#longer answer to long ask

[coffinsister]

Hi there!

I just wanted to let you know that I'd never heard of Saya no Uta until I saw you talking about it on my dash and I was like hey I'll look into that!! I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and it was definitely an experience. I've only played the route of choosing Saya and choosing to call Ryoko, so I still have to make the other choices to view all of the game's content, but I just wanted to come say thank you for giving me the second controversial piece of media I've been able to consume without my ocd throwing a bitchfit, because the whole story is fascinating from a psychological standpoint and that definitely drew me in.

I just wish the story was a little more 3D, I guess? Like the writing is overly descriptive of things it doesn't need to be descriptive of and underwhelming with the actual voiced dialogue. It's an extremely bizarre contrast. And from what little Japanese I've learn over the years out of SpInterest there are some translation points that aren't entirely accurate.

A big one is the fact that Saya speaks in third person which is a common cutesy mannerism for small children in Japanese media. In fact, she speaks super similarly to Maria Ushiromiya from Umineko ( complete with using 'uu!' for emphasis too ) which caused me to attach quickly to her for it. While it's true that this doesn't translate well into English, it does lose in translation just how young Saya really sounds while speaking. Because in Japanese she's saying things like 'Saya did this for Fuminori because Saya wants to be with Fuminori forever!' and it's getting translated as like 'I did this to make you happy. So you'll stay with me forever, right, Fuminori?' and those are two completely different tones. In fact, it's so overlooked from the English translation that this trope of hers isn't even mentioned on the The Song of Saya tvtropes page and that's wild to me.

Sorry, I didn't meant to turn this into a rant in your inbox asjklhd. Thank you for bringing this intriguing piece of media to my attention. 💖

Hiii, I'm so sorry for taking so long to reply to this ask but it was lovely getting it, so please don't apologize! We love getting long asks, and talking about our interests <3 And I'm really happy me basically screaming into the void about it, got you into it! That's great, that's exactly why I post about the things I like.

This was very interesting to read so thank you for sending it.

Side Thought: TV Troupes actually really really sucks for this kinda thing, it is widely innacurate with big media, and incredibly lacking for small media. So personally, I would not chuck TV Tropes lacking this as much to the (very bad, like super bad) official translation, as much as I would to the site just kinda sucking.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, the website is fun, like any other wiki is, I just have personal beef against it, do not mind me, old man yells at cloud.

The first route I finished was also the one with Ryouko, and tbh, in my opinion that's the best one, but obviously seeing the other endings gives a lot of extra information, and character depth, so I hope you play through them and enjoy them too.

And yeah, I feel you, I wish it was more 3D and that I could have cared more about the characters, the writing definetly feels too much like purple prose, and way too descriptive about meaningless things sometimes, while also compeltley glazing over others.

Also big big same about the translation, I already posted my long rant about it, but it's really such a shame, because Nitro+ is actually so good at conveying character through dialogue, like actually reading some of the VNs in Japanese is a whole new experience on its own

And exactly as you said, it would have been far easier to understand Saya is a literally preubecent child if the translation had shown how childishly she actually speaks, or another big one, we would have gotten to see more of just how badly Fuminori wants to show off in front of Saya and Yoh, if the translation had actually shown him avoiding being fully honest with Saya.

Like there's so so many moments in Japanese of him just going, Well, about that, you know... to Saya when she's asking him about their plans together, and he's very reluctant to ask her for help, even when he really needs it, until she blatantly offers it, and he takes it.

In the Official English version he literally just goes "Well, the thing, Saya is that I failed to kill Koji, any ideas about that?"

So much character missed there, I feel like also missing the honorifics isn't helpful or good, like Yoh calling Oumi, Oumi-chan makes them feel way way closer, than just college friends who hang out between classes. And it gives you a better sense that they care for each other.

My hot take about translations is that they shouldn't just accomodate to what's most familiar to the target audience, in this case USA people, it should just make the media more accesible. It isn't a failure of art if it is a bit of a struggle to engage with it, it's good to make an effort to try to understand foreign art, even when the way the text is presented, isn't super familiar or relatable to you.

This is basically what everybody who isn't from an English speaking country already does lol

[dunmeshistash]

Anything about pattadol or cithis? Pattadol has some really funny moments. Plus a few extras comics depicting her eating food.(cause she’s so cute) Her extra on how she perceives being sent off to the canaries paints a bleak picture on how the system works.

Cithis is arguably the most beautiful character in the whole comic. Her backstory of being able to escape the canaries is interesting. It seems from the fact she plans to kill Pattadol that she already has a contingency plan. The only thing that is stopping her is mitrun. And I have no idea how to interpret that. Your thoughts on these two (sorry for the long post)

It's oke I like long asks!

I love Pattadol so much, my beautiful teacher's pet daughter, I really enjoy that she's mostly clueless to "street smarts" while having to work with criminals, no wonder she's always so stressed out <3 Btw she's the youngest of them all, not even 100 yet, and this is her first mission (80 is the age of maturity for elves its the equivalent of being 16 for tallmen, which honestly I didn't notice she was actually that young)

I also love how much Ryoko Kui draws her, she's basically a mascot along with Marcille.

