#(i just didn't want to use any specific words that might draw people to this blog bc i've had problems with that before)

[ruelpsen]

ok TW: me/ntal il/lness and trau/ma mentions (to avoid stuff showing up in tags): but is anyone else in a weird spot like me... i have a re/str/ict/ive E/D but also a feedism kink.. ????? how. why. also. normal/vanilla sex & horny noises kind of gross me out usually unless im in a horny mood and not in a bad trau/ma moment lol. is anyone else like this?

My experiences might not be exactly the same as yours (at least in regard to the first part), but I've been around here long enough to have seen that you are far from alone. I get so uncomfortable so quickly whenever people so much as bring up burping in casual conversation, as normal and/or gross of a thing it is to >99% of the population. It's hard trying to act natural and find a good way to change the subject without feeling awkward...

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

how to not let your autistic inner child win (or how to write an if) by the secretary

[id: a student with glasses being pointed at and mocked by two students on screens, and two more offscreen with only their arms showing. the central bullied student looks sad, and everyone else is laughing. end id]

Ruhoh, is this another secretary essay? Well, yes it is! The gender politics one will eventually come around when I feel like it, but this one, as the title suggest, is about how to write an IF. And since I'm presuming most of you are on the spectrum (or on a spectrum), it gets a little tongue-in-cheek.

hehe

Anyways, if you have autism, you have eternal swag. It's just true! But having so much swag makes it a problem when writing, or doing any sort of project. This is something I've noticed from people who don't have evil autism. Those not afflicted by the rare autism version of evil autism (my autism) will often be really bad at just... doing things - despite having all the abilities to do so! I think it might be a adhd thing or something too. Anyways, I love helping people, (this is my evil autism), and I'd like to share some girl tips on how to kill your inner child :)

I think something I've noticed from people making any sort goals- online, real life, job, working, etc - is it is straight forward. ie: I want to graduate from high school, I want to make a video game, I want to journal everyday. These are all achievable using your abilities that you learn and gain through your life, and failure doesn't exempt you from trying again. Thing is, this specific thing I just described (straightforward goals) is something I think a lot of autistic people struggle with.

I deeply remember sitting down in the corner of my high school, looking like the hottest girl who played pokemon on her ds when someone who had +1% more autism than me told me that, one day, he was going to make the most cool pokemon game ever where you could date other characters and have babies and have your children go on adventure too. As a 14 year old, I thought to myself 'bitch, shut up' but also, 'this is so unrealistic, but he really believes it, uh'. And he did! And you know, I think that's okay. I think it's okay to believe that you can make things that you cannot do at the moment - I mean that's just how life it. We didn't go on the Moon thinking we couldn't

But... the guy didnt know how to code, or how to make games, or how to program, or how to develop stories, or how to make art, etc etc etc. He didn't know these things, but he wanted to make these things. And I see this to a certain degree quite a bit when it comes to creation. I want to say: it's a very important of the process but simply one part.

I think being able to imagine what you could do if you have all the resources in the world, all the time, and all the help is important - but it is even more important to look within and go 'alright with all this in mind - what can I do?'

And if you're in the field of IF, well, what can you do? Coding, storytelling, character design, plotting arcs, etc. I think the skills can be learned by anybody (sidenote incoming)

If anybody ever fucking says that art is innate, they're fucking lying. It's a skill you grind out. You work it out. You work even if you feel not creative. You write words even if they don't come to you naturally. You draw even if the images can't be conjured. You work you work you work and you make something. You cannot always make art when feeling creative because you aren't always creative. you must be willing to die for your art, yes, but you must also be willing to create without any creative sparks! If you want to be an artist, you better work bitch.

(sidenote ending) and with that in mind, you need to develop restraints onto yourself. In IF, it's actually to create restraints, and here are some I suggest for all of my fellow autists who might struggle with them. I love you guys, truly, anyways. here they are:

restrain characters.

Make three characters + a main character. Write a couple of scenes with them. Is that your maximum? Is that too much? Go up and down until you find the right amount. You can add more character when your writing is better. Stick to a minimum per scene. If you have ideas for 30 characters, you can easily melt them into 10. Seriously. Put the heat on maximum and start creating new fun dolls to play with.

2. restrain scenes

You cannot write 500 per interaction. This is a bad idea because a) you might do the thing where you run out of creativity which you need to learn to do without but it is hard and b) interactions are time limited and time sensitive. not everybody will go through them. if you have a 30k update, but most people will only see 1k... are you really writing a game for them or for yourself? I made my wife do this format:

youll gain the ability to gauge if a scene is important or not eventually, I'm sure.

3. restrain area

I recommend writing like a murder novelist. You have a closed circle, and the player cannot leave it. they can only be within that space. That space that exists within that specific story is the only thing they have access to. it can be a school, a city, a bedroom - but its limited. you create setpieces that players interact with. some set pieces are the same with just a different coat of paint on.

anyways, i believe in dreaming big, but i also believe that we have little time on our hands to create. when wanting to make something, restraint yourself. its always way more fun to find ways to break out of our bonds then just roaming free, right? I mean... maybe not. I'm not your mother, you know.

[respawned-dove]

hihi!! really excited to see the content u make. can i get headcanons for a yan!scout? pretty please?

1st requests, and it's one of my favourites! You didn't give particular specifications on the reader character, so the reader is neutral on every trait.

yan! Scout x gn! Reader Headcanons

CW/TW: obsessive behaviour, controlling behaviour, stalking, home invasion, inappropriate touching, dubcon, guilt-tripping, death threats, sex mentions, manipulation, forced isolation, physical threat, threatening of family members, death of family members and friends, lovebombing, guns

Both BLU and RED Scout's basic instincts are to run, hit, scare off, or cling very hard, and those traits leak into their ways of showing love and obsession.

Scout is actually quite impressive, outwardly. Even with his more annoying aspects, he's cool and charming, he's good with girls (even if not so with ladies), he has an athletic body and he's very funny. It's not hard for him to draw people into his circle initially. As long as you're there and willing to compliment him and build up his ego then you are exactly who he wants around him for a night. For most people he is flirtatious with, he keeps them around for one night stands and for sleeping with. Someone distant yet all over him is just what he's always wanted. But some people are different... They actually like him, and they actually seem to desire him in an intimate way. This treatment very easily translates into romantic affection, as his idea of what would be a good relationship is very shallow. "If that person genuinely enjoys being around me, then that must mean they want me bad."

The crush forms, and the fear sets in for him. Someone is getting close to him, and therefore might see through the dents in his ego and find out the 'truth' about him. (There is no underlying truth, but Scout believes he, deep down, does not live up to his place in this world, and therefore doesn't live up to even who he is as a person.) And he could never bear to lose the positive attention you give him. For a phase, he becomes very distant from you, not necessarily cold, but he definitely seems to be avoiding you, and there's an air of performance to all of your interactions. Scout considers it a test, quizzing you in a way you're not aware of. If you keep seeking him out when he pulls away, if you chase him and continue to want him around, then he will consider that a confirmation that you want him, just as much as he does you now.

Scout continues to keep a distance, but more like a 'walking twenty feet behind you everywhere you go" sort of distance. It's not stalking, he tells himself, he's just making sure he knows where you are that day, knows if you talked to anyone about him that day, to make sure he knows you have that gift he gave you in your room, and he knows you're getting home safe. Seeking validation that you like him even when he's 'not there' (he will be there). He has a weapon, but that's just in case any creeps tried to follow you home or something!

Speaking of gifts, Scout gives them pretty often. He actually found something to spend his massive income on besides Tom Jones merch, and that something is you. It's not his specific love language, but it is a way to make sure you stay there with him another hour or two, always waiting to get the gifts he pulls out. You start getting gifts in the mail too, marked as from Scout. You don't remember giving him your address... Eh, he probably used the yellow pages for it, is all.

His actual love language is physical touch and words of affirmation.

For one thing, he can't seem to keep his hands off of you, even if it's in subtle ways. Things that could still be considered friendly, like a hug that lasts slightly too long, or grabbing your hand when he's showing you something and 'forgetting' to let go. Slowly, they get less friendly, and it turns into things like holding your shoulders from behind you, getting caught eyeing you up, or 'accidentally' touching your hips and chest. It's easy enough to laugh it off, he's a silly guy who's most likely playing around with you. A lot of his playing around is annoying like that. But the more you let it go, the further he pushes your boundaries. Touching your chest without removing his hand for much longer, grabbing you by your hips to move you around, touching your face for far too long to be comfortable. You still don't feel comfortable calling him out for it, not when he's so friendly and nice to you the majority of the time. And hey, him being nice to you makes you feel special! He can be a dick to others, and right now, you get to laugh at it from the other side rather than be stuck in his ire.

For the other, his need for approval from you knows no bounds, and he puts himself in a lot of risky and stupid situations just to hear you praise or fawn over him and how cool he is. He wants to feel adored, admired, appreciated, valued. And if you can give that to him, then you will never get rid of him. Scout can become so compliment seeking that it's uncomfortable for you, begging non-verbally for your affection like you're his mother or something. Sometimes very demandingly forcing you to look at him while he does something 'cool', expecting heavy praise from you for it. Not giving him that praise is arguably the worse option, because he will get cold and angry at you, sometimes pouting or refusing contact for multiple days. Usually when he gets back and you apologize, it comes with what you think is a playful threat to kill you if you keep it up. You hope it's playful.

He's been stalking you for months as he pretends to be your friend, and he knows so much about you now. He knows exactly how to make you laugh and exactly what you like in a person. He knows what your closet draw full of underwear looks like and he knows that you sleep on your side with one leg placed higher than the other. He knows your typical meals for the day and sometimes buys them for you before you even ask for them. From your view, Scout starts to seem awkward around you. You can kind of guess why, seeing as he hardly leaves you alone for 24 full hours at this point.

He ends up asking you out, properly. Not just friends or even his usual FWB relationships. No, he wants to date you now! Forever, hopefully!

cont.

—

If you accept his request, you will be in for the sweetest honeymoon phase of your life, full of gifts and nonstop affection and a boyfriend that craves your approval like a puppy. But he won't remain that way forever. Scout's senses run on fear like a wild animal, and the longer he gets to keep you, the more he needs to cling, to keep you secured to him. He starts trying to have sex daily, just to confirm to himself that you desire him. Sex starts to become aggressive, grabby and demanding, gripping you by the hair and ordering praises from you.

Scout needs to be where you are at all times, he must control what you're saying about him and what you think about him by being near you no matter what.

He starts to do everything for you, from cooking to holding doors open to driving you everywhere to paying all of your bills. Slowly you begin to realize you aren't doing anything independently anymore. Scout makes enough money for the both of you, so his request to quit your job feels like a no-brainer by now. He can and does pay for everything you need, and if you didn't know before, you definitely know he's doing something illegal for a job now.

He eventually begins throwing out the idea of you not leaving the house all together. Just think about it, he offers, cleaning his guns off in a way that is definitely unrelated to this conversation. What's the point of it when you have everything you could ever want here? Why do your friends need to see you outside when they can visit us here? Are you saying things to them I can't hear? No, of course not. So start staying here all day, where it's safe and I can always get to you.

Scout comes home covered in blood sometimes. You would question why your friends stop calling after those days, but you're not stupid. He slowly narrows down your circle until you don't talk to anyone but him. Even your family no longer contacts you, and you don't blame them with how threatening Scout can be. Scout has an entire family of people that could 'take care' of them and he made sure they know it.

On the surface, he still is a very loving, doting boyfriend who hangs off your arm and fulfills almost any request you have. He can provide for you and he clearly adores you in the way he seeks your approval all the time. You really do have a great partner, at the end of the day, one who takes care of you so well. What do you deserve to complain about? Scout is everything anyone could want. Murder and control issues notwithstanding.

