#no but i really am trying to figure out a justification for this in my mind. because rikki and zane are paralleled with julia and karl

[docholligay]

I think it’s important to remember in fandom that in your own fandom space you are allowed to be god, but never forget that you are also a little stupid.

#There's a freedom in going 'that's not true because I don't like it and we shall not have it in the foyer of my fine manse' #instead of trying to find justifications for stuff #that isn't to say you can't have reasons of course #but it's also really healthy i think to try and figure out if the reason is just justification you know? #Like I can stretch all kinds of mozzarella #but sometimes that's all I'm doing #I am not going to mention specific times I know I have done this because they are emabrassing to me and I don't have to #I call myself the god queen emporer arbiter of all that is good because it's true here but we all know (jesus christ I hope #when I say things so hyperdramatically. If ytou can't get this out of how I say it I can't help you.) that I'm being tongue in cheek #Often not always of course #wow great spelling of emperor you are a genius #anyway I've been thinking about this a lot but basically: You own your space but have perspective and don't go chasing the idea of having #your opinions crowned by others outside of your circle #if that makes sense #Also please all remember that at the end of the day this is all very stupid #.I'm being serious here 98 times out of 100 fandom fights are dumb as dogshit #yes even when I have participated in them please refer to my earlier never forget that you are also a little stupid

[sanctus-ingenium]

I'd looove to hear a little about your worldbuilding process if you don't mind sharing. How do you go about it? I know you have shared in a few posts already but just wanna know moree. Also where did it all begin? What inspired you? (eating it all uppp!!!)

hi!! I know I wrote a big long thing like last year or the year before about the process to making a setting but I cannot be arsed to find it rn so here's some disconnected thoughts

Overall I don't really make Headworlds or Worldbuilding Projects the way a lot of people do (which is why u keep hearing me say 'setting' over and over) because mainly what I make are stories in the order of characters -> plot -> world. those three things have to serve one another in that order of importance, so the world itself bends to serve the narrative. for example, ultimately idgaf where the holy beasts' skeletons come from, that is not important because the beasts are basically just a big plot device to serve the story. i can make some post-hoc justifications for their existence (and i did) but at the end of the day it will not and does not matter how they work or where they come from. the world is full of mysteries that will never be solved because the characters are not in a position to solve them. aside from a single border conflict, the world outside the mezian empire is nebulous and unimportant.

I don't enjoy working in a world -> narrative order because what I want to produce isn't just a series of info posts or artpieces about a setting, but a closed and self-contained story which is the justification for the entire world's existence. Headworlds that are all world and no character don't interest me.

So basically in the process of worldbuilding, I have to serve the story. A while back I made a post about continental history around Inver, all these wars and occupations and schisms and so on. All of those exist solely to provide a particular political climate, justification for Aquitan's theocratic structure, and the spread of the southern church north into Inver. I already had the idea of this church, that it would be integral to the country as a main political faction, so now I have to figure out how it got there and the political ramifications of that. It's all worldbuilding for sure, but it's a support structure underneath the story about how that church eventually changes world history, because i wanted to write a story about a church lol.

I guess if I wanted to explain The Process for a world -> characters setting i'd just be giving you How To Write A Story 101 lol. But basically: I think of a concept which interests me (big mechs yay). Then I think of a conflict that might arise (where does the fuel come from? who controls that supply? what might that do to the concentration of power in this area?). Then I put a character in what I consider to be the most interesting position to observe the effects of this conflict (a knight, an enginesmith, an exile), and honestly the main plot generally writes itself after that. I extrapolate the hook from that.

In terms of characters, I try to avoid calling them 'ocs' because in my mind 'oc' tends to be a very static stand-alone thing. Like I couldn't make a useful ref sheet of my characters because they are all changed by the story. I couldn't say 'he has a carefree personality' because in a few chapters no he fucking won't. in the same way i struggle a LOT to talk about my Siren setting which as close to a specbio 'headworld' as i'm ever gonna get, because I am worldbuilding in vastly different time periods at once in a world which is always changing, i can't make a post about for example a map of Siren because that's just a map from one era, I'd need to make a dozen maps to show how things change, how time affects it all, etc.

Because nothing is ever static and everything is in flux, pretty much the only way I can handle a setting like this is, again, just to focus on a few small stories centered around a cast of characters separated by time (i have... 4 distinct stories in Siren. maybe more). this is actually a frustrating barrier to me sharing any information at all about this place lol i'm the struggler

Where did it all begin? When I was 11 I used to write stories in my copybooks in class. There has never been a time where I was not making stories and where my stories were not the only important thing at all to me, superseding literally everything else. I learned how to draw digitally in 2011 because I wanted to draw my characters.

What inspires me? Everything lol. I actually don't have time to Consume Media much, I struggle watching movies or tv and I mostly hate video games because I would much rather be productive and sitting and watching a screen feels like a waste of my time. but I like reading books because I can take them with me on my phone. I get ideas from all sources but mostly non-media sources, like obviously mythology but also my history with the church and my scientific education. Usually nonfictional sources interest me the most (i was going to write a whole story that was a post-apocalyptic plague plot based on canine transmissible venereal cancer haha and even to this day that's where "the Immortal Hound" title comes from, little easter egg in inver)

#sorry this is barely coherent

[eskildit]

the unwanted guest incoherent ramblings under read more so spoilers below:

did tamsyn muir enter my brain and ask "oh what would drive flora just absolutely insane" and then write that????? i have to WORK today!!!

i was literally just thinking about naberius and how different his relationships to ianthe and corona were. hes socially beneath both of them but ianthe and babs had more of a back and forth compared to the far more unbalanced dynamic between corona and babs.

and naberius' care for rules!!!! i was rereading the duel between gideon and naberius a bit ago and in addition to the obvious part of gideon breaking the rules, theres this tiny moment between naberius and magnus. naberius points out that hed be embarrassed to admit to losing to a fourteen year old, to which magnus makes a joke, gives babs a look, and naberius looks scolded. like for all his bitchy attitude he steps back into line when told to!

im forever gonna be rotating around in my mind the fact that babs was continuously cheated on. what a fascinating character detail. also my favorite line of the whole story was "I ruled him through fear and poison and he relaxed into it like a warm bath." woof.

AAAAAAAAA i am such a paldulcie girl so i dont even have interesting thoughts i just feel insane. i figured out around the third scene that the voice was dulcie and i had to take a lap around my apartment. them!!!! THEM!!!! other people smarter than me can unpack what the bible verse means but at a minimum hes saying shes like an angel. and the fact we never see her? that its this off stage revelation? i really think this story made great use of the stage play format but dulcie being a voice in the audience palamedes is speaking to is just. muah. perfection.

okay soul stuff!!! i had a prediction that this story was going to go into river or soul dynamics because like, its palamedes and ianthe. that sounds like what they would get up to. but im so intrigued by what this is now setting up! this certainly puts any remaining expectations of a true perfect lyctorhood to bed. it also presents a possible answer to why pyrrha was piloting g1deons body, that they had compartmentalized too much but her soul was still trying to graft on.

also have we officially proven abigail correct? that there is in fact something beyond the river? because thats what two shores would mean. one shore is the living crossing into the river, and the other shore crossing onto whatever lies past it. dulcie said she is out of the river, meaning she is at the shore beyond the river.

anyway, i love that ianthe is a liar who lies but also is just unwilling to accept facts that go against her worldview. queen of justification and denial <3

#eskildit posts tlt #the locked tomb #the unwanted guest #tug spoilers #this is the ramblings of a madman btw i am very sorry

[longtallglasses]

okay now more byler headcanons slightly older - the miwi ones

mike is a huuuuge physics nerd. he studies it on his own before taking it in hs, going to the library to get books on it and textbooks to figure out equations. when he learns a new concept he excitedly tells the party, who all share in his joy to varying degrees. in hs him and dustin compete to be the star student of the class both becoming quite the teacher’s pet. will loves hearing mike explain different phenomena with all the big terms. he doesn’t really struggle that much with it in class but he pretends to be stuck more often than not just to watch mike explain a concept with enthusiasm. will asks “can you explain this?” and mike’s eyes light up so excited to get into it. and will also loves that when he does finally “get it” mike praises the shit out of him.

every time will’s over and changes in front of him mike immediately averts his eyes, and he doesn’t understand at first what makes him so uncomfortable bc he doesn’t react that way w anyone else

when will’s starting to realize his feelings for mike are becoming very serious he tries to train his brain to think of something else whenever mike pops into his head. although most of his distraction topics tend to remind him of mike anyway.

they both could notice something shift between them when hs started but they pretended like everything was normal.

when mike visited in lenora will noticed how mike’s smile seemed forced and he thought it was bc maybe mike wasn’t that excited to see him - that maybe mike really was “out growing” him

when the party get drunk together for the first time mike and will gravitate towards each other like magnets. becoming very hushed and giggly together, and the whole party thinks “okay figures”

the small sober part of both their brains is quietly thinking “wait why can’t it be like this all the time?”

mike finds himself grabbing will’s arm with everything he says, subconsciously trying to pull him closer, thinking crazy stuff like “i wanna be all over him” not even knowing in what way or why really, “whoa being drunk is weird, it makes me even more obsessed with my best friend…”

meanwhile will is like why is mike so touchy now, i don’t hate it, i really like it but what’s going on? why is he looking at me like that? am i crazy or is something happening right now?

they probably end the night drunkenly telling each other how much they love each other, how they’re each others best friend, like Best Friend™ thinking that will help the gnawing feeling in their gut subside when they look at each other

they used to hug much more when they were younger, in greetings and goodbyes, but they noticed that most boys didn’t do that as they got older, even lucas and dustin didn’t, so then it became a secret thing, only when they were completely alone. but after a particularly brutal dressing down from lonnie and harsh words from bullies it seemed to stop completely. only when it was truly warranted, if they had some real justification for it. like getting hurt, skinning a knee, crying, then it was okay.

when they get drunk that first time they hug each other very intensely, mike says “i wish we could do this all the time” will says they can if they want, and then starts them trying to let themselves be more familiar w each other again

when they first get together mike is overwhelmed at random moments looking over at will that all of it is real, will loves him and he loves will too, attacking will with kisses all over his face bc “oh my god oh my god i like you so much what the fuck!” will has to beg him to stop but of course he loves it and feels similar feelings take over him too

sitting and admiring mike while he’s doing whatever, maybe he’s talking or just walking around, temporarily forgetting where he is and mike looks over at him smiling and will is just a puddle of emotion that he gets to be with mike.

also during their early relationship will has to constantly remind himself that he doesn’t have to hide what he feels for mike. he doesn’t have to look away or hold his tongue. mike calls him out on it thinking maybe something is upsetting him but will is just worried that he’ll be too much. he’ll say too much or seem too clingy and it will scare mike off with just how much will likes him. (part of him knows it’s silly when mike’s confessed so much to him at this point but it’s still scary!) once he’s reassured he can express whatever he wants will slowly discovers a whole side of himself that was lying dormant. feeling more open with his feelings than he ever has <3

#random hcs in my notes #byler #byler headcanon #will byers #mike wheeler

[maspers]

Bionicle is weird yall

Okay so let's talk Bionicle. The Lego action figures with surprisingly deep lore and themes, and basically one of the coolest things to ever exist. You either love Bionicle or have not read Bionicle.

