#it's like they read the novels but only got the most basic understanding of what made it work out of it (shocking plot twists)

[petr1kov]

i still like a song of ice and fire so it's insane to me to think about how much the game of thrones show did both for and against it. it was quite literally the biggest show ever for a while but it ended so terribly that almost no one dares to touch it again, something that ended up hurting the reputation of the novels by association, and yet at the same time it was also the only reason why most people even read the novels to begin with. the double edged sword of popularity ig

#i will say though that the show was always much edgier than the novels and that only got worse as it strayed further from them #it's actually mesmerizing to me just how incompetent d&d are as showrunners #it's like they read the novels but only got the most basic understanding of what made it work out of it (shocking plot twists) #not to mention that whoever was writing for the show after they ran out of material to adapt can't write a dialogue to save their lives lol #the way the quality of the dialogue dropped into the depths of hell after season 4 was so abrupt and bizarre #this is most obvious to see with tyrion bc he always had memorable lines and moments back when he was on book material #then he became a shell of his former self immediately after they stopped adapting him. i almost forgot he was still alive for some seasons

[oops-all-concrete]

Hi! I have a request for bg3 head-cannons. These entail Tav not being able to read and the group all separately trying to teach them how to. (I feel like gale would be the master at this). Thank you!❤️

Aw, I love this ask!! Thank you for the request, this is genuinely so sweet and is spawning like a million ideas in my head. (I have a Tav I always imagine being illiterate)

BG3 companions react to; Tav not knowing how to read!

No content warnings, just fluff and sweetness for the most part. Potentially minor spoilers for certain characters? But nothing major/important.

Lae'zel -

She's a little surprised, given how old Tav is. She knew how to read Tir'Su slate by age 6. Knew how to read and write common by 8. Learned a few other languages by 12. For Tav to not know their own language in writing is concerning. She wouldn't have the patience to teach them, but she would go out of her way to read out signs and plaques to Tav. They need to get by somehow and she's at least got the patience for that.

Shadowheart -

"Oh? Was this not a necessary skill where you grew up?" She's quite open minded. She understands not all societies have a lean on literacy, as much as she couldn't imagine living like that. She asks if they'd like to know and reads to them in the evenings. She only has some chappy romance novels and crime fiction, but she likes the books, so she's happy to read to them. It's a slow process, but she's patient.

Wyll -

He's stunned. He knows there's plenty of people who simply can't obtain the skill due to a number of reasons, dyslexia, bad vision, blindness entirely, but Tav should know if they can learn. He's quick to get as much reading material as he can find and invite Tav to little lessons. He's a wonderful teacher, praises every new word, applauds the reading of a sentence and smiles every time Tav reads something on their own during an adventure.

Karlach -

She's the least bothered. A little surprised, but not judging. "Eh, I can't ride any mounts or hold my breath for more than 20 seconds at a time. I've lived, so will you" She shrugs it off so easy. She does however keep that information to herself if she's the only one Tav has told. It's not worth judging, she refuses to look down on anyone for it, but she worries Gale, Astarion or Lae'zel will be critical and perhaps even mean about it? And Tav doesn't need that. Mama K's got you.

Gale -

He's not critical, but he is interested. Gale might have a bit of an ego and thinks the world of his skills, but his mother wouldn't let him leave the house if he thought less of others for not having skills. He does offer to teach, but he asks in a very particular way. "I'd be happy to teach you, should you wish to learn. It's fine if you don't though. Just tap me and point and I'll translate for you" He says, calm and even. Deep down, he is concerned, but stays level headed. Tav deserves that much.

Astarion -

"What, did your folks just get lazy? Ugh, what swine." He's offended on Tavs behalf. He thinks it's atrocious they don't have such a basic and essential skill and can't believe whoever/wherever Tav was brought up just didn't help them. So naturally, he pulls out some of his own reading material and finds some easier things during travel if he can. He'll be damned if he's going to let them sit there and not know what a warning sign is.

Bonus! The elder folks 💕

Halsin -

"Ah, you need not be ashamed. Nature never intended writing, as helpful as it can be." He smiles. He's happy to teach, but doesn't mind if Tav has no desire to learn. He thinks it would be helpful, but otherwise thinks nothing of it. He will read things if asked without question, but makes no other comments.

Jaheira -

"Cub, as long as you can remember what I say and know how to say what you're saying, I couldn't care less...but if you want to learn, you can always tell me or Halsin...or the wizard, Gale. They'd be happy to teach I'm sure" She just shrugs and keeps moving.

Minsc -

"Warriors have no need for words anyhow, my friend! We can just speak with our hands and feet...in combat!" With some encouraging squeaks from Boo.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #bg3 headcanons #wyll ravengard #gale dekarios #lae'zel #astarion headcanons #gale headcanons #shadowheart #shadowheart headcanons #karlach headcanon #karlach bg3 #bg3 minsc #minsc and boo #bg3 jaheira #jaheira #halsin headcanons #bg3 halsin #halsin

[riddle-me-ri]

I've just found your blog and read just about every penguin x reader I could find man! I gotta ask for more (I'm so sorry if your askbox is closed or anything again so sorry ignore this if it is) how do you think they'd handle a chubby short reader feeling insecure? Since I know you did one for reader comforting the colony on their insecurities

Either way have a good day/night/whenever you read this, take care of yourself, and get hit with the self care and seld love beam or so HELP ME :D

a/n: awww this is so sweet, nothing like reciprocated love and support, cause if there’s any rogue that understands these insecurities it’s definitely a handful of the pengys. I hope you enjoy!

Content Warning: none

The Penguins Comforting Reader's Insecurities

Arkhamverse Penguin:

- Oswald understands all too well how you feel…

- He wishes he can just get rid of those thoughts for you.

- Oz mostly uses actions rather than words to try and reassure you.

- He will spoil you with clothes that he knows will compliment your body.

- Oz will wrap his arms around you or squeeze you.

- He will solidify his actions with words if he can tell you’re still not convinced.

Reevesverse/Farrell Penguin:

- Needless to say, this Oswald compliments you…basically daily.

- He does everything he can to put your insecurities at bay.

- Oz will fill your ears with sweet honeyed words about how much he loves to touch and hold your plump skin.

- He will tell you how your chest is his favorite pillow to nestle into.

- As his words get sweeter, his grip around you gets tighter and he pulls himself closer to you to kiss you.

- Just the warmth and sincerity in his voice may just be enough to make you convinced.

Gotham Penguin:

- Oswald hears you out, and it hurts him to hear how you feel about yourself.

- He instantly wants to know if there’s anyone in particular that said something rude or judgemental to you.

- However, even Oswald himself doesn’t know how to take care of an enemy when it’s their own person.

- Oz will want your full attention when he tells you that he wouldn’t change a thing about you.

- A king always knows what he wants, and he only ever wants the best.

BTAS Penguin:

- Oswald wishes he could find the words that could cease your insecurities for good.

- The way he compliments you is like something straight out of a poetry book or romance novel.

- He holds your hands and squeezes them reassuringly before kissing them, just adoring you the only way he knows how.

- He will spend the whole day with you, never letting you out of his sight.

- Oswald assures you that you're just the perfect beautiful dove and that you two were always meant for each other, no matter what others say or feel.

- Pretty soon, your feelings will slowly be replaced with love and contentment.

Telltale Penguin:

- Ozzie's first instinct is to go fists to cuffs with whoever said anything to you or made you feel that way.

- However, when he realizes it's just your mind…he can't help but understand somewhat.

- He knows what it's like when your mind goes out of it's way to make you feel like shit.

- Oz isn't always the most physical when it comes to affection, but in these circumstances, he pulls out all the stops.

- He rests and nestles his head on your thighs or chests, where else would he rest his weary head if you weren't generously chubby there.

- You shouldn't have to worry about your height, he's got all the height you'll ever need.

- And you'll always be the only person he will ever need.

One Bad Day Penguin:

- Oswald can tell you’re feeling insecure by just how hesitant you become.

- You don’t want to go out sporting a new dress, you don’t want to embarrass Oz, or see people judging you.

- Ozzie racks his brain trying to find a way to make you see what he sees.

- He begins flirting with you, teasingly so, not too far off from how he actually first approached you when you first met.

- You can't ignore the butterflies in your stomach or the soft smile stretching across your lips.

- Out of all the beautiful people that were in and out of the Iceberg Lounge…he only had eyes for you.

The Batman (2004) Penguin:

- Ozzie's first remedy for your insecurities is to make you laugh.

- He’ll make fun of conventionally attractive people and/or skinny people (totally not also because he has a grudge against them)

- They aren't as fun as you are, they aren't as amazingly beautiful inside and out as you…

- Before either of you realize it, he somehow goes from joking to sincere-

- He just wanted to see you smile and happy again, but he means everything he says.

- Ozzie wishes he can more, but he always hopes that his words are enough (they are)

Batman Unlimited Penguin:

- Oswald is hesitant and unsure what to do despite desperately wanting to help…

- How does he reassure someone of something he often struggles with that's only left him bitter and resentful.

- It breaks his heart to hear how you dislike your physique.

- He tries to deter them with his own words, how lucky he feels to have you…(especially…given his own appearance and age…)

- Not to make it about him but as a means to let you know he can understand and relate…

- But he has been able to be more secure in himself because someone as beautiful as you loves him for who he is and what he looks like inside and out.

- And he hopes to return the sentiment tenfold with his words and undying devotion to you.

#ri writes #the penguin x reader #oswald cobblepot x reader #arkhamverse penguin x reader #farrell penguin x reader #reevesverse penguin x reader #gotham penguin x reader #btas penguin x reader #telltale penguin x reader #one bad day penguin x reader #obd penguin x reader #the batman 2004 penguin x reader #batman unlimited penguin x reader

[bubbipond]

I see people still confused about things after the last episode so here are some aspects of the novel that did not make it to the series. It will hopefully fill in some gaps in questions I've seen.

This post contains spoilers. Read at your own risk...

How come some can control their senses and others can't? Babe, Way, and Pete are the only people known to be able to completely control their senses. This is probably because Jeff and Charlie have more chaotic senses. But with the others, the more training they succeeded in the better they got at controlling the senses.

Why did Charlie plan to fake his death? The fake death plan was Jeff's idea in the novel I don't know what the point of changing it was. An important conversation that happens between Jeff and Charlie is that because Way is an Enigma who can hypnotize, he can actually understand someone's thoughts. Not like Pete who reads them but like-I don't know how to explain but basically that's the reason at one point Way tells Babe he knew he loved Charlie before Babe himself. So babe knowing the plan was fake=Way knowing. And Way was still a bad guy at that point.

How would the death plan have helped? Charlie planned to never return to Babe's life initially. He accidentally runs into Babe while going to save Jeff at the auction. He felt bad for the constant lies and felt Babe was better off without him even if they could fool Tony. Plus, even if Charlie did go back, the point was for Reval to remove the senses. Once removed Tony would render them all useless and move on.

Why does Charlie lack the alpha smell? I am positive at some point in the novel it is said that he can mask the alpha smell. I mean he has a bunch of abilities but we don't really see him use them much.

Why did I not get my other pairings? Babe (you babe, not Pavel Babe), you are lucky you got AlanJef cause the only real couple in the novel is Charlie/Babe. Jeff and Alan get hinted at but have no real relationship, Kim doesn't exist in the novel, Kenta is barely in it, and Way is offed so the other ships can't really happen.

Why did Babe always forgive Charlie? He didn't, I mean he did after the fake death plot, but before that, he stayed angry at him for a long time. This was after the sense (all for one quirk) stealing. He actually spends quite some time angry which is why Charlie is against the sewer side plot. But at the end of the day....Babe loves his man and he gone stand beside em'.

Why didn't Jeff use his senses or tell anyone else about his visions? Well 1. he cannot control when and what he sees so even if he touched one of them that didn't mean he would see that specific event. 2. The point of him and Charlie doing all they did with Reval was in hopes of everyone NOT dying. He saw a future where everyone dies so he couldn't pick and choose who this new timeline saved. Hope this answers any of your lingering questions and if you have any I did not touch on just let me know (: It's been a while since I read this but I still remember most key points!

