than theirs, and for that I apologize; that is not my intention.

it’s just a little exhausting to want to find content of this character and commiserate with fellow fans who miss him only for such a huge chunk of said content to be tinged with this constant horny overlay in which I am not at all interested in (and even kinda repulsed by in the more extreme cases).

So yes I love and miss Neteyam, yes his death broke my heart, and while I technically do not consider him my favorite character (the whole of the Sully family is my favorite “character”), coping with sads in my own way does give me a particular soft spot for him and desire to give him more love and focus in my own fanart etc.

But no, I am not a “Neteyam girlie”. I exactly zero desire to fantasize about dating him. I have no interest in fawning over how hot he is in whatever gif. He is not my “pookie” or “babygirl” or whatever other pet names are popular right now.

for me, he is just a brave sweet child stolen from his family far too soon.

#neteyam #avatar #vent I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[seat-safety-switch]

It would be pretty cool to have a matter transporter. You could just jam old broken cars into it, and then have those broken cars instantly teleported to your backyard. Or you could get free shipping on eBay parts by having folks beam those parts into your garage. Or you could go on vacation to exotic foreign countries, buy their shitboxes, and not have to worry about booking room on a roll-on-roll-off cargo ship for the return voyage. Unfortunately, we currently have to obey the laws of physics, which means that we have to still move broken cars the traditional way.

I’m sure the world’s pre-eminent crapcan scientists are working on it, though. They want to be able to order M8x12x1.50 subframe bolts from Japan even when the parts stores here are closed, and be able to whip their junk together just in time to get to work on Monday so they don’t get canned. Their work is hard enough already without having to invent a time machine, or – ugh – go shopping for a new car. That’s a lot of money that could be spent on like 20 or 30 broken old cars, which will bring them more total enjoyment in life.

Until then, everyone who’s really into junk has their own style of getting crap home. They flat-tow it, or fix it on the spot, or they buy an ancient ramp truck and spend all their time fixing that, or they’re in the mafia and know a guy named Tony who has a tow truck and is willing to show up whenever they want and kill as many people as it takes to get the car out of there.

For me, I’m sort of an incremental turtle style. I fix the car there, and then start driving it. Then, of course, it breaks down, sometimes in a new way. So I fix it again, and drive it for another couple of feet. Eventually, I just leave it there and decide to go back another day.

Most of the time this works, but sometimes the parking patrol tow my new car somewhere for me and send me an angry letter about the bill. Since I live pretty close to the city impound lot, this actually works out quite well for me. If they auction it, well, only I am gonna buy it, and it’s unlikely I’ll do it for more than the towing fees that I refuse to pay. It’s this kind of texture that will be lost when those eggheads do figure out how to beam up a 1985 Suzuki Fronte, and it seems likely that I may never drive again, not when I can just teleport onto the lawns of shitty cars and then shove them in the magic portal and all.

[dujour13]

BG3 Act 2 rambling OC thoughts (not spoiler free)

Saedra: tiefling – scholar - warlock

A penniless orphan raised by monks of Ilmater in Baldur’s Gate, Saedra nevertheless has ambitions. Until the tadpole incident she was bartending to put herself through wizard school and struggling more than financially, because although she’s deeply driven, she’s overworked and under supported and just not making it through the academics.

Which is why she jumped at the offer of a pact* from a powerful satyr. It didn’t stop her from continuing her studies, but it did send her in a new and promising direction.

*I have a vague headcanon discussion with Astarion about the nature of devil pacts vs fae pacts: something about legalese being inscrutable and esoteric in its own way, but a fae pact is more like a poem – you never quite know what it means and it could and should mean something different for everyone. Hence even more dangerous.

The satyr, on whom her Guardian is modeled**, for now doesn’t seem to have an agenda beyond encouraging her sexual explorations. She’s cheerful and open about being pan and promiscuous, which is what attracted the satyr’s attention in the first place. Flouting her cleavage at the bar, smoldering looks while polishing glasses, calling everybody “love.” She fully embraces her hot, naughty tieflinghood as part of that fun oversexed persona. (btw when she killed Minthara she totally stole her sexy outfit.)

**her Guardian:

She genuinely likes people and is fiercely loyal to “her gang.” Who counts as “her gang” is a wider circle than some might approve of—at the start of the story she’s outgoing and generous with all sorts of people, especially the refugee tieflings, but that tendency is gradually giving way.

As a warlock she has a nascent cynicism – distrust of the fey, devils and the like***, that is growing as the story leads her to darker and darker places. Of the companions she’s most fascinated by Astarion and Lae’zel, maybe because they have the lowest approval, but also because she loves how tits out they both are about being nasty. It’s a behavior she’s starting to try on for size. I can hear her imitating Lae’zel’s “t’ch” and laughingly calling people “dahling,” half teasing and half adopting a new aspect to her own persona.

***really doesn’t trust Raphael, definitely not letting the pixie out of the lamp

Still, naïve as he rightfully believes her to be, Astarion likes how she has his back and Lae’zel likes how she galvanizes the group and brings them together into a more efficient fighting machine.

Her thoughts on the companions so far:

She thinks Lae’zel is hilarious and hot af. Ironically sees her as naïve in her own way. Dtf but I think Saedra got friendzoned when she started sleeping with Astarion because it’s been all business since then. Snif.

She feels sisterly toward Shadowheart – protective but oddly not sexually attracted. Admires her light/dark-sidedness, her kindness and her cruelty.

Wyll is hot but so very caught up in his hero persona. She wants to fuck him into a gibbering mess. That said, she danced with him and immediately drew a line in the sand when she saw where it was headed, because he started getting more than just bedroom eyes. Saedra does not want some lovesick folk hero pining over her or worse, making sacrifices for her, much as she’s attracted to him.

Similar with Karlach ohhhhh myyyy goddddd but don’t get sappy on me or it’s over.

Halsin (in Act 2, nothing happening yet?) is just a big, nice man she could get lost in. Maybe a little too much of a dad for her particular tastes.

She openly admires Gale’s magical talent and they vibe over being generally decent and liking cats, but she’s a little worried she’s too much for him. He seems fragile. (Oh after I wrote this I found out some things and boy was she wrong. And right. Hm.)

Her desire for power draws her to both Gale and Astarion, but her sexual proclivities lean her more toward Astarion. At the moment he's a casual hook up but also the more she hears, the more invested in his story she becomes.

More on Astarion (I’m in Act 2 so these are early/maturing impressions):

Saedra is very wary of the tadpole as well as the Guardian. She already has a pact with an unpredictable patron who may not have her best interests at heart, so she resists the temptation to use the illithid power or consume the worms, or take Raphael’s or Ethel’s deals either. What’s most interesting about Astarion is she suspects his desire for power is luring him into slavery – a cautionary tale for her as a warlock as well as with the illithid parasites. Totally fine if Astarion wants to try the forbidden fruit. She’ll watch what happens to him. Except—she’s starting to care what happens to him…

And here’s my genius barmaid in a drinking contest which she did eventually win thanks to her determination and a little sleight of hand, but not without getting totally wasted

#saedra #oh also she has the deep female voice and it's amazing

[packedandstrapped]

Hello, I hope this is ok to send you. If not, I apologize and you can totally ignore me. I know you're not the spokesperson for butches all over the world lol, but I was hoping I could get your perspective? Advice? Insight? Not really sure, but something. So, I'm not a lesbian, I consider myself queer but if someone wanted to call me bi or pan I'd be fine with that too. Basically, gender isn't the most important thing to me. Anyways, moving on. I find myself attracted to butches, like heart skips a beat and feel flustered attracted, but from stuff I see and read, I get the feeling that most would not be interested in a bi/pan/queer woman. I know I could be completely wrong though, which is why I'm sending this. And I'm sure there definitely are butches who wouldn't be, but maybe it's not as much as I'm thinking? I'm also paranoid that people might think I'm only attracted to butches because I'm also attracted to men and butches are "like men" (I don't think this, but some might) but that's not the case at all. In my opinion, butch masculinity is very different from cis-male masculinity and I am attracted to both in very different ways. Ugh, I don't know if I'm even making sense but I hope I am. It's only been the last few years that I've been allowed to finally think about and acknowledge this part of myself and so it's all still new for me, and I'm still learning, and I guess I just feel very lost. Any feedback you could give would be very much appreciated and I apologize for the long ask.

Oh darling, this is so cute. I think most femmes I know do not label themselves as strictly lesbian. I’m not saying none do, but I find Bi and Pan labels to be far more common that straight up lesbian. So don’t worry about that piece of what you call yourself. I understand how butchness and masculinity can be attractive in folks that don’t exactly identify with our subculture but you don’t have to identify with a particular label to understand the appreciation.

To be honest, I personally would be apprehensive to enter a romantic relationship with a person who intentionally seeks and dates cis-men. Bi and Pan folks can be attracted to a wide spectrum of people within our community and I fully appreciate and support that gradient. But as a butch, cis-men are not part of my inner circle and not people I want to share my culture or my lovers with. I don’t think that’s necessarily true for all butches but it’s worth acknowledging that some of us will have boundaries there. Some of us have been told our whole lives that we’re the wrong kind of woman and not enough man, so naturally some of us are sensitive to any kind of comparison there.