Who's your favorite? Mine has got to be Kopaka. For various reasons, including his general competence throughout the whole story. He's just pretty rad.

Now, you might be surprised I like Kopaka, since all things considered he's kind of a prick. He snarks at basically everything that enters his line of sight, and largely acts kind of stuck up due to his (admittedly justified) belief that he's the smartest person around. He spends the entire story fed up with everything else. He is completely and utterly convinced that he is the only sane person in the entire universe, and that nothing in the entirety of Mata Nui is behaving in a logical and rational way.

But see, here's the thing: all of that bluster about being the only rational thing around is complete bullcrap and lies, and here's why:

Kopaka, like all the original six Toa, is an amnesiac. He popped out of a magic canister in the ground and basically has no backstory to speak of since before he woke up he essentially didn't exist. And we know he's not a possible exception to this since, unlike the other Toa, he's the one we actually see it happen to. He has legit no idea who he is until Nuju tells him. What this means is simple: KOPAKA HAS NO FRAME OF REFERENCE. You can't judge something to be insane if you have not experienced sanity. Nothing is "irrational" in the abstract, you need context. Most people have extremely well-developed context obtained by living, but since Kopaka had not yet lived until he woke up he has NONE OF THAT.

And even if he did, he'd still be a massive hypocrite. Sure, the Matoran society and the Makuta are kind of weird, but Kopaka is a TOA, and Toa are a whole new kettle of craziness. Kopaka is a magic space warrior robot with the power to control the very concept of THIS STUFF IS COLD. His face is a magic mask that grants him X-ray vision and then gets even more powers later on. He can physically combine with other Toa to create a weird mega fusion Toa. Heck, after his first upgrade his primary weapon was skis. SKIS. He basically shapeshifts into a new body every time he goes somewhere else. And, as noted before, he legit just popped out of the ground one day, which makes him and his sibling Toa objectively weirder than all other Toa ever, since all the rest are transformed Matoran. Kopaka's entire existence is really freaking weird. He has no legs to stand on in his "I am the only rational being in the universe" belief. So where the heck did he get it from?

The simple answer: Mata Nui himself. When designing the Toa to act as a sort of internal anti-virus for all the weird garbage in his system, Mata Nui decided "You know what let's make the Ice one a prick who thinks he's sane" and somehow that idea perpetuated to the very end of the design process. The only reason Kopaka has to deal with everything else seeming completely bonkers to him is because Mata Nui, massive benevolent Troll that he is, *made him that way*. I bet when Kopaka finally made it to Bara Magna he was probably internally extremely relieved, because now he could judge the Agori by comparing them to the Matoran and vice versa instead of judging the Matoran on no actual justification whatsoever.

TLDR Kopaka is my favorite Bionicle because the entire premise of his personality is absurd and he probably spent the entire plot trying to internally justify it. Also ice powers go brrrrr

#bionicle #kopaka #mata nui #for once i actually DO know how to tag this #typically i'm not as much of a fan of the “i'm the lancer and i make snide remarks” character #but kopaka just has that special something #it's a brain cell #gali and onua also have brain cells #team toa nuva has a surprising brain cell ratio #but gali uses hers a little too much #and onua thinks its funny when he DOESN'T use his #kopaka has the balance #smaht boi. biologeh.

[heavencasteel420]

Okay. I’m gonna be a hater.

I’m not against St4ncy because of the association between their first time and Barb dying. If they were good together and she really wanted to be with him, then I wouldn’t be rooting for her survivor’s guilt to keep that from happening.

I’m also not against St4ncy because of the S1 graffiti, per se. From a writing perspective, I think the show over-egged the pudding by making both Jonathan and Steve do such shitty things to Nancy in S1. I believe the creators were mainly trying to make certain things happen plot-wise (there needs to be a photo of the demogorgon, the teen confrontation needs to be immediate and public so Jonathan and Nancy can end up at the police station) and trying to foreshadow Steve’s heel-face turn by making his objections to the photos more reasonable, and they did a clumsy job of it. And I think it’s basically fine for the creators, having realized that this was all too much, to quietly drop it. Such is the nature of multi-season TV. Realistically, it’s wild that Steve and Nancy would get back together a mere month after all of that, but, unless a shipper actually says stuff like “it’s not that bad that he would do that, because he was understandably upset” or “it was just vandalism,” I’m not going to assume that they’re chill with the graffiti.

That being said, the whole “Steve’s feelings were hurt because he thought he was being cheated on and he’s young and it was all Tommy’s fault anyway and he apologized” vs. “Jonathan had no motivations other than intrinsic badness and his youth is not a factor and his apology doesn’t count and his terrible home life is not only not an excuse but a justification for Steve’s tenuously connected shitty actions” thing has soured me on large swathes of Steve fans across the board. I’ve seen too much of the so-called real-life justice system to find this attitude anything other than disturbing. But this isn’t exclusively a St4ncy shipper problem. If anything, they at least usually like Nancy enough not to act like she’s somehow at fault for the photos because she forgave Jonathan later (???) or put her “cheating” on Steve on the same level as the guys’ worst S1 behavior.

My main reasons for disliking the ship (in an exclusive endgame kind of way; I’m cool with Stoncy most of the time and I think they canonically had some good times together) are way more subjective. The first reason is that Jonathan is my favorite and St4ncy shippers invariably don’t like or get him. This is predictable, although not inevitable; Jancy shippers don’t dislike Steve so uniformly, for example. So obviously that’s not gonna work out.

The second reason is that I just don’t find the things people like about their relationship very romantic or desirable. He’s protective of her, but that mainly seems to involve trying to keep her from doing things she believes she has to do or retaliating against others in ways she finds distasteful. There’s not a lot of awareness of her perspective. He wants to be with her “no matter what,” with no consideration for the obstacles, but those obstacles seem to include “what she wants” and “what they are both like as people.” I’d get it more if he was like “I don’t know what the future will bring, but I’d like to give this a chance in the short term” or “listen, I can figure out what to do with my life in Boston as well as anywhere else,” but instead he just does not seem to know her at all or be thinking about what they would do as a couple in the immediate future. After a point, that’s just being in love with the idea of being in love.

Also—and I am not trying to be catty here—I think it’s kind of silly to compare his romantic dreams with Jonathan having reservations due to trauma, poverty, and family obligations. That’s not so much a testament to Steve loving her more as it is an indication that he is relatively unburdened by material concerns. He may be broke, but he’s not dealing with entrenched multi-generational poverty. I’m not saying these things to suggest that Nancy would be wrong to break up with Jonathan—sometimes love isn’t enough—or that Steve is less deserving of love because his life is easier, but I am saying that Steve was kinda born on third base here.

I am not convinced that Steve would do “anything” for Nancy! Nor do I think that he should! That is not a good or sexy dynamic in an equal romantic partnership to me! They should both have other principles and goals of their own! (Also. Is the guy who wouldn’t revise his college essay in S2 really gonna move to Boston for her? I think he’s changed, sure, but not in that particular way.)

#anti stancy #just dumping this all here #I’m trying to be more positive #but in order to be positive we must sometimes Bitch

[snakebites-and-ink]

Positions - Part 1

Yes, I skipped chapter 8 for now because it was giving me trouble. It was basically a filler chapter so it’s fine to skip and come back to later. All you really need to know is Asher went on another casual outing with some coworkers, so he’s been having some somewhat-positive interactions that aren’t just work.

I was gonna add more leadup at the beginning of the scene, but…I got a little stuck. So I’m just gonna drop you right into it. You’ll figure out what’s going on, it’s pretty straightforward if you have any familiarity with the BBU.

CW: BBU, pet whump, bullying

“Position 12.”

The command was all too familiar, even though it was coming from someone who had no right to give it. Asher’s training was so ingrained into him that he started to move into position automatically. His knees bent and he started to slightly lower himself towards the ground before he caught himself and straightened.

“Well? I’m waiting.”

Asher shot him an angry frown. “You’re not my owner.”

“Maybe not, but I’m not a pet and you are.” The man smirked.

“You don’t have the authority to give me orders like that without my master’s permission,” Asher asserted.

“Then why did you start getting into position?”

“That was out of habit, not obedience.”

“‘Not obedience?’ Sounds like someone isn’t a very good pet.” The man stepped closer and placed a threatening hand on Asher’s shoulder, then shoved him down. “Position 8.”

Asher’s knees hit the floor as the shove sent him towards the ground faster than he could react, but before he actually assumed the position, he twisted and stood back up. He glared at the other man.

“You really should do as you’re told, Asher.” He stepped closer and flicked the metal tag dangling from Asher’s collar.

Asher took a step back but resisted the ever-present automatic urge to placate. That was often the best strategy, but in this case it would just encourage this kind of behavior, which had already gone on long enough. “You really should mind your own business. I already told you, you don’t have the authority for this.”

“Come on, pet, don’t you want to be good?”

That was unfair. Asher scowled at him. “I am good. Just not for anyone like you.”

Asher tried to walk away, only to have his path blocked. He stopped, wary of being pushed towards the floor again, or possibly even risking worse violence.

“Let me go. Please.” The please just slipped out automatically, but it drew an almost vindicated smirk from the other man.

That didn’t last long, though. The drama had drawn the attention of a few other people, a couple of whom were properly within earshot by now. One of them stepped closer and grabbed onto the guy’s arm before he could make another move. “Just let him go, seriously. You’re being a jerk.”

Asher watched quietly, with a hint of nervousness. His attacker looked angry but didn’t seem to have a retort. Probably because his “justification” for what he was doing would just make him sound like the jerk he was accused of being.

“Come on, aren’t you both supposed to be working?” Another chimed in.

“Yeah. You should get back to work,” the jerk said, looking at Asher, perhaps in an attempt to take back control of the situation. Asher didn’t say anything back; he would be more than happy to do so, but he worried that agreement would make the guy feel like he’d won Asher’s obedience. Let him feel like he had the last word, but not vindicate his perceived entitlement to Asher’s submission. That was probably the safest way to deescalate this.

The man was turned and gently led away before he could get worked up over the lack of response. Asher watched them leave, giving a small, thankful smile to his rescuers when one glanced back.

Once he was alone again, Asher let out a long, shuddering breath. Trying to breathe out the tension and fear still buzzing within him. He ran a hand over his collar. He was a good pet. He was okay.

#Asher gets a defiant whumpee moment 🎉 #I am not entirely fond of how this turned out but eh. posting anyways and maybe I'll revise it later. #I think it was because I avoided naming all the side characters that it turned out sounding a little weird in places #pet whump #box boy universe #BBU #whump #whump writing #original fic #writing #fiction #oc #my writing #my posts #Asher #Asher series

[matan4il]

what makes me saddest is that almost everyone speaking up and condemning the global pogrom is jewish or has jewish or israeli heritage. jews in far away countries who have never even set foot in israel are being othered and attacked simply for being jewish. and their countrymen are mostly silent or worse - actively cheering it. (there are exceptions of course for which im grateful. but yeah.)

especially upsetting is that of the non jews who are condemning this it's mostly middle age to older adults. the younger generation is overhwhelmingly silent or actively supportive of the hate. that's my generation and those younger than me. and it scares me about what happens as that generation becomes the majority.

