#5.1.c | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

twig-tea · 4 months ago

Text

GL odds and ends 29 December 2024

The end of the year kicked my ass, but I wanted to get one last one of these out for 2024! The last one before this was 10 November. If you're interested in GL older than that, check out my GL rec list through Feb 2024 and my #gl recs tag for the other odds and ends posts. New series marked with an asterisk*.

Currently airing (with thoughts up to 29 Dec):

The Fragrance You inherit 5/8 (Japanese, Friday/Saturday-ish, no official distribution but fansub on @isaksbestpillow's blog [thank you Siiri!] I have been really enjoying this show and have been writing when I have time (last post was for ep4). At its core this is a gentle show about kind people who love each other doing their best, which is always my favourite thing. Subs are on pause for the moment so you have time to catch up before the finale!

Pluto ep 11/12 (Thai, Saturdays 9:30 AM ET, YouTube) This plot continues to be absolutely wild. There's a lot of discourse around Oom this week, to which I'll just say: Setting a test to see if the people you love will hurt themselves in order to make you feel better is not loving or healthy behaviour, even if your motivations are understandable and sympathetic. Namtan is doing a great job making these twins feel like different people, and she and Film are still gorgeous together. And I have no idea what's up with the messy lesbian sides, but I'm on the side of all of them need a time out! I've been pretty dialed out of this show because it's not my thing, so I'm not that invested in any of the relationships going into the finale, but it's been a wild ride and it seems to be holding together for those who enjoy the high drama of this plot.

*Petrichor ep 5/10 (Thai, Saturdays, 10:00 AM ET, iQIYI) The procedural aspects of this show are unfortunately not well executed, but Engfa and Charlotte have fantastic chemistry. I'm also really loving seeing Na and Max again even though I am very worried about getting too attached to their characters. It's always hard for me when a show is about a police officer trying to do good work in a corrupt system because the only takeaway I can accept is that that is not possible lol but I'm enjoying seeing these two on my screen every week (except this week, because we sadly did not get a new episode today).

*Mate, 6/12 (Thai, Tuesdays, WeTV (uncut version)) This one is hard to describe. It seems to be trying to do for trauma in a GL what Love in the Air and Bed Friend did in BL--show a realistic depiction of trauma in one of their characters and have them fall in love, and be taken care of and healed that way. But that also makes it extremely hard to watch. The trauma flashbacks and trauma responses is rough. The main character is not very likeable but that's kinda the point, I'm not minding that part of it so much. There are a lot of things I like about this show, so I don't want to discourage views. Just go into this one informed, and make the decision that's right for you.

*INTP 1/? (Korean, Fridays (?), YouTube) This is the latest short series from RedQ, who produced some of my favourite GL short series including More than or equal to 75 degrees C, and To the Ex who Hated Me. No info on how long it will be or if it will be weekly, so that Fridays release schedule is a total guess. The setup of this one reminded me of Semantic Error if SangWoo realized he was attracted to JaeYoung at their first group assignment meeting.

Recently Completed:

Apple My Love 6.5 50-min eps (Thai, Oct 12-Nov 16, GagaOOLala and YouTube) I ended up feeling like this one bit off a bit more than it could chew, as much fun as I had with it, it was a wobbly landing. I was ok with the ending at the end but I spent a lot of time watching the finale uncertain about how I felt about all of it. There's a 30 min "episode 5.1" that is an important bridge between episodes 5 and 6 (and also includes a 10-min fingering scene, thank you show) that I think resulted from either poor pacing or realizing they needed to set up the episode better? It was odd but something to make sure not to skip. The show does a lot of what I love about Kongthup's latest BLs: it avoids the worst drama pitfalls and calls them out in the show itself when it uses them, and it is largely about being kind to its characters who are figuring themselves out. Warning for extremely hard to watch secondhand embarrassment in the first couple of episodes lol Kris is such a cringefail lesbian I love her. With the caveats above, if you don't mind secondhand embarrassment and want a comedy GL and are willing to be a little patient with the ending, give this one a try!

