#this is context but i think its funnier without so

[amphibianaday]

day 1420

[raystimeatportia]

[plasmara]

ok but seriously. dr s3 was not a season it was a fic generator in disguise. LIKE THEY GAVE US SOOOO MUCH. and now I’m drowning in fic ideas with zero ability to commit to just one so here’s a brain dump (but jay edition because i wrote them all out and accidentally hit one thousand million words):

so. the obvious one is jaya. Duhhhhh. just jaya in general. jaya angst. They r so tragic now and i want it all. the absolute disaster of it. i want every version

give me nya trying to flirt her way back in like “hey, remember me? your girlfriend? the love of your life? jay. jay. JAY.” and jay’s like “okay first of all i barely remember ur name.” he’s being stubborn about not catching feelings, and she’s being even worse about refusing to take the hint coz if she can’t win him back with love she is Absolutely going to do it with sheer persistence and mild emotional terrorism

and kai keeps trying to give her advice but fumbling bad bitches is a genetic trait and they’re both diseased

OKAY AND JAY. IN GENERAL. OBVIOUSLY

i need his pov through the whole season. the fallout after what happened w ras and how he was well and truly Abandoned with a capital a HE HAD NO ONE . him trying to piece himself together without his memories. and how he rediscovers like the little things that made him HIM. the inventing. the way he starts tinkering with stuff without even thinking. the terrible jokes and the way he needs to lighten the mood even when everything’s falling apart. HOW HE MAKES A NAME FOR HIMSELF and is just really his own person. i loveeeeeee how they didn’t just brush it off like yea he’s doing his own thing now whateverrrr. like they went into specifics (ish) and i feel like it rlly added to his personality

AND THEN him trying to trust this group of strangers who keep looking at him like he MATTERS. like they KNOW him. and he’s just like “ok cool cool cool i don’t Know any of u but sure.”

he keeps saying he’s fine when he’s literally NOT. cracking jokes like it’s instinct but they don’t land right. he laughs and then immediately wants to curl into a corner and disappear. BUT HE CANT CONFIDENIN ANY OF THEKNBECAUSE HE DOESNT KNOWNTHEM!!!!!! side note he clearly knows a LOT (based off how he knew about arin’s parents instantly) BUT HE DIDNT VOLUNTEER THAT INFO UNTIL RIGHT AT THE END AND HE KEPT IT ALL TO HIMSELF FOR SO LONG. HE DOESJT TALK ANYMORE!!!!! HES NOT USED TO TALKING WITH ANYONE ABOUT ANYTHINGN AND HES PROBABLY GOT SONMUCH REPRESSED AND KEPT LOCKED UP AND AGHHHHHH!!!! omg someone take this boy to therapy

AND THEN GIVE ME A WHOLSE SEPARATE FIC ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH TOUCH NOW. because this kid was THE most touchy out of the team. he was always throwing himself at people BUT .now. Now he flinches whenever anyone moves too quickly towards him and they all have to keep reminding themselves of it. FUCK!!!!!!

and specifically cole because let’s be honest bruise’s love language is physical touch and it’s killing cole not to be able to be near him. AND ACTUALLY BECAUSE COLE ISNSO TOUCHY jay avoids him the most and it’s like. That’s ur best friend………. WHAT R U DOING. and everyone thought just FINDING jay would be the hardest part but actually this is and they don’t know what to do

okay and. Well. plasma. Like sorry u all knew this was coming. i have to live up to the plasmara name after all its in the contract. and i Love them but I don’t want to write angst for them in this context I just think it would be so funny to have kai hardcore crushing on his sister’s ex fiancée and even funnier to have jay somehow like him back. Like he just takes whatever kai tells him at face value and thinks yup.. this is the one i Trust. just hears kai say “yeah you were totally into me” ONE TIME as a joke or in a moment of panic and he fully believes it cos he’s got the memory of a damp sponge. Like. “oh. yeah. that checks out. i must have been with you. makes sense. ur hot” And after kai finishes freaking out he decides yup THIS IS MY CHANCE!! nya u had him for years. It’s MY turn now

and he is now committed to the bit with his whole chest. takes every opportunity to “remind” jay how deeply in love he was.

“you used to call me hot stuff.”

“no i didn’t.”

“you don’t remember, jay.”

And worst part is it works because jay is just like… “well he seems to have a good balance between nice and pathetically obsessed and my standards are a mystery to me so sure???”

[spacetimeaccordionfolder]

Why Let the Offal Go to Waste?

Thought about this post too long and wrote this in two hours!

Note, this started as me musing in the tags on that post and then i had 4 paragraphs as a reblog before stopping and moving to a doc, so it starts without much of an introduction. I might recommend reading the post first for more context. I think I want to write a slightly longer version of this with more of an intro, so this is Why Let the Offal Go to Waste (prime) essentially.

Kayne thinking about Arthur being his and eating his heart, 846 words.

@fortheglowingeyes

What is - no, was - what was wrong with him?! Why was Arthur Lester different? Was that Lillith's fault -that was what he'd said - she'd watched him as a child, let him survive then and well that clearly had meant something or.

Or. Or something else. Something else made him different. Something Kayne couldn't see. Something that let Arthur survive and come out better. To talk of hope like there could be hope in a universe made by an uncaring, unthinking, dreaming THING!

His thumbnail punctured Arthur's heart, small stream of blood rolling down his thumb. Kayne stared at the first drop as it moved, as it moved across his wrist before meeting his shirt sleeve, joining the rest of Arthur's blood that had soaked there. More blood moved along the bottom of his pinky finger.

The voices in his head quieted to a whisper watching the drop, as it half rolled down to the shirt sleeve, half seemed drawn by gravity towards the ground, to the rest of Arthur beneath him and the blood around them. Torn between them. Slowly, carefully, lest the drop fall before its time, Kayne brought his hand towards his mouth - leaning closer - and wiped away the indecisive drop with his tongue.