Hi Nonnie! I feel you and am sending lotsa hugs! I do wanna acknowledge the exceptions, the non-Jews who ARE speaking up for Jews and for Israelis. They're so important. There's some here, online! And there have been some non-Jewish celebs who have done the same, stood up with the Jewish people. Take this American actress, for example, who posted this incredibly succinct message:

But you are right that it's a minority in comparison to the majority of those who have spoken up for Israel and the Jewish people. To a degree, I can understand it. Even as a Jew, feeling compelled to speak up for my people, this has felt scary, and I have been repeatedly attacked and sent the vilest of messages, even when all I did was just post the daily updates with info. Just... informative posts and that's it, no commentary, and my humanity was immediately denied. And that was one of the kinder messages I had gotten. If Jews are scared to fight this fight, why wouldn't non-Jews be scared to do it?

I thought in 2023, it wouldn't be this hard to be the non-Jewish person doing the right thing, standing by Jews, as the Righteous Among the Nations did during the Holocaust. They risked their lives to save Jews by hiding and saving them. Surely it would be easier in 2023 to just speak up for the Jewish community, right? But it seems like it isn't. In a sense, it makes me appreciate those who stand with us even more. So I guess I just wanna take a second to applaud the people who do this. You're amazing. And you matter so much!

As for the generational gap you've noticed... I hope someone does a poll on this at some point. And if it turns out to be true, then I hope someone also tries to figure out how the generation that's supposedly the most in tune with human rights, turned out to be the same one that fails to see that ANY massacre is a gross violation of that. That there is NO justification for the beheading of babies, or for raping people so brutally, that their bones break.

If I try to hypothesize why that might be, all I can come up with is that there is some severe failure of empathy at work here, where empathy has been abandoned in favor of righteous rage, and the sense of moral superiority it brings with it. Really, if in the past people used to tap into a sense of superiority by being of the right race, religion, nationality sexual orientation or such, now they're tapping into a sense of superiority by holding the right (meaning socially sanctioned on Tumblr and Tiktok) political opinions. They won't let facts get in the way of that. If the conflict is more complicated than what Tiktok and Twitter have told them, they're not interested in learning about it.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

#ask #anon ask #israel #israeli #israel news #israel under attack #israel under fire #israelunderattack #terrorism #anti terrorism #antisemitism #hamas #antisemitic #antisemites #jews #jew #judaism #jumblr #frumblr #jewish

[trick-jester]

Friendly Killer [02]

[Leon S Kennedy/Killer!Reader]

❝ A lover’s charade. ❞

warnings : blood (slight gore description), swearing, sexual intimacy implications, reader is given she/her pronouns but gender is never specified

3100+ words

A/N: I am really, really sorry in advance. I feel like this chapter isn’t as good of quality as the first chapter made. I’ve re-written this around 8 separate times trying to summarize my entire idea but compressing 10k worth of words into 3k is stupid difficult. I’ve been sitting on this for over half a year and want to just get it over with so I broke it up. Hope you still enjoy reading though! Ɛ>

The chanting caws of crows echo eternally into night sky, fading into obscurity upon taking a directionless flight. 

[F/n] sighs, leaning onto the windowsill of her worn cabin. Deep within her own thoughts as her eyes mindlessly skim through the dainty atmosphere of her own realm. She runs her fingers through her hair, untangling small knots caught along the way.

It had been minutes since the end of their previous match. Hours since Leon confessed his feelings for her without needing to say a word. The permanent memory made her flush. From the way his lips felt against hers to the way their bodies melded together almost too perfectly, it was as if they were created specifically for one another.

Images of his nude figure were pinned at the very center of her core memories: burned securely into its place. [F/n] felt her mouth water at the mental sight of his abs, her cheeks sizzling feverishly as she could do nothing to prevent the replay of their intimacy.

Her scowl cracks, unable to hide the adoration felt as a smile emerges among the visible blush on her expression. Though as quick as it came— it went.Coming away from her position, [F/n] groans, bringing a hand to soothe her a temple. There was a major issue present she couldn't ignore. Their prolonged session couldn't have gone unnoticed by his teammates.

Would they believe Leon if he said she slugged him? Or if he was simply being overly stealthy? Could anything really justify the absurd amount of time taken to complete a match?

The mere idea of anyone else discovering their relationship gave her a migraine.

How would her fellow killers respond? How would the survivors respond?

If the survivors shunned Leon it would snowball into a massive issue in the long run, making matches far more strenuous than needed. It would only require for him to be downed once —once to be abandoned on hook— for his run to be over.

Then, knowing well none of the killers would show an ounce mercy without some sort of return she simply couldn't provide, the outcome of this would eventually drive [F/n] to a breaking point. The entity was not at all a fan of friendly fire when it came to her killers, she knew this far too well.

[F/n] felt her heartbeat quicken, clutching a fistful of her serape. Heavy footsteps did nothing to reel her from overthinking as Danny made his presence known. Arm extended to grip the doorframe.

The leather of his glove crossing her eyes first before the rest of him did.

Danny shook his head as their eyes met. Demeanor anything but well, there was no sugarcoating what transpired. 

"Well there's two things— it's a shitshow." He pauses, head shrinking back in anticipation.

"They ended up interrogating your little plaything, toots."

[E/c] eyes widen, [F/n] paced towards him with anger.

"What do you mean?"

"Well..."

Leon sighed, planting his thumb and index finger across his forehead. He was visibly annoyed. Though he didn't expect any less from the result of their previous trial. Tossing his head back out of his hunched position, he stands, finally turning towards the group with a stern expression.

He felt his anxiety rising under the number of mixed stares he'd receive from judging eyes. Awaiting any sort of explanation, reasoning, justification. They all wanted an answer he couldn't honestly give them.

"I already said what happened, whether you believe me or not isn't my problem." Leon repeats.

YunJin scoffs at him. "Do we look stupid to you?" Her arms crossed. "You spent hours in the realm!" The accusatory tone in her voice didn't go unnoticed. Their other two teammates, Dwight and David, were complete contrasts of each other's reactions.

David appeared more annoyed than upset, his hand rubbing the ache felt within his head. Like YunJin, he suspected something was going on: whether it was foul play or not was something to be told. Though he wasn't nowhere near accusatory.

Dwight on the other hand chewed on his nails, rather dismissive of the entire situation, figuring there must've been some sort of misunderstanding. They were all on the same side, it wouldn't make any sense for Leon to lie. He was a rookie cop fighting to save the world.

"Maybe he's... telling the truth?" He mumbles just loud enough to be heard, readjusting his glasses to see YunJin shoot him a displeased look. "I-I mean he has n-no reason to lie? I, uhm, I trust him..."

Dwight's voice gets softer and softer, feeling the pressure as the three stare intensely at him. Leon makes eye contact with Dwight, nodding at him in appreciation. In return, Dwight smiles sheepishly. Almost proud.

Though Leon felt bad for taking advantage of his naivety, the result of outing themselves far outweighed his guilt.

YunJin, scoffing, makes her discontent even more obvious than it already was. She grimaced, shoving a finger close to Leon's features. "Whatever you are hiding— you will regret it. That girl is nothing more than a manipulator."

The sound of crunching leaves quickly fills the ambiance as Yunjin storms off, David following after with a disappointed sigh and a mutter.

Leon stands, a wave of relief washing over him as their figures soon disappear within the trees. For the time being the issue has been squashed, at least until Yunjin tries something. He crosses his arms.

Dwight nervously laughs. "Y-You've always been nice to everyone at the campsite, so I-I trust you. Yunjin can be a bit... uh... Overdramatic?" Dwight struggles to find the words, not that it mattered. Leon can tell what the intention was, grateful at the attempt.

"Thank you." Was all he said, needed to, as Dwight returns the expression. He looks in the direction they walked off in momentarily before meeting his eyes again. Dwight immediately gets the message.

Danny peeks his head out of the tree he stood behind, eyes glued to the man who his best friend had fallen for. He becomes very aware of how hard he was gripping the handle of his knife. And suddenly, it dawned on him.

He wasn't staring at Leon, Danny was staring through him— the direction where the others walked in.

The way YunJin walked off raised some alarm. Was she a threat? Danny couldn't exactly hear the conversation due to the proximity between them. Regardless, this was something he couldn't chance. Merely judging based off expressions it was nothing good.

Danny scoops up a small rock beside him, gently tossing it in the air to test its velocity before launching it through the barrier. The small waves it produced as a result was enough to capture Leon's gaze, spotting it as it kicked up the dirt beside him upon landing.

Ghostface waves him over, causing Leon to look behind him for a moment to ensure Dwight was no longer around. Leon walks over to Danny without hesitation.

"YunJin— does she want to die?"

"All she knows is that I'm hiding something.”

Danny, dissatisfied at the answer, says nothing else but rolls his dark eyes at the response. He turns his back on Leon, taking a few steps away whilst fixing his mask. When he halted, he peers over his shoulder.

"Your girlfriend asked for you."

"Should've said something sooner."

It takes Leon a second before coming his side almost too eagerly. His boyish grin didn't go unnoticed. Danny raises a brow amused by the reaction. 

"Completely shameless." Ghostface chimed. 

Fading into the trees, the only a trace of them left were the crushed leaves that met their shoes.

"So where the fuck is he?" [F/n] interrupted impatiently, looking in the direction Danny originally walked in from. She held some expectation he would be near, though when she saw no trace of him her gaze returns to Danny.

Thankful she couldn't see the expression behind his mask, a bead of imaginary sweat runs from his forehead down to his chin. "...And that's the second issue. We got separated trying to enter your realm.”

The immediate shift of her expression made him cringe.

She less than subtly pushed past his shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly. Though it wasn't powerful enough to knock him over, it was enough for Danny to shoot her a glare. 

"You're welcome too... bitch." He brushed it off quickly as he joined her out the door.

⨯ ┈┈┈┈┈✦┈┈┈┈┈ ⨯

Crouched behind a wall of trash, Leon tensed as the sound of footsteps came closer. The pit in his stomach grew as he leaned over in an attempt to get a glance. Eyes meeting the figure of the man who looked around with a purpose.

He inches towards the opposite end, making the turn just in time as Evan moved forward. His fist clenched on the handle of his cleaver which was painted a sickly red at the dried blood. A low growl breaks the silence.

"I know you're out here!"

If anyone were to tell him this would be the current state of his life going into the future, that rookie officer would probably shit himself.

The cold sweat on Leon's neck increases as he does his best to create as much distance as possible between them. Leon spots a vault a few steps away, tracking towards it. His steps were light, worried the slightest sound would be his last, relieved once he successfully made it completely across.