One of the things I love most about femmes is the care and intention they put into the effort to channel desire directly from butches. This looks different and comes off as mildly inauthentic when it’s done in part for the male gaze as well. This isn’t to say there aren’t folks that attract both butches and men, but it’s a different approach.

I love this question and your desire to know more- I hope my honesty isn’t offensive.

#anon #bi pan anon

[ninacytosis]

For the time lost

Summary: Zuko wants to erase every reminder of his past mistakes, and Katara will take him on a journey to, quite literally, heal both of their scarrings.

Contains: Angst, Fluff, Katara has burns scars from Aang's first attempts to firebend, Katara tries to get over her resentment towards the FN, Zuko doesn't hate Azula.

Dear reader: I hope you enjoy it! <3 Let me know if you want me to continue posting

Find chapter one here and chapter three here.

┊┊┊┊☆┊*🌙*┊☆┊┊┊┊

Chapter Two

Katara thought about her students while folding clothes. A decent amount of people decided to move to the Southern Water Tribe after the war ended, and she knew a lot of families took this as a chance to start over. For now, she was in charge of nurturing the minds of the young benders that arrived. Even though she loved this new job, it was time for her to take a break.

“Hey, what’s with the sunglasses?” her dad asked, taking them off the nightstand and putting them on. “I know it’s summer but we’re still in the South Pole, kid”

Katara smiled. “I’m just packing them for tomorrow”.

His dad offered to help her, but she was almost done when he arrived, so she thought of two plans for her trip instead. Plan A, she would eat at the first rotisserie that appeared on her way to Zuko’s fancy royal mansion/palace/casa. Then, she would go to his house and even though she insisted on staying in a hotel nearby, she would eventually agree to stay. She would get a Fire Nation royalty-style spa day, Zuko’s treat (it’s important to clarify that, at least half of this plan was stolen on Toph’s visits to the Fire Nation. Though it is quite obvious). After all of that, she would ask him (preferably during a beach day) why he is visiting the North Tribe so much. And right before leaving, she would spend a day at Iroh’s shop.

However, it seemed like she had to go with plan B. Sure, it wasn’t a bad plan B, but it definitely involved fewer massages and face masks than the original, and Katara was just a girl who wanted a little self-care. Can anyone blame her?

“I like what you’ve done to the place” Katara stared at the wooden panels on the wall. She was too shy to confess her feelings about fire hazards, she didn’t even know if it was offensive for him.

“I tried to make it a bit retro, you know?” Iroh explained. “Everything is changing so fast, I’m afraid the world forgets its roots. But I guess that’s not a big preoccupation for younger folks”.

The words of Iroh resonated in her head on most occasions, especially since she was aware that he was Azulon’s firstborn. Even if he had spent more than a decade fixing his past actions, it was still weird for her to share the same table as a guy he had resented from the moment she gained consciousness. It’s hard to get used to this new era, and it’s probably the reason she barely went to the Fire Nation, even if it meant fewer hangouts with Zuko. In the last months, Aang helped her a lot to channel her antipathy into different, less draining emotions. Today’s emotion is: curiosity.

“I think I know why you are here, Katara” he offered her a cup.

“Well, we both needed a vacation”, she said. ”Zuko’s told me how busy these last weeks have been for him… plus I missed swimming without the risk of dying of hypothermia”.

“Then you’re certainly going to love the beaches down on Chaisee’s island” Iroh gave her a warm laugh. “Oh, the times I had there when I was your age!”

Katara took a sip on the cup and smiled.

“But be careful, Zuko’s skin might be sensitive after last week”, Katara cautiously nodded, “as a water bender yourself, you know how the healing procedures work”.

Healing procedures? Katara nodded again. Could Iroh tell she was nervous?

“Yeah…. I totally forgot. It’s such a sensitive procedure!” she said, having no idea about this healing thing. “And I wouldn’t want to hurt a Fire Lord, they have a history of heated arguments don’t they?” Apparently, it was impossible for Katara to shut her mouth. “Anyways, promise I won’t interfere in the treatment. Don’t know how I forgot, Zuko told me all about it on my way here… I mean, on a letter of course. He wasn’t on the ship. I guess you know that” shut up shut up shut up.

Iroh widened his eyes and made a frown that immediately told Katara that her attempts to sound unbothered and casual failed, as usual.

“Did I say something I shouldn’t?” Iroh covered his mouth his hand.

Katara tried to comfort him. “Well, he technically told me about his trips to the North Tribe, so it was a matter of time until I figured out what was going on”, honestly, she never even considered the idea of him wanting to get rid of his scar. He hadn't mentioned since he was sixteen. “I have a few questions now, though”

“Maybe you should ask him directly, I’m sure you’re going to notice the change once he arrives. A healing process is slow, and you know Zuko: he wants everything fast”, Iroh sighed, “but in his last letter he told me that this healing session was quite intense”.

He poured the water into two cups.

“The thing is,” he cleared his voice, “Zuko doesn’t understand that there are some parts of a wound that can only be healed by him.”

#zutara #ftl #atla #zuko x katara #zutara fanfic #zutara fanfiction #hope you like it! #pls be gentle this is my first fanfic in english

[house-of-slayterr]

Zsasz Family Headcannons:

An: I’ve had a very long, but good day, so I don’t want to write full fics rn. But I can’t just not post today that’s lame lol. More Hannibal family to come soon, and I might start a new Lost Boys series, I haven’t decided yet.

Tag: @keffirinne @flaysthings @howl-fantasies

Victor:

Big old fucking softie!!! SOFTIE ALERT!!!

Like he’s not as hard as he thinks he is

Boy listens to disco, ain’t nobody truly evil ever listen to disco! That would just be anti black of them. And if there is one thing Victor Zsasz isn’t, it’s a racist.

You’re telling me, despite not being a hero, this goober wouldn’t cut off a racists hands to prove a point? 👀 I mean think about it!!! Like he’s not gonna go around saving people, but he’s also not just going to let it slide if he sees it

Now, after that complement, he deserves a diss as well. Mother fuckers favourite ice-cream flavour is chocolate! Which is never the right answer!

Victor is an excellent dancer. Carmine totally made him take ballroom lessons as a young boy. And when he’s not at work, he’s taking Y/N out dancing! But we all know what activity that ends in 👀

Victor may think he’s invincible but he’s really not. He doesn’t know when enough and enough, but he will listen to those closet to him. If Maggie or V or Y/N begged him to take a day off and rest, he’d reluctantly do it. Victor doesn’t like feeling useless, so he wouldn’t like not working.

This applies mentally as well. He’s insane sure, but even is insane folk need a mental health day or moment sometimes. I think Vic may be physically unable to cry, but that doesn’t mean the feelings that cause tears don’t get to him. He fronts it all with rage and jokes, but I think no matter how duly, he does feel other emotions. I mean fucker loves Y/N with everything he has, he’s got a heart, he just needs to be taught how to use it.

I do think he would loose it if someone in his ��family” died, I mean even with Falcone Victor went a little more off the rails then usual. But as we discussed in a previous headcannon, Victor SNAPS if his Y/N, his amazing wife, the love of his life, his soulmate, dies. And I don’t actually know if anyone, even the others could bring him back from that. Before Y/N, the thought that he’d one day fine someone to actually love him how he is, was what kept him going. Once he found that, he’s not letting it go for anything.

Back to a little more lighthearted. Victor does own colours… they’re just in his second closet. He has a work closet, and a regular closet. I still think he likes to keep it dark, but I can see him adding white, and royal, dark colours like reds, greens or purples. Just a little pop to make him feel special. And match whatever his beautiful wife is wearing, which he thinks she looks best in red (I wonder why🤨)

I think he enjoys being pampered. Both he and Basil are confident in their masculinity and don’t really let feminine things stop them. I mean neither man is one to let other people tell him what to do in the first place. They don’t care what anyone thinks about them. But I can see him taking Y/N or his girls to get mani pedis. He’d not get any colours, but he’d get his nails cleaned up and do a clear coat, or maybe a very subtle glitter. I mean man loves disco, a disco ball on his nails is the way to go!

Y/N:

She also tries to hide her feelings like Victor. But believe it or not, she’s not as convincing as she thinks she is. Even Jim has been able to pick up on some of her minor tells.

Y/N is a control freak. She doesn’t like deviating from the plan, and takes things like being on time very seriously. The only time she ever breaks script is if she’s horny, or caught up in another emotion. I think she actually feels her emotions too intensely. Her impulse control is strong, but as a learned trait. But if she’s truly caught off guard by an emotion, she’ll give into whatever urge that spurs up in here. Sad, run away. Happy, be vocal about it. Angry, kill. Horny, fuck her husband until he forgets any name other than hers.

This is why I think she was so quick to adopt that motherly role. She never wanted to be a mom, it wasn’t something she planned. But I’m the cases of Basil and Maggie, she was overrun by an emotion. Maggie was curiosity, and Basil was greed. Even with little V it was pity when taking on the role of step mother.