I really have a soft spot for Pattadol, she's doing her best and trying to stay positive, even if she's innocent and doesn't know that much about the world <3

It is bleak but really gives the context for how Mithrun felt being send to be a canary, and its really cute how she rationalizes it into being something positive, my poor girl :,)

About Cithis I'll be honest I haven't thought that much about her, but I really enjoy how overtly feminine she is compared to the other elves, she uses a long dress, makeup, makes sure to have cleavage exposed, it's really fun and different from the other elves, you can really see it in the gender swap page for the canaries, and even gender swap Marcille (who has lived a long time with tallmen) is about the same

From the canaries she's basically the only one that changed, so I believe gender expression is important to her which seems so rare for elves (Otta being the other exception but I guess male Otta enjoys the same style)

I really enjoy the Cithis extra too

The "tentative respect" is really funny, this woman can mind control everyone to do her bidding, and was baffled by the most controllable guy ever saying no to her

About the "Someday I'll kill you" I wonder if she means it, hope she fails LMAO. But I can't really blame her, Pattatol seems to be everything she hates the most personified (Extra funny now realizing she has beef with a 16yo), and Pattadol isn't very respectfull to the prisioners either.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

Losing my mind rn and I need to share it with someone because I stumbled on some dialouge where rudy says jokingly that if angore wants to go to prom woth him he should just ask. Like I have spent several years thinking that asgore x rudy is just a silly ship based on the whole bouquet of roses thing BUT THEN RUDY SAYS THAT??? LIKE BRO YOURE MARRIED??? Like I dont think theyre gonna get together in canon still but now im convinced that this weird semiromantic bond does indeed exist after years of denying it

It's just very intresting to me, how hometown has these vibes of a this stringent religious town without showing any of the bad things that happens in those type of towns

Like kris has the vibes of a closeted trans kid (massive sweater, not taking care of themselves, "you can wear anything you want" in the dark world) Despite diegetically kris is out and transphobia doesnt exist in hometown

Rudy's and asgore's thing really feels like how historically there were many queer and gay men with wives but still dated men in secret and how that sort of cheating would cause issues later down the line, but obviously homophobia doesn't actually exist in hometown, and rudy isn't actually cheating on his wife, yet that tension remains

Sane with alphys and undyne not being together, something about this town is just stifling despite no actual dietetic bigotry existing within it

And berdly's behaviour being very intentionally written to mirror the average misogynistic gamer (THIS IS NOT ME HATING ON HIM I LOVE HIM), he isn't actually misogynistic as the game tells us, but the vibes are intentionally there, similairly to how obsessed he is with romance and how he mistakes friendliness for romantic attraction, which is very amanormative (which is why people, myself included, headcanon him as aromantic in denial) despite us having no reason to belive that hometown is an amanormative society

Similairly the snowgrave route using so much romantic language and marriage symbolism to allude to the idea of forcing these two queer kids into a comphet marriage feels very important (not saying kriselle is a straight ship obviously, just that in the showgrave route they're being forced into cishet roles)

It's a very clever thing, I feel. It allows deltarune to discuss these problems without showing them or having them exist in the story? This allows the story to maintain its lighter tone (in the normal route) and avoids allianeting its audience. It's all just very clever use of metaphor and coding, and I like it a lot

Sorry for the ramble I originally planned to only bring up the rudy quote and leave but this ask got away from me 😔

First off anon, please do not apologise for rambling! I really dig the energy and enthusiasm, love seeing people get really animated about stuff they're into! It's great, and you're great for expressing it :)

And yeah! The whole Rudy and Asgore thing is really interesting! There does seem to be this frisson of something between them - not necessarily romantic/sexual in nature, but this sense that these two people are actually Really Important to each other in ways that can't easily be expressed by the limited ways that society at large sees love and friendship. Take the prom example - very much considered to be a thing for boys or girls to take the person they Like(romantically) to have a good time and show off and all that stuff. But take that societal expectation away, and what's to say you can't take someone you love and appreciate platonically, exhibit the deep care and commitment you have with that person to others, and just have a fun time together? And I honestly feel that both Asgore and Rudy would love to be able to do that openly. And maybe they'd hook up, maybe they'd express their love for each other physically, but that almost kind of doesn't matter when you look at it this way.

And you're entirely right, technically there's no outward stigma around these non-heteronormative displays of affection in Hometown - hell, even the central religion of the Angel doesn't have a concept of sin according to its own priest! And YET, there is still this strange shroud drawn over it all, this kind of veneer or performance of "normalcy", for lack of a better term. Or perhaps more accurately, the people of Hometown are in many ways acting in ways they feel they Ought to behave, even though everyone there's actually really chill and non-judgmental about these things (that we know of anyhow).

Berdly stands out most to me here, for two reasons - the first is, we already know he's playing up to an aspect of his character, his intelligence. But the moment that veneer's stripped from him, he immediately adopts another, playing to his supposed idiocy instead. And I feel this parallels his broader MLG-Redditor-esque personality that's been established throughout Chapter 2 - he acts that way because he FEELS like he OUGHT to act that way, based on the common popular portrayal of such people. So of Course he sees Noelle's friendship as evidence of a deeper crush she has for him, and of Course he sees Susie trying to comfort him as evidence of there being a romantic spark blossoming between them, and he says himself he's chosen Susie's route as though his life is a visual novel, because that's what the role he's playing demands of him. And as we've seen with his smart-stupid persona shift, he's not quite ready to let that performance go yet, he still needs external validation to tell him how he ought to be, rather than trusting in who he actually is, and trusting that others will accept his genuine, aromantic self. (yeah, it makes too much sense for him not to be aro at this stage, lmao)

And it's like - what if ALL of Hometown is like Berdly? What if they're just performing roles that they think other people expect them to perform, instead of trusting that they can be authentic? What if Asriel's belief that he has sinned when he sacrifices Yoshi to jump higher in the game is an extension of his performance as a Good Boy, despite the Angel's religion having no concept of sin? What if the "wink-wink nugde-nugde" gestures between Asgore and Rudy, and to a lesser extent the Royal Guards (just bros hanging out by the lake, anyone?) is not a subversion of their performance but instead a continuation of it? Like, people Know, it's Obvious to anyone who cares to look, but it's all part of the performance of "normalcy" so it gets a pass.