#pit babe the series #alan x jeff #thai bl #charlie x babe #babe x charlie #alanjeff #pitbabe #pit babe spoilers

[strawberryseeded]

thinking abt bllk (no surprise there) and how (at least until now) all (well, most of?) the characters backstories aka basically the reason for their most prominent issues are, instead of extremely tragic and complex events, simply children's logic applied to recurrent situations in their daily lives (and especially the sport they love):

bachira feels lonely: bachira was a weird and lonely kid who was also extremely passionate abt (and talented in) football, more than any other kid, making bachira feel isolated even when he was playing with others. this got even worse when the kids he played with started to resent him, calling him a "monster" and bullying him. while talking with his mom, she told him to keep believing in his inner voice and ignore those who dont understand him, resulting in bachira giving that voice the form of a "monster" that can play football with him to feel less lonely. which, obviously, made him even more lonely, even if it was an imaginary friend created to aliviate that feeling. because bachira still felt lonely, even after many years and even after playing with other people in school who werent any fun for him, he kept the monster by his side. believing no one could ever beat this monster (thank GODNESS he did 🎉!!! HE is the monster no one can beat!!!! his arc is one of my favs hes literally unstoppable now, i love him dude i love h)

isagi holds himself back too much: isagi (i read the light novel abt him hehe) was a timid and mild mannered kid until he discovered football, which he fell in love with. while playing the sport he could let go of his shyness and actually be selfish and go all out. uuuntil... he entered his high school's reputable football club, where the motto was to play as a team above everything else (a very anti-blue lock logic lol). isagi then, in an effort to accomodate to the social norms of the club (bc hes isagi, and off the field hes calmer and timider), had to simmer down in the field as well. supress himself. at times it seems like his on and off switch is kind of stuck.

barou has main character syndrome: barou was a very, on top of talented, meticulous kid and therefore the best in football out of every other kid he knew, who didnt take it as seriously and were more than happy to let him score all the goals. he didnt understand why they were satisfied with letting other people take all the glory, so he secluded himself, convinced that he was the only player that actually mattered on the field. the best. the Main Character. everyone else was completely worthless, their only use being to serve HIM. (until he got his ass kicked by isagi and became the villan instead of the main character, bc oh, shit, barou's not actually the main character???? then he'll hunt down & DESTROY the main character).

rin (god, rin) has a brother complex (i used to hate when ppl oversimplify whats wrong w him w this term but tbh it does boil down to this lol ToT): rin idolized his older brother like crazy and wanted to be just like him. bc he was also blessed with talent and also had a great relationship w sae, he had everything he needed to fulfill his dream of being the 2nd best striker, the 1st obviously being his older brother, who rin viewed as the best, most talented player in the world. when sae comes back from spain and tells him 'the world is big and im not actually the best, you go and be the best striker by yourself' (basically: our (your) dream is over), rin has a fucking breakdown. its not really a tragic, despair-inducing event, objectively speaking. but in the manga its framed as such bc for rin, in his childish logic, it is. bc his brother IS the BEST player, what the fuck do you mean hes not number 1 outside of japan?? ....then what about rin? if his brother cant be the best, rin cant be the 2nd best either, let alone the best. he feels like sae ruined everything, gave up, broke their (rin's) dream!!!! after sae humilliates him, rin directs all of his frustrations at him and bows to defeat him. as long as rin sees himself as sae's little brother, he's never gonna be able to surpass him, bc in rin's mind, sae is still the best, his talented big brother.

ness believes kaiser, not him, is the magician: ness's case is more serious bc his family was (is?) emotionally abusive towards him. basically, like every other kid, ness believed in magic. the concept of magic is exciting for children and gives them, in the form of play, the opportunity to express their creativity and exercise their imagination; work out a way to make the impossible come true. bc this is so important for their development, usually its the parents role to, at least to a certain degree, keep alive the belief that magic is real. ness's parents, on the contrary, shut down this belief bc it didnt match with their own views. they saw his interests as a waste of time, even letting his sibilings bully him and treat him badly to make him give up on them. ness, however, didnt, and instead found a more socially acceptable way to 'do magic' and express his creativity: football. he feared greatly, however, that football would be taken away from him, so in that faithful match in which he met kaiser he decided to put all of his trust and hard work on him, bc ness believed kaiser was the person who would be able to make the impossible, the magic that ness wanted to create, happen. i think the key to unlock his full potential is stop relying on kaiser so much and start believing in his own magic (kind of like what happened in hiori's arc). we have yet to know kaiser's backstory but i have a feeling those two enable each other's worst traits...

ETC !!!! sorry i got tired of writing lol

anyways these r just my interpretations of the characters feel free 2 b like "was is she ON about"

#bachira and barou went thru character development and got over these issues vía isagi being a freak as usual. chigiri and hiori too #nagi is In Process and everyone else is having a miserable time #i thinkkk. im just writing whatever comes 2 mind atm #THE QUESTION IS against WHO will isagi go ALL OUT 100% BERSERK?????? my bet is rin. PERHAPS kaiser. #blue lock #di4ry

[howlingday]

The Ultimate Hunters

Winter: I am Winter Schnee.

Jaune: (Thinking) I remember reading about her. Apparently, she got top marks in all her classes, honors galore, and even leads multiple community programs. It's why she's referred to as the Ultimate Moral Compass.

Jaune: I'm Jaune Arc.

Winter: Mm, a strong name. You should thank your parents for it.

Jaune: Oh, uh, thanks-

Winter: But you should also do your best to not shame it! Never make them regret their choice to give such a potent name to a slacker!

Jaune: She's also kinda annoying.

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Blake: I'm... Blake Belladonna...

Jaune: Oh, so this is the Ultimate Author?. She's been writing since she was ten, and published a romance novel when she was only eleven. I think it was "The Accountant." Apparently, it was such a hit, people all over the world named real-world accountants the hottest people to date!. Still, I wasn't really expecting her to look so... dark and gloomy.

Blake: W-Why are you staring at me?

Jaune: Oh! S-Sorry, I-

Blake: I know what you're thinking! You think I'm a freak, don't you!

Jaune: N-No! I only thought-!

Blake: I know what you thought! You thought you'd never seen such an ugly girl! And you thought it was soooo funny!

Jaune: N-No! That's not what I was thinking at all!

Blake: Don't even bother trying to lie to me! You can't stand to look at me!

Blake: B-But I'm used to it by now...

Jaune: Yikes!. Talk about inferiority complex. Never thought a successful author could be like this.

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Yang: Hey! I'm Yang Xiao Long!

Jaune: Whoa!. She's the Ultimate Kickboxer!. They competed in the national circuit and won every single match!. Who hasn't heard of them?!.

Jaune: You're kidding me!

Yang: W-What? What's wrong?

Jaune: N-Nothing! I just, well, you're the Ultimate Kickboxer, so I kinda figured you'd be, uh...

Yang: What, were you expecting some big, dumb, jock guy?

Jaune: N-No,more like... Someone wearing boxing gloves and in a ponytail, like in that article I read.

Yang: Aw, geez... Not that picture! I hate that photo! I had to keep my hair tied back like that for the whole circuit. It doesn't look cute at all! So now I refuse to change my hair, not for anyone but me!

Yang: And, actually, can I tell you something? I... don't really like kickboxing. And to be honest, I hated going to my sparring matches.

Jaune: She hates kickboxing so much she never went to a sparring match? She must be some kind of prodigy!

Yang: So once I came here, I was done with it! So long, kickboxing! I've got my dreams ahead of me!

Jaune: Your dream?

Yang: Yeah! Playing music and jamming out all day long is the kinda stardom I want! All I need now is someone who can sing and a drummer, and I'm all set! I'm not stopping until I'm living like a real star!

Jaune: I can't believe what I'm hearing. I never thought I'd hear that coming from a kickboxing star!.

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Neptune: I am the Neptune Vasilias! But if you want to use my nickname, "Your Dream Come True," I don't mind. By the way, what do you know about anime?

Jaune: Anime?

Neptune: Well, to the world at large, I am the one and only Ultimate Fanfic Writer! I once sold over 10,000 copies of my fan fic at con. Everybody knows it! Of course, dsome of them didn't get it. They said I had "tainted" the nature of the con. How ignorant can you be?!

Jaune: This is the first I heard about it, but to sell over 10,000 copies is pretty impressive.

Neptune: I'm a lot like von Burgh. Completely unappreciated in my time. That's why I toil day and night to spread the good work of fan fiction to the world at large! I'm sure if you read my work, Mr. Arc, you'd completely understand in an instant! For it touches mankind's deepest truths...

Jaune: Uh, what kind of truths?

Neptune: It's all about giving in to our most basic of urges...

Jaune: On second thought, I don't want to understand it...

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Pyrrha: Hello! I'm Pyrrha Nikos, and I look forward getting to know you!

Jaune: The way she moves is mesmerizing, and there's a sweet scent wafting around her. When I saw her name on the attendance, I thought I recognized her name. She's the star of her own pop music group, "Hoplife," and as the Ultimate Pop-Star, she's the most desired woman for all the TV and magazine covers. But still, I'm more surprised she still smiling since... Nevermind. No need to get into that. But she looks so beautiful, like a goddess or something...

Pyrrha: I'm not a goddess. I'm a real person.

Jaune: Wha- How did you know what I was thinking?

Pyrrha: I'm psychic.

Jaune: R-Really?!

Pyrrha: No. I just have good intuition.

Jaune: Quick as a whip, she is.

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Harriet: Heya! I'm Harriet Bree, but my friends just call me Hare.

Jaune: Harriet Bree. She's been breaking track records since she was a kid! I hear she's even supposed to be a competitor in the upcoming Vytal Tournament! Without a doubt, she is the Ultimate Track Runner. Everything about her technique, physique, and, uh, proportions have been widely talked about online.

Harriet: So, uh, what was your name again? I've already forgotten it.

Jaune: Jaune Arc.

Harriet: Right... I thought it was something like that.

Jaune: No, it's not something like that. It is that.

Harriet: Gotcha! I'll hammer it in my head right now! Jaune... Arc... Jaune... Arc...

Jaune: The way she's writing in her palm is really unnerving.

Jaune: What are you doing?

Harriet: You don't know?! If you want to remember someone's name, you gotta write it in your palm three times!

Jaune: Really?

Harriet: By the way, how do you spell your last name.

Jaune: It's spelled like it sounds.

Harriet: ...Ah, I'll figure it out later! Anyways, it was nice meeting you!

Jaune: Y-Yeah, same...

Jaune: What she likes in wit, she makes up with energy.

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Qrow: Name's Qrow Branwen. Nice ta fuckin' meetcha.

Jaune: Qrow Branwen? As in... the leader of the largest bandit tribe in the kingdom?! He's earned the respect of every tribe around, earning him the title of Ultimate Gang Boss.

Jaune: ...Uh, nice to meet you, too.

Qrow: Hell yeah.

Jaune: I better be careful. One wrong word and I'm worm food!.

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Penny: Hello, I'm Penny Polendina. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry if I seem nervous. I always feel so nervous when I meet someone new. I hope we can get along.

Jaune: Same here. Nice to meet you.

Penny: I'm sorry, but have we met before?

Jaune: Uh, no? This is the first time. That's why I said, "Nice to meet you."

Penny: Oh... I'm sorry.

Jaune: You don't have to apologize, y'know.

Penny: Right. Excuse me.

Jaune: Penny Polendina is renowned all over the world for her cutting-edge programs. That's why she's the Ultimate Programmer! She's also got this cute, scared, naive bunny thing going on that makes everyone fall for her. So she has a huge legion of fans!.

Penny: I... I'm sorry.

Jaune: For what?

Penny: I've upset you. You look really angry right now.

Jaune: No, no, I was just lost in thought, y'know?