Y/N, unlike her husband, is not afraid to take time off. In fact sometimes she does it just to see if Oswald will get upset. She still likes to know her schedule, but when she’s in charge of the change in plans, she’s less worried about it. Wether it’s time off just because she wants to, needs a mental health day, is too injured to work and needs time to heal, or one of her “kitty’s” needs mamas help. She will gladly take that time. (Selena and Brucie are included in her kitten litter, but obviously Maggie and Basil come first)

She cares a lot about appearance, and in tern her families appearance. She totally plans family spa days to make sure everyone is looking their best at all times. But hey, she doesn’t hear anyone complaining. She totally feels like a school field trip aid, trying to wrangle all her ducklings. He husband included, he usually needs the most wrangling.

Y/N may or may not have a teeny eeney addiction problem. She’s turned to drugs and alcohol I’m the past. Because miss girl does not know how to talk about her feelings, at least not before Maggie comes along. And she’s not that great of an influence about it at first either. She pressured Maggie into joining her for drinks and drugs before. But she probably took a long hard look in the mirror after that and realised that she shouldn’t drag people into her problem. I feel like despite still struggling with it, and not really in the headset to give it up yet, she’d probably flip if any of them started to turn out like her. Like a few drinks here and there are fun, but there probably an unspoken “no hard drugs allowed by anyone in this house or your loosing your hand privileges” rule. If she need a loophole around this (if she gave into the cravings to curve her pain) she proably say something dumb like “well I didn’t bring it into the house” she knows it doesn’t comfort anyone but it makes her feel better.

She’s never gonna be a hero, her and Victor like their lives as villains. Having the title of Gotham’s most feared couple. But especially if she grows closer to Bruce, she does genuinely want a better Gotham for her children. She doesn’t want anyone to have to go through all that she’s gone through. She pretends nothing can traumatise her anymore, but those first scars in her mind burn the brightest. She grows more cautious and carful with age, not haphazardly throwing herself into danger anymore. She has proper plans in place if anything were to happen to her or Victor, she just doesn’t tell anyone about it. Can’t have them thinking she’s going soft or anything. And she does try to be a good example for her children in her own way. Sure, teaching your child the proper way to stab and disarm someone isn’t a traditional thing for a parent to pass down, but it’s practical. She’s teaching them how to survive, and hopefully thrive here in Gotham. It would kill her to see one of her little birdies shot down before her. Again, she doesn’t vocalise it though. Jim might not agree with everything she does, but she’s not a monster. She always does the “right thing”, but her version of right might just be a little different. But whatever she does, she does it with certainty and conviction. Her hearts in the right place, she just had things twisted for her from a young age.

Now while she might not vocalise her love for her family very often. She is a PROUD mama bear. Let me tell you. If any goon in Gotham is dumb enough to go after one of her kids… she will make it very known how much of a mistake that is. EVERYONE in Gotham knows very well that you don’t mess with Mama’s kids. But some of them are dumb enough to do it anyways. I could imagine when Jeremiah first joins the side of the villains, and goes after Bruce or V, she’ll give him a warning first. “You see that,” points to them “that right there is one of mine. And next time you put your grubby little hands on one of them, I will cut them off and shove them up your ass!” She doesn’t need to tell them she loves them, it more than shows in her actions.

She enjoys her dumb little domestic moments, just as much as she enjoys killing. Surprisingly, even though she doesn’t think so, she’s in her element in both.

Maggie:

I don’t think Maggie knows how to put herself first lol. Even in the beginning with Oswald, she compromised what she wanted for what she could have instead. Having Oswald as a friend was more important than her original plan. She’s willing to change her life at the drop of a hat, if it means making someone else happy. And when she does put herself first, she feels selfish and panics.

When Maggie loves, she loves intensely and she falls hard. And that’s in any kind of relationship, friends, family, lovers, even one night stands are full of passion with her. I don’t think she knows how to do anything casually. She wears her heart on her sleeve and sometimes it gets her hurt. But I think she falls in love more so with the idea of a person, instead of the person themselves. She ignores so many red flags because of this, because she craves the attention and the warmth love gives her.

I haven’t mentioned it in a while, but Maggie does have her Bachelors in Botany. She is a professional at her job. Her little flower shop adventures aren’t just a means to an end job. She truly enjoys it and feels at home when surrounded by plants. I think she really likes nature in general. She really loves animals but I don’t think she would ever take a pet for herself. She thinks it’s best to admire from afar.

Maggie fully encourages V’s education. She’s the one that drops the girl off at school everyday, and picks her up from Bruce’s house at the end of her shift. Maggie is the one Victor would give custody’s too if anything happened to him, cause he knows V will be in good hands. I can see her staying up late and helping V with homework.

I think Maggie seeks great comfort in her family. She probably ‘borrows’ an item from of them because it smells like them. Like stealing Basil’s hoodies, Y/N’s dresses, V’s beanie or Victor’s knife holster. Sometimes she wishes she had something of Jim’s, but she’s not creepy like Vic and wouldn’t take something without him knowing.

V:

My girl is gay and she has it fucking bad. Of course, she doesn’t really know that’s what it is at first. She never expected her first ever crush to be on Selena Kyle. And Maggie is the one she’d go to to talk about it. Y/N and her dad aren’t going to be sensitive about it, and she’s a sensitive girl. Maggie helped her understand what she was feeling, and couched her on what to do next.

V is also really fucking smart. Like she’s constantly reading something new. Despite never having gone to a proper school, she was able to teach herself most things. Growing up on the streets of Gotham, you had to be smart. Anything less as an immediate death sentence. She probably used to break into the library and borrow their computers to learn more.

She doesn’t talk much unless provoked. She grew used to be all on her own, so it’s strange for her to grow used to this new full family. She never even expected her dad to except her, and now she had more family then she knew what to do with. But that’s not a bad thing, she can just be a little sheltered is all. Beside, what teen wants to talk about their feelings?

V sees violence for what it is. Violence born out of necessity and survival doesn’t bother her. But she’s not as crazy as her father. She tries to minimise the damage she does unless she’s deemed someone as “unsavable” in which case she won’t hesitate. Sure, maybe it’s playing god, but she’s got time to mellow out.

She’s also not immune to emotions, like at all. Poor girl is a raging hormonal mess. She lashes out, and screams until her lungs are dry. Normal teenage shit. Except normal I’m Gotham is normal everywhere else. She doesn’t feel guilt for killing out of survival, but she may express regret for killing out of anger. She doesn’t like being angry, or the things it makes her do.

She dreams of one day getting out of Gotham. Experiencing somewhere new, somewhere brighter. It’s what drives her everyday, knowing she’s working toward a better future for herself. She’ll weasel her way into Bruce’s private school so she can receive the best possible education. And by “weasels” I mean Y/N and Victor having a little “chat” with the principal. Victor thought her want to go to school was stupid, but Y/N supported it fully.

Basil:

Aromantic/Asexual, why, because I said so and we need more representation. I mean yes, there was love and reproduction on his planet, but even back then, he didn’t really understand it. Out of all of them, Basil is the one that genuinely does not feel him emotions. His are probably the most stunted. There’s not really a facade for him to drop, he doesn’t pretend to be anyone unless the mission directly calls for it.

I mean why would a perfectly stable (at least from an outside view) fine young gentlemen, give up his perfectly fine life in National City with his family, to go love with a Villain from Gotham? Of course, no one from National City knows that Y/N is like one of the top villains. But what they don’t know won’t hurt them. He grew sick of pretending back home with his sister, and while of course he would come running if his sisters life was in risk, he has no intentions of ever calling that place his home. Kara fit in, he didn’t. She loved it there, he didn’t. The choice was simplex

Perhaps that’s why he took to Maggie so fast. Replace one older sister with another. And Maggie was much more “down to earth” both literally and figuratively. Kara was naive and lived with her head in the clouds, Maggie has a little more reality ground into her. But some parts of her remind him of his sister, like her almost always cheerful persona, her willingness to help, and the way she’s the only one who can make him feel like a person. Maggie makes him feel human, which at first scared him, but the longer he spent around her, the slightly less disdain he had for their kind. Maggie makes him see the good in humanity; but it a way that was less Disney Princess than Kara. Maggie’s optimism was palatable and contagious.

His relationship with Y/N isn’t the healthiest one. It borders on almost Stock Holm syndrome at first. He blindly fallows orders and would do anything without question. He respects her greatly; as she was the first person to make him feel something other than boredom for the first time in his life. She made life exciting and he craved that little bit of adrenaline he was capable of experiencing. Y/N is sort of like an addiction. But it mellows out as he grows more in touch with his emotions, and their relationship becomes a little less formal.

I’ve stated it before, but Basil doesn’t really get along that well with Vic. He’s indifferent to most people, but he actually dislikes Victor and Jim. Why you might ask? Because they’re going after his girls. Yes HIS girls, that is how he sees them. It’s not jealousy though, there’s nothing to be jealous of. He simply doesn’t think they’re good enough. Victor is unpredictable, brash and reactive, often times getting Y/N hurt either emotionally or physically. Basil also thinks Victor to be stupid (which he is not, Victor just doesn’t really share his knowledge with anyone. He liked being seen as the goofy assassin) Basil once tried to kill Victor when Y/N got seriously hurt (of course Victor wasn’t taking it lightly either, he was probably pissed at himself already) and only Y/N herself was able to stop him. Since then he can be Civil for her sake, but he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Victor the second something he did for her killed.