—

If you reject his request, he will take it as a huge blow to his ego. If you offer to still be his friend, that's an even bigger blow. He thought you liked him back just as much. How could he be wrong? No, he wasn't wrong. You're just confused, surely. He just needs to double down somehow, to remind you of what you want. People love it when you patiently wait for them to change their mind. As little patience as he even feels like he has at this point. He's still following you home, and this night, he waits until you're asleep, and then sneaks in through a window you left unlocked. Why would you have left it unlocked, every time he comes here. It must mean that you know he's been doing this. That you do want him like this, but you can't admit it to him. He watches you sleep. You're beautiful when you sleep.

He takes something from your clothing drawer that night. Something you wear all the time, something he can be certain you'll notice. If you bring it up to him in a certain way, then he can tell if you know that he's doing this. He can't sleep that night, staring at your clothes on his desk chair. He's certain it must smell like you. So he tests it. And it does. Not the proudest J.O. of his life, but definitely one of the best, with your smell right there with him, your clothes wrapped around his dick for him to thrust into.

Two days go by and you haven't noticed. He puts the soiled clothing back into your drawers. Now there's no way you won't notice. And you do, bringing it up as an oddity that only might be something creepy, and nothing more. He's left you no reason to be suspicious so far either way, so him as the culprit doesn't cross your mind. But to him, it's the sign he needs that you know it's him.

He breaks into your house again that night. And again the next. He starts to practically live inside your house at night. He's doing poorly on the battlefield, and no one on the team really talks to him anymore, because the only thing he talks about is you, your rejection, your 'secret' of still loving him. That's fine, fuck those guys. Why does he need their approval now when he has you? You're the only thing he can seem to care about since then.

Around then, he asked you out again. Though the circumstances may be a little different. He breaks into your house while you're awake this time. Not only are you shocked to see him, but he has a gun as well. A gun pointed right at the side of your head as he asks, moreso demands, that you date him. There's a shaky desperation to his words, and a look in his eye that glints with the intention to harm you if you act out of line. There isn't any choice but to say yes, really. And he makes sure you don't call to anyone for help, either, staying with you through the night with the phone lines to your house destroyed.

He keeps you in the house the entire weekend, but on Monday, you have to go to work. And you beg him to let you leave just to cover your shift. He paces as he thinks about it, tapping his gun in his hand with his face screwed up in consideration. "Alright, you can go. But you know good 'n well what I'm capable of. You tell anyone, and they won't be alive to do anything about it."

And he's there to make sure of it, too. At least once an hour you swear you see him come into your work and loiter, watching you. It seems like every time you look up he's there somehow. Yet, when you get home, he's on your couch eating like nothing ever happened.

You're his partner now, whether you like it or not, and you will be kept with him through any coercion or cruelness necessary. One or two of your family members do die before you learn to keep your mouth shut and give him what he wants. Attention, admiration, approval, value. You are what gives him value. You will adore him or you will die. You should know to be a good partner by now instead of pissing him off.

[voidedaurora]

Now just to preface before her fans go crazy at me, I don't have a account in her server and I'm not specifically telling anyone to go out of their way to send me these things (aswell I do just get sent stuff in asks so there's that) DO NOT HARASS ANYONE MENTIONED/SHOWN IN SCREENSHOTS, I DO NOT CONDONE ANY AGRESSIVE, SPITEFUL, HATEFUL, OR OTHERWISE MALICIOUS BEHAVIOR!

Edit: I actually forgot to include a rlly important screenshot (her announcement about all of this)

Alot of her fans groveled at her knees after this announcement despite it basically being "yea I might make sexual jokes but sorry YOU interpreted it that way" She doesn't actually take any accountability in this? "I genuinely did not mean for any of it to be deemed as grooming" that's not even denying its grooming or apologizing for anything, it's literally just saying "I didn't want you to think about it like that" Aswell with the last part I have underlined, what evidence? how are you going to disprove you're grooming khai after everything stacked up, your current visible actions will always speak louder than your words in a screenshot with something like this. Honestly do better mel, cut this shit out, and stop being weird with people significantly younger, and set BOUNDARIES. [you can have a best friend without being sexual around them, foreign concept I know!] Whether you like it or not you're growing up, you're not a little kid just making animation memes anymore, you're nearly 19 years old and need to wake up and be responsible about this and own up to what you've done instead of your ego getting to you. Not to mention you havent addressed literally any of the other things you've been called out for because you genuinely do not care apparently.

Altogether, bad response you didn't take any accountability and blamed everyone else for "seeing it that way". end of edit:

Anyway I wanted to touch on part of the convos that've been going on in her server and clear up (once again) my side on why this is an issue since people in her server seem to exist on a different dimensional plane, ignoring everything I've said only to make up their own incorrect interpretations of my feelings/why I've done what I have here on tumblr. The SS i'll be speaking on first:

I'd like to state again for the record that while the fact she's 15 in a 16+ server is an issue (especially because its out of special treatment) It's not the main problem at hand here. The main problem with her being let in is the fact Mel allowed her to LIE about her age to get in and the fact that apparently she was also going to make an exception for another 15 yr old to be in from what I've been told? Coupled with her other recent behaviors it makes it all the more concerning. With Khai specifically/s past [that being lying to get into adult spaces to erp, draw/exchange nsfw, and a whole lot of other unsavory/inappropriate things] which again, Mel was and is 100% aware of, It's not okay for her to be letting this behavior slide and even encouraging it at this point. Khai has been lying about her age for years now and the fact she's being enabled and allowed to continue said behaviors is just not okay period, she already gets away with it but it's teaching her she can continue to do that without consequence having mel make an exception specifically just for her.

It's all genuinely so weird and just eugh, I'm extremely disappointed to see mel giving such special treatment to a whole kid just because they're besties now, especially with how she used to feel about/talk about khai before she became a wide eyed fan that looked up to her, genuinely what is up with her befriending the most parasocial fans ever. Aswell, whether you're best friends or not you shouldn't be letting/encouraging a friends bad behavior, this goes for both mels and khais actions respectively, from what I can tell they just gas eachother up and let eachother do bad shit just because, obviously khai cant really do anything to stop mels bad behaviors since she's a kid and that's not her job, but its still worth mentioning. Mel NEEDS to set boundaries if she insists on being best friends with fans/people significantly younger than her, she needs to learn what is appropriate and what is not, It's not hard to act normal around younger friends. [Imo someone 18+ honestly shouldn't be having 15 yr old best friends but that's just a personal opinion and my own morals]

And just to mention once again, I'd appreciate if the people in her server wouldn't just blatantly talk shit about me and especially would stop theorizing and prying into my mental health/BPD. I absolutely do not appreciate my disorder being used to push the idea that I just want to bring her down, just because I'm hurt from her actions doesn't make me speaking out on her blatantly terrible behavior any less valid, I can be hurt and truthfully talk about everything that's gone on simultaneously despite what a lot of people seem to believe. You've all made it quite clear you do not care about victims and would rather use "well I was (blank) and-" statements to discredit everything I or anyone else have to say about this, aswell as the whole "this should've been private!" argument as if I didn't try to handle this privately. Just because you've had an experience that went a certain way doesn't mean you have any higher ground to speak on when its about SOMEONE ELSES situation, sure you have input to give yes, but using your own experience to bring down someone else just because the one in the wrong just happens to be your #1 idol animation meme youtuber is disgusting and really makes where your priorities are at clear. Obviously everyone will believe what they're gonna believe, mels always gonna have her parasocial yesmen and there's nothing I can do to change their minds. Though I'd like so say, what has mel done to disprove any of this? Has she provided any evidence, has she given any meaningful statements?, has she properly addressed anything? the answer is no unsurprisingly. Take what she's said (or the lack of what she's said) into consideration before throwing yourself at anyone to defend her. And Fyi, Her essentially saying "nuh uh I'm not grooming anyone and I know I shouldn't be weird around friends but its a joke lol!" doesn't actually disprove anything, her actions have spoken way louder than her words ever have/will Here's a few notable screenshots/my takes on em bc auhh some of these are worded pretty rudely but I'd like to be transparent and honest.

[I originally did not censor names but I've decided to because I don't wasn't anyone getting ideas and harassing people]

Also just to add on a bit, I really hope this doesn't actually happen because why is a whole adult having a 15-16 yr old fly out to see her, and a better question would be why would her guardians allow that??

I don't think I have the full screenshot of this but reminder that mel actually was the one who refused to communicate like ever? I'd tried really hard to get mel to talk to me so we could have a private conversation about everything (her admitting to only sleeping with clover to be with me + a handful of other things) but she avoids talking things out like the plague, I gave her around 3 months before saying ANYTHING and there wasn't a single word until she'd got her friend to come up to me, only to refuse talking unless it was in a group which I absolutely was not comfortable doing (why would I ever feel comfortable having that conversation about sexual shit + personal stuff with other people around, let alone the same people who'd lied to cover for her before along with other things??) I'd like to note that I still don't have her blocked on anything so there's never been anything stopping her from reaching out other than her own ego/thoughts. same person sadly, they've got some interesting takes to say the least

Just because someone says "I'm not being groomed" or says they aren't a victim doesn't mean they actually aren't a victim, Its extremely common for a victim to be unaware they are one or even go as far as defending the abuser. I myself even struggle seeing myself as a victim sometimes and need alot of reminders (my input isn't too important but I thought I'd mention that </3)

Also khai, Idk what chronically online wording this is but I do not care about your "vrchat culture", cuddling and all that with someone significantly younger than you is weird regardless, does that "culture" also include being weird with minors in the handbook or is that just something mels added on? /gen

With this, you can be a victim and a bad person khai, in my opinion you are both. I can wish you well in one situation and not like you because of another, just because you've done terrible shit doesn't mean I want terrible shit to happen to you

Not much to say other than a 15 yr old shouldn't be "sleeping in the same bed" as an adult, let alone CUDDLING??

All I have to say with this is that yes! you are a child khai and I'm not going to give you special treatment like mel does, I genuinely do wish the best for you and that you get out of this situation though, truly. And I'll share as much as NEEDED to prove what I've said because none of it is false [if ANYTHING, there could be misunderstandings, but none of what I've said is made up, bullshit because I'm "hurt", stuff just trying to make mel look bad, etc.] , I have nothing to hide unlike mel (who's proven/disproven nothing?) Reminder I wouldn't have had to share anything if she'd handled things in private like i'd tried to, but it's a little too late for that. Best thing she can do is admit her wrongs and make some sort of response HERSELF.

Additionally

Its the way she just doesn't care and is more focused on her animation memes and her birthday coming up, don't do bad things if you cant handle consequences, or just don't do terrible stuff period?

I'll state again DO NOT HARASS ANYONE MENTIONED/SHOWN IN SCREENSHOTS, I DO NOT CONDONE ANY AGRESSIVE, SPITEFUL, HATEFUL, OR OTHERWISE MALICIOUS BEHAVIOR! Sorry if this isn't worded correctly/comes off as aggressive at all, I definitely missed some stuff aswell but I don't want this post to be too crazy long (I am upset so it definitely shows through a bit, I apologize for that, my kindness with all of this has been stretched pretty thin, especially knowing how much shit her fans are talkin about me simply because I spoke out </3)

[olderthannetfic]

https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/759034203501363200/anon-who-brought-genitals-references-to-shipping#notes

"But saying you read slash over other stuff bc you want dick4dick is bioessentialist rhetoric bc of the implication that it is unique to slash and bc it ignores a lot of fandom." Idk but why can't you say that? If I say "I read slash over other stuff bc I want dick4dick" it can still be very much true that slash has more dick4dick per 100 stories, compared to other spaces, fandom or what have you, but that doesn't mean there's exclusively penis in all slash. Hell, even without the trans aspect, there's tons of genderbending slash to either M/F or even F/F which has been a staple for years, and where you're get PIV, or Pussy4Pussy,

I think your biggest problem is that you're kinda combining random intentions or commentary, then drawing farfetched conclusions, because you don't agree with it, or have some other issues.