Leon turns his head back, only able to see the very top of Evan's back.

"I'm not in the mood to play this game of hide and seek. Whoever's here needs to get the fuck OUT!" Evan's voice rung throughout the realm in clear agitation.

As nice as the idea was, Leon quite literally had no idea how to leave. Traditionally he'd have to do generators, but a quick survey of the area revealed the fact that there were none, and there was no indicator that hatch was present.

His only logical option was to wait out this entire situation. Surely Danny would've known something had gone wrong when they were no longer walking together. It only made sense he'd be searching after noticing.

Hopefully.

His attempt to go unnoticed is quickly erased as a small twig snapped underneath the sole of his shoe. Unable to contain the "oh shit," at his lips when he heard heavy footsteps come around the corner.

Evan wasn't sure who to expect. He assumed it was Danny playing a prank on him again or maybe even the entity fucking with him. So, when he laid his eyes on Leon, Evan was completely caught off-guard, dumbfounded as to why a survivor was lurking in his personal realm.

His nonexistent brows raise, giving it thought. The only way a survivor could end up in a killer's personal realm was if another killer had brought them there— and no survivor was insane enough to trust a killer outside of their protective dome in the first place.

Something wasn't adding up. Who could possibly be in cahoots with the survivors? Unless it was the entity herself? But this wasn't a match, there would be no point in presenting him otherwise.

With the grip on Evan's cleaver becoming tighter, Leon decides it's time to back up, eyes glued to the Trapper. The staring contest ends after Evan takes his first step forward as Leon breaks into a sprint.

Evan takes a second to recollect his thoughts before chasing after his intruder. Purposely tailing him in a calculated route, he knew it was only a matter of time before Leon stepped into one of the dozens of active traps laying around his realm.

Leon does his best to focus but finds difficulty in finding a safe path to dart towards. Any mistake could cost him his life.

But Leon was no simple man, vaulting over another opening as Evan swiped his weapon at him. Nearly tumbling in the process as an armed trap rested several inches before it, he narrowly avoided both ill outcomes.

"Can we talk about this?!" Leon shouts, finally panicking. No matter what he did, realization sunk in incredibly quickly as his options had finally run dry. The trap he missed clicking underneath the sole of his shoe.

Evan says nothing in return, instead watching the scene unfold. 

Leon screamed as rusted metal locked into his ankle. He ducks down, desperately pulling the mechanism's jaw for any sort of relief. The pain was excruciating, crushing, on an entirely different level than what he was familiar with. Reality draws in the shadow hides him from the nonexistent light source.

"You're making a mistake!!!"

Leon looked up to watch him draw his weapon back, sweat turning ice cold as he stared death in the face. How could this possibly be fair? Out of everything he had survived through, this was how it ended— trapped like a helpless animal. He felt resentment at his circumstance, praying to a god he knew wouldn't listen.

The sound of harsh winds part through the air with lethal speed, scythe sticking into the ground effortlessly between them. Evan turns his head in the direction it came from, spotting the silhouette that stood on the roof of his shack.

It was a warning.

"Hey, Evan, buddy, I'm really sorry." Danny twiddled with his fingers: tone coated with more sarcasm than understanding. His knife not straying far, it comes out of his sleeve and into his gasp.

Leon takes this moment to grab the scythe, sticking its blade in between the claws he successfully pries himself free. He wobbled slightly, hissing, the pain was greater than what he accustomed to, using the staff as support.

Evan watches him go, making no effort to resume his chase: instead attending to his curiosity turning his attention to the approaching figure. It doesn't take him long to digest the information, clicking near immediately at the scene.

"A killer saving a survivor." He puts it simply, releasing a chuckle mocking the idea. "And I thought I went insane battling with the entity. You're fuckin' worse!"

"Evan." [F/n] states as if his name was an insult itself, [e/c] eyes squinting subtly in agitation. Clearly displeased and even more so when she takes the sight of Leon limping. She comes to his side, carrying him into her arms almost effortlessly with her blade still in his hold.

Leon swallows a grunt, relieved at the loss of pressure from his burning ankle.

"You okay?"

Appearing indifferent, she subtly observes his reaction in masked worry. "I'm fine now." Leon mumbles, offering her a small reassuring smile. [F/n] hums in acknowledgement, focusing her distain towards Evan.

"You know survivors aren't protected outside of a match."

"Then this is the perfect opportunity."

"Desperate enough to resort to this, Evan? Cause this is pretty fuckin' pathetic." 

Silence, though it doesn't last longer than a moment. 

"How long?" Trapper continues, moving to get closer only for Danny to step before the couple shaking his head. He brandished his already stained blade. 

A reminder. 

Evan growls at him in response, nearly offended.

"This doesn't concern you."

"You seriously think you can keep this hidden from her? She'll shred you both like scum: use your little boyfriend to make you feel a whole other type of pain you both can't forget." Evan spits, invisible grin emerging. 

"Are you prepared for that, farmer? You're gonna lose him— just like how you lost everyone else. It’s all you know how to do, lose."

[F/n]'s grip on Leon becomes tighter and tighter as her agitation grows, masking it with a taunting smile on her lips along a heavy exhale. 

"Anyone ever tell ya' you got a big fuckin’ mouth on you? Bastard." Smirk becoming wider, Evan shrugs confidently at her question.

"You should thank me for trying to bring you out of your delusion."

"Of course, how about I return the favor and teach you some manners as my thanks?"

The Trapper readjusts his grip on his hatchet completely unbothered; Danny's hum of disapproval interrupts the increasing tension, doing his best to divert their attention. 

"It's too risky to do this with him here, toots." Gesturing obviously at Leon's presence, [F/n]'s tight grip instantly vanishes.

Leon winced at the sudden release of pressure, sighing through the pain. He meets her [e/c] eyes apologetically. Though there was no fooling his infatuated killer.

The thought cooks in her mind. As much as he was right it aggravated her. She wanted to punish Evan with every driving force in her body. No matter the consequence from the entity.

[F/n]'s predatory gaze meets the Trapper a final time. His figure burned in her memory. 

“Whatever.”

Evan looks at her expectantly, knowing well he won the exchange his eyes gleam the reflection of a crow taking off in the background.

"You'll hear from me again very soon."

At her signal, Danny walks over to her, fishing for something underneath his coat he pulls out a foreign offering.

The Trapper smirks. "Don’t keep me waiting."

Evan watches Danny use the offering, taking a mental picture of the fog enveloping around them. His stare glued towards the survivor, more amused than anything, while he hums in content.

And just as quickly they were there: they weren't. Evan tilts his head, readjusting the hold on his machete as excitement rumbles through his veins. His stifled chuckle finally emerging.

"Let's see how long your lover’s charade will last, farmer."

#leon s kennedy #leon kennedy x reader #Leon Kennedy #leon s kennedy x reader #Leon Scott Kennedy #leon kennedy x you #dbd leon kennedy #dbd leon x reader #dbd leon #dbd leon s kennedy

[mingos]

oof. so… hello.

i know i’m not obligated to explain my absences, but i figured i should anyway because this is actually a long-standing issue i've been dealing with that, god fucking willing, doesn't happen againーbut that is what i told myself three weeks ago before it happened again. basically, because it can sometimes be so common, kinda just want to give a heads up if i ever start acting weird or distant because apparently i've upset some people i didn't mean to.

that stresses me out because, as i've mentioned before, i kind of have this tendency to shut down completely during stressful situations and not speak to anybody, which eventually turns into friends dropping me for a perceived lack of interest (not their fault, my fault). i'm actively trying to break that habit & be okay with vulnerability, so i want to be honest about where i've been and where i could potentially go in the future if this shit happens againーin a few weeks, in a few months, tomorrow... it all just depends, it's not a situation i can control. i'm not trying to ignore people. i just deal with a lot sometimes.

content warnings immediately below the cut but idk maybe just don’t read this if you’re in a bad headspace, or a really good headspace that you don't want ruined. no one should read this, actually. just jump to the last two paragraphs. this is just me explaining i'll hopefully feel okay enough to be back by the weekend.

-

cw: alcoholism; cw: domestic abuse; cw: gen. bad mental health

　i currently live in a dysfunctional situation with an alcoholic & addict family member as the last person in our family yet to distance themselves/cut them off. reason being is they relapse a lot. like, “an average of at least once every 2-4 months since i was 14” a lot. this is a long-standing problem. they’ve been through quite literally every treatment plan imaginable and nothing has stuck.

i do love this person; the majority of the time they're not relapsing, they’re kind & loving. when it’s good, it’s good. but when it’s bad jesus christ… i gotta level with you and say i've feared for my life a couple times.

they become angry & spiteful when drunk and, as of the last few years, physical. mostly when i try to confiscate things i find because i'm "stealing their property" and it’s therefore, to their drunk mind, justifiable. this is a mindset i’m still trying to unlearn because of course i don’t deserve it—taking a wine bottle away from an alcoholic for their own good isn’t justification for them almost suffocating you in an attempt to get it back, or breaking the lock on your bedroom door—but it’s hard to internalize that sometimes when your brain is beaten down, y’know?

when not being guilted into silence so i don’t “ruin their life more” or get threatened with being removed from the house by police, i’ve pretty much exhausted any sympathy or help i get from the rest of my family. half of them either have my # blocked or don’t answer under the weird assumption my family member is going to… use my phone to contact them? which is something that’s never happened before. the other half kind of just shrug because i’m choosing to say here and am an adult with the ability to leave whenever i want, just like they did.

　but i can’t leave—because, like i said, it’s just me now. no one else checks on this person, no one else lives with us, and i’ve already had to call 911 for them multiple times. living with them during a relapse is hell but so is whenever i have to leave the house because if something happens to them or their dog that suddenly becomes my fault. basically, whenever these episodes happen it’s just several days (or weeks) of nonstop stress. but there's nothing else i can really do. i just have to put up with it & ride it out.

-

　things have finally calmed down again; apologies were made, talks were had, we cleaned out their stash together... i finally have some breathing room. kind of. i still have no energy to do anything because i've just been in survival mode the last week (& also sick), so hopefully i can be back to writing by this weekend but i really don't know. i'm still paranoid something bad is going to happen so maybe i'm not out of that mindset just yetーi need to decompress a little before i can feel normal again.

thank you for your patience, and for those who have checked on me & especially those who were understanding it was kind of hard for me to have the energy to talk outside of my one or two comfort people. i miss you all very many and hope nothing more for you all to be loved, warm & safe. love you all very many.

#‘ 001. ’ (out of character) #❛ 'what am i going to queue with law'? ❜ (queue) #will probably delete this eventually because this is honestly a level of Being Perceived that makes me uncomfortable because i feel patheti #but i've met at least two other people in similar situations to me so if there's anybody else out there i see you & love you.

[chippedshake]

So I figured out this thing with Alby's character change to the movie and how that affects the plot, and I felt the need to share that.