What if Susie performs the role of bully because it's easier than trying to be geuninely vulnerable and asking for help? And what if people don't challenge her on her behaviour not because they're scared to, but because at this point it's just what's Expected of her?

What if Noelle liking scary things (and by extension Susie) isn't a way to break free from her strict upbringing, but instead a way to let her continue being the model student and all-around good girl while having a "subversive" outlet that isn't actually all that subversive?

And what if Kris dresses down, acts weird and hides all their stuff because they've in some way grown accustomed to their role as the ""outcast"", the weird human who doesn't "belong", who was largely accepted as human and non-binary, and yet feels like they are still not quite of Hometown in the same way the monsters are?

The people of hometown seem to cling to normality like it's a life-raft or a security blanket, too afraid to let go of the roles they've agreed to perform for each other's benefit to be fully, outwardly themselves. I think people like to know that the role they play confirms their identity in the eyes of others - by being witnessed playing that role, they earn "approval" from their peers, and so they continue to play that role, iterating upon it as time goes on. Even if that role is portrayed negatively, the sense of identity one derives from it can still provide comfort and security in the face of an uncertain world. It can be scary to let that go and to try and reinvent yourself, even if the role you're playing no longer serves you like it used to.

And, continuing in this vein, what if Snowgrave is the idea of people playing these roles taken to its logical, violent endpoint, and far from being a subversion of the narrative, it's actually a warning of conforming too much to the role you're expected to play? Kris and Noelle are old friends who drifted apart but still care for each other in ways that can't easily be quantified. Even Noelle doesn't quite know how to define their relationship, and her assertion that they're friends, and the comfort she derived from that, is more relief that this nebulous Thing they have has been Quantified, put into a neat box.

But the incredibly performative nature of Snowgrave speaks to its falsehood. It's like a caricature of romance in lieu of there being any actual romantic feelings there, like kids mimicking the gestures of their parents without understanding the significance of those gestures. You make Noelle wear a ring because that's what People In A Romantic Relationship Do. You make Noelle stronger because that's What You Do in video games, but also because you're meant to Support Your Romantic Partner and Give Guidance to them - you're Helping her. You call for Noelle to help you against Spamton NEO and she comes running - because that is what you are Supposed To Do, drop everything and help out the One Person who you totally Belong to and who Belongs to you. That's Just What You Do, and you Don't Question It.

...I have gone quite a ways off-piste, it would seem! But man, you really made me think about this, and it was so fun to think about everything through this lens. Thank you so much for rambling to me, please don't ever hesitate to do so again, should the mood strike you!

(also, now I kinda want to see Rudy and Asgore curled up on the couch watching TV together and stroking each other's hair. That's the kind of energy I feel their friendship/qpr thingy would have for some reason, haha!)

[v88sy]

Lmao but for real. Idk if it's bts drama with Ryan or something but it's getting more and more obvious. Bobby, his captain just died and the guy is just over there offering a cookie to Ravi in these trying times like an extra on set with a blank expression on his face.

I refuse to feel bad for enjoying this situation. Bvddie shippers have made their own bed. I don't like Ryan at all, but even I can admit there's only so much toxicity an actor can take. Buck was at least allowed to exist in his own right in their eyes even if they couldn't stand him canonically dating a man (so much for being LGBT warriors and caring for representation!). But the way they're obsessed with Eddie and try to bring every plot he has back to him being "gay" is exhausting and weird as fuck.

Imagine being an actor and being excited for the storyline your character is getting that season and your fans are just like "we don't care, when are Buck and Eddie going to fuck on screen tho?" Not saying Eddie's plots have always been exciting at all, lord knows they've done some stupid shit with the character, but still. Eddie arguably had the most interesting SL in years while trying to mend his relationship with Chris and they could not have cared less because it meant he was in Texas and not bending over for Buck. I wouldn't blame Ryan if he wants out, if his acting in this ep is any indication, his heart just isn't in it anymore.

I didn't mind Eddie at first, I really didn't. But, it kind of feels like after Shannon died, the writers just...didn't know what to do with him. His entire existence became about grief without any real action to address it or deal with it. I get it, grief never really goes away, but you can't just Fight Club your way out of it either.

I often wonder if the writers intended to write him as insufferable and selfish as they have. He says things to hurt others and never reflects or takes accountability. It's been talked about ad nauseum here, but his friendship with Buck is incredibly one sided. Again, I don't know what's more scary...to think this was all by design...or that it wasn't.

And, since we're just going for it here, Ryandrew Tateman absolutely hasn't done himself any favors here. I know what he did. You know he did. And I wish I could say that was the only thing, or even the most recent.

On a personal note, I've worked in healthcare for 20 years, including the height of covid, so being an anti vaxx/anti covid vaxx is an instant 'fuck off' from me.

And the memes he's been sharing about Pete/Bobby? Salty edgelord.

You make excellent points about anything and everything being boiled down to Gay Eddie™ in some people's minds. Not even bi or demi, or any other shade of queer. It has to be gay, and Buck has to serve as the trad wife self insert surrogate. Which, really makes me question their motives, because it ain't representation. We already got that, and have since day one. Not that they'd ever know.

Look, it's very clear by now that I'm not his biggest fan by a long shot, but it's absolutely disgusting that people want to disregard his body autonomy by saying things like "it doesn't matter what he wants, they're gonna force him to do bddie anyways because it's what the people want".

No, they don't, and honestly, that makes me wonder about your views on consent. The role would involve, at the very least, kissing Oliver, (not that I'd mind myself, but that's another topic for another day) so...yes. It absolutely is his choice, as it should always be when engaging in contact with someone, acting job or not.