Here's what I got from your first paragraph: "I read slash bc I like d4d" = "implies the claim that d4d is exclusive to slash" which is therefore "bioessentialism" Didn't know where to put the "ignores a lot of fandom." I'm also not sure how it actually ignores other fandom. All of that making basically no sense because it could just as much imply that d4d just more likely, or has a larger presence and community in slash parts of fandom. "I don't even have a problem with "I read slash bc there tends to be more dicks there." It is the idea that implying it is unique to slash I find bioessentialist and not reflective of modern fandom." Yeah but that is incredibly nit picky if your entire problem is between the wording of "I read slash over other stuff bc it has d4d" versus "I read slash bc there /tends to be more/ dick there." There's no particular implication in either statement. You seem to have basically decided that one of them implies something you don't like, and the other is more accpetable because you think so. All based on your own preference on how you'd want it phrased.

Certain fandoms and spaces are going to be assumed to have more of some content, that doesn't mean that's exclusively what's going to be available, or that only a certain demographic is gonna write/draw it or consume it either. It also doesn't mean that going in with a pretty clear interest in a certain kind of dynamic makes you a bio-essentialist, or implies the fandom is bio-essentialist. At most it'll just tell us what the biggest category of creators and consumers might end up being, you know, as makes sense. People want certain things, so they'll flock to where most of that specific art is going to be posted and spread. Nowhere in slash is there a claim to how much d4d there is, only that there's more than you might find when compared to other fandom spaces where slash isn't as common. So it could simply be 50% d4d and "everything else." or even 99% d4d and "everything else". Like if I want d4d, I'm probably not gonna specifically go to an Ecchi fandom to get d4d. It might still have some d4d for various reasons, -Futa can be popular with some ecchi, so you might get Futa4regular girl, but I just won't assume I'll get a lot of d4d as is, especially not with male characters of any type. Is that bioessentialism because I assume based on the fandom and spaces what I'll see most of is big boobed female characters? Or is that just a logical conclusion based on who Ecchi panders to, and what the people in those fandoms have set as a precedence with their fandom behaviour? So from there we could also say that the slash fandoms are simply gonna have more of a certain type of content because that's what the fandom space prefers or has built to be expected.

--

[bit-b]

AVOID USER "THATTECHNIQUE"

There's a VERY problematic artist that's been infamous in the Hat in Time sphere for a while. It is the user "ThatTechnique". They've been called out in the past for their suggestive/explicit drawings of the young characters in 'A Hat in Time'. They have long since been banned from the Hat Discord, and generally shunned by the community.

Recently, a document released detailing her attempts to groom a 14-year-old aHiT fan. The screenshot evidence shows clear attempts to manipulate this teen into being in a relationship with them. I encourage people to go read the document. I do warn that it's stomach-churning. And people sensitive to grooming and discussions of NSFW should proceed with caution. Though, any explicit material has been censored and cropped. Investigations were done by 'Impactor' and his team. The doc was signal boosted by 'Aster'. 'The Thatti Document'

Despite this evidence, Thatti is trying to play it off like the document is no big deal. Saying that the document didn't reveal anything that people couldn't already figure out. (complete lie, since the grooming evidence is brand-freakin'-new™) Also, she didn't reply on the tweet that had the Google doc. She instead replied to Impactor's comment saying "On stand by for questions as always". My guess is that she did this so that she wouldn't inadvertently make the callout show up in people's feeds. A user would need to add a couple extra clicks to reach it. Not a lot of extra distance, but distance nonetheless. This is clearly an attempt to de-legitimize the claims made by the document, and to manipulate her current followers into thinking that reading it is a waste of their time.

Even though she claims it's a "waste of y'all's energy", 2 hours later, she made a poll on her account letting people know that she's considering closing her main account and making an 18+ one in it's place. She also plans to focus on using her Tumblr account for her SFW art.

This tells us WAY more about how she actually feels about this. If this was about not liking Twitter, she'd just up and leave the platform. NOT create an 18+ account to replace the SFW one. And a few of her followers have even chimed in saying how odd it is for her to wipe out her whole account instead of leaving it up as an archive.

She knows she's been caught. And she's running.

I write this post to warn people on Tumblr about her actions. She's been here a while, but it seems like she's planning on making it her new art home. If that is the case, and if this isn't an isolated incident, she might attempt to groom people here.

I urge you, DO NOT engage with ThatTechnique. Don't comment or reply to her posts. Do not @ her. Do not DM her anything. A manipulator is VERY risky to interact with, and you could put yourself in danger by doing so.

Instead, spread the word about Thatti. Warn others about her past and current actions. To be extra cautious, block her on whatever socials you have in common with her.

If you are/were a victim of Thatti, Impactor is keeping their ear out and wants to hear from you. Please get in contact with him via DMs or mentions on Twitter. He plans to update the document with whatever new information he can find.

I wanna thank Impactor for organizing this document, and thank everyone who gathered and contributed information. More specifically, I wanna thank Apple for reaching out and giving all these details about their abuse. That was a brave thing, and I applaud you for it. I genuinely hope that things smooth out, and that these callouts give you a level of closure. Please stay safe, everyone. There are some great people in this community. But every community will always have some creeps on the underbelly.

[amazing-spiderling]

For the character ask game, Scott Summers and/or Kurt Wagner, #7 & #12

<3

7. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Scott: People making jokes about Scott yelling "JEAAAAN :00000" all the time will never not be funny to me. IDK there's just something about people who end up marrying their high school sweethearts that's a little wacky. And as much as I enjoy ragging on the guy, I am glad that the fandom has come around and is appreciating his character development, especially from the last 20 years of comics.

Kurt: I've literally never met an X-Men/comics fan that doesn't like Kurt. Like he may not be their FAVORITE, but he's kinda the unproblematic fave of the fandom, so if you bring him up, the odds of people having something positive to say are pretty high. If anything, I think people are better about criticizing a bad writer or bad production decisions for any wonky characterization, rather than jumping to, "this is why this character sucks" like I've seen them do for other characters in comics.

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

Scott: Wow, my feelings about Scott are kind of a jumble. I haven't read that many comics that focused on him specifically, so I feel like I'm drawing from all of the various media interpretations... I hesitate to make a claim about comics Scott because I'll say something like, "he writes a blog about baking" and someone is going to come in and be like, "X-Factor explicitly stated that he writes about gardening".

Okay, upon a little thought, I do have one. After he was resurrected following whatever the hell was going on between the Inhumans and Mutants in "Death of X", Scott felt REALLY BAD about what happened to my boy Alchemy, and we didn't see it, but offscreen he made sure that Tom was at the front of the line for Mutants to bring back to life on Krakoa. He yelled at Emma about it, too. (That last part probably was elaborated on, but I want to imagine that he was mad about that death in particular, since she used his voice/commanding personality so heavily and ended up getting Alchemy killed without a second thought.)

Kurt: I guess I'm not really sure if this is a headcanon or just like, a gut feeling- but... I don't see Kurt ever settling down, getting married, having kids. Which is kind of a wild thing to say because the man is HUSBAND MATERIAL THROUGH AND THROUGH and Marvel writers who get to take a swing at future versions of the X-Men love giving him a family... but he's always married to some rando who showed up in one (1) forgettable comic from 30 years ago that nobody remembers. It's sort of the problem of having chemistry with everyone, but then maybe not having a "spark" with one person in particular.

My use of the word "spark" here is intentional- as those familiar with his arc during the recent Krakoa era of X-Men comics might have picked up. Kurt creates the idea of a "spark" as a universal concept for Mutants of any/all faiths to embrace, a means to protect the sanctity and respect for the miracle of life. He was one of the few to recognize the need for Mutants to have something outside of themselves to pursue, and it came at no small cost to himself. In fact, he became something of an outsider, observing the community he loved, so that he could better serve them- and that I think is the crux of the issue. His "true love" is not another person, it's the preservation of a dream, and providing hope to all mutants. Even in the alternate world where he married Wanda and they had TJ, the couple lives apart from one another, each a part of their own respective teams because while they loved each other, they realized they could not focus on their duty when they were together. The mission still came first. I don't know that I mean he should join the conventional priesthood (if only because time has shown not enough comics writers are well versed enough in organized religion to write convincing and compelling comic stories about it) but his devotion to the Legionaries was close enough for me.

It's a bit of a double edged sword- I think it's something that makes his character unique, and I could turn this idea over and over in my head endlessly, but it comes at a bit of a cost from a meta perspective. I think part of the reason there's not as much fiction for the poor boy is because he doesn't have really solid canon ship fodder (NightWolves shippers have all my respect, mind you, but somehow it seems to draw a niche crowd?), so he tends to sit in the background like charming blue set dressing. It's okay though, we all still love him.

[naivesilver]

Self-fulfilling prophecies, or: I think Rumple and Blue messed up big time, folks

Disclaimer: I am a comparatively recent OUAT fan, so while smarter people probably thought this through before I even watched the show, I have never seen it happen and thus can't know if I'm stating the obvious. Please bear with me, this is going to be a long post.

So prophecies! OUAT has a lot of those. There is an entire wiki section about them, and most of the early ones are offered to us by Rumpelstiltskin, because as we know, he gained the power of foresight from the Seer. But what exactly did said Seer tell Rumple, when she relinquished her power to him?

What we gather from the (cryptic) explanations that we get is that with foresight, you can see all the ways the future might untangle, and practising+physically approaching the time of the events make you able to discern which of those paths will ultimately be the right one. Bae's destiny after the Seer's first on-screen prophecy proves that while the future is highly dependent on people's actions, they cannot forcefully steer it in the direction they want - Rumple thought he could avoid losing his son by crippling himself, but in doing so he followed EXACTLY the road that had been paved for him.

We don't know, however, what would have happened if he hadn't spoken to the Seer. SHE knew, presumably, that by drawing him close she would put the doubt in his mind, but it's unclear whether he would have still left his son fatherless by dying on the battlefield or something entirely different would have happened. We don't know - and Rumple doesn't, either.

Here's the catch, though: everything he does in the first few seasons follows the same pattern of that night in the army, blindly assuming that it makes a difference. He micromanages every main character's life because he sees them as pieces of the bridge he HAS to build to reach Bae. He doesn't account for things going wrong because he thinks they can't, and he's fucking EVERYWHERE anyway, so nothing can slip out of his fingers.

But what if THAT is what actually cements this timeline as the "definitive" one? The Seer told him he would find his son again, he could have simply bid his time and waited knowing this would be the result anyway. When his first apprentice disappoints him as the curse-caster, Regina and her grudges still happen, after all. He probably didn't need to do anything to ensure it - if he'd just leaned back and spun his little wheel, the future would have come around on its own, one way or another. But he doesn't, and instead sets in motion a very specific chain of events, and thus the show happens.

Why would he do that? Maybe he didn't learn how to parse through his visions correctly and he thinks this is a "will be" future and not a "can be" one. Maybe that first prophecy didn't teach him anything, and he still thinks he can cheat destiny (as proven by the fact that when learning that a boy will be his undoing, he refuses to accept it, believing he can just kill said boy before it happens). Maybe he thinks he's like MCU Doctor Strange, who sees thousands of possible outcomes and makes sure the one that leads him to Bae the quickest will happen. I have no clue. But what I think has happened is that for any of these reasons, he made this destiny happen by KNOWING it would happen (or believing it would, as you'd have it), thus fulfilling the prophecy by willingly acting on it.

So Rumple fucked himself over, big deal. We have seen it happen multiple times after s3. But you know who else might have unknowingly led the future where she thought it'd go, in this endless loop we have just described?