Penny: Lost in thought?

Jaune: Yeah. It has nothing to do with me being upset or anything.

Penny: Oh, thank goodness. I was starting to think you didn't like me.

Jaune: Seeing her smile... I can see how she got so many fans...

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Ruby: ...

Jaune: ...

Ruby: ...

Jaune: ...Uh, can I ask you your name?

Ruby: ...My name... is Ruby Rose.

Ruby: ...

Jaune: ...

Jaune: She's pretty quiet. But I don't think I saw her name on the list. I mean, I did see that there was someone other than me missing from the school muster sheet. Maybe she's the other unaccounted student?.

Jaune: So, uh, what are you doing here?

Ruby: What's that supposed to mean?

Jaune: No, no! It's just, everyone here is some kind of ultimate or another, so I'm wondering what you're the ultimate of.

Ruby: ...

Ruby: Why should I tell you?

Jaune: Huh? Well, uh, I guess you don't have to tell me.

Ruby: No. I don't have to. So I'm not going to.

Ruby: ...

Jaune: She's got a real iron mask going on. Guess this is where our conversation ends.

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Nora: Hiiiiiiiii~! I'm Nora Valkyrie! Charmed, I'm sure!

Jaune: Anyone would recognize her. She's on every cover of almost every magazine in almost every store. She's the envy of every girl in the kingdom, an Ultimate Fashion Icon if ever there was one!.

Jaune: I'm not sure I got the right person?

Nora: Huh? Oh... You must mean my cover photo, huh? Well, duh, they're all photoshop!

Jaune: Photoshop?

Nora: Y'know, edited to hell and back?

Jaune: Oh, so they're not real.

Nora: Geez... Don't say it like that. Now I'm gonna get all depressed. Everything is all photoshop these days! I bet you'd even be surprised by a certain diva here.

Jaune: So many dreams... crushed like a nail under a hammer.

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Ren: I am Lie Ren.

Jaune: Oh, geez, I almost asked him if he was a girl. The day I ask that out loud is the day I get turned into a human pretzel. But now I remember him. He's the world champion martial artist who won against guys three times his size. He's the famous Ultimate Martial Artist, with a win streak of 400 matches and 0 losses. Some of the online posts called him "Siren" and claimed he's secretly some kind of weird sea-primate; a missing link between man and fish. Honestly, standing in front of him, I kinda have to agree.

Ren: Excuse me.

Jaune: Y-Yes!

Jaune: Why is he poking my body?.

Jaune: Uh, what are you...

Ren: Your muscle quantity and quality are about the standard for a regular late teen male. Hm... Training with you would likely bring more harm than good. A shame.

Jaune: Maybe for you, but for me, it's a blessing!.

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Weiss: I do not believe we have been introduced. I am Weiss Apfelkuchen.

Jaune: Weiss, uh...

Weiss: Apfelkuchen. It's my name. But if you don't mind, I'd prefer you to address me as Weiss.

Jaune: Uh, excuse me, but you are from this Kingdom, right?

Weiss: Of course. Why do you ask?

Jaune: Well, then, can you tell me your real name?

Weiss: I already told you. My real name is Weiss Schnee. But as I have also stated, please address me as Weiss.

Jaune: She's polite, but she's also forceful. Guess those internet posts were right about her. She really is the Ultimate Gambler who's never lost a bet in her life. She also loves dressing in elegant, white clothes like a princess in a fairy tale. They say she entered an underground gambling ring and walked out with everyone's money. They called her, "The Queen of Lies". She laughed about it, too, they say.

Weiss: I look forward getting to know you. Heh heh...

Jaune: She's smiling, but she's a wolf. I need to watch myself.

---------------------------------------------------

Fox: Name's Fox Alistair, Fox for short. Take it easy, yeah? I'm sure I will!

Jaune: Fox Alistair, known as the legendary "Truth-Hunter" in the psychic community, is the Ultimate Clairvoyant. To be honest, I don't really get that psychic stuff. It's out of my depth. Still, I can't help but wonder if there's any truth to it.

Fox: Mm... I give up.

Jaune: Huh? What?

Fox: I thought I saw it, but I guess I missed it.

Jaune: Missed what?

Fox: I thought I saw a giant dog chasing after a teenage wizard on a motorcycle with gold threads in his mouth. And that wizard... IS YOUR PURPOSE!

Fox: ...Ha ha! I'm just kidding! But we should get some cold ones and look deep into Mu and her lost culture.

Jaune: Cold ones? I'm not old enough to-

Fox: I am. I was held back a few times, so... Ah, it's a long story.

Jaune: A few times?. Yeah I'll bet it's a long story...

---------------------------------------------------

Coco: Name's Coco Adel.

Jaune: Hi, uh, nice to meet you.

Coco: ...

Jaune: That's the most half-assed character introduction I've ever heard!. But it's not like I can do anything about it. She's a special case, even among all these special cases. Coco Adel is the daughter and heiress of the most affluent financial conglomerate in the world. She's even got her own businesses with her own personal fortune. It makes sense for her title of the Ultimate Affluent. She's the very definition of "exceptional".

Coco: Are you done? How much longer are you going to stand there? Get out of here, I'm sick of looking at you.

Jaune: One look at her, and I know she's thinking, "You and I will never be equals." She's a queen in training.

#rwby #danganronpa #jaune arc #winter schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #neptune vasilias #pyrrha nikos #harriet bree #qrow branwen #penny polendina #ruby rose #nora valkyrie #lie ren #weiss schnee #coco adel

[vampyrekat]

cant believe i forgot about maleficent and her emo boytoy omg thank you for cleansing the timeline🫶

I am so pleased to bless the timeline with a fine vintage ship, come join me in savoring it. I checked out the novelization on a whim (commuting) and I was like, oh right! I forgot this movie and specifically this ship was made in a lab for my brain. So now I've rewatched the film and I'm lost in the sauce.

I love that Maleficent/Diaval is the story of two people accidentally raising a baby into a teenager together and the whole time Maleficent is oblivious (not her fault! she has bigger things going on!) while Diaval is like "that's my wife, she's terrifying. i love her. <3" Even when Aurora meets them properly as a 15 year old, Maleficent is Going Through It™ while Diaval is just so hype to finally introduce himself to his child.

Pictured above: moments that really did a number on me. He raised this kid and now he gets to finally meet her properly and they're both so delighted by it while Maleficent watches from the corner like }:-(

I really feel like the most beautiful and unique part of it is the genuine backtalk; Diaval might start out subservient and he certainly maintains that position but as time goes on he proves himself perfectly willing to correct or backtalk Maleficent. He basically functions as a reminder of her heart and moral compass while she is recovering from her hurt (and subsequent revenge bender) and it's delightful to watch because you rarely see a position where a male character is so open and honest while the woman gets to have the delicious redemption arc. Maleficent is going through an enemies-to-godfamily relationship arc with Aurora while Diaval is patiently waiting for her to realize he's got heart eyes (AND for her to realize she does actually love Aurora, that's another great element, he realizes this LONG before Maleficent does and tries to gently nudge her over to that revelation). But also this:

He really said "I am just pretending to be afraid of you; I know you won't hurt me even if you push me around" and he was right. What a lovely thing to be playing out as the B or maybe C-plot. There's enough insane drama happening, it's nice that there's something a little lighter and more steady in the background of the story.

Another thing I was musing on through the book and film -- as much as I adore found family and platonic love, it's nice to see a story where a victim of what is clearly coded as sexual assault and is at least intimate partner violence finds love again. I know Maleficent & Diaval isn't technically 'canon', but again, the film was juggling enough relationship arcs with Maleficent & Aurora and Maleficent & Stefan. It's okay, in my eyes, for the romance element to be subtext, when it's clearly still important and given some narrative space and weight.

I had a more coherent thought but finally found a gif of just this moment (thank you, @raainstorms, you spoil us all) so instead you get this. I love it. Maleficent really said "go defend our kid who I haven't realized yet is our kid" and Diaval said "understood". Never proposed but nevertheless they've been married for years.

"Who fell first vs. who fell harder" is defunct. "Which one is the evil minion who adopted the baby on sight and who is the Evil Empress who had to slowly realize they love the baby" is the vintage yardstick everything else has to measure up to. I will read 100,000 fanfics of Maleficent only belatedly realizing that somewhere in the process of acquiring her goddaughter she also acquired a husband. Maybe she acquired the husband first, she certainly does not know. Diaval understands this and is okay with it, Aurora probably doesn't understand in the slightest how her godmother did not pick up on anything.

And the sequel! I realized after reading some other posts that I did NOT remember the sequel correctly because my memories are "fairy genocide and also Diaval and Maleficent are co-parenting". Apparently somewhere in there Maleficent is shoved into a love triangle with two men who are not her long-term boytoy/coparent/external moral compass, which is ridiculous, because the film ends with them attending their daughter's wedding in matching outfits.

If Maleficent 3 (boo hiss at Disney, make something new, cowards) isn't about Aurora parent trapping them I am going to riot in the street.

TL;DR: My roommate described maleval as this post and I have not been able to shake it from my mind because it really, really fits:

#Kat Answers #amethyinst #maleval #maleficent x diaval #diaval x maleficent #i'm tagging because I am always down to chat about this thank u #also i think it was my roommate but if it was one of my beloved tumblr people please remind me xoxo #I DID IT I FINALLY REPLIED TO AN ASK

[katherinakaina]

I like how people are reacting to this post about Hbomb's Pathologic video both in the reblogs and in separate posts. The most common response is along the lines of 'yeah, I guess it's fine, but after actually playing the game I disagree with it a lot'. Same. I got the wrong impression about Daniil and about how difficult it would be. I probably have a dozen minor nitpicks here and there but they are just that, nitpicks. It's a good video.

What is notable to me about people's responses is that in criticizing the work for being inaccurate they tend to be inaccurate about said work. I suppose it's just easy to forget things. But like... You don't have to invent things that are wrong about the video. It kinda undermines your point.

Like, you don't have to kill Lika? Okay. Hbomb never said you have to. Weird that you got that impression. He literally just compares it to other video games where killing children is not even possible. Pathologic on the other hand provides you with incentive. Lika's got a shmowder on him. At this point you have no idea how many shmowders and panaceas you will have. You can always grind for them. It's not a huge loss. But it is an incentive. One of the strongest ones in the game. Not to mention the gun, that is nice to be able to sell on the first day.

Selling guns is also easy. When you get used to it. You can not appreciate how outside the box and uncomfortable that would be for a first time player who was not told all these hacks.

Speaking of. Hbomb oversells the difficulty, that's true. But also he told me how to play the game. How can I really say that it would be as easy if I had to figure everything out on my own? For example, in all the video I watched before playing there was no instructions on how to manage your infection level properly. I found myself almost dying from the plague (the blacking out effects the game has when you approach high levels of infection are pretty cool though, I'm glad I saw them) before I pieced together the perfect formula for infinite health.

And even then he literally acknowledges that the game is easy if you know what you are doing. He just marvels at the fact that it has this reputation. And I think it has it not because it's difficult but because it's tedious. Especially in the Clara's route where you have to just look for Albino without clues? Ugh. I like did it once and then I just looked up the map. And then it was easy. But I cheated though! If you've beaten p1 without using playthrough guides or advice even once and you still think it was a breeze then I bet you are in the minority.

Also ADHD? Makes it more difficult to concentrate maybe? Stop telling people that they suck at the game (that they've beaten btw) just because they found it challenging. It's mean and probably ableist.

Speaking of Clara. He does not underestimate her route. He said it was really satisfying. He's the only person I know to this day who got her ending. Which you can disagree with but he is allowed an opinion and he clearly thought about it. What else do you need?

He doesn't simplify the story. He says the game has a rich plot worthy of a novel with the equivalent amount of words to read. Other than that he just doesn't talk about it at all almost. Which is a shame. I also would have liked a story deep dive more. But also... Would I? It was so interesting to play pathologic even with all the spoilers because it is basically a book pretending to be a game. It is at least a thousand pages tome. I'm glad I experienced it for myself.