Basil is also capable of being Civil with Jim. I mean he was able to convince Oliver Queen that he was a friend, how hard would it be to feign an acquaintanceship with the cop? But unlike with Victor where he’s more likely to give the man the silent treatment, he is vocal when Jim does something he doesn’t approve of. Y/N is grown, she can protect herself, but despite Maggie being almost three years older than him, he most definitely views her like a child. And he’s seen first hand how fragile she is. He doesn’t appreciate the Detective playing with Maggie’s emotions. Y/N probably had to remind him sometimes that Maggie is infact a big girl and can handle herself. But even she babies the girl sometimes, so who is she to judge. Maggie’s fiercely overprotective of the two of them.

Now when V comes along… oh dear god. My boy is a MESS. That’s a child! That’s a literal CHILD!!!! His own little sister 🥺. If Maggie thought he was overbearing with her, Lord did she underestimate him. He is fucking putty in V’s hands. Anything the girl wants, she gets. He can’t say no to her. I mean do you blame him? She bats her eyes and his brain just shuts off. He doesn’t like touch much, but Maggie and V are the only two he seeks that sort of comfort with. Yeah, Y/N is allowed to touch him, but that’s not really the nature of their relationship. Maggie almost always initiates touch with him. But with V, he just picks her up all the time. He keeps her close whenever he can cause he likes having her around.

Basil cares as little about Oliver’s team as he does about his sisters team in the DEO. He’ll come if they really need him, but his top priority is protecting immediate family. Sure would Maggie be devastated if he let Oliver or Thea die? Of course, but that didn’t matter, because she would be safe, and he could be there to console her. He tries not to have to visit National city or Star City much because faking all the time got tiring.

I don’t think this man has ever actually smiled in his entire life. Yeah he can be a cocky shit, and besides a frown, a smirk is the only other thing that’s graces his face. But he doesn’t smile. Now that doesn’t mean he’s not happy; he just doesn’t know hot to convey that. But his happiness is reserved for family, and they’re able to read him just fine.

Uncle Harvey:

Totally doesn’t accidentally blame himself for Y/N addiction problem. He was supposed to be the one “good” constant in her life. He arrested the girl enough times, that she began to jokingly refer to him as “Uncle Harvey” and that’s sort of how their relationship went. He was willing to turn the other way on somethings as long as she never took things too far. The couple of times she’d shown up at his apartment and needed a place to stay, sure he was always nice to her, but there were always empty bottles around. I’m pretty sure it’s cannon in show he has an alcohol problem. Harvey wasn’t a saint, but he at least tried to help Gotham.

I high key get Dad vibes from him. I think Harvey originally wanted children, but something went wrong for him. The way he looked at Scottie in that one episode, I could just tell he wanted to start a family with her. And he grew Bitter and pessimistic after things fell apart and he fell more into his bad habits. Probably convincing himself he didn’t deserve that family he had in his head anymore. So when Maggie came around and actually wanted to spend time with him, he was annoyed at first. But it grew on him. And he saw the same thing in Jim when he looked at Bruce and Selena. He’s got his own little unconventional family now. Jim, his partner in crime, Y/N, Maggie and Bruce. He doesn’t really interact with V or Basil much, and he avoid Victor at all costs! Selena isn’t much of a fan of his either. But he already has his hands full.

Harvey shows up when things are important. Maggie’s goes back to school and is graduating? He’ll be there. Y/N is having a mental breakdown and has no one else to turn to, he’s all ears. Bruce throws one of his Gala’s Harvey is always on time. He’s supportive when they’re doing well, and a little more lenient than Jim when they fuck up. A few slaps on the wrist never hurt anybody right? Harvey wasn’t perfect, why should he expect them to be? He’s been in Gotham longer than the Young Detective and doesn’t have his same blind optimism. He understands there can never be no crime in Gotham City, that’s simply not how things work.

An: yea I included Harvey, I love him and I don’t include him enough in stuff. So deal with it 😈

#Gotham #Gotham family #Gotham oc #gotham villains #y/n zsasz #victor zsasz #V Zsasz #basil zor el #kryptonian #supergirl oc #magnolia blossom #Maggie #magnolia #harvey bullock

[likelylarks]

maxiel country music manifesto

okay so i just made a maxiel country music playlist and then i didn’t want to just drop a massive playlist so i felt the need to justify all the songs on it? so here’s the list! (and the playlist)

please be so proud of me for not making this playlist SO long by including taylor swift and brandi carlile because then we’d all still be here, i was SO brave and SO discerning for y’all

1. 23 - Sam Hunt

“You’ll always be my first time….in New Orleans” tell me something that doesn’t scream red bull maxiel more than that line? More than this whole song? You can’t! It’s about how no other teammate that either of them have had has been able to recapture the magic! Also max lost his virginity to daniel and that’s that, we’re starting off strong folks xx

2. Amazed - Lonestar

Daniel totally grew up listening to this song and you can’t change my mind :) he wants to slow dance with max to this song at their wedding :) everyone is like oh my god we get it you’re in love and they’re just like yeah :))))) and gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes

3. Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not - Thompson Square

What it says on the tin! The will they wont they! The lean in! The slight teasing! The speedrun of the song from first kiss to marriage mimicking maxiel’s internal feelings!

4. Austin - Blake Shelton

Long hair blake shelton singing about a maxiel after daniel has moved to renault and they broke up :( but are still in love and need to stop being stupid

5. Beautiful Crazy - Luke Combs

max @ daniel, no further comment

6. Better Dig Two - The Band Perry

They’re scarily obsessed with each other, max would literally rather die than get divorced, if daniel died he would die (daniel does not think about max dying bc it is Too Scary)

7. Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts

Daniel and max broke up when daniel left red bull :( and it took them years and years and years to get back together :( but they did! God bless the broken road! For it was broken! But it led daniel back to max!

8. Body Like a Back Road - Sam Hunt

They fuck?

9. Break Up in the End - Cole Swindell

They broke up :( but no amount of love is ever love that is wasted, and there is never a world where they could regret being with each other - or they were never together and this is about daniel breaking up with red bull and how he’d still do it all over again because when it was good it was Good

10. Buy Dirt - Jordan Davis, Luke Bryan

This is vineyard au daniel’s favorite country song, loves the land and the grapes and making max happy with what he grows there

11. Check Yes or No - George Strait

Very cute, very sweet! Also can very much see a high off his ass daniel writing a little check yes or no note and passing it to max and looking at him with wide eyes, pupils blown out huge and not looking away from max’s face as max, also high off his ass, checks a box with shaky hands and shoves the paper back at daniel, and daniel looks down and max checked yes and daniel says “cool” and then max has to be the one to kiss him

12. Colder Weather - Zac Brown Band

I love daniel but he is a ramblin man and he aint ever gonna change, he’s got a —- soul to blame and he was born for leavin, i think the first few months, maybe even years would have been really hard because max wouldn’t understand why daniel couldn’t just be happy right where they were all the time

13. Die a Happy Man - Thomas Rhett

Max has an unending faith that daniel will win a c-word, daniel tells him he doesn’t need one (it would be nice but he doesn’t need it) when he has max

14. Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

I think it’s amusing to imagine millionaires going to apples bees (spelling intentional, that’s how i pronounce it to make my dad fondly roll his eyes) and i think daniel would like to pretend that he would be comfortable there

15. Fast Cars and Freedom - Rascal Flatts

“You don’t look a day over fast cars and freedom” daniel @ max and his perpetual baby face, also peak vibes but i can’t describe the vibes you just gotta listen and then you’ll get the vibes

16. Forever After All - Luke Combs

Many things don’t last forever, max and daniel wouldn’t know anything about that xoxo

17. From the Ground Up - Dan + Shay

It’s about building a family and building a life and the safety and security that comes with it! It’s about choosing each other over and over and over for the rest of their lives

18. half of my hometown (feat. Kenny Chesney) - Kelsea Ballerini

No matter how far he goes, how fancy a house he gets in LA, or how famous he gets, there’s always going to be a part of daniel that’s still that goofy kid from duncraig in perth

19. Head Over Boots - Jon Pardi

Did y’all ever see that video of the chick lip syncing this song to her girlfriend while her gf drives? That’s maxiel

20. Highwayman - The Highwaymen

It is my personal belief this song is on daniel’s ancient ipod, i will be accepting no criticism at this time or ever, also it’s about cycles and storytelling and can we ever go back?

21. I Don’t Want This Night to End - Luke Bryan

They’re hooking up! Don’t want it to be over because then they have to acknowledge they just slept with their teammate! Does not stop them from hooking up again and again!

22. I Got the Boy - Jana Kramer

Slightly to the left of reality where max is still with kelly but he did date daniel when he was younger, daniel is sad :( but there’s a part of max that will always be his so he won, he guesses.

23. In Case You Didn’t Know - Brett Young

Daniel @ max when max says smth stupid about how daniel doesn’t need him as much as max needs daniel

24. It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere - Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffett

I couldn’t resist? Essential listening?

25. I Want Crazy - Hunter Hayes

They’re insane about each other! Max does not realize this is not normal! Daniel knows this is not normal and does not care!

26. I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton

Daniel leaving red bull, gifting the number one driver spot to max (as much as it was his to give), what greater act of love (for max, for himself) than to leave?