The Loyal Pin 16 65-min eps (Thai, Aug 4-Dec 1, YouTube) Anin was the bravest right through to the end. I really liked a lot of this show, but I found the pacing a bit uneven and the finale a little rough. It's hard, because I actually am happy with the way the show ended--it makes perfect sense and was where I was hoping they would get to the entire show. What I didn't like was how we got there. It seemed wild that Pin and Anin didn't at least talk about this possibility before we got there; and didn't feel like we ever resolved the disparity between the two leads, though the show was aware of it the whole time which I did like. And you may have seen the shouting about the prank in the finale, it was in really poor taste. In the end, this show was beautiful, gave a platform for promoting Thai culture (food, clothing, history), and had excellent intimacy. I really enjoyed the slow burn between Anin and Pin, and I loved that every character had and used the agency they had, but that the show was realistic about what was in and outside of their control. If you want a slow-burn and high-heat romance and are willing to be a little frustrated for the sake of the drama, and/or you really like a pigtail-pulling romantic dynamic, you should watch this show.

Red Whisper 8 10-min eps (Korea, Oct 2-Nov 11, YouTube) Honestly this show never got better after what I wrote about it a month ago about how its portrayal of bisexuality and nonmonogamy was upsetting. For the record one last time: Not all bisexuals are nonmonogamous, and entering a monogamous relationship under false pretenses and then acting like your partner is being unreasonable by not wanting an open relationship is shitty behaviour. This one is sadly not recommended.

The Nipple Talk 10 30-min eps (Taiwanese, Nov 8-22, GagaOOLala) I highly recommended the first half, and so I am so sad to say that I can't say the same for the second half of the show. I was really enjoying how much the show seemed to support a mix of monogamy and nonmonogamy, but the second half of the show leaned heavily into 'everyone wants a monogamous relationship when they meet the right person', which disappointed me. The show also tried to introduce some themes that felt very dated in terms of how they handled them (e.g. HIV) and I ended up just not really liking the Pony character as a person by the end. The lesbian relationship was super messy in a way that I did not find fun too. Mama was the best part of this show, and I hope we get more characters like them in future (better) shows!

*Soul Sisters 24 12-min eps (Chinese, iQIYI) This entire show dropped this week so I binged it in one go. The basic setup is a GL version of Meet You At the Blossom, except the gender fuckery lasts for most of the series and they don't actually ever get to kiss. I loved this little show; it is a frenetic, very silly and censored comedy, so calibrate your expectations accordingly. But it walks the line in a way that is palatable (or was for me, anyway). Without giving too much away, it is an open happy ending. The caveats for this one are that there is no wasted tape, so the pacing is rollercoaster fast, and the cuts are sometimes jarring. But it's a surprisingly beautiful show for the budget, and I really appreciated all of the ways they came up with to give these women shippy moments. Also, good lord this main character is so competent, which is a major weakness of mine. I had a great time!

*Whisper Me a Love Song 12 25-min eps (Japanese anime, Apr-27 Dec, HiDive) This started airing in April but there was a delay and the last episode didn't air until yesterday. High school lesbians in a band having embarrassing confused and misunderstood feelings all over the place (with good endings including a kiss for at least one of our couples). I appreciate that this anime is not playing with the 'are they friends who joke about wanting to touch each other's boobs or are they more' line, they outright say they want to be more than friends and then kiss. The music is good too! Recommended if you are feeling like a high school dramedy with good tunes that stays pretty light and is in the 'bubble'.

Recent One-offs, Side Couples, etc.:

My Hot Butch Roommate (actually a 2-parter) aired on bilibili 1, 2) and was subtitled by @douqi7s on YouTube (1, 2) These two are very cute, and this little short does a ton with the very tiny 5 minutes of total runtime it uses. Give the original bilibili uploads a stream so they get views, even if you watch the YT subbed version!

Fufuknows put out a new lesbian short titled The Choices of Two Lesbian Couples in Love on YouTube This was a great short (11 min) film featuring the story of two couples at different stages in their relationship, and the different choices they make about their futures. I really enjoy Fufuknows as queer short filmmakers, and I appreciate that they regularly include lesbian and wlw content in their bi-weekly (as in, every other week) fictional shorts that they produce and release. This one is recommended!

Aim's Lesbian plotline in the new Love Sick 2024 remake concluded (this was not a plotline in the 2014 version and it's one of the changes I really like and that I think works really well) Spoiler: she doesn't get a romance happy ending but her story ends with acceptance from her friends about who she is, which was lovely to watch

There was a brief of-the-week lesbian couple who wanted to marry in Spare Me Your Mercy Spoiler: their story is tragic, which is par for the course in a murder mystery

I am suspecting wlw sides in See Your Love I may end up eating these words but I was getting vibes, and so I'm putting this out in the universe now in hopes I'm right lol

There is a new Korean shorts production company on YouTube called Lovememory (Their first BL ep is out and the GL, First Love, has a trailer)

Mom Ped Sawan started airing but I don't have a source so I can't give any info or links unfortunately. If anyone knows of a subtitled source for this show, please let me know!