The taste of Arthur’s blood bloomed in his mouth like a fine wine. Kayne closed his eyes, savoring the taste. He’d tasted others, of course, but this was his Arthur. 

His Arthur who hated being told what to do, who he couldn’t see coming, who was a fascinating, annoying, mystery, who lived and struggled and survived. Who wouldn’t live to fit another’s mold, to be confined to living for another’s purpose. Who could not be just the happenstance of a blind idiot’s dream! Azathoth didn’t think, didn’t feel, see, care, listen, or know anything! Didn’t have hidden designs unfolding, didn’t have a plan to make things better or any reason for the suffering in those smaller than him, didn’t extend a hand to his children when they begged him to answer, to acknowledge them, to hear words they said and to respond in some way.

No, his Arthur Lester was more than a spec from Azathoth’s dream. 

Arthur Lester was Kayne’s.

Kayne had killed him. He’d cradled his face as he cried and gurgled and the little king begged and wept. The body below - and on - him had been irreparably changed by Kayne, torn asunder, made into something new. A design that was not Azathoth’s. A work of art that was entirely Kayne’s.

There was still that something one of the voices in his head murmured, breaking the moment. The something that made him survive, made him an anomaly. What Kayne hadn’t understood. The something, he thought annoyed towards the voice, was Lillith. Discontent passed through his head. Was it? Was that really right? It must be.

Or - oh look, we’ve come full circle - he was something different. An anomaly like Kayne, not like the mold they were supposed to fill and Kayne still had no idea why.

And would never know.

Arthur Lester was dead. Kayne had seen to that. And there was a small part of him that Kayne didn’t know and couldn’t make his.

Kayne opened his eyes. While thinking, his hand had moved away from his face - blood running less now - but it was still close enough to take up the majority of his vision.

An idea occurred to him. One that seemed to be funnier the longer he let it linger in his mind. A small chuckle turned into Kayne doubled over with manic laughter, forehead nearly touching Arthur’s, his hand holding Arthur’s heart tucked between them, nearly against his own. Eventually, Kayne sighed, sat back upright, and looked at Arthur’s heart.

There was something different about Arthur. Something Kayne didn’t know. Something that wasn’t Kayne’s, wasn’t his. But it could be.

Kayne raised the heart to his lips and smiled. Softly kissed the muscle. Whispered against it “thank you.” Then bit down. Muscle and fat tore slowly, severing under his teeth, ripping, blood flowing, and Oh god if he thought Arthur’s blood was divine the experience of this was heaven anew. He savored the taste, the feeling of the heart, chewing slowly, before swallowing and looking at the heart again. Now missing a bite sized part of it.

Kayne could make that something his, could make all of Arthur a part of him. When killing the other versions of himself, he’d never done something like this. He’d made their worlds his, added them to himself, made himself the entirety of his soul, but to consume and transform like this…

Arthur’s body would be transformed into his, staying with him, belonging to him, being him. Not Azathoth’s, Kayne’s. Would be made entirely new, even whatever it was that made his Arthur Lester different, kept him alive. That too would be Kayne’s - maybe it would help Kayne in his Wager. 

Arthur Lester wasn’t entirely Kayne’s, not yet. But he would be.

Kayne took another bite of Arthur’s heart, this one even better than the first. 

[cookieshipshowdown]

my good pal manyminded sent this blog to me so i must submit my favourite polyship for review: Whatever this is (mysticsugar is there too i just made this before the es update) (cacao is sitting to the side, romance repulsed style)

i can define the colors of the lines but honestly its more fun without context

OMORI PFP !!! Anyways

This is so intriguing to me just on principle of timekeeper being here. I want to say grey is either dislike or intrigue and I'm not sure which is funnier. Red is love/crush probably, black is The Nightmare Polycule, green is friends-

Wait are these just the ovenbreak colors. Hang on.

THIS IS POSSIBLY FUNNIER IF IT'S THE OVENBREAK RELATIONSHIPS COLORS. WE BALL (Yellow is admiration, I don't think purple or black exist on the chart so uhhh. Idk about those)

Oh wait I think the purple are soulmates/soulsharing fuckery. Ok

Also if it IS the ovenbreak colors. The Ancients not trusting each other is possibly the best part about this. They're fucked up <3

Starting top right and moving to bottom left!!

Eternal Sugar and Pitaya bonding over their shared love for Hollyberry. My OT3 forever. Sugarberry other half, no surprise there, happy that Pitaya is included on the chart and everything. Such an interesting guy, my Pitaya <3

Admiration and tension between GC and Sugar is kinda par for the course? Like think about it. Stasis hell for all your subjects. Wings. Desperately holding on to the people you care about and not letting them leave you (dying in GC's case, getting out of the paradise in ES's case). I should do a character analysis of GC sometime. Maybe.

Rivalry between The Girlies. I think it's friendly rivalry, like they looooove competing in things. It's enrichment. Let them blow up a house and then rebuild it. They all take turns making dinner and burn down a kitchen at least thrice a week.

Holly holding admiration for WL guys. Guys. Admiring her for not running away and facing her problems head on. Lily admiring Holly for not giving up and continuing to be loud and laughing despite The Horrors. "I wish I could be like you"-type beat from both of them. They think that the other handle their problems so so well. I'm insane. No one listen to me.