27. Jolene - Dolly Parton

Max @ every woman who ever looks at daniel for longer than 0.3 seconds

28. Just a Kiss - Lady A

Put them wherever you’d like, the vibes are there! Idk they’re in high school and they’re lying in a field somewhere, max pointing up at all the constellations, daniel keeps humming like he’s listening, but really he’s turned over on his side and he’s just looking at max (they planned to go all the way tonight, for the first time), max is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, max eventually lowers his arms and looks over at daniel only to find him already looking, “daniel, will you kiss me”

29. Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffett) - Zac Brown Band

I couldn’t resist? Essential listening?

30. Lady - Brett Young

SORRY but max is the most excellent mother, we all been knew, daniel been knew, etc.

31. Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw

is this not the formula one thesis?

32. The Long Way - Brett Eldredge

Daniel showing max around perth

33. Love You Like I Used To - Russell Dickerson

Every day they are more in love! I don’t make the rules!

34. Made for You - Jake Owen

They were made for each other, they were made to be parents, etc. i do not make the rules, i simply find the country songs that reflect them

35. Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett

I couldn’t resist? Essential listening?

36. Marry Me - Thomas Rhett

In the music video she shows up at the diner where the best friend has run off to and does NOT marry the guy and that’s the plot we’re going with - the vibes are similar to @abedsmessedupmeta ‘s catalog of non-definitive acts on ao3 (washtheseghostsclean)

37. More Hearts Than Mine - Ingrid Andress

Daniel taking max home to perth and everyone loving max and max being like what if we break up and daniel is like well then you’ll make everyone sad so we should just stay together forever

38. My Girl - Dylan Scott

Daniel is stupidly in love with max, hope this helps

39. My Wish - Rascal Flatts

It’s a good song, and they just love each other y’all, they want the very best for each other

40. Night Train - Jason Aldean

Idk put them in the just a kiss high school scenario again or idk i get come on, star boy ( @yekoc) vibes but like while daniel is at bama and max is still in high school, there’s just something about train whistles mixed with cicadas, nothing quite like it, they’d have fun making out to it

41. Nobody But You (Duet with Gwen Stefani) - Blake Shelton

When this song came on the radio i had to one hand drive down the interstate so i could shazam it so i could keep it because the maxiel vibes were so strong, they’re insane about each other thank you for coming to my ted talk

42. Play It Again - Luke Bryan

Max watching daniel dance stupidly at some house party, thinking he’s the most incredible person in the world

43. Remind Me (with Carrie Underwood) - Brad Paisley

Daniel to renault then mclaren, it’s been so long since they’ve been together, they fall right back into as soon as they let themselves, as easy as breathing

44. Sand In My Boots - Morgan Wallen

Daniel meets max while max is hitchhiking through australia? And max says he’d like to see perth but then he has to get on a flight and go back to europe and daniel goes home to perth alone (max comes back to australia, visits all the places daniel told him about hoping to see him, he does)

45. See You When I See You - Jason Aldean

Daniel leaving red bull, promising max they’d still be friends, max curling daniel’s fingers around the fuel scented candle, saying see you later

46. Setting the World On Fire (with P!NK) - Kenny Chesney

Remember that time they saw each other in passing in LA? Idk they met up that night bc they’re in love and young and beautiful and deserve to be drunk and pretty in LA together

47. She’s Everything - Brad Paisley

Daniel @ max, max @ daniel, hope this helps

48. Something to Be Proud Of - Montgomery Gentry

Cannot convince me that daniel did not grow up listening to this song, he hears it again while they’re in austin, while they’re doing that stupid PR video, he takes his hat off and puts it on max, sings under his breath, max is the life he can hang his hat on

49. Speechless - Dan + Shay

Max is the most beautiful person daniel has ever seen ever in his life! Daniel is the most beautiful person max has ever seen ever in his life! Sometimes they get overwhelmed! I would too!

50. Strawberry Wine - Deana Carter

Daniel took max’s virginity :)

51. Take Your Time - Sam Hunt

This is how it starts! Fun! Casual! And then, of course, they do want to take each other’s hearts and call each other baby :)

52. Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton

Max is as sweet as strawberry wine (see above), but also, there’s a lot of ways that daniel could cope that are unhealthy, instead he goes home to max

53. That Ain’t My Truck - Rhett Akins

DANIEL IS MY GIRL !!!! MY WHOLE WORLD!!! MCLAREN IS NOT MY TRUCK!!!

54. Think of You - Chris Young, Cassadee Pope

They’re a package deal even when they’re not (“they still call you daniel”)

55. Toes - Zac Brown Band

I couldn’t resist? Essential listening?

56. Unanswered Prayers - Brooks Jefferson (IT’S TECHNICALLY GARTH BROOKS but he doesn’t have, like anything on spotify???? King??? Why???? This is NOT the first time this has been a problem, everyone please go listen to the original, the cover is just on the playlist for posterity)

Idk something about the way that daniel was with his high school girlfriend until 2016/2017 (i can’t remember exactly when they split), and then wasn’t seriously with someone for A While IRL, and then to make it maxiel (bc that’s what i’m doing here), something about how daniel probably really wanted it to work and then he met max and was glad it wasn’t working, and then got to be with max, and years later runs into jemma and is so fucking glad he didn’t try and stick it out because max is literally everything

57. Wanted - Hunter Hayes

I just think there are different ways and different times where they have felt unwanted but never by each other

58. Waves - Luke Bryan

If you ask daniel, max was made for summer and being under the southern hemisphere’s stars; if you ask max, he’d say the same about daniel. And that’s love baybee

59. You’re Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins

It’s maxiel as parents, it’s maxiel as some of the most established drivers on the grid, it’s maxiel reminding each other to enjoy their triumphs as they happen

60. Yours - Russell Dickerson

They love each other :)

#maxiel #max verstappen #daniel ricciardo #i worked so hard on this lol like too hard on this

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough: patches, Astarion thoughts, Grymforge

(Spoilers)

Patch 4 is a thing: People are complaining that the patch made Cazador stronger and removed the way to end the fight quicker by yeeting him over the edge of a platform… I dunno. I think you SHOULDN’T be able to cheese the fight like that. I think he SHOULD be hard to beat. He’s such a crusty unimpressive little dickwad, making the fight super hard is going to be the only way I can take that dried up asshole seriously. I’ve also seen some people complain the update made them redownload the whole game again? Or doubled the size of the game in their storage? Wut? Didn’t happen over here, for me, the update was about 10 gigs and only took a few minutes to complete??

Also some discussion about how the patch has added the ability for a dark urge to blame a murder on Astarion. Am I going nuts? I STG I saw that option already. Was that an early access thing or something? When I read the patch notes I was surprised it was a NEW addition. There’s some cranky discussion that Larian just wants to be mean to Astarion - look guys, I think Astarion is probably the favourite character, judging from the amount of his content and the marketing. What’s that old saying about how it’s a terrible thing to be the favourite of the narrative? Because then all the bad stuff happens to you? Anyways if a dark urge is going to blame a murder on anyone, Astarion the VAMPIRE is the obvious choice. So myeh. I think it’s nothing to get offended by, folks. The dialogue that triggers if you do this BTW is hilarious, the team is just like “ah yes, murderous Astarion, that makes sense” and they seem generally ok with it. “Oh Astarion! You and your murder!” Astarion is not happy you accused him, but he seems more offended not simply just by being accused of murder, but by being accused of murdering someone and wasting all the blood.

So I’m working through the grymforge now. In the beginning I was getting horribly lost constantly, because the map changes around as you go to different areas. I think I’m good now but it was funny at first. Even in a video game with a map right there, my sense of direction is terrible.

I liked the little touch of Astarion disapproving if you bow your head in respect by the large group of dead gnome slaves. He is totally fine if you vow to get revenge on their murderers, but useless thoughts and prayers don’t do shit to help anyone. I think I’ve mentioned that he seemed like he was getting better about being huffy when I decide to help people, but then I grabbed a chunk of disapproval for arguing with Nere and Brithvar in support of the slaves. Guess my man still has some issues to sort through. I know that we have his dislike of gnomes in general, lol, but he doesn’t have objections to me helping the gnomes in other situations - IE inviting Barcus to stay at our camp - he specifically objects to me insisting the slaves be let go. In my head I imagine that he gets angry seeing someone jump in like a knight in shining armor saving these people being hurt and killed under their cruel masters, not even asking for any payment in return, when there was no one, not a single soul at all, who helped him in the almost 200 years he spent enslaved by Cazador. I feel like the more someone is in a situation that reminds him of himself, the more uncomfortable and angry he gets about it.

Poor dumbass. My big buff drow is gonna scruff him like a feral cat and feed him churus until he stops hissing.

