#their likes and dislikes lists... same hat!

[screamingforests]

Hello hello I hope your weekend is going well!! May I humbly request more cat shifter!Reader? What happens after they run out while sick?

It went very well and my birthday is today so I'll be having fun :) and absolutely you can!

Part 2 of Catshifter au

~

You collapsed. Your sick body couldn't continue on running, too drained of energy. Your energy had been sapped during the rapid shift of the previous night and the restless sleep hadn't helped.

You had just barely managed to slip under a dumpster before falling, so you were out of the rain. Small mercies.

Meanwhile, the boys were worrying like crazy. First off, they hadn't been expecting you to be a shifter thing. They were military. Of course, they had heard about the shifter experiments, but they never expected to meet that one escaped experiment.

Price was on the phone, talking to Laswell. He was trying to get more information on it all, why the program started, how you had escaped, and what he needed to expect. He needed some form of control - this time it was knowledge.

Soap and Gaz had gone out on foot, calling out for you. Hell, they didn't even know your name. They were just trying to find you. You were sick and they had bleeding hearts. The questions could come after they knew you were safe.

Ghost was browsing missing persons lists online, trying to place your face. Trying to get a name for you, even if he knew it would probably be a dead end. He had also readied the guest bedroom, somewhere safe for Soap and Gaz to put you.

Hours later, you were out wandering again, this time in human form. You needed to get to your apartment to get some medicine. Well, the few dollars you had were going to go to the cheapest medicine you could find. Then you could curl up in cat form and sleep.

What you didn't expect was to run into Gaz as you tried to enter the small corner store, money bills crumpled in your hand. Eyes hazy with your bad fever. You hadn't even recognized him at first, your cat eyes being colorblind, but it was the hat that gave him away. You could easily spot that same blue in both forms.

So, you ducked your head and pulled the worn coat closer, just trying to ignore him.

Gaz wasn't having any of that. He recognized your worn, sick look right away. And your face was recognizable from the pure shock of when he first saw it.

He reached out and grabbed your elbow, "are you okay?" Worry clouding his eyes.

You froze for just a moment. Eyes flicking about. Your eyes were the exact same shade as they were in your other form, he knew it was you and you couldn't deny it.

"Why don't you come with me? We'll help you, promise." Gaz adds on, voice earnest. Your eyes scan his face. "No going back, we'll keep you safe."

You hold his gaze for a minute, then two, tension dragging down the atmosphere. Even people around you were uncomfortable. But then, almost imperceptibly, you nod.

His smile is blinding.

~

So that's how you found yourself back at their house, mostly shellshocked. Gaz had been quick to whisk you away after grabbing medicine, which he didn't let you pay for when you silently offered your crumpled money.

Ghost was on the defense and wrapped you tightly in a big blanket. christ, it was to be thrice the size of a normal king blanket and sat you on the couch where they could watch you. Soap clanked around in the kitchen, trying to make a soup, but he didn't know if all foods were safe for you or not.

Price was sat in front of you, his blue eyes glued onto your face. You stared back at him, just as unblinking. It reminded you a lot of the scientists stares. You didn't like it.

So you really couldn't stop the small growl building in your throat. Even if you didn't like talking, you had no problem using your cat-like vocals to voice your dislike and annoyance of his stare.

Price clears his throat and looks away, momentarily looking at Gaz. Something passes between their gazes, something you can't decipher, but it puts you on edge.

"Eat, rest, we'll talk when you feel better," Price states before getting up and walking down the hallway. You watch him go.

Soap brings out a big bowl of soup, which he hands to Ghost. Ghost sits next to you and holds up a spoon.

He was feeding you.

The thought makes you bristle for a moment, but your hands were well and truly trapped in the blanket. So you just pull a face but let him feed you silently.

Being so warm and belly full of the best meal you've had in months, your pupils blow out and a small purr bubbles out of your throat. Ghost looks satisfied at that and helps you finish off the soup before leaving.

Soap takes up the rear where Ghost leaves, and he guides you to the guestroom. The scot talks a mile a minute, which you struggle to keep up with. You weren't used to so much attention, attention that didn't hurt. Soap is gentle as he helps you get in bed, tucking you in more.

You just look at him and shift into your cat form and go beneath the bed instead. You miss the small pout on his face.

But even with the tense moments, this was the safest you had felt in a long time. That comfort helps you fall asleep.

[274th]

Hi. You know what I wanna see in the new Tomodachi Life? Of course you do. I've been cooking this list for ten years.

Mii Customization

A makeup system similar to Miitopia's, if not the exact same one, is essential. While I personally still want my Miis to look like Miis, it feels pretty crucial to have those kinds of makeup options even for just Miis. Being able to share them is also a must. Bonus if we get tattoos.

It seems like we're getting new hairstyles, with an option to use an ombre gradient on them. I want them to go nuts. Different bangs options for certain hairstyles. Different ponytail/pigtail options. All kinds of different textures and styles. Anime-esque styles. Realistic styles. Textured hairstyles. Ahoge options like in Miitopia. Let me go apeshit.

Speaking of... Fantasy skintones. Customizable skintones, eye colors, and makeup colors. The skintones is a must for me, but I'm sure there are people out there who would LOVE to have that option too, to get their skintone just right, but also the skintones of their OCs and favorite characters.

Separated tops, bottoms, shoes, socks, hats, glasses, accessories, a la Miitomo, with more ability to customize their appearances. Bonus option: Allow people to make their own shirts and hoodies and such like in Animal Crossing, with a hub where you can share your creations with others. Bonus 2x if it uses the Miitopia makeup system and you can do all kinds of shapes.

Mii Personalities and Interactions

Traits a la Sims. The MBTI-based sliders were fine, but I want to mix and match traits, and I want those traits to mean something. I want those traits to heavily influence how a Mii reacts to situations, and not just influence their pose and funky things they say.

Memories. I want Miis to remember the fights they had, the good times and the bad (within reason), also like Sims. I want those memories to influence their relationships.

I need these motherfuckers to have cliques and friend groups and as complex of social lives as Nintendo can make them. I want to be able to make a graph of my Mii's relationships. And I want some influence over it, not just RNG. I personally don't want a TON of influence but I want some.

Yeah of course make them gay as shit. I'm not stupid of course I want gay Miis and queer Miis. I saw someone suggest opting out of relationships and babies and such and that's a damn fine idea too.

Not just traits, but preferences you can set. Likes the color red. Dislikes the smell of lemons. Loves horses. Dislikes corn. Likes goth clothes. Dislikes preppy outfits. Stuff like that.

Gameplay

I want to decorate each individual Mii apartment like in Animal Crossing. I want people to go apeshit nuts with furniture and whatnot. Complex builds. Some pre-determined rooms or room bases would be nice, and even just "you can put this thing in this room slot" would be fine too. Bonus if you can customize colors.

More group activities for Miis. More minigames and such. I actually haven't considered this one as much because I liked what we had and most of my desires are fine-tuning Miis, and we clearly already got it so the little guys can wander around outside.

But if they can wander outside I'd love more locations, more building types, more hangouts, more things to do.

Basically I need this to be the perfect ant farm of all the shit I like.

And that's a fairly complete list.

[lottiesgrl]

𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗷𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 (𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲, 𝗻𝗮𝘁, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗮, 𝗷𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗲)

cw: n/a

𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲

❅ lottie is one of the biggest holiday fanatics there is, and she will not shy away from it. she's preparing weeks before it's socially acceptable, however she doesn't mention it to anybody because she doesn't want to have to hear "x holiday isn't for two months" for the twentieth time

❅ however, she prefers decorating for the holidays to actually celebrating, which is mostly due to the fact that her parents are rarely every home for the holidays. she's always seen the holidays as lonely, which confuses you and fills you with sorrow. after all, she deserves to experience the holidays full of the same love and light that she always shows you

❅ this is fantastic news for you, as you have no problem practically moving into her house. the second both your parents give you permission, you're packing the biggest suitcase, preparing to spent the entire month of december living with her 

❅ HUUUGE decorator! i don't think she'd like really flashy decorations, but she definitely likes to put decorations all over the place. one perk of her being incredibly rich is you two have a practically endless bucket list of holiday decor and no budget

❅ she doesn't really care about receiving gifts, as the fact that you'd give your time to spend the holidays with her is the biggest gift she could ask for, but she will be spending far too much money when giving gifts. expect every single item you have ever expected interest in to be under that tree, whether it's $5 or $700

𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲

❅ nat has never been a huge holiday person. similarly to lottie, she's never had a great family experience during the holidays, so it's safe to say that she's pretty bitter around the holiday season

❅ you're trying everything you can to make the holidays exciting for her. you're pulling out every stop - buying her ridiculous matching pj sets, making her help you put ornaments on your family's tree (since her family never had one), dragging her out to drive-in light displays, etc. you even manage to get her to wear a santa hat, which was a huge win in your eyes

❅ and, ok, she's starting to get the appeal. just maybe. she still has her reservations, but she's starting to open up to the concept 

❅ by far her favorite holiday tradition with you is watching absolutely godawful hallmark christmas films and mocking them relentlessly. you both absolutely drag the shit out of each and every movie you watch. she claims they're all stupid, but you've sworn you've caught her crying at one particularly emotional family scene 

❅ you try to get the two of you under a mistletoe for the entire holiday season. she's conveniently dodging all of the mistletoe you've put up around your houses, to the point that you swear she knows what she's doing. eventually you get so fed up that you sneak one into your pocket, distract her, and then when she looks back you're holding a mistletoe over your heads while puckering your lips. she scoffs but rules are rules, aren't they? 

𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗮

❅ shauna, similarly to nat, is not really a holiday person. she doesn't dislike it, necessarily, she just feels otherwise indifferent about it (especially given her short-lived catholic phase) 

❅ she is a big fan of autumn and winter - they're her favorite seasons, and she absolutely loves doing seasonal things such as drinking everything peppermint-flavored and sitting by the fireplace. it fills her with joy when you want to do these things with her 

❅ snow is beautiful to her, but only when she's inside. the second that you drag her out in the snow, she will be complaining about how cold it is (which you counter with "yeah, duh! that's the point!") despite being an avid snow hater, she'll kick ass in a snowball fight. you learned your lesson from the one time you challenged her to one and after a few minutes of complaining, she absolutely pelted your ass

❅ much more of a fan of meaningful, handmade gifts than store-bought stocking stuffers. with every gift she gets (or makes) you, she writes a letter explaining what it is and why she wanted to buy it for you. she also writes a long letter telling you how grateful she is to have you in her life, and how you've made the holidays so much more fun for her

❅ she does NOT play about ugly sweaters. she used to think they were the dumbest thing and that the whole concept didn't make much sense, but after being gifted one by you, her opinion has shifted quite a bit. if there's an ugly sweater contest, she will be in attendance, and she will be winning

𝗷𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗲

❅ oh. my. god. have you seen jackie? she is possibly the most excited person on this planet earth about the holidays. she has so much holiday cheer that it's infectuous. i mean, how can you not feel festive when she's decked from head to toe in tinsel and bows? 

❅ part of me wants to say that she's horrendous at wrapping presents, but let's be real. you'd think she belongs at santa's factory the way she wraps those damn presents. she is so particular about her wrapping paper and she will throw a fit if her bows don't match the color of the wrapping. however, the process of wrapping leaves the entire space looking like a christmas hurricane made direct contact

❅ SNOW!! ANGELS!! she does hate the cold and whines about getting her shoes wet, but that won't stop her from running out the second there's enough to make a snow angel, dragging you with her as she goes. she definitely tries to make your snow angels kiss, or at the very least, draws hearts around them in the snow

❅ the biggest snuggler. the second the temperature drops beneath 40° she will be wrapped up in your arms (and also about 5 separate fuzzy blankets) for the entire month of december and if you dare to even think about moving, she'll pout at you until you settle back into her. even if you have to get up, she'll stay wrapped in her blankets and attached to you the whole time. so what if she's holding onto you like a koala while you try and make yourself hot cocoa? 

❅ she 100% has to stop herself from getting you up at 6 am sharp on christmas morning. her parents never let her get up before 8 in the morning on christmas, so she feels giddy whenever you get up to presents at an obscenely early time, even if you're still half-asleep as you rip the wrapping off your gifts. you genuinely think you notice her look upset when you tear her wrapping off, but you could've just been imagining things

[ghelullu]

I love the new outfits (not the hat sorry) but what do you mean outfits changing during tour? Copia wore the same ever show, didn't he?

Sorry, hat hater, BLOCKED (just kidding, I understand why people may dislike it, heh).

The outfits we see in Promo stuff are one thing, what we get at the start of tour are another and what develops during tour are yet again something different! Let me show you a few examples:

Papa III

(Pics: Ester Segarra, John Payne, Andrea Melendez)

He was presented to us with the clawed gloves but never wore them on stage, only regular big leather gloves and his fancy white ones. Also the asymmetrical Mitre got replaced by a proper one.

Cardinal Copia

(Pics: Nick Fancher for Revolver 2x, Paul Harries)

Copia wore the Leather suit for much of his promo stuff, but it never saw the stage (understandably); the red cassock was only used for the Rats on the Road and Pale Tour Named Death - it was later "replaced" by the Red suit (not for the same songs, of course). He used to start the shows in the black suit and then wear it again for finishing it (can you imagine, having to peel out and back into it all sweaty?? The suffering this man does for us), but for the Ultimate Tour Named Death he got the red suit to start the (also much shorter) sets and such. For a few shows in early 2018 he also wore white gloves with the white suit.

(Pics: Heather Koepp at their first real gig in 2018, James Geiser, Sergione Infuso)

And bc I know many of you are into his feet: He also wore different shoes - not just in colours fitting the suit colour - but type: first wearing the black ones with clasps, then some with shoelaces and then back to the clasp ones in 2019, now refferred to as "the cardi shoes")

Papa IV

(Pics: Alexis Gross; Katja Ogrin, Ryan C)

Popia wore the fancy copper skeleton gloves in the Promo stuff but then switched to the half leather-half fabric gloves for the tour (this is a very self indulgent part of this essay, I love his hands thanks). They also didn't show the Military jacket+vest combo before tour, iirc; at least I didn't see it before and almost died when the photos after the Reno show (1st Pre-Imperatour ritual) came out.

(Pics: Kevin Graft 2x, Screenshot from Raydoesrituals IG all from Reno 2022)

There were a few changes from Reno to the rest of tour, too with a lot of details and how songs & outfits were combined, just a selection - for more i recommend checking ritual clips on Youtube:

He opened with the shiny (not sparkly) jacket, that only came back occasionally later and then for the Australia leg of Re-Imperatour; and combined it with the sparkly black cravat - for the black jacket, too, he didn't wear the frilly sleeves shirt yet, that came only with the next ritual; he wore the Uniform Jacket for Mummy Dust (deadly) and wore the black slim cravat thing over the vest, not underneath it, etc.

Since the Pre-Imperatour had a shortened setlist (due to it being a Co-headliner tour with Volbeat), some costumes weren't in it at all: The blue robes were missing (he used the black ones for robe songs))

(Pics: David Delano, Dave van Hout)

More shoestuff: The much lamented by many switch from the boots he wore with the military outfit to wearing the regular ankle boots, that he used to only wear for the robes and jacket parts, full time later in 2022.

Other notable changes: Switching from the insanely hot uniform jacket+vest after it broke to the Gold jacket for the US leg of the Re-Imperatour and of course the re-introduction of the Red jacket in 2023 for Square Hammer.

This list also doesn't account for things like Festivals or whenever he had to change pants (quite a few times #thickthighproblems)

tl;dr: they hide things from us as a surprise, some things just would just be incredibly impractical on stage and touring gives them feedback as to what works and what doesn't and what would be cooler and sometimes things change!

So Papa V might not wear all the cool outfits we saw so far, he may still have some items we didn't see yet on photos - we will just have to be patient and excited for the tour!

[iridescentdove]

👏I👏AM👏TIRED

of seeing so many Yandere! BSD x Reader, and it’s always the character or everyone being Yandere for Reader, I have to request a Platonic! BSD x Yandere! Teen! Reader, in which Reader is in any organization of your choice, and since Reader is underage, they see said organization as their family, precious people that they hold dear to their hearts, and don’t wish for any of them to die or leave and abandon them. This triggers their Yandere instincts, and ultimately they kill anybody who’s hurt their darlings in any way or attempts to "steal" their attention or worse, guide them away from Reader.

LONELINESS NO MORE.

platonic!bsd x yandere!teen!reader

A/N: It's nice to go a bit gruesome sometimes lol- anyways, so I just decided to choose the PM for this.

Let's just say you were similar to Dazai in a way. As a homeless young child, you had no home or family and friends to even call your own.

And to say the least? It was a little lonely.

This was something rather different, as you grew up to have an understanding that the world is never fair. Even before being taken into the Port Mafia by MORI, you were already much of an unhinged criminal yourself.

In a way, it was bad due to how young you were, but given this was a wretched world on it's own – many things can happen.

You killed, you stole, you did many things. At some point you probably rivaled Dazai's crime list because yours looked like an entire fucking receipt.

And that is what lesd you to the mafia.

MORI had found you, and went 'fuck it', deciding to just grab you and take you back with him to the base.

Well at first – you got a bit defensive, not knowing his real intention and thinking of fighting back yourself. But it was when he gave you new clothes, gave you food, and actually took responsibility of you was when you realized.

This man was just ... taking care of you.

And for the first time? You were really excited. It didn't take very long for you to grow accustomed to the Port Mafia.

Sure they made you do dangerous and gruesome missions, but you were used to it honestly. So it didn't matter that much. You met new faces and grew very attached to them, the dreaded loneliness that creeped into your heart grew into–

Obsession.

Yes, that's right. You found no other reason to dislike them at all, and they treated you like no one else ever did.

Like family.

CHUUYA was rather nice to you, despite his aggression and the rough edges he seems to pull off. Since you're underage, he drinks grape juice with you. Lmao ye, we love that shit. You liked being around him, defending him against accusations and giving him a shoulder to lean on.

He was like a brother to you. You adored most things about the fancy hat man. Scratch that, everything about him.

He releases one of those rare genuine smiles – mostly only to you, and he just thought you were the sweetest.

Oh, how wrong he was.

It was only one simple conversation. CHUUYA was talking to another mafia members in the lower ranks, discussing about the topic for the next PM meeting at hand.

Of course at first glance, they didn't look close at all. Just a normal chat between acquaintances. But did it make you mad?