At this point in the story we don't really have proof of whether Blue has prophetic powers of her own or she's just going off Rumple's words, but it does seem to me that the way she's telling the story has a bit more nuance than his version did during the Charmings' visit to the cell. So either she went back to pry further, from a man that she generally does NOT trust...or somehow, she's autonomously privy to details most of the others don't have.

But what does she DO with that knowledge? Does she work with what she has to guarantee Emma will fulfil her destiny? Does she trace very clear boundaries for everyone to stay within to adhere to her plan? No. She lets Geppetto convince her to lie. She allows him to risk jeopardizing the safety of an ENTIRE kingdom in the span of five minutes, which makes no fucking sense considering she has never shied away from weaponizing her influence for the sake of what she thinks is the greater good (which in turn is what made people think she was the villain all along, but I digress).

Moreover, some of my friends once had a discussion that, everything else aside, made me realize how fucking dumb it was of Blue to just LEAVE when Geppetto had threatened to do as he pleased with the wardrobe. What kinda preparations did she have to do, literal HOURS before a curse where she would lose all her free will and magic anyway? It was pointless at best, detrimental at worst, and the way I see it, PREMEDITATED to begin with, because while I utterly despise Blue and would have no problem calling her an idiot, this would objectively be a bad move. She could have literally lied to Geppetto about what kind of person could go in the wardrobe, or used magic to prevent the worst from happening. She has done similar things, before AND after that moment.

If she indeed knew, either because of Rumple or her own abilities, how shit was "meant" to go down, it's not too far-fetched to assume she might have acted accordingly in an attempt to guarantee the success of this plan. Even if there had been other possible paths to take, e.g. worlds where Emma might have gone to the LWM with either of her parents, and EVEN IF Rumple hadn't already prevented those variables from happening by that point...if Blue thought the only way for it to work was to stick to the timeline she had envisioned, then there was nothing anyone else could do.

To sum up this theory: Rumple sees the chain of events that develops through show canon, and either decides or mistakenly believes it will be made true, putting all his effort into ensuring it does. Blue makes the same mistake (depending on how you see it, obviously) and instead of forcing people's hands to change the course, allows Geppetto to make what she thinks is an unavoidable decision. By doing so, BOTH of them fulfil what they think is an already written future, but might have still only been one of the various options available among endless variables.

Besides, if they HAD realized that they'd fucked up in hindsight, I doubt they would have admitted to it. It would have been too late by then: knowing them, they would have felt forced to stick to their guns, to avoid considering the possibility to have made a mistake - ESPECIALLY Blue, who was already responsible for the start of this avalanche, what with giving Bae the bean and suggesting the curse to Rumple. It's hard to believe they would have been able to live with themselves, if they'd taken the option into account.

And in the end, what are the results of this proactive decision? Rumple and Bae's reunion is angry, unsatisfying and with catastrophic consequences for the whole family. Emma grows up alone, forced into a destiny she did not sign up for, having been ten minutes old at best. And as for the third victim of prophetic crimes...

Without these beliefs, solid or imaginary that they might be, there is a chance nothing would have gone as we know: the 28 years gap might have meant something else entirely, a lot of people would have been spared the pain, and an external hand would have prevented Pinocchio from being sent on an impossible mission, with a baby and no tools to navigate this world in his hands. Another child lost to the Land Without Magic as a pawn in a game played by two magic users who each thought they were outwitting the other - at least Emma got to grow and heal throughout the show, as an ADULT.

Did Pinocchio?

(OOF. This is almost certainly not what the writers had in mind when they planned the plot of this series. I am, unfortunately, aware of that. But I still think it's worth being put into words as a theory - I probably didn't formulate it as coherently as I hoped, but maybe the message will still filter through, despite the fact that I am 1) overtly verbose 2) tragically Italian. Unforgivable sins, both of them LMAO)

[pinkestmenace]

⚔️ (Crossed Swords) - What weapon(s) do they wield or specialize in, if any in particular? Any special properties? Do their weapons have names or epithets? [e.g. MK’s Galaxia, Morpho’s Doomblade]

🧋 (Boba Tea) - Come up with a Kirby Café item themed around your OC! It can be a savoury dish, a drink, a dessert, or something else entirely.

And, of course, a funny one,

⚙️ (Gear) - Do they have any knowledge of, or connections to, the Ancients? What do they think of them?

⚔️ (Crossed Swords) - What weapon(s) do they wield or specialize in, if any in particular? Any special properties? Do their weapons have names or epithets? [e.g. MK’s Galaxia, Morpho’s Doomblade]

There's her club, obviously. Which is exactly what it seems: a big, heavy, pointy object. You can smash things with it. Simple.

Then there's her gauntlets, of course. I've already shown this in a couple drawings, but the gauntlets aren't just for punching hard or giving her bigger hands. The palms can release blasts that serve to repel enemies or boost her. Her boots can do this too, to let her jump high or pivot quickly while wielding her heavy club. She's surprisingly mobile like that even if her wings can't quite carry the weight of her and her club together. She can also still access her dimensional storage while she wears them. (Handy to summon/put her club away quickly or switch weapons on the fly!) The pointer fingers also have the ability to shoot laser blasts. They can only do this when she makes a finger gun gesture, though. That way she can never shoot herself in the hand, just like she has to spread her hands fully to make the palm blasts. By the way, her actual hands are entirely inside the palm area, so her fingers are not inside the gauntlets fingers. Those are solid and entirely mechanical. She operates the gauntlets by pressing sensors inside the palm that correspond to each finger. They are pressure sensitive and give feedback to some extent, so with practice she can bend her gauntlet's fingers exactly as far with exactly as much force as she wants. (So she can actually grab and hold things instead of crushing everything instantly.) Would she name her gauntlets? You know what? She probably does have matching nicknames for them. I haven't come up with anything funny yet, though.

I know it's technically not a weapon, but now that I'm busy talking about her armour I might as well mention her helmet. Olympea, being mothlike, has antennae that give her an excellent sense of smell (for a couple highly specific things). The red parts on top of the 'horns' let air pass through to her antennae inside, which means she's still able to use this even when wearing her helmet. It also leaves space at the back for her wings to move.

🧋 (Boba Tea) - Come up with a Kirby Café item themed around your OC! It can be a savoury dish, a drink, a dessert, or something else entirely.

Aaaah! Coming up with a café food was so difficult! I didn't want to reach for the silly pea soup or club sandwich option again.

Anyway, enter the Mumbo-Jumbo Ice Cream Dream Combo! Made with raspberry, mango, matcha and smurf blue moon ice cream scoops arranged in a row and topped with respectively a galette and ruby chocolate roll, caramel shards and dark cherry, rock candy and lady finger, and salty liquorice rope and toasted mini marshmallows.

⚙️ (Gear) - Do they have any knowledge of, or connections to, the Ancients? What do they think of them?

Considering she lived on Halcandra, which I treat as the main hub of the Ancients before they fell apart into science and magic factions, you bet she does! I actually pepper what little dialogue I've given her with some Jambandran words. Of course, during the period where she was alive and well that wasn't quite Jambandran yet. That didn't come until after the schism, when the magic faction in hiding retained that dialect and the science faction changed until it was no longer recognisable.

But what does she think of them? Well, they're her people and she's one of their heroes, so she wants to keep them safe! She is not good at magic, so she leans towards the science (well, technology and gadgets) side. But just because she isn't very magically gifted doesn't mean she dislikes magic and magic users. If she knew how the tensions between the two camps would grow it would bother her very much.

@kirbyoctournament more 🫛 lore

Masterpost

[yuseirra]

Hi there, lovely artist!

I have no idea if you answer these kinds of question, but considering what we see in the manga. Do you have any headcanons on how the twins see Hikaru and how Hikaru would see the twins? What would they like/dislike about each other? Or would the twins just hate Kamiki, without feeling anything else?

Hello lovely anon! I can't promise you that I will, because I have to say, I'm not very confident about talking about things I'm not sure of.

In terms of fandom, I tend to focus very hard on these very specific plot points I get interested and intrigued in... as for the rest of the work, I would have broad ideas. I would care about how things flow overall, but I don't really feel like I could ever be one of those fandom experts who come to answer every part of a work in depth. Some people can do it, and they're really amazing!///

If there's something I really want to talk about or have thought in depth, I feel I would come to bring it up on my own eventually. 'v')/ So if I had to choose between "yes, I answer them" and "no, I don't", I'd say it'd be the latter because I can only talk about the things I have a strong idea or a sense of conviction towards!

You're really nice though, and your question here is a little bit on the border(?) in terms of what I thought about, so it's something I can try and answer a bit on my end, but it may not be as well as I'd like at the moment.

I've been drawing a lot of fanarts of Hikaru, right?

I drew some comics with him hoarding some familial feelings towards the twins, I feel he acknowledges/considers himself as their father.

In the third one that I linked, I had him say "I like it. I like having kids who take after us(him and AI). They are what you've left behind." I think that's a summary of how I think he thinks of his kids.

The idea that Hikaru has fatherly feelings for the twins comes right out from his mouth in CH 153, and there's no reason to take that as a lie. He didn't need to say that at all, and he was preparing to leave Aqua and be gone for good out of their lives(hey Aqua you didn't need to point your knife at him then;; he was already planning to do it in the first place)

I also wrote quite a few analyses that he does care for his children and he loves them all. I wrote about that even in my first in-depth analysis of him- I'll just bring along the full phrasing I had in that post.

Kamiki advising Aqua and Ruby aligns with my interpretation of his character. These actions seem sincere. Given his affection for Ai, he may feel some warmth towards their children, as he once referred to Ruby as "our" children. He's also been able to see through how Aqua is in a very accurate sense, he seems to have watched him intently. Hence, when Aqua approached him, he expressed his feelings honestly.

To Aqua, he says stuff like "you might find me detestable, but I was glad to talk like this with you", and he gives some advice to Ruby too in a pretty kind way, actually. These actions are likely genuine. It's only natural to find the children, who resemble themselves and their loved one, adorable. Just as Ai told the twins, while dying, that she was glad to have given birth to the children, I think Kamiki, even if they didn't love the children as much as they do for Ai, would at least be happy about their existence. I believe Kamiki would have kept a distant watch over them all along. It's just that he couldn't approach them.

I feel like he'd have been a good father. He's being really patient with Aqua in 160 as well, he does not get agitated or show signs of frustration even while having a lot of strong words and accusations being thrown at him. If all went well and Ai and he really had become family.. he'd have been a very soft and loving kind of dad I think. I drew a few comics with that sort of idea. If he'd actually gone and went to meet the kids, he'd have been soft around them and Ai. The way I see it, he CAN give his life for his kids as well as for Ai's.

What he'd like and dislike about them, huh?

I'm not sure what he'd dislike about the twins... I actually don't see this character having a dislike in people because he never harshly treats anyone (come on, he STILL adds a -kun to Ryosuke's name, it's just-;;)

He seems to be watching Ruby's performances intently, I think he really likes seeing his daughter shine, and he visibly shows happiness when she claims she'll be an idol that surpasses her mother. For whatever reason, he's HAPPY. and he's watching Ruby's performance through his phone in 159. I was thinking that maybe he was going to go sacrifice himself for Ai (in 155 he did leave on a note saying he's going to do something for Ai, right...) but he's seeing Ruby's stage last thing before he has to go? Could THAT be it if that plot point ISN'T a lost cause? Anyhow, he really seems to like seeing his daughter.

As for Aqua, I think he relates to him and views him as his son who's been going through the same struggles he's been. I think he worries/is concerned over Aqua because.. he's been there, in the same places he's been. That whole mention of the black star eyes in 160? I think that's him trying to relate to him, seeing how his son is so keen about lies. You have those same eyes, you've been doing the same things I've been doing, it was fun, wasn't it(a question meant to be answered on a negative note)? I think that's what he's trying to get at, actually.. Although Aqua doesn't take it that way and the whole chapter addresses it in a really ambiguous manner. He was quite understanding of Aqua in 152 too.