My Ex's Wedding came out in Thai theatres waiting for an international source for this too

Korean short film What's In my Bag was uploaded to Matchbox I haven't seen it yet but the trailer is on YouTube if anyone is curious! The film is available now for a small fee on Vimeo (runtime 12 mins).

Sastra film app YouTube channel has several short Cambodian GL series that come out weekly Honestly they are not to my taste but I don't like gatekeeping GL especially from smaller markets. I check in on these time to time and if there are any that I think are great I'll give them a shout-out

Ditto above with JPC media YouTube channel for Thai GL shorts if there are any that stand out to me I'll say so; that being said I haven't had time recently so if I've missed anything good let me know!

Starting soon:

Us the series, Thai, 18 January 2025, most likely YouTube (as this is a GMMTV show) Caveat that this date is a rumour, see comments

Fragrance of the First Flower s2, Taiwanese, 18 February 2025, GagaOOLala ok this isn't that soon but I'm just so excited we're getting this second season after all!

It is so, so nice that we have this much GL to keep track of, I can't complain! This covers a whole month of content and it was a month I was very distracted from my QL consumption so while I always welcome anyone pointing out stuff I missed, I would particularly appreciate it this round.

#gl series #gl recs #gl meta #sapphic media #typed so that i can stop thinking it #kimi no tsugu kaori wa #the fragrance you inherit #pluto the series #intp the series #petrichor the series #mate the series #apple my love #the loyal pin #red whisper #the nipple talk #whisper me a love song #soul sisters the series #my hot butch roommate #soul sisters

85 notes · View notes

sparxwrites · 10 months ago

Text

“We will be with you shortly. The Permit Office appreciates your patience. I bet you thought you’d never get put on hold. Turns out you can put an entire Youtube video on hold. That’s the kind of power the Permit Office has. Hang in there. Your video is important to us.”

a) I’m going to throw up, b) you have to stop doing this, c) the permit office is the Watchers, right, we all acknowledge this after this episode, right, d) pressing against the fourth wall like it’s a nauseating-to-the-touch but ultimately permeable membrane, d.5) that little red light that’s always blinking in the corner of the room whenever you look out the periphery of your eye, d.5.1) how Grian was tormented by the Watchers, and almost never streams, e) I’m going. To throw up.

#grian #hermitcraft grian #grian mc #grian minecraft #The watchers #IM NOT THE ONLY ONE RIGHT #IM BIT GOING INSANE RIGHT #PLEASE WORK WITH ME HERE #there’s a dsmp comic about the red light in the corner of the room. And Technoblade. And I can’t find it #if someone finds it for me I’ll love you forever #It’s a comic but I think op deactivated

63 notes · View notes

katyawriteswhump · 6 months ago

Text

omega found, omega lost (final chapter)

Title: Omega found, Omega lost; Chapter: 7/7; WC: 3309; Rating: E; Tags: Steddie, Omega Steve, Alpha Eddie, angst, hurt/comfort. CW: knotting, marking, biting, sex!!!

Chapter 1 on tumblr Chapter 2 on tumblr Chapter 3 on tumblr Chapter 4 on tumblr Chapter 5.1 on tumblr Chapter 5.2 on tumblr Chapter 6 on tumblr

On AO3

Chapter 7: yours forever, soulmate

Steve snapped his teeth then hissed like a viper, setting Eddie recoiling. “If you don’t get on with it, Alpha mine, I’m gonna chew your fucking hand off.”

A startled laugh exploded from Eddie. He was kneeling between Steve’s spread legs, while Steve spawled on his front in the nest. “Talk about rogue Alpha. I got me one rogue Omega,” said Eddie.

“You’re a sheepie in wolf’s clothing, you know that, right? Eddie, pleeeease?”

Steve’s tone shifted from acidic to desperate, and he levered himself up onto his hands and knees to scrub his butt against Eddie’s thighs. He quivered with mad purrs. Tiny beads of perspiration quivered too, on his back and on his face, so recently milky pale but now a bright pinkish hue. His neatly groomed hair had gone feral already. His spine undulated toward a c-shape, as he peeped around one shoulder, around his squirming butt and hips, back at Eddie, and…

…damn, Eddie needed to taste that glossy mouth. He needed to mate Steve.