Obviouely it did.

The very next day, the orange haired-man was looking for the same said man he spoke with the day before. Yet he was rather confused to see he wasn't around.

What the hell? Well that was weird, he could have sworn that he asked to meet them in this same spot right now.

Well, guess he wouldn't be meeting with them after all. In the distance, you were smiling – hiding that dead, cold expression on your face as you wiped the blood off the saw, a few splashee of blood and guts on the weapon.

But of course, you wouldn't let him know anything~ ♡

And simply, KOUYOU made it much easier. She was like a sweet, elder sister that spoiled you and taught you everything that you needed to know.

You simply loved her, and loved the times when you'd just hang around each other and dress one another up in various clothes. Be it trendy outfits or putting makeup on one another.

She took care of you as she should, and she grew very attached as well. KOUYOU was rather protective and sweet.

So when you saw her spoiling another girl in the picture, you were fucking livid.

How dare she pay more attention to another kid than you?

She was treating KYOUKA in private as if she was more important than you ever were. And it began to hardem your heart once more, growing angry at your elder sis paying more attention to some useless assassin.

You were way better than her, stronger even.

So imagine how relieved and prideful you felt when that girl had left the mafia to be with the detective agency instead. She wasn't even loyal! She doesn't deserve to be in the PM!

It left KOUYOU feeling agitated and sad, so you did what a younger sibling would do. You were the one comforting her, even manipulating her with your sweet words. You lured her in and had her give you more attention than before.

Just like how you wanted it to be.

AKUTAGAWA was honestly a tough nut to crack. You can easily tell he doesn't care about you at all. Well, he'd acknowledge your abilities a little but that's all you're getting.

But that won't stop you from killing those who tried to get even the slightest close to him.

After all, family members must stay with one another forever.

You didn't really mind much about that blonde girl who admires him and follows him around. It's not like she can take him away, he doesn't give a damn about her.

Plus, his sister was very nice! She gave you the love you needed, and she actually cared. Even though her brother was pretty cold, you'd think she also was – but in reality, GIN is a sweet, somewhat shy girl who gave you gifts and attention.

No matter which mafia member it was – wheneve ryou were with them, you were so sweet and caring, such an adorable teen who looks out for all of them and their wellbeing.

Yet behind closed doors, while they weren't looking, you glared daggers at other kids or people they payed attention to, your greedy self wanting all of it to yourself.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't!

You never held back. You spilled their guts out, you ripped out those fools' hearts – crushing it under your foot, knowing you deserved the love more than their ignorants asses ever did.

And most of all? No one noticed a thing. MORI had continued to send you out mission after mission. He didn't notice the desperate pleads of those immature adults, the heartbreaking cries of those innocent children.

If it was for family, you'd do anything.

After doing all that – you give them a sickly sweet smile, as you pull them to hang out and play with you, no questions asked.

They never noticed.

And quite clear, you were a sadistic young teen. After being so pissed seeing those people getting close to them, it's like a breath of fresh air when you hear the bloodcurdling screams coming from their mouths.

TACHIHARA wasn't that observant, but he could tell that there was something not right about you at all. Yet, he himself was not free from the depths of your pure, honest love. He'll find himself spoiling you, loving you – like you're his very own sister.

He was going to fall into the trap whenever he likes it or not, because you love them way too much.

If someone else tries to destroy that happiness,

They'll just have to dissapear like the rest.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/767420735500271616/so-the-thing-with-content-is-that-is-literally?source=share

The thing that makes the jellyfish hat content is that it is an object containing paper mache, fabric, cardboard, and the assorted accoutrements of jellyfish hat-making (the optional but popular add-ons go listed here in your head).

and implies that the container is more relevant in this specific context than the thing contained

No. that's not an implication. That's a thing you're making up in order to have an excuse to get angry about someone using a word you don't like, but it's not true. If I say, "I dumped open the contents of the box onto the floor", it is very easily discerned by most readers I am looking for something specific that is within the contents of that box. It is insanity to insist that the word content = the container being the most important thing on Earth. If I write "he opened the small box, revealing its' content: a single, small wedding ring" and you think the box is the focus, I just flat-out don't know what to tell you.

Setting that aside: holy shit, please calm down. I'm a bit busy with organizing resources for my local trans community at the moment but I promise you, there are worse problems than someone using a word you don't like. There was an election this year - don't know if you noticed - that impacts real people. Looking at all your anon and off-anon replies, the thing I keep thinking is, "Holy shit, who fucking cares? There are actual issues going on in the world right now!"

The fact that something I sent in during a ten minute snack break at work and quickly forgot about lives rent-free in your head to this degree days after it was said is highly, highly concerning. I cannot convey enough to you how much I did not mean to set off an episode in you, and at the same time, I am also very genuine when I say this may be a hill you're willing to die on, but it's not a hill I'm willing to kill you on. I kill people on important hills and jellyfish hats ain't it, chief.

It's wild to spend my time IRL trying to help people figure out what to do if our state makes it illegal for them to get HRT in-state and then pull up my phone and see someone this pressed about the word "content". Surely your life also has an important issue you could spend time on? No one is having a particularly good time right now. Maybe focus on a thing with literally any relevance to your quality of life whatsoever? I know that sounds glib. However, having had manic episodes where one thing someone said to me sent me over the edge, I'm not being glib. I really mean it when I say that redirecting your focus onto something important helps snap you out of it. It's how I got myself out of it before I was able to get medicated for my Bipolar Disorder. I take zero joy in seeing someone forth at the mouth because one person said one word and that made them spiral. I really do apologize, and I can see that this panic is a very real, valid emotion on your end. But 'valid' here is used only in the sense of 'I believe you when you say you feel panicked', not 'the panic is a logical, proportionate response to the trigger'. (As a side note, after this many anon and off-anon messages indicating fixation and extreme emotional overinvestment, I don't want anyone saying I misused the word trigger. This is not a proportionate response to someone using one word you dislike.)

The jellyfish hat contains materials needed to construct a hat. It doesn't need ads or legal agreements in order to contain cardboard, paper mache, etc. You are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Likely, you are taking your anger at something that actually matters and redirecting it onto this, a thing that does not matter. I'm not saying that in judgment - we all do it - but I am not going to be replying to this further. You may have a desire to use other people's words as an excuse to spiral but you'll have to find someone else to use the reason you're losing your shit.

The hat contains the materials needed to construct a hat. It's not that deep.

--

[hello-sweetheart]

Neat freak Steve pt. 2

Steve is a man of rituals, okay? He has habits and he likes to stick to them, especially when it comes to cleanliness. He’s peculiar about it too.

Every morning, sans Sunday, he wakes up bright and early to go for a jog, when the sun is barely breaking through the horizon. He puts on his favorite pair of running shoes that he uses until they’re worn through, then buy another pair that’s exactly the same.

Breakfast always includes a smoothie, no matter what else he chooses to make. He particularly about his physical health, maybe he got it from him mom who’s big on nutrition, and tries to keep him meals balanced. When he’s having an off morning, he makes a green apple smoothie (his favorite).

Steve does not mess around when it comes to his hair. He’s loyal to his hair products, if he chooses a new product, he’s the type to stand in the aisle and look at the ingredients list. He goes to a salon for his hair cuts, the same woman he’s been going to since he was 12, and refuses to get his hair touched by anyone else.

Steve’s closet is full of good quality clothing, his parents would complain except he’s not a big spender, wears his select clothing until they’re ready to be retired. He was the type of child that would pull at his neckline if the fabric was weird, his mom would unsew the tags on his clothing or he’d throw a fit, and there’s certain fabrics he just can’t stand.

He prefers soft fabrics, knits, cotton, linen, and well worn jeans that aren’t stiff. His dad once gifted him a cashmere sweater for his birthday and he practically vibrated with joy.

He hates hats. It feels weird, especially when he takes them off and he feels his hair flat on his scalp. Feels like he needs to scrub his head to get rid of the feeling.

The scoops ahoy uniform was fucking torture.

When he was dating Nancy, he liked to go through her drawers and organize her makeup and stationery.

He has a weird tick when he dislikes to share food or be hugged unless he’s super close with the person. The people on the list: Robin, Eddie, his parents, and Dustin’s mom. (SOMETIMES Dustin tho, cuz his fingers are always sticky with something, either chip dust of science grease).

[ofironandivory]

Stuff to do if your F/O is a vampire

You can purchase animal blood! If you're not very squeamish, write down the places you can get it so you can "give it" to your F/O.

If your vampire F/O can't be in the sun, make a wishlist on Amazon of hats and umbrellas you think they'd like to use.

If your vampire F/O has been alive/a vampire for a long time, look into the period they grew up in. If they were born in the 1600s in England, look into what their day to day life may have been like. What small, mundane things could you expect them to do then?

If they can't be around garlic, make a list of dishes that garlic is frequently used in! This is also fun just to learn about what ingredients go into different foods.

Make "vampire" jewelry to give them. Those fake blood bracelets, fill a little vile with some dyed liquid to look like blood and put on a necklace (I think isopropyl alcohol doesn't evaporate? You can probably google what you need to make jewelry like that), make a clay coffin pendant, things like that!

If you're the goofy type, find silly vampire puns to tell them.

If they need to hide that they're a vampire and have the two bite marks on their neck, maybe make a Pinterest board of clothes you think they would wear to hide them!