So for Ruby, I feel Kamiki sees her as a daughter who will go beyond Ai (he's proud of her) and for Aqua, I think he takes him as his son who resembles him in ways he actually didn't want for it to be- thus has some concerns over.

I've made a lot of analysis about Hikaru in order to characterize him in my fanworks of him well, so I could talk about how he'd feel, I actually haven't thought so much of how the twins would feel towards him and I'd just take what the manga throws at me on this XD Here's what I got though,

Ruby wasn't able to forgive him and really loathed her father for quite a while in the plot, but somehow, she decided to forgive him even before Aqua could. Maybe this was because she decided to move on to the future and save everyone by becoming the best idol ever, and maybe it was because she played the role as Ai in the movie and understood the feelings her mother had towards her dad. She still wanted to inquire him as he left in 155, though, so I wonder what would have actually happened if that happened.

Aqua is a bit confusing for me, he's the one who played as his dad in the movie, so theoretically, he should be the one who understands Kamiki the most but I'm not so sure if he actually does. That part is still left pretty vague. Is he harsh towards his dad because he knows his true colors? Are his accusations towards him in ch 160 really how things were in an accurate sense? Because I hope not, it does not make sense for me if it is, not because I favor Kamiki but I just can't stand the idea of Ryosuke and Nino being the ones that have been manipulated into stabbing people. It CAN'T be that way, the story will be so ugly if it leads to that conclusion. It's just weird, too.

He still says he feels like killing Kamiki when he talks to Ichigo after he's left... so I think he hates him. From what I've been getting from 160 is that he's aware that Ai really wanted to save and loved Kamiki, but he thinks he's beyond hope, and is a despicable liar who's murdered people for his own gain so he needs him gone from his life. So it's mostly dislike I see. Aqua associates his negative characteristics with Kamiki and that could mean he does have something he finds he can relate to in a sense, but is this really an accurate depiction he has? Does he know about his dad as much as he should? I'm really biased on this one at this point but I feel like he STILL doesn't understand either his mother, or his father. He says he wants to fulfill Ai's wish, but he wasn't aware that she could cry until Ruby made her performance. He might have gotten a better grasp of Ai at this point compared to that, but.. if he realizes how much love she has for Kamiki, then he'd see how strong her wishes were. Was there really no room for Aqua to see his father in a better light?

In short, they all do have complex feelings towards each other but

Kamiki>Ruby,Aqua: Pure love. He does have fatherly feelings for the both of them and cares about both his children

Aqua>Kamiki : Hate. Feels he's irredeemable, associates him with his negative sides and feels they are the same in that aspect. Wants him gone.

Ruby>Kamiki : Ambiguous, but I don't think she has any initiative to have had any positive feelings towards Kamiki? Maybe a bit of sympathy, understood Ai loved him, but still Dislike. A little less hate compared to Aqua but that'd be because she wants to "head on to the future" and focus on her idol work. "Forgave him".. but really?; She probably didn't want him to die by Aqua's hands and get further associated with him that way as a foul memory.

Long post, I hope you enjoy! :) My comics tend to reflect the impression and my interpretations and I really care about the relationship dynamics when I draw them, so you'll be able to infer how I think about them through those too!

Hope you have a nice weekend!

[prettygirluriel777]

this one's a little long oopsie

day twenty to twenty-six

sorry for not posting in like a week 😭 i wanted to have significant news to share instead of just "haven't tapped in yet" and while it's true that i haven't,, i've discovered a method that i'm really comfortable with and i honestly believe tonight is the night !!

so i start off w this meditation which is meant to make you feel like you're floating (sound familiar ?) and then i have this theta track queued to play right after !! i do my best to maintain the feeling i got from the meditation while the track is playing and the next part is arguably the most important for me.

i'm someone who,, by nature,, is always looking into the deeper meaning of things and possible results / effects and how things tie into other things so it's always been a little difficult to affirm stuff like "i am pure consciousness" to help tap into the void bc my mind automatically starts bringing up a bunch of questions,, so i brought states into it.

i'm not sure how it happened,, i kind of just ended up there and i can say without a doubt that i'm really glad i did. i believe in the idea that we are all pure consciousness expressing ourselves in a human form and because of that affirming that i was pure consciousness always made me a bit skeptical bc what exactly was the difference between being pure consciousness while tapping into the void and being pure consciousness in my everyday life ? (and yes you could say that the word 'pure' was capable of being a differentiator but that didn't really do it for me). this brought me back to a conversation i had w myself yesterday that really helped me have a strong position on the nature of my being.

to myself,, i am everything and to others,, i am human but regardless of all that,, i am in truth pure consciousness (take a shot every time i use this phrase 😭). i remembered coming to this conclusion and after that,, this edward art post came to mind (i've literally never read his stuff before LMAO). specifically the part where he mentions that when neville was imagining himself back in new york the outer world didn't exist (or smth along those lines). this really resonated w me and i couldn't help but draw a connection between forgetting about the outer world and the void.

now this is where states come in. armed with everything i'd learned the previous day i was finally able to create the difference i'd been searching for; as opposed to affirming "i am pure consciousness" i began to affirm "i am in the state of pure consciousness" which,, for me,, entailed not only completely disregarding the outer world but also truly embodying the truth of my existence. in addition to this,, i now think my day-to-day can be summarized by the affirmation "i am in the state of pure consciousness in human form".

this might sound silly and look like overcomplicating to a lot of people but to me it actually really simplified things for me and helped me create peace w so much. this isn't really meant to be an advice post so i'm sorry if you don't get what i'm saying. i'm just putting my personal experience out there but i'd be glad to talk about it in dms w any of you !!

one way or another,, my next post will be my success story so look out for that 💪🏼

[taylortruther]

i don't mean this @ any specific anon but i definitely think there's a way of talking about taylor (and anyone we don't know, or even do know, and especially celebrities) like she's a fictional character where you can trace their actions and history from point a to b to c, but that just isn't how life is. we don't always make decisions that Make Sense, or that are rooted in things. sometimes we just do stuff, and we can color it later in therapy or in writing and introspection and with the context we have through more life lived, but idk.

i don't know how else to describe it but for a personal experience, i didn't properly know i liked girls until i was relatively old and some good ole denial through my late teens, but i can look back and say, huh, that makes sense! that sure colored my friendships with certain girls! but no one else can make those connections for me? just like taylor can make retrospective connections, such as in wcs versus icsy. both can and do exist.

and i think because taylor writes to diaristically, people feel like they're actually reading her thoughts from her diary, but our opinions and relationships change. she felt she and jake were soulmates for a time, and maybe once a year she gets drunk and thinks of him and might even write a song about it. that doesn't mean they're actually soulmates (if you even believe in that, and i think taylor toys with this a lot because it's Pretty to think there's an invisible string, but she's a mastermind, but she wants to change the prophecy). i think we are too quick to draw direct lines when it's more like... you know those word clouds for brainstorming? we are made up of so many conflicting ideas and experiences. i don't think i'm expressing myself very well so rant over also hope you're having a good start to your week rae!

the word cloud image is so apt. and i agree, our experiences and emotions and whatnot aren't math equations where you can say a + b = c. they're not static, they change with us, they can be hard to articulate because words are imperfect.

[itsclydebitches]

Hey, first ask but I’ve been following you for a while now, got here from seeing your post on a RWBY Reddit(notsurewhichone.) cus I’ve enjoyed all your recaps and reviews.

And I just want to ask your thoughts about Semblances in RWBY. Specifically how no one in the show…like really reacts or thinks of the implication of what someone’s Semblance says about their personality. You’d think Huntsman would be more wary of partnering up with people whose Semblances are linked to emotions when they fight Grimm. Like that’s easy bullying there

so while cool, you’d think some people would feel off about working with others depending on their Semblances.

Realistically we all know the answer why, RWBY’s never been the best(when they tried) at World Building and not every teenager likes to read into everything(most do, I won’t lie.)

Welcome to the inbox, anon! :D

Semblances—and their lack of development—have been a frustration of mine for years, ngl. Honestly, I've got no problem with stories keeping their World Building loose for the sake of things like combat creativity. Just want your characters to have cool powers without unpacking precisely how that's possible and the larger impact it has on the rest of the world? Go for it! That's a perfectly acceptable way to craft a story (depending on the genre + focus) and it gives fans plenty to play with without feeling like they're missing an integral part of the canon. RWBY's problem has always been in introducing these complex aspects and then not doing anything with them.

We could have easily gotten a version of the story where semblances are just generic powers that people unlock with no overtly textual connection to the characters' personalities... but we didn't. Once RWBY introduced the concept of semblances reflecting one's soul, yeah, the viewer expects something to come of that. It's the same with introducing the concept of grimm being attracted to emotion (they could have always just been free-roaming monsters), with one family's semblance being hereditary (just give Winter a similar-but-not-identical semblance that helps her train Weiss), and some semblances being passive (that never needed to be a thing, period). Those ideas raise a ton of questions that the show never capitalizes on and, worse, the show flat-out ignores the questions it does begin to unpack. Why doesn't Weiss have any thoughts about her semblances given her complicated relationship with her family? Why isn't anyone else hesitant to fight beside Qrow given his bad luck? As you say, why aren't those with semblances powered by extreme emotion, like Yang, considered potential liabilities in a fight? Is using her semblance worth it if it just attracts more monsters to deal with? Why not position her as the tank-like member of the team precisely because her powers tend to draw agro? There are so many missed opportunities but, as said, what's worse for me are the moments where the story overtly acknowledges these possibilities and then goes on to drop and/or contradict them. Nothing demonstrates this better than Ironwood's semblance supposedly being an integral part of his fall... and it doesn't exist outside of Word of God. RWBY's not iffy about its World Building, it's endlessly distracted. I'd take a story that flat out ignores questions the viewer might think up—we know what the story wants to focus on and recognizes that we should just leave the rest to fanfic—over stories like RWBY that continually introduces cool ideas and then drops them for the newest, shiniest one.

Another potential snag? Weapons. It's Crescent Rose that we're first introduced to, not Ruby's speed ability. It's Crescent Rose that she spent time building at Signal, inspired by her Uncle Qrow, who in turn was inspired by Maria. It's Crescent Rose Ruby hugs while gushing over others' weapons, saying that they're the glimpse into who they really are. At the start of the series semblances are secondary to weaponry and honestly? I think that worked a lot better. As awesome as some semblance moments have been, for me RWBY's combat shines within the weapon choreography and it's images like the tiny child standing with this giant scythe that are truly iconic. If I were re-writing the series I'd do away with semblances entirely, leaving just aura as a temporary shield and putting the emphasis back on weapons: the versatile, historical tools that the characters have control over. After all, it ultimately tells us much more about them if we get to see what they choose to fight with, rather than simply being told what fantasy genetics handed down to them. The fact that Volume 9 was supposedly this journey of self-discovery and semblances played no part in that for the team highlights how insignificant their connection to the World Building really is, but I find it equally frustrating that the characters' weapons have become insignificant props. Ruby lost Crescent Rose and isn't reacting to that? Who cares. Jaune broke the sword handed down to him through generations of huntsmen and apparently never tried to fix it? Who cares. Weiss' rapier is now literally one of the few remaining pieces of Atlas left in the world? Who cares! The story no longer treats these weapons with respect, so I can't treat them seriously as a means of characterization. That goes double when RWBY pops in once every two-ish volumes to insist that yeah, semblances are totally meaningful to these characters too.

[void-ink-studios]

Gala of the Gods (Part 1)

A few people suggested some stuff with Scarab and Nightmo, I've become obsessed with some of the art I've seen of these two in fancy clothes, so I'm going to combine the two.

Behold, my attempts at describing fancy clothing!

I am an artist as well, so if there's anything from this fic series you might wanna see me draw, just let me know.