Silent Salt and White Lily. The sheer. AUUUGH I have over them. They aren't even out. This is so far into AU territory but I'm so far gone. The knight and their lady. They need to make charm bracelets for each other this is very important to me

LILY AND VANILLA. GUYS EVERYONE SHUT UP I NEED TO YAP ABOUT PURELILY. No it's not "childhood friends to lovers" no it's not "I'll always come back for you" no it's not "Thank you for being there when no one else was" IT'S NOT !! Pure Vanilla falling in love with the idea of Lily, finding out that she never really was who he thought she was. I think that that's why the fandom mischaracterizes her so often!!!! Because quite a bit of our information about WL up until the silver kingdom update was THROUGH PV. And PV does not understand her to the extent he thinks or says he does!! She shares the dream of peace for Earthbread! Of happiness for all cookies!! Pure Vanilla saw this beautiful, smart, amazing cookie in the library and holds her up in a pedestal in his mind because that is Who Lily Is to him. When Dark Enchantress rises, that pedestal shatters. Because the person in front of him is not his friend, is not the White Lily in his mind -- the Lily in his mind would not stoop so low as to rip Earthbread apart (but he can't understand, doesn't understand, how this has always been a part of her; just one that has never been brought to the surface in such a potent way before) and he CANNOT reconcile the two in his mind. When Lily wakes up in the Silver Kingdom update. Can you IMAGINE how PV feels. Overjoyed. This cookie that he admires, this perfect cookie who he's known all his life, is still alive. Never mind that he doesn't know her favorite color, favorite food. Never mind that Lily seems more withdrawn. You would think that he goes to comfort her, but GINGERBRAVE STEPS IN. It's GingerBrave and co. that invite her to join in the festivities. PV only comes up once GingerBrave has started to make her feel better. Can you IMAGINE how Lily feels, disoriented and seeing her friend after 50-odd years. Conflicted. She knows what Dark Enchantress has been up to, to some extent. She doesn't fully disagree with the reasonings -- just with the methods done to achieve DE's goals. She was always a part of Lily. WHEN SHE SAYS "OUR PATHS DO NOT ALIGN" GUYS. THE VISCERAL REACTION (/pos) THAT WENT THROUGH ME. White Lily sees what PV refuses to; if PV cannot pull himself out of his head and see her, REALLY see her, than their relationship cannot continue. That's all there is to it. She isn't perfect, and he needs to learn that.

ANYWAYS. Yikes I yapped. Silent Salt and PV holding admiration I want to say is Salt having respect for him. This guy has managed the stress on his shoulders so well. Predictions for Salt's arc incoming btw !! I feel like they, as the Virtue of Solidarity, had so much pressure to keep people together, to be there as a rock of support for people to bring their worries to. Always the comforter, never the comforted. That's why I think SilentLily works so well. Mutual agreement of worth. White "Just your presence is enough for me" Lily Cookie and Silent "You are always going to be enough for me" Salt Cookie. They cannot believe that they are worth anything if they aren't helping someone, so they believe it for each other. But THAT'S why I think Salt corrupted -- the stress of all that and never being able to tell anyone was too much for them. (Again with the too much. Bashes fist on the ground.)

Rivalry between Salt and Smilk because they have some sort of something going on. I feel like they're the embodiment of "I suffer so much every day and for what. girlish whimsy" "girl you have something more sinister going on" <- that. that is them in a nutshell. Am i making ANY SENSE or have I lost the plot. The knight and their jester. They keep koi fish in a pond to stare at for hours while talking about everything and nothing. Smilk was the closest Salt got to feeling like someone cared about them before they corrupted but then, well. Smilk stopped coming to their weekly chats. The silence was so, so loud. And then the tree happened, and now they're trying to figure out where they stand with each other now.

Tension between Timekeeper and Salt is the funniest outcome. Timekeeper on this chart in general is HYSTERICAL. She's such a bitch I love her.

OKAY NIGHTMARE POLYCULE (BLACK LINES) TIME.

TIMEMILK. MY GUILTY PLEASURE RAREPAIR. They hate each other sooooooo much guys. The worst fucking dynamic on the planet -- two annoying bitches who never shut up <3 They THRIVE on violence and shenanigans. Anyone within a 5-mile radius WILL feel a deep sense of dread until they've been formally pranked by the two. They both go to the bar and wail about how much they hate GingerBrave and co. because "FUCK THAT STUPID CRUMBLY BALD-LOOKING BLUE EYES WEIRDASS FUCKER". And then they take a shot, grimace, and call for another. The alcohol doesn't taste good, and it takes unholy levels of it for either of them to get drunk, but it's more for the experience of yelling about all the people you can't stand than anything.

SDVN I already yapped about so I'll spare you all. This time.

The DE/WL/PV triangle is such a hot mess. SUUUUUCH a hot mess. The HOTTEST mess.

Pure Vanilla and Dark Enchantress is such an interesting concept based on the above rant about PureLily. Here, there ARE no pretenses. He sees her for what she is; someone who found out a horrible truth, couldn't stand it, and dealt with it in the only way she knew how. She's done awful things, and really, he shouldn't even be trying to forgive or redeem her, and yet. Here he is, doing the same thing he did with smilk. And on DE's side, she sees someone who is only now just starting to understand her, and it frustrates her to no end. Who is he to have the right to get to know her? How dare he try to claim that her vessel is someone so weak? He had his chance, and he fumbled it. But Lily asked her to try, so try she will. LilyEnchant. Do I have the capacity to keep this small, because I fear if I get started, this will just turn into "Loaf yaps about WL and DE and character foils" instead of "polls about cookie ships!!" (like this isn't already happening. denial is wonderful, everyone.) I'll keep it small because this post is already big as-is. They, more than anyone else, more than any Beast or Ancient, understand each other on a fundamental level that is nigh impossible to achieve. This is what Smilk wanted, with PV. With TR. That's why the admiration for DE is there. Lily is so incredibly sorry for all that DE has gone through. DE sees it as pity for the longest time, and Lily always says that it's never been pity, and never will be. She knows herself, and she knows that she could never pity DE. Eventually, DE recognizes the empathy, the compassion, the love and self-loathing in equal measure. They both blame themselves for various things, and they both empathize with the other. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," they whisper to themselves when they think the other doesn't notice. "I'll be better. For you," they promise. They ignore the thoughts of killing the other, of taking back the life they once shared, of becoming just one being; either Lily, or Enchantress. There's room enough for both of them, and that space grows more and more with every day, every improvement. It's self-love on the most literal level, and they are happy to continue along this path.

