#they are are so silly and i think of them often | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

pidoop · 3 hours ago

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I agree with that. I think a lot of people’s opinions change depending on who is making the art. But I also think that’s kind of the point and where the connection between hating both NFTs and AI art actually lies.

I think the anger comes from seeing people in tech and finance trying to “disrupt” the online art space in ways that feel strange and disconnected from reality by the average person and/or artist online.

If you recall the copy paste jokes about NFTs started because the “Non-Fungible” Tokens were hailed as a way to purchase art online in a way that it could not be stolen. You the purchaser have the only digital and non-falsifiable confirmation that this piece of art was purchased by you. And people said, “that’s bullshit, you can have a fancy receipt, but that doesn’t mean anything if I can have the same image as you”.

And to me that was the rift between what early NFT adopters and average people saw value in when it came to art online. NFT bros saw value in the exclusivity and authenticity of the Token. Average people refused to play that game and made it clear the value was in the art, and look, you’re giving me it for free, yoink.

To be fair I don’t think this was everyone’s conscious train of thought. A lot of people saw a way to bully a specific kind of tech/finance bro and jumped on the bandwagon. But a lot of the people seriously engaging with this topic WERE talking about this. And I think the bullying only worked because the average person did think “oh yeah this is silly, I can copy the pic so what’s all this about ‘non-fungible’?”

I think the other and more important side was that people and artists felt bitter! There was a bitterness to seeing the equivalent of picrew avatars that were being Procedurally Generated by an algorithm getting sold for ungodly amounts of money. The Bored Apes and many other sets of NFTs were partially seen as bullshit non-art for two main reasons: 1) They were generated by algorithms (which people already did not see as real art by then) and 2) They were created to be used as monetary assets and status symbols. So people saw them as fair game to fuck with.

The “artists” that were supposed to benefit from being able to sell their art “more securely” online generally did not see NFTs as useful or necessary for them. And they broadly did not benefit from the NFT fever.

In the same vein, AI art is largely unhelpful to online artists and tends to be used by people outside these artistic communities in ways that put monetizability over art. People didn’t like that when they were doing it with NFTs and they don’t like it when it’s done via AI art either.

You’re right that tumblr is a pro-piracy website. But in my experience it’s also the “credit artists” website. You don’t repost art, comics, etc… without at least credit but hopefully also the artist’s permission. And if people see you do that they will call you out on your post and add the link to the original artist.

I also think people can hold these apparent contradictions in how they treat art because they’re engaging with the systems behind how that art is distributed and funded and how their engagement with that art affects the people who make it.

Independent artists often depend directly on commissions or other ways of directly engaging with their air as a large source of income. Meanwhile, the artists that work on the media that tumblr loves to tell you to pirate (movies, shows, games, books) get nothing or nearly nothing from you engaging with that piece of media directly/legally. This is a big part of why both the people that like and don’t like copyright law on here will largely tell you to pirate shit. Because regardless of what they believe the cast and crew of the new hit show deserve, they still don’t get it when you watch via legal means.

But to me the biggest difference is in what you’re doing with the art. Generally, piracy is a way of consuming whatever piece of art without paying for it. You can usually already see the art people post online for free too. AI training off of a piece of art is not a way for you to see or engage with this art for free, it’s a tool that (if fed your art) can be used to recreate it. And that is something that has always been a no-no in the online art world even when it was humans doing it.

Tracing other people’s pieces to pass off as your own, copying someone’s art style entirely when making your own pieces, reposting other’s art as your own, etc.. are all HUGE issues people get rightfully upset over in the art world. And they’re bad when AI does it too. Not even because of intellectual property or copyright issues, but because it’s an issue of artistic integrity. Something that artists tend to care about and that doesn’t seem to make sense to outsiders looking in.

I’ve been working with and writing “AI” and machine learning algorithms for 9ish years and I can promise you AI does not have artistic integrity. We use the word “learning” when we talk about training AI sometimes but that’s a euphemism (I might be misusing this word but hopefully you catch my meaning). AI doesn’t learn in the way we think about when we use the word colloquially, it builds, sorts, and compresses data. And it doesn’t think, it uses probabilistic models to spit out a probabilistically acceptable output. And as cool as that is, it does mean that often it straight up spits out things that are 95% someone else’s piece, with a couple bits changed just out of sheer statistical luck.

Plus again I think this goes back to the systems behind these actions. An artist can copy another’s piece as a way to learn and practice, and if they post it they can explicitly give credit to the original. When AI does the same, the process of outputting this copy does not help train the algo at all, and there’s no way of knowing where the copied piece came from bc the algorithm is a black box to its users. Both positives that could’ve come out of the process immediately nixed.

And then again, we go to how it affects the people producing the art. Generally, the people diving headfirst into AI art are similar to the people who dove straight into NFTs, people outside the art space looking for a way to make money. And in the case of AI art this is more likely to actually affect the artists whose work is being stolen, because in a lot of places it’s aiming to replace these artists.

If a machine trains on an artist and can then make a close enough copy of their style, people looking to cut costs will simply use the machine instead, not because it’s good or the public likes it, but because it’s cheap and fast. And we know this because this is what for example movie studios have done with the overuse of CG and green screen, the constant remakes and reboots, and the million other things that the public hates but still saves them money.

So sorry that this was long but I hope you understand why I don’t think these two things are a contradiction at all and why I think most of tumblr feels similarly.

Saying "this picture is mine, it's immoral to right-click and save it" in 2021: rightfully and universally mocked; it's ridiculous for these NFT cranks to claim they can exclusively own some ugly ape pictures

Saying "this picture is mine, it's immoral to right-click and save it" in 2025: somehow considered a principled defense against the foul depredations of AI; intellectual property is sacrosanct and you mustn't do anything with an image that wasn't approved by its owner

#long post #my addition #mine #again sorry that it was such a long rant but I had so many thought

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terriblechickenhousebuilder · 15 hours ago

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sometimes i forget barely any of the aphdom watch cocomau and it throws me off bcos i can be like "haha yeah dante destroying stuff with his ghast . why is he friends with PEEBS" and everyone is like james what the fuck are you talking about. i'm 21 years old btw

#/silly #mostly #maybe i'm just too locked in to this aphmau stuff #unfortunately i do find myself enjoying the videos more often than not #i think a lot of people would if they give them a chance #but because it has such a big rep as children's brainrot nobody wants to #there are a lot of hidden gems in her newer videos :((#also watching them funds mystreet so i've been doing my part #(this isn't because i would die without garroth content. no not atall /silly /hj)#there are sooo many sneaky references she makes too in the videos #straight up mentioned diaries multiple times this month btw #aphblr #cocomau #sigh

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 24 hours ago

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May or may not be a cursed question depending on how you view them but do you think twst has some equivalent to labubus and if yes then how do you think the boys feel about them 😭 swear I see those things everywhere

I don’t like Labubus, personally 😅 I knew what they were long before they blew up on social media (as they were an item I’d see in the then very niche blond box/toy collecting community) and never thought they were appealing, especially when compared to a traditional plush. I don’t like “ugly cute” or that their bare feet are out… and, if I’m being completely honest here, the fact that they’re so in demand now + are associated with celebrities, influencers, scalpers, and insane acts of desperation kills any hype I would have had for it. It’s okay if you enjoy Labubus, they’re just not for me!!

dbjsebkskw The other day… I saw an artist had made Labubu acrylic charms featuring the Twst characters! Like, the Twst characters are in their own little Labubu suits 😭 I thought I was tweaking out for a sec and had to do a double take. I totally underestimated how popular Labubus are; they even crossed over into the animanga space!

I’m sure Twst has some silly viral trinket equivalent (or, at the very least, its own trend cycles, since socially savvy characters like Cater or Vil are often bringing up what’s popular right now)! Here’s how I think the various Twst characters would think of a similar item. For the sake of simplicity, I will use the term “Labubus” to refer to Twst’s own silly viral trinket, but I don’t actually mean literal Labubus.

Riddle doesn’t understand them at all. If it’s a stuffed animal, should it not be… decorative? Cuddly? Yet this “Labubu” creature is not aesthetically appealing (by conventional standards), nor is it all that soft compared to a normal plushie. It doesn’t serve the functions it is supposed to have, does it??? And just how much of waste does this demand produce? The Labubus prove to be a distraction in the dorm, so Riddle imposes a strict ban on them.

Trey heard about them from the younger students and Cater, who all seem to be pretty taken with the things. He reacts like a dad who doesn’t quite understand what the kids are into, but still tries his best to support their interests. More interested in their sharp teeth than any other aspect. “They remind me of Idia and the twins’ smiles.”

Cater obviously hops on the trend. In fact, he’s the one who tainted Heartslabyul with the Labubus to begin with. Catch him doing unboxing videos, taking café pics with his Labubu(s), and hunting down the newest drops at the stores! (He uses his UM to help him in lotteries and other situations where there’s strength in numbers.) Riding the hype train until it dies out. It’s questionable as to whether or not he actually likes Labubus or if he’s pretending to for the clout. If his older sisters also gets into them, it kills his interest.

Ace has his own little guy! It’s so he can look cool and fit in with his peers, not really because he likes them. If he pulls a super rare Labubu, he is absolutely insufferable about it. Hangs it from the duffel bag he uses for Basketball Club. Pretends to make it speak in stupid little squeaky voices. When he’s annoyed, he uses the Labubu like a stress ball or chucks it at the wall. What did he name his little guy? Riddle—

Deuce wasn’t really into it until his mom happened to send him one as a gift for his exams. (She saw it trending on Magitok and couponed to save money for a Labubu.) Scolds Ace for “mistreating’ his Labubu. Keeps his own in his breast pocket, treating it like a good luck charm.

Leona is annoyed with “those fuzzy little bastards”. His nephew won’t shut up about them, they’ve started to populate the school, and people go nuts whenever there’s a new release announced. He doesn’t care what Savanaclaw students do with their own time and money, but he has warned them that if they get too rowdy over what are basically toys, then they’ll have to answer to him. When he’s not pissed off about them, Leona considers Labubus in an economic and environmental sense. Yes, he is 5D chessing them They make a lot of money for the company, sure—but what about the landfills that will inevitably be their homes once the trend of collecting plastic dies down? How will that impact their world? Aaah, he just hopes he doesn’t have to be the one to clean up after that mess.

Ruggie is a dreaded Labubu thief. If someone’s Labubu isn’t safely secured to their bag, who’s to say Ruggie won’t “accidentally” jostle into them and “happen” upon a Labubu in the wild? It’s the owners’ fault for not keeping their belongings safe—and besides, finder’s keepers!! He’ll claim he “found” the Labubu later, then use it to ask for favors or some kind of reward from the owner(s).

Jack acts as if Labubus don’t exist and they only become relevant to him when they come up in conversation. He doesn’t really get their popularity and thinks they are weird and impractical. (Is slightly miffed that his younger sister is obsessed with them.) Is the type of person to believe that all Labubus are the same and just vary in color and what clothes you put them in.

Azul sees his next big money-making opportunity. He throws himself into market research to understand their virality. Acquires Labubus through his business connections and proceeds to run a black market at the school. (It would take too much time + money to become a Labubu competitor by developing his own ultra popular blind box toy; he worries the hype will have died out by the time he is ready to bring his product to market.)

Jade unironically loves them because of how ugly cute they are. He cuts Labubus up and alters them with surgical precision into poses and new designs. then plants them in his terrariums as funky flourishes. It makes them look like they’re little monsters trapped in their own little worlds and exploring; he super enjoys having this level of control.

Floyd’s interest fluctuates. Some days, he’ll buy a singleLabubu or an entire case. Other days, he walks right by the stores. He likes the thrill of getting something random more than Labubus specifically, but does not take care of his pulls. Floyd just leaves them scattered around his room. His pull luck is INSANE; he has pulled a few super rare Labubus but still treats them the same as his other blind boxes. It kills Azul seeing Labubus that could sell for hundreds or even thousands of madol/thaumarks casually dirtied on the floor.