There are probably more takes out there but I think I made my point. Hbomb exaggerated a lot of things for comedic effect and it may be annoying. But you don't need to do the same? Or maybe you do? Well, then you can understand why he did what he did.

#pathologic #hbomberguy

[halliescomut]

Boss/Noeul for The Boy Next World

So we got official confirmation (that we were all expecting) that Boss and Noeul will be playing Cirrus and Phugun respectively in The Boy Next World series coming form Mame/MeMindY. I read the whole novel in about 2 days...finishing up 4 hours prior to the announcement. (Poor decision making on my part honestly.) But I wanted to talk about the novel and basic story, the characters and what I think makes Boss and Noeul a good fit for them, some concerns, and some moments in the novel I'm excited to see.

I am going to attempt to sort of graduate spoilers, so we'll start with no spoilers, move on to potential mild spoilers, and the on to pretty moderate-severe ones. I will clearly mark each transition, so you can stop reading when you like.

No Spoiler Section- Story and Character Summaries

We'll start by going over the basic summary of the story. Phugun and Cirrus are university students that live in the same apartment building. One night Cirrus shows up at Phugun's apartment and tells him that he is his boyfriend. Phugun is understandably confused, as despite having attended the same high school and university, they've NEVER interacted before, but invites him in. Cirrus asserts that he is from a parallel universe where they had started dating in high school. From there it's a bit of a shenanigans ensue situation, but Phugun, being soft-hearted, agrees to try and help Cir get back to his own world, and Cir simply can't help doting on whatever Phugun is available to him. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you might yell.

Now to the characters:

Phugun (often called Phu) is a 2nd year humanities student. He is described as small, cute, and a bit silly. He's also quite feisty and soft-hearted (though he doesn't present that side of himself) and importantly he's kind of superstitious. It is a main character point that he believes that wearing certain colors on certain days will bring him luck, and on days where he can't bad things happen to him. He's an only child and his father passed away when he was in middle school or junior high, so probably about 12-13. After that his mother began travelling abroad, leaving him under the supervision of an aunt. He has a close-knit group of university friends, though from what I can tell none of them pre-date uni.

Cirrus (most often referred to as Cir or P'Cir) is a 4th year business management student. He is described as tall and very handsome, often pursued by other students, but he entertains no one. His nickname on campus is Ice Prince, and many people seem to be afraid of his dark glowers. He does have a small group of friends as well, one from high school (or possibly previously) and one that appears to be just from university. He is the eldest of two children, with a 1 year younger brother (Zone), and his parents are divorced. With Phugun, Cirrus becomes warm and doting, in contrast to the cold persona he presents otherwise.

Now reading through those descriptions you may think...those sound kind of a lot like Rain and Payu...and you are correct. Beginning the novel, I had the same concerns, that these characters were far to similar to their LITA ones and wouldn't offer much space for growth and progression as actors. I have also read the LITA novels (they're actually the only Mame novels I had read before embarking on the Boy Next World) and while I enjoyed Love Storm, I did feel that there wasn't A LOT of serious depth or emotional growth happening in the novel. This is not bad, it's simply my observation, and I enjoyed the novel and series regardless. Through the BNW novel we do have access to both leads points of view and a lot more detail about their backstories, so they are far more fleshed out, complex characters from the start. Because of this, I am potentially hopeful of some really affecting moments that will give Boss and Noeul a great opportunity to really stretch their acting wings. I've made a post before about Noeul's acting specifically, as Rain is incredibly different from him overall, and that remembering that definitely increased my appreciation of his performance there. Rain as a roles is more one that seems simple because he's kind of the most relatable, but for him to be so different from Noeul would offer a specific set of challenges.

There are also a couple of instances in the novel that I think Boss and Noeul in particular could convey very well....

Parallel World Set-up

I also want to give a small explanation of the parallel world basis for the novel, as there are many wildly different systems used in fictional stories, some more complex than others. Below is a pretty basic diagram of the type of parallel world set-up we're looking at.

It's pretty basic, the timeline moves forward and a certain point an occurrence or decision changes the course of the timeline creating to separate but parallel worlds (hence why they travel in the same direction together). In media this divergence point can be anything, in Sliding Doors it's Gwenyth Paltrow's character catching the train versus missing it, but it can also occasionally be a decision. A yes leads to one future, no leads to another, similar to a choose your own adventure story. The divergence point is revealed in the novel, but I won't spoil that, but that decision creates Timeline B where Cirrus and Phugun meet and begin dating in high school. That is the only difference between the two timelines. The orange dashed line is the inciting incident of the novel itself where Cirrus-B ends up in timeline A, and Cirrus-A ends up in timeline B.

I'm going to finish up with trigger warnings for the novel (and likely the series) if you choose to pick it up prior to the show coming out. There are some pretty serious instances of emotional and physical abuse of Cirrus at the hands of his mother, starting from when he was a child. There are also a couple of instances of homophobia. Most of this stems from two specific characters, but there are insensitive and degrading comments made by sort of background characters as well. Grief and grieving is also a potential trigger, as there is discussion related to the death of Phugun's father throughout the novel. As someone who has lost both parents, I did cry at these moments.

Mild to Moderate Spoilers- Scenes and aspects I would like to see in the series

So there are a handful of portions of the book that I really would like to see in the series, and a couple of 'silly' things that I think would just be fun/funny. I'll start with those.

Since we've now established the potential for recasting... I think it would be hilarious if Mame cast a bunch of the actors from the friend group in LITA as the friends in BNW. Specifically Pepper as P'Ren, one of Cirrus's friends who is obsessed with his tropical fish. It would just give the whole thing a bit of a community theater vibe, and I love that.

Since we have a a parallel or alternate universe situation, cast the previous Cir and Phu (Haii and Title) from TharnType 2 as the other versions of them. We don't actually see the other versions in the novel, but it feel like it would be funny like in the opening credits to see like side-by-sides of their lives/timelines.

Now on to actual story points and scenes from the novel I really want to see, and one I kind of hope we don't. We shall get the No out of the way first:

-I do think it is important to keep the child abuse storyline, but I very much hope that it is kept very circumspect or minimal in the show. I would especially not like to SEE it. I think maybe having Cir and Phu talk about it, maybe with audio-overlays or allusions to what happened. But it's pretty dark, and I don't want something like what we got in Don't Say No. Mostly because I have concerns about how filming those scenes can psychologically impact a child actor.

Now the YES's:

-I very much want to see the potential or alluded to second couple of P'Wim and Jin (who are friends of Cir and Phugun). Their vibe is one best described as Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood, and their interactions in the novel were delightful. I'm sure how much we'll get depends on the episode count, but I'm hopeful for more than a Ryu/Sun situation in Wedding Plan.

-As discussed, Phugun has some superstitions related to the clothes he wears, and in the novel this goes all the way down to underwear. I would love to see like a calendar montage where you see him rotating through a rainbow of different colored outfits. (It would be delightfully gay.)

-I want Zone to be in the show. He's only present a couple of times in the novel, but I do feel that he's necessary to the story and that removing him would negatively impact Cirrus's character/backstory, as his relationship with his brother does play a role in a lot of his choices. But in the novel, they have a fun dynamic, and his interactions with Phugun are quite sweet, so I feel like it would be a great inclusion.

-There are a couple of instances in the story where Cir sings Phugun to sleep to comfort him. We know Boss has a lovely singing voice, I would like to see that.

-There is a scene related to a musical instrument that was left to Phugun by his late father, but Phugun can't play it. In the scene Cirrus plays it for him, and it's one of the scenes that made me absolutely lose it. Now the instrument isn't a guitar, but since we know Boss can play guitar, I don't think it's unreasonable to just change the type of instrument, as that doesn't really affect the story. Though I am aware that a lot of viewers hate the "guitar in BLs" trope, there is a real emotional gravitas to this scene that I think it would be unfortunate to lose.

-Lastly, there are not many NC scenes in the novel, I think 3 fully explicit ones and a couple that are alluded to. But the first one is a BJ in which Phu is receiving and Cir is performing. Now BJs in general are rarely even portrayed in BL, for many reasons, but the fact that it's not easy to film in a manner that would get by censors, or to portray in a romantic light are probably major factors. It's also something that could be far more uncomfortable for the actors to film. But when they are even hinted at it's often the 'Top' who is receiving, we honestly rarely see concentrated effort from a 'Top' to pleasure their 'bottom' without achieving their own 'completion.' I think a lot of this stems from the heteronormative relationship aspects traditionally applied to BL couples. Just as there's an idea in heteronormative/patriarchal society that a woman is there to provide pleasure to the man, and a man is not obligated to return it, that get's saddled on homosexual characters, leading to a situation where we rarely see Tops do much more than prep and penetrate (and the prep is often off screen). It's something that bugs me regularly, even in shows I really like. It's something you see with Kinn/Porsche, with Dean and Pharm in UWMA. These are characters where there is supposed to be this insane level of affection and adoration in the Top for their bottom, but they're not going out of their way to make sure they feel good??? Seems fake. In fairness to Mame, while she does fall into many a problematic trope, she also really likes bossy bottoms who advocate for their own pleasure, so there is that.

So....that's my thoughts on what to expect and what I hope to see. I hope you enjoyed.

#BossNoeul #boss chaikamon #noeul nuttarat #Cirrus x Phugun #Cir x phu #cirrusphugun #cirphu #The Boy Next World #Mame BL #MeMindY #Thai BL #PayuRain

[blueboyluca]

@konmari-dogs's post reminded me, I read a lot of dog books this year! My biggest tip for reading more is put a bunch of books on your phone and just dip into them when you can. I think I originally got this tip from Milly, but it really works. If you are getting sick of one or need a break, you can easily flit to another. You can get a page or two while waiting for appointments or at a cafe or something. Really easy to read a lot more.

Anyway, I read a lot of crap this year but also some gems.

Hit list: The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson. I finally read this classic. I skimmed most of the training stuff because it is a bit outdated now, but I really liked the allegorical parts, the actual bits that are why it is titled the way it is. That stuff is still really relevant today.

Dog is Love by Clive D.L. Wynne. I enjoyed this. It followed the story of how Wynne convinced himself that dogs do love us, through various scientific disciplines. I also think this guy is a compelling speaker, if a little pompous.

Wonderdog by Jules Howard. Loved this one, excellent overview of dog science throughout history. Really worth the read.

The Secret History of Kindness by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. My favourite read this year, an incredibly moving overview of the history of training dogs.

In Defence of Dogs by John Bradshaw. I started this one more than a year ago and finished it this year. It was pretty good, but a little outdated on the science now. Still worth a read.

The Great Grisby by Mikita Brottman. I enjoyed this, it was about various dogs in literature or real dogs owned by famous people, mostly Victorians. It was a fun read. The focus won't be for everyone.

How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends by Mark Derr. I started reading this like 5 years ago. I really enjoyed the first half then dropped off it. I finished it this year and I am glad, but there wasn't as much good stuff in the second half. Still, I reference it a lot and I love the way he writes about early dogs.

Shit list: Living with Border Collies by Barbara Sykes. This one is a mess. Very few useful ideas, mostly just batty nonsense.

Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis. This was the only novel I read this year and it was garbage. Do not recommend.

How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger. You all know I hated it. I am stunned when people recommend it to others to get into dog buttons. I thought the narrative itself was a steaming pile of garbage and I thought the tips on how to get started with buttons were vague and unhelpful. Cannot understand this fad at all.

The First Domestication by Brandy R. Fogg and Raymond Pierotti. I started this a year or two ago and finished it this year. It was a mess. I appreciated the parts where they ripped into Coppinger, but there were tons of other really questionable bits so I basically think the whole thing is a wash.

Dogs: A Philosophical Guide to Our Best Friends by Mark Alizart. It wasn't terrible, but it was quite strange. I appreciated it sent me down a few rabbit holes though. I tried reading some more philosophical books about dogs but they fall apart as soon as the authors show they know nothing about modern dog science.