This is more of a general F/O thing, but if you have the sims and the vampires dlc, make them

If they have an interest (or dislike) of cheesy, dumb vampire movies, totally watch them together. There's so many. Same goes for vampire books

If they have a bat form, maybe make a cozy little place in your room you can imagine them hanging out in

If they're the kind of vampire to sleep in coffins, totally look into different coffins. Some of them are so pretty and fun looking.

Assuming they can only go out at night, find some activities they could do to enjoy nocturnal life!

Pirated from an anti

[deathdetermineslife]

Hiii, can you maybe do a list of things to do when your f/o is a vampire?

I don’t let him bite me tho teehee

so fun! I will try my bestest <3 some of these may be a bit silly bc I love very stereotypical vampires

you can purchase animal blood! if you're not very squeamish, write down the places you can get it so you can "give it" to your f/o.

if your vampire f/o can't be in the sun, make a wishlist on Amazon of hats and umbrellas you think they'd like to use.

if your vampire f/o has been alive/a vampire for a long time, look into the period they grew up in. if they were born in the 1600s in England, look into what their day to day life may have been like. what small, mundane things could you expect them to do then?

if they can't be around garlic, make a list of dishes that garlic is frequently used in! this is also fun just to learn about what ingredients go into different foods.

make "vampire" jewelry to give them. those fake blood bracelets, fill a little vile with some dyed liquid to look like blood and put on a necklace (I think isopropyl alcohol doesn't evaporate? you can probably google what you need to make jewelry like that), make a clay coffin pendant, things like that!

if you're the goofy type, find silly vampire puns to tell them.

if they need to hide that they're a vampire and have the two bite marks on their neck, maybe make a Pinterest board of clothes you think they would wear to hide them!

this is more of a general f/o thing, but if you have the sims and the vampires dlc, make them. maybe I'm biased bc it's my favorite dlc tho

if they have an interest (or dislike) of cheesy, dumb vampire movies, totally watch them together. there's so many. same goes for vampire books

if they have a bat form, maybe make a cozy little place in your room you can imagine them hanging out in

if they're the kind of vampire to sleep in coffins, totally look into different coffins. some of them are so pretty and fun looking.

assuming they can only go out at night, find some activities they could do to enjoy nocturnal life!

this one was fun. maybe it was a tad too cliche? but I like them. also it was a challenge not writing any biting ones! which was also fun.

[kiochii92]

To my Soulmark followers and beyond!

So this part is to my soulmark Followers I will be posting a sneak peak tomorrow since I’m not really feeling it today. Also a bit of editing is being done since this chapter actually had pre written parts but they needed to be Altered so they would be cohesive to the story we have going so far.

TO THE BEYOND!!!

I was honestly just sitting here listening to Gravity Falls on TV since I do enjoy that show when a thought occurred to me. Why do I personally dislike certain characters in Gravity Falls and not others. Then this thought bounced to other shows and I realized it’s because the charter was written well enough that I could hate them or dislike them for a legit list of reasons. Take Hazbin hotel for example Charlie is a character I both love and hate. I love how optimistic she is and how she is willing to face adversity. I love how she does have some interesting depth to her personality especially when she was standing up to Valentino but was willing to back down for her friend. I don’t like how she seems to see and treat sinners as children. Do I understand why? Yes I do she is around 200 years old she has been alive for a long time BUT developmentally she seems to be in her early 20’s not to mention although she went to school for these things it was a hell school and not one from earth. Meaning she doesn’t have much experience with sinners to begin with which all started out human. I’m just hoping for some growth from her.

Anyway these thoughts came to me when I was thinking of Dipper, Mabel, Stan, and Ford Pines. I love Dipper and Stan but I dislike Mabel and Ford pines which many people would wonder why I didn’t dislike Stan and like Ford since there were a lot of parallels between him and Dipper. Well it’s because truth is although he is smart at his core Mabel and Ford are closer in certain personality aspects that I don’t like. Both are selfish, they only see what they gain or could gain even if it meant using the good will of their sibling. We see this with the flashbacks between Stan and Ford where most of the time Stan was willing to do anything for Ford. Especially after Ford fell through the portal, Stan taught himself how to rebuild the damn thing just to get his brother back and Ford? Ford still denounced Stan who would do anything for him. Mabel is the same as ford in that respect. Dipper would drop anything even if it was something he wished to pursue at the drop of a hat for his sister while Mabel it would take coaxing and often times she came in at the last minute. We see this with the Waddles incident and then again with the nomes. But the biggest example of this is when Ford offered to take Dipper as an apprentice. Mabel instead of talking it out with Dipper or even being happy about it for her brother ended up throwing a tantrum at them being split up even though it is inevitable that they each would go their own way. Not only that she gave up the rift KNOWING that Bill was after it to someone that wasn’t strictly family which was the cause of Weirdmongeton and then proceeded to turn her back on her family because she got her dream bubble (again only coming in at the last minute to change and go with her loved ones).

Anyway I know this ended up being long and ranting but what can I say Gravity falls is playing and I have been reading to many Hazbin hotel fanfics that don’t really address a growth arch for Charlie with the sinners and it’s kinda got under my skin just a bit. Anyway what makes a character likable or dislikable to you?

[katyahina]

Archer girls Pharis/Evlana and Durgo

This is a reference post I am grabbing when I need to explain stuff about these characters, because for real, localisation team dislikes their archers. This post was revised after I've found out a few things about how localisation of Dark Souls 2 went!

Who is this Pokemon character?

This Forest Hunter!

Whereas in the game this character is simply known as 'Forest Hunter Archer', Japanese guide confirms that this is our Pharis, the human friend of Gough!

(From this ( x ) page) 弓の英雄ファリス means 'Heroic Archer Pharis'!

Meanwhile, in Dark Souls 2, this character gets reintroduced as Evlana instead, which is not outlandish with DS2's ongoing theme of "names of the past being forgotten or distorted"! Fina being known as Nehma or NK being known as Faraam, for example!

Name engraved Ring lists Evlana as 'Goddess'! At the same time, Japanese script for Evlana also omits the gender!

What about the gender thing then?

Yeah, for starters, you can tell that Pharis IS Evlana from identical items:

But I got to break down Japanese descriptions for these items to explain my point! I take them from this ( x ) document!

弓の英雄ファリスの愛用した帽子

'Hat favoured by a Heroic Archer Pharis', 英雄 (hero or heroine, is gender-neutral)

ファリスは弓の名手であり、人でありながら

'Pharis was an accomplished archer, while a human', 名手 (expert or master or excelling at something, gender neutral word)

グウィン王の四騎士「鷹の目」ゴーと並び称される

Just translates as 'Praised alongside to one of Gwyn's Four Knights, "Hawk-Eye" Gough'! There is no 'pronoun' in this sentense, and many languages have an option to refer to someone without pronoun but it is clear it is about them from the context!

伝承にあるその帽子に憧れる子供も数多い

'That hat from (the) legend is wished by many childen to be worn'. Again, no pronoun!

Similarly with the Japanese mention of Evlana:

狩りの神エブラナはかつて人であり、

'Evlana, God of the Hunt, human that once was (?)'. 神 (god or 'kami', gender neutral)

弓に秀でた英雄であったが

Continues the previous sentence, 'and a hero that excelled at bow'. 英雄, hero or heroine again, gender-neutral!

時代が下るにつれ、次第に神格化された

'As time went on, deification was done (to someone the context refers to)'. No pronouns!

So, wait, what about the 'God' and 'Goddess' selection screen then? Well, you see, turns out that:

That this was also just in English localisation! Turns out, it ALSO just uses gender-neutral 神 'kami' for everyone!

狩りの神エブラナ (God of Hunt, Evlana). I assumed whether God gets called God or Goddess was based on the name. So, by the logic of localisation team, Evlana is a feminine name = she gets mentioned as Goddess! However, Ciaran is for one a masculne name, and yet? Fromsoft has precedents, so it could be a reason for a headcanon, but not an evidence!

And this is where I was humbled when I talked with a guy that knows a lot fo stuff and works on some mod for DS3 (it was called Archtrones or something? I don't know, probably some cool things and there was like good concept art and models). So, whereas typically localisators are left to do what they want, there ARE moments where the devs have to instruct localisation team to not mess this or that up and go back and forth. For example? Lost Sinner!

Lost Sinner never once is addressed as a she in Japanese script, and localisation team always defaults to a 'he' in these neutral cases! However, she was an exception, and we are talking about the character who has a visible beard! The thing is, they'd specify to localisation team that one of the main characters in the game is female! Names listed in the God's name selection screen are not real and only like, two of these fuckers are gendered through descriptions. The thing is, it was a back-and-forth to specify to the people writing English script who was 'god' and who was 'goddess'! As usual, it is Peak Souls 2 that settles some lore debate lol. Always Peak Souls 2 lol

Pharis' Hat Retcon (that Durgo suffered for)

The hat is also an interesting thing! Pharis is wearing a set that is just for a Hunter starting class, and this set alters depending on whether the model is 'male' or 'female'!

However, in both Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3, the hat becomes unisex, and only 'male' version is featured! 'Female' one is not used again! Nonetheless, the design is still attached to Pharis even in Dark Souls 3:

So, technically it is correct to ignore what model of Pharis looks like in Dark Souls 1, and draw her with 'male' variant of the hat! Or rather, it is the only variant now as they've made sequels! It counts as unisex now!