Kalim is (much to Jamil’s dismay) a Labubu lover!! He frequently impulse purchases them, whether for himself or for peers (especially those who don’t already have one; Kalim doesn’t want them to feel left out!). They sit around in a useless pile in the treasure storage room. Has enough Labubus to cover his bags and clothes in them. Owns an actual 24 karat gold Labubu studded with genuine gemstones, custom made for him by his father.

Jamil hates Labubus simply because he associates them with Kalim and all the trouble those things have caused for him because of it. How many times has he tried to dissuade Kalim from purchasing a truckload of them… how many hours has he spent organizing and cleaning them for him? He keeps his hatred bottled up and acts demure about them, but he can’t hide how his gaze lingers a bit too long on the Labubus. It feels like he gets into staring/glaring matches with them. (Najma calls him crazy and a hater.)

Vil IS the celebrity spotted with a Labubu on his designer bag—the one who sparked the trend. Yes, he’s Twst’s Lisa Blackpink He views them more as accessories than toys but doesn’t actually own more than a few in different colors just to mix and match with different outfits. Vil prides himself on being a trendsetter but in retrospect he did not intend for Labubus to blow up as they have 🧍‍♂️ Unfortunately, he cannot undo it, even if he doesn’t appear with them publicly anymore. Now he lives with the terrible realization of initiating the blind box collectibles apocalypse.

Rook prefers not to l have accessories that could call attention to him. He’d rather go ignored so he can more easily observe his quarry! For this reason, he foregoes Labubus but will still extol their unique charms whenever he spots one. Due to his keen eye, he’s able to glean which Labubu belongs to whom with a single glance, as well as which ones are clever fakes. (Ruggie avoids Rook like the plague, as he’d be able to tell who the owners of the stolen ones are.) Uses Labubu as a muse for various works of art: paintings, sculptures, charcoal drawings, you name it. (Azul tries to buy them off of Rook for cheap and then resell the art for exorbitant prices.) With his level of skill, he could make one-of-a-kind Labubus if he wanted to.

Epel initially says he doesn’t like Labubus at ALL just cuz Vil was the one giving them promo. Gross, a REAL man wouldn’t like DOLLS! He gains way more of an appreciation for Labubus post-book 5 but continues to insist he’s not s fan of them aesthetically. The truth is that he secretly likes them and thinks they’re interesting because even they look mean and like they might beat you up, the Labubu character actually has a kind heart and is always willing to help out. “Isn’t it just like Leona-senpai?” Epel asks you.

Idia cringes hard every time he spots a Labubu. He seems them as mainstream stuff that normies are into (and don’t you DARE compare collecting anime figures to collecting Labubus; Idia claims they’re totally NOT the same thing). Takes great offense when people say he looks like a Labubu with his jagged teeth and buggy eyes but is too socially awkward to tell them off to their faces. Vents about these incidents in online anonymous forums.

Ortho acquired one for the “genuine human experience”. After all, social phenomena and trends are a very “human” aspect of Labubus and how they’ve blown up. They’re less toys or accessories to him and more of test subjects to be put under a microscope and studied. He uses his laser beams to slice Labubus open to study their insides and logs sales data, demographic trends, etc. Ortho wants to pick apart what makes Labubus tick!

Malleus finds comfort in Labubu. If a creature with a scary looking face like it can find acceptance from the masses, then it gives him hope for himself too. He likes the pointed ears, likening them to his own horns, and the elfish heritage of Labubus makes him believe they, too, are a kind of fae. Malleus owns a single Labubu which brings with him on strolls. He speaks to it as though it can understand him.

Lilia adores Labubus, often joking that “they’re almost as cute as I am!” He sews some to the jacket he wears over his shoulders so that they hug his arm or either shoulder. Takes a great interest in asking others about their Labubus, as everyone has a different story and experiences with them. Lilia thinks it’s a great opportunity to get out there and socialize with classmates, so he’ll drag the rest of Diasomnia with him ^^

Silver is happy that his father had picked up a new hobby, but he’s pretty indifferent towards Labubus themselves. They tend to scare his animal friends, so he doesn’t have his own. However, Lilia sometimes chucks Labubu merch at him, which means Silver’s decked out in Labubu stamped clothing and even has a new Labubu head-shaped pillow to snooze on. (He does not realize how much of a hot mess he looks padding around in Diasomnia in a fluffy sweater with tens and tens of Labubus hanging from it.)

Sebek is way of these strange creatures. He’s conflicted when he discovers that his liege is fond of them and very confusedly changes his tune. (Think of like how Sebek was not sure how to act around Tsum!Malleus.) Will tell his peers that he has no need for such childish paraphernalia, but then will turn right back around and act like the Labubu he begrudgingly got (to match with Malleus) is his son. Like he’ll shout at you to never speak to him or to his Labubu ever again (while covering the Labubu’s ears) if you speak ill of Malleus in front of them.

Grim is completely unfazed. Labubu ain’t food, so he ain’t interested!! (… Unless, of course, you bring home some Labubu-shaped food item. Then he’ll pounce to wolf it down.) Easily becomes jealous if his minion gets into Labubus and pays less attention to him. The great Grim’s MUCH cuter and better for cuddling! Hides his minion’s Labubu and then plays innocent when they ask if he has seen it.

Crowley attempts to act dignified and above the trend, treating it as just another thing that will come and go. But… ooh, they just look so interesting, he just HAS to try it out for himself! Crowley’s one of those people who pulls once, doesn’t get what he wants, goes “maybe one more!” and then inevitably ends up pulling until he has basically bought an entire case. Gacha addict… Has the worst possible luck imaginable but still acts triumphant when he gets the one he wants. Could probably make a whole nest of Labubus or hang them all from the inside of his cape.

Crewel uses a Labubu or two as decorations for his car’s inner mirror. He likes the slightly edgy design and most come with nothing on—it makes Labubus excellent canvases for his homemade outfits and accessories made with extra fabric scraps and metals he has leftover from dabbling in the fashion industry. Of course, he keeps an eye on them in the classroom because he knows how pups with brand new toys tend to go ham with them.

Trein doesn’t get what they are but unfortunately his daughters love Labubu and sent him one. He’s not sure what to do with it, so he gave it to Lucius as a chew toy. Lucius doesn’t like it much either though, he kinda paws and hisses at it. Has a bone to pick with Labubus because they are highly disruptive to his students and has therefore banned them from his classroom. Gets into heated arguments with Crewel about whether or not Labubus are a net positive or negative for Twisted Wonderland:

Vargas is more interested in the manner of beast Labubu is than the concept of the blind box toy itself. He wonders how well this creature would fare in a fight. It doesn’t look that muscular, so he’s sure he could take it!

Sam peddles Labubus for a profit 😭 so of course bro loves’m—they make him MAD money. This is the one item that Sam cannot consistently keep in stock (shocker, I know) because the demand is so ludicrously high and the manufacturer had limited supply drops. He goes hard on advertising them to the student and staff population, his shadows helping to puppeteer the Labubus in a parade to show off his wares.

Neige follows Vil’s lead, adding to the pile of celebs that hop on the bandwagon. He finds Labubus adorable and friend-shaped!! Much to Vil’s annoyance, Neige happened to pull the same Labubus as he did, so now Neige tries to use that as a way to connect with him. “Hehe. Look, Vi-kun! We match!”

Chenya somehow lives under a rock and didn’t even realize Labubus were the “it” thing now. “Myah, curiouser and curiouser…” He’s sorta baffled at the scale of the demand, but it doesn’t get to him. Chenya’s just chill like that. However, that won’t stop him from messing with people. Maybe someone asks him if he knows of any stores with Labubus in stock and he’ll throw riddles at them to decipher the directions.

Seven Dwarves each have their own Labubu! They like to use them to help with group pep talks and chants, thinking it will bring them good luck. (Witnessing these overly cutesy and wholesome rituals usually makes NRC students want to barf and/or to beat them up.)

Rollo disapproves of them and does that thing where he covers the lower half of his face with a handkerchief to hide his grimace. Legitimately thinks Labubus are cursed and/or are possessed by demons. Preaches this to anyone who will listen and can go on rants about how this toy will literally steal your soul. Will tell people to toss them into the fire to purify them and to rid themselves of worldly desires.

Fellow, realizing that Labubus would sell like hotcakes, cobbles together a knock-off version using materials he finds lying around. He tries to peddle these as the genuine thing and ends up hitting it big when a community forms to intentionally collect these “Lafufus”. I guess he finally found a source of revenue for that school he wants to open up.

Gidel helps out Fellow with his con. Gathers production materials and demonstrates how cute and holdable the Lafufus are when the crowds gather. Still too young to understand the appeal of Labubus + has had no exposure to social media to make him feel any FOMO, so he basically sees them as something that will help their financial situation. Fellow seems pretty happy about them though, so Gidel takes that to mean that Labubus are a good thing!

Skully likes that they’re cute but in an unconventional and kinda scary way! He’ll stitch together his own Labubu costume for Halloween and pop up to scare trick-or-treaters with it!! W-Wait, why are the children squealing happily and rushing to him, climbing onto his furry bodysuit and playing on him like he’s a jungle gym?! They’re supposed to be frightened!! … It seems that Skully is a little confused about how the general public perceives them 😅

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ceoandslutler · 19 hours ago

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you could very well argue that the poorly written x reader mafia bts fanfics follow this same logic, especially more so when you consider the girls who like the group are mostly from asian countries. particularly they have millions of south and south west asian fans. in countries like iran, india, even east asian countries like korea and japan where they do the majority of their shows... girls can't express their sexuality freely, if at all.

of course they're turning the nice sexy asian boys with abs into scary sexy asian boys with abs. they want to be free from the "responsibility" of being 'impure' or 'perverse' for having sex with these men who they feel wrong for being attracted to and that's why you see these ridiculous fics of bts kidnapping a random girl (the reader) and her being so irresistible that they have to have her. it removes responsibility for the reader (she didn't ask for this even if she finds them hot) while also implying innocence for the boys too (often they're somehow supernatural or they're just very violent so actually they're holding back and are being nice relative to their fictional characterisation in these narratives). it's also the asian idea of 'women tempt men' while also giving the reader the idea that she is special and specifically important enough to be chosen by these men she sees as more attractive and unreachable.

it's also often a 'they're protecting you from xyz' narrative where even if they are sexually coercive within the fictionalised narrative, there is a greater evil after you and your life depends on them. of course during the peak of these fics, their company and management weren't considered evil. which is why i remember seeing an image on pinterest with bighit's old ceo (bang pd) telling you (the viewer) that kim namjoon has a crush on you. so in nonviolent and innocent situations, the company are portrayed as allies (perhaps the most unrealistic thing—after all, korean celebrities are often not permitted to date freely due to their agencies' desire to keep up a certain public image). however in these mafia stories, i do not think they take a negative role (though i have never really read one in its entirety and i am not morbidly curious enough to go find out but i doubt they are villains).

anyway as a queer person who's into anime/manga and writes fic about my silly little fake people and doesn't create or consume rpf, i genuinely don't have any feelings towards mafia!jungkook kidnaps y/n with his motorcycle then smokes a cig and gets 10 more tattoos for some reason. it's not for me nor do i like it but i respect its right to exist. what i can say is similar to how queer people might first find themselves in old obscure shows or movies, weird ships from random anime and even shipping irl people like larry or even bts taekook, i think some of the girls who write this stuff find themselves. even if it's at the expense of writing bad rpf, it's okay because these girls are free to explore their sexuality this way and to me, that is a human right many girls in the world are stripped of.

Which 60s-80s band do we think inspired the most pre-internet teenagers to write "My Parents Sold Me To ________" short stories in their notebooks? Putting a polite moratorium on The Beatles because they're too obvious.

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berriblossom · 3 days ago

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Soft, fluffy, silly moments with Mac? I don't see enough of it! (´•ω•̥`)

Have you ever made Mac experience the joys of things late at night?