Dingoes Don’t Bark by Lionel Hudson. This one also wasn't terrible but it was also kind of nothing. Not a lot of information about dingoes. I think the documentary it pairs with would be more worhtwhile. I think it's from the 70s, maybe 80s.

Still reading: Level Up Your Dog Training by Natalie Bridger Watson. This is for beginners, but I am enjoying it as another resource for my club.

The Wolf Within by Professor Bryan Sykes. This is good but thick and science heavy, so I know it will take me a long time.

Treat Everyone Like a Dog by Karen London. I am not enjoying this at all. It will inevitably make it onto my shit list one year.

What Dogs Want by Mat Ward. Really loving this very cute and modern take on basic dog care for new owners.

What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs by Cat Warren. I am really loving this so far. It's my kind of book, a mix of dog science and memoir.

Our Oldest Companions by Pat Shipman. I am not that taken in by Shipman. I've read one of her other books and I don't find her particularly compelling. I am finding Sykes more interesting than this one.

Aesop's Animals: The Science Behind the Fables by Jo Wimpenny. This one is pretty good, not sure if I will finish it though because I read the dog and wolf chapters already.

Positive Herding 101 by Barbara Buchmayer. I am enjoying this. I got through all the beginning stuff and have finally reached the chapters that will talk about herding training.

Enrichment Games for High Energy Dogs by Barbara Buchmayer. This is good enough that it made me buy her other book. I haven't finished it yet though.

#dog books #dogblr

[squeakygeeky]

I Feel You Linger in the Air Novel vs Series

I guess this is a thing I do now. Anyway, I feel like most people who posted about the novel were understandably focused on the ending, but this will be all over the place, full spoilers, this is for if you're interested in how it was adapted but don't actually want to read the novel. I would say I preferred the series since it took full advantage of being a visual medium and also because of the way it expanded on the story.

So the series only covered the first part of the novel, with Jom being transported back to 1928. The novel is first person from Jom's point of view and we really only get Jom adjusting to life in the past and his relationship to Yai.

Jom figures out he's in the past pretty quickly. There's also a mistaken identity thing so he never has to pretend to have amnesia.

Ueangphueng is still his sister's past life, but she's not Yai's sister, just a random neighbor married to Robert and not in a relationship to Mei. Ming is still in love with Mei but she's going to marry someone else, this is just a random thing not important to the plot. Fongkaew's story is kind of similar to the series and so is Khamsaen's, but there's no plot with Robert having done crimes etc. so she and Ueangphueng are just stuck being married to him and having his kids. James is there and flirty with Jom but there's no gay bar. Jom's piglet belongs to Robert and loses the race due to banana shenanigans, I'm sure you were dying to know.

Yai Palathip is 18 and going to be sent off for school and never gets engaged, instead his non-Ueangphueng sister does (happily it seems). No one finds out about Jom and Yai when Jom starts working for him, so there's not really homophobia they deal with, but also no support. They also barely get time together as lovers before Yai gets ripped into the past.

Jom gets transported to the 18th century (I think?) and meets Moustache Commander Yai. I won't go into much of what happens since it's not relevant to the series, but this Yai has no existing connection to Jom, so basically this part is Jom realizing he needs Yai to fall in love with him, which of course is successful because that explains why 1920s Yai was in love with him from the first moment. This is the Yai that gives Jom the tiger ring. Also there is stuff about personal pronouns used in the past: catnip to me.

Jom gets sent back to the present, but weirdly right before the accident. He doesn't check his phone this time but still goes into the River, he just manages to be in slightly better circumstances and gets rescued (by a foreign doctor, my theory is James reincarnated, although there is nothing to support this). He still has the tiger ring on so he knows it wasn't all a dream. When he returns to work on the renovation, he's given a key to a box in the trunk, which has his phone, the letter he wrote (not a letter from Yai), and the theater tickets Jom and Yai never got to use. Then he's told he needs to meet the son of the lady renovating the house, who is Yai Kanthorn of the present day.

1st special is a cute scene of Yai Palathip interacting with his nieces and nephews many years after Jom's disappearance. He became a judge and the family is prosperous because of Jom's advice about the future.

The 2nd special explains that present day Yai is a decendent of Lek, 1920s Yai's brother, so that's how he ended up also being called Yai. His adoptive mom/aunt is Yai's heir, tasked with giving Jom (as far as she knows just a random person of his full name) a key to the box in the chest. She sees his name in an article about a renovation which is why she insisted on hiring him. Yai sees Jom's picture in the article and remembers his past lives, so he goes to Thailand to find Jom.

The 3rd special is Yai and Jom in the present being boyfriends and getting engaged.

There is absolutely no explanation of why Jom time traveled.

#i feel you linger in the air #thai bl #thai ql

[fateandloveentwined]

number of unique chinese characters in a book

So there's this blog I read long ago on the number of unique chinese characters one uses. Say a person writes a 10k chinese novel. But how many characters are discrete?

Classical chinese poems and songs have me doubting my chinese ability as always, and that got me curious about how many chinese characters I know or write on a daily basis.

To answer this (and to very much knock my confidence like an idiot) I put together something to count the number of unique chinese characters in a passage. I use about... 2.8k characters in my general writing.

Then I wondered about the authors I read.

A quick search online suggests that a chinese user knows and uses 1000-3000 characters regularly, and after high school you are supposed to have taken in over 6000 characters -- something I'm pretty sure I didn't do.

That said, I got curious about the number of unique characters these authors I read usually use. That doesn't at all indicate writing competency, but well, it felt interesting regardless so I decided to go play with that a bit.

For reference, jinyong's wuxia novels are around 3.5k to 4.5k unique characters per novel.

you only need 2.5-3k characters to use chinese like natives do, it's not too much really!

methodology rambles feel free to skip to next heading

I recorded some numbers and figures for something to work with with works I enjoyed. Fanfics I also included, which I saved on my computer a long time ago.

I made attempts to analyse the data in a fairer way, looking at the total word count and the highest frequency of "的"s (a very common chinese particle, think the letter "e") used in the passage. That sort of helped, but at the same time there are always outliers that manage to muddle up understanding every single time.

So now, observations. I categorised them into four levels according to the number of unique characters, from lowest to highest.

observations

note: notable novels are highlighted in yellow for easy spotting, and fanfictions are shaded in grey. I added english titles for most of them because I didn't put them in when I first did the screencaptures.

first level: below 3.5k unique characters

Good authors don't always equate an extensive character set. Conversely, there are authors who basically cannot write well (subjective) and still end up with a surprisingly not-low unique character count.

Works like 靜影沉璧、瀟湘水冷、風骨同守 that adopted a more literary, classical chinese writing register had lower unique character counts than the others. This was not what I expected, considering these works were where I found most words I'm unfamiliar with and ended up questioning my chinese reading ability (sorry lol).

I was also surprised with 潭石、水千丞、覆水難收、木蘇里 (mu su li) because their writing are all pretty good, all achieved while using a much smaller lexicon range than what I've expected.

(不問三九 with good writing was also low and in this range, but I forgot to mark hers down so, shrugs.)

second: 3.6k to 4.5k characters

That said, some authors do typically reach a range of around 3.6-3.7k unique characters, which is a pretty wide character set. Supposing adding a book of an author increases the total number of unique characters the author has used, these authors tend to round up at around 4k+ words with 2-4 novels inputted.

With each book added, there would be an increase of a few hundred unique characters, but they tend to level off at about 4.3k etc., and that is likely their maximum unique character count.

Some do level off at around 3.7k though, which indicates a narrower range of lexicon employed.

third level: the weird level

weird because the unique character count increases by leaps and bounds with every new novel of theirs that I added, and we end up perplexed and baffled.

At around 1M to 1.5M words inputted from an author, I thought that the unique character count would be pretty steady already, similar to how the unique character counts for authors at the second level levelled off eventually.

That's not the case for these two authors here. It is perplexing because the settings of their books do not vary greatly, yet the choice of characters and words were, apparently, diverse enough to give a "forever"-going increase in unique character count with every book I added.

This category aggravates me so much I couldn't make head and tail of it honestly lol.

the final level: the eloquent and literate

Of course, in this world there are always very literate individuals, and verbose they may seem, some are good writers. Here are the authors who actually have a vast unique character range.

You may be wondering how this 3.7k differs from the ones in the second level, but bear in mind this is merely the result from a single work of the author, or that the author's book is, like, half the length of the other authors while achieving a far higher unique character count than others.

And there's meatbun at the top of the list; I used both 2ha and Yu Wu for her stats, but her 2ha alone was already higher than Royal Nirvana and any other book I tested, so she goes in this category.

And et voila. All of this may not make sense to you, I'm not even sure about how the reception of this would be, it was a passion project and an interesting evening that I had, and now that I have some (sort of subjective) results I hope to share it out. :)

feel free to hmu for peculiar thought experiments and discussions on this topic!!

this is a repost from another site. i have used too many a username, and am not ready to link together all of them yet (someday) -- if you recognise this and wonder, message me, that's probably another account of mine.

#danmei #chinese language #mxtx #2ha #language #linguistics #meatbun doesn't eat meat #meatbun #chinese #cnovel #fate's wonky thoughts #fate creates

[visualtaehyun]

Hey, with your Naughty Babe posts I was wondering if you have opinions on if the subs/translations are affecting the understandability of the plot for non-Thai speakers. It seems to me like the IQIYI subs are not great compared to Youtube, which is unfortunate because that’s where most people are watching. I’ve mostly been watching with the IQIYI subs and filling in holes with the novel plot, which works well enough for me. -diaospuppy (since we still can’t ask from sideblogs yet)

Hi there @diaospuppy ! ✨

I have a feeling my reply is gonna be lengthy so let's put a TL;DR here: Oh, most definitely!

Let me preface this: 1) I don't have access to iQIYI so I could only cross-check with 3rd party re-uploads that I assume come from iQIYI, subs and all?? 2) The subs on Youtube aren't perfect either but they're definitely good, considering translation can't be 1:1. 3) I'm not a native speaker, so I wouldn't be able to catch every single word reliably anyway, but knowing Thai for sure gives me more insight which is why I've been sharing a lot of what I hear and read on the show!

That said- I just scrolled through the Naughty Babe The Series tag for a bit and- yeahhh. It sure looks like people are struggling with the plot. 😅 This feels like Cutie Pie all over again. Why is the language barrier suddenly a 10ft. wall with these shows? Just how bad are iQIYI subs...

I'm gonna do the homework for everyone and use this opportunity to rewatch important scenes, compile the chess pieces, and clear up any weird subs I encounter along the way.

Let's go!

The tiger incident is the root of both Diao and Yi's issues AND of the debt that the Chens (Yi's family) took on to repay the Wongteerawits (Diao's family).

Yi's father Makorn took full responsibility for his son's mistake and has since been investing everything he can offer to make up for it: He's basically raised Yi to take care of Diao (hence why it's basically an arranged marriage), he dotes on Diao more than his own son, and he basically pays for everything the Wongteerawits ask for!

1) ตัวประกัน /dtua bpra gan/ is someone kept for bargaining purposes/insurance, so literally a hostage yeh 2) Diao's stepmom, on the phone with Sathaporn: "Having Kondiao as collateral/insurance doesn't help at all!"

The worst offender is Diao's uncle Sathaporn (and here we've got a case of both YT and iQIYI fucking up the subs):

The entire Wongteerawit family was witness to Yi's father Makorn gifting Diao the red BMW that Yi has the accident in. From left to right: Diao's stepmother Orn, his younger (half? step?-)siblings Tam and Tem, and his uncle Sathaporn.

Sathaporn is Diao's father Sattha's younger brother and he's been having an affair with his brother's wife Orn. They've been manipulating Sattha for years. Their aim now is to re-negotiate, for Yi and Diao's marriage contract, and what they want is- Oh, just, you know, everything-

The other schemester is Tem, Diao's younger (half?? step??-)brother.