Or, maybe not? There is some interesting lore attached to the small variant with the feather that went unused in Dark Souls 2 though. Pharis never got to have unusual birb companion. :pensive:

This hat was only worn by a Greatbow Archer Phantom, who was also supposed to be Durgo, who was also nuked from Scholar of the First Sin edition to be dead behind the scenes:

(From this ( x ) post by DS2 dataminer Steven) An archer with the greatbow that was said to have a brother in law, that invades alongside a guy, who is the only source of Durgo's Hat (drops it) before Crown of the Ivory King DLC dropped, who uses a feather for good luck in archery whereas Durgo was using Hawk Ring for good luck in archery? When Durgo also was never a 'he' in Japanese script, the phantom is 'female', and Fromsoft does like their GNC archer ladies? Hmmmmm... Something occam-razorish here...

Meanwhile, Dark Chasm of Old notoriously has copies of some characters: Jeremiah, Ricard, a Havel's Knight, Sharron (that's for another post) and.. yeah, Pharis. However, abyssal Pharis does wear Durgo's hat instead!

So, developers could not decide on which variant of the hat that imprives bow range to use, mixed up hats of Durgo and abyssal!Pharis with each other, then nuked Durgo (and their brother) from SotFS edition to remain dead behind the scenes because they had no room for a cut content hat in polished version. greeeeeat...

But also, how about the idea that whoever Coco, companion of Pharis, existed in Dark Souls 1 times! So, Pharis used to wear the feathered variant of the hat, and maybe so did many other hunters! Hunters that believed in good luck in hunt by placing the feather in their hats, and Pharis was one of such people! But, only later Pharis replaced the "superstition feather" hat with her own, new, unique hat! We can always have both if we know how to work with what we're given!

The thing about Durgo though? Even what we were seeing works. If Durgo went to Drangleic, it means she was Undead. Perhaps, it was Hollowing that had them start to lose skill in archery, so they relied on artifacts like that Coco feather and Gough's Hawk Ring to preserve it! Would also explain replacing her original greatbow from Lanafir with the one from the land of Gods! Devs perhaps thought they've made a mistake, yet everything falls into place quite naturally no matter what?

_________________________

This post needed editing because honestly in this fandom you find a new thing like, every other day. Once again: Oolan 🤝 Pharis 🤝 Durgo 🤝 Dolores

and then there is O'Harrah on high heels with pussy out lol djfd

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 56: Toe The Line

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

The next day I head right to the office and begin filing papers. Let’s see who can play the system now, Thomas. I will still act as the head of international relations, but on my terms. And my terms are that I do not have to stay here nor involve my part of the work with Lizzie fucking Stark. 

Having brought Charlie along, the young Shelby sits contently by the window watching the passerbys outside.

Knock knock.

“Come,” I call out half-heartedly and continue writing.

“Greetings from overseas.”

I nearly drop the pen. Did he really-?

“Liam?” I gasp. “What on Earth are you doing here?”

It’s him. With the same tall, built frame, same shaggy blonde hair. Wearing a thick wool coat, mittens, and a stocking hat.

My smirking broer cockily lets himself in. “Should ask you the same thing, zus! What the Hell are you doing here?”

I gape at his scatterbrained question. “You know why. I work here. Now why are you here?”

Liam licks his lips and points a finger at me. “I came here to find you. Who’s the kid?” 

“Before you get any far-fetched ideas, he is not mine. Little Charlie is Mr. Shelby’s son and I am watching him.”

Liam takes a better look around Thomas’ office. “You’re always going on about why this place is so great. Gotta say it’s a big disappointment. Never in a million years would I expect to find you in a place like this.”

I roll my eyes. “Says you who stays out all night choosing fights in Queens.”

“Well, this fighter was sent by Uncle Colon to come help you.”

My jaw drops. “You? No, no! I told him we need extra muscle!”

“Yeah. And now you’ve got me.” Liam loses his playful expression and dawns a serious face. “I also have word from Uncle Colon. He’s been in contact with someone called Mr. Gold. Says the Italians have spared us, and that the war is against the Shelbys.” He grabs my arm. “That’s your boss, Verena. It’s time to come home.”

Home. Wonderful, sweet, innocent home. Full of family and people who won’t pull me around like a cheap doll. It’s so simple. I can leave it all behind- Wait. Is that fair? Yes, I’m beginning to grow a souring dislike for Thomas. But that doesn’t mean his entire family deserves the same treatment. Polly, Ada, Finn… I can’t go home until I’m sure the vendetta is settled.

I shake my head at Liam. “No.”

He groans at my stubbornness. “This isn’t your fight-”

“It damn well is. These people have stood up for me. Sometimes far more than anyone in Brooklyn.”

“Stop trying to play the hero-!”

“Thomas plays the hero,” I say sternly. “I’m just the slightly useful background character. And right now the hero needs the cavalry. Which is me, and… you.” I frustratedly hold up the papers I just edited. “Trust me, after all of this is done I am headed straight for the first boat sailing to New York.”

Knock knock.

“Now what?!” I whip my head around and see Ada walk in, looking almost as pissed off as I am. “Ada, what’s going on?”

“Tommy, that’s what’s going on! Oh.” She stops and does a double-take on Liam. “Who’s he?”

I gesture between the two. “Ada, meet my broer Liam. Liam, this is Ada Thorne. Mr. Shelby’s sister.”

Liam extends a hand for a firm handshake. “A pleasure.”

Ada nods. “Likewise. Verena, has you-know-who mentioned anything about the military?”

Smart. She’s smart not to mention his name right now. The thought alone sends my blood boiling.

“He’s been neglecting to tell me lots of things,” I respond tightly. “But I guess the news of impregnating Lizzie isn’t on that list. No, Ada. He hasn’t.”

Liam gawks at my words but doesn’t comment. Ada, however, looks like she has loads to say.

“I was arrested, strip searched, and interrogated about my association with Jessie Eden! I went to my idiot brother and now I’ve learned he’s making arrangements with the military! The mafia isn’t enough, he has to dip his hand into everything!”

Now Liam holds up a hand. “Um, ladies? What is this leading to?”

“Oh, nothing. We just like to rant.” Ada looks over at the boy. “Why is Charlie here?”

“I took the liberty of bringing him since Thomas is never around. I’d rather have him with someone he knows instead of whatever stranger is paid to watch him. Instead of deceiving or sleeping around to improve your lives I’m helping to raise the next generation of Shelbys.”

Ada’s stern face softens. “That’s really sweet of you.”

I avoid her gaze and finish writing up the papers. “It will be Lizzie’s turn in the future.”

“Verena-”

“No, Ada. No more talk of it.” I hold up the file. “This here proves it. We each had our rants, now we move along. Are you attending the fight tomorrow?”

She goes to pour herself a drink. “Yes.”

Liam’s eyes light up. “Fight? You guys have fights here?”

I let out a sigh. Here we go. “Yes, Liam.”

“We’re not all like those proper twats in London,” Ada chirps and holds up her glass. “We like to have fun.”

Liam cracks a wide smile. “Oh, I like you. You’re welcomed back to Brooklyn any time. Can I come too? Need any extra muscle?”

“No.” Before Ada can move to speak I slash a hand across my throat to keep her quiet.

“Aw, come on zus-”

“No, Liam,” I order without any chance of reasoning. “I will not allow you to plunge yourself into this world of treacherous murder. I’ve messed up my own life and I will not mess yours up too!”

“But it’s the perfect cover!” He wines. “You got all these dark-haired Brits and olive-skin Italians running around. Nobody’s gonna suspect a snow-skinned Dutch man.”

“I don’t care! What would Evelyn think? This is none of your business-!”

“It ain’t yours either!” He fights back, ignoring the mention of his wife.

“Quiet! Both of you!” Ada scolds and sweeps Charlie up. “Liam, you have a point. We could use all the help we can get. Verena, you also have a point. Technically none of this is any of your concern. But we deeply appreciate your loyalty. So, let’s compromise.” She hands Charlie over to me. “Liam can help us out and I’ll make sure to yell at Thomas for you.”

I glare daggers at her stern but calm face. “If there is going to be any yelling it will be from me. If he ever asks, I will have plenty to say.”

The time of fight finally arrives. I’ve kept a strict schedule of avoiding Thomas and Lizzie. Thankfully Liam’s visit is a perfect distraction from the sadness pooling in my stomach.

“Do you guys really dress up this much for a fight? I mean, it ain’t a tea party.”

He looks me up and down with a confused frown. For the occasion I choose to wear my new fox coat and a silver dress. On the outside I look confident and more beautiful than I have ever been. I finally look like I belong. But on the inside sits a constant feeling of regret. 

Thank God Liam keeps any other thoughts to himself during the drive to the arena-

“This is the car that Shelby gave you?”

Well… Almost all thoughts.

“Thomas is generous with his employers,” I answer and drive the car smoothly up to the parking lot. 

“Hmm. That is a bonus.”

It is the only bonus I will expect from now on. That is the only thing keeping me from quitting.

“When you return home I will send you with a portion of my wages. For vader.”

Liam doesn’t argue. Although our family does not accept charity we both know that I have been working to earn my pay. I no longer feel guilt for my salary. As we exit the car and make our way to the arena Liam can’t help but look around at the multiple Peaky Blinders watching us.