Not those-

"Dairy queen closes in 10 minutes Mac. Want to get ice cream and fries again?" You call from the couch. Scrolling through your phone, after a few seconds of silence, you believed your lover was too focused on their laptop to hear you but with how quickly the stood before you, fully dressed, cane in hand, and your keys. Like a sweet puppy, their giddy smile hard to hide.

"Can we bring Roni this time?"

Two weeks ago, after a stressful week, you took Mac to dairy queen for the first time, later into the evening, then to a local burger joint for fries. To say they liked the combination would've been correct, so now when you both have the funds, they want to try any other combo they could. But, the best time to go was at close to closing for some reason.

"Its not as intimate or fun! How can we feel the sense of urgency then?" They argued the last time when you asked if they wanted to go during the day. So now this was a cool break from the routine. You hopped up, taking your keys from them, Mac quickly got Roni, the happy squeaks from their mouse companion were those if glee from Mac's hands.

You two got out the door quickly and to the car, within 4 minutes you two got to dairy queen, you leaned back to let Mac order, luckily the worker at the windows thought Roni was cute so you got an extra sundae! Next was the burger joint, 2 fries, 2 chicken strip boxes, then to a random parking lot.

The car was off, night silence filled the air. Mac dipped into their ice cream, plucking a fry from the box to eat with it. "Salty and sweet, I think this was better than eating them separately. However the chocolate sauce ruins it."

You chuckle and nod. It was warmer silence, every now and then Roni, crawling across your dashboard would get both of your attention, but with them resting in your lap, getting their head rubbed with your fingers, it was more than enough.

"I use to have dreams similar to this." Mac whispered. You glance at them and tilt your head, asking them to explain.

"You remember how I noted computers have a special third sleep? That you swear to this day not to tell anyone?"

You smile, "yes love, I do, is this where this dream came from?". Mac nodded. Taking a chicken tender and dipping it in their ice cream, the look of disgust from the taste was cute, however the flavor didn't distract them from their words for you.

"I use to dream of scenarios for us to do. Just spending time together. Even though we interface for am average of 11.4 hours on week days and 14.6 on weekends...it didn't feel like enough. I wanted to spend time like this...casual, not for productivity or to double-click."

You nod, Mac turns themselves as much as they could in the seat to face you. "What im trying to communicate, I wanted nothing more than to see you like this. I wanted us holding hands, going out together, allocating enough time together. It made my processors purr at these dreams. They started happening more often after our first face-to-face interfacing. I wondered why, but I guess now I understand."

"Why Mac?" You knew why. They knew you knew too. But you wanted to hear them say it.

"Because I love you. I wanted to spend as much time as we could together. I can never get enough of you [name]. Even if we were in a time vacuum or loop. It if means I get to spend it with you, then it's perfect." Mac smiled, a blush on their cheeks. Roni squeaks, you both giggle and pet the demanding mouse.

"Yes, and you too, Roni." Mac turned to press a kiss to your cheek, while also stealing fries from you.

"Wha? Hey! I made sure you had your share, that's stealing!" You smile as Mac starts giggling; "you sound like Parker with cheaters" you held you hand out, demanding compensation, instead Mac just gave you their free hand.

"Fries Mac."

"I give you all the love in my heart."

"I'll take it. And the fries you stole."

It wasn't about the late-night atmosphere, or you two laughing at random things coming to mind, or Mac telling you all the most scenic places in New Jersey. No it was just you two. Together doing anything. It was more than enough.

It was perfect.

#berri bomb🍓#berri answers 🍒#mac date everything #mac date everything x reader #berri writes #date everything mac #mac nation #mac x reader

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raileurta · 3 days ago

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What would Cybertronians think of cannibalism?

I'm imagining some of the kids and autobots getting stranded for a bit somewhere, and Miko brings up the whole "which one of us will we eat first?" probably poking Jack, just being kind of silly (what friend group hasn't argued over who would be eaten first if they were stranded on an island?)

And one of the 'bots overhears, and is like "What?" and then they try to explain "No no, we wouldn't actually eat anyone, we're going to be rescued way before that would be necessary!" and the bots go "WHAT?!"

Cue flustered teenagers explaining cannibalism to very horrified giant alien robots

(Sorry if this is explained canonically somewhere, it's been forever since I've watched TFP)

Cybertronians probably have their own version of cannibalism, it's just for them they eat only the energon. It doesn't happen often but when a bot is desperate enough anything is possible. In theory they could eat the body but for cybertronians that's beyond psychotic, even by Megatron's standards.

Miko would joke about cannibalism and argue about it. (I'm not projecting this just makes sense for her) I have had this discussion multiple times before, even once when I got stuck in an elevator with three other people for an hour. I have written a lot about cannibalism and I even did a little thing with the tfp kids about it. Also Jack's definitely going first, a girl got to eat after all.

They would do some research and be so horrified to learn how relatively (for their standards) common it is. Now they just have to live with the knowledge that if their charges ever got hungry enough they might eat each other. There's definitely a few days of constantly being worried about how much food the children are eating before they calm down.

#transformers #maccadam #tfp #transformers prime #tfp miko #miko nakadai #tf #ask #tfp jack #humans are crazy #humans are space orcs #transformers x human #tfp kids

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hermajestythesun · 1 day ago

Text

Understanding Hey Jude: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Patterns of Trauma

Both John and Paul are correct in their claims about who “Hey Jude” is about. It is the song that Paul writes to Julian while John is beginning his relationship with Yoko Ono at the expense of his already established life with his wife Cynthia and son Julian. Paul, who is shocked, appalled, and deeply hurt by John’s behavior, uses “Hey Jude” as means of telling Julian the things Paul wishes John was able to hear as well. He does this by simplifying deep and complicated emotions into a simple motivational message that appears to be aimed to Julian, because it is!

The issue comes in with John’s claim that Paul wrote the song about John, not Julian. This connects to an overarching theme in John and Paul’s dynamic where John blatantly refuses to look beyond Paul’s more indirect and metaphorical means of communication, partially due to frustration regarding Paul’s serial avoidance, but Paul was ALWAYS somebody who is practically incapable of being direct. Not only did John refuse to see nuance regarding “Hey Jude” as a song for both Julian AND himself, but he also literally interpreted the “let her into your heart” line as Paul saying go with Yoko Ono and leave the Beatles, and thus his deep and complicated relationship with Paul, behind. In reality, Paul was likely trying to convey a metaphorical message to Julian and John both that it is okay to accept people into your life and allow them to love you despite your flaws, worries, and insecurities. It is beyond evident that John’s pessimism and self-hatred was often the reason why he destroyed plenty of his own relationships, including the one he had with Paul. John remained so caught up in this inherent belief that he was unloveable, crazy, angry, and irredeemable that he failed to see that Paul did NOT write this song with the intention of telling John that it was fine and dandy to pursue Yoko.

All Paul was trying to do was mask a message for John about needing to accept love in this elusive and open-ended line about accepting another person into one’s life, because, at the end of the day, the song was never meant to be a direct message to John. It just has elements pertaining to John because Paul was laying out everything that he wished John was able to hear. I find it interesting that John told the press that “Hey Jude” was written about himself because the only way that Paul McCartney will EVER acknowledge his true intentions for pretty much anything is to directly call out his games (and weirdly enough, it seems like the people Paul commits to are people that ARE willing to shut down his “fake self”). As much as I think John can be selfish and silly, and I also understand where John’s annoyance comes in, because John DOES understand the subliminal aim of the song to be about him, and yet, Paul will never just directly say “hey man I hate that you’re leaving me and it is making me go haywire and I want you to know I love you and hate to see you do this to yourself and us.” Yet, Paul is Paul, and he brushes it off as “oh yeah John is a bit loony sometimes and this song is only about Julian!” However, that does not mean that it is also not about John as well. I feel like that is a big problem when it comes to lyrical discourse and interpretations of who or what a song is about.

Music is itself metaphorical. It is putting one’s feelings into situations thoughts in to a stream of words in ways that do not always appear straightforward or easy to understand because emotions are inherently messy. So I do not think it is fair to say that John is wrong for claiming “Hey Jude” to be about him. I just think that he misinterpreted the *intention* of the song. It is for and about Julian, but it utilizes messages that a little boy should be hearing throughout his childhood; messages John and Paul likely did not hear and continue to suffer the ramifications of as a result. Maybe if John had someone to hold his hand and support him in the midst of his early childhood as his sense of family was uprooted and defiled, then maybe John would not be continuing the pattern with his own son, loved ones, and creative/life partner. And yet, the only thing John heard in his resentment against Paul and the rest of the world was a plea from the very person who adored him above all to go and pursue a relationship with Yoko instead.

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ncity-agere · 1 day ago

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hiii! if you’re comfortable with it, could you write about cg skz with an autistic little? thank you!

A/N: ABSOLUTELY OKAY OKAY, THIS IS DEFINITELY MY EXPERTISE!! As a psych major and someone with level 2 autism myself, this is a perfect ask! :D

Bang Chan:

- Watches knowingly as you organize your snack by color, then by size, then eat them in a specific order. He’s very fond of the way you organize things and the way your brain works.

- Understands that some babies don’t “play” the same way and never judges you for organizing or lining up toys, rather than interacting with them. In fact, sometimes he’ll play with your stuffies and make them do funny little voices and dances, but sometimes he just lines them up with you and makes up stories and dialogues.

- Understands that you regress for a reason and often asks for feedback like “are you okay, darling?” and “was i too loud, love?” because he’s afraid of triggering you. I think his heart would break if he made you cry.

- Plays your favorite songs on loop when you’re upset.

Lee Know:

- Vocal stims! Lots of silly vocal stims where you both zone out and just copy a weird noise the other one makes.

- Takes extra special care of your stuffies when cleaning them or moving them from place to place. Minho is so very gentle with your stuffed animals because he knows how much they mean to you.

- Reminds you to eat and eat properly and often! He knows you forget to do certain tasks, but he patiently reminds you of your routine and doesn’t scold you for forgetting.

Changbin:

- If you like pressure or weight, you’ll LOVE him! Tight hugs, practically laying on you, wrapping his strong arms around you like a blanket <3

- He can also take violent stims and meltdowns! He’s big and strong and while he’ll scold you for hitting, he understands that you’re feeling very big emotions and need to get them out.

- Likes to play and speaks on your level, whether you regress to a toddler state or simply age dream, he’ll take care of you accordingly.

- Cuddles! Lots and lots of cuddles!

Hyunjin:

- Doesn’t mind when you change into your 5th outfit of the day because “it feels wrong” or the material is icky. Completely understands.

- He would try his best to find you sensory friendly clothing because he doesn’t like seeing you uncomfy

- Hyunjin drew little cards for you with phrases and different levels of smiley faces so that you can express yourself when you become non-speaking or non-verbal!

- Holds your hands so softly to ground you back to reality when you’re overwhelmed. Sometimes things move too fast and you feel too much, too quickly. Luckily, he’s there to help you with your coping strategies and to come down from those big emotions.

Felix:

- Collects SO many different stim toys! Those little squeezy-ones where the eyes or tongue pop out, those funny little cubes with a million buttons and levers, small stuffies with soft fur and beans in their tummies, pop-its… you name it, he’s got it.

- Doesn’t catch you off-guard or surprise you with big things. As much as he’d love to surprise you with a trip or gift, sometimes it’s too much and the anticipation and not knowing makes you really, really anxious.

- Positive affirmations! When you wake up in the morning, part of your routine is looking in the mirror and repeating after your Papa, saying things like “I am smart, I am kind, I am special, I am loved”

Han:

- Buys you lots and lots of fluffy socks with silly patterns, if you’re a socks-kinda person :p

- If you only speak in quotes or scripts, Han will match that energy! He’ll also speak in scripts and quotes (bonus points if it’s related to your topic)

- If you’re clumsy or don’t have fine-tuned motor skills, he doesn’t bring attention to it. For example, if you drop something on the floor or break something on accident, he distracts you from the mishap and cleans it later, when you’re not looking.