Now.

Nevertheless, a heart-to-heart chat festered in the back of his mind. Which was a miracle in itself, because most of his blood had rushed to his dick. He put granny’s salve aside. Could he really claim his soulmate—and not just any soulmate, but Steve Harrington—on Jim Hopper’s basement floor, which was grungy at best, and not in a badass way. The only source of heat was an ancient oil-filled radiator. Okay, and the rising steam of their lust.

Either way, it was hardly fitting. Could Steve, deep down, want it to happen like this? Reality check—Eddie needed a luxuriously fitted-out castle, with a moat, a drawbridge, and battlements primed with archers, pikemen, and vats of boiling oil to defend his princess from all comers.

On the other hand, all he saw in Steve’s eyes was a ravenous desire that mirrored his own.

A fresh gush of slick pooled around Eddie’s knees.

“Okay. I surrender, Stevie.” He sounded more strangled than bass-note Alpha. “We’re still taking this sloooow, all right?”

“Yeah… yeah… Sorry… Really sorry… didn’t mean to snap… just… desperate, Eddie… Alpha… Oh God, feels so good.”

Eddie had started nuzzling at Steve’s throat, dousing Steve’s mating gland, lathing it with his tongue. Drinking in that bananas-and-cream sweetness, blended with that smoky-marijuana twist that was uniquely and addictively Steve. He flattened Steve to the nest, cloaking the Omega’s body almost entirely with his own. The pressure seemed to settle Steve while Eddie supped.

“Sweetheart, listen,” murmured Eddie in Steve’s ear. “There’s a fuck load going on with our bodies right now, especially yours, that we’ve got very little control over, so don’t apologise and… Holy crap!” He licked Steve’s throat again, relishing the thrum of Steve’s irrepressible purrs against his tongue. “Wanna gobble you all up.”

Okay, maybe not the most loving choice of words, but… damn! His Alpha needed to feast. Steve was always delicious. Today, his flavor was off the charts, and his gland leaked almost as generously as his pussy. Eddie lapped and sucked, raising the already swollen gland into one helluva hickey. His own canine incisors quickened, and a red mist swirled up in his vision.

Fuck.

His body blatantly had its own agenda, equally potent as Steve’s, and he had to reel it in. He didn’t want to bite, let alone pop a knot, before he’d even got inside his Omega and he intended to do that the sultry, smoochy way. Heck, the romantic way.

Trouble was, Steve’s neck was beyond addictive. Steve, meanwhile, had fallen very still. As Eddie suckled Steve’s heated flesh, his suddenly vise-like grip gouged into Steve’s shoulders. Only when Steve whimpered with something that might’ve approached pain, could Eddie muster the willpower to release him.

He’d barely snatched a breath when Steve twisted his head around, chirruped convulsively, and all but inhaled Eddie in for a kiss.

The kiss lingered, as Eddie’s tongue swept out Steve’s mouth to its depths. Steve scrubbed his tongue against Eddie’s, slickly and sweetly, sending electricity buzzing through Eddie’s veins. Briefly, he let his inner Alpha unleash. He bit lightly into Steve’s lower lip, sensed a confused panic bubbling up in his Omega’s throat, then released.

“Neeeeed.” Steve fretted his swollen lip. His eyes were huge, hungry, as much predator as prey.

“Need you too, Stevie.”

He manoeuvred Steve back onto his hand and knees, piling pillows beneath Steve’s taut underbelly, pausing briefly to give him a tender rub there. Steve now kicked off purring like a maniac again. Eddie paused, briefly, to fight his way out of jeans sodden with his own precum and Steve’s slick.

Steve glanced back at Eddie’s dick, already swollen at the head. Though not even faintly as big as it was going to get:

“I… I… n…need… in me… n… need.”

“I get it, Baby. You need.” He smoothed slow circles on Steve’s back. “You’re gonna get. But I need to stretch you out, okay? And, you know, I got needs too… and I need to taste you. You’re too delicious, my darling.”