And yeah, I'll give it to you that he's probably tired as fuck about being reduced to nothing more than "the guy who absolutely must be gay because *insert harmful stereotype here.*"

And that's in addition to having every. single. interview. harp on the ship that he has said repeatedly that he doesn't want to do, for actually valid reasons, assuming those are the real reasons and he's not just blowing smoke up our ass.

So, yeah, I don't blame him for wanting an out, but I also don't think we should be blamed for wanting to be able to enjoy our show and the fandom as a whole once again.

All that being said...are you trying to put me in jail, katey 😂

[rusty-eevee]

Do Venus and Nova ever encounter Darkrai again? If so, how does that turn out?

They do! Venus goes off on her own after getting healed by Cresselia. Pretty much everyone in the guild went off to find Darkrai as a team, so it wasn't hard for her to sneak out with Cresselia being pretty much the only one watching her. She was able to find Darkrai first. At the very least, she's learned from last time not to try too hard to redeem him this time around.

She'd capture him in the end, but not before he uses her nightmares and insecurities to hurt her.

[awkwardosthe3rd]

Ohh your OC Nuromai looks really interesting, can you tell us smth about them? I love your design!

Huff I'm terribly flattered, let me think! Besides them being a DnD character, and the more forward stuff uhhh uhh what can I share-- I could share some lore?? He's one of many direct divine descendants of one entity, him and his siblings are each said to be one of her shedded feathers gaining sentience. All his folk, and there are thousands, besides his mother, are socially/linguistically considered his siblings, but they can pretty much look like anything/anyone, and he's not particularly close to any of them, besides maybe 2-3. He met his own "mother" maybe like... 1-2 times in his entire life, so he's a bit mentally detached from the "human" concept of family. Most of his misconceptions around the terms "family", "siblings" and "parents" came through mistranslations of his language, given his want to share in human culture, he often attempts to relate experiences that are difficult to compare, and it's been causing him some grief, to be sure.

(I don't have a lot of art of his mother, given she's.. died before the campaign started, but here u go, have some concepts. I think I could never quite settle on a certain visual for her, given I don't think Nuromai remembers her very well at all, so trying to match his perception of her, I kept her visuals quite hazy/uncertain. Visual trait: Tall???) (Bonus fact: He's recently been asked to seek out her undying/undead remains to end her, oops.)

[somehowmags]

Hey. Ik it’s probably old art but I just came across your sally the salmon design and call me c!wilbur cause I AM IN LOVE WITH THAT FISH SHES SO BEAUTIFUL !!

thank you anon this is very sweet!! here is a freshly baked sally and fundy drawing just for you

[communist-hatsunemiku]

Miku Miku Multilevel Marketing

This is how I'm going to exit the rat race and become rich. Doing like weekend seminars, charging $500 per person. The seminar starts with a powerpoint presentation, and the first slide is just What is Miku Miku Multilevel Marketing? followed by a bunch of mindset/bootstraps bullshit but it's Miku themed.

[ganondoodle]

Please tell me what you hate about TotK

ÖwÖ !

how much time do you have? and how much do you want to read? bc i deeply hate everything about totk (for many many reasons that cant just be dismissed as just 'not my taste' or similar, i dont hate many things, very few in fact, but this game deeply and personally hurt me and my passion- it essentially killed my hyperfixation in zelda)-

what i like would be much shorter; i like the sound the parasail makes when you use it in the rain, most music, you can have more horses, the underground is .. a neat idea (but badly executed), you can FINALLY touch the dragons (and in exchange they ruined them for me ...) and uhm ... master koga is there :3

(graphics and style is basically botws so that doesnt count though i still love that and .. the designs... mostly)

the short version; the writing sucks, the gameplay sucks, except for koga theres no character that is well written or enjoyable to me, the world design sucks, theres no connective tissue between botw (which isnt flawless by any means but i love it ..... or used to love it ..) and totk beyond it being called a sequel, pretty much every single one of botws flaws was doubled down on and i cannot believe how few people actually seem to realize this?? if you cared about anything botw and like thinking about things totk will stomp you with its hefty price tag bc it makes it clear it does not care and you are stupid for caring about anything, you should stop thinking and jsut take whatever they say no matter how little sense anything makes, every even mildly interesting idea is either never followed up on/expanded or is even actively contradicted in itself (which is soemthign this game is excellent at, constantly contradicting itself in every aspect but like .. like its unaware of it) it tries to do everything and thus commits to nothing, tries to please everyone and thus comes out saying nothing and meaning nothing and doing nothing, it loooooves to copy botw but gives it a different paintjob and makes it worse but presents it as better instead of actually adressing the issues botw had, ganondorf .... oh my dear ganondorf, you deserve to be in a better game *sniffs*, i have never before felt like im being made fun of by the game im playing, but now i have-

even the short version gets long (and i didnt even go into detail or into the reasoning q-q) but boi i have so many issues with this game its kinda fascinating, i have talked about alot of it but given tumblrs search likely still sucks it might be hard to impossible to find all those older rants njskfsdbjk

(if you dont care about ... text, or stories and just play it after work for mindless fun in short bursts it might not seem bad at all but once you start thinking it quickly and utterly crumbles, you might say i care to much and well, yeah, thats how hyperfixations work and i dont choose what to focus on either lol)

for a long while i used to try and sound the most tame and nice about it all but at some point of constantly being argued with (often aggressively) back when twitter used to be usable i started to not give a fuck anymore so if this may sound harsh, i have long gotten tired of all that so now im trying to literally just speak my mind with very little "what if i sound mean qoq" filter