“I feel like somebody important. Or somebody dangerous. Seriously, why are they looking at me like that?”

“You are a new face. As you know, security has been tight. They assume any new face is a threat. The only reason they haven't interrogated you yet is because you’re with me.”

Liam grunts sarcastically. “Wonderful.”

I spot Ada through the crowd and she waves us over. She herself is wearing a nice cream dress. As usual my hairstyle of blonde braids stands out against her flowing dark curls.

She immediately pulls me into a hug. “Are you feeling better now?”

Her gentle voice makes my chest tighten. “You know I can’t answer that.” I pull away and look to the floor, shaking my head. “Maybe Thomas thinks of me as a sister?”

Ada grips my hand and makes me look up. “I am his sister and he’s never treated me the way he does you.”

She starts to say more but abruptly stops. I look over to see Polly, Lizzie, and Linda approaching from the back. In a quick moment of thinking she makes Liam stand in front of us, hiding me from any reminders of my pain. 

“We will talk more later. I promise. Um, why don’t you go introduce your brother to Bonnie?”

She goes off to sit with them, leaving me to walk with Liam towards the Blinders. And Thomas. Thomas. Oh so Lord help me, it is all I can do not to smack him upside the head!

I keep a stern face. “Hello, Thomas.”

“Verena.” His eyes still hold the same wounded look from last night. Those eyes look between Liam and I. “Friend of yours?”

“This is my broer, Liam.”

It’s funny, really. Thomas may be a few inches taller than me but Liam towers over him by half a foot. Liam holds out a hand and gives him a firm handshake to show serious intentions.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Shelby. My zuster invited me to the fight.”

Thomas gets an amused look. “You like fighting?”

“In Brooklyn you grow up fighting.” Liam gestures to the boxing ring. “Hate to miss this opportunity.”

Arthur decides to jump in and offers his own hand to shake. “You seem like a worthy opponent yourself. Glad to finally meet another Steenstra.”

The back door opens and another group of men walk out. I recognize Mr. Gold and Bonnie, who immediately starts smiling when he sees me. I forget all about Thomas and push past to reach him, with Liam trying to keep up.

“Hi!” I gasp once I reach the small boxer.

“Hi!” He repeats, still with the same grin.

Unlike my fancy getup, Bonnie’s wearing sporting shorts, sneakers, and a loose robe. In quick glances I can see his physique is far from sloppy but he is much less muscular. Bonnie, like Thomas, is so small compared to Liam. 

My brother lets out a laugh, interrupting the moment. “Is he the fighter?”

Bonnie nods and holds out a hand. “Bonnie Gold. Pleased to meet you.”

Liam shakes his hand and regards him with ease. “You remind me of someone back home.”

Of course. Liam knows far too many fighters back home. But he also seems to notice our differences in body language.

“You look really pretty.” Bonnie wrings his hands together. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

His kind words are so refreshing. “Oh really?”

Liam nudges my shoulder. “Looks like he’s soft on you, zus.”

I smack him away. “Liam!”

“No. He’s right,” Bonnie confesses. “Um, is this your brother?”

I glare at Liam’s smirking face. “Yes, he is my broer. And he should know when to mind his own business.”

Liam gives my one final pat on the shoulder and walks back to talk with Arthur. Bonnie shows no sign of embarrassment, but instead seems to wait to see if I will laugh at his words. Could this be it? My way out? Would my family even approve of this? Is this the path I am meant to take?

I want to accept it so badly. To have a life of my own that will not hurt me. And yet… 

“Bonnie.” I take his calloused hand. “You are a very kind, sweet man. You love your father, yes?”

He nods without question. “Yes.”

“And you stand by him?”

“Of course.”

I offer a grateful smile. “I stand by my family too. That’s why I haven’t settled down yet. I’ve been pulled back and forth, like a mangled marionette.” 

I do not outright say it. Bonnie still sees the hidden message. Unlike Finn he does not go on to lecture me on my stubbornness. In fact, he keeps rather calm.

“You love Tommy. Don’t you? That’s why you never look for anyone else.”

All sounds of echoing chatter are drowned out. He still holds my hand. His graceful acceptance only pokes more at my doubt of this decision. 

“I’m sorry,” I whisper and look away.

This is why I cannot take the plunge. Because try as I might, I am not able to detach myself from my previous feelings. My love for Thomas even trumps my grown distaste for him. Never hatred, no. But the longer I know him the more he confuses me. Whenever I picture a future for myself I cannot look past him.

“You don’t have to live a lonely life,” Bonnie says encouragingly. “I may not be who you want but I can still offer friendship.”

Slowly, I look up with the glimmer of hope that I somehow might find a peace of mind. Yes. A good friend. Someone to stable me. Maybe that is what I am meant to start with after all.

“I’d love that.”

Bonnie’s smile widens and he holds out his arms to offer a mutual hug, which I accept with a grateful heart. I don’t even care that Thomas might spot us from across the room. All this time I’ve been worrying about finding love, when really what I need to begin with is finding people I can trust. I’ve only known Bonnie for a few weeks but he has shown me more loyalty than others have shown in a year.

“Mr. Solomons is a good friend. I would not speak up to argue against his contributed fighter.” I pull back with a devious smirk and Bonnie copies me. “But between you and me, I may have placed a small wager on you.”

Bonnie chuckles and nudges my shoulder. “I won’t let you down.”

“Bonnie!” Mr. Gold beckons him to the back room. “Time to get ready!”

He gives me a final wave and goes to join his father. God told me to say no. My place in life is somewhere further down the line, whether I want to wait for it or not.

More onlookers start to take their seats and everyone gathers around the ring, waiting for the fighters to enter. I find a seat next to Liam, who’s still talking with Arthur. Next to Arthur stands an empty chair. Where did Thomas go?

“Zus? You alright?” Liam asks as I sit down.

“Yeah. Just distracted.”

A loud cheer erupts as the two fighters stride towards the boxing ring. The bell sounds and the fight begins. Even in this era of emerging technology and class it still comes down to being entertained by brute strength. It truly is a battle of big versus small. I see Thomas finally appear from the back and go sit next to Arthur. 

But now Polly’s getting up. And Ada. And Linda? What the devil is going on?

“Be right back,” I mutter to Liam, though he is hardly paying attention to me.

I follow them all to the ladies’ room and stop at the door to hear all the commotion. 

“Hey, Linda,” Polly calls. “Welcome to the extraordinary general meeting of the Shelby ladies club.”

Lizzie must be in there too. Of course she is.

I hear Linda chortle. “I’m surprised Steenstra isn’t here. She’s always making a fuss to be involved. Is there spit on my back?”

I replay her words in my head again. Thankfully the noise from the crowd is loud enough to muffle my gasp. That’s what they think? Just because I haven’t married into their family name? Do they expect me to kneel like every other woman and toe the line?

Linda huffs sarcastically. “Who’s the father? Have you managed to narrow it down?”

They must be talking about the new baby.

“Yes. It’s Tommy,” I hear Lizzie mutter.

“Congratulations,” Linda cheers lightly. “You’ve won the raffle at last. I’m sure the American will be devastated when she hears.”

Too late.

“Yeah, she’s a real Shelby lady now, Linda. Just like you,” Polly states proudly and I hear them approaching the door. “Now let’s rejoin our gentlemen.”

I quickly dash back down the hall before they can spot me. No wonder I’ve been feeling stressed! All these women know of is benefiting off of being Shelbys! Well to Hell with that. I have my family, and I have a friend. Tomorrow I will submit my new terms to Thomas and join Liam on the journey home.

I hold my head high, despite my heart wanting to bleed out, and walk back to my seat.

“You’re missing one Hell of a fight, zus!” Liam laughs but then stops when he meets my eyes. “What’s got you troubled?”

Not as perceptive as Abel but not as blunt as Conor.

“‘M fine. Just fine.”

“Take it or leave it, boys!” Johnny Doggs edges the crowd on.

This is the distraction I need.

Round three begins and Goliath comes out swinging. Bonnie’s panting heavily and beads of sweat stream down his face. And- Wait. Where’s Arthur going? And Thomas? They’re not going to watch-?

Thud!

A solid punch sends Bonnie nearly crumbling to the ground. How is he still standing? 

“You can do this, Bonnie!” I yell over the screaming crowd.

He quickly looks at me and gives me a sly wink. In the blink of an eye he uncurls and gives a stiff hit to the bloke’s head. He tiredly stumbles forward and Bonnie swings to deliver the final blow. David defeats Goliath once more.

Liam gives a loud holler and we each shout congratulating cheers at Bonnie. He wipes the blood dripping from his face and gives me a triumphant smile. At this time, in this moment, I can feel happy. Mr. Gold lifts his son up and carries him to the edge of the ring. Bonnie addresses the roaring audience with a look of domination. 

“You’re right, Verena!” Liam shouts and raises a drink I’m sure Arthur gave him. “These folks know how to party!”

Bam!

That’s a gunshot!

I jump to my feet but suddenly Polly appears and holds me back. The grim look on her face tells me something dreadful has happened. No. Not again…

The one behind the gunshot is Thomas. He’s standing in the ring with a gun pointed upwards.

“No one fucking leaves!” He bellows. “My brother is dead! You hear? My brother is dead!” 

Bam!