Eddie dragged his tongue over and up Steve’s slick-drenched thighs, and the next few minutes passed in a blissed-out blur. Steve pressed his ass toward Eddie’s mouth, inviting Eddie to explore both his holes. Fun though this was, Eddie’s inner Alpha was getting as impatient as the Omega. By the time he smothered his face between Steve’s wet pink folds, tongue dabbing and swirling around Steve’s soaking hole, his barbed Alpha fangs were beginning to protrude again.

As a result, Steve’s bucking and clenching was getting slightly dangerous. Realising Steve was openly sobbing now, Eddie’s heart panged. “Sorry, Babe.”

“No… no… love everything… felt… am-amazing… but please… need to be yours, Alpha.”

“You’re already mine, Omega.” The grin erupting from his core felt thrillingly savage. “Always mine.”

As he leaned over Steve, arms bracing around Steve’s middle for a brief, tight hug, his weighty dick slapped against his Omega’s thigh. With an effort, he once again restrained his inner beast from carelessly popping a knot.

He drew back, took a deep, calming breath, and breached Steve’s hole with his fingers.

…

Steve was coming apart at the seams, a quivering, boneless, liquidy mess.

Yeah, Eddie’s fingers felt awesome, stretching and scissoring inside him. He’d stopped purring, so far gone he was barely breathing. The mattress beneath him was in truth, kinda lumpy, yet he’d been floating on puffy cloud and now he was fucking flying. The basement, the rest of the world, had long since vanished. When Eddie got maybe a fourth digit in there, his toes curled: “Yes, yes, yes, yes, please, please, please.”

“Missed your gorgeous pussy,” cooed Eddie and Steve, despite everything, peeped back and kinda rolled his eyes. Eddie responded with a fiendish grin and another soothing rub of Steve’s belly, rubbing in synch with his slow finger fucking and all-out kneading of Steve’s vagina.

Eddie found that sweet spot. Steve’s impatience faded slightly, because—gnnng!—he was feeling kickass full now, the friction mind-blowing. His euphoria bubbled up in a sudden rush, and that crazy little bud inside him clamped super-tight.

Oh crap! They’d hit home too soon—his walls clenched, and what felt like rivers of slick rushed from him, and his cocklet squirted too. He started chirruping uncontrollably, sensed the sweet vibration of Eddie’s laugh, as he rode the wave, which crashed too soon, and then…

…oh God, it was already one of those ‘little death’ orgasms. Fun but not enough. His desperation for more seized him more strongly than ever.

“Please!” His voice was a wrecked squeak. “I don’t… can’t… Don’t wanna beg!”

With a rush, Eddie’s hand was gone, and Steve… kinda froze, save his g-spot and pussy still quailing in the aftermath.

“Gonna mate you now, Baby,” said Eddie. “You sure you’re ready?”

Words failed again. A trail of desperate chirrups escaped Steve’s tight throat and he managed a jerky nod.

“Steve? My Omega?”

“Yes… Yes, please… Alpha.”

“You’re doing so good, my darling.” Eddie stroked the length of Steve’s spine and Steve’s purrs returned with a vengeance. Eddie lowered his lips to Steve’s ear: “I need to take you the other way around. I have to see your pretty o-face.”

Desperate to obey, Steve rolled over. Eddie guided him with hot, sticky hands after tossing some of the cushions aside, then wedging one under Steve’s hips. Steve hugged his knees to his chest, offering his open pussy. Eddie loomed over him, and Steve’s vision swam so madly that Eddie’s skull tattoo leered, and the spider’s legs scuttled as if alive. Okay, slightly scary. He still longed to kiss them, to lick the glistening perspiration from every inch of Eddie’s pale skin.

All this passed in a flash. Then Steve’s scattered attention zeroed in on Eddie’s monumental Alpha sacs, his huge dick patterned with pulsing veins. Steve’s mouth dropped open, suddenly dry.

“You’re doing so well, my beautiful Omega,” cooed Eddie. “If I hurt you, if anything doesn’t feel good, tell me. If you need me to stop—"

Steve nodded his head, clenched his teeth, and his tunnel clenched madly. Christ, get in me!

At last, Eddie moved in to drag his cockhead along Steve’s cleft. It felt as it looked—impossibly hard and large as he spread Steve, setting Steve whimpering at the intimacy of the contact. Every nerve ending in his vulva set alight, relentless shivers wracking him. Eddie stroked Steve’s chest, drifted lovingly over Steve’s erect little cocklet.

“I love you, Steve,” he said.