Anyways. Those are! My thoughts! :3

[adobe-outdesign]

I wish to know your thoughts on the greatest petpet of all... The Rock.

Just literally making a petpet based off the pet rock craze is already pretty funny, but what makes it particularly funny is that it really is just A Rock; they didn't try to slap googly eyes on it or something, it's just a rock that has some vaguely face-like indents and that's it. Art wise, it's also surprisingly well-shaded and has a nice shape to it.

What makes the Rock even funnier is that you can paint it like any other petpet, but most of the colours are fundamentally silly with great concepts. Sometimes I do think they start to get a bit too out there (the Valentine rock shown above really has nothing to do with rocks whatsoever, for example), but they're always a fun time.

Favorite Colours:

Christmas: Not the fanciest Rock colour or anything, but making it into a lump of coal is just perfect, and the little ribbon around it gives it the perfect amount of Christmas-y vibes without ruining the concept.

Woodland: While this one arguably falls into the "not really a rock category", it makes sense for this colour because all woodland pets become wooden, and it's still a simple nature-based item. There's nothing super special about this one beyond it just being wood, but something about the integration of the "face" is really pleasing.

Island: Codestones are items that are familiar to any player, so once again, this concept is completely perfect and super simple in its execution. My only minor complaint about this one is that I feel like pet Rocks are funniest when they have implied faces, and there was no real reason to drop the face on this one. Also, the black outlines feel a little heavy.

BONUS: The same note about the face also applies to this one and the shape makes it a little harder to identify as a pet Rock if you didn't know better, but otherwise this is just plain funny. (A shoutout to the Tyrannian Rock, which didn't quite make the cut due to relativity poor art but is also pretty dang clever.)

Least Favorite Colour:

Chocolate: Should have a bonbon, but even putting that aside, there's just no visual appeal to this one. The whipped cream looks weirdly flat, the chocolate shavings look like hair, and you probably wouldn't be able to guess this was chocolate out of context.

[nishitanis-left-nut]

finished LaD. I think Ichiban fixed something in me.

but first of all- took em long enough to give us a majima crotch shot in this game (what hes saying with no context makes this funnier. you gotta go 100 times WHAT)

positives first (im gonna make a separate post with all the more stinky complaining and nitpicking-)

(stinky complaining)

"Once you're at rock bottom, the only way forward is up."

i feel like this is one of those phrases that gets so overused in media that whenever i see it it just automatically reads as insincere and a lazy way of trying to say something profound, and maybe im biased since i was in a place where i needed to hear it, but this time around it didnt feel like that. might have made me cry even. whos to say. the story is pretty self contained and simple (by yakuza standards) and ichiban is a nice man so it doesnt come across as it talking down to you?? the scene feels very encouraging and the lack of mean spiritedness in how ichiban talks and carries himself is nice??? i still feel like they set some things up and then subsequently did nothing with them but eh. i think most of my complaints about this game actually kinda boil down to how they spent the entirety of it teetering in between making it feel like a "yakuza game" and dealing with the new game mechanics and direction and not really knowing how to do both at the same time. eh.

do NOT separate them

this entire last scene gutted me actually. i noticed it back when saeko cries at the club but damn the crying in this game feels so visceral and real like- theyre full on ugly crying on screen. i tried looking back at other crying scenes in past games and the only ones that look and feel like this are kiryus reaction to rikiya getting shot and the nishiki forest scene in y0 (i know the animation is a product of its time too but also specifically with women, comparing sayama crying over ryuji and saeko crying over the soapland owner its like night and day. sayama looked pretty and her tears were barely there, not a grimace or wrinkle in SIGHT, saeko at least was allowed to look "ugly" when she cried) i dont think this scene wouldve hit me as hard as it did if they hadnt made ichi look as distraught as he does (also the vocal performance cuz holly shit? holy shit.)

i knew i was gonna like ichiban, look at him how can you NOT like him? but even while playing the game i didnt think he'd end up leaving that big of an impression on me. but here we are. we really do need more media that revolve around "Adulthood" and how different people cope with and adapt to it, i wish LaD had spent more time on those aspects of the story honestly since with each game it feels like the crime drama parts of it keep trying to get pushed to the backburner, but they still suffocate everything else- no, positives, positives-

im not someone who plays a lot of games so before i picked up any yakuza game id been feeling like Something Was Missing and that something was a piece of media. and then i played yakuza 0 and it was like oh. i guess i live here now. i really do need to start playing more videogames because i feel like its one of the phew mediums where we still constantly get adult protagonists dealing with Adult Things aside from romantic relationships or work without it also just being a parody or a comedy? and it taking itself seriously??

i keep thinking about yakuza 3 and how the game had you be with kiryu as he lived a normal life for a while, it felt like a resting point in his life because, well, it was. and how in yakuza 5 we got to go to work with him and i feel like stuff like that was missing from this game. every domestic and "normal" thing ichiban goes through in this game happens off screen, and for a game thats got friendship and the power of community at its center that feels kind of weird?

not sure how the rest of the fandom feels about y5 and the whole taxi substory and the parts of it you had to do for the main story but i really liked being able to see kiryu get somewhat comfortable in his new environment and do "normal" things. and, as flawed as it is, theres no debating the importance the quiet parts of yakuza 3 had on him and the games that came after it. if y3 hadnt had kiryu interact with the kids as much as it did, if it hadnt had us see how HAPPY he is living with them in okinawa, y5 and y6 wouldnt have hit as hard as their supposed to

in y5 you can even send money to the kids through atm's for christmas presents, and every time you do kiryu sends money thinking of a specific kid and he goes on a small tangent thinking about the things they like and how old they are and sending money according to what he thinks theyll want/need and its like- these are HIS KIDS. he knows their interests he knows their birthdays and even though hes not supposed to exist to them anymore he still wants them to have a good christmas because thats what children deserve thats what HIS children deserve-