- Jisung lets you get physical (biting, messing with his hair, etc.). He doesn’t mind because it’s you and knows that touching him isn’t out of malice or annoyance, but because you’re sensory seeking and just a baby :(

- He’s probably the least likely to know what the heck he’s doing at all, but he’s trying! He’s trying his best!

Seungmin:

- Preemptively cut the tags out of your pajamas and hoodies because he knows how much they bother you.

- Bought you a weighted blanket in your favorite color as a gift.

- Doesn’t insult your intelligence or talk down to you, including baby talk. He talks gently, but doesn’t default to a baby voice simply because you’re disabled (However, if you wanted him to speak in a baby voice with you from time to time, he would try).

- Seungmin lets you be independent. Lots of autistic littles are independent and very good at taking care of themselves so if that’s you, Seungmin is your kind of caregiver.

I.N:

- Helps you create a “nest” or fort of pillows, blankies, and stuffed animals.

- Listens when you infodump about your hyperfixation or special interest.

- If you are a padded/medically padded regressor, Jeongin makes sure to make you feel as comfortable as possible during changes. He will never, ever make you feel bad for things you can’t control.

- He’s not the most aware or knowing and sometimes he messes up but Jeongin always tries his absolute best and takes his job as your caregiver very, very seriously.

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winterzsurprise · 12 hours ago

Text

Lover's Oath [2]: Have we met before?

Pairing: BTS x reader

SUMMARY: “I'd spoil you rotten, put you in the nicest, most expensive clothing and I'd still have more to spend on you for an eternity.” Jin whispered into your lips like a promise. If it weren't for your lust addled mind, you'd believe him. “You like wealth, princess? I have plenty. My coven has a dragon, he'd spoil you rotten, he’d stop at nothing to give you everything you'd ever wanted.”

Or alternatively, your friend’s only solution to you being a broke college student with a family to feed is to attend a private feeding party where the most affluent vampires are in attendance to drink fresh blood in exchange for money and get yourself in trouble with the infamous Kim Coven.

Tags: Supernatural AU, Mythical Creatures AU, eventual smut, not beta read.

Words: 6k

Previously titled 'Lover's Oath'. I uploaded this pretty late mb one of my accounts got hacked so I spent quite a long time fixing that instead of making the new banner. For now, have this low effort one, I'm watching over my accounts like a hawk rn but yeah this story got continued woohoo

posting schedule? idk but I'll try to post one chapter per month idk, I only post during wednesdays

thank you all for the support on this silly fic of mine, enjoy this new chapter!

if y'all want to be added to the taglist please say so! The current ones are from the chapter 1 post, sorry for the sudden tagss

title is from the song: Have we met before? by Sarah Barrios, Eric Nam

<<PREV || MASTERLIST || NEXT>>

The saint is a mysterious woman.

If there is one flower in her garden that he could pick to describe her, the Sanguine Regius would compare her to the likes of the lilies of the valleys.

Pure as the color of the flower, as soft as the curved and curled petals. Petite and soft to the unsuspecting eyes. If you never knew her history, you’d think of her as the flawless saint who only prayed for her gods and tended to her own mini garden of Eden in the mountains.

But Seokjin could recognize a killer because he is one too.

He saw it in the flashes of guilt in her eyes that seemed to gaze into a far away place when that sly fox or that discarded royal mutt neglected to pay attention to her.

He recognized it in the split second hesitance that shook her hand whenever she offered them help. It was also in the generosity she displayed and the serene expression in her face when the ones she helped out pointed a knife into her neck, as if waiting for the blade to mar her skin as repentance for the sin of staining her hands with blood for her gods.

For many moons, Seokjin only ever watched as she tended to her garden or entertained the peculiar guests that wandered in every so often.

A mere human shouldn’t have piqued his interest so much that he spent months lingering in the shadows of the forest boundaries, yet she did and it frustrates him to life.

Hunching behind the thick bush, he watched as she tended to the row of tomatoes with that hollowed grey eyes and serene expression.

The saint has long been blinded since she had refused the order of her first god. The woman who every clan has feared due to her ruthlessness and scary determination to succeed her god’s orders, had cried and offered her life for the boy she was told to kill. Shamed by her refusal, the sky god roared and took your eyes as punishment for disobeying.

Seokjin could never forget how her eyes had turned and looked straight back into his and ushered him to come out of the shadows with that soft, gentle voice; could never forget how he stepped into her Eden and overturned his life for the better and for the worse.

Seokjin is in a living nightmare.

Weeks have passed since the night he met ‘Cherry ’ and had a taste of the forbidden heaven. Days since he had woken up the next day and found himself alone in bed, and frantically charged out of the room to send his men on a search.

Yet despite all his efforts, all tracks lead to dust and now he’s borderline murderous because how did a simple woman avoid any efforts of the Sanguine Regius ’ Night Stalkers?

There was no one named Cherry on the list when he checked later on, nor did the name of the right woman on her submitted form pointed him towards the same doe eyed minx with the shadowing anxiety and fear in the confident gaze she had stared him down with.

The staff at the feeding weren't of any help too, being sworn to an oath of secrecy.

Seokjin thinks of himself as a man of patience but after weeks of fruitless hunting, never has he ached so badly to lay waste to the land the saint had fought so hard to keep.

Forgive me, my dear lily. But you would understand, right?

The money he had signed to give out was taken out in cash from the Lupins’ bank and has yet to hit someone's bank account. He had tried to arrange a meeting with their Alpha, even offered riches that hurts him to let go of but he was immediately met with barred fangs and a threat to have his insides pulled out and wrapped around the peak of the eiffel tower for a sunbathe—which Seokjin thinks is surprisingly kinder than what he or any of the coven members could’ve received after 1702.

So he employed professionals to watch the flow of the cash.

Even then, there was nothing.

You'd think all those millions of dollars in cash being converted and deposited into an account would eventually be marked and brought to him by his team yet not a single cent being withdrawn appeared suspicious enough to be a lead.

Snapping another thick file reporting his team’s incompetence to dust, he let out a frustrated groan and ran his fingers through his hair.

He was going crazy.

How could you slip through his fingers as if you’re nothing but an illusion?

All of these resources and men to deploy yet you, an ordinary citizen, had easily dissipated from the air and easily avoided the eyes he deployed in every corner of Seoul.

Surely, someone would've noticed his scent lingering with the bite right? There should've been whispers of a woman with the strong, pungent scent of a royal vampire clinging onto her skin walking around the streets but miraculously, there was none.

It's like you never even existed.

A mere hallucination created by his lonesome mind to compensate for the lack of noise and chaos in his life.

With his brothers breathing down his neck after initiating the accidental one-sided magic bond, and the increasing tightness bordering pain in his chest, he knew he had to do more than sitting back and letting his team search for you in his stead.

He could try following the ushering whispers of the bond like Namjoon had suggested but even that feels like following a near-transparent spider-web.

He never had problems tracing and sensing the tug of the bond like he does with his coven mates but even trying to detect yours felt like looking through a small pinhole; it as if something is keeping him from finding you.

Seokjin halts.

Gods, are there greater powers involved? Haven't they done enough already? Haven’t the coven suffered enough to make up for their so-called sins?

Leaning back on his chair, he thinks back to someone else's sweet smile and the endearing crinkles accompanying a pair of grey, clouded eyes. In the brief moment his eyes had closed, he was back in that damned garden again—back to hearing the gentlest rhythm of heartbeat and the heart-aching gentleness of someone’s hand when it cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead.

But when he opened his eyes again, he’s brought back to the monotonous greys and black of his office, and the accompanying deafening silence.

Damn it.

Was it weird that he's reminded of a ghost when he's on the verge of madness trying to flip the whole world to find you, a new woman he’s planning to court?

The lilt in your eyes and the flirtiness in your smile shouldn't have reminded him of the gentle saint—a goddess among men—yet it does and it made his stomach churn. A saint shouldn’t be compared to anyone, no matter how pure your soul might be.

A sharp shrill of the telephone cuts through his thoughts before it could stray further and he picks it up.

“Hyung.” Jimin’s soft voice goes through. “We found something. It's not the woman you're trying to find but..”

“What is it? You sound too soft for it to be something bad.”

Despite his words, his fingers drummed on the armrest.

“We found Jungkook.”

Seokjin sits up a little straighter.

Jungkook had suddenly disappeared from thin air a year ago without any notice nor any trail for them to follow, despite being one of the most well-known nocturnals in the world.

It wasn’t the first nor was it the second or the third time he disappeared under their noses but he had always returned to their manor in the end.

After the first few times, they noticed a pattern—sometimes it was a week-long sadness followed by him fleeing the manor with nothing but money and his journal but with his current disappearance, he had just upped and left during dinner in the Maldives, as if hearing an alarm from somewhere in the world and bolting out without another word.

He had left so easily as if they weren’t celebrating their coven’s anniversary, something he had always been looking forward to a few months prior, and he’s yet to send them any updates on his well-being.

What is so important for him to leave them with that unbelieving surprised look on his face?

“Where is he? How did you find him?”

“It was a bit hard since he’s cloaked himself since last year but there's been talks about a Lupin in Seoul National University that fits his description. Just with more tattoos, long hair, and piercings.”

“University? What is he trying to gain by acting like a college student? He's an immortal with more knowledge than any of his peers! He lived through history itself for hell’s sake!”

Jimin sighed. “I wish I knew too but you can't really know anything about that guy, he's so unpredictable! Anyway, how’s Namjoon hyung doing?”

“Not a single word from him yet, but according to Yoongi, he might level the council soon.”

“That’s scary, does he even have that much power?”

“He might’ve Fallen but he’s still a god. Did you forget last year?”

“You think we can tell them about this though? Without causing a calamity or a tsunami somewhere?”

“I'll tell them, just not now. The council's been breathing down their neck since that new Fall in Russia. People are scared, they think it means the Heavens are dying or something stupid. Still don’t understand why they care so much about those fuckers dying when they’re the reason we’ve all been reduced to a couple millions.”

“Yoongi and Namjoon used to be High Celestials, you know?” Jimin deadpanned.

Seokjin rolled his eyes at this. “Anyways, when will you guys come home? I made brownies and got no one to share it with, it's depressing! Hope doesn’t even like sweets so all that batch is gonna rot!”

Jimin giggled. “Well, go share your blessings to the public for a little while longer ‘cause it seems like we’re gonna stay here till the end of the week, Tae said he wanted to check something out, a familiar energy he says.”

He knows not to hope. Seokjin had tasted another woman to ease the ache of an eternally shattered heart but no one could ever erase the ticklish sensations of a love so pure he experienced with her yet even then, a miniscule glow of hope lights up in his chest.

A soul torn and worn down from its whimsiness and life by the cruel gods, there’s not a single chance she would reincarnate but Seokjin still hoped.

It was the least the fates could grant her after everything.

“You think it's her?” Seokjin uttered out, voice drowned out by his metaphorical heartbeats.

“We’re not sure yet… You know how much he and Jungkook had lost their minds when she died so I’m doubtful. I mean, they ‘found’ her soul in a worm for hyung’s sake!”

“Don’t make me bring up the shit you’ve done before.”

“That was one time AND I was hibernating.”

“How can you excuse burrowing—I mean, hibernating next to her grave?”

Seokjin heard the man scrooge up a thousand excuses in his head in the silence that followed and he cackled.

Jimin huffed. “It’s not like you relics weren’t better. Out of all of us though, the elf was the only one who mourned the least. He helped us despite the odds and the price but in the end, was the most nonchalant out of all of us. I really thought he was the one who loved her the most.”

“Who knows, maybe that sneaky elf is off doing dark magic and luring sacrifices into a dark circle to remove the restrictions on her soul.”

“Don’t put that image in my head. I doubt he’s that heartless. Elves might not be able to feel these ‘icky’ emotions like we do but they have morals.”

But how does a man with nothing left keep their morals intact? Seokjin never knew how Hoseok, a prince with no more kingdom to guide and no more saintess to act as his compass, remained level-headed and sane.