Also, this is multi-parter! So y'all are gonna have to be patient.

Enjoy y'all!

Part 1 -You Are Here- | Part 2 | Part 3

Word Count: 2,200

Mail was not something Scarab expected when he first came to live in the Time Room. He figured anyone with something to say to Prismo would just take it as an excuse to show up and hang out for a while.

But, as with many assumptions he had, Scarab was wrong. Well, kind of.

The mail was never frequent, and it was almost only from the higher ups, but it had happened enough time with nearly missed important updates for Scarab to add checking the Time Room's make-shift mailbox to his routine.

And it was a good thing he did. Because they had mail. Fancy looking mail. And the beetle felt sick to his stomach when he began suspecting what this was about.

"Prismo! Mail! Letter from the Organizer."

Prismo made a rather undignified noise as he snapped awake from where he was dozing off in his hot tub.

"The Organizer? Ooooh, is it that Gala thing?"

"I suspect it might be. It's addressed to both of us, shall I read it?"

"Knock yourself out, Lovebug."

Scarab rolled his eyes a little but smiled regardless. He broke open the seal and unfolded the letter.

"To the Wishmaster and his assistant,

You are both cordially invited to the bicentennial Cosmic Gala. Attendance is compulsory, however you are not required to stay for the duration, should your godly duties require you to return to your posts.

The Gala will be hosted in the Judgement Hall, and will begin 340 time waves from now.

You are expected to be on your best behavior. There will be no physical altercations within the Judgement Hall. Please leave any and all grievances with coworkers at home. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you there.

-The Organizer."

Scarab had suspected for a long time that that last paragraph was pointed at him specifically. It's not like he started fights, it's just gods get aggressive at him for doing his job.

"Oh, I haven't even thought of the Gala... Man, a lot has happened since the last one..."

Scarab clicked in agreement. Then was struck with a sudden thought.

"Wait a moment. How are we meant to attend while in this form?"

Prismo raised an eyebrow. "Have you never seen me attend before?"

"I always left early. I made excuses that my job as Auditor required my attention, so I arrived as it started, stayed for perhaps one Time Wave so my boss could see I showed up, then I left. It's not fun sticking around a party where no one likes you."

Whoops, that came out more bitter than he had meant... It's not like he minded not attending more of the party, parties were never his scene to begin with...

Or, was that another thing he convinced himself he didn't like so it wasn't being taken from him?

Hmmm...

"Well, you can come with me this time. We'll stick by each other's side. I think you'll look nice on my arm, Lovebug."

Scarab's mandibles snapped up.

"O-On your arm... Are you suggesting we attend as... as a couple?"

"I-I mean, if you want..." Prismo looked uncharacteristically flustered, smiling nervously at the beetle.

"I think... I think I would like that, Prismo. But, you still haven't answered my question."

"Oh, yeah, the form thing. Well, how it works is the Organizer gives us authorization to make copies of our corporeal body that we can inhabit. Like ghosts or some deal. They last for a few days, and then we get returned to the wall."

"Our... corporeal bodies..."

"Yeah, it's pretty much the only time I get to exist as 'Old Man Prismo' and not cease to be me. I think it's pretty neat. And you get to be taller than me for once."

Scarab barely responded to that, a far away look on his face.

"Can we... modify these bodies at all...?"

"I mean, you can make them look different colors, I guess, or make yourself look younger but why do you..." Prismo's expression filled with sadness. "...You can't restore limbs, if that's what you're asking. I'm sorry, Scrabby."

Scarab sighed. "It's... fine. It was worth asking."

He made a few clicking chirps as he thought.

"...I suppose I should dress up for once? If I'm attending with you and lingering longer?"

"I mean, you could. I like to, since I don't get the luxury of clothes very often, and I'd rather not show up to a Gala as a naked old man. But it's not like you have to."

Prismo watched Scarab's expression. He was deep in thought, that was obvious with how much his mandibles were twitching. Then, his expression lit up.

"...We can conjure almost anything in the Time Room, yes?"

"I mean, anything not sentient, pretty much."

"Hmm... Would you mind if we arrived separately? I think I'd like to... surprise you. You know the lobby outside the Judgement Hall? Wait for me there. I will meet you there."

Prismo was intrigued, to say the least. "A surprise? Just for me? Well, let's do it then. I'll wait for you."

"Perfect. Thank you, love." Scarab nuzzled his cheek sweetly. Prismo giggled, returning the favor with a soft little kiss.

"I can't wait to see what you come up with, Scrabs. I know you'll look gorgeous."

Scarab's elytra clicked as he purred, smiling softly. He'd been doing that a lot more recently. Prismo decided to take pride in the fact he's made the unflappable Scarab smile and blush like a goof.

The days leading up to the Gala were at the same time quiet and buzzing. Scarab was very clearly cooking something up, as he had carved out a little room in the basement that Prismo was explicitly forbidden from entering.

If you had told the Wishmaster he'd be okay with Scarab, of all gods, having a secret room he's not allowed in in the Time Room, well... well, you'd be given quite the strange look, that's for certain.

"Scrabby! Can you come out of your lair for a moment?"

"For the last time Prismo, it's not a lair, it's a work room!" Regardless of the terminology of whatever was going on in Scarab's little private room, the beetle acquiesced and emerged into the main chamber. "What is it?"

"Our uh... Bodies are here."

It was always just mildly upsetting to Prismo when they just... appeared. It unnerved him to see his own sleeping body at the best of times, but seeing it completely still, not even breathing, was... strange.

"Ah, okay. Is it almost time for the Gala then?"

"We have I think 3 More Time waves before the party officially starts, so we should probably start getting ready now."

"And how long are these good for?"

"Uhhh... I think 50 Time Waves?"

"Why do they stick around so long after the party?"

"I don't know, actually. Maybe they're being nice?"

"I've never known the higher ups for being... Nice. Regardless, how does this work?"

Prismo stretched his arms a bit, examining the two empty shells on the ground. "Don't worry, it's easy. Alright, so all you've gotta do is touch it, and imagine yourself waking up. It's not super nice feeling when you first wake up, just as a warning. Watch."

Prismo slid across the floor, positioning himself completely covering his body, and closed his eyes. He felt himself fade, almost like he was disappearing, but sensation quickly returned as he jumped into his body. He pulled in a gasp of air, everything tingling as his senses caught up with him.

"Prismo? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." His voice sounded dry. He needed some water. He ran fingers through his long hair and beard as he sat up. "See? Easy."

"Are you certain you're okay?"

"I'm fine. It just... takes a minute for me to adjust. I'm not 3d very often." Prismo laughed it off, but it didn't stop him from holding a hand over a now beating heart and breathing lungs. "Your turn."

Scarab hesitated, looking between his body and Prismo. Slowly, he crawled over, letting himself overlap with the shell. The blue shadow faded, the body shooting up into an upright position, breathing heavily.

"Oh, that felt wretched..." The beetle could only describe it as similar to that falling sensation one has that jars them awake.

Scarab looked as he flexed his own fingers, claws lightly clicking together. It felt... strange to be in a body like this again. His senses buzzed. He felt the weight of his shell for the first time in months. The weight of his mask...

Slowly, he rearranged the mask to tuck behind his head. He would be going to this party as himself. Proudly.

"Heya gorgeous."

Prismo had scooched a bit closer, taking advantage of new senses to hold his love for the first time in a 3d space.

Scarab's breath hitched. He was not prepared for how... warm and soft Prismo's touch would be. He had gotten used to the Wishmaster's touch in their wall forms. But... touch in the third dimension... gentle touch, touch not meant to harm him, it was... new. Alien. His mandibles thrummed as he leaned into the hold, purring, claws experimentally touching the soft, coiling gray hair nearly covering his partner.

Prismo, meanwhile, was fascinated. He explored the texture of Scarab's shell and face. The fine grooves separating the plating reminded him of polished armor. But it was warm, alive, he could feel the beetles muscles moving underneath, the thrum of blood and life. And his pink face, while prickly at the edges, was soft to cradle.

"There you are... That's my pretty Lovebug. Look at you..."

Scarab preened under the touch and praise. He was beautiful. Prismo made him believe it.

"I must say... I think you're quite lovely in this form as well."

Prismo's cheeks flushed a lovely pinkish red color, Scarab chirping in pride. He nuzzled at him, marveling at the feeling of it with a physical body.

"I'm going to go get ready, Prismo. I'll meet you at the Judgement Hall lobby."

"Alright, Scrabs. I'll be looking for you."

The bug purred one more time before sequestering himself in his mystery room once more.

Prismo chuckled as he himself got ready.

Brushing his long, unruly hair was a task in and of itself. He pulled part of the mop into something a bit more elegant, a waterfall of gray tied neatly with a pink and gold ribbon falling down his back.

Prismo wasn't much for formal clothing, but he did like robes. Something soft, light, breathable. And had amassed quite the collection from these Galas in the past. He did like his pinks and golds, but who could blame him? He liked how he looked in them.

The robe had layers of color to it, a light pink similar to his shadow form on the inner most layer, slowly shifting out into a dark, rosy red. There were imagery of gold eyes and hands cascading down the back and sleeves, giving way to constellations and stars on the long skirt that dragged a little on the floor.

He accessorized with bracelet and rings and necklaces and pendants until he glittered like the stars. That was always his favorite part of these events, the accessorizing. He wasn't one to care much about looks, but he did enjoy making himself sparkle.

He looked into a summoned mirror, checking everything from head to toe. His golden orange sash was tied nicely, his sandals looked good, everything was in place. Perfect.

"Scrabby, I'm heading out now! I'll see you there, Lovebug!"

In lieu of a proper response, he heard a loud chirp echoing from down in the basement.

Prismo couldn't help but be curious about what Scarab was doing. All the more reason to be excited, he supposed.

In a rainbow of fragmented light, Prismo deposited himself outside the lobby of the Judgement Hall, other gods already milling about and conversing.

"Prismo! Sho-Hoot man, I always forget how nice you clean up for these events."

The Cosmic Owl flew over to him, dawned in a cloak of gold and silver feathers of starlight. Death also joined him, in a simple, but sharp looking white robe. In the distance, Prismo could spot Life, in a beautiful flower and coral dress, chatting with some other gods.

"Aw, thanks. You two look nice too! It's nice you got to bring Life with you this time, Death."

"We both needed the night out."

"Where's Scarab? He's coming right?"

"Yeah, but he wanted to arrive separately. Said he wanted to surprise me, so I'm indulging. He wouldn't even give me a hint, man."

"Well, consider me intrigued."

The three chatted for a while, Life soon coming to join them, after giving Death a peck on the cheek of course.

"And then the dude just... just tried to pluck one of my feathers out! Like for a good luck charm or something. Do people not get that dreams aren't physical?"

"I don't know, man, people just don't know how to act around you, I guess," Prismo chuckled. He was about to add on, when the doors opened, and a hush fell over the lobby.

Prismo looked toward the entrance, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"...Sho-Hoot, man."

And in walked Scarab.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.211 thoughts

[I'm Beggin' of You Please Don't Take My...Band???]

(Contents: power system analysis - Unchaste, character analysis - Kururu)

Damn, didn't get to make the "don't take my mom" joke, but at least I still got to use the Jolene joke at all

Speaking of things I was wrong about, I'm bummed that Kururu's interaction with Kaede wasn't at least somewhat amicable, but it is clear that there's something wrong (probably from a development in Kururu's life or manipulation on Soul's part), so it's definitely not too late. I was at least right about Fuuko and Julia joining the band to replace lost members, though! Just...not at all in the way I initially projected! I also seem to have been right about Kaede and Raita's souls being the components that Fuuko needs to fix her vessel, but I won't worry about speculating on that this week

The real meat of this chapter though is Kururu herself, as she's finally getting some much-needed development and her stocks are going through the roof! Both her near-useless power and her fairly generic archetype have been fleshed out tremendously in this one chapter alone, doing wonders to hype me up for what's to come next in her story!