He shoots the ceiling and we all duck. Liam jumps to cover me but I push him aside to look up at the hurt look on Thomas’ face. Not again. Not another loss. I look down the isle at Lizzie but she makes no move to approach him. Screw you.

“Let me pass,” I order and try to pull my arm out of Polly’s grip.

“Uncle Charlie will console Thomas,” she says slowly. “You need to get somewhere safe. Back to the house.”

She orders for some Blinders to begin escorting me out. I would obey but I am not leaving without my broer.

“Liam-!” I shout as they start dragging me out.

“I’ll be right there! Just stay safe!” He says and heads to where Thomas just disappeared to.

No! No! I cannot just be expected to hide, but it’s no use. The instant we exit the building I’m shoved into a car and we start driving back to Watery Lane.

“Veena, where is Uncle Arthur?” Charlie asks again.

We both wait in my bedroom for the next meeting to begin. Polly, Thomas, and Ada all wait outside at the table. Liam should be back from the market soon. Then we will probably leave… How appropriate will it be if I leave now? This family just lost another dear member.

“He’s…” How am I supposed to deliver the news of death to him again? “He’s-”

“He is in a safe place, Charlie,” Thomas speaks up from the doorway. “Verena? We’re about to start.”

I give Charlie a hug and follow his vader into the parlor. Thomas looks distant, but… Not with mourning like with Grace or John. Perhaps this new blank face of his is a recurring one I will have to get used to. It’s also awkward to think that last time Thomas and I talked alone it was on the topic of his and Lizzie’s child. 

Another empty chair for the family meeting. Michael has come out of hiding to meet us. How is Finn coping with this? I don’t even want to ask about poor Linda. 

Michael shifts his cane anxiously. “Tommy, I’ve been trying to think of words.”

“Don’t,” Polly cuts him off. “Words don’t work. Michael, we’re in a grave situation. Instead of going to Australia we’re going to New York. Where Verena’s from.” 

Michael looks at me and then at his mum. “Why?”

Ada sighs. “Because we have business to attend to in America.”

“Train leaves in one hour,” Thomas mutters gravely and stares coldly at his cousin. “You made a choice. You knew I’d be shot and you chose not to tell me.”

Michael doesn’t back down. “I chose my mum.”

Alright, I cannot afford any more surprises. I can offer my condolences but if there is no news concerning Liam or me then I will begin packing.

Polly clears her throat to calm the tension between the two men. “When all this is over we will all be free to make our own choices.”

Thomas gives Michael a final wave. “Boat sails tomorrow. Now you can go.”

I can’t tell if Michael’s upset or sad. He limps out of the room and Thomas goes to refill his drink. Wonderful. More family drama. More than what I originally signed up for.

@meadows5

[enrychan]

so I finally beat DATV and I guess I'll write something about it while downloading BG3 (an early Christmas present from my best friend, a couple of days ago <3)

light spoilers under the cut

my main thought at the moment is just "meh". Thankfully DATV isn't a trainwreck like Andromeda, but it never exceeds the 6 or 7 out of 10 that I gave it while I was still playing it. The ending is good, but the results of such world-shaking events feel too rushed and not completely earned.

That's far from my main issue with the game, though. I don't think I can put all my thoughts in order at this time, so I'll just make a list of things that stood out to me, in a semi-random order.

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse at this point, with all the people already talking about it, but this story is completely toothless. In previous games Thedas felt real because of all the different struggles between its factions, and even many in-group rivalries/prejudices. But in Veilguard Rook's allies are all completely devoid of conflicting characteristics or problematic aspects. The Crows are fearless freedom fighters without a trace of all the very dark traits they had in the previous games. The Lords of Fortune are Good Pirates that raid in a 100% culturally conscious way. Even giving Minrathous to the Threads - a literal crime syndicate - has no major impact on anything, not even your own relationship with Neve. You don't even see any trace of slavery in the literal capital of the Tevinter Imperium.

On the other hand, the Wardens still retain at least some of their most "problematic" aspects, for which I was grateful. They were a small pinch of salt on an otherwise very bland meal.

Rook's companions were for the most part treated the same way, devoid of any real conflict whatsoever. I was hoping to see some fights between Lucanis and Davrin, or between Taash and Emmrich. but everything solved itself very easily in the space of like. one conversation, maybe. And I'm not even mad about that, specifically. In Mass Effect, Shepard solved some conflicts by just inserting themselves between the two bickering companions and telling them to shut the fuck up. Rook doesn't have that kind of charisma, though. Luckily for them, their companions apparently don't have strong enough opinions to sustain any kind of serious discussion. I mean, I always thought that one of the most interesting aspects of this series was having strongly opinionated companions, each representing a certain way to see the world and its problems. but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not saying that the companions were bad. actually they were nice (a little too nice tbh) and sometimes some conversations rang true and heartfelt. Which frustrated me even more! At least I just disliked the Andromeda companions. These though... they had so much potential! Urrgghghghghhh

The Rivaini/Qunari and non-binary stuff about Taash was painful. It was written so badly. I could almost hear Bioware asking if it was politically correct enough from behind the courtains. And I was like. Man idk. Aren't these pirates? Why must you defang and declaw them to this point? It sounds so fake.

Isabela, my beloved, what have they done to you? like 99% of the pirate!Isabela headcanons that you see on tumblr is better than this. I could cry, but I'll just pretend that that was a lookalike. The real Isabela was out there on the sea, pirating with her crew. And a really big hat.

To steal Hbomberguy's words, "it's a smooth and palatable pebble that isn't particularly disagreeable, but slides out the other end completely undigested". He used this phrase for Deus Ex: HR but I think it fits DATV perfectly.

On the same topic, I romanced Lucanis, because of course I did. A dark, deadly, tortured spanitalian assassin abomination? That's basically My Trash(TM). Unfortunately, with the exception of a single moment where the whole thing risked getting almost interesting, for the rest it was a pretty boring romance. Which is INSANE to me. How?? How do you screw up something like that?? Where's the drama?? The passion??? Anders was a sad wet man from the sewers and he managed to be more passionate than this???

Some conversations between him and Rook were still cute, though. I just wish there was more to it.

I loved the environments, in general. They were very beautiful, sometimes even stunning. I didn't particularly like Arlathan, it felt cramped and it was excruciating to explore with all those doors and barriers and magic bridges. But the other maps were lovely. My favorite were the dark and creepy ones, of course. I loved the Grand Necropolis, and also everything relating to the Wardens.

On this note, I loved IN THEORY the idea of bringing back the darkspawn hordes. I've always loved those, they remind me of Origins, which is always a good thing.

I said "in theory" because in practice I HATED the new combat system. I can live with the Mass Effect-like combat, but the fact that the two companions are immortal while the only one to take damage is Rook is just complete bullshit. My squishy mage was constantly bombarded by enemies' attacks on every possible front, to the point that in the tougher fights she could only run around and sometimes give orders on the fly so her companions could maybe kill the creatures in her place (and they were bad at it). I tried for many hours to make it work, and I did get pretty good after a while, but I HATED every single minute of it and in the end I lowered the difficulty level just to get to the end more quickly. Just awful. I'm guessing that's what remains of a previous "live service" version of this game. Ugh.

The music was another complete disappointment. This series had an incredible record of banger after banger ever since Origins, and I'm one of the like. Five people that actually loved most of Inquisition's soundtrack. But this time it's just generic_RPG_music.mp3, apparently. Hans Zimmer my FOOT.

I'm a fan of Hans Zimmer, and that's NOT him. Or maybe it's him when he has 0 ideas head empty idk.

Bioware should have just asked Trevor Morris again. The only times in Veilguard where the music tugged at my heartstrings, it was Inquisition's soundtrack. It's a real shame, because a good soundtrack can really elevate even a mediocre experience.

The result of all these factors, is that in the end I didn't really care much for these characters, so I wasn't that worried to lose them. This version of the "suicide mission" was rather relaxed for me.

(In ME2 I thought I would panic and die IRL at some point)

There were a couple of moments near the end where I actually Felt a lot of Feelings, not because of Veilguard, but because of everything from the previous games. Nevertheless, they added something to a generally dull experience, so those were good.

I loved Assan. I loved griffons in general. They reminded me of my dogs, and i live for my dogs.

Also I loved the hair physics. My Rook had beautiful red curls. And freckles <3

[lmk-aus-galore]

Oh hard core agree. I can't tell you how baffling it was begging for people to actually read the source material in animanga fandoms because they would just go on trashing on the heroes and simping for the villains and making up false crimes characters didn't even do, then walking into LMK and it was the exact opposite. Everyone is obsessed with the source material, they HATE the villain. What the pepperoni. Seeing people go "well of course Wukong hates Mac what did he expect when he killed and ate a monkey and stole stuff" he didn't do SQUAT. And just because LMK combined demons with Brotherhood characters of similar names doesn't mean they were the same character in JTTW so seeing THAT and the assumptions people bring from that is. huh. I think JTTW is too advance a book for the 14 year old age demographic LMK attracts. I'd also like to study this wild phenomenon of villain redemption demands because nobody complained about Red Son and it makes me laugh everytime someone says "Macaque needs to show more actual want to change" like, fam. Maybe if he was an actual villain to BEGIN WITH instead of *checks note* a one off instance of villainy where all he did was fight Wukong post-stealing MK's powers and be a bullying jerk, another instance of ambiguous LBD warning and trauma projecting lore dumping, and then a following season of being an unwilling henchman who kept telling us 50 times he didn't want to do this, that LBD forced it bc he "already had a taste of dying" and just wanting to be free of it and never talk to MK and his friends again *points very deliberately at the "and then I'm done with you all." line. Pretty dang hard for a character to pull things out of a hat to convince others that "they no longer have those motives and desires" when they didn't have them in the first place. Love the way you're calling out the Bull Fam and Tripitaka those are so trueeee. Zhu Bajie too lmao. My thoughts exactly. Twinkle toes over there is going to be a fun character to witness when we get context on the "Monkey! No violence!" line in LMK. And by character, I mostly mean the fandom response.