As we all know, Alby's character was really very severely changed from the book to the movie. He went from rude, annoying, unhelpful, and generally unlikeable to a perfectly good, model, "let me show you the world" leader. This could be for a variety of reasons, but, in my opinion, it's mainly because Alby was actually a fairly complex character, and movies are shorter than books. Using the common ratio of one page of script = one minute of recording, movies have an average of 131 pages, while books tend to be between 300 and 400. So you can have less character development in movies.

The thing is, despite this change being very... different, there is a plot-wise justification. In the book, Alby has been the leader for less than a month when Thomas arrives (he's the first greenie since Nick died). He's also being watched by everyone in the Glade, and is simultaneously trying to seem at least mildly comforting to the new kid so he doesn't freak out and klunk his pants and intimidate the other Gladers into silence. Then Newt comes along and does stuff better than him, which only make his nerves worse, and the Greenie isn't exactly cooperating... which all helps to make Alby stressed out and make a more unpleasant first impression.

Now, in the movie, they do change Alby's personality, I won't deny that, but a large part of what they do to him is change his environment. He's been the leader since the beginning (and, since his way of imposing himself as a leader in the books was by yelling and being rude, and he's no longer rude, there would be no reason for him to stick out in a group of og Gladers, so they had to make him the only one, but they needed to make the amount of Gladers the same so they made him spend more time there... I think I found why they made it three years instead of two) so he's better at it. He know how to calm Greenies down because he's been doing it for three years, and it also helps that when he interacts with Thomas, no one else is there.

And that's basically it, but I was analysing the Maze Runner for school and had to leave this out of my final draft, but am still very proud of it and wanted to share it with someone so yeah. Here you go.

#alby #the maze runner #tmr #tmr alby #book vs movie #character analysis #idk if that's the real reason for the three-two year difference but it felt cool to find a plausible reason #chippedshake

[originalwinnercheesecake]

What if the Teen Titans were pokemon trainers

Doing this summary again. So basically pokemon is something I loved as a kid/teen, then I outgrew it around the time Black&White came out. Now I am back into it and am having a lot of fun imagining pokemon teams for characters from other cartoons I like now/liked as a kid. I have done a bunch of posts for Disney cartoons, and a couple od cartoon network ones (No Nick ones.. yet). Teen titans was one of my favorite shows growing up and I have been wanting to do pokemon teams for a while. So here are teams for the Main group of Titans, Titans East, and 3 anti hero’s. Now I used the 2003 version of Teen Titans, since that was the one I watched every week as a kid but if anyone really likes Teen titans Go you could probably still use most of these pokemon for that show too (Change out a certain one of Raven’s for a Ponyta, and maybe another certain of Robin’s for I don’t know farfetch.)

Now one thing important about the 2003 version is that when describing the dynamic between the titans the writers (using Robin’s name/voice) summed them up as “We are not five hero’s. We are one Awesome team". In this version the titans were all extensively trained in combat, and did everything together as a team. I do not want to take there powers away, or change their dynamic. Since they do have powers (In Robin’s case gadgets and lots and lots of martial arts experience), and already have numbers through each other; I do not think any of them would feel the need to catch a full team of six. So I am giving everyone 3 pokemon.  

The main titans will also each have a shiny pokemon, the one I think would be their top pokemon, or the one that best encompasses their emotional arcs/places on the team. I also gave each of the Titans East a fairy pokemon, mostly because I saw half of them had fairies and figured okay this can be their teams version of shines. Without further adieu, teams below

Main Titans Robin

 The Leader of the team

Taillow: Well of course the iconic “Bird Boy” needs a bird pokemon. It scouts ahead, trails bad guys, and yes does fight in battles. I picked Taillow for Robin due to the birds flying and normal type (Headcannon that Normal or duel Normal types are Robin’s favorite, because they are similar to him) and brave gutsy nature, which mirrors the boy wonder’s own.

Hitmonchan: Robin’s strongest pokemon. Given his martial arts and combat knowledge Robin would also have a fighting type pokemon. I picked Hitmoncham because it’s a classic fighter, that can land a serious punch, and is always training to better itself. Wiki also says it will train by sparing with its trainer, if said trainer is tough enough to be able to keep up. Since Robin definitely could, this pokemon would be a great partner for him on and off the field.

Shiney Absol: So n the 2003 version Robin walked the line between good and bad more than Raven, or any other titan. (I exclude Terra because she ultimately decided she wasn’t/did not want to be a titan.). In season one Robin believes that their is “Good” and “evil”, the two have a very clear divide, and that because he places himself on the side of good, he has justification to take any risk or try anything. A belief that clever villains (Slade) learn to exploit, and even Robin himself crosses at times. 

I am giving Robin an Absol because at the end of his arc, and in episodes centered around him in later seasons , Robin is forced to admit that he thinks very similarly to Villains he fights against, and has the potential to be like them. I am making this his Shiny pokemon to show his relationship with his friends, and how at the end of season 1 he tells Starfire that he will never turn out like the villians he shares these similarities with, because he knows that his friends will never let him.

Starfire

The strength of the team. Proof that innocence does not mean ignorance

Starmie: A star shaped pokemon, for Starfire. One that like her is equal parts strong, powerful, and beautiful.

Shiny Blaziken: I will make Starfire’s ace her shiny to show her prowess as a fighter, lying underneath all her curiosity and sweetness. I really wanted to give Starfire a strong fire type. The torchick line is a good line, that’s popular among girls. I am giving Starfire a fully evolved one because our girl is more than capable... I also kinda really like the idea of Robin and Starfire both having fighting types for their strongest pokemon, Robin’s being a regular fighting type and Starfire's being a duel fire/fighting type. I think that really suits this couple.

Dunsparce: Yeah yeah yeah. I know its a pretty lame, weird looking pokemon. It’s the closest Pokemon I could find to Silky okay. It’s Starfire’s pet.

Cyborg

The Muscle, mechanics, and resident big brother of the team.

Electrode: a good electric type for Cy. It helps stop his systems/machines from overloading/taking to much electricity. Its detonation could work as a substatue for Cyborg’s sonic cannon if he finds himself in a situation where he has taken damage or needs to conserve power. I also think it would make a really good guard Pokemon for Cyborg’s room, or any place he keeps machines that for safety reasons only he should touch (be where of Electrode Beast Boy).

KlingKlang: here is Cyborg’s strongest pokemon. Steel is another type I feel like Cyborg would favor/want to train. And since he is a shop class guy with an expertise with cogs and gears, he and a fully evolved gear shaped steel type pokemon just to me feel like a match made in heaven

Shiny Mechop: This one is Cyborgs little buddy (For real I love dynamics where one person is really big/tall and then the other is really small. So since Cy is an already a big muscle man gonna say that an ever stone was used to keep Machop as mini muscle) and extra pare of helping hands. It knows how to use tools and crawls into tight space Cyborg cannot fit to fix things. If the pare are not training or battling together they can often be found outside throwing the footballs around. Cy has even tried to teach it to play video games with him and BB (though it sometimes destroys the controls).

Raven

The Hope and steadiness of the team.

I picked her pokemon from a Psychological perspective. In addition to her not having a ponyta I also excluded “Raven” Pokemon like Murkrow or Crovisquire because while they may match Raven’s “esthetic” I do not see them as matching in other ways.

Haunter: a ghostly spirit pokemon. Clever, somewhat creepy, kinda looks a bit like the shadowy magic Raven uses. It's not a dark type though, because Raven does not do dark spells. It's also generally a very silly pokemon and goes to lengths trying to get Raven figure out that she will not accidentally blow up the world if she laughs or has fun ever now and again (Haunter gets along really well with Beast Boy. It will enlist his help if it seems like it's trainer is being particularly difficult in this area.)

Alakasam: A strong psychic pokemon for this heroine with such strong powers. Alakasam and Raven's meditate together, and are able to use the similarities in their abilities to communicate telepathically, and could maybe even draw assistance/metronome from each others power pool. They have done a lot of good together. But they also both share that internal fear of "what kind of destruction would I be capable of if I ever lost control". This holds them back considerably. I don't think they would be brave enough to really give it their full power until season 4's finale battle with Trigon.

Shiny Togepi: Raven was the Titan that turned out to be great at and really like babysitting, so baby pokemon for Raven. I picked Togepi due to it being an empath (just like Raven) pokemon. More than that though, Raven has always feared that her heritage means she is fated to be bad. Togepi's sense what is in others hearts and refuse to obey those they see bad in. Being Togepi's trainer assures Raven that she is not her heritage and is fully capable of choosing to be/do good. It is her shiny because it's the pokemon that helps bring out the best in her.

Beast Boy

The comfort and laughter of the team.

So my original plan was just to give him a sea, land, and flying pokemon, since he has performed Hero work in all three. When I picked the three I found I could not leave them less than fully evolved. BB has been these animals and knows full well what they would need. This led to him ending up with the strongest team.

Manatine: Beast Boy's water/sea pokemon. Helps him keep his friends and the T-Sub safe. It evolved from Mantyke all the way back in season 1 after Beast Boy and Aqua Lad were able to put aside their differences and beat the army of Tritant's.

Donphan: this is BB's land pokemon. He liked elephants in the show and donphan's being a rock type also works because rock/earth had so much to do with the terra arc. To which BB was integral. So I am going to say that BB's little phanpy liked and wanted to help Terra almost as much as BB did. Her betrayal was all the worse for it because not only did it lose a friend, but then it had to watch its, normally carefree and happy go lucky, trainer go through such a long period of heartbreak. It evolves into Donphan in the first part of Aftershock, while trying to protect Beast Boy from Terra. It isn't able to that time. But it is still a comfort to him after the season 2 finale, and the pair get stronger over the next 3 seasons.

Shiney Altaria: Beast Boy's Ariel pokemon. I chose Altaria because of its strong typing, and because it is covered in fluffy pillows. It's his shiny because of the three it best represents the lightheartedness and support Best boy brings to his team. For most of the show its a little bird. It evolves at the beginning of season 5, like the first or second episode. The doom Patrol see it evolve. By the end of that arc (when Beast Boy and what's left of the titans Allies go to face the Brotherhood, not when Terra comes back) Best Boy and Alteria have found stones and mastered mega evolution.

(Okay so it looks like I didn't mention this up higher, but Starfire and Beast Boy are the only two Titans I could see using mega stones with their partner pokemon. Raven and Alakasam are scared of the effects/loosing themselves, and Robin and Absol are stubborn and adamant say they do not need "extras" to be Hero's).

Terra

the lost girl, trapped in a cycle she could not beat alone

Dugtrio and an Alolan Marowak: Terra first two pokemon that she has pre meeting the titans (though her Marowake was probably a Cubone then, and it evolved in between her first meeting and when she came back, a ghost of the sweet girl they met before). They represent her loneliness and how unstable her life feels to her. She is close with these two pokemon and they do care about her. Terra set's them free before staying to stop the volcano. The Titans want to take Dugtrio and Marowak back to the tower and keep them until they can figure out how to reunite them with Terra. But after everything that went down the pokemon pair decide to leave Jump City to wonder again. They are eventually found and picked up by Terra's older bother Geo-force, and live happily with him.