Starting with Unchaste, we've seen a lot of Negator abilities undergo massive changes between Loops, like Unfair's activation requirement switching from being hated by others to acknowledging others' strengths or Unstoppable's deactivation switching from breaking oneself to breaking something else, but I think this is the first time that the target has changed

Previously, Kururu seemed to define chastity as a lack of love; if her target knew love but didn't currently possess it, then to her, they were living a chaste life. In other words, while she couldn't negate "true love," Kururu could fill the holes in the hearts of those who were lacking love. This is why she thought she thought she could affect Fuuko, but because she believed Fuuko wasn't actually in love with Andy and was instead just pining to have someone to fill the void created by her decade of isolation

Now, Unchaste creates that hole and then fills it. Now, chastity isn't just the lack of love, it's also the the purity of devotion. Being faithful to your beloved is a chaste act, so naturally, adultery is an Unchaste act. If "true love" is chaste, then Kururu can negate it and steal it, creating an impure love built on deception

...Wait a second, this really IS Oshi no Ko!!!

Ahem...so not only is the targeted concept expanded, the overall effect seems to have expanded as well, though that might just be because we never really saw it in action. We were told that those affected by Unchaste "bum rush" Kururu, and Kururu called Fuuko her "captive" when she used it on her. I'm assuming the idea was that the target would obey her whims, but that's not really how it was explained. I always thought it was an ability meant for drawing attention, like an aggro ability, and that the targets would basically chase down the user

However, not only did the fans seem unaffected, but the people she wanted to effect are acting as they normally would towards the people they already love. This implies that either a) the overall effect has changed, and b) that Kururu's level of control over who is affected has changed. She isn't just unilaterally affecting everyone who hears her music, she specifically went out of her way to steal Kaede's bandmates. In other words...

Kururu's tragedy has already been averted!

Her original problem was that her fans rushed the stage and the concert had to be stopped, and then even after she got more control she didn't want to cheat by making people love her over other idols by any means other than her own talent. Now, not only are her fans not rushing her, it seems she can also decide who does and doesn't fall under her spell! Thanks for the help, Soul, the only thing we need to do now is fix whatever confidence issue she has and she'll be a friendly in no time!

Well, there's probably more to it than that, of course. Honestly her real tragedy has probably just been changed like Feng's, but still, the act of defeating her here and subsequently having a discussion with her will probably be all we need to fix her. The question though is how

Presumably, she might still be able to use Unchaste on the fans if she needs to, like if she perceives that they're leaning towards Kaede over her. If Kururu's abandoned her pride and is willing to use Unchaste to make fans now, then Kaede will need to take advantage of some kind of weakness within Unchaste. My guess is it will have something to do with the soul, since she seems to be gaining access to hers, so maybe by "touching the audience's souls with her own," Kaede will wipe away Kururu's negation?

In fact, the soul is probably Unchaste's weakness overall. If Andy were to come in, I think it's pretty safe to say he'd be able to resist Unchaste, and the best way I can think of for him to do that would be for him to use some immutable aspect of his soul to retain his memories of Fuuko

Of everyone, I think that Nico would be the most resistant since Unchaste erases and replaces memory, which would require that the target forget details about their past. Since Nico is Unforgettable, he should be immune inherently, but even if he isn't, the expansion of his memory from his brain to his soul likely gives him an extra line of defense

How the rest of the cast who aren't present would fend off Unchaste isn't super relevant, though. The important thing is how Kaede and Raita will manage, and I think that Kururu gave us a pretty big hint this chapter

"Up until now, all I've wanted to know is what you have that I don't. I have that thing now. I'm done losing."

At a glance, it seems like the thing that Kururu has in common with Kaede is the ability to appeal to her specific audience, as evidenced by her aforementioned enhanced control of who Unchaste affects. Thematically, though, one would assume that the thing that Kaede has over Kururu is love

"True Love is Sincere! Infatuation is Mere Veneer!" - Kururu's encantation, Viz translation "Ai wa magokoro. Koi wa shitagokoro." - original Japanese “With love (愛), the heart (心) is right in the middle (真心, sincere) but with mere flings (恋) the heart is underneath (下心, ulterior motives.)” - literal translation

Kaede is willing to make her voice sound awful to a general audience in order to appeal to a specific audience with poor hearing. To Kururu, that must seem like Kaede is willing to change herself, throw away everything that makes her her, to be loved. No wonder, then, that Kururu has completely changed her style from pop to death metal; her very identity no longer matters to her as long as people will love her

But that's where her mistake is. Kaede isn't beloved because she's willing to bend over backwards and be someone she isn't to gain love from the crowd; she's beloved because she's a genuine and earnest person with a sincere love for the crowd. She's flexible enough to change her approach to ensure that her audience will have the happiest experience possible, even if it means letting someone else take the spotlight

Kururu, meanwhile, has always been portrayed as someone willing to change herself to appeal to others; she lies about her hobbies, her skills, and even her favorite foods, all to make her brand more appealing to a general audience. In other words, Kururu's true self is hidden behind a veneer, a focus-tested pretty face put on with the ulterior motive of garnering maximum popularity. This version of Kururu doesn't care if the crowd enjoys themselves, she cares that the crowd loves her

The distinction is pretty subtle, as in the end the crowd should theoretically have a good time either way, but one performer aims to give the crowd something to cheer for, while the other aims to take the crowd's cheers

Whatever ends up happening between her and Kaede, I'm honestly just really glad that I was finally able to dig this deep into Kururu's character. I don't think it's a controversial statement to say that Kururu was one of if not the least interesting Negator previously, she was certainly near the bottom of my list when I did the character sorter, but now? Well, I won't say she's one of my favorites just yet, but damn if I'm not attached! And her arc isn't even done, she's in her villain era right now! How much more will I like her when she turns good and gives us a genuine smile??? We've probably got a few more weeks until we find out, and I can't wait!

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[empressofthesunwriter]

You and I 02

Whether in canon or in fantasy, whether already in love or falling, whether naughty or nice, You and Izuku always find your way to each other.

Hades!ReaderXPersephone!Izuku NSFW

This One-Shot is inspired by one of my favourite Greek Myths.

So I took some liberties.

Enjoy!

/*/

Being the Goddess of the Underworld was... alright.

Well, that's what you told your father All Might, the All-Father of the Pantoen, when he visited you.

He always told you, you were the smartest and strongest of his children.

Only you could govern just over the death.

The first thousand years you enjoyed your job.

You found pride in it.

But now...humans never changed.

They killed for money, killed for revenge and even for passion.

Of course, these souls belonged only to Tartarus.

What still hurt you the most were the babies and young children.

Elysium was the only beautiful place in the underworld, only there the little ones belonged.

You loved visiting them.

You know how you could never have children.

You were the underworld, death incarnated, life could never form in you.

Well, it was not like you had a lover or husband.

Still, you sometimes logged for these things.

With a sign, you looked over your papers for today.

It seemed like it would be a normal workday for you.

That's when Tenya, the messenger of the gods, formally crashed into your study.

"Tenya, what the heck?!", you shouted, catching the flying papers around you.

"I'm deeply sorry, Hades.", called Tenya you by your godname. His was Hermes. "But I come with terrible news. The son of Demeter vanished! No one can find him!"

Demeter?

Who was this again?

"Inko? You mean Inko right?"

"Yes, Inko. Persephone just poof vanished."

"Persephone is...?"

"Izuku! My best friend I told you about him!"

"Oh, the boy who practically worships father."

That was all that you knew about this Izuku.

You didn't even know how he looked.

You only heard of him because your father All Might/Zeus has taken him as an apprentice.

It was a bit strange since this Izuku was a Spring God, but your dad saw more in people than most.

"Alright, Tenya, this Izuku is probably lost, why are you here?", you wonder.

He handed you a paper with a drawing picture of Izuku.

"Maybe he fell into the Underworld or Thanatos has him in her claws!", shouted Tenya accusing.

You deadpanned.

"I talked to Himiko, she knows she can't get any more people who aren't ready for death!"

"But are you sure?!"

"Hermes!", your voice thundered and made all shake in your palace. "I think I know my subjects! Don't you dare to challenge my authority! Himiko knows her place!"

The messenger of the gods gave you his deep excuse and then he was off again.

He needed to spread the word to more gods.

You shook your head and looked at the painting of this Izuku.

Huh.

He was quite a looker.

Fitting for a Spring Deity.

And his freckles were adorable!

Well, you could ask Charon/Denki if a god-soul used his ferry to cross the Styx.

Your work could wait a while.

/*/

Izuku knows what he did was wrong.

So, so wrong!

He was normally an obedient son, however his mother was just so protective of him!

After his father left them, his mother kept a close eye on him.

She didn't want to be abandoned again.

That she allowed him to be All Might's apprentice was a miracle in itself.

Well, you couldn't really say no to the King of the Gods, could you?

Anyway, Izuku was now over a thousand years old.

He finally wanted to explore the world.

His mother shot down the idea faster than Tenya could deliver messages.

No, Izuku should stay with her and fulfil his duties as Spring Deity.

Even if spring was long over and it was now summer!

Something in him had just snapped this day.

He packed a little traveller back and off he was.

Izuku didn't have a specific destination, he just wanted to see the world.

Then he found a strange door.

It was round and led into the innermost of a mountain.

Or that's what he thought.

Turns out he had found a Door to the Underworld.

And he was lost!

Just amazing!

He had learnt from his mother how the Underworld was practically as big as the Overworld, yet being there was something different.

The Underworld had a gothic charm going on.

It reminds him of his good friend Tokoyami aka. Nyx God of the Night.

So Izuku felt at ease and explored.

Then of course a big three-headed dog jumped him!

He could avoid him, but the three-headed dog was ready to attack again.

What should he do?!

"Who are good boys?!", he yelled the first thing which came to mind at the dog.

Incredibly the dog stopped, all three heads titling and their tails wiggling.

"Who are good boys? You are good boys! All of you!", he praised the threeheaded dog.

The dog barked happily and then licked him with his three tongues.

Uurgh, he was now full of dog saliva.

"Well, I never saw someone win over Cerberus so fast.", mussed a female voice.

Was this woman kidding him?

This beast of a dog's name was Spot?!

Cerberus let up from him and wandered over to the woman to lick now her.

Izuku could only see a glimpse of her.

It was like darkness clung to her.

/*/

Talking to Denki didn't give you any information about this lost Izuku.

No God-Soul had passed.

So you returned to your castle and did your duties for the day.

After this was done you made your way over to Elysium.

Just you saw Cerberus, your dog, interacting with someone.

Amused you saw how he licked this person.

As Cerberus heard your voice, he greeted you with dog kisses.

You petted him and then told him to go.

Happily, he trotted away.

You turned to the stranger and...okay was this a Greek Comedy?

The lost Izuku has turned up in the Underworld.

In reality, he was even more handsome, yet you didn't show any sign of your innermost thoughts and looked at the young man with a regal expression.

"Well, what do we have here? A soul who doesn't belong here."

Meanwhile, Izuku blushed up a storm.

He never saw such a beautiful woman like you.

Yes, even Aphrodite/Toru didn't stand a chance against you!

You were... outwordly beautiful.

Yes, this describes it the best.

Izuku noted how you raised an eyebrow in question at him and blushed more.

Oh, dear Gods, he had stared like an idiot!

"I-I'm s-sorry ma'am, I was just passing through?"

You crossed your arms, pushing your breasts together (Not that Izuku stared!) and said dry: "Did you really make it sound like a question, boy?"

Sheepish Izuku rubbed his neck.

"Erm, yeah, I'm just a bit confused. It wasn't my plan to land in the Underworld and then get smooched by your dog."

"That I can see, Izuku, Son of Inko, right?"

"Y-Yes ma'am."