I can spend all day listing how much almost all the villains hold MK responsible for Wukong’s actions nearly 90% of the time or at least shit on him all because he’s Wukong’s successor.

But that’ll take literally all day…

It’s also the same with Every SINGLE inaccuracy in LMK that gets glossed over because every single fan’s bias of certain things.

Like you can condemn Macaque and make him all villainy but what about Zhu Bajie? Or Tripitaka? One of the reasons I dislike Zhu Bajie is because not only did he not change he was a pervert. I really disliked him for that. But it looks like LMK COMPLETELY changed that because we barely see any mention of his wife and the flashbacks show that Wukong met him in the same village Tang, MK and Mei were in. So clearly there has been a change. But I barely see hate for Bajie about it because half the fandom villainizes Tripitaka already for not disciplining him as much as Wukong.

If you want to acknowledge how Macaque was in JTTW you also have to acknowledge EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in the JTTW. If that’s how you really want it to go.

One thing I think would be the reason as to why the whole ‘Macaque cannibalized one of Wukong’s grandchildren’ was changed is because Macaque and Wukong KNEW EACH OTHER before the Journey. It is also implied that Macaque has been with Wukong the longest, (In the context of Shadow Play) and it is implied that he possibly resided or at least stayed in FFM. Which meant that Macaque is also attached to the Monkeys. Remember: Macaque’s motive is to hurt Wukong and only Wukong. Which is why he goes after MK because he knows that will hurt Wukong. But if he is attached to Wukong’s grandchildren and has lived with Wukong it’s also gonna hurt Macaque if he killed them. (Though Macaque is not overly affectionate like Wukong, the fact that the monkeys trust him enough to literally sit on top of any part of him they can sit on proves that Macaque did tend to them while Wukong was away.)

The only reason I can think that Wukong hates him is because of Tripitaka and the whole ‘using Wukong’s face’ jig.

Macaque can canonically pretend to be Wukong, he did so with MK in Season 2 and did trick Wukong into thinking he was MK in Season 1. There is a likelihood that the whole ‘pretending to be Wukong’ still happened in LMK.

Remember: In the Flashbacks of Macaque and Wukong’s confrontation, there is no circlet on Wukong’s head. This is further confirmed in Season 3 during the Samadhi Fire arc. In the Amnesia episode, Wukong confirms they are still in the Journey AFTER the Samadhi Fire was sealed (Because he said Four Rings which means the Samadhi Fire was sealed in rings already) And notice in the flashback when they were sealing the Samadhi Fire, Wukong doesn’t have his circlet, compared to the flashback with Azure where he DOES have a Circlet. No matter if Macaque’s flashback was faked, it does confirm that after some time, Tripitaka trusted Wukong enough that he removed the Circlet.

Which possibly means that Tripitaka and Wukong grew to have a mutual understanding of each other. Till Macaque showed up and proceeded to ruin everything.

So yeah if you need a reason as to why Wukong hated Macaque there’s a possibility it wasn’t about cannibalism in the context of LMK.

[butterkofiinthemorning]

I was trying to find Mangas that have similar vibes to Dungeon Meshi because it's really the best media I ever consume for awhile and it checks all the boxes on what I'm looking for in a story.

But then, maybe I'm just trying to find something that is plot consistent or ever growing, character driven and at least have some system within the story. No ass pull whatsoever. Probably why I dislike most of the Isekais so much and the lazy writing of some OP characters (Mob Psycho 100 and One Punch Man might be my only exception for this, because they did handle OP characters very well).

The reason I liked Hunter x Hunter more than any other shonen out there is because of the nen abilities well explained (and it's the basis for Jujutsu Kaiden CTs) and it can potentially grow.

Railgun on the other hand got my curiosity with how abilities could be applied. I don't have the same sentiments with Index as I'm more pulled in by the science sides of things and I kinda dislike some harem sub elements on it, both the mother and the spin off story.

--------

So, from what I gathered these will probably be my to read list;

1. Witch Hat Atelier - I've seen some artworks, and it's one of the best panelling I've ever seen. Plus it's the fantasy closest to Dungeon Meshi. And the author's a fan of Good Omens! I think.

2. Blue Period - The talent vs. hardwork discussion made me wanna read it.

3. Fool Night - Apparently Sui Ishida liked this, and I watched some video regarding this and it pique my interest delving back to this type of genre.

4. The Summer Hikaru Died - Hmm.. I've seen this quite a few times last year when I was scrolling through a raw manga, and honestly the blue background and some ominous looking boy got my attention.

5. March Comes in Like a Lion - I've been dismissive of this for quite a year/s because I thought it was too heavy for me back then. But now that I'm in the mood of ever growing characters, I would like to read it. Though what really made me read about it is because the artist is the same with Oberon's design which I really liked in FGO.

6. Chainsaw Man - I already know what happened. I watched a summary video in YT that explained Part 1 and Part 2. BUT I wanted to give it a proper read. Denji and Asa is something special and yet relatable to me in a sense. Plus I like how clean his panelling is for this.

7. Kaze Hikaru - Man, I looove Shinsengumi. Okita has been my favourite character in FGO and my first 5 star saber. But this Manga, it fleshes out his character more and also the Shinsengumi as a whole up until it's downfall. I already read some of it but I think I just can't find the continuation.

-----

Maybe this post is just a reminder for myself on what I'll be reading because I'm too forgetful in everything. I doubt anybody is reading this though.

[polar-artist]

silly intro :3

(I know this is a long post but PLEASE READ! I spent a lot of time making this so I would appreciate if you read till the end!)

about me:

-My online name is Olive (don't call me anything else.)

-I use any/all pronouns (So like She/Her, Xe/Xem, He/Him, etc etc.)

-I AM A MINOR. (so are most of my oc's. don't be weird with them.)

-I use bases/references a lot in my art (mostly the digital art), so if you see something similar to a base/reference another artist made that is why. (AS FAR AS I CAN TELL EVERY BASE I USE, THE ARTIST MEANT FOR IT TO BE A BASE. IF THATS NOT THE CASE, PLEASE TELL ME.)

-I may have big breaks in between posting, cause school is starting again for me, and also I just have a horrible posting schedule lol

-I came from Pinterest!! I had seen a lot of posts about tumblr on pinterest (its basically my entire feed), so i thought might as well see what its actually like!!

-DONT REPOST MY ART TO OTHER SITES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.

about my account:

-No inappropriate asks whatsoever.

-I AM (FAIRLY) NEW TO TUMBLR!

-I post randomly on this account! That means you could get oc art one day, then random paragraphs of nonsense the next!

-I will probably only post stuff that I am interested in (check the fandoms list if you want specifics!!)

FANDOMS I AM IN:

(i will get specific if its a game!!)

(a '+' sign at the end means I am more interested in it, a '-' sign at the end means I am less interested in it [fandom-wise]!)

-A Hat in Time +

-Portal +

-Portal 2 +

-Portal Revolution +

-Danganronpa THH, GD, KH +

-The Stanley Parable +

-Minecraft (?) -

-Into/Across the Spiderverse -

-Little Nightmares -

-Little Nightmares 2 -

-The Owl House -

-FNaF -

-MCYT +

-Empires SMP +

-Secret Life +

-Life Series +

-The Backrooms +

-The Good Place +

-Bluey -

-Death Pallete/Matsuro -

-Sky: Children of the Light -

-Dude, Stop +

Borderlands 3 +

-The Last of Us -

-Regretevator +

-The Smiles Family (flamingo) +

-Coraline -

[ETC]

DO NOT INTERACT LIST:

(orange means thin ice, red means DNI under ANY circumstance)

-Anti-Therians

-Anti-Furries

-Spam Accounts

-NSFW accounts (interact with a different account if you must interact

-People who dislike gacha content (in general, not just the weird stuff!!)

-p0/rn Accounts (IM A MINOR.)

-Pedos

-People who support 1$r@31

-Homophobic People

-Transphobic People

-LOl1c0n/ShOt@con

-Proshippers

-Racists

-Ableists

-maybe more? Idk

PLEASE INTERACT:

(just wanna specify, if you already qualify for anything on the DNI list, this doesn't apply to you.)

-People who don't mind long posts (like this)

-People who are/support furries/therians

-Other queer/LGBTQ+ people <3

-People who like OC art

-People who SUPPORT PALESTINE! 🇵🇸

-People who are in the same fandoms as me

-People who will make art of my OC's (PLEASE)

-People who like the same music as me

-People who like fanart

-People who like polar bears

-Other Gacha creators

-and more!

I appreciate those who have read this far, and I just wanna say: Welcome to this account! :D