Onyx: This pokemon actually belongs to Slade. When he and Terra commonsense their plan in Aftershock he places its pokeball in Terra's hands with instructions to use it to help bring the titans and the city to their knees. The thing is big, mean, and super destructive. Laying waste to the town alongside Terra, Slade's other goons, and robots. Terra leaves it behind when she gives up during the battle at the start of part 2. What ever happens to Cinderblock/Overload/Plasmus happens to it. The next time we see it again would be the amusement park in "Things change".

Butterfree: I know, I know I said each character would only have three. But a.) Onyx wasn't really Terra's pokemon so she technically only had two. b.) Terra acquires Butterfree after coming out of the statue (before seeing Best Boy again). By this time she has released Dugtrio and Marowak, and is starting over with an empty slate.

Terra finds butterfree as a caterpie one evening when she gets caught in a storm on the way back to wherever her place of residency is. The storm is clearly scaring caterpie and Terra take pity on it, and takes it back with her. It turns to have been right at evolution, and was holding off until it could find a safe place to. It evolves into Metapod that night and Butterfree a couple weeks later. Terra keeps the butterfree as an emotional support pokemon. If it can go into a chrysalis, come out as something new, then go on to live a good life... well than maybe so can Terra.

Okay so this is already getting posted late because my computer crashed and the repair shop could not fix it, so I had to order a new one. Plus i think it's long enough with just these six. So I will post it as is and if it gets enough likes/comments I will post a part 2 with my pokemon pics for the The Titans East, and the two other anti hero's. The two other anti hero's are Red-X and Jinx if that gets anyone wanting to leave likes and comments in an effort to motivate me to write part two faster

#Teen titans #teen titans 2003 #Original teen titans #Robin 2003 #Teen titans Robin #dick Grayson #starfire 2003 #Teen titans Starfire #Koriandi'r #Robstar #Cyborg 2003 #Teen titans Cyborg #Victor Stone #Raven 2003 #Teen titans Raven #Rachel Roth #Beast boy 2003 #Teen titans Beast boy #Garfield Logan #hint of Beast Boy x Raven if you squint #Terra 2003 #Teen titans Terra #beast boy x Terra #Bbterra #Tera Markov #teen titans Slade Wilson

[invisiblegarters]

Only Friends Character Ramblings and Relationship Rankings - Ep 9

Last week, Ray was out there doing the most (to piss both me and Sand off), Mew thought the best way to get over Top was to live out Tove Lo's "Habits (Stay High)" and it wasn't working out for anyone, Nick was trying to get back into Boston's good graces and Boston was having absolutely NONE of it despite the fact that he very definitely misses him, and Cheum got lines for once and boy howdy, did people have a lot to say about it.

I had a really hard time with this one, because for the first time - whether because I am just so happy the stupid RayMew thing is finally over or because they gave me a break from my angst and anxiety, or because I just chilled out finally - I am liking everyone in this bar. So instead of ranking them from most to least favorite, I'm just gonna ramble on about them as I think of things to say.

Character Ramblings:

Boston. Look, Boston did nothing wrong at all this ep, he was just out living his life. It's not his fault his dick is apparently magic. He made zero fucking promises to anyone at all, and I'm getting kind of sick of everyone out here slut shaming him. Fuck that, and fuck them. There is nothing wrong with living your best promiscuous life, okay, so long as you're up front about it and use protection. And while we can't know if Boston does the latter since it's never brought up, he is the only character who has so much as mentioned it so I'm going to assume so unless told otherwise.

Also I was really impressed with Neo's acting this ep. I'm impressed all the time, but I really liked the subtle changes that came over his face the more Nick talked in that this is my final goodbye scene. Like the way he fights so much of it and tries to act so aloof and done with the whole thing but then every time his eyes find Nick's face...it was so good. And okay, I know it wasn't supposed to be funny but him just being like "peace" to his hookup was hilarious to me. I really don't want some tragic backstory for Boston and I don't want him to do a 180 on his entire life, but I think it's been clear for a while that he needed to hear a lot of what Nick said.

I just love this dude, okay? No apologies, no justifications. Just 💖

Rock on, Boston.

Sand. Yeah, I know what people think of him. Whatever. I am just gonna respectfully disagree with the lot of you. I don't necessarily agree with his choices, but I can't say that he's not making them with his eyes wide open. And honestly I don't read him as being unable to walk away from Ray. I read him as simply not wanting to. That's his decision. It's an active choice he's making. I wish people would fucking let him have it.

I also find it kind of hilarious that he's so okay with helping Ray cheat on Mew, even if he makes a whole point about how fucked up it is. Sand, you hypocritical little shit. Finally you get to be messy again - I've been waiting for it to pop up since episode six. And yeah, that's about as far as it goes. Let me be utterly frank here: this man could go out and start kicking puppies and I would love him regardless. I can see where he goes wrong, but if you expect me to vilify him for it you might want to settle down with some food and drink, because you're gonna be hanging out a while.

Still think he really needs someone comforting him for once. Do not think that will happen. Am sad about it.

Mew. I'm so glad to see rational Mew return. I hope that he's a little less quick to judge now, but I missed the direct guy we saw in that last conversation with Ray. I liked that guy, and I was happy to get him back. I think that we'll see some changes in him, and that's okay - it's good even. Being young is all about figuring out who you are and what you're into, shaping yourself towards the kind of person you want to be. I can't tell you how many different personas I stuck on at Mew's age. But one of his core traits did always seem to be a frankness that has been missing - or worse, not missing but deliberately aimed to try and hurt. I appreciated the reflection he clearly had this episode. I always knew he'd boomerang back though. Whatever people say, I knew he was too steady at heart not to.

I'm eager to see what this hybrid Mew will be like. I don't want to say that it was good for him to have what happened happen, because no one deserves it, but I do think that we're going to see a looser, less rigid version of Mew, and that part is good, actually.

Top. I've liked him for a while, and the trend continues. He got a little pushy this ep, but nowhere near as pushy as certain others I could name, and if I am not planning on acting like they are beyond the pale for it (and for the record I'm not) then I won't do it to him ether. I'm also not buying that he's been fucking his ex, either. Not until the show tells me. I made that mistake last week with thinking Ray and Mew were gonna bone down this episode and then I was wrong, and anyway I want to believe in Top. So I am going to continue to do that.

Atom, Daddy (I keep wanting to say Dapper here and that's not it, guys) Dan, and Boeing. Welp. Was wrong about Daddy Dan but not about Atom - I knew that boy was gonna get clingy. I have a feeling he's going to be a real problem. I am both nervous and excited to see what he does next, and how it will ripple outward. As for Dan, we'll see. I just foresee bad things coming of sleeping with the boss, even if he is as cute as Papang. And Boeing...I am so ready for him to come in and mess things up. I want Jojo to make good on his promise and for that man to be kissing errbody. I especially want a flashback to a threesome with him, Sand, and Top if he is indeed the ex (and I have no reason to believe otherwise, it makes the most sense to have Boeing pulling double duty rather than have him be only there to mess with Mew and Top). l almost wonder if he isn't really there to mess with the Mew and Top dynamic quite as much as we think since they're putting such an emphasis on him doing so and I have well-earned Trailer Trust Issues.

Nick. Oh, Nick. Nicholas. Nikeroni. The love junkie. I swear I was so mad at him when he kept encouraging Sand in his pursuit of all things Ray at the beginning of the ep, but I guess one stalker recognizes another, because literally nothing he said about Ray was wrong. And I have to admit that his little speech to Boston was actually really sweet, even if he had to be himself and literally follow Boston and a hookup to the toilet to give it. I was also amused that he was the one who introduced "Daddy" into his dynamic with Bossman Dan, and yet Sand had to explain to him what masochism was. I am proud of him for trying to move on but question the wisdom of doing so with his literal boss. He did say he'd be willing to lick his ass, I guess.

Cheum. She's back to being Miss Barely Appearing in the Show, but I enjoyed her relief to get Mew acting like himself again. I actually believe that she really cares about Mew and has his best interests at heart, and that she was worried about him. Did she handle it the best way? Not at all, but I understand the impulse. I don't think that Mew had to apologize to her but I like that she at least seems resolved now to let him make his own damn choices.

Yo. The woman's love life might be a mess, but she speaks sense and apparently she was also happy to fill Mew's ear with exactly just how far gone his totally real and not a farce boyfriend he swears was for someone else. Not that Mew wasn't picking up on it anyway, but it gives me a kick to think about the two of them talking about it. Why? Because I imagine she basically told him that the fact he didn't give two shits proved her point about his own damn feelings.

Ray. I know I said I wasn't doing this in order but I did leave him for last deliberately, because I think I'm gonna have the most to say about him. It feels like he's been in the back of my head nonstop for the last two weeks, in fact, so prepare yourself for a long fucking essay of me trying to work out my own feelings about him. Also I'm gonna stick in a keep reading cut here because I am going to touch on self harm and possibly suicide. Also not all my thoughts about Ray are pretty or entirely sympathetic and are very probably also incoherent. I'm not apologizing for that but if it's not something you want to read it might be a good idea to stop now.

It should be no surprise that I have had a hard time with this dude. I have talked about it. I find him largely unlikeable, and I will maintain until I'm blue in the face that I am supposed to find him unlikable, and I think that it's only because of Khaotung that I never really crossed over into loathing. Before you start, no I don't mean because Khaotung is pretty (although he is) or because I have a bias (although I do), but because he's an excellent actor, and ninety percent of the time you can see beneath whatever selfish shit Ray's pulling to the desperation that drives most of his actions - the clawing need to be loved, to be wanted, and the constant compulsion to keep moving, to live in the here and now, right now, and not think either beyond or before the very second he's in at the very time he's in it, because to think of the past hurts too much and the future is unfathomable.

The other ten percent is pure twenty two year old rich asshole though. Which is - well, not fine exactly, but understandable. All these guys are twenty some year old assholes. That's normal.

The hard part is reconciling these two things, I think. Both because of my personal experiences with people like Ray (both the asshole and the addict, joy), and because there is a temptation to either ignore the addiction to vilify him or use it as an excuse for literally every shitty stunt he pulls. Does his addiction exacerbate the other issues he has in his life? Yes. Does it explain a lot of his more volatile behavior? Also yes. Does it give him free license to do and say whatever he wants with zero repercussions, or give a good reason to shift the blame onto the people he regularly mistreats because he can't help himself and they should help him more? That'll be a hearty fucking no from me.

Addiction is very, very hard to deal with, both for the people experiencing it and for the people around them who can see a person they care for destroying themselves and generally can't do much about it, because ultimately the addict is the one who has to decide to make a change. And one thing I respect about this show is that it isn't shying away from the difficulties and realities of Ray's situation, both for him and for his friends. I know that people are very frustrated with his friends for not helping him and for basically being checked out, but to me it just hurts because I've seen that. I've seen that from people decades older than these guys. I'm not trying to excuse them, either - honestly, I fully agree with @thewayuarent in their post where they say that if they can't deal, stepping away fully is in fact the best answer (and that there is no shame in having to do so) - but I do understand it. It's not pretty to watch when we all know that Ray is suffering and pretty much aiming not to reach his next birthday, but I have definitely seen this sort of thing go down in reality, and everyone's threshold is different. I think it's very possible we're going to see even Sand, with his apparently unlimited well of patience for Ray, struggle and possibly break in the coming episodes.