I’m reading a lot of thoughts about how sad Astarion’s ending is if he stays a spawn and loses his ability to be in the sun, I’m reading drabbles about him crying about being burned in the sun, never able to be in the sun again etc, and it’s like…

I’m not saying it’s not sad, cause it is. His origin scene of waking up in the sunlight is good, his romance morning-after where he’s literally basking in the sunrise (and perhaps it can be assumed, is something he does most mornings) is so nice. For some reason though, I’m just not as moved by it all as much as other people seem to be. Maybe it’s because I have a drow tav who really isn’t… like, the idea of never being able to be in the sun, just in and of itself, it doesn’t feel like that much of a tragedy to him and to me, as a single issue. I know it’s not a single issue, I know the sun thing is symbolic of all the other vampire spawn issues coming back. But in fics and discussion people really do fixate on the sunlight, even suggest that it’s a good enough reason to do the ascendant ending, just to fix it, and yeah. Man. Look, my guy over here knows plenty of people who lived their whole lives without sunlight at all, sunlight is certainly lovely, and it’s certainly not a great thing if the choice is totally removed from you, but this enormous TRAGEDY? I just don’t feel it.

Plus I dunno guys. Maybe I’m weird, but I don’t think the answer to everyone’s story arcs is necessarily erasing everything that’s been done to them and doing a factory reset. It’s too bad Astarion isn’t able to keep the fun perks of the tadpole, but, like, that’s ok. That’s something that can be moved on from. If doing the right thing was always easy and without any tradeoffs or consequences ever, everyone would always do the right thing. Something something you can never really go back because you have been changed by the journey. I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain. I’m not that sad about it and honestly I find it more satisfying in his epilogue that he now has some spawn limitations to contend with again, more satisfying than if everything had just been magically fixed forever like a handy little factory reset. I really like the post-game idea of my drow tav and him traveling through the underdark together to try and organize the freed spawn.

Anyways back to the Grymforge: I met Nere and kicked his stupid slimy ass. I was really mad there seems to be no way to save that poor gnome he flings into the lava. I had no idea you could invite Barcus to stay at your camp? I’ve thoroughly spoiled a lot of things with this game for myself, so I’m always really delighted when I run into something I legit didn’t know. Man dude, I hope this guy you’ve been chasing is worth it. Somehow I rather suspect he isn’t. But you what makes me a bit bemused……. So drow are supposed to have a matriarchal culture, a TERRIBLE matriarchal culture, where males are enslaved or even just freaking killed. And yet, even so, of all the drow characters I’ve run into so far, two have been women and six have been men. (and that’s not even counting the petrified drow that stayed petrified in that field, who I’m assuming are also all guys!) Even in a matriarchal culture, there’s still more important male characters than female ones?... kinda bemused by that. Oh well. Small niggle.

I think there’s an elevator here that leads straight to act 2??? Am I already that close to being done act 1??? When I’m done in the underdark I’m doubling back to do the stuff in the mountain pass.

A personal side note: Astarion’s face is starting to piss me off. I had an ex with an extremely similar face, similar fine bone structure and high cheekbones. He was much younger though. Guy was the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, and dumb as a box of rocks. (Stupid, anti-Semitic rocks) I am constantly reminded of my stupid ex while I contemplate Astarion’s cheekbones, and I mourn that that man was not blessed with more sense or else I might still be with him.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 playthrough

[what-gs-watching]

“Sunlight over me, no matter what I do.”

This week on what G’s watching - what G’s listening to. 

This is exciting!

Gang, I told you content is how I apparently digest my feelings, and a big ol’ part of that is music. Always has been, my dad has this crazy extensive collection of albums. When I was a kid he always had something on in the car, or playing from the old stereo in our living room. One of my favorite memories is listening to the Beatles’ White Album with him on long afternoons. He’d let me dance around on his feet, and we’d sing every single one, I was the eight year old who knew the entire thing by heart.

Music is a core fucking memory for me, it’s my dad in a nutshell. I remember one year for Christmas, he gave me a bunch of burned cd’s - all of the Beatles broken up by time period, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell,  a set of discs that included the top songs broken out by month between 1964 and 1968, six in total. The tracks, he told me eventually, perfectly encapsulated the way those different seasons felt to him - The March/April disc really feels like springtime.

If you knew my dad, you’d know that the effort he put into it was much  more than his usual Christmas attempts, which were: my mother buying the gifts and then writing his name on the tag. 

So the point is: music can be an incredible thing and it’s a large part of who I am. I could write an entire post about all of that (and one about the Beatles, and one about Paul McCartney specifically, and one about Adele, and one about Bo Burham…see, I’m nuanced)  but I won’t. Right now, at least. 

Because I want to talk about Fleet Foxes. Specifically, Helplessness Blues.

This album came into my life at a weird time, I’d moved to a new city and was working my first ever real tech job and I was living with my sister, trying to figure my shit out. Which involved coworker-turned-friend drama because at the time I was absolutely not the best person, and it was very early 20’s of me. You know, when everything feels frenetic and you aren’t sure what the fuck you’re supposed to be doing with your life, so you’re just…doing random things, all the things. 

Which made me extremely susceptible to the creeping kind of darkness infused with hope the album has. I have a penchant for indie folk bands. I can’t help it. I fucking love guitar and thrumming drums with violins and shit. It just feels real to me. Authentic. Organic.

So it’s no wonder Fleet Foxes pulled me. I had a couple of their other songs on random playlists but had never attempted to listen to their first release. And then one day I was getting my oil changed, sitting in the waiting room and I read a review of Helplessness Blues in a magazine, probably Rolling Stone. I immediately bought it, which wasn’t really like me at the time - I was deep into stitching together random lists on my ipod, pulling tracks from all over the place, but I felt like I had to.  Thankfully.

I don’t know what it is about this album, but it’s the perfect mix of mauldin, shiny, twisted, uneasy, exciting, overwhelming. It feels like there’s a story to it, it’s cohesive and purposeful, but I couldn’t tell you what the narrative actually is. And that’s probably the point. It’s whatever the story is to you, and man this album for me is angst and questioning and accepting. It’s become one of those perfect albums you can listen to, never skipping a track, because they’re always a little different depending on the mood you’re in.

And right now, I'm in a weird mood. I’m lost in my life again, and angst sounds about right, so I put the album  on this afternoon after I’d finished my unemployment application and tried to harass the pharmacy for my husband, did some laundry, some dishes, random life things. I decided all I wanted to do with my Friday was chill the fuck out, blast Helplessness Blues through my airpods, and just, be with myself, and  something familiar. Inside my own brain, but with something comforting, lulling me in the background. 

I wanted to wrap myself up in something, and this was the perfect choice. Apparently one of my coping mechanisms is to just put some music on and let it overwhelm me, turning the volume up as high as I can tolerate, and singing along as needed at the top of my lungs. It’s honestly therapeutic. 

That’s what Helplessness Blues is good for. Because it’s quite a production. You can get lost in the story and it’ll morph into whatever you need at the time. Today it’s a squirming  sense of unease, but also triumph. It’s so good.

I could probably talk about all of the tracks, I’m not going to lie, but that sounds exhausting; they’re still lulling my brain right now and I don’t feel like I could pick out each one well enough, they flow together too well. 

However, The Shrine / The Argument is fucking ambitious. It’s so many different things all at once and it’s almost confusing as one song but eventually it’s really, really not. It’s weird and it ends with a horrible cacophony but then delivers really soft and agonizing violins. It has some of my favorite lyrics from the entire album:

In the morning waking up to terrible sunlight / All diffuse like skin abuse the sun is half its size

When you talk you hardly even look in my eyes

In the doorway holding every letter that I wrote / In the driveway pulling away putting on your coat

In the ocean washing off my name from your throat

Because, who hasn’t felt like that? It’s a really specific loss. How else can you say something like that? 

This is clearly getting away from me, but that’s okay. This is what I wanted to do today. I don’t do this very often, Helplessness Blues isn’t in my regular rotation, because it deserves to be listened to and I don’t always have that kind of time. I’m thankful that I do today though, I’m almost through my second rotation, and it's helping. I’m updating the story that it is, for me. Next time I listen to it, it’ll remind me of this stupid thing I’m going through and all that I am right now, a little bit. 

For example: listening to Blue Spotted Tail was very Crowley and Aziraphale today.  That’s apparently where I am, so now it’s part of the story. 

Why in the night sky are the lights hung? Why is the earth movin’ around the sun? Floating in the vacuum with no purpose not a one…

Poor little Antony J.

 Why is life made only for to end? Why do I do all this waiting then? Why this frightened part of me that's fated to pretend?

So. If you need to feel ways about things (we all do, now and again, right) this album will do it for you. And this is a terrible love letter to it, but just…trust me.

#fleet foxes #helplessness blues #what g's watching #comfort music #Youtube

[thedovahcat]

Squints Audibly

It’s sure been a year this year.

AKA I’m finding out new things about me as the months wear on, and I’m also turning into more and more of a mess.

It’s always like this when big change happens though, I’m sure I’ll truck through it ok even though it doesn’t feel like it. Like I mentioned before, a lot of studying and a lot of college will be in my future in 2023 so that’s making me both anxious and excited.

I did decide to finally do one other large thing for myself, totally of my own volition. And that is to be assessed for any sort of disorders and what have you by professionals. Unfortunately it’s going to come out of pocket because I have no insurance right now, but... It is something I’ve wanted to know for a long time.

Even if I came up with a ‘clean bill of health’ if you will, I don’t think I’d be so disappointed, even if it cost quite a bit to get an assessment at all. This is the first real thing I’ve done as an adult for myself and I’m what... Almost 30. It feels kind of sorry and pathetic but, everyone comes into their own at their own pace. I am just slower than most, but I’ll get there eventually.