[seiwas]

here for your game!! i am kindly asking for megumi and royal au!! 💗 hope you’re doing well sel!!

cici!! thanks for playing with me 🥺 this was so fun to think about! i hope you’re doing well too 🥺

megumi + royal au

megumi was born to be your knight, and yuuji your prince.

at least, that was what was intended.

your mothers had all grown together in a town south of where she eventually married into. your mother and yuuji’s had both married into royalty, while megumi’s remained in the noble high class.

every summer, your families would gather on an island east of the southern sea—a place your mothers had spent their blazing summers in as maidens. it was where they could be free, without the watching eyes of their tutors from the academy.

it was where megumi’s mother had met his father, and where they eventually fell in love, then married. megumi was born in the winter, but you are certain that if he were born in the summer, his first breath would have been the crisp air of the southern sea.

the island is your second home, a place where you, megumi, and yuuji grew up together. afternoon tag games in fields of cosmos, and stargazing at night, just at the hilltop overlooking the island’s coast. it holds every memory you keep close to your chest.

you lost your first tooth there when you slammed face-first into yuuji’s back after finally catching up to him in your game of chase. yuuji ran straight back to the summer house to call for your mother, but megumi remained right there beside you, crouched low with his arm stretched out to your lips. he’d pulled his sleeves all the way down for it, offering up the fabric for you to bite into to stop the bleeding in the meantime.

memories of summer remind you of yuuji’s bright eyes, like the sun, constantly beckoning you and megumi for a day of adventure. they remind you of megumi’s, a deep blue-green that takes on light like the stars. a depth hidden in constellations; to this day, they still make you curious, and you still find yourself lost in them more times than you would admit.

you were a formidable trio, your bond unbreakable the same way your mothers’ was. a relationship grown in fondness but predestined all the same. you had an inkling early on that you and yuuji were to be paired at some point of your lives.

and you love him, yes. it is impossible not to, in some way. but you do not love him like that—for you, it has always been megumi.

since training for knighthood in your kingdom, and being orphaned from a tragic accident that killed both his parents, megumi has been by your side, his life sworn to yours.

he watches you quietly and carefully, standing close to you when you go into town. his body is but your human shield, though you know it is out of more than just his obligation when he remains on edge, even for paper cuts and needle pricks from sewing his or yuuji’s latest handkerchiefs.

megumi has a steady resolve and an even steadier hand; he would occasionally teach you the essentials of holding a knife, though you know combat training is far from what any of your tutors would want you to be doing on a sunday night.

“for your letters, and other things,” he’d penned on the note attached to his gift for your 16th birthday.

a thin, dainty thing. sharp at the tip with elegant vines at its base. a letter opener.

you do not receive as many letters as you send off, he knows that much. the only letters you write are for him and yuuji, but even those are different in nature; yuuji’s often come in elegant envelopes, wax-sealed with his family crest. megumi’s, however, are on papers torn in haste, folded to be slipped discreetly into his pockets, or to be slid right underneath his door.

‘and other things’ he had said, and you are certain he means ‘for your protection, when i cannot be there’. it fits perfectly into the palm of your hand and is light enough for you to carry wherever you go. he has given you enough lessons for you to know how to use it when you need to.

marriage is a topic you have yet to fully speak to your parents about. they have never imposed it on you, knowing full well there is no rush, especially when your father is not so particular about political alliances. but ever since you were young, you have always known it was predestined to be yuuji.

but again, that was what was intended.

during the tail end of your 17th spring, the gojo family put out a hunt. the royal family only comprised the lone gojo king, his own parents now retired and out of the political scene—and he needed an heir.

to your surprise, the king himself appeared on your family’s doorstep, carefully assessing all the boys in your household.

then, his blue eyes landed right next to you, to the boy who has always been right by your side; the boy who has sworn his life to yours by knighthood.

“you,” the gojo king points.

your megumi.

you freeze, gripping the letter opener behind you. you don’t know how to feel; you can’t tell if this is a good thing or not.

would he have to leave?

the gojo kingdom is further up north, and surely megumi cannot reign as its prince if he is away from it.

megumi looks at the king, then at you.

what do you do?

[a-most-beloved-fool]

For the writing prompts;

19. For luck - Rom and Leeta

"And then," Bashir was saying - though in truth, Rom was paying only half attention, far too busy thinking about Leeta - "she came right up to me, and kissed me on the lips!"

"Oh, she did, did she?" Chief O'Brien said, scoffing good-naturedly.

"It's true!" Bashir insisted, though he didn't look insulted by the Chief's doubt. He was smiling into his glass, seeming quite delighted by the disbelieving frown on O'Brien's face.

Rom didn't quite understand what was supposed to be so 'unbelievable' about the story. In fact - "It seems pretty believable to me," he said. "Doctor Bashir's always kissing beautiful women." (Including, at one point, Leeta - though not anymore, Rom thought with some pleasure.)

"Yes, but this one was out of his league," the Chief said, batting his hand playfully across the table.

Bashir just smiled bashfully, ignoring the swipe. "Ah, well. You're right about that. She wasn't really interested in me after all. Turns out, she'd just misconstrued the human concept of a 'good luck kiss'".

"Ohh! A 'good luck kiss'!" Rom said eagerly. Then, after a pause, "Uh, what's a 'good luck kiss'?"

The Chief sat back, idly crossing his arms. "Well, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's a kiss that you give someone to wish them luck."

"Oh," Rom said, considering that. Luck was always a good thing to have. Perhaps... "Oh! Leeta!" He stood, sending his chair clattering backwards. "I'll be back!" he shouted, then raced from Quark's bar, ignoring his brother's parting shout out dismay.