If Ray does intend to take this rehab thing seriously - personally, I do not think he will (at least at first), mostly because he is not (yet) doing it for himself, he's doing it for Sand and possibly for Mew even though he very obviously still does not think he needs it or has a problem (or, to be a little more accurate, he might suspect he has a problem but he's refusing to acknowledge it. Also, just as an aside, I am very curious about his bargaining chip to Sand regarding rehab - Ray's asked repeatedly about Sand's dad and I am very curious as to why he's so invested in this. My guess is it has to do with his own issues around his parents but I do hope the show gives us some insight because there's something about it that isn't sitting right with me)) - I do hope that we see his friends take steps to help him. Because while it is ultimately on him to get better, there are things that they can do to help. They won't know these things instinctively, but I'd like to see them take this as seriously as they want him to (my personal belief is that Mew and Sand will, but I can't be entirely sure. Mew cares about Ray, okay, you'll never convince me otherwise, he's just...up until recently he reminded me of one of those people in my life who does not struggle with depression asking me why I can't just stop being sad. Yeah. That's Mew. It just doesn't compute in his head because it's not a problem he personally faces and he doesn't necessarily mean to be dismissive but he is dismissive because again, it's not a struggle he is familiar with. In his brain, it's as simple as putting the bottle/drugs down. I'm really hoping his spiral makes him more understanding of Ray's issues but there is also a real danger that he will be worse about them because he stopped so easily. I am leaning more towards him being kind and making more of an effort to understand rather than condemn. Not to mention Sand makes and sells illegal hooch and that's uh, gonna be a problem. You can feel it, right? Because I can feel it).

I got a little sidetracked, but all this was to say that I've been really hard on Ray, harder than a lot of people. So much so that I've been accused of being a Ray hater, lol. And I do find it kind of hilarious that these last two episodes have been what have induced me to be kinder to him, when a lot of others are increasingly losing their patience with his whole deal. For the record, I don't see a problem with disliking or even hating Ray (or any character) any more than I see a problem with adoring him - people have their own reasons for it and I can hardly throw stones when at least a quarter of my ire at him was because he is such an epic SHIT to Sand, who is MY ride or die just leave him be unless you're offering him the hug he so desperately needs baby blorbo. He's going to continue to be an ass to him I'm sure, I just now have reasonable hope Sand's gonna give it back in spades (more on this later) so I've calmed down on that a bit, lol.

I feel like a weird person, because the worse Ray gets the more I see the self-destruction in it. It's his casual dismissal of other people's feelings and lack of care that gets to me and makes me want to throttle him, not his big rants (except the whore comments which I still haven't forgiven although Sand apparently has because he's a better person than me). His big rants, however, have the air of someone who is trying to get himself hurt. He wants Mew to tell him that Top is a thousand percent better than he is and that Ray can never measure up, wants Sand so mad that he knocks him to the floor, wants them to lash out and return cruelty for cruelty, because it will prove what Ray has always suspected (known) deep down: he is unlovable. Eventually, he will become too much and people will become tired of his shit and bail. And if they won't? If they stay over and over and over again? He'll find a way to make them. I still maintain that part of his whole deal with Mew was that Mew gave him what he wanted, the kind of love he thought he deserved: you can come this close and no farther, because you are Too Much and you are Not Good Enough. The fact that Mew didn't intend to do that hardly mattered - it was a way for Ray to reinforce his own beliefs about himself and as much as it hurt there's a sort of satisfaction in it, too.

Like, I am not smart enough to explain this right but it's self-harm. It's not done in the way people associate with self-harm but that's what it is. Ray self-sabotages because there's a sort of vicious, sick satisfaction in confirming that this thing that he's always believed about himself is true - he is an unlovable burden who will eventually drive any and everyone who has the bad luck of caring about him away. And it also lets him continue along his path of addiction because 1 - it's fine if he destroys himself because he's such a pain that no one cares anyway and they might even be better off if he does and 2 - alcohol makes it not matter as much.

Ray wants to be loved. Ray will also make sure that it is near impossible to do so because in a strange way it makes him feel better and because if he admits that if he can be then he has to change his whole way of thinking about himself - and about why his mom treated him the way she did.

So yeah. Episode 8 did the thing. It finally made me recognize patterns I've seen before and I was just like yeowch.

And it's hard for me to articulate about episode 9, because there was still that element in some of Ray's interactions, but I think it also showed us the opposite side, too - a Ray who is actually capable of communicating beyond simply reacting in the moment. We've seen this before with both Mew and Sand, but never quite to the extent we saw in this ep. I am not one who believes that we've ever seen an entirely sober Ray, but I do think the show has done a good job of giving us shades of what that man might look like.

Unfortunately, I think it's gonna take us until episode 12 to get there, if we do. Because while I do think that we might see a sober Ray before then, I also think he's gonna be a lot nastier than even the Ray we were given in episode 8 (disclaimer that I am not saying that I believe that sober Ray is nasty, I am saying that the Ray who will be dealing with stuff he has been burying beneath booze and drugs for a long time on top of withdrawal is very likely to lash out - if he even gets that far. It's entirely possible the whole thing falls apart before it even starts). I could be wrong. I'd like to be wrong, because I am also very worried that the person who is gonna bear the brunt of it is Sand and as we've established I adore Sand beyond all reason (and I'm not saying Sand might not earn a measure of it - I'd like it if he did actually earn it, as opposed to Ray just attacking him disproportionately to whatever crime he thinks he's committed, you know?).

I don't think he's hit that proverbial rock bottom. I've said before that Ray also frustrates me because he somehow manages to skirt any real consequences for his actions. Even his car accident was pretty papered over, and his near arrest was taken care of by Top and literally all Ray could do was sneer that his dad would have taken care of it. It gets to me, but here's the thing: I can also feel something coming for him. I could be wrong, but right now I can hear that train whistle in the distance, can feel the vibrations as it draws closer, and I worry that it's going to be really bad. I don't think it'll be death - I actually believe Jojo that no one is dying although I could have egg on my face by the end - but not dying doesn't mean that someone (my biggest fear is Sand but it could be anyone up to and including Ray himself) isn't going to get seriously hurt.

I hope I'm wrong. We've only got three episodes left and I really want an upward trajectory from Ray especially out of this show - I know Jojo is capable of realistic bleakness (3 Will Be Free), but I really hope we're not going there with this show. I don't think we are. But there's still that niggling fear that we might be. Second season or not (ugh, sorry but ugh), I really really want ep 12 to end on a decent note for him. I'm not asking for him to be a new man, I'm only asking for a little hope that he's on his way to healing.

If you've actually gotten this far without bailing, we're returning to our regularly scheduled programming now. Promise.

Relationships (Most to Least Fave atm)

Nick & Sand. I just love these two. They are my favorite relationship in the show and I want more scenes with them. Everything from them bonding over their love for men who don't love them back to their attempted hookup and then giggle was just pitch perfect this ep. I would honestly watch an entire episode of the Sand and Nick show, if not more. I love how they support each other but I am so curious what Nick has been telling Sand about Boston because wow, does Sand hate his guts. I mean it could just boil down to the fight in the apartment but he also likes to bring up how shitty Boston treats Nick so who the hell knows. But yeah, they click and I love it.

Mew & Ray. What? They were good this ep, and I really hope that we see more of a genuine, loving friendship spring between them now that Ray's not constantly trying for more and Mew doesn't have to watch everything he says or does with him lest Ray decide it means Mew is interested in a romantic relationship. I also liked the fight between them (even if I wasn't a fan of some of the Nice Guyish things coming out of Ray's mouth) because it marks the first time we've seen Ray do that with him. Look. I am not saying that I like watching Ray go off on Mew for the supreme sin of not wanting his dick. What I am saying is that the fact that he could go off on him at all is a marked change from how he has been treating him since episode 1. Mew is not the idol Ray wants him to be, and I really hope we see him treating him less like some savior who's going to reach down and pluck Ray out of the depths of his despair and more like a real friend. And I'm hoping that Ray doing that will let Mew be able to care for him the way he clearly does without worrying that his love will be taken the wrong way. Basically I'm just really here for their friendship era without all the extra. Also would like to say that Book and Khaotung's acting in that last scene with them really struck me - both of them are more relaxed, the stars are completely out of Ray's eyes and you can visibly see the moment when it clicks for Mew that the "I love you" Ray is giving him now is finally the kind he can reciprocate freely and fully. I just love it.

TopMew. My endgame prediction, and I ship it a lot. I think we all knew that we'd get to where this episode left us eventually - Mew was hurt and humiliated but at some point I just realized he was gonna try again. Whether it works out, I dunno (although I said they are my endgame prediction), but in the same way that Ray owed it to himself to try with Mew and Sand owes it to himself to try with Ray, Mew owes it to himself to see if he can move past what happened with Boston. I think it'll be interesting to watch - we'll see what Boeing throws into the mix but even without him it would be interesting, because Mew's gonna be twice as guarded and extremely gun shy. I can't pretend I'm not looking forward to where this is going, whether it winds up being back together, something open-ended, or a book firmly closed.

BostonNIck. My favorite disaster couple. I have shipped this from the very start because I'm like that you can't stop me, and I continue to ship it even though more and more I think it will go nowhere. That's okay I don't need it to, and in fact I think that their fundamental differences on love and sex would doom them even if they did try. I just want to see how they're going to navigate whatever is going on with them now. Are we gonna see Boston being flat footed and trying to get Nick's attention (like it's hard, lol)? Will they just sort of wind up talking and both pretend that everything else never happened? Will they form an actual friendship? I think I'd like to see that.

SandRay. Welp I said that their dynamic was close to what I like but not enough, and this episode tipped the scales. I'm never gonna be a die hard shipper and frankly I believe these two are doomed to break (although I am back on my hope that they will manage to salvage a friendship out of it train, so that's nice), but that music room scene not only hit a very specific button for me, it smashed the damn thing down hard. Also the cheek kiss. That whole scene actually was shot a very very specific way to convey a very very specific mood and I'm kind of in love with it and how very different it is when you compare it to the scene in ep 2. I am very curious to see how Ray acts with Sand now. Very curious. Also, I just used very so many times that it no longer feels like a word.

I also think that this might be Sand's relationship to break. I kinda hope so. It would at least get us out of the cycle of Ray screwing things up constantly and then running back to Sand to patch things up. Also, admittedly a tiny part of me just wants to see Ray in shambles over Sand for once. The heart wants what it wants, and all that.

I am also very curious to see if Boeing is going to wind up screwing with their dynamic in some way. I know he's busy causing friction with Mew and Top according to next episode's preview, but I don't trust those things and there's also no reason the man can't pull double duty. Maybe even triple duty. I believe in him.