i went- kiryu tangent. but back to ichiban, my point was that even in those games where they have the crime drama at the center and are extremely action packed, they still took the time to have kiryu do normal things so when he gets ripped from that you feel it. ichiban didnt get any of that, the crime drama isnt really as all-encompassing as it is in the other games and the "normal" bits of it you gotta hunt down around the map or be TOLD they happened

this was uh, this was supposed to be the Positive Thoughts post so ill get back to that rq. despite all of my barely disguised animosity towards how they didnt balanced the action and the character progressions i really did enjoy the game. i think. i adore ichiban so that counts right? im still real confused about why they established how he can get blinded with rage really easily but then didnt. do anything with that? in fact they kind of go back on it and just have him POSITIVE THOUGHTS POST GRAAAFKASFMPJJO

live laugh love ichiban, i wish the writers loved you as much as i do. i kept calling him a shonen protagonist in other posts because thats kind of the impression i got from him at the start and ive seen other people describe him like that too, but thats not exactly accurate to how he is as a character. hes a really nice person, a stubborn man thats got an idealistic view of the world and wants to make it better so his life and the people in it can be better. i love you kasuga ichiban and i hope whatever happens to you in infinite wealth isnt that bad cuz itll make me sad

who the FUCK are you nick and who do you work for

[puella-ae]

———2025-05-29 11:01——— ... I want to say something Controversial but I'm not entirely sure what it is yet that sentence is so much funnier in context than I intended. I was reminded of a post I reblogged a little bit ago and I have half a thought about it but it feels kind of dangerous to get wrong And I'm not really in a #ramble mood yet

———13:31——— The spirits are telling me to so here we go

[[ITT: thinking too hard about these six words.]]

Online "littlespace" [age regression in general] is heavily dependent on its signifiers—diapers and pacifiers, cribs and nurseries and playrooms, and especially brands catering to infants and toddlers There's a lot of littlespace, so to speak, because it's easy to depict distinguished from adulthood Yes, there are feelings associated with it—simple comforts, thoughtless pleasure—but to a certain extent you can just sort of throw up those signifiers on a moodboard and viewers will add those feelings in themselves

I don't think middlespace [as in regression to later childhood, "tweenhood"] has those signifiers. Because that age is around the time where you start opting in to mainstream society, casting off those earlier attachments ["I don't like Elmo, that's for babies"] and looking for something new to call your own Media-wise, you start listening to music on the radio or getting songs from your friends, you start choosing what to watch on TV or whatever personal device you may have rather than sitting down and staring dead-eyed at whatever got put in front of you, you have the physical and mental capacity to play games or draw or write and interact with the world in doing so Socially/psychologically, you're developing an identity distinct from your parents[' image of you], taking cues from peers and role models, trying things on and going through phases

Late childhood/early adolescence is very much defined by [insufficiently] imitating adulthood Signifiers of middlespace are (signifiers of signifiers of adulthood)—which, done right [done wrong?], are just signifiers of adulthood in themselves, hard to distinguish from regular online behavior I posted this because this feels like middlespace. Tagging along on errands with your parents and feeling like you (could|should) be part of their world but you're just... not? That's tween-coded It's just not sold as such because so many people have that experience without being able to put the words to it

I think the best you can do is this art style/movement, and even then this really calls back to a specific moment in [cyber]space and time Middlespace looks+feels like kids playing at being mature, (pretending|assuming) they [we] know what they're doing, and making+being something special by having a foot in both camps This account gets that right. I think the difficulty is that getting that right means really digging into how you interact with your signifiers, what exactly they make you think and feel, not just the images or objects themselves

art is hard.

On this [[middlespace signifiers]], because it just popped into my mind: doesn't help that our world [that is, online American-adjacent secular society] doesn't really have visually-apparent rites of passage for childhood > adolescence the way it does for infancy > childhood and adolescence > early adulthood ABs and littles can make a lot of noise about nursing > potty-training > learning letters and numbers, and I'm sure better essays have been written on the societal fixation on learning to drive > senior year [prom especially] >= losing one's virginity I don't think people talk as much about, like, starting puberty [and/because I think people look at you kind of weirdly if you do.]

The exception there seems to be trans people starting HRT and embracing the idea of "second puberty" [even then, I don't know how common that is], and that obviously doesn't carry the same connotations even if the process is similar enough that you could imagine a lot of middlespace indulgence stemming from it …actually, wait, I think I mixed two different points there

I think, if the component feelings and experiences of puberty are taken as signifiers of tweenhood, then trans second-puberty could be another instance of (middlespace not recognized as such) [or at least the art and commentary surrounding it could make for good middlespace-posting.]

[tacticaldivine]

Hi, forgive me if you've already posted about this, but could you elaborate on the distinction between Daccapri and Abernathy? I've gleaned that they're both names used by the same individual, with different associated fashion and hair styles, but I'd love more context.

do not worry the dinero yaoi is a recent development

TL:DR Abernathy was made more so as a visual distinction for everyone else. When it’s all white it’s Bayonetta stuff but when the black and red come out it’s DMC stuff. At least that was the original intent

But for a more in depth look:

I decided its funnier for Daccapri to be well documented in in-universe demonology. She's the devil from the bible. Heir to a well known corporation. Pet Science Experiment to one of the world's leading conglomerations. As such, she regularly disguises herself to avoid detection. Abernathy is her current civilian form.

Abernathy was her ticket into weaseling into the DMC office, as Abernathy she poses as an occult specialist. In order to sell the idea that she really is a human. Daccapri seals her own power away in her weapon, Maiden Heaven, and never goes anywhere without it.

Because of this Abernathy's personality is very different from Daccapri. Pretending to be weak and hide behind more human qualities in order to keep everyone around him from feeling threatened by him. His perceived weakness makes other's feel the need to protect him or call him a nuisance. He doesn't mind too much.

think like Adrian Seidelman/Cybersix and Vash the Stampede personality wise.