It spoke of Hoseok’s character and Seokjin never fails to praise the man for his resilience.

“Just come home soon. I don’t want to keep on visiting elderly homes downtown just to hand out my cooking, I’m done being matched with their daughters and granddaughters.”

“We will, bye hyung!”

“Stay safe, Jimin. Tell Tae I said ‘hi’.”

Two weeks since your fateful encounter with Jin and you find yourself back in the province to spend time—and money—with your family.

Soomin had peppered you in her own stash of scent blockers to remove the lingering scent on the bite which stuck to your skin no matter how strong your mother's enchantments were on your necklace. It was a wonder how you both even managed to cloak it ten minutes before class started.

The fake trail she had her coven mates craft for you could only do so much to hold back the arch-vampire who was apparently turning the world over and out for a morsel of a clue of your real identity.

You nearly spiraled when you heard that Kim Seokjin himself had personally visited their den to ask for help a couple of days ago, offering riches only their coven could possess, even attaching a couple of billions to the bounty in his desperation despite the age-old animosity with the Bangtan Coven and the Lupins.

But Soomin’s power over her den is far stronger than any money or pureblooded royal vampire and the Lupins turned him away.

In the short time frame since you received the money from the feeding, you barely touched the money except when you paid off your and your family's bills, and school tuition. Despite knowing you could buy everything that's picking up dust from your online shopping cart, trying to spend it all left you feeling uncomfortable.

Save for the new gadgets and daily expenses, you haven't really dared to spend the money on anything else.

There's enough digits on your balance to make sure you and your family could live without worry until you graduate next year, and a couple more hundred thousand dollars waiting to be exchange hidden inside of a clustered, hollowed out books in your shelf back in the dorms, yet a nagging fear looms over whenever you dare think about buying something outside of your actual needs.

Instead of being laid back and content like Soomin with wealth, the money felt like a deadline. It makes you anxious thinking of the near future where the comfort of living with no stress awaited you the moment the zeros on your bank returned to normal again.

You almost puked when you swiped your card to buy yourself a new phone to replace the one barely held together by tape and prayers.

Soomin told you to enjoy life and buy everything you want, saying it's only a matter of time before the Kim Coven discovers you anyways—which apparently meant being spoiled rotten to the point of everything losing its luster—but you couldn’t even buy yourself new clothes without having a borderline panic attack in front of the cashier.

It was awkward punching the code in the terminal afterwards with the cashier frowning down at you.

Two weeks after the feeding, some rabid wolf damaged a considerably large part of the campus, forcefully giving the students and its facilities a sudden break, and you had decided to go home instead of pacing around the dorm alone.

It only took you a glance at the worn screen door, and the small screen TV you remembered being bought back in the 2000s before pulling your family to the mall to buy new furniture.

But honestly, if you had it your way, you would've bought a new house entirely in a nicer neighbourhood but your mother's reluctance and insistence on you saving the money had limited you to only an overhaul of the old furniture.

Pushing out the discomfort from seeing your money drop, you bought them new home electronics and furniture, and dragged her from store to store to pick out the clothes she used to only stare at longingly. She deserved every single penny after all.

But of course, your mother had refused them all.

At least until Soobin showed up carrying the floral blouses and dresses in her favorite colors thrown over his shoulder, claiming that he’s buying them for him to wear and not for her.

“It feels really nice to spend noona’s money. Noona, you can buy me a new laptop right?”

Unlike your mother, Soobin was shameless the moment you had given him the green light to buy as many as he wanted. You expected to faint when he picked out the expensive gaming laptop but seeing the pure, unbridled glee spread across his face made it all worth it.

Pride bloomed warm when for a second, you saw a flash of his 7-years-old self before you with that happy blush and tooth-aching smile as he practically vibrated with excitement when the clerk opened the laptop and the keyboards lit up like rainbows.

And when he was done picking his new devices, he turned his attention to the clothing racks and pulled one hanger after another in every store you entered, practically having an overhaul of his closet by the time he’s done with his pick.

Determined to spoil her before the day ends, the both of you pulled your mother into a high-end shop in Seoul to buy her a bag.

You hadn’t missed the way the security guard had scanned you guys from head to toe and stuck two stone-faced salesladies to follow your family around the store but decided to not pay much heed to it, they weren’t harming anybody. Soobin had broken away, distracted by the shoe display by the men section with one of the saleslady following behind him.

You head towards the small crossbody bags, appraising the quality of the materials and designs neatly placed around the three-layered spiral display on top of quartz white table.

Despite knowing how attentive your shadow is, you reached for the darkest one with the black and gold chains to inspect it closer.

Soomin had two high dressers filled with bags with costs comparable to a drop of faerie blood in the black market. They're all in different sizes and colors but with almost the same diamond patterns and loud brand logo clamps. You never saw the appeal in collecting bags, even now when you're holding one and appraising the material of the item. It had always looked useless and impractical for you.

Sure you'd have enough bags to fit every occasion but what about those limited edition handbags you don't even take out of the dust bag or the box? It always confused you how they could buy something so expensive only to never wear or show them off?

“Excuse me, ma’am.”

You turn to the saleslady, ignoring the sinking feeling in your guts as she stares at the bag in your hands.

“Those items aren’t for display. They’re... exclusive.” She gives you a once-over, her lips twitching with a hint of a sneer. “Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with the ones we have at the back?”

You blinked, surprised by the sheer judgment in her voice.

“I-I really don’t think we should be in here, petal,” Your mother whispered next to you, her arm tightening around yours. “Their stares are making me nervous, I’ll accept the automatic washing machine, yeah?—let’s-let’s just go.”

Your mother is retreating and while it happened quite often, you couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at her.

The saleslady was being rude, not only towards her but also you, yet she thought the best way to react is to run away.

"No, I think I’m staring at the right products. I want this.” You said, voice firm as you pointed at the black leather purse with the golden accents and quilted diamond motifs, ignoring the tugs on your cardigan as your mother retreated into herself as the silence between you and the saleslady grew tenser and sharper.

Placing it down like how it looked prior to you picking it up, you turned to reach for the small handbag when the lady loudly cleared her throat.

“With all due respect, ma’am, I assure you that these products are more…”

“What? Expensive? I just told you that I can afford it.” You responded with barely concealed anger.

“Little leaf, please .”

Being one of the few faeries that successfully fled during the war between the nocturnals and the celestials, you understand your mother’s reluctance in being noticed and picked. As a dwindling population, it was natural to be scared, you understand that.

Faeries were once mischievous creatures that terrorized the forest but at the same time, were the kindness that selfishly healed the wounded animals and other supernaturals.

But the damage and wreckage of the Great War is astronomical, it almost ended the world.

With all creatures wounded and in critical states, they turned to the faeries. Not for aid but to squeeze them out of their blood for sustenance and survival, and by the end of it, your kind was reduced to nothing but a secret; a secluded society only known to those unlucky enough to have a drop of its prized blood in their veins.

But to willingly bow her head in the face of blatant disrespect for the sake of not drawing attention, you couldn't help but feel a little resentful of her.

Despite her beliefs, your family won’t get tackled and devoured on the streets just because you grow a little bit agitated or decide to be a little mischievous, a well-known trait of a faerie. Kindness is also written into your genetic codes as light faeries and it's seen in your mother when she gave the neighbors permission to harvest from her greenhouse, despite some of them taking far too much or leaving a mess behind.

Yet she never shied away from displaying that trait.

Everyone has the capacity to feel, to be angry. Humans themselves are reckless, mischievous, and hurtful yet your mother treats those emotions as if they belong exclusively to faeries.

Why is she so afraid to feel a little angry at the world for reducing your kind to the most cowardly bunch there is?

How could she hear all these insults and still think of retreating with hunched shoulders and ducked head as the best response?

"Of course, ma'am. And anyone can say they can afford it." The saleslady says with a sickeningly sweet smile with a tilt of her head. "But with exclusivity, it’s not just about price. It’s about… placement . Presence. A certain kind of discretion that our regular clientele naturally exude."

“Oh you—”

“Come on, little leaf. W-we’ll be going now, alright? Soobin—”

“Mom!”

Her head snapped to you, eyes wide and full of fear. Immediately, the guilt from shouting at her consumes you, draining the anger from your body.

“I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to—”

“What is going on here?”

Turning to the owner of the voice, you find yourself staring at the man with the imposing build and a face hidden behind a black beanie and mask. Pierced eyebrow tilts up as his soldering gaze pinned the saleslady now holding a surprised expression on her face, not expecting someone to step in between the rapidly escalating conflict.

Soobin jogs to your side with a barely concealed grin and whispered: “That man offered to help us, said he was getting pissed at how they were treating us so he asked me if he could step in.”

And boy, did that piss you off.

You were handling the situation just fine.

There was no need for a knight clad in an oversized black shirt and baggy cargo pants to step in for you. There was never a need for a tattooed wolf to confront the store staff himself while you hid behind his wide back like a coward.

But before you could try to tell him off, your mother grabbed onto your sleeve and pulled you and Soobin out of the store.

The new furniture arrived the next day and the uncles from a few doors down had made quick changes to your doors, it should satisfy you seeing everything in your home change but the guilt from yesterday persisted in your heart.

You had apologized to your mom, even manned the wet market stall to lighten the weight on your chest but you’ve noticed how careful she now acts around you.

It wasn’t just the sin of disrespecting your mother that had kept you awake at night though.

Someone had knocked on your door that morning and left a box wrapped in a black matte paper with a velvet ribbon containing the very same bag you had been eyeing yesterday. There was no scent sticking to the materials, not a single card that addresses who it came from, nothing.

And that terrified you.

None of the store staff would’ve bothered sending you the bag as an apology after making a scene—although it was justified—and there was no one else in that store except for that masked guy who volunteered to defend you and your mother from the nasty saleslady.

But how did he find out where you lived? Was he a part of Seokjin’s nightcrawlers?

Or is he a part of the Kim Coven?

But Soomin had sworn up and down that the balm had erased the scent from Seokjin’s bites, even bringing one of her pack members to double check. No one should’ve been able to detect any scent from you, not even your own natural, non-faerie scent.

Yet the man somehow did and traced your back home to leave the gift.

For all the anger you had for your mother yesterday for purposely lowering herself to not draw attention and have people investigating her, you find yourself narrowing your eyes at the surroundings whenever you pass by a window or whenever you open the door today.

You had spent the entire lunch scrounging up ideas for anything that might come, thumb aching from all the scrolling you’ve done on nearby condominiums or houses in the safer, human neighborhood you could rent for your family for a time away from Busan.

But all those options needed what you do not infinitely possess.

Money.

Something both of your old jobs as a barista and a cashier won’t be able to provide enough once the money runs out.

You need a stable stream of money that won’t just cover all the monthly expenses but to be able to give you the ability to afford better comforts for them, maybe even get Soobin into a private school.

You need to become someone nobody could ignore, someone no one would dare disrespect.

But is the only way to achieve those is to sell yourself?

It is the only way you could easily fill your bank account to the brim, though. Despite the danger.

Maybe I could ask Soomin—

“Oh heavens, this is going to be a disaster...” Your mother muttered from beside you with a shake of her head.

Looking up from the potato you've been peeling, you watched Kim Namjoon walk up into the mic with his head held high and a handsome, dimpled smile brightening his face. The dragon is as distinguished as ever in his tailored black suit that folded over his muscles attractively, it screams of money and class despite the minimal accessories.

There was no mistaking his dragon heritage nor his previous status as a High Celestial with the way he carried himself and naturally attracted—no, commanded the attention of all.

“You like wealth, princess? I have plenty. My coven has a dragon, he'd spoil you rotten, he’d stop at nothing to give you everything you'd ever wanted.” Seokjin's voice whispers and that's all it took for you to remember the heat, and the sweet and raw taste of lust permeating the air.

You flush, shrinking into your seat, embarrassed by the memories of how you acted under Kim Seokjin’s mercy.