Still.. I am curious to know if all these ‘slightly to the left’ feelings I’ve had all throughout my life are an indicator of anything. Have I been slammed by the folks about wanting to label myself? Absolutely. Why would I want to mesh my whole identity with a damning thing like that and all, they say.

To which... It’s made me realize, whether or not I do have some disorder it IS a part of who I am. And I don’t want to feel ashamed about that. It’s not like it’s held me back academically or from obtaining a job, thank god, but still... I want to know just for myself. It would give me some kind of confirmation or comfort. Maybe I AM just a quirky person with nothin’ really wrong or off about them. Or maybe not!

I’d say more socially lately it’s been destroying relationships I’ve had, and that really does concern me, though I’m trying to once again put social media at an arm’s length. Quitting twitter will be but one step to that and I’m proud of myself for -that- much. Not having a job certainly gives me WAY too much time to focus on stressing about dumbass petty internet problems with people, whereas when I WAS working I was so stressed out about THAT that I had no time for smaller things like that. Which is both a blessing and a curse. But, we all have our things like that.

I lost my train of thought in the middle of this but, regardless... lots of changes are coming up. Lots of uh, expensive changes. But, what can ya do. Money is for spending innit. Is it kind of making my hands sweaty cuz it’s dipping into my college fund, yes, but, like I said, I don’t wanna jump the gun and say one thing or another for certain until I know so...

So we’ll see!

[fluffyotters]

My favorite animes list

My favorite animes that i’’ve finished/plan to that don’t include the big ones (Bleach, Naruto, Dragonball, One Piece, etc which haven’t ever really appealed to me)

1. Yugioh Original and all series including Zexal, Vrains, and Sevens.

The true classic anime and I absolutely love all the protaganists, Also everything will be solved by awesome card duels. 

2. Gurren Lagann

My first non yugioh anime that wasn’t a Ghibli movie. Absolutely incredible. Kamina is one of the most inspirational people and so is Simon

3. Saint Seiya, Saint Seiya Omega, Saint Seiya the Lost Canvass, Saint Seiya Knights of the Zodiac,

Warrior Astrological saints fighting the gods? Yes please.  Also I love all the spin offs and Omega and the new Kotz are wonderful and unfairly hated on. 

4. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures

Its in the title. Each different Jojo is wonderful and unique and they’re all amazing and this stuff is just wild. 

5. Tiger and Bunny

I think the first modern superhero anime that lead to My Hero Academy and Such. I absolutely love Kotetsu and Barnaby’s becoming partners and also the being a hero versus hero celebrity and advertisement capitalism. 

6. My Hero Academy

I love superheroes and powered people and them wanting to be a hero. Kirishima and Izuku are absolutely incredible and Kirishima is just one of the greatest inspirational characters ever. 

7. Fire Force

Fire powers, cults, religion, the threat of people spontaneously going infernal and bursting into flames, heroism, it is just one of the best things I’ve ever seen. 

The only thing that really keeps it from being a great on the level of masterpiece (which it is in literally everything else) is the sheer female “fanservice” cringe. A lot of anime tend to do have at least some to appeal to the more perverted folk but Fire force has some of the worst I’ve ever seen which is saying something, Not on the levels of Bastard!! (I’m amazed that was something that was ever printed in a general audience let alone recently animated) or Enemy Combatants will be dispatched but definitely up there which is honestly really disappointing since Fire Force is not that type of story. 

On the other hand the male fanservice is glorious. 

8. Sk8 to Infinity

Skateboarding and Love. Reiki and Langa are Love as are Joe and Cherry. Adam is also one of the coolest most theatrical messed up people.

9. Love After World Domination

Super sentai parody. Just think power rangers except less focused on the battles because Red Gelato and Reaper Princess are on opposing teams and just doing a secret relationship. It is completely ridiculous, awesome, and so adorable I’m just screaming. I wish there was more and even could do complete anime original material I wish for because even the set up is something you can make multiple entire seasons worth . 

10. Tomodachi Game

Yuuichi is something else. It’s all a friend game which is more important friends or money and the twists keep coming. He’s one of the scariest protaginist “hero’s” i’ve ever seen that were actually the (more or less) good guy mains. 

11. Kaguya-Sama: Love is War

Also one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Both adorable and I want to also friendly choke the life out of them too to get them to admit because they’re all so adorably stupid smart people and just Shirogane and Shinomiya circling around totally in love and trying to make the other admit it. Also the narrator is just  glorious funny as heck and the openings are incredible lol.

12. Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Saiki is God. Utterly amazing one of the funniest greatest animes haha breaks the fourth walls, sheer comedic brilliance, incredible characters, Saiki’s logical going under things, and being complete tsundere in the actual way of how much he loves his friends lol. 

13. One Punch Man

It’s One Punch Man. Utterly hilarious and funny and just awesome characters and how one can still have an awesome story when Saitama can one punch everything except for like the final boss which doesn’t last two and be victorious. His power is so phenomenal he has to be nerfed by his complete oblivious apathy for well obvious reasons. People need to stop ranking power levels that involve Saitama though: there is no scale he either always wins in his universe or would probably get his butt kicked in other universe if he doesn’t have his one punch. It just doesn’t work. 

14. Kuroko no Basketball

The sports anime. Basketball with essentially superpowers in awesome ways but still played realistically. Everyone is incredible!

15. Hinomaru Sumo

I never thought I would be interested in Sumo until this. I’m not into sports in real life anyways but these animes are incredible. And Hinomaru Sumo is just supremely underrated also one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Tradition, Honor, Spirit, as well as differing body types and incredible characters. Gojo Yuma’s genuine repentance arc is also one of the best things i’ve ever seen and probably only just below Zuko the Avatar’s being on a smaller scale but he actually repents and atones and actually apologizes and works on himself which is rare. Lots of life lessons and characters, in addition to wrestling and it was just wow!

16. Kengan Ashura

Martial Arts, incredible bodies, and awesome characters!

17. Baki 

Same though Kengan Ashura is more realistic power based.

18. How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom

A political anime that was a good brevity of realpolitik while also being really enjoyable where its politics but wouldn’t get too stuck on it either. Of course some things would be a lot harder to get done realistically. It turns the normal hero from another world trope on its head and instead brought a leader who isn’t a fighter but a thinker and capable ruler. This is the ideal ruler and wow if only all politicians and leaders could work with such honor and integrity but he’s also not blind to those who don’t and outmanuevers them. It’s just so good!

19. Sword Art Online

Love it or hate it, deeply influential and fantastic. I love Kirito, Klein, Asuna and everyone. 

20. HunterXHunter

One of the greatest series of all time. When you think about it the world is utterly horrifying truly but it’s cool ad wacky and utterly amazing characters. 

21. Vinland Saga

OH my gosh my newest anime and one of the best things i’ve ever seen. Truly a masterpiece in every way, even before Part 2 comes out. It just has freaking everything: deep philosophy, religion, battles, politics, love, vikings, etc. Askeladd is one of the smartest, most ruthless, but most weirdly relatable villains ever, Thorfinn is how you do an angry feral blonde seeking revenge for the death of his father but also then starts to see Askeladd as his father figure etc, the sheer character developement that will go on in Prince Canute etc. 

22. Jujitsu Kaisen

Magic and Martial arts, and demon spirits. Yuji is adorable and I love everyone!

#My favorite Anime #Anime #Listing #No particular order #Yugioh #gurren lagann #Saint Seiya #Jojo's Bizarre Adventures #Tiger and Bunny #My Hero Acadamey #Fire Force #Sk8 to Infinity #Love After World Domination #Love is War #Tomodachi Game #disastrous life of saiki k #One Punch Man #Kuroko no basketball #Hinomaru Sumo #Kengan Ashura #Baki #How A Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom #Sword Art Online #HunterXHunter #Vinland Saga #Jujitsu Kaisen

[gwydionmisha]

Welcome!

Welcome to the folks who've joined in the last couple of weeks.  Please don't be offended if I don't friend you back.  I am already following way too many people to ever keep up and should logically weed about half instead of adding.

This blog follows my interests and obsessions.  It's mostly images and reblogs during the day, with more link spam, news, and original content at night.  Archeological and history posts happen when I have time. 

I am not a journalist, not have I ever been a journalist.  My training was in History, though as I have interest and time to follow the news, I write about things going on in the world a lot.  I also sometimes post things I don't entirely agree with because they make interesting points or have ideas worth pondering.

I will happily comment on history stuff within my purview and express opinions on political stuff if folks ask.  As to trans things and more personal questions, I will answer most non-trollish questions.  All opinions are my own, and I do not represent all transfolk, let alone all queerdom.  Please do not take me for the final word as the community is diverse and complex.

I will not be offended if you unfollow me just generally.  While I keep an eye on total follow numbers so as to know when to toss up a welcome post, I don't track who unfollows.  People add and leave every day.  My blog is not everyone's up of tea.  People sample and leave.  That's perfectly reasonable.

People are very much encouraged to comment on my posts, and you don't need to hide in the tags.  It's fine, really.  I come from a debate culture.  I love your digressions and strange stories.  I particularly love when people tell their own experiences with the topics of news items.  It's okay.  I promise.