“Just fuck me to oblivion!” Steve’s own scream shocked him back into breathlessness. Eddie grinned, wickedly, and lined his cock up at Steve’s entrance, slowly increasing the pressure until Steve’s body gave.

For a moment, Eddie lingered there, his cockhead wedged in Steve’s opening. Steve gulped air, adjusting to the scorching penetration—yup, as he faintly recalled, Eddie’s dick was much, MUCH bigger than those fingers. Then Eddie nudged forward, coaxing Steve’s body toward its unbroken limits. His senses overflowed, and even Eddie’s look of love was too much to take. He scrunched his eyes tightly.

Eddie… Eddie had got this, and Steve wanted more, his body wavering just about on the pleasurable side of pain. He remained slightly scared, because to seal the deal Eddie was going to bite, and even his fright intoxicated him. Even with his eyes closed, all he saw was Eddie… and, okay, laughing skulls and a smattering of fireworks. Eddie planted a soft kiss on his mouth, and Steve’s hips took on a life of their own, bucking forward, urging him on. Eddie started fucking him for real.

Which was cool, because Steve could feel his next orgasm already, building and building. He gasped and whined and threw his arms around Eddie’s neck, and his ankles around Eddie’s hips, causing the bandaged one to twinge slightly, though that was soon lost in the flood. He peeped again to see Eddie’s face, which was… Okay, kinda ferocious, the curl of his lip deliciously savage. Those gorgeous eyes remained relentlessly adoring, with maybe just a hint of bloodlust. Yeah, this was exactly what he needed. He’d never felt so… no, not only connected. So cherished.

And then the world flipped.

Eddie hoisted Steve up off the cushions and into his lap, impaling Steve completely on his dick. Woah! Talk about Alpha strength! The shift had taken any pressure off Steve’s ankle, though he felt impossibly full, and… Oh God, he still wanted more. Hugging Eddie ever tighter, he moved on reflex—tiny jerks seeking the barest of friction, though his every limb was jello, his parted lips gaping.

Eddie had stopped moving, however. Deep inside him, Eddie started to… Christ, it was like a mini earthquake in Steve’s guts.

Then Steve felt the knot.

It was swelling further up inside him than Steve would’ve believed possible, and a shocked chirrup escaped him. He braced for pain—and fucking son-of-a-bitch, yes! Steve’s head cracked back, as Eddie’s hot seed erupted inside him, setting Steve’s insides convulsing with white-hot pleasure.

“Fuck, yeah! Yes!”

Steve squeaked, and Eddie just kept coming, his hot seed coating Steve’s insides. Jesus Christ, was it gonna come gushing up through his eyeballs? He couldn’t fathom which one of them was shaking the harder. Steve’s every fibre pulled impossibly taut, and it really was almost too much. If Eddie didn’t stop quaking and, goddammit, growing inside him, he might be ripped into a thousand pieces...

…and then he was.

The best orgasm of Steve’s life went supernova. Bright stars shot into streaks of fire that tore up his spine and frazzled his brains. His face smacked to Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie clamped his fangs down onto Steve’s mating gland, piercing deep. Steve’s heart pumped wildly, and then Eddie was sucking and lapping at his blood, cooing softly between:

“Ssssh, shhh. You’re okay, Sweetheart. It’s done.”

Eddie cupped Steve’s neck, chafing the sweat-drenched hair at Steve’s nape with his thumb, holding him in place. Steve’s brain had gone woolly, a dull throb gathering pace in his throat. “Sore,” he murmured, and Eddie’s butter-soft lips nuzzled his gland, and Steve… Okay, he was not done orgasming after all. With Eddie’s knot buried up somewhere near his heart, a final bittersweet agony seized him, echoed by the purest sweep of bliss.

He was still riding the aftershocks, spasming contentedly around Eddie’s knot, when Eddie gently lowered him to the nest and sagged forward to wrap him in his arms.

“I do love you, Steve.”

“Love you too,” mumbled Steve, his feeling of fullness now a kickass honeyed glow.

Yours forever, soulmate.

…

Eddie wasn’t going to lie to himself.

The responsibility should be terrifying. He’d been reaching for that terror, even while lying in the nest with Steve in his arms. Even while coming down from far and away the best orgasm of his life. It’d taken a while for his knot to subside enough to gently drag himself out of Steve, and his dick still felt almost painfully hard.

But, nope, not scared. Eddie Munson had got this. Kind of.