“Hello, I am Kim Namjoon, the Sovereign of Spring, the Lord of Dragons, and the Leader of the Kim Coven,” He bows. “But today, I do not stand before you as a ruler, or a celestial, but as Kim Namjoon, the guy you see in bookstores.”

“How long before someone asks about that Fall in Russia?” Your mother asks, turning to you and you shrugged.

“I bet someone's gonna cut in while he's debriefing us on it.”

“You think he'll explode?”

You spot Min Yoongi standing a couple of steps behind him and shake your head.

There was a reason the serpent god was elected beside the dragon despite not wanting to participate in politics himself.

After last year’s disaster when reporters began to clamour over each other with questions about their missing youngest’s reason for leaving, ended with a wide smiling Namjoon in the middle of the chaos in the Venice Nocturnal Palace as a powerful earthquake shook the land, no doubt caused by his silent anger.

No reporter dared to speak negatively of his coven members since then.

“There's another member present, he won't.”

Your mother nodded and went back to slicing the potatoes you were done with.

The front door creaked and Soobin stepped in. Your mind notes two things upon his arrival. He had his hood up but you could see the dark expression written on his face. The second was the wince he let out when he had turned to shut the door behind him.

But before you could investigate further, a smile cracked through his expression at the sight of you and your mother at the couch.

Another thing your mind caught was despite the happy facade he puts up, his deep dimple wasn't visible.

No matter how small of a smile your brother showed, there will always be the deep dip accompanying them on his left cheek.

“Hey, what are you guys doing with all those potatoes?”

“I’m planning to cook mojos for snacks later. How’s school, dear?” Your mother brightly responds and Soobin’s face drops into a neutral expression as he shrugged.

“Same old. Got a lot of homework to do though, so I’ll see you guys at dinner?”

You could’ve shrugged it off, thinking Soobin must be tired from school but then you noticed something different in his gait as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom.

He was limping. A barely-there stagger, but unmistakable. That detail and the wince from earlier adds up into an upsetting imagery and you frown.

You stand as normally as you can, trying to not alert your mother, and excusing yourself to Soobin’s room with the promise of coming back. You caught up to Soobin before he entered his room and barely caught his arm before he’s snapping them away with a hiss.

“Soobin, what happened?”

“There’s nothing to worry about, I just tripped during PE.” He dismisses after a couple of beats before turning back to retreat into his room.

“Soobin, I saw you limping. Did something—”

“I’m fine.” The words came out clipped, sharp. “Just… help mom with the potatoes, I can handle myself. Just an hour's rest and I’ll be bouncing off again.”

“No, you’re not. Don’t lie to me.”

“Just continue with your life and don’t bother about me. Heavens, why are you always up in people’s business?"

In a different timeline, you would’ve been pissed off hearing him utter that to you but seeing him cower into himself, try to conceal the pain he gained from god-knows-what because you know well that PE classes don't run students down until they’re limping and bruised.

“Gods damn it, work with me here!”

“How about you stop trying to poke your nose where it doesn't belong?! Leave me be!”

He loudly slams the door, shaking the foundation with his might. It frustrates you how unwilling he is to impart his troubles. Siblings might fight and sometimes it gets to the point where your mother has to snap everything throwable around you both away but Soobin should know that you’ll always be there for him.

Soobin should know better than his sister to keep all of his problems to himself. He was supposed to be better than both you and your mother.

“Fine then.” You huffed. “Act like the child you are!”

You didn’t even hear your mother’s call for your name as you stomped out of the house.

And you didn’t need to be a world-renowned detective to know Soobin’s being bullied in school.

A mother who sells fruits and vegetables in the wet market, an absent father, and a half-sister who only visits twice a year. You didn’t even want to remember the worn shoes he used to wear and the laggy, hand-me-down phone he has, you might puke on the street just thinking about how it must’ve fueled his bullies.

But what frustrated you the most was how he's keeping it all to himself. Does your sister look so weak to you?

Unless his bullies are rich and Soobin is aware of the limitations.

This world has never been fair.

Even when the people in power change, even when they try to fix the system or change the cycle, everything stays the same as before.

The rich get rich and the poor get poorer.

In such a world, there was only one option you had to at least lighten the load of this overbearing society on your family.

People say money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy status, comfort and most importantly, respect. Beggars get ignored because they couldn’t afford a home, a new change of clothes or even something as simple as a bar of soap while the rich get free passes for their crimes and are bowed to with a simple wag of their cash.

It doesn't matter how dangerous it will be to sell your blood, if it grants your family the same immunity or, at the very least, a pinch of respect from the people outside.

Because for them, everything is worth it.

Pulling out your phone, you scrolled down your contact list to find Soomin’s number when a ball of fur suddenly tackled you down.

“Oh my god! Yeontan why would you do that?! You silly dog!” For some reason, the deep velvety timbre of the dog owner’s voice felt familiar. Yeontan is lifted off of you and the man immediately helps you up. “I am so sorry for my dog, miss…”

You rubbed your back, glaring at the black pomeranian looking back at you with his tongue poking out. Realizing your phone had jumped out of your hold when the little demon had barrelled into you, you looked around to find it next to you on the floor, a small crack at the corner of the screen.

A defeated sigh left you as you wiped the screen off of your jeans.

“It’s fine, no damage done. Good thing, I applied a tempered glass on this bad boy, I might’ve sobbed if…” You trailed off as you looked up into Yeontan’s owner.

He stood still as his golden brown eyes stared back at yours. The man was ethereal, divine. With long eyelashes kissing his cheeks and a perfect mix of pink and red tainting his lips, Yeontan’s owner looked nothing short of angelic.

There was something about him that rings familiar but you couldn’t put a finger on it.

It wasn’t the kind of familiarity you feel for a model you’ve seen in a passing commercial or someone famous on the tabloids. As stupid as it sounded, the familiarity felt deeper.

As if your soul itself has recognized him.

“Have we met before?”

Then all of a sudden, the beautiful man is crying.

TAGLIST: @m00njinnie @idysmfrst @passionandsuga @v4ksk4tz @queenbloody @uniquetravelerone @k-p0p-4ever @thestarglarer

#bts x reader #bts x reader poly #bts x fem!reader #bts x y/n #bts x you #kim namjoon x reader #kim seokjin x reader #min yoongi x reader #jung hoseok x reader #park jimin x reader #kim taehyung x reader #jeon jungkook x reader #namjoon x reader #jin x reader #suga x reader #jhope x reader #jimin x reader #v x reader #jungkook x reader

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au-roulette · 1 day ago

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Why are you allowing a fandom made by a rapist misogynist (good omens) on this?

The official rules for AU Roulette state that all fandoms and types of content are allowed, so long as they are appropriately tagged. Since this is a policy not everyone is going to agree with, I am willing to take this opportunity to elaborate a little on why.

For some context, the person who runs this challenge is a relatively sex- and romance-repulsed aro/ace, who primarily reads and writes genfic, and who has several of the fandoms people signed up with this year blacklisted (Good Omens included -- since 2019). In the years since I started AU Roulette, I have allowed a lot of content that I personally object to. I am trans, but have still given assignments to people writing Harry Potter fic. I personally dislike reading about sex in most contexts, but have never excluded a fic because it has smut.

The point is, I have tried to never let my personal squicks, triggers, or other preferences dictate who gets to participate in the challenge. Because frankly, I have a lot of them. What I have been militant about is insisting that the fics that get written for AU Roulette are all properly tagged with their fandoms, as well as relevant tropes and content warnings, so that people who want to avoid reading those things are able to. At the end of the day, that's far more important to me than futilely trying to dictate what things people like.

I'm not here to debate whether or not people should write for certain fandoms or use certain tropes in their writing. That seems like a personal choice, and also something I have very little actual control over. Because at the end of the day, I also know that my choosing to include or exclude them in AU Roulette is not going to change what people write. The people who write ships I don't like are still going to write for those ships, the people whose favorite tropes squick me out are still going to like those tropes, and the people who write for fandoms I have blacklisted are still going to write fic for those fandoms. That's just how fandom works.

I guess what I'm trying to say is -- I think we could all have more productive conversations about how to make people feel safe and welcome in fandom (which, again, more often involves proper tagging than it does outright prohibition of content) if people weren't so aggressive about assuming that allowing things = endorsement. That doesn't tend to be a productive starting point, in part because it is often genuinely untrue. And even when it is, it's incredibly subjective. There's probably someone out there genuinely upset or at least bothered by something you love, too. If I tried to prohibit certain content in this challenge, it would 1) be extremely rooted in my own personal opinions about what is and isn't "problematic" and 2) also become something of a moral OCD Saw trap for me, and thus untenable to run. Especially considering AU Roulette is multi-fandom, because there's no way I could familiarize myself with the #discourse surrounding every single fandom people sign up with.

I hope that makes my stance clear. If that bothers you, there is nothing wrong with blacklisting certain tags or even unfollowing the main blog for the challenge if it helps you avoid content that you find upsetting. I am a huge fan of curating your own fandom experience to make yourself as comfortable as possible. But in the same vein, getting bogged down in conversations about what media, ships, or tropes are allowed as a part of this challenge would very quickly make it un-fun for me to run.

The world sucks right now. I'd rather put my energy towards materially helping people harmed by real, actual social forces than get mad because they showed up in a fanfic -- or even because an author, screenwriter, or other creative is affiliated with them. One of the ways I personally have chosen to do that is to run a silly little challenge on the internet every summer, to give people something fun and creative to look forward to. I encourage you to find something similar. It will probably be a lot more fulfilling.

#au roulette 2025

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plusvanity · 2 days ago

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🫒HIKE TIME🫒

(Inspired by my latest hiking adventure✌️)

Silly headcanons:

-Kris's idea (he does it for his boy-thing's 'health')

-Kris is the worst type of hiker when he goes out in nature because he doesn't go very often and he doesn't know shit about it. He thinks that all sorts of wild animals and flying dragons are out to get him, so he arms himself with bear spray, knives, ultrasound whistles and all sorts of useless stuff that he won't ever need for real. For a three hours trip, he packs up a thermic tent, a water filter, climbing sticks, and all the heavy gear that one would use to survive a week somewhere in Alaska, NOT in the lame surroundings of Bergen. Nobody can argue with him. All because 'better safe than sorry'.

-he literally had to drag Olive Boy all the way to the forest because he wouldn't get his lazy ass out of bed on his own.

-Olve finishes up his 2 L water bottle within the first 15 minutes of just walking under the sun, then he starts whining to Kris to give him his water. Kris kinda has a bit of mercy and decided to share his own water only to see his stupid boyfriend pour it on himself to 'cool off' instead of having a sip and handing it back. That's when he firstly considers throwing Olive off a cliff.

-30 minutes in, the sun gets absolutely unbearable. Kris doesn't really mind it because he's got sunscreen on and a cap (in case it gets worse), but Olive is literally melting. And he's not shutting his big mouth about it. The more the sun is burning him, the more clothes he takes off. That's his splendid logic. And the harder it is to breathe, the more he smokes. (Boy has a lot of qualities, but sense is not one of them)

-1 hour in, Varg basically turned into a mountain goat, climbing with ease, exploring and enjoying everything but the mosquitos that bite his arms, cheeks and fat lips. Olive Boy is left behind to drag himself along, being less dramatic and more in real pain. He's got a headache, and he's slowly but surely turning into a cooked lobster. He starts bitching about Kris wanting him dead and gone for making him suffer when they could stay inside, get freaky and all that jazz. Kris just rolls his eyes at his cries, but he has the decency to wait for him to catch up on the trail.

-2 hours in, Olive is literally crying and all the weight that he's loosing is in sweat and tears. He's done. His body is sore from his head to his toes. He lost one of his flip-flops. He ran out of water and pistachio, and he's entirely exhausted. He lies down on grass and waits to die. He tells Kris to go on without him, live his life, find a wife, make babies and be happy while he succumbs to his end.

Kris sighs, tries to get him back on his feet (he can't actually) and tells him that they're almost there.