He needed to find Leeta.

--

"Leeta! Waaaait!" Rom hollered, shuffling through the crowded promenade as quickly as he could manage, chasing after her familiar voice. "Leeta! I need to give you something!"

This would be easier, he thought, if Bajorans could hear as well as Ferengi could.

But, at last, Leeta stopped, turning to find him. "Rom? Rom, what's the matt-"

The rest of her sentence trailed off into a hum as Rom reached up, pulling her down to plant a kiss square on her lips. One of her hands cupped Rom's cheek, soft. Rom didn't really know how long a 'good luck kiss' was supposed to last for - he really should have gotten more details before running off (for example, does it need tongue? Bashir never specified.) - but he thought that this should satisfy it.

He pulled away, grinning toothily up at his wife. "Hi, Leeta," he said.

She smiled down at him, cheeks flushed and lovely as always. "Hi, Rom. What was that for?" she asked, looking bemused and delighted.

"It's a kiss," Rom said, perhaps unnecessarily. "For luck," he added. "It's a hoo-man tradition!"

"For luck? Rom," she asked, laughing, "what are you wishing me luck for?"

Rom blinked. "Uhhh... For your day?"

Leeta beamed at him, and then leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Well, I think it worked. I do feel pretty lucky now."

Rom grinned. "Me, too."

--

(also if anyone else wants to make a request, the ask game is here. i can't promise they'll get done as quick or be as long as this one is, though!)

[craftstale]

hi!!! i saw u making an explanation to Toriel and Asgore’s symbolism and I was wondering what inspired you to give Sans sticky notes and Papyrus the pretty markers :D (mostly Papyrus bc he’s literally my fav and i love him sm ahhh!) but if isn’t that deep either, i completely understand LOL!

Sure thing!!! I love Papyrus a lot too ^_^ "Isn't that deep" oh brother, you got a Big Storm Comin'...

Sans is a sticky note because to me, a sticky note is kind of a "Support" craft supply-- usually you only really use it in tandem with Other Materials. Likewise, Sans is that usual punny guy everyone's Familiar with when he talks to people and gets the opportunity to "bounce" off people like in Conversations or Banter. He doesn't really seem to have so much Regard for Himself, but he cares about the people he hangs out with: Papyrus, the regulars at Grillby's, the Royal Guards stationed in Snowdin, Toriel... He just Thrives more with others! I also consider sticky notes a Not Very "Strong" supply, in that it doesn't have a good stick to things and will sometimes fall off surfaces, and it kinda reminds me of how Silly and Laid-Back he is, selling fried snow and hotdogs, pulling pranks, it's not the behavior of someone who is Strict and Straight-Laced? He has that "forgeddaboudit" attitude that I feel like can be Expressed that way... just goofing around and not Committing to much. (I think he would leave them everywhere like with his socks.) The weakness of sticky notes can also allude to his stats... But Importantly, I also think-- when he's Pushed to his Limits-- he can become something Incredible... if you are pushed to your creative limits, left with only sticky notes to work with, that limitation can create something Amazing with sticky notes, like sculptures, origami, when he is Absolutely alone and Has to do something, he Does and he Delivers. Only under that restriction does he show That side of himself, because he Finally forces himself into action. Sans is also Pretty Darn Smart, and to show that, I thought the fact that people sometimes use sticky notes to Study was also a good representation for all those sides of him... the Laziness, the Laid-Back Attitude, his Potential, and his Smarts. Not to mention lots of Pranks can be pulled with sticky notes, I'm sure you've seen at least a few. Oh, and also sticky notes are a nod to the silly joke regarding his stray Sock in the skeleton brother's house. It's only fair. (I thought giving him the little sticky visor was cute... like the one he wore in the dog casino !)

Papyrus was a little tough to figure out but I decided that the alcohol marker fit him well !! It's Bold, it's Vibrant, it's a Committed craft supply (on account of the fact you Can't Erase Ink)... It's like Papyrus being Unabashedly Proud, Brave, and Always Giving His 110%! Even in the face of danger (like when the Player decides to do a No Mercy run), he Knows the risk, oh, he is So Fucking Aware, but has such a Strong belief and is so Willing to Take That Chance, he stands his ground and doesn't Shy Away From It. Bold Marker Ink... You can't take it back once it's set down. You do have to be careful with Markers also, like, you must keep a level of Control when dealing with Ink as a medium and its Multitude of Colors. And Papyrus has Insane control over his Magic Attacks. He's the only one you Can't Die to-- even Toriel slips up sometimes, but Papyrus? It's impossible. And he's really Strong and Creative too! Like out of All the monsters in the underground, I don't think there is Any Bullet Pattern that can rival Papyrus's "Absolutely Normal Attack". Markers are also a craft supply used by people of All Ages-- markers are usually provided to children to color with, like Papyrus's love for things that are Usually associated with children (Peek-A-Boo With Fluffy Bunny... his Racecar bed...) but don't be fooled !! Markers are also a common medium for experienced artists as well (I think people usually move from Water Based to Alcohol Based markers...) Papyrus is definitely mature and serious when he needs to be, and he is Also very smart, I mean, his favorite book is "Advanced Puzzle Constructions for Critical Minds"! I based him Specifically on the Alcohol Marker as a reminder that Yes, He Does Like Things That Younger People Likes, but he is Still Very Much an Adult. Usually, when you buy these alcohol markers, they come with Two Different Tips, like Chisel and Fine or Something... I think this is kinda like how Papyrus is Quite Good At Lying, or having that Smug and Sassy side to him... it's not as Prominent to a lot of people around him, but to Frisk, he does let that side of him Peek Out a little. (Fun Fact: His hands/gloves creates the Finer lines while his feet/boots creates those Chisel Tip lines !!) Also I like imagining that he uses his ink as his Special Blue Attack, coloring over Frisk's soul ! He's also mentioned that his Battle Body can become a tuxedo in a pinch with some black paint, so I think he'd use his magic/ink for that also. And coloring the "Bridge".