He lay there cuddling Steve, who’d sunk into some strange stupor. He sure looked edible, debauched and pretty—a vivid pink flushed across his pale cheeks, his wet lashes sparkling, and his hair was a wild, fluffy halo. And his wet pussy dribbled Eddie’s come down his thighs, mingled with all that endless slick.

Steve’s neck was smeared with blood, too. The first thing Eddie did, after gently dabbing Steve’s thighs with a damp cloth, was… uh, yeah.

Follow his instinct to lick it.

Granny Munson and even modern science claimed saliva had some healing properties, so he took comfort in that. He licked away the drying blood, enjoying their mingled flavors on Steve’s skin. Also, because he couldn’t help himself, he savored the quiver of his Omega’s lifeblood, palpable through such a thin layer of skin.

Willpower, Munson. No more biting!

A renewed surge of guilt almost outweighed his pleasure. He was also concerned about getting Steve up and into Hopper’s bath, before the latter came back from work, or his pups home from school.

Not that Hopper could really object, mind. They had to use the washroom. Eddie still didn’t fancy running into the Chief with Steve smeared with slick, come, and blood and more-or-less unconscious. And if he ran into any of the Chief’s kids with Steve in this state…

Yeah, now he felt a faint ripple of apprehension. He would be dead meat and deservedly so.

“Huh, now that’s kooky.”

Eddie lifted Steve’s hair to shine the single buzzing bulb’s light beneath the Omega’s chin. The puncture wounds around Steve’s mating gland had almost totally healed, leaving only the two mild pink marks that showed Steve to be a claimed Omega, Eddie’s own.

“What’s kooky?” murmured Steve, rolling over, smiling sleepily, hooking an arm around Eddie’s neck. Then sucking a hissing inbreath. “Jesus!”

“Uuuuuh, sorry I bit you,” said Eddie, because it kinda had to be said. “Totally crazily it’s…”

“All healed, right?” Steve fingered his gland. “Feels a bit bruised.” He curled his lip, snarky. “Believe me, my insides are bitching way more right now.” Eddie grimaced and parted his lips to apologise again. Steve slid his fingers up over them: “Don’t you fucking, dare. I bit first, remember? I’m sorry for that, seriously. I’ll try to do better.”

“It’s fine, Babe. Just tell me what I can do to help.”

Eddie helped Steve up and then bundled the comforter about the two of them. This didn’t make getting up the basement stairs particularly easy, but they made it to the bathroom. Eddie sat Steve down on the toilet seat, while he revved Hopper’s old boiler to the max in running a warm and bubbly bath.

They settled down in the spacious tub, with Steve lying between Eddie’s legs, leaned on Eddie’s chest. Yeah, Eddie’s dick pepped right up again. That was inevitable. No way should he take the Omega again so soon, and he let the rising steam soothe his raging impulses.

“How did you know your throat was healed?” he asked, nosing Steve’s hair while remaining safely away from the bite zone.

“You’re the one who spouted that crazy stuff about us healing each other, dipshit.” Steve was lathering up a ton of bubbles around his crotch, which was… Screw it, a fun watch. “Seriously, I’m tempted to put that to the test. You know, smack you in the mouth just so I can kiss you better?”

“You are kidding, right?”

“Yeah. Unless you really piss me off.” Steve laughed and drew one of Eddie’s wet hands to his lips and kissed it. “Did you say that there was a Winnebago on offer? For when it stops being so cold?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Look, Eddie. You’re basically an open book.” Steve started scrambling over onto his front, sending bubbles and water spraying. “You’re fretting your lil’ Alpha brains that I need a palace or something.”

“I was picturing a castle,” admitted Eddie, as Steve settled on top of him again, nose-to-nose and dick-to-dick.

“Jesus, you’re an idiot. Can’t you see? My life before wasn’t exactly perfect. Okay, I had nice clothes and shit, but you’ve met my mom—she’s an ogre! I only want you. For the rest of my life, that’ll be enough.”

“But a Winnebago?”

Steve pecked Eddie’s lips. “I’m telling the truth, Eddie. You could keep me in a basement or a creepy cave, and I’d be all right. In fact, I have this dumb fantasy that…” His cheeks, already pink from the steamy heat, blushed cherry-red. Eddie was curious. However, Steve swerved back onto the business in hand. “I really like the idea of a Winnebago. Cozy, and it’ll be totally big enough for my nest. To begin with, at any rate. We can save up for a bigger one in the future, for the pups. I want at least six, by the way.”