You could think of it like an alter-ego in a sense. A lot like what V is, one might even say.

[lieutenantselnia]

I'm so sorry to all non German speakers because this probably doesn't make any sense to you, but I just remembered this parody and still find it hilarious😂 I'm not a speaker of Swabian dialect myself, but I really like the sound of it. It tends to sound quite funny and works well being used in comedic scenarios like this, but I genuinely also think it's a really sweet dialect and pleasant to listen to!

The storyline of the video is basically that they're holding a marketing meeting, and Tarkin wants to go into viral marketing while the others want to stick to more traditional strategies. There isn't really a bigger context, but I still find it hilarious (I wish there was more, I love parody fandubs in general but when they're done in dialect it's often even funnier).

English translation below (I tried, sometimes I took a bit of liberty with literal translations to hopefully convey the tone better):

Star Destroyer transmission: Space control, requesting permission to land on Death Star Stuttgart!

Death star transmission: Landing permission granted, but don't stand in the no-parking zone, otherwise the janitor will freak out again!

---

Tagge: We don't even have to beat around the bush, if we don't change anything marketing-wise anytime soon, our leadership position will be screwed before you even know it.

Motti: I think you're overreacting a bit there, dear colleague, our branding is as excellent as ever.

Tagge: I'm saying that without a proper print or TV campaign-

Tarkin: There is no longer any question of print or TV here, we aren't living in the dark ages anymore, are we? Nowadays completely new marketing tools have emerged, which is also the reason I summoned this meeting, so we can talk all this through.

Tagge: With all due respect, but what else are we supposed to do except for print or TV?

Tarking: My esteemed fellow board directors, from now on we're going to pursue entirely new avenues in marketing. (dramatic pause) Viral marketing is the big magic word! A completely new field!

Tagge: Viral marketing something new, I'm really about to piss myself right now, that's even in the Bild* newspaper nowadays! That isn't anything special anymore, literally every small craftsman (more likely referring to a small craft business) uses that!

Vader: The difference is though that we have more bucks than the small craftsman.

Motti: All budget that we're wasting away is just thrown out the window, I don't understand at all how you can fall for something like that! With some bullshit like that you won't be triggering even a single purchase decision! I'd rather just save the money. (note I didn't fully understand what he was saying here in the first part so I'm unsure about the translation, I just know he was not amused about the idea)

Vader: If I were in your spot, I'd rather not rest my fat ass on my laurels. Viral marketing is an extremely powerful advertising tool that you don't know anything about!

Motti: No surprise that you have to come about with your know-it-all attitude again, Mr Vader. It's unbelievable that you still think that you and your black promotional suit (probably more meant like a mascot suit?) will draw anybody from the woodwork! Only thing missing is that you start wearing a black turtleneck pullover too- (gets choked)

Vader: Can you repeat that?

Tarkin: That's enough! Mr Vader, leave the man alone!

Vader: If I really have too ...

Tarkin: You quarrelsome idiot!

Tarkin: I see myself unable to leave anymore space for this stupid arguing, so I'll make the final decision on my own now. Our entire advertising budget will all go into viral marketing from now on!

Unspecified board member: Can't we just go back to handing out leaflets again?

*Bild = German tabloid newspaper, known for sensationalism and bad/dubious research on its articles. Often used as a meme or kind of an insult (someone who reads the Bild is often considered as someone who's naive/misinformed and believes everything they're told).

[tamelee]

Hi, what do you think sets SNS apart from other ships? I like lots of ships but after a time I kind of forget about them or don't care as much but I could never fully stop thinking about SNS. Funny it's not even an explicitly "cannon" ship as others.

Yeah, same for me! 😩

Because they are canon.

Well, fine. Technically, they are not considered canon due to a detached sequel that attempts to redefine their relationships. Now it’s canon that they’re married to women they’ve never felt love for, and some executive's niece wrote a trash novel to try and make it seem the original author had it all wrong, or they change the narrative for convenience sake. It's similar to following a recipe to bake bread, only to have someone mislabel it as an inflatable bike for funsies and profit.

But think about it: what about SNS is not canon?

Their bond, their journey, and everything that led up to that moment of reconciliation and hope is in fact explicitly canon. Both in text and sub-text. And if we’re talking romance specifically, the action shown in Kishimoto’s Manga and sacrifices they make for each other, go way beyond the mere declaration of “I love you." Many  things Naruto and Sasuke said to each other go hand in hand with an ‘I love you’ anyway—mutually.

It’s funnier knowing that Kishimoto did use such spoken, explicit declarations of “I love you” only with the intention to mock it or show how one-sided it was. That such words are rendered meaningless in a world that required these characters to explore what (personal) bonds meant in the first place. Naruto's words in VotE1 didn't yield the desired outcome, leading him to remain mostly silent during VotE2. That’s all with good reason. Alternatively, words are deemed unnecessary as per Naruto's belief that men express emotions without verbalizing, and Sasuke's view that they can understand each other's hearts through their fists. Or how Kishimoto decided to use a single page with no spoken words to show a mutual romance between Konan and Yahiko. Oh, and look at that; Kishimoto does know how to show romance when he wants to. Kushina and Minato didn’t need it; neither did Tsunade and Dan, nor did the romance in Kishimoto’s previous Manga.

We can delve deeper into Naruto's persuasive techniques, like 'talk-no-jutsu,' and question its effectiveness compared to his actions, as he also applied it to himself without significant results, right? Often, the words spoken by these characters didn’t even match how they truly felt anyway. Like Naruto trying to convince himself what's right for the people instead of what he wanted, or Sasuke during the reunion scene. That’s why context is so damn important.

And I could go on and on about this, tbh.

I believe it’s a mixture of their beautiful story as well as the passion to defend the authenticity that is SNS from external pressures like fan interpretations and industry expectations. I think it’s no wonder people go so hard to preserve Kishimoto’s original intent or, on the other hand, to try and disprove it.