If people need content warnings on things I'm not already marking, PM me and I'll make an effort to add them.

I need to remind people that the US Government collects massive data on the internet.

No matter how angry you are, please do not post death threats online. 

Also, please don’t encourage self harm or child endangerment.  I don’t want that in my blog.  I have lost people to suicide, and no child picks their parent.

We are all furious and frightened.  Trust me, I get it, but be careful out there.

#Welcome

[thessalian]

Thess vs Gamer Gifts

I take back the bitching about my stepfather and his approach to Steam gift cards. I was sure he’d forget, and had made my peace with that. He did not forget, and I received an email with a nice chunk of Steam wallet money this afternoon. So much video game came with the holidays! Let’s see, current newness starting with straight-up gifting:

Powerwash Simulator (gift from @fauxfire76, because he is a sweetheart)

Munchkin Digital (gift from @true0neutral, because he is also a sweetheart)

West of Loathing and Shadows Over Loathing (gift from yet another of my D&D players who does not, to my knowledge, have a Tumblr but is a sweetheart anyway)

A Plague Tale: Innocence (gift from @hyperewok1 - again, sweetheart)

I may have lobbed games at the heads of some of these folks prior to all this. But, y’know, ‘tis the season! Anyway, Steam gift card time.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page (a recommendation from yet another D&D player, and also it was written by Terry Pratchett’s daughter; c’mon, I’m only human)

Potionomics (a recommendation from someone I know vaguely on Facebook - I think either WoD chat-and-forum RP person, brief-foray-into-LARP person, or both; also turned up in the Guardian’s Pushing Buttons column)

A Little To The Left (recommendation from the Guardian’s Pushing Buttons column)

Pentiment (again, Pushing Buttons, and also Obsidian and I do trust Obsidian to do a good game)

Doors Paradox (recommendation by Steam after I went on a The Room series binge)

So many new games. SO MANY. I mean, it’s barely made a dent in my wish list, but decisions and sacrifices have to be made when money is finite. It’s always the most fun part of the season, and also the most gruelling; making one’s finite fun money stretch as far as possible. There are always regrets, but there are also always other Steam sales, so that’s okay. (Of course, there are always new recommendations and games to put on the wish list, too. Hoping Dredge is out by my birthday.)

Thing is, with all that ... I still mostly just want to go back to my current Dragon Age 2 playthrough. It’s the comfort game I need right now, and with the damp kind of kicking my ass, I’m fibro-fatigued into oblivion at the moment. I always feel bad when I have All The New Games and ignore them for something I’ve played like ten thousand times. I shouldn’t, I know. They bring me joy just by being in my library, and one day each one of those games will be exactly what I need in the moment. So they’re still valued gifts. I think it’s that I mostly just don’t want the people who gave them to me to think I don’t value them? I totally do value them, though - gifts and givers both. I just ... currently want to beat the everliving shit out of a rock wraith?

#Thess vs the holidays #Thess plays video games

[stillness-in-green]

Endy/Hawks/Dabi Ask Round-Up

Three asks, all in the general sphere of Current Events With the Fire-Folk and Attendee. Hit the jump!

lolol not sure what you mean, anon; Endeavor’s probably my favorite Todoroki, and I love watching him have a bad time.

(Note: This ask says “latest chapter,” but I got it just after the 354 leaks, so it’s about the last last chapter, not the one coming out officially later today.)

More seriously, Endeavor having a paternal meltdown here strikes me as a positive sign.  I think the pragmatic, for-the-greater-good approach espoused the way people like Hawks and the HPSC espouse it is a sign of the rot in a system that writes off people it deems too difficult to help.  Endeavor being unable to close his eyes and harden his heart even if that complicates the battle in front of him is a good thing.  The heroes of a story should be facing difficult odds; if everything were easy, why would the audience even care?  Maybe in some light novel isekai power fantasy, or a comedic series like Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, but that is decidedly not the mode BNHA does its best work in.(1)

Endeavor’s arc isn’t about him becoming a stronger hero; it’s about him becoming a better person.  So while him losing his cool to AFO’s taunts is not totally optimal—presumably optimal would be having+expressing confidence and faith in his youngest child’s capabilities—it’s still better than being so detached from his sons’ circumstances that he can fire off witticisms like Hawks can.

I’m a lot more shrugemoji about Hawks, who I like aspects of in theory but find has been diverted away from some of his more interesting potential paths.  I never expected him to actually turn traitor and join the League, but I do think his Icharus theming has been largely betrayed by largely weightless consequences—he can still do whatever the plot needs him to do even with damaged wings; he’s freed from his handlers through no effort of his own;(2) he’s suffered no significant repercussions for admitting to manslaughter on national television.

So, Hawks having a bad time this past week, suffering setbacks and consequences for continuing to abet the status quo, is what I want to see.  Fair, though; I suppose if you’re a Stan who thinks he was right all along, this would be pretty painful!

1:  [insert complaining about the Muscular rematch here] 2:  I don’t buy the whole thing about how Hawks dithering about killing Twice saved him because it gave Re-Re-Destro time to kill the HPSC President.  Firstly, I think the evidence suggests that Twice’s clones can endure even after the original’s death—else how would one have saved Toga and Mr. C?—and RRD just dissolved from damage taken, not automatically upon Twice’s death.  Secondly, while it sounds nice at first blush, all it would really mean is that Hawks hesitated before doing something terrible but ultimately did the terrible thing anyway, and was then rewarded for it with his freedom.  That’s, like, the opposite of earning your karma.  I’d be much more on board with the read if Hawks had followed his gut and not killed someone he thought was a good person out of brutalistic expediency.

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He wants Endeavor to stop getting back up.

Endeavor’s whole thing as a hero is that he doesn’t win things easily, like All Might, but he perseveres.  He persevered until he was Number One by sheer dint of holding onto the Number Two spot until All Might retired.  He got back up and got back up until the High End didn’t.  He lost his son on Sekoto Peak and got right back into what he was doing.

As Fuyumi said back during the Hood-chan fight, Endeavor’s defining trait, for better and for worse, is his stubbornness.  The final straw that turned Touya into Dabi was seeing that not even Touya dying was enough to make Endeavor give up his dreams of strength.  What set Dabi off about the press conference was Endeavor getting up and making a bunch of calm statements of fact that concluded with the news that Endeavor intended to go on doing hero work regardless of what that hero work led him to do in the past.

Dabi wants to break Endeavor.  I don’t think that has to mean Endeavor’s death, but it does have to mean Endeavor stops coming back for more.  Time will tell if he’ll get that, much less in a timely manner,(1) or whether Shouto et. al. will come up with some other way to pacify him.

1:  By which I mean that Horikoshi would have to work very hard to sell me on Dabi being satisfied by Endeavor retiring from being a hero if Endeavor doesn’t do so until the epilogue.  Narratively speaking, Endeavor doesn’t really sacrifice or risk anything to prioritize his family if he waits until after the greatest threat of the modern age is defeated and the kids have demonstrated that they can handle things without him.

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Sorry to hear you're having a bad time with it, anon, and my sympathies on the writing woes.

I think I about halfway agree.  I’ve been enjoying the Endeavor we’ve had in these last few chapters—as stated above, I think the meltdown is good for him.  I can't say the same for the Endeavor we had during the Edgy Deku Arc, Sad Man In Trenchcoat!Endeavor, whose writing just mystified me.  I never got a sense for why he was apparently willing to just helplessly follow Deku around, reaching new depths of impotency in Chapter 316, where he was apparently incapable of having a scene in which he didn’t look to Deku for approval or to yell unheeded warnings.

Like, my god, Enji, you successfully mentored this kid for weeks; step the fuck up already.  Watching Endeavor trailing steps behind Deku feebly calling for him not to be reckless as Deku completely ignored him and strode on towards the CRC mansion was physically painful.

It really annoyed me at the time, because like, here’s this guy trying to atone for the way he treated his wife and kids in his pursuit of strength, but he’s….totally willing to let this clearly emotionally compromised sixteen-year-old take the lead in the hunt for All For One and the League?  For no apparent reason but that the sixteen-year-old is the heir of One For All, the strongest quirk there is?

How does that track?  Am I meant to understand that Endeavor hasn’t given up his belief in strength at all, he’s just come to believe he himself doesn’t have it, so he’s lost all sense of authority and willingness to pull rank?  Is it just that he’s in despair, incapable of mustering the energy to assert himself, and thus spends the arc letting himself get steered by Deku and Hawks?

I suppose the idea was that he was only barely keeping it together, and is too much a product of the Hero Society status quo to figure out how to evolve on his own, but man, it was just embarrassing to read. 

In fairness, this profound sense of Cringe could easily be a result of how much I hated the way that arc executed every potentially interesting idea it had in the most banal and safe way imaginable.  It does not escape my notice that I like broken Endeavor when he’s up against villains or weeping in his hospital bed, but have no time for him at all when it means he’s letting Deku run over him.

Anyway, I’d be curious to read more of your own thoughts, anon!  You’ve got me very curious for how you’d prefer to see Endeavor handled post-Jakku.  Feel free to follow up!

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Thanks as ever for the asks, anons.  ^^

#bnha #todotalk #flyboy the red #revenant dabi is my favorite dabi #stillness answers