The way their Mediums also work with others is pretty accurate to them too, I Would Think. Sans usually lets other people do the work (like how most of the work done on sticky notes is made by the Writer or whatever is applied On It) while Papyrus is more direct and active. I like to think that Papyrus writes on the little sticky note that Sans leaves around to Remind him to do stuff, like picking up his sock or recalibrating puzzles. (Their supplies also imitate their Stature too... Little Chunky Guy and Tall Slender Guy...)

[basil--and--sage]

Do you think while they were kids Fíli sometimes took the blame for troubles that Kíli caused because he didn't want their mom and uncle to get mad at his little brother? He knows Kíli didn't mean any harm, he's just a bit silly 🥺

He absolutely did. And as Kíli got older, he started to return the favour.

I think, both of them have each other's back, though in different ways.

Kíli strikes me as a rather impulsive person, which gets him into plenty of trouble, like accidently breaking stuff or getting into altercations. Fíli probably saves his brother's butt by discreetly fixing the issues. Since he is more mature and doesn't cause much trouble, he likely gets away with more things than his brother and so it's only logical for him to take the blame from time to time, for example the one time Kíli broke their uncle's axe. He also caught more than once a black eye or split lip to help Kíli out, when he offended the wrong group of people.

Kíli, on the other hand, knows his brother well and is the first to notice, when Fíli gets overwhelmed by his duties as a heir, and so he helps his brother sneaking out from time to time, or even causes trouble on purpose to give him a brief respite. Like the one time Fíli was supposed to lead for the first time during a field manoeuvre and everything (like the weather and such) worked against him in such an extent that he was completely out of his depth. And so Kíli's pony "accidently" ran away and the whole manoeuvre had to be paused, until they managed to recapture the beast, while Fíli had a moment to collect himself. Kíli got a major bollocking, but didn't mind too much.

They take great care of each other and everyone, especially their mother and uncle know that it is futile to try and find out, who exactly caused trouble and why, because Kíli will keep his mouth shut under all circumstances, while Fíli whips out his inner lawyer and debates long enough that Thorin's head is swimming in the end.

At one point Dís and Thorin just let the lads do their thing, knowing that Fíli will keep them out of trouble and Kíli will keep Fíli from getting too stressed out by his duties, and in the end it all works out.

[eatsbooks]

When did loa start trusting Eris with her secrets? Hc for the first secret?

i'll say i don't think loa ever really does come to fully or willingly trust eris with her secrets, and to her, whatever sense of trust is between them is more like ... a tentative truce—even though eris would never, ever do anything to put her in harm's way. she doesn't know that, and she wouldn't believe it even if he said it right to her face. he is beron's son, and he has proven that time and time again. she believes he will ultimately do anything it takes to serve his own needs and has no real capacity for caring for anyone to the point of prioritizing them above himself. that's what makes his devotion to her and his brothers so devastating: she can never see it that way because she refuses to see him as anything more than what beron made him into.

when eris was a youngling, loa was extremely wary of saying the wrong thing in front of him, even when it came to pushing against the bigotry and classism beron was teaching him. if he repeated what she said in front of beron in the way children thoughtlessly tend to, they would both be punished; it was a risk she couldn't take. then eris was snugly in beron's pocket for his entire adolescence and even into his young adulthood. he was always so eager to prove himself to his father, who he idolized, and he believed everything beron told him without question—because why would he even think to question his father? why would his father lead him astray? how could his father be wrong? loa firmly believed he would have relayed whatever she told him to beron in a heartbeat if he thought his father would disapprove/he thought it would ingratiate him to his father.

so i think what happened ultimately is just—eris was too perceptive. even as a youngling, he was too quick, too smart. he would hear things or see things, and he just never forgot them, so he was able put information together across time in a way most other fae couldn't. offhandedly in conversation with loa, he would reveal how much he knew about various members of the nobility—things that he had no reason to know at his age—or (often correct) conclusions he came to based on tidbits he had gathered. he would always know his brothers' secrets, too—where they secreted away their treats, how they snuck out of their rooms at night and where they went, etc. and loa began to see how he would keep these secrets close to his chest up until he had use for them. if he wanted to keep his brothers in line, it certainly would be a shame if father were to hear of your nightly proclivities, or if he wanted to instigate, interesting. that isn't what carmine expressed to me.

which meant that when the day came when eris, who was still too young to swallow down the amount of anger he always felt, got upset with his mother and made an offhanded comment about her affinity for the sunlight, loa knew that he had been collecting her secrets for much, much longer than she realized. and that he had been keeping them—for what purpose, she couldn't yet know. but she knew that all she needed to do to get him to continue would be to incentivize him, to convince him that not saying anything would be more beneficial to him than revealing it. and so their fraught, tentative truce began. she thought she was playing the game with him, and he let her, because he had no language to tell her how much it gutted him that she thought of him in this way: a threat to be managed. but it just comes down to ... how can you ever fully trust someone who holds a sword over your neck?

[wrathofrats]

Wrath I humbly ask you go into insane detail about your characterization for Alpha

OH YOUVE FUCKED UP

Welcome to wrath’s in depth guide to alpha ghoul and his story as I currently believe it to be and usually write it. Subject to change during random fics for my convenience or if I decide differently in the future but this is currently how the story goes

Including omega, delta and pebble details because I find it important to the story.