For me... I have many ships that I like, but they’re just that: ships. And that’s fine, of course, but there is a difference. 

[lunarle-old]

Omg yessss!!! I’ve been looking through your asks and the Shumai thing is so real. The thing that makes me like that nickname as much as I do is specifically because it was created for the sole reason of pissing off Kaito. Without that context, the nickname just loses a lot of its flavor.

Anyway, I’m about to start reading Love Letter and I’m very excited! I live for anytime Tsumugi and Shuichi so much as look at each other. There’s so many fun ways you can play with their dynamic so I can’t wait to actually see what you do. Not to mention your immaculate saiou writing skills and the way you make your stories just go insane. It’s very entertaining and I adore it!

BE CAREFUL GOING INTO LOVE LETTER!!! That one gets pretty violent...! And it only gets worse from here @_@ Their dynamic is cute and silly for a total of two chapters before everything goes Bad. If you reeeeally like Tsumugi and don't want to see her do anything bad or insane Ever then I wouldn't recommend reading it x"D

Also, thank you!! ^.^ Writing romance is always the hardest part of writing anything of mine, so I'm glad you've enjoyed it (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠) (and don't get me wrong, I love saiouma!! I wouldn't write about it if I didn't. The problem was that I'm a demiromantic trying to write in the perspective of an alloromantic... which I am not doing for love letter. sorry shuichi you're on the aro spectrum now) And yes I am quite fond of descending into insanity in my stories. I barely see stuff like it in my very filtered Shuichi tag, much less longer multichapter fics!! So I thought, "well. might as well do it myself!" and five fics later we're here so I'd say that ended pretty well ^_^ whoops I am rambling

Anyway. You are SO right about the Shumai thing!! It's also just objectively funnier when it's used with the original context ;P it's also the fact that I don't think Kaito even knew who he was referring to at first LMAO. And Shuichi just?? Brushed it off??? Like I understand that someone died but cmon. thats hilarious

[letterex-fyofm]

probably the worst idea i've ever had (ft. hq rarepair that i've never seen anyone discuss before)

So, I have I think more than thirty tskym fics in my docs (none of them are fully complete) and recently I've been working on one that was supposed to be a one-shot yet it escalated and it's growing to be its full monster.

Without sharing much, it revolves around Tadashi and Kei's relationship, with it tempting to cross the lines from really-close-friends to something more - yet without ever making the real jump. I also projected my experience with comphet and realising I was bisexual and the internalized homophobia I first faced - and since my favourite character of all Haikyuu is Tadashi, well, I used him as my guinea pig.

The thing is, I wanted to include a Tsukki pair that was not TsukkiYama, KuroTsuki, TsukiKage or TsukiHina, since they wouldn't really fit in the story. I was scrolling on twitter and boom.

Hear me out: TeruTsuki - don't click off yet.

Listen, does it make sense? Absolutely not. I think Tsukki would be annoyed as hell with Terushima - yet I actually am starting to like the idea of them as a messy fwb situation, where there are no strings attached and they just vibe.

So, I think Teruyama is a pretty popular ship and although I have no problems (because why would I have) if someone ships it, I never could get totally behind it. Like, I guess it's fun, yet I also think Tadashi would never like someone like Terushima. And I think people like it more because it gives the chance to write about Punk!Yamaguchi, which I think it's a funny concept yet I'm not a fan of because I always find myself missing the actual/canon Tadashi.

Yet...Terutsuki? That could be funny and almost even plausible without changing their personalities - too much.

I feel so stupid - this is all this user's fault.

And this one too

TELL ME YOU CAN'T SEE IT? There's something cooking here.

And just imagine the amount of drama it would cause. For context, when I write jealousy I usually write Tsukki kind of depressed and with self-esteem issues (because, same) - which is great for angst and character/relationship study! Yet, I've realised that writing jealousy with Tadashi has so much potential to be funny AS FUCK.

He was two seconds from barking at Koganegawa just because he called Kei "Tsukki". Just imagine how funny it would be if Tsukki was suddenly going out with freaking Terushima.

I imagine him just being like "What the fuck, Tsukki. Since when do you like punks? He has a tongue piercing for fucks sake! Who cares if he is on the top of his class - his hair is piss coloured!"

And I think it would be even funnier if Kei and Terushima didn't actually have any sort of feelings for the other. Like, I'm not saying as in they are fake-dating, but like more as friends that occasionally make out because one, it's fun. Two, Terushima is figuring things out. Three, Kei wants to move on from whatever the hell happened between Yamaguchi and him and he is going to do it - in one way or another.

They are both using the other for something, yet it is not unhealthy since they are pretty open about it.

So, what if Tsukki wants to make Tadashi a bit jealous? Terushima doesn't mind - he is enjoying it even.

I have no words to express how disappointed I am of myself.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Round VII of Excerpts from The One True School Master of Vault 41

Someone has “revenge” on the brain. I thought the first excerpt might be funny and could stand on its own out of context. The actual context makes it funnier, in my opinion, but I unfortunately can’t spoil it because it involves possibly the most insane shock in the entire fic.

Admittedly, I’m slightly proud of myself for managing to not burst and to hold back on revealing the plot twists, particularly with major events #2, #3, and #4. Otherwise, there'd likely be zero surprises left.

Though, plot twist #1 is sort of foundational to the premise, so I gave it away! (Sophie is nominated for the position of School Master.)

Also, a strange observation about my own plot occurred to me: contrary to what I or others might think, the plot is actually quite simple. Or, at least, from my view at the moment, it is. I’d originally thought it was complicated, but no. Actually, it’s simple masquerading as complex because there are complications thrown into the story, like wrenches, via a few different elements/events. So, that’s something, I guess?

If I could summarize the plot in one sentence, it would be: three souls enter a crystal ball, and some of them emerged scathed, changed, or both at once.

That’s probably the easiest way to put it, without spoilers.

Anyway, here are the excerpts (from two entirely different sections of the fic):

⸻

That was it. To say it irked her was to put it mildly.