NickDaddyDan. Never getting over Nick being the one to introduce that dynamic. And while I approve of his trying to move on from Boston, I do not necessarily think doing so with the boss is the best overall move. See, here's my thing. I will put up with a lot, but the second you screw with my money you've lost me. Not only no but hell no, and fucking the boss is a one way ticket to making that happen. Because chances are good that as soon as that relationship goes sour, so then does the job. Just a whole world of nope for me. And this feels like it will inevitably happen. How does this reconcile with my love of shows like Jun & Jun, The Director Who Buys Me Dinner, The New Employee, etc? Simple. In all of those the genre I was watching basically guaranteed that wouldn't be part of the equation. Although in The New Employee it sort of was, since Seung Hyun was absolutely not hired to get at Jong Chan. It's one of the things that I praised Step By Step for actually - the fact that it was Pat who suffered for what both he and Jeng were doing. Because in real life, the boss rarely gets it in the teeth when this kind of thing is found out. Not to mention what can happen if you break up with a boss prone to retaliation. And Only Friends definitely leans more towards reality than most. So I expect to wince a few times here.

I don't know if I think that Dan is prone to petty retaliation. He seems sweet, if awkward. But the worry is there. We'll see how it goes.

#only friends #only friends the series #rankings #well sort of #mostly me rambling #a lot

[thunderprompts]

RANDOM QUOTES PROMPT MEME #02

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45 random quotes for rp and/or general writing prompts!

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“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.”

“I’m about as intimidating as a butterfly.”

“All of my best friends are dead people. Someday I've got to figure out how that happened.”

“Act first, explain later.”

“My melon soul, crushed by your Gallagher of apathy.”

“The planet is fine. The people are fucked.”

“I did not attend his funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”

“It's not true that I had nothing on. I had the radio on.”

“Never miss a good chance to shut up.”

“I don't hate you.. I just don't like that you exist.”

“Do you ever think if people heard our conversations they'd lock us up?"

“Good things come to those who wait.”

“The funniest people are the saddest ones.”

“The human body is the best work of art.”

“Ah coffee. The sweet balm by which we shall accomplish today's tasks.”

“Sane is boring.”

“I think the warning labels on alcoholic beverages are too bland. They should be more vivid. Here is one I would suggest: ‘Alcohol will turn you into the same asshole your father was.’“

“What about a compromise? I’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I’ll apologize.”

"Some people have no idea what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

"Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.”

"It's never just a game when you're winning."

"My advice: just keep moving straight ahead. Every now and then you find yourself in a different place."

"A good motto to live by: 'Always try not to get killed.'"

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret?”

“Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.”

“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”

“Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.”

“With the possible exception of the equator, everything begins somewhere.”

“An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason.”

“All right, then, I'll go to hell.”

“Few of us can stand prosperity. Another man's, I mean.”

“Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.”

“Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.”

“Laws control the lesser man... Right conduct controls the greater one.”

“Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.”

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

“Let us endeavor so to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

“We have, I fear, confused power with greatness.”

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

#rp prompts #rp prompt #writing prompt #writing prompts #roleplay prompt #roleplay prompts #dialogue prompt #dialogue prompts #quote prompts #quote prompt #rp meme #rp memes

[docholligay]

The House in Fata Morgana: Door Four -- 1099

I have never reviewed a visual novel before, but iscahwynn made me a very generous offer and a long line of patience, knowing that we are trying something very new. To that end: Please don’t spoil me for the game at all! If you are reading this, I have only gotten through the part written above, and I don’t want to be corrected, even if I’m wrong, even if I’ve missed something, i don’t want to have anything confirmed or denied, and I don’t need any trigger warnings or extraneous explanation. Iscah would like my pure, naive experience of the game. Thank you!

Non-spoilery: There’s a lot to like about this story for me, even before we get into the more…for the sake of not being spoilery i’ll call it “creative elements”. I think I would like the story even if it were simply the face story, but the creative elements allow us to play even more with what is happening outside of the text itself, and it gives a very different element to what has already been an interesting game

SPOILERS BELOW

So the fun about this door is that it’s bullshit, but you have to try and figure out how much of it is bullshit and how much of it isn’t bullshit, and boy would you think that’s easier than it  actually is. It IS a temptingly neat story, full of love, some key beauty and the beast elements, learning to love each other, a promise that can obviously only end in tragedy, dying in your lover’s arms, a horrible bargain, blood in rivers. It’s got it all. I see what the painting was saying about not wanting to accept anything that makes it all just a little too pretty.

Because you would think, ‘Oh no it ends in death and such, it’s not pretty.” Wrong, the story is gorgeous and it provides such a beautiful justification for everything that has happened to the white haired girl, and also, in a way, made it her own fault. It’s also the stuff of fairy tales. Never in any other timeline do we see real magic, or curses, or anything like that. Remember, Yukimasa SAW himself as a beast, but he never was one, he always looked like a reasonably handsome young man. There hasn’t been magic in the story other than in THIS time, and I’m not 100% sure I believe that in 1099 curses were real and the shitty Dark Ages version of Pushing Daisies was coming about. 

I do believe in the witch though, only because I’ve been thinking about her from day one, and this mansion that exists out of time, IS her fata morgana. 

So now we’re left trying to untangle this story, and where is it real, and where is it a lie? The story does a really fun thing with the backlog here, where sometimes the witch communicates through that.

And there are glitches in the visuals, plenty of things for us to be told that parts of this story simply aren’t accurate. They aren’t the reality of what happened in that house. 

I love the spot in the backlog where the witch tells us she’s going to rewrite the woman we loved. What does that mean, to rewrite someone? Are we creating Giselle, which may or may not be the White Haired Girl’s name--he says her name is Giselle, but it’s often xxx’d in the backlog, and the screen still says “White Haired Girl”--out of thin air? Was there ever a Giselle, or, for that matter, a Michel? It’s been hinted at that I may be the White Haired Girl, and if I am the White Haired Girl, is this all being written for me so i can feel sorry for myself? So that I’m the poor little meow meow of my own tale? Because she’s a fucking angel and doormat, and I would love if it turns out that’s all horseshit and this is all being written as something to further fool me into believing myself an innocent. 

And we don’t…see the White haired girl, until we get up into the observation tower. That same tower that we saw in door one when the White haired Girl was telling Mell the story about the girl and the letters on a pigeon. That’s a very interesting choice to me, and it’s a very deliberate choice. See, for a moment there I thought we also might be Michel, because there’s this glorious screenshot:   

Where we deal with the whole idea that we are trying, reaching, begging for our memories here, but those memories are being replaced by the images that are being put in front of us. We don’t know what’s real and what’s not. 

I mean, to this moment, I have no idea if Michel ever existed, if there was ever a curse, if any of it was ever real. The game seems to be telling me the maid is Morgana, but that doesn’t make sense to me given that in door two, it felt like she and the house were two different entities, or is that yet more bullshit, and if it is bullshit, i think i should have been able to see some clue of that on the backlogs, which I couldn’t, or at least not in a way i noticed when I was talking about other chapters. I don’t know what I think about any of this at all! I feel terrible writing my impressions of this door when my impressions of this door were mostly “Fuck man?? I don’t know??” 

But in trying to winnow out what’s true and isn’t, there were a few things that struck me: 

1) I do not for a second believe that the story is just handwaving her survival, i believe the MAID/maybe Morgana is doing that, because we are being actively lied to. If the story were handwaving it, they wouldn’t be so obvious about it, because they would know it was a big problem narratively. Instead, the maid basically goes “Why was she actually alive when we were saying how dead she was, tenderly in his arms like a crushed rose petal. Beats the fuck out me!” They draw ATTENTION to that, that she is telling a story badly. That’s not a mistake, i don’t think. 

2) We of course have all the backlog stuff going on, which is the really obvious thing, but it was so interesting to me when things were xxx’d and when they weren’t, as well as the fact that in the observation tower we had that direct conversation Morgana, trying to remember who we are, trying to remember who SHE is, and, its only in that room. So that room HAS to mean something. 

Anyway, it’s so interesting because it feels so unfinished because it is despite being the whole door. The maid is staring at me right now telling me I’m the white haired girl and she’s morgana and I just can’t bring myself to believe any of it! It feels so fake! But like I need to keep going, not like, that’s the end, it’s a door, but it’s not the end of the tale the way the others were. 

I love how Michel goes on about how unusual her red eyes and white hair are like he doesn’t fucking have them himself. Amazing. 

I did roll my eyes hilariously at “i’m not going to hold your hand because then you’ll die hideous” okay i know we need to make allowances for the tragic ending, but how ridiculous was that? 

On that note, I know this isn’t real, but even if it’s well-trodden road i love the inevitable tragedy of a curse like that. The blood he shed saving her comes to take her away? Beautiful. Love it. I am a simple woman. 

At first i was thinking, ‘Oh so he’s a vampire” and I was wrong, but actually only kinda wrong!

#Doc plays the house in Fata morgana #doc plays games #commission review

[my-jokes-are-my-armour]

I wish I was willing to watch things that are enjoyed by everyone right now. I know I would probably enjoy several of these shows. But I simply don't want to watch or to be part of the thing.

My current experience of fandoms isn't very nice (not much in this bubble but more around it - like in general). I just feel strange to like certain things the way I do. I feel they linger longer in me than for most and I can't move on easily.

Yesterday I quitted a stream because the streamer had his mind done already over the game he was playing, and he was trashing every details before even trying to play it. And it reminded me all those witcher video on youtube. Millions of views for trahsing. Ghosting for mixed or positive points of view.

Was it a good game? I don't know, probably not, I don't care anymore. I really didn't want to enter that vibe. So I stepped out.

The fact that he did it, visibly knowing he was gonna hate it, and then finding obviously every stone to throw at it and himself to finally say this is trash and the game was an insult, every way possible, just triggered me bad. Justification. I have to test it, this is my fandom and my work.

Well I guess he feels trapped in something that he doesn't like anymore. That's valid, but why do I have to receive all that passive aggressivity?

The thing is I don't find many places where people enjoy the same things I do. I step out more and more often. Not because they don't like something I enjoy - I am capable to take an opinion -, but the way they don't like, if I make sense.

All details that are like unworthy and so rarely details that are good. Glorifying the bad before pushing the thing out to the bin. To the point where I begin to wonder. Do I really have bad tastes ? Do I have too simple needs to fill? Should I want more ?

So when I see other stuff that I could possibly enjoy, I am like. Hmmm well, how long before people would begin to trash it too ? Do I really want to get invested in something that will follow the same path as everything else that I enjoy ?

The same reason blocks me in writing/finishing my analysis. There are 3 of them rotting in my draft with edits I have made, things that I wanted to talk about, etc. So I put the smallest content. I try to avoid being too enthusiastic.

I am bit jealous that people can invest themselves in several fandoms. Jumping from turmoil to another. For me the transitioning phases look like more like me partying hard in silence. Then just giving up. Then I move on. And eventually pick up something new.

Why do I keep interest in things for so long each time ?! I am talking years there.

I still can't figure out if I am the problem, others are to me or if I just can't adapt to the fast pacing of fandoms.

#rambling