-3 hours in, they reach their destination and find the best view spot. They lie down on the ground and admire the scenery. The silence is soothing and there's a cool breeze blowing through their hair, rendering their efforts worth it in the end. Olve tells Varg that maybe it wasn't 'that bad' after all. Kris gladly agrees, but he also kinda wants to kick his ass for being a little bitch through the whole trip.

-after that, they get back and go home but not before Varg buys Olve a big kebab and mango ice-cream for making it to the top of the mountain (it's just a hill, though).

All's good in the world, but Olive's sunburns. He starts shedding skin like a lizard and everything hurts again. Varg helps him peel the dead skin off his back and shoulders (he kinda likes that, from a fascinating/ scientific point of view). Then, he has Olive lying down in bed on his belly to put some Aloe lotion on him. He doesn't like playing nurse, but he doesn't like seeing Olve suffer either (at least not when he shouldn't).

That's it. I might do a Vargelle version also because that would be cute and silly.

#my art #my drawngs #varg vikernes #black metal #burzum #abbath #abbarg #true norwegian black metal #immortal band #small artist #artists on tumblr

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profounddefendorcrusade-blog · 2 days ago

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WoY thoughts

(these are random and mostly about Wander; I still have so much to say about him)

🌟 Wander's definitely interested in girls:

Not to mention how he literally sang a song about how to win a girl's heart in "My Fair Hatey"

but there are also moments like this one:

That's why I headcanon him as either bisexual or pansexual (I'll go with pan because Wander seems like the type who'd date anyone and also because it's funny how "wan" and "pan" rhyme). He 100% had many flings, but no serious relationships, based on how he has no deeper friendships other than the one with Syl

Wander is sappy, touchy-feely and playfully flirty, but I'm pretty sure most of his previous relationships ended because he left to visit new galaxies and meet new people. He loves traditionally romantic gestures and believes in "happily ever after" like we see in "The Hero," "The Matchmaker" and (especially) "The Battle Royale." But when Demurra & Draykor start talking about what a healthy relationship consists off, Wander cuts them off. He seems to be flighty and idealistic when it comes to relationships, doesn't seem to know or care about the realistic aspects of them, nor is he someone who commits

🌟 Wander crossdresses MANY TIMES in the show (like in "The Greatest," "The Date," "The Enemies," "The Secret Planet") and in "The Wanders," we see two parts of him that are women not to mention how he is feminine personality-wise, too

Also, based on how Wander most often dresses up as a blonde and how he found Demurra beautiful, I get the feeling he's into blondes

🌟 Wander won't say no to attention, romantic or not. His feelings towards Janet seemed to be "I love the attention she's giving me, so me and Syl are gonna stay for a bit and I'll bask in the attention, have fun and enjoy myself," but then he was like "Uh, she's actually TOO obsessed with me and it's making me very uncomforable, this is getting out of hand, I gotta get out of here but be polite about it!"

🌟 Wander thinks on the go and knows what's going on around him even though he seems oblivious. These expressions show it

I know the writers couldn't figure out if Wander was oblivious or not,

but this is one of those cases where the character "writes themselves" BECAUSE THE FACES WANDER MAKES SO OBVIOUSLY MEAN HE'S AWARE OF EVERYTHING. Even the pilot episode shows this, but nobody on the team picked up on it. It's like they didn't know Wander back then I found him to be just a silly little guy at first too Just like in "The Wanders" we learn his kindness is a choice, in "The Waste Of Time," it's revealed Wander knows that he often relies on his gut and is detail-oriented

🌟 Sylvia cares about Wander yet REALLY doesn't understand him (although I love how he inspired her to be kinder and how she said about Hater "An enemy is just a friend you haven't made yet!" in the last ep, especially bc it contrasts how she talks about him in "The Greatest") . The moments where she questions him and his methods/expresses annoyance parallel how Peepers treats Hater bc they are the "straight-men" in their respective duos. How similar the two are best shows in eps like "The Battle Royale," "My Fair Hatey" and "The Show Stopper"

Annoying villains until they warm up to him and (eventually) quit villainy IS his way of stopping them

Wander doesn't force anyone to reform if they choose not to (that's why there aren't many reformed villains in the show)

and straight up says how she thinks he is oblivious to danger

Neither Sylvia nor Peepers acknowledges Wander as the genius that he is. they're both way too grounded & sensible to understand Peepers only did it in "The Prisoner" to get Hater to say the password and briefly in "The Little Guy" where he said:

This must have been a speech that Hater ordered him to learn by heart. If he had actually meant what he said, Peepers would have started taking Wander more seriously after this episode, which he doesn't do

(I said this before but it still doesn't hurt to say it again) Hater picked up on Wander's genius from the start because he's also an impulsive genius

🌟 I've heard some fans wonder what good things Wander sees in Hater, and I shared my thoughts about the topic here. But the thing is, Hater actually has good qualities. He's:

passionate,

endearing,

protective of Tim and Peepers,

romantic (I don't think Hater was into Dominator just for the looks. He didn't want to be alone forever, as he admits to Peepers in "The Rival," and thought that she was his soulmate bc she had the same goals and morals as him. Dom was genuinely the only person Hater tried to learn more about and saw as greater than himself),

intelligent and a great leader when he's focused,

someone with a bombastic, fiery personality

🌟 Both Hater and Wander are associated with monkeys in some way (Wander is compared to a cat AND a monkey by Bill, Phil and Gil and pretended to be one in "The Secret Planet"; Hater is pretty obviously similar to a chimpanzee except he doesn't have monkey feet), so I think they're the characters connected to Monkeyboy

More similarities:

Whenever Wander becomes obsessed with something, he is 100% hyperfocused (e.g "The Epic Quest." "The Box," "The Battle Royale," "The Matchmaker"), just like how Hater's obsessed with destroying Wander throughout the entire show

We don't know details about either of their pasts

Sylvia and Peepers don't know everything about their best buds

Wander's creativity is pretty obvious, but Hater is also creative

Despite what Peepers & Sylvia might think, Hater & Wander could manage on their own before they came into their lives

The entire "The Breakfast" episode is FULL of Wander/Hater (and Sylvia/Peepers) paralells

Wander not only sems to be the 'good guy' version of Hater, but I also think that Hater would be even more similar to Wander if he ever decided to humble down

🌟 Both Peepers & Wander are hardworking go-getters, can step into leadership positions when they have to (Peepers was forced to grow into this role because of Hater, meanwhile Wander has episodes like "The Ball," "The Hero," "The Rager," "The Secret Planet," "The End Of The Galaxy"), and sometimes mimic Hater/Sylvia like they are their older siblings ("The Big Job," "The Funk," "The Greater Hater")

🌟 If Peepers was born wanting to conquer the galaxy, it would be an interesting parallel if Wander was born wanting to defend it from bad guys

🌟 Peepers bullies the rest of the Watchdogs all the time not just because he's a workaholic with a short temper, but also because he doesn't want to be associated with his own species AT ALL. It has to do with his inferiority complex. Peepers really hates not feeling smart and capable + seeing the Watchdogs always reminds him how short and small and helpless they're all seen as (Napoleon complex). Peeps definitely feels insignificant and unimportant as a Watchdog

🌟 My thoughts on Hater:

🌟 It's funny how Wander is a "half cat" and yet he loves water ("The Lonely Planet"). In the same ep, it's implied Wan can tell apart different types of plants (when he recognized poisonous ivy)

🌟 I wonder if we're seeing the Yonder galaxy and the villains through Wander's eyes and that's why it looks so goofy and simple and colorful, because it reflects how our mc sees it

🌟 Wander represents the best of humanity

🌟 Sylvia represents normal people just trying to get through each day

🌟 Hater represents the bad side of humanity (Hater learning to let go of hate parallels each of us trying to accept love instead of destroying it/running away from it. So, if Wander represents everything good, and he NEVER gives up on Hater, that means that the message of the show is: "No matter how much we try to push hope away, a piece of it will always be inside us/find a way to come back to us" makes me tear up)

🌟 Peepers represents toxic ambition

🌟 Dominator not only represents story-driven "epic" cartoons/modern viewers and what they like to see in cartoons, but the worst of humanity as well

(the main 5 all represent different things, but they're well-written characters at the same time)

🌟 If Hater used to be in love with Dominator, and constatnly tries to kill Wander (even though he needs his friendship to be happier), this might be a commentary about how we as people like to focus on/"fall in love" with the things that trigger the worst in us and try to disregard hope, optimism, kindness and everything good even though we need it

🌟 Wander remembers even more things than I thought: he remembered that he can use a ring similar to the one in "In Prisoner" in "The Battle Royale," reminded Dominator of their past adventures ("The End Of The Galaxy"), remembers to be every galaxy's "Santa" once every 365 Yuletidian cycles ("The Gift") and that Hater is a bad chef ("The It")

🌟 In "The Battle Royale" (and whenever Wan's happy/proud of Hater or interested in helping him), the way Wander is talking about Hater & Dominator getting together felt to me like he was also experiencing Hater's potential happiness with her. That would explain Wander's devastation when he thought his plan didn't work. Just look at his face

When Hater asks him to help him ask Dominator out, Wander cries tears of joy, and when he gets rejected, he sings to him and looks/sounds SO GENTLE, like he's singing to himself. I've also gotta mention: Wander created an entire battlefield where people could kill each other just to set Hater & Dominator up. Mc Guffin literally got fried in the same episode BECAUSE OF WANDER. He was ready to risk the lives of those around him to help Hater (and by extension, himself). In "The Fugitives," he and Sylvia could have been captured and killed, but Wander prioritized helping everybody else over himself AND his best friend (just one of his many group > individual moments)

Wander doesn't bother with trying to reform people like the troll, Ryder and Screwball, but he always wants to befriend/comfort/help Hater because he's trying to heal the part of himself that Hater represents; the angry and lonely part i don't think Wander is aware of this tho By helping Hater, Wander also makes himself happy, and if he could finally reform him someday, this part of Wander could potentially heal as well, even if just a little bit (just like how reforming Dominator would have confirmed to Wan that he's the best at helping and being the 'nice hero'. Successfully reforming villains gives him a sense of worth as much as helping out with the little things does)

🌟 I love how hard Wander laughs in "The Party Poopers." I wonder if he's ever cried that hard at some point, too

🌟 Wander REALLY REALLY never liked Dominator AT ALL.