Idk how long this is going to be, probably very. I apologize in advance.

Alpha was summoned alongside omega. Two ghouls bonded from the start. Alpha to be a guard and omega to book keep and run the infirmary when they weren’t busy with the band. Primo found them to be sweet, good company while he summoned water earth and air to complete the band. Omega and alpha didn’t talk much to them at first, at least alpha didn’t. Omega was friendly, welcomed them with open arms. But alpha was stoic, and only kept to omega most of the time. He was meant to be menacing, not to mess around.

He was in love with omega. Time spent in practice close to his side, and outside of guarding primo he would sit in the library while omega made records of new and old important information about ghouls that the ministry could use. Helping him find the books he needed or sneaking kisses behind the shelves, they were borderline disgusting in their behavior, but primo and the other ghouls found it endearing, so no one mentioned it.

When secondo was sworn in he promised heavy changes to the ministry. The band hadn’t taken off like he wanted it to. Primo was soft, didn’t have the backbone needed for the job. Secondo though had the heavy hand to make them great.

Alpha was to stay by his side at all times. Almost no break from being his ghoul. By his side at the pulpit, outside his door, he was summoned for the purpose of protecting his papa. Omega stayed doing the jobs he was assigned, only seeing alpha when with secondo or late in the middle of the night.

They were forbidden from seeing each other outside of band purposes. It was a distraction, the ghouls shouldn’t be in relationships with each other, they’re religious servants and not much more. Lake and River got away with their relationship because truly secondo didn’t pay much attention to earth, air, and the constant rotation of water ghouls. But alpha and omega? They were distracting to everyone.

They would sneak off in the middle of the night to spend the twilight in each others arms before the sun would inevitably rise and they’d have to sadly walk feet away from each other in order to be at mass on time. Sometimes alpha would fake a cough or a sprained ankle just to feel omegas touch again.

Secondo eventually stepped down and was replaced with Terzo, along with two new summons. Delta, and pebble. Terzo did away with the harsh rules, and alpha and omega could be together once again.

Delta and pebble ended up being more … interesting new summons. Delta didn’t like to be touched or talked to much, mostly sticking around pebble. While pebble was loud and rebellious, much to omega and terzos dismay as he wreaked havoc around the ministry with delta in tow.

Omega wanted to retire, it was all becoming too much, and now that he had alpha back he wanted to spend all the time he could with him.

Delta was wrong, like any other water ghoul was. Something off about his demeanor that made omega sick to his stomach to witness. He would go feral, it was only a matter of time.

Delta begged, pleaded with omega to change his element, even though omega constantly denied him because it was too dangerous. Delta didn’t care, he didn’t want to succumb to the fate of the others. He stole books and whatever he could find from the library, and locked himself away to do it himself

The transition worked, but only barely. His eyes went dark, his personality changing, the quintessence eating away at him, killing him from the inside. Omega tried every spell he could to help, but all of the fixes never lasted more than a day.

Pebble blamed him, omega could’ve stopped delta. He could’ve just given him what he wanted instead of watching him do it himself because he knew he would fuck it up, pebble was convinced omega could’ve saved him if he tried. Hell, delta was omegas replacement. If omega just decided to keep performing they wouldn’t be in this mess.

Omega went to Terzo for help, begging for whatever forgiveness he could. Day after day not sleeping in his bed with alpha, going back to Terzo to be comforted. It wasn’t a problem at first, alpha understood why omega was upset. But the bed no longer smelled like him, his clothes were halved because he kept taking them to where Terzo stayed. It hurt, that was his mate, and now he’s found someone else?

Alpha would use pebble to fill in the gap, at least sexually. Pebble was easy, and a shithead, someone he could take his frustrations out on and he would continue to ask for more. It didn’t fill the hole in his heart, he never felt better afterwards either. But it was physical touch, he could feel needed for the hour and that’s what he really was after.

Pebble told him to leave omega, he didn’t deserve to be treated like that. Omega killed delta, and was now abandoning alpha? It wasn’t fair. How could he make all the mistakes just for the consequences to come down on everyone else. He told him to go to earth, hell even air. Anyone else, leave omega in the dust.

But alpha didn’t. He sat, and waited for his mate to return to him.

Ivy was summoned along with a plethora of new ghouls, including one to replace alpha as he had decided to retire.

Pebble found solace and love in Ivy, now spending all his time with him instead of alpha. And omega never came home. He was left alone to talk to mist sometimes and watch pebble and ivy fawn over each other while his room became his once again instead of sharing it.

Terzo is killed. Taken and beheaded in front of his band. News spread to the ministry before the clock struck midnight.

Omega was distraught. Destroyed what he could get his hands on in the chapel while alpha stood and watched, let him take out his emotions in whatever way he could. Omega returned to alphas room, night’s that weren’t spent at Terzo grave instead spent in alphas arms while he let him. He never mentioned the past. He never held it against him that he left. He was back. And that’s what mattered.

And omega would eventually heal, he would spend more and more time telling alpha he loves him instead of saying how much he missed Terzo, and with every I love you alpha forgot more and more of how they had gotten to this point. It didn’t matter anymore, he had omega back.

That’s how they stayed. The ministry’s resident old married couple. Often flirting with their arms wrapped around each other in the common rooms or making inappropriate comments just to hear the newer ghouls whine in disgust. They were cute, in love, and only those who had been there really knew what happened.

Alphas an old grandpa who shows he cares for his fellow ghouls with food and remembering their favorite colors and animals, and carrying them to bed when they fall asleep in weird places, but can’t voice his own feelings with words.

I hope this helped! Sorry for the … very very long ramble

[inkynightmaresau]

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