Tem เทม, the brother, or Tam แทม, the sister? It's Tem เทม, the brother, as the YT subs on the left correctly state.

He's been sneaking around:

He acts according to his uncle Sathaporn's instructions - for the most part. Either he's just as stupid as the uncle and stepmom make Diao's father out to be oR mAyBe he's just a kid in over his head! 🥴 From what I understand, Tem's the one who messed with the BMW. With what intended outcome, I'm not sure (Kondiao would inherit half his father's land and all his possessions so killing him would guarantee Tem the Wongteerawit inheritance, at least?), and if he did it on the uncle's authority or not, I'm not entirely sure either.

Re: the BMW - wow, are the subs bad on iQIYI! Left YT, right iQIYI:

เรียน /riian/ = to learn VS. some genius: เหลียน Lian 💀

As for the engagement contract, the conditions are: - if they don't marry, - if either of them cheats, - if they marry but break up within 5 years the family to violate the contract has to compensate the other family. - If the Chens are at fault, they have to pay the Wongteerawits for the race track, - If the Wongteerawits are at fault, the Chens get full ownership of the race track.

In conclusion, it's all about the race track. The land is owned in part by the Wongteerawits, who had Makorn buy it for them, and in part by the Chens. Sathaporn currently has the documents to the Wongteerawits' title deed and he made sure to influence his brother to either leverage more out of the engagement contract or make sure to get the race track once they re-negotiate for Yi and Diao's marriage contract:

Yi and Diao thus are planning to make this entire situation end by ruining their own wedding - to the Chens' favor.

More bad subs, YT left vs. iQIYI right:

1) การใช้ชีวิตคู่ ไอ้อี้ /gaan chai chee wit kuu, ai Yi, [...]/ = Married life, Yi, [...] VS. some genius: การใช้ชีวิตกู(???) ไอ้อี้ /gaan chai chee wit guu, ai Yi, [...]/ = Living my life, ai Yi, [...] 2+3) No words, I don't know why they gave up on เป็นฝั่งเป็นฝา /bpen fang bpen fah/ = married, settled down

There's more bad subs in this scene but they're not plot-relevant so- Back to their plan! Yi feigns ignorance even in front of his dad because they need to make sure everyone believes it when Diao crashes the wedding. The only ones in the know are Kuea and Lian and they're separately involved via their respective best friends (hence the betting in ep. 6 lol).

YT subs know what's up, iQIYI subs are a lil confused it seems 🥴

Sidenote: Do iQIYI subs routinely skip over honorifics? Because YT usually makes sure to include them, at least when they're not strictly used as pronouns, for example:

คับบบเฮีย /khaaap hia/ = polite male ending particle which, if used by itself, denotes agreement + see the explanation for Hia here, I'm too lazy lol

The subs in this scene are especially meh, huh?? YT left, iQIYI right:

ฤกษ์โคตรเหมาะเลย /reerk khoht maw loey/ = what YT said basically, except more like- The auspicious date is damn fitting. VS. some genius: เลิก /leerk/ = stop ? โชค /chohk/ = luck(y) ?? ขมอง /kha maawng/ = thought, intellect ??? 🤨

Abandoning this scene now, I've had enough! Tumblr isn't allowing me any more pictures anyway, booooo. I've already noticed disparities in ep. 6 and even though it's mostly smut and fluff and shenanigans anyway, I still wanna come back to it in a second post, though this has already eaten hours of my time whoops 🙃

l guess anyone who reads this and has been confused about the plot so far, can chime in and let us both know 1) how much of what I wrote was news to them, 2) if they have any specific questions or questionable subs that come to mind, or 3) what exactly about the plot is a mystery to them.

Thanks for the ask, and thanks for reading!

#naughty babe the series #yidiao #maxnat #max kornthas #nat natasitt #thai bl #local woman harps on about linguistics #inquiring minds.txt

[reality-liver-n0]

Big Boy post, this time on Revy

I guess this will cover the basics of Revy as a character and the fundamentals of understanding her.

First off, her nickname is not “Two Hands.” It’s “Two Hand.” Which I barely learned myself, I think the anime uses Two Hands which is the source for the added s. But at least in the manga and by Hiroe himself she’s “Two Hand.” This name originated from a character in a novel he read, “Run” by Douglas E. Winter. (I recently bought it like a fool so I’ll try and connect the character to Revy when it arrives). But I think the English dub makes the mistake of Two Hands which caused the confusion. I guess in the sub version it’s correct.

Revy is a Chinese American. But she is ethnically full Chinese. The American is just her nationality. Hiroe confirms this in an interview where he states Revy is a minority, her physical appearance is based on Mangoloid features rather than Caucasian. He also states that she faces a lot of discrimination in life.

Which is why I think I figured out why Revy in the anime as a kid has black hair when she shoots her father. She dyed her hair burgundy to look less Chinese. Think about it. If she is facing a lot of police brutality in Chinatown, NYC, and her own father beats her she would want to remove herself as far from that demographic as possible. This is why she doesn’t know any Mandarin and chose to not directly align with Chang’s triad. Also she wore hoop earrings as a kid too, at least in the anime.

There is no way she’d want to be seen first by her race. As she said, all the cops saw was a “little chink bitch.” She absolutely loathes to be viewed by her appearance rather than skill or personality.

This may link to her exposed clothing style. Not only is it practical for movement, which is all she does in combat, but it prevents her from overheating. But the most important factor is that she shows a lot of skin; exposing her arms, legs and stomach. Therefore, her athletic build is on display. And the implication of it is clear. She is proud of her body, she will kill you, and it does not matter what she’s wearing. On a level it may be a subconscious decision of the aftermath of her rape. The number one thing the victim is blamed for is what they’re wearing, or rather the lack of clothes, which must obviously signify they wanted it. This is below the lowest bar you can go in blaming victims. Unfortunately, it’s likely that Revy in hopes of getting a reaction or letting it slip, told her dad about what happened.

And what would he say? Something about dressing like a slut or whore if I had to bet.

So, by her current attire, Revy is saying the exact opposite, she’s rebelling against that idea. Or at least mocking the idea that less clothing makes a woman weaker/vulnerable.

Also, she wears the same boots as Dutch. They don’t share the same belt but Revy’s matches the boots: both U.S. military. I find it cute that she could’ve had any other boots but chose to match him. She really does look up to him, and he’s basically her only father figure. It’s heavily implied that he came up with her nickname; Two Hand. Since Benny says that Dutch is good at creating nicknames and right when Rock joined, he made one up for him.

Now I will cover the basic ground for Revy’s personality.

Anger: Yeah, obviously this is at the top of the list. It’s the most obvious to new black lagoon fans; how many times does she yell and curse? But I would argue that this is the emotion she’s most familiar with, not what defines her character. This is a defense mechanism for when she feels threatened. Calm down two men showcases this the best. When she can’t talk down to Rock she gets pissed and tries to kill him. When he pulls the gun away, she punches him, and she sounds like a kid when she yells at him. She is scared and confused on how anger is not making him stop. After all, it’s what stopped her dad and everyone else who got on her bad side.

I will say that the anime focuses on this and makes it a larger trait of her character than the manga. But she does use humor as her last defense mechanism. Again, in calm down two men when she obviously can’t shoot away Rock or scare him with anger in the manga she says, “Screw you. You’re way more out there. Gump. Dork. Fool-in-a-suuuuit.”

This is something I’ve only recently discovered. Due to only watching the anime I missed a lot of differences that the manga makes. Revy in the latest chapters actually does expertly use humor to deescalate things. Specifically, between Le Majeur and Eda where she insists they settle their tempers through drinks instead of a gunfight.

Another one is with Roberta’s Blood Trail when they meet the addict. Revy plays along with his conspiracy theories, which gets them inside and talking to him. She does threaten him but in a tactful way of offering him much pure product if he complies.

There are other moments too where she uses it, the documents for Chang, some interactions with Fabiola, Japan, etc. So, it is a natural progression of her learning how to use her strengths and her own use of wordplay alike Rock.

And I would argue that Revy is as smart as Rock. Not academically of course but she matches his wit by her street smarts and gut feeling. A prime example in Roberta’s blood trail where she purposely knocks a bottle over to start the gunfight. They save Fabiola and she remarks that she knows Fabiola has never shot before. Just by shaking her hand and her unsteadiness getting out of the car, she knows that Fabiola got frazzled up. She actually offers a lot of advice with Fabiola and Garcia.

Also, with the Feng arc she uses a soda to cause an enemy’s gun to jam. Knowing that it will soak up in the metal and prevent it from firing. She also manipulates him by playing cat and mouse. She openly mocks him by saying his brother’s last words were for the “devil to ream him out on ass fucking street in hell.” So yeah, she just leads him straight to a firing squad then ducks as he gets shot to death. She’s very aware of how to lead a team as well.

In Roberta’s blood trail she does it with Shenhua, Sawyer and Lotton. She openly yells at Shenhua for trying to kill Roberta, since it’s a death sentence. They would’ve gotten the Americans if Hotel Moscow didn’t step in.

Also, Revy is very well connected to the criminals of Roanapur. She has a snitch on hand, a drug addict that she supposedly supplies, knows one of Hotel Moscow’s men, speaks openly to one of Abrego’s men, etc. She is aware that having a lot of connections is a good thing, so no doubt that she checks up on her contacts or knows a lot of the regulars at the Yellow Flag.

Surprisingly there are moments where she predicts how a party will move/think. A few times she does it with Hotel Moscow, the vampire twins, escape routes in the city that someone can or will take, and the deserted meetup with Chang’s clients, Shenhua and the Irish driver.

I’ll try to update this later as much as possible. It’s just hard due to the manga being digital for the later volumes so it takes longer to go through each page to find references.

#black lagoon #revy #big boy post #analysis

[heyheydidjaknow]

wake up babe heyheydidja let their creative brain juices flow and posted a fic

And on that note here’s another fic— longer this time— about another character I have written for exactly once. This time for the otome game! It’s been sitting in my drive for 2+ months and now it’s going to see the light of day. We’re breaking down fanfiction author stereotypes this week.

Existential Horror

Luciel had been introduced to horror as a genre fairly early on all things considered. He had never been partial to classic literature— he was not really partial to literature in general once he fell into the rhythm of his new life and allowed himself to enjoy the World Wide Web and all its associated horrors— but in those early days spent waiting on bated breath for instruction from above, he had spent his time— rather, the time that was not spent worrying about his brother— reading whatever books his handler happened to have picked up and tossed aside. Vanderwood’s tastes rubbed off on him to an extent; by the time he had enough regular work to keep himself too busy to sit down and read a book, Seven had a thorough appreciation for the genre. But they did not enjoy their novels in the same way; when Vanderwood would ask Seven about them to break the suffocating silence that hung around him like a heavy fog back then, he was completely unable to engage in meaningful conversation with him about books they had both read. Luciel attributed this to Vanderwood’s lack of connection to the text. Vanderwood enjoyed the books, as far as he could tell, because he got a kick out of interacting with stories about people losing their minds to things beyond their control. Luciel was too close to it, the words too intimate and personal for him to see as anything but a perfectly rational articulation of a feeling he had always felt, would always feel. It was comforting, knowing that someone else— fictional as they may be— understood him.

It was still a challenge, years later, to articulate how he had been informed of his position. He imagined it would be a bit like a child trying to explain gravity; the mechanics were beyond him, but the truth of the matter was indubitable. He supposed it was in his programming to understand only in this most basic sense. He supposed it would be problematic if he understood more than he did. He doubted knowing beyond what he did would do him much good.