Izuku looked shyly at the floor.

"I just wanted to explore and there was this door and yeah..."

Did he come through an Underworld Door?

"I'm going to kick Himiko's ass.", you grumbled under your breath.

You bet your ass that Himiko had gone out to the human world and forgot to close the door behind her, this was the only explanation why Izuku, who wasn't dead, was here now.

"Excuse me, ma'am."

"Nothing to worry about boy.", you waved it away. "Just I have to talk to one of my people about something. Come on now, I will lead you back to the surface."

Just Izuku didn't move.

You title your head at him confused.

"Something wrong?"

"Ma'am I wish to speak to Hades."

You barely contained a laugh.

Oh, this could be interesting.

"Why do you wanna talk to Hades?", you asked.

The Spring Deity played nervously with his hands before he stood tall and proud.

"I wish to explore the Underworld. I didn't get lost, I just wanted to see more than my and my mother's home."

Wow, this was kinda hot seeing him all confident.

His green eyes sparkled like smarageds.

"Well, I don't have a problem with it, but you should tell your mother this.", you told him with a smile.

It took Izuku three seconds to connect the dots.

"YOU are Hades?!"

"In the flesh."

You made a curtsy.

"My mom always said Hades was a man."

And now I know why, though Izuku looking at you with dreamy eyes. She was surely worried I would lose my heart to you...

Not knowing what Izuku thought, you shrugged your shoulders.

"Yeah, humans who come to me to be judged are always surprised to see a woman and not a man."

"I imagine..."

An awkward silence formed between you, you swore you heard a cricket.

"Come on now, Izuku. Write to your mother and you can be my guest."

"O-Of course."

/*/

Saying Inko was displeased with Izuku's letter and his plead to stay in the Underworld for a while, would be the understatement of the century.

You felt the Earth shake till into the Underworld.

However, Izuku didn't give up and someone could convince his mother to give him a week.

Better than nothing.

You let a guestroom be prepared for him with the sight of Elysium.

He surely would as Spring Deity enjoy the pretty flowers that grow there and the laughs of the children.

Then he was off to explore alone.

You told him when he saw a woman in a pink toga with blond hair in two buns and having way too many knives on her body, that he should run.

Thanatos/Himiko would surely like to slice him up a bit and taste his blood.

The disturbed look on Izuku's face made you laugh.

Anyway, you could finally relax in Elysium.

The children flocked around you, all demanding sitting on your lap.

You gave turns and then played with them catch.

After this was time for a story.

You had currently Eri on your lap, a child who died too soon at the hands of a cruel man and told the children the story of how your father All Might defeated all the Titans, as you saw how Izuku came shy towards your group.

Without interrupting the story you waved him over.

Couries the children made a place for him.

When you finished the story, poor Izuku was bombarded with questions.

The kids had for a long time not seen a living being.

They wanted to know how the world was now and who he was.

Only Eri hugged you tighter and looked at the strange boy in distrust.

The poor precious baby had seen too much evil before her brutal death.

She only trusted you and the children like her.

Izuku did his best to answer all the questions of the little ones, all while thinking how unfair it was that such young humans had to die.

At least they seemed happy here in Elyiusm.

It really was a Paradies.

Then the children, beside Eri, left you to play with the bigger ones who were playing a big game of Hide and Seek.

"You are their new favourite toy.", you joked, which made Izuku smile.

Your heart did not beat faster.

No.

Absolut not.

"I'm happy I could bring them some joy.", then he noted Eri, who was still on your lap hugging you. "Hello sweetie, what's your name?"

In answer, Eri hides her face in your shoulder.

Izuku looked surprised at her, while you signed.

"It's not you...Eri had a brutal death, she doesn't trust anyone besides me and the other kids."

"Oh I'm so sorry.", said Izuku and you heard the compassion in his words.

He even had tears in his eyes.

"What are her favourite flowers?", asked you Izuku.

Blinking you told him Lillies.

Izuku took a deep breath, touched the ground and hundreds of Lillies appeared.

"Eri, look!", you said. "Look what Izuku did for you."

Only because she trusted you, she looked and then gasped in wonder.

Lillies in any colours were around you three!

"F-For m-me?", she stuttered, but she was talking to Izuku!

This was a huge step for her.

You were so proud, like a real mother.

"Yes for you, sweetheart.", told her Izuku gently. "What other flowers do you like?"

"P-Poppys!"

In Izuku's hand appeared a bouquet of multicoloured poppies

He then threw the poppies in the air and with a flourish move of his hand, they flow around you.

You and Eri gasped in wonder.

This was wonderful!

Izuku showing his power made the other kids return, even to older ones and for the rest of the day, he had to give the kids a flower show.

After a while, Eri was even so courageous enough to sit beside you.

All thanks to Izuku and his spring powers.

You felt something in your heart blossom too.

/*/

"I want to thank you.", you said to him as you made your way over to your castle. "You gave the children a wonderful experience something I never could do."

"I hardly believe this, they love your stories. You are an amazing storyteller.", disagreed Izuku.

You hold onto his shoulder to make him stop.

You looked into each other eyes.

Death and Life.

"No Izuku, what you did, I cannot give them. I'm death, not life. I can only weave pretty words together, you can create."

Izuku heard the sadness in your tone and reached with his hand out to stroke your cheek.

Your skin formally burned under his caress.

"I think you are too hard on yourself.", told you Izuku. "You give these children love, the love of a mother, this is more precise than some pretty flowers."

"You are way too sweet.", you grinned to hide your tears. "Careful I will fall in love with you."

This made Izuku blush red like a rose.

You laughed now loud.

He deadpanned at you and then made a red rose appear.

Before you could ask for what this was for, he put it behind your ear.

Stupified you touched it.

What?

"I know we only know each other for a day, but...I feel connected to you.", he confessed.

You gulped.

Oh, this was not good.

So not good.

"You are probably just lusting after me...death has to be alluring."

"Hades, that's not true. I-"

"I will see you tomorrow Izuku!"

With that you're formally stormed into the castle, the red rose falling from your ear.

Izuku picked it up, looking after you with logging.

/*/

After what happened the first day between you two, you tried your best to be a good host to Izuku, but not more.

You could see how he was getting frustrated.

Did he really think death and life could be together?

What a farce!

A shining light like Izuku belongs on the surface and not in your realm of darkness.

So you decide to show him, what exactly was your job.

Surprised he sat beside your throne as you judged over dead humans.

You were just, but cold.

He noted how you punished people who hurt children in any way the hardest.

Then came a difficult case.

The man before you, crying and whimpering, had stolen from people and even killed someone. However, he did all this to buy medicine for his sick son.

You know the boy.

He came to you a week ago.

His father couldn't handle his death and had killed himself.

Difficult.

A loving father who did all for his son.

But also a thief, murderer and suicide victim.

Where should you put him?

"Hades.", whispers Izuku to you. "Let him see his son."

Shocked you turnend to Izuku.

"What why?"

"Do you hear what he is mumbling, he just wants to know his son is happy in Elysium and then he will take your punishment with grace."

Oh...!

You hadn't noted that.

So you listened in and just as Izuku said, the man wanted to see his son one last time, then he would go, where you demanded he belonged.

After thousands of years of judging souls, you had somehow forgotten to listen to what they said.

If it weren't for Izuku you would have just put the man in Tartarus.

The pain of not knowing what happened to his son was nothing against the pain Tartarus inflicted.

You let call for the boy and had to hide your tears as you saw their happy reunion.

The father kissed his son and told him how proud he was and how much he loved him, but they couldn't be together because he did evil things and needed to be punished for it.

The boy understood, hugged his father tight and told him he would love him forever.

After the reunion and sending the father to his rightful punishment you turned to Izuku and said: "You gave me good advice. Will you tomorrow help me again?"

He gave you a brilliant smile in agreement.

/*/

The days with Izuku were bittersweet.

Sweet because he made you see new things, learn them and enjoy with you the beauty of the Underworld.

Bitter because this was the last night.

You were sitting together at the table, both not really eating.

"It will be so quiet without you.", you tried to make small talk.

Izuku just nodded.

You signed.

"Izuku, you promised your mother you would return tomorrow."

"I don't want to.", he murmured, finding your eyes. "There is still so much I wanna do here, also I love helping you with your duties and taking care of the children."

You stared at your chalice.

What could you answer him?

How does anything in you scream that he should stay with you?

How do you wish to live these new feelings he awakes in you?

Could you be this egoistic?

You heard how he stood up from his chair and then kneeled before you.

"Hades...", he began, laying a hand on your knee. It burned. "Just say the word...even if it's only for one night...let me be yours."

You gasped.

No, you couldn't!

But you wanted him!

His light, his warmth, his love!

You shouldn't!

It would be only for one night!

One night had to be enough!

"Call me [Your Name]!", you revealed your name to him, then gripped the back of the head and smashed your lips together.

Never tasted the forbidden fruit so delicious as this kiss.

/*/

Soft moans left your lips, as Izuku worshipped your naked body.

You felt for the first time alive and warm under his lips.

His tongue in your most sacred place, made you cry in ecstasy.

When you become one, you love each other gently.

No need to be rough, to be fast.

You only had one night and you would enjoy it to the fullest.

When he came inside you, you felt an indescribable warmth in your womb.

It was like a flower blossomed into you.

You embraced each other and cried tears.

/*/

You couldn't watch him go.

You tasted love and now it was ripped away from you.

Izuku understood you, of course, he did and left while you slept.

The underworld was again a place without light and laughter.

/*/

A few days later you threw up.

/*/

You looked in wonder and pain at the little bump that had formed on your stomach.

One night had been enough for Izuku to give you what you always craved.

A child.

But how could you raise this child without his father?

/*/

You named her Zakuro (Pomegranate).

She was the mirror of her father.

Green hair and eyes, adorable freckles and full of light and laughter.

Anyone loved her.

Your father, All Might, was shocked as you presented her to him.

You had to hide the pregnancy from him because you didn't want to get Izuku in trouble.

It was of course a stupid plan since you had to birth her one day and then show her to your father.

He just looked on and on at your little wonder and then said only two words: "Young Midoriya?"

You just nodded.

/*/

You were currently trying to make Zakuro fall asleep as you heard a ruckus outside your castle.

One voice was your father.

The other was Inko.

And the third...!

You raced, with Zakuro in your arms out of the castle.

"Izuku!", you shouted in disbelief.

He shouted your name back and had tears in his eyes.

"So it's true, I'm a father!"., he cried a happy tear and came closer to you. "She is so beautiful!"

"Let me see the child.", demanded Inko.

She looked around Izuku and gasped seeing the baby.

"Oh Izuku, she looked like you when you were a babe."

"Mom, can I please hug my family?"

"Oh of course."

Izuku took you both in his arms and kissed Zakuro's tiny forehead.

"Hello, princess, I'm your daddy."

You leaned your head on his shoulder, whispering: "Please stay."

/*/

In the end, you found an agreement.

Izuku would stay six months on the surface with his mother, to take care of his duties as Spring Deity and the other six months he would spend with you and Zakuro in the Underworld, as King of the Underworld and judge with you the souls of the death.

Of course you married, it was a feast that took place in three days with a lot of wine and ambrosia.

Your wedding night was better than the night you made Zakuro because you know a lot more would follow.

You and Izuku had after Zakuro, a son and then another daughter.

Your youngest was a Spring Deity like her father and when she was of age took over Izuku's duties on the surface.

So the two of you would spend the whole year together, besides when you visit family of course.

It seemed so silly that so long ago you thought death and life couldn't be together when they both created balance.

Your love story was one which touched people, sadly it changed a lot over the centuries.

But as long as you had Izuku and your children at your side you could laugh over the silly humans who thought Hades was a man and Persephone a woman.

And so Hades (You) and Persephone (Izuku) ruled over the underworld over all eternity just and with love, laughter and life.