He thought she didn't deserve friendship and never tried to befriend her again after "The Greater Hater," until the final episode,

cheered along with the rest of the gang when they all thought Dom got frozen and didn't even try to save her. Btw, he DID know it meant getting frozen to DEATH, bc Sylvia said this line:

and didn't feel sad at all when the Dombot got destroyed in "The Hot Shot" and in "The End Of The Galaxy" he was just curiously looking around while the bots were melting keep in mind, these episodes come AFTER Wander befriended Beep Boop; he already learned Dombots could become nice

The only reason Wander befriended Beep Boop was because he noticed he was hurt and felt bad. Otherwise he would have ignored him like he ignored every other Dombot (he even says one would kill him and Syl in "The Matchmaker")

🌟 Speaking of Beep Boop, there's no way Wander didn't notice the number 13 on him when he's so attentive to the tiniest of details unless he was too focused on having fun w/ him This means that Wander must have known Beep Boop died at the end of "The Bot." I heard some say how he didn't know Bot 13 was Beep Boop since he didn't react when Dom revealed she blew him up in "The End Of The Galaxy." But imo, I think what happened was that Wander figured out what that "shooting star" actually was (whether or not he had noticed the number 13), said his goodbye and moved on from BB's death (while keeping the memories)

You can even see this sort of bittersweet acceptence in Wander's expression

🌟 Wander actually does show signs of toxic positivity

"Experiencing guilt for being sad or angry" - the moment when he got mad, threw fruit at Dominator, then immeditely apologized comes to mind

"Dismissing others' difficult feelings" - it's less about being dismissive and more about... not bothering to dig deep? I mean, Wander is attentive to others' needs, helps with the practical, small things, offers advice, annoys villains to (maybe) reform them, and overall spreads positive vibes throughout galaxies. BUT in "The Waste of Time" for example, Sylvia is clearly upset about being reminded of her past as a bounty hunter. Wander asks her what's wrong, rubs her back, quickly hugs her, and that's the end of that conversation

"Hiding painful emotions" - talked at length about this, plus this particular comment from Dave

"Reciting positive quotes about hard situations" - whenever he gives pep talks/remembers positive sayings AND ESPECIALLY the whole "The Liar" episode

"Ignoring your problems" - also talked at length about this

🌟 THIS adds on to what I already think: Wander was once a hero who protected everyone, which is why he isn't 100% against violence (there's the moment mentioned in "The Fugitives," but he also imitates Sylvia in "The Big Job" after she literally punched the scientist guy unconscious). He's completely fine with being on a battlefield, knows how to use guns (I don't think Wander's current, 'nice guy' self would ever think about learning how to use them, not even to manipulate his surroundings), fly spaceships ("The Prisoner," "The Rider") and a floating motorcycle Brad rode one too and he's also assocated with (fake) heroes ("The Bad Guy" wander didn't even care that he set off explosives. the people behind him could have been hurt or worse but he was riding like a badass anyway, the guy was REALLY into the "bad guy" role). He must have learned everything mentioned here during his 'self-righteous hero' days

🌟 In S3, Wander's worldview would have been tested, presumably by the space cops (Star Force Enforcement Force) because they stand for moral righteousness and justice above understanding and empathy. That's the opposite of what Wander (currently) stands for, but since it's implied that he was a typical hero who used to stop bad guys, he must have believed in the same things back then wan prob allowed villains to be imprisoned/turned them in after he'd save the day. The encounter with the SFEF would have triggered Wander, reminded him of who he once was, and finally forced him to confront his past

#woy #wander over yonder #woy wander #woy sylvia #woy hater #woy peepers #woy dominator #wander #sylvia #lord hater #commander peepers #lord dominator #thoughts #character analysis #long post #save woy #this show is deep

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hestzhyen · 2 days ago

Text

Chapter 88 Princess Posting

Greetings, dear void. Always expect the unexpected in this series.

Editor's notes: First Page: 進入した毘灼を待つのは？！ [shinnyuu shita hishaku o matsu no wa?!] "What awaits the Hishaku invaders?!" Last Page: 混戦！！次号Cカラ-！！ [konsen!! jigou C karaa!!] "A chaotic brawl!! Colour page next issue!!"

That's right, we're getting a colour page next week! AND a collab featuring Chihiro (along with other WSJ MCs) with a Pokemon! Make a wish list for which one you want to see him with, I guess!

Monkey Man and the Squads

Way to make an idiot out of me by showing Izaru again on the very first page. Oh well, I only have myself to blame. Anyway! Keep these panels in mind!

More elite squads to get attached to before they bite it.

Hagiwara we know, glasses girl we meet this chapter (yay!). The traitors were cropped out of the top right left squad it seems:

Whose head is that behind the big guy's shoulder, I wonder... kinda has Toto's hair but it's not her.

...So maybe we'll get to meet the rest of them under better circumstances? Or they'll show up to cause problems since a point was made that the security team doesn't know who all the traitors are yet. Who knows? But the shadowed ones are probably squads we will meet later on. We are definitely getting set up for the next arc now, one that will likely focus on the Kamunabi.

And... Hakuri! At last, probably!

Introducing: Shirakai Kiri

Hello, I love you already, please stay in the story forever.

Why is every woman we meet an instant candidate for Best Girl?! That's not a complaint at all, it's just amazing that every named woman we meet in this series has something special going on that makes them instantly endearing without relying on gooner bait at all. Hello, Kiri! Nice to meet you!

Kiri's name is... something else. Kiri means a few things like cut/be sharp, fog/mist, and auger/drill/pyramid/cone. But the kanji used for her name is 斬 [ki(ru)], which comes up in Kagurabachi quite often. It means beheading/murder/kill.

Imagine telling your granddaughter named after violent decapitation that she can't wield a sword because she's a girl and girls are weak.

1000% behind you Kiri, waste his ass with your comically large odachi.

Doesn't matter that he scared the shit out of Uruha and Samura by telling them to never let her cry- or else. Doesn't matter she was treated like a princess when she was little. Shirakai Itsuo is a shit and I hope Kiri gets the chance to beat him up with her oversized katana when he's done fighting bears.

How does this tie into the larger narrative, though? Well, hear me out here: I think she's Hakuri's version of Iori.

I say this in the sense that we explored a sort of "what if" for Chihiro through Iori and Samura. Iori was very similar to Chihiro in how she felt about her father- she wanted to be with him despite all the danger and pain she'd face at his side. The emotional climax of this arc was centered around the contrast between how Samura and Kunishige treated their children, culminating in Samura realising that Kunishige's way was better than his. Chihiro can't reunite with his dad ever again. But he can make sure Iori and Samura have the future he wanted for himself, at least.

There's a lot more to yap about the similarities and contrasts between Chihiro and Iori, like how they're both kind, normal kids forced into a violent world through circumstances out of their control. How they both chose to embrace that world because of their fathers instead of trying to live in safety. So on and so forth. I might write a lot about it one day... anyway.

Kiri here's set up in a similar way. She's akin to Hakuri in that she's a casual, silly person who wants to kill her (grand)father figure for being a shitty person. Of course, Hakuri framed killing Kyora as making sure there was never another Ice Lady or Rakuzaichi while Kiri's aiming to prove that Itsuo's wrong to underestimate and devalue her. So we could plausibly look at Kiri as a "what if" of Hakuri- if he wasn't desperate for love and approval. If he recognised that how he was being treated wasn't right, perhaps. I'm really excited to see where this goes for them both.

Of course, this reduces Iori and Kiri to characters that are constructed to examine the guys instead of being wholly independent people. I don't think that's necessarily the intent though. Look at how intertwined Hakuri and Chihiro are: they're both integral to each other's development. Hakuri was used to contrast Chihiro quite a lot in the Rakuzaichi arc too. So for now, the girls are introduced to develop the boys and make narrative parallels, yes. But there's nothing stopping them from having growth independent of the guys they met just like Chihiro and Hakuri are growing separately right now. I have faith that Hokazono won't cast Iori and Kiri aside once their relevant arc is done. Hopefully.

It's kind of copium after what happened to Hiyuki this arc, and Hakuri for a lot of it, but I think Hakuri coming back and being set up with his own foil is proof that Hokazono's just having a hard time juggling the pacing with the cast split between two locations and multiple event timelines. Maybe a reunion will help things from feeling so drawn out and frustrating with characters being offscreened for ages? I want to believe so.

At any rate, Kiri had an amazing introduction -she's somehow more casual than Hakuri, even with adults!- and she's going to protect the prince(ss) while Uruha shows us why he's still a warrior to be feared even without Kumeyuri.

Right before we go though I gotta mald about something in in the translation:

Nice of the Hishaku to wait for the convo to finish before attacking, very polite.

In this panel, Kiri calls Hakuri "Hakurin [はくりん]", an extremely casual and cutesy play on his name. Then Uruha immediately adopts it by referring to Hakuri as "Hakurin" here:

rawr XD-ass sorcery

I don't know why it wasn't brought over! It's such a charming touch that Kiri meets Hakuri and calls him something so cute and familiar, like they've been close for ages. And it's further evidence of how Uruha goes along with Kiri's every whim when he uses it himself, IMO. Even calling him "Hakky" or something here would have been better than not translating it at all. Hakurin... so cute...

Uruhabachi

Good Lord he's attractive.

The disappointment of Uruha's sorcery being simple ability enhancement is offset by the revelation that the red marks at the corners of his eyes are related to it. And they look cool as FUCK when he uses his sorcery. God. Uruha shooters, I understand you now. I get it. This man was built to do it all.

If his ability isn't translated, then here we go. 紅演 [kouen] means something like "crimson play" (紅 kou - crimson, deep red; 演 en - performance/act/play/stage/render). Bonus fun fact courtesy of bacon:

Chapter 58

The whole short thread is worth reading, especially if you're an Uruha fan and/or interested in some more translation nuances! But yeah, that entertainment and theatre theme keeps going with him. Really nice touch from the author.

As for facing the Hishaku...

Hello, "Lucas".

He's nervous after all apparently, getting hit like that. But the five of them aren't going to go down easily- stalling for reinforcements to arrive is probably the name of the game.

So many cute Hakurin panels this chapter.

Yura finally has to deal with something he didn't expect to happen too- exciting! Samura did technically fulfill the terms of their pact since Uruha died, he just added that revival component on the sly. Good going by avoiding whatever the trigger for that pinky ring will do on his part. And so, Yura himself steps into the fray.

Just wanted to mention that the effect of the sword forming from the text being pulled off the page is so damn cool.

Hmm...

Uruha seems to understand something of what's going on here, probably thanks to his experience fighting the Sword Master in the Seitei War. I wonder what this "Death Match" Yura's referring to is, though. 死闘 [shitou, life or death struggle, mortal combat] isn't a particular gambit with a known sent of parameters. Yura's really clear on being willing to risk his life for this cause, so it could also just be referring to them being willing to risk their lives as part of the strategy. It's not so clear in JP really:

手札ならあるさ。"死闘"だ tefudanara aru sa... "shitou" da "We have a card. 'Fight to the death'." "We have a card. The Death Match."

Guess we'll have to see the next chapters to fully understand as usual!

Last random TL note. Baldshaku's (really cool!) sorcery is Makou, 魔咬. The official EN is a direct TL and there's not much to say about it, just noting the kanji in case I need to reference it later I guess.

Hakuri!!!

Ending this off with my favourite little guy just because I can. He had so many great expressions this chapter.

It's great that he was honest about his fighting ability with Uruha! He had to be pressed a little about it, but he didn't keep insisting he was fine. Good job, Hakuri- looks like that close call of losing his sorcery for good taught the right lesson. And good on Uruha for recognising that he probably needed to confirm after what happened at the train station and Senkutsuji.

Protect princess Hakurin!

If all the stuff he's registered before was "reset", then that means he can't summon Hiyuki or Chihiro in a pinch any more. And the tools in his warehouse are most likely still there, just not able to be moved around until he re-registers or goes in to handle them himself (sob).

Obviously I hope he re-registers Chihiro in the most yaoi-ful way possible. Like he and Chihiro decide to do it because they want the sense of security being able to reunite at any time brings, practical and tactical concerns being secondary. Please. I know it's biblical greed but damn it, they've been separated for going on a year in real time! Other than that, he is the key piece to protect. I genuinely wonder what Yura plans to do with him and if it's related at all to the Sword Master at this point though.

I mean, Yura's got some connection to the guy and explicitly said they're just stalling for time with the implication that the Sword Master's gonna do something. So maybe Hakuri really is just "bait" to occupy the strongest fighters as something to protect in order to make the plan happen. No Storehouse ability needed, he's just a distraction. That would be pretty lame.

I think we can also rule out a kidnap subplot for Hakuri at this point since he was probably set up to be explored through Kiri. "Lucas" Hishaku may or may not be his rival like Hiruhiko was/is to Chihiro, that remains to be seen. I just genuinely hope that he's got his turn with the Character Development Ball after we spent so much time on the Samurabachi stuff and Chihiro. Chihiro got his development of learning that he can rely on others without worrying that he's asking too much of them thanks to Ro and the Masumi. Now it's Hakuri's turn to... not sure, honestly. Most likely not be so quick to throw his life away or take a beating.

Alright. Tea, painkillers, and rest before next week's chapter. Stay classy dear void and do what it takes to keep yourself afloat.

#kagurabachi #kb ch88 #I only know the first two gens of Pokemon and a random assortment from the later ones so I hope it's one I recognise #If it's a bug type (specifically Scyther) I will lose my shit for no particular reason. None at all.#Hakuri was especially cute this chapter. I love him so much he's so precious and silly #If Chihiro calls him “Hakurin” in canon I might actually perish

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