Your arrival— your avatar’s arrival— made things make sense. He knew as soon as he saw her face what her role was, and understood intrinsically who she was to him, to the world. A remarkably unremarkable yet decidedly beautiful woman so naive as to follow the words of a stranger on the internet to Rika’s apartment: she played her role as a stand-in beautifully and shined in all her hazy glory. Her words were perfectly intelligible yet decidedly lacked character, her visage was without distinguishable quality and was yet undeniably appealing, her voice stuck in the mind only in the same way the characters in books’ voices did and she did very little outside of sit, answer emails and make simple conversation. As she was destined to do, she caught the attention of every single member of the RFA— himself included. She would shower the members in praise and affection for the eleven days they had together, enter a relationship with them, enjoy domestic bliss for a nebulous period of time— he had given up trying to nail down numbers a long time ago— before the memories they had formed together gently disintegrated. All traces of her would be scrubbed from their lives and she would be reintroduced as a fresh face for the group to fawn over once again. When she was with Seven there would occasionally be a longer grace period in which he was allowed to reunite with his brother for a time before the cycle repeated itself but the ending stayed the same regardless of who she attached herself to.

Oddly enough, he did not mind the routine itself. It was hard to hate something so inherently sweet, something that felt— despite the objective reality of the situation— so simple and innocent. You— the nebulous you he knew to exist— were not acting maliciously. You were playing a game that he and everyone else happened to be a part of, and you had not, in your play, acted maliciously. You had made mistakes and encouraged behaviors that he and the other members of the RFA should not have engaged in, but you were never cruel. It was hard to hate you not only because of his position but also because you were genuinely hard to dislike, and while that was sometimes more frustrating than just hating you outright he could not help but continue to be drawn to you and your replacement by proxy.

He had memories of you. They were distant, but he swore had them. They were near indistinguishable from his memories of your proxy– which, themselves, were hardly concrete– but if he stayed up until his eyes could barely take it he could swear to know the echo of your smile, your voice, your fingers.

He tried not to think of you much. He liked to think he had more important things to worry about.

The night it started was normal enough. Everyone was in the RFA chat room late at night— odd in general but standard for the beginning of a route— and a stranger entered the chat room. There was general distress around the stranger’s arrival, Seven pretended to do a background check on the stranger— he had stopped bothering the third time through— and everyone else introduced themselves. The beats played themselves out, words flying by at the same pace they always did as the stranger explained their position and what they were doing in an allegedly dead woman’s apartment. Jokes were made, hits replayed, and everyone went to bed or back to whatever it was they had been doing before the stranger appeared. He had seen every single combination of words that she could send in response to the various threats and propositions you received; he barely bothered to read the wall of text that flew by. Nothing happened on the first day; no need to reread events already decidedly set in stone.

His first tip that something was up was when he went to text her. After her admission into the RFA, she was always a bit nervous– understandable, given the circumstances– so he always made the move to message her, to make her feel more comfortable even though it did not matter much in practice.

He introduced himself. He asked for any updates regarding the hacker. He welcomed her.

Her response was new.

‘It’s a pleasure, Seven. Sorry for freaking everyone out; hope I haven’t given you too much work lol’

He took his glasses off, wiping them on his shirt. He took a deep breath, put them back on, and reread the text.

It was the same as it had been a second ago. He reread it again.

Again.

The text did not change.

“You planning on staring at your phone all night?”

He sat straight up as though shaken awake, head snapping back to look at an otherwise undisturbed Vanderwood.

He did not bother to look up from the file on his lap. “If you’ve got time to dick around on your phone you have time to work. You know the deadline you were given wasn’t a suggestion, right?”

The laugh that came from Seven sounded forced even to him. “What, seriously?” He set his phone down on his desk face down, wiping his shaky hands off on his jeans. “I could have sworn I read somewhere time is relative.”

“For as high as you seem to be half the time you’re not orbiting the Earth yet.” He crossed one of his legs over the other. “Your tone isn't inspiring confidence either. Something happen?”

His heart was pounding in his throat. “Nothing,” he smiled brightly. “RFA got hacked is all.”

Vanderwood whistled.

“Right?” He swallowed. “I guess it serves me right not checking my work; guess that’s what I get for not having a good work-life balance!” He shrugged. “But it’s nothing serious; I’ll find who did it after I’m done with this.”

He reached down to grab his coffee. “You’re awfully chipper.”

Seven looked back at his computer. “You sound surprised.”

“For as much as you freak out about that server, I am.” He took a sip, setting it back down by his feet. “You lose your mind over the emotes not working but a security breach is no big deal?”

“Security breach, shemcurity breach.” He waved it off, fingers typing away at the keyboard. “If you stress everything that goes wrong you’ll never have time to live.”

“Those would be wise words coming from someone else’s mouth.”

Seven leaned back in his chair, beaming at his handler. “I have my moments.” He sat back up straight, grabbing his phone from the desk and shoving it into his pocket. “I’m going on a soda run. Want anything?”

“Bought some earlier.”

He stood up, kicking his chair back into place. “Then I’m grabbing dinner. Do you want anything?”

“You don’t eat dinner.”

He grabbed his keys. “Then I’m going to an undisclosed location for an undisclosed amount of time where snacks and food will be available, my true intentions known only to me. Do you want anything?”

Vanderwood looked up at him, giving him the same once-over he supposed most parents gave their older children. It had been a while since he had that look on his face, mild concern mixed with justified suspicion; the last time had been when he was still a kid.

Seven broke eye contact first. “I won’t be long,” he promised begrudgingly. “Three hours, tops. Just been inside too long is all.”

There was a long pause.

He sighed, looking back down at his file. “Bring back cream; I forgot some while I was out.”

Luciel was on the main road. The nearest gas station was an hour out. Luciel was not going to the nearest gas station. Luciel was going to the little grocery store an hour or so out from where she was. Luciel was also taking the long way and following all posted and implied traffic laws. Luciel wanted this to be a long trip. Luciel wanted it to be light out by the time he got back.

Twenty minutes in, he pulled over. Alone on a dark road in his silent cat, he pulled out his phone again and reread the message.

It had not changed. It was real.

Saeyoung knew she knew her position. He did not know if she knew the same way that he did what her role was, but he knew that she knew at least what she was meant to do. She acted the way she was meant to every time like clockwork, had said the same two things every time he had sent that first message. It had felt right every time. He knew in his bones that she had said exactly what she had been meant to every time from the very first reset. He knew how she texted. That was not her.

The original chatroom had been deleted. For whatever reason the first one always was. The profile of the new member was the same as it always was. A quick review of the CCTV footage— the same brief, unbothered look he always gave the footage at the beginning— showed that she was at Rika’s apartment. The person on the other end of the line, in theory, was her. All the same, he knew she was not.

He was meant to call now, at this time. He always did after she was done talking with Yoosung about LOLOL and his barely disguised predator-prey kink. He was never nervous to make the call— it was a stupid call, a joke call that did not and should not matter— but the thought of it going to you— not the woman sitting in his apartment but you, the real you— made him lightheaded. He barely knew how to process the idea that you might have access to the messenger. He could not even begin to comprehend how you could access the messenger directly considering your position; the idea was so far-fetched it bordered on unbelievable. But if you had…

He let his head fall against the steering wheel. The issue had gone from an abstract, quiet horror to a pressing matter of real consequence. You were not God, but you were closer to it than he was; you may not have created the universe, but your proxy and her presence did have a profound impact on their world. It was hard not to be taken aback by the prospect of interacting with a higher power. He barely knew how to process the confirmation of your existence— if this was a confirmation— let alone wrap his head around the mechanics of someone like you interacting with someone like him. You operated on a completely different plane than him. None of this should have been possible in the first place. How could he possibly—

Your profile picture showed up on his phone. You were calling him.

His thumb hovered over the accept button, fingers tingling. It was late. You should have been asleep. He should have been able to call you and not have you pick up. He should have been able to think this through further, to come up with a game plan.

He sank in his seat, pulling his headphones over his ears. He held his breath. He answered the call.

“Hello?”

Saeyoung had received his first pair of glasses eight years before. For most of his life, he had been largely unable to see anything further than his hand stretched out in front of him. He had been reluctant to see an optometrist when V had suggested it, had barely even noticed that he was unable to see because he had no other frame of reference. His brother, he had insisted, just had exceptionally good eyes; he could function perfectly fine without going through the trouble. V had insisted and had offered to pay for a sturdy pair out of pocket, and after much resistance, Saeyoung had agreed to it. Getting medical confirmation that he could not see was something of a shock, but not totally surprising. To see the world the way it was in pictures, on the other hand, to really know— to know in the basic sense as opposed to the intrinsic one— that trees were composed of intertwining limbs and leaves you could count as opposed to big masses of color had been revelatory. He had known what things looked like. He could point at a tree before he got glasses and identify it as such. But that was nothing compared to what he had when he could finally see.

It was about the same with you. He had known intrinsically what your voice was in the same way he knew that trees had leaves and branches: common sense mixed with grounded assumptions. He assumed— correctly— that your voice vaguely sounded like hers, that there was some element of you in her that attracted him. Your voice was not hers, though. It was similar in the way that all sweets taste sweet; her voice was so indistinct that your voice was similar by default. Your voice, to him, was what he had liked about her voice in a concentrated form, distinctly you and decided in its identity, and this concentrated dose of you— not the watered-down shit he got through her, but you, the person he was born to be in love with— was almost more than he could take.

You were talking. You were speaking English, mumbling obscenities about a button not working and how he must not be able to understand you because of the linguistic difference. “Maybe if I hang up—“

The words were out of his mouth before he could think what he was saying. “I speak English.”

Your laugh— nervous as it was— was yours and it was perfect. He had never really heard her laugh so he had little to compare it to, but the sound seemed to soothe an ache he had not known existed. “Holy— wow, that is good.” You cleared your throat. “You know, I wasn’t sure what you’d sound like, but you sound almost the same as you did before. It’s totally cool.”

A grin spread across his face. You liked his voice. You had told him that you liked his voice. “Thank you,” he said lamely. “I’m glad you like it.”

“That’s good. That you like that I like it, I mean.” You were cute. “I would be a bit bummed if you— well, not bummed, but I don’t know how I’d react if you disliked that I like your voice.”

At least you were nervous too. He had no idea why you of all people were nervous, but it made him feel less pathetic for being so on edge. “I don't know that I’ve ever been complimented on my voice before,” he admitted, trying to fall back into his usual rhythm. “But I don’t think many people would mind someone saying they like their voice.”

“I hope not.” There’s a cracking sound on your end. “It would be totally awkward if I called you something out of left field.”

He relaxed in his seat. As the shock of the situation wore off his brain kicked back into gear, the gaps in his mind beginning to fill themselves with this new information. He had never really considered the idea of meeting you, but he was unsurprised to find himself more comfortable like this– talking to you– than he had been speaking with the woman he had asked to be his wife in some distant memory. “Don’t worry; Vanderwood’s given me a thick skin over the years.”

You hummed in acknowledgment, not pointing out his slip up to his relief. “How long have you known her?”

He considered it. “Five, six years?”

“That’s a while.”

“Sort of.” He shrugged. “That’s twenty-five-point-two percent of my life give or take; in the grand scheme of things, that isn’t all that long.”

“In all fairness,” you point out, “it’s a bit unfair to count a few of those years; nobody remembers the first couple.”

He tutted. “Gotta disagree with you there. Just because I don’t have very many memories from when I was little doesn’t mean they shouldn’t count in the total.”

“Why not?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” He fiddled with the string of his hoodie. “I mean, just because someone gets blackout drunk doesn’t mean the time they spent blackout drunk didn't happen, right? And even if I don’t remember some stuff that’s happened,” he continued, a lump forming in his throat, “or I don’t have a good grasp of when things happened, they still happened, didn’t they? My memory can’t be the only thing that determines whether something’s happened, right?”

“Sure it is.” You did not seem to catch onto his mood switch; he was thankful for that. “I mean, photos can be doctored and videos can be faked and records altered; not to get philosophical on you, but what else can we trust besides our memories?” You sighed. “But then again, memories aren’t tangible and the human brain is famously unreliable, so maybe we’re all fucked and doomed to try to hold onto false memories and will them into being.”