Assuming they were both alive by the end of it, the first moment she got after all these crises were over with, she was taking him for a haircut, whether he liked it or not!

She would march him directly over to the finest salon she could find in the Woods, posthaste, like a prisoner if he resisted—all for the sake of a nice, neat trim.

So be it if it ended up botched. His Doom Room had done the same to her. So what did it matter?

⸻

Rafal glared at Agatha as if to signal: don’t let on that you’re hurt.

“Why are you both limping?”

Agatha stole a quick glance at Rafal who found himself turning to stare intently at a Stymph on high.

He shook his head with the slightest motion. She couldn’t know what it had cost them, or she would intervene.

The movement caught Sophie’s eye, and she turned her attention to Agatha for the truth.

Agatha shrugged wordlessly.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Well, it certainly wasn’t bird-watching, that much I can gather.”

Agatha shuffled, and Rafal observed her shove one foot behind her other ankle, but in her gaping, oversized clumps, one sock slid down to reveal an inflamed, red welt.

Unfortunately, Sophie traced his sightline to Agatha's foot. “Agatha? What happened?”

[popfizzles]

"Mugman bit me yesterday while I was taking his head apart" is certainly a sentence to say out loud in front of god and everyone ASDFGHJL it's funnier without context but what on earth happened

Okay well

Long story, Yootooz has? Had? A run of Cuphead Show plushies!!

I bought Cuphead and Mugman; Cup arrived a few months ago and Mugman got here yesterday!

This is them on my bookshelf, they're decently sized and probably the cutest Cup and Mug plushies I own so far <:)

However, I ALSO ordered. A second Mugman. For nefarious reasons.

The reasons were that I wanted to take him apart and copy the pattern to see if I can make my own. I'm basically the "You Wouldn't Download a Car" meme but for a Mugman Plush

Its my first time ever using a seam ripper and I wasn't convinced I knew what I was doing, so I did some googling about it.

One of the tips I found was to Not underestimate and disrespect the seam ripper. Because it's sharp as hell and it WILL slice you open and make you bleed everywhere. And I don't know if you've seen what a seam ripper looks like but it is the most innocuous looking tool I've seen. It's a little hook on a handle basically, the pointed end isn't even that sharp!! I poked my finger with it multiple times while working!

However... the point of the hook is not Supposed to be the sharp part. The inner crook... is the sharp part. And I found that out the hard way. <:) I was lucky I caught it before I bled all over everything.

And that's how Mugman bit me while I was taking his head apart.

Here's some extra photos of me dismantling Mugman because I think it's hilarious

[justjasper]

i love your E rated/smut writing. do you have any tips for writing smut?

most of these are about reality/modern-based sex writing rather than fantasy stuff where all the bets can be off!

there is literally no god word to use for balls/testicles, it's fine

USE CHARACTER NAMES. no "younger/older" woman, "darker/paler" man, just use their names especially during a sex scene

do learn some basic anatomy, please look up where the prostate is, where the g-spot is

but fanfic sex doesn't need to be instructional, you are not teaching people how to have sex. it very much shows when you write like this

fanfic is also not consent 101. it's fine to just let your reader assume they're 100% into what they're doing, and i think "unnegotiated kink" should be reserved for scenarios where the kink is spur of the moment, not just "involves kink but no explicit discussion of it" (unless they're not meant to be, which one assumes would be made clear in tags or descriptions!!)

that said, writing about discussing consent can be really fun, doesn't mean you can never do it. you just have to vibe out whether it's adding to the fic or not

talking really helps break up sex scenes, so write at least one character who's chatty lol

plan out your sex scene so you don't get stuck with what's happening next. remember you can go back to it to flesh it out/work on the pacing. honestly most of my sex scenes start on the page as a list that goes: LICK LICK CIRCLE CHAT SUCK SUCK STROKE LICK SUCK GAG SUCK TALK BIG CUM

speaking of going back to pacing, literally invoking time can help make a sex scene seem longer without saying "they fucked for seven and a half minutes". "a long moment later" "by the time X, the sun had begun to rise/fall", "long into the night"

lube is preferable but optional, even for butt stuff. sex without lube doesn't mean it's painful or dangerous, especially for experienced butt stuff doers.

spit as lube is not a cardinal sin and is miles better than things that are actually dangerous (engine oil? things w sugar like honey? baby dont give your chars a yeast infection)

olive oil is fine but it's messy and it doesn't play w condoms, but fine if you're going historical

speaking of which, from my experience people in established relationships forego condoms way quick. and in general people forget to use them all the time. again, this isn't Safe Sex 101, it's fanfic.

but on the flip side, its sexy/funny when characters have lube and condoms to hand. there is no funnier environmental storytelling than there being a bottle of water based lube in the kitchen cupboard with the peanut butter.

simultanious orgasms are a pain to time and sure they're romantic but there's other fun climax dynamics. maybe one character feels duty/honour bound to always make sure their partner comes first

come/cum? it doesn't matter, just keep it consistant per fic

similar, be consistant with your body part names, even if you use a few. e.g. you use "cunt" in narration, but character A uses "pussy", keep that consistant.

you can still euphamise genitals without it sounding like you're afraid of them - sometimes six instances of "cock" in a row doesn't flow, that's when you should be utilising your "hardness" and "shaft" and "length"

the brain is a sex organ, and all the senses are engaged during sex. you can bulk out yor sex scenes and give great insight into the character experiences by describing what they're experiences with non-touch senses (or the lack of them, e.g. when blindfolds are in the mix)

even in pwp works, you're saying something about the characters who are fucking. you can give context and inferred complexity without plot. are they familiar with each other's bodies? is this new? are they confident, or nervous.

write for you! if you are a person who experiences sexual response to erotic fiction, then a good measure of your own work is if it makes you horny to write/re-read it. there's absolutely no shame about being aroused during the process. there's no harm in taking a wank break.