He took a slow, deep breath. “Fair point.” He laughed, scratching the back of his neck. “I wish I took more photos; I should ask V to show me how.” His eyes softened as he tried to swallow the bad taste in his mouth. “At least if I have physical photos they’d be harder to alter, right? It’d be nice to have confirmation that my memories are trustworthy.”

“I guess if you have a place to keep them safe.”

He had tried taking pictures a few reboots in on a polaroid camera he ordered online. He had taken a photo of her and Jaehee and kept it in his phone case. It had disappeared when she reintroduced herself a while later.

You cleared your throat. “What do I call you? Seven? Luciel? Or would you rather something else?”

‘Do you remember?’ That was the question you meant to ask, whether you and he held the same bond as he did with her. In truth, the memories he had of his time with her were only a bit more tangible than you had been. They were recollections of dreams he knew to be true, fantasies played out by another version of himself. He had little idea of what their relationship– the one between him and her and her and you– meant to you, but he felt as strange about her calling him Saeyoung as he did about you doing the same.

“Seven’s fine.” He forced himself to relax, smiling into the receiver. “Or Seven O’ Seven. Or Supreme Defender of Justice Seven Zero Seven if you want to show your reverence.”

Your smile sounded more natural than his. “How humble of you.”

“One of my many virtues.” He twisted his headphone cord around his finger, stopped. “What should I call you?”

You told him your name.

He tried to compare it to her name in his head. He did not know if he had forgotten it or if he had never known it in the first place. He repeated it back to you, committing it to memory.

You moved your mouth closer to the receiver, signing heavily into it. “How’d you come up with your name? Seven Zero Seven, I mean; what’s its significance?”

“Oh, loads of things.” He looked out the windshield into the night sky. “It’s an area code, an error code, an angel number, a pop culture reference– it’s got layers.”

It sounded like you were on a bed. “Walk me through them.”

He sat up a bit in his seat. “Seven Zero Seven is the area code for the northwesternmost part of California, which was where I stayed to learn English before I started school. Seven Zero Seven is also an uncommon error code that I struggled to get down, which I thought was funny because the code itself is an error code for partial data retrieval.” He swallowed. “Seven Zero Seven in numerology is supposed to be symbolic of spiritual awakening– you can guess why I liked that– and seeing it a lot means you’re supposed to take time to focus on yourself instead of your relationships with other people, which was…” He trailed off. “Well, you can guess.” He cleared his throat. “And Seven O’ Seven is a play on Double O Seven, aka James Bond, which is also pretty cool.”

Your voice was soft. “You thought of all that?”

“I had a very long car ride.”

You snorted.

“It’s true!” He crisscrossed his legs on the seat. “I was in a ‘93 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a broken air conditioner in late September; I was going nuts sitting in the car so long so I told myself to finally decide on a name before we got to San Mateo for something to do and all the pieces just sort of fell together.”

“I’m not doubting that it happened,” you insisted. “I’m just– it’s really in character, you know? Like, it’s such a you thing to do.”

“Is that an insult?”

“Not at all.” You sounded sincere. “I really like you; I like learning more about you.”

His cheeks warmed. “Don’t get too used to it,” he warned, half joking. “I’m a very secretive person.”

You were a dream. “It’s funny; I feel like I know you so well already.”

“Maybe you did in a past life.” He closed his eyes, trying and failing to picture you, to make you real in his head. “Maybe you do know me and I just don’t know you.”

“Do you want to know me?”

His heart ached. “More than anything.”

“You have my permission, if you’re looking for it.” You swallowed. “I don’t know if I’m worth knowing, but you’re more than welcome to if you want.”

“You are.” He hoped he did not sound as earnest as he was. “I promise, you are.”

“You sound very sure of yourself.”

“I am.”

Your answer was polite, if nervous. “That’s really sweet of you to say.”

His sighed. “You don’t believe me.”

“Not because I don’t trust you,” you insisted quickly. “I just don’t know how you’d make that call, you know?”

“I have good intuition,” he insisted.

You laughed. “Nobody’s intuition’s that good.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Sure I do. Besides–” You caught yourself, scrambled to recover. “Well, in any case, I don’t know how well your intuition can work if you can only talk to someone through a phone.”

“You’d be surprised.” He sat up straighter. “I bet I can tell loads about you from your online presence.”

You hummed in acknowledgment. “Lay it on me, then.”

He took a deep breath. “You’re… lonely,” he decided. “That’s why you showed up in our lives, why you haven’t left yet. Maybe not all the time, maybe not around people, but in some capacity, you feel alone or felt alone and you feel better being here than dealing with your own loneliness.” He swallowed. “But you’re kind. You care about things and people even when their problems don’t directly affect you. You have a good sense of right and wrong and try to make do with the choices you’re given, even if they aren’t great.”

A pause, then, “You make me sound like a better person than I am.”

He smiled. “I have a feeling you’ll have more options than you’re used to this time around,” he teased. “If I’m right– which, not to brag, but I usually am– that means you’ll have plenty of opportunity to prove me wrong if you want.”

“I guess so.” Your voice sounded softer now. “I hope I’m not too much of a disappointment.”

“You won’t. You aren’t.” He checked the time. “Are you falling asleep?”

“A little.” You yawned. “But I’ve got to pay every time I make a phone call so I want to keep this going as long as possible.”

He rolled his eyes. “Go to sleep,” he urged. “If it’s that much trouble, I’ll call you, okay? Don’t worry about it.”

“But then you need to pay for the call.”

“I could stop working today and never have to work a day in my life; I can afford to call you.”

It was hard to tell if the worry he heard was real or not. “You promise?”

“Cross my heart.” He fixed his glasses. “Before I leave, though, can you understand what we type alright? I think I might have installed a translator a while ago for Yoosung to use to study but I don’t remember if it actually worked all that well.”

You hummed contentedly. “Works like a dream,” you promised sleepily. “Google Translate can eat its heart out.”

He chuckled. “Good, good.” He picked his phone back up, thumb hovering over the call button. “Well,” he supposed, “this is where I leave you.”

“So it is.”

A pause. His finger stayed where it was.

You snorted. “You are so you.” There was a rustling of blankets on your end. “Goodnight, Seven.”

“You too. Oh,” he started, “and one last thing?”

“Yeah?”

His face flushed. “Thank you,” he said. “For showing up, I mean. It means a lot.”

He hoped he did not imagine the affection he heard in your voice. “It means more to me, I promise.”

You hung up.

It took him a second to get back on the road.

A while ago, Luciel had taken the time to sit down and really, objectively consider his situation. He had come to the conclusion that if he were to assign a genre to his life he would call it an existential horror. You were an entity greater than himself whose whims he was held victim and whose intentions were barely understood. His limited understanding nearly crippled him, leaving him alone and stuck in a constant haze of half-formed memories he had no way of grounding. In any other life, he would have hated you. In any other circumstance, with any other person, he probably would wished for your death so he could at least have the chance to hold onto something permanent.

But he was not alone anymore.

You remembered. He had you.

And if the price of having you in any capacity was for him to live the way he did, he would.

#mystic messenger saeyoung #saeyoung x reader #mysme saeyoung #saeyoungmysticmessenger #saeyoung choi #saeyoung #saeyoung x mc #seven mysme #707 #707 x reader #707 mm #agent 707 #707 imagine #mysme 707 #707 x you #707mysticmessenger #mystic messenger 707 #mm 707 #mysme luciel #mm luciel #luciel choi #luciel mystic messenger #luciel x reader #mystic messager #mystic messenger x reader #gender neutral y/n #gender neutral insert #yandere? #would this qualify? yandere by default sort of #MC and you are canonically different people

[i-love-hot-men-in-video-games]

I did a charater analysis on John Seed Pt. 2

John is the only Herald that doesn't kill anyone, severely maime, yes, but he doesn't kill, out of all the Heralds, he actually gives people the choice to confess to him right away without harm. Jacob, it's either do as you're told and kill, or die, and with Faith, it's either join or become a braindead Angel. John has destroyed people's houses, but not before warning them to get out, for example; Grace Armstrong's home was destroyed by John, but she's still alive. John is also the only one to not kill the Deputy's allies. Jacob; Eli. Faith; Virgil & Marshall. Joseph; Dutch. He may have severely hurt Nick, but at least John gave him the choice. While the Deputy is tied up, waiting for John to come back to the confession room, he doesn't come back, even if you sit and wait for him, he just doesn't come back. Which implies that maybe he wants the Deputy to actually escape... he even makes comments like "The doors are closing Deputy, last chance to leave!" and "...if you stay here, I will bleed your little princess like a stuck pig." There is a note in the clinic you can read about Mary May, basically she had gotten a tattoo from John, but no other scars. So John never hurt Mary, even says it in the book of Absolution; a FarCry Novel. So John does give people chances, even multiple as John wrote multiple letters to Nick, pleading with him to join. So to say the least, John is a somewhat fair person, he also seems to go easier on the Females rather than the Males. During the cutscene of John's death, he becomes very genuine with us, questioning us to stop and think "What if Joseph is right?" he also says that the world is on the brink of destruction, you can feel it. When John laughs, "Look at the headlines, look who's in charge", he smiles... and out of all the times John has smiled at us, this one seems the most genuine. When John says "You don't understand, you don't believe, you don't care!" John pleads to us with genuine worry in his voice and it's written on his face. Just before John dies, he says this... "May God have mercy on your soul." John shows us that even though we've done so much wrong to him and the people of Eden's Gate, he still wishes for God to go easy on us... John hasn't done that with anyone, not even Mary May which he likes so much. I believe John also says this because he knows he may go to hell, and he doesn't wish that upon the Deputy...

Now that We've looked at everything, let's see a comparison to what people think John is, VS what he really is.

Personified John

A Monster

A Creep

A Charismatic Liar

Sadistic/Narcissistic

Heartless

Soulless

Psychopath

Control Freak

Scary

Joseph's Puppet

Has an Inferiority Complex

Selfish

Mean

Terrible taste in interior decorating

Terrible cook (because him and his brothers made watery mac n cheese)

lustful

Stupid Rich

Successful

Real John

Broken

Deeply Scarred

Lies to hide who he is

Slight PTSD

Deeply Caring\Deeply Loving

Doesn't know what reciprocated love feels like.

Feels like a Failure.

Is afraid of Joseph and disappointing him.

Feels like a disappointment.

Actually has unique taste in interior decorating (he's a real estate lawyer, what do you expect?)

Gives people many chances for redemption/atonement.

Tries to 'earn' Joseph's love.

Doesn't know how to cook (grew up in a home that mainly ordered fancy foods or probably had a personal chef.)

Uses sex to forget the pain of his childhood.

Feels like he needs to hurt people for failing him in getting a good home.

Feels like he's nothing without his sins (which is why he continues to try and drown people and severely hurt them.)

Is left-handed

Severely abused physologically.

Loves the color blue.

Loves Planes, specifically the P-51 Mustang 9 (possibly got the idea from the movie Dr. Strangelove. It has the P-51 Mustang plane in it. John also whistles the song "We'll Meet Again" which plays at the end of the movie. Possibly John's favorite movie and song.)

Would love to stare at the stars with someone because he loves the sky.

Would be forever in your debt if you made him dinner (food his how you show love in the south, and since he was possibly never made a homecooked meal, he would be very greatful.)

100% would read Dark Romance & Smut...

Personality type is EsTJ-T.

Gets lost in the country side because of the very little road markers. (He's too far used to the city.)

Likes Gourmet dishes but would rather have a homecooked meal.

Would be terrified of kids and only tolerate them. (secretely loves them from a distance.)

Wouldn't know true love if it slapped him in the face.

Would actually make a great lover.

Severe trust issues

Appears like a stuck-up Narc. but actually loaths himself.

If he did see that the Person truly loves him, he would hug them tightly and start crying because he never thought he could ever be truly loved/loved unconditionally.

Is literally the representation of Famine because he was starved of love his whole life.

Just wants someone to love him for him.

In conclusion to all of this, John is just a man who needs proper guidance, therapy, and love.

#John Seed #farcry5