“Then we’re definitely gonna need a goddamn castle.”

Eddie beamed anyhow. Nope. Not scared anymore. How could he be, drowning in Steve’s amused gaze at point-blank range? His inner Alpha had got this. Or maybe they’d got this?

Or maybe he was simply totally, insanely in love with his soulmate.

“Okay, and for future reference, dude,” said Steve, “if I’m feeling snappy, like earlier, banana flavored ice-cream helps. I mean, it doesn’t always fix it, but I find it’s worth a shot, if I’m struggling to rein it in. Oh, and sex, of course. You got that one covered. Took your sweet time, tho’.”

Eddie grinned like an idiot. The last remnants of his tension seemed to sigh away, and he couldn’t wait to get his Omega clean and dry and straight back into their warm nest.

The End

(although there might be some more short ficlets in this universe... it's been fun to write.)

tags: @wheneverfeasible @mugloversonly @ellietheasexylibrarian

@strawberryyyenthusiast @stripey82

My Steve whump fic on AO3

#steddie #steddie omegaverse #omega steve harrington #alpha eddie munson #steddie smut #steve x eddie #steve harrington #bottom steve harrington #top eddie munson #katya's omega whump #omegaverse steddie

38 notes · View notes

batmannotes · 20 days ago

Text

Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League 4K UHD Review

Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League 4K UHD is the sequel to Batman Ninja, the Batman family has returned to the present to discover that Japan has disappeared, and a giant island, Hinomoto, is now in the sky over Gotham City. At the top sit the Yakuza, a group of superpowered individuals who reign without honor or humanity and look suspiciously like the Justice League. Now, it's up to Batman and his allies to save Gotham.

The first Batman Ninja film was a pleasant surprise. Gorgeous artwork was the backbone of the unusual, animated movie. Seven years later Warner Bros. has gone back to the well to try to recapture the same animated magic. There are several members from the Bat-family here, including Nightwing, Robin, Red Robin and Red Hood as well as members of the Justice League, including Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman.

The first thing I noticed was the artwork itself, which to me looks like it was drawn on a cement tabletop with a bad ballpoint pen. It definitely pales in comparison to the amazing look of the original film. Another problem is the uneven mix of computer animated backgrounds and animated cells in the foreground. At times, the characters look like puppets and very unlifelike (yeah, I know this is cartoon). I did, however, dig the way they introduce the Justice League characters à la a classic video game (see below).

Although the premise seems vast, it is elemental and draws mostly from older storylines from the comic book world. On the plus side; there are some cool action sequences and subtle humor throughout.

VIDEO QUALITY 📽️ : A-

Animation always shines the best on the UHD format, even with the uneven look here, but don't expect the same beautiful animated look of the original.

Codec: HEVC / H.265 Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p) HDR: Dolby Vision Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

AUDIO QUALITY 🔈 : A-

Very nice but not exceptional audio here. The english dub here is fine and the sound effects and music work well.

English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps) Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)

EXTRAS 📀 : B-

I always bump up or down a letter grade based on an included or excluded digital copy. Fortunately Warner Bros. includes a digital code here for Movies Anywhere. Two features are also available on this single disc release: "Bringing the League to Japan" and "Anime Action Choreographing the Fights".

OVERALL GRADE: C

This movie is somewhat of a disappointment when looking side to side to the original Batman Ninja. It's a downgrade as far as artwork, story and overall fun are concerned, but it's not a total flop either ... just par for the course.

Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League is now available on 4K UHD Blu-Ray. The direct Amazon link is here.

#batman #ninja #blu-ray #animated #movie #review

17 notes · View notes

homerstroystory · 8 months ago

Text

"Phi" Figurine

Mycenaean; Late Bronze Age (Late Helladic period; c. 1400-1200 BCE); terracotta; 11.8 x 5.1 x 3.2cm

Currently in the collection of the St. Louis Art Museum (St. Louis, Missouri, USA), accession no. 117:1951

#archaeology #art #classical archaeology #greek #isaac.txt #ceramics #ceramika #bronze age #bronze age archaeology #mycenaean #phi figurine

20 notes · View notes

womblegrinch · 11 months ago

Text

Coco de mer palm tree nut. Collected c.1960.

13.4 x 9.5 x 5.1 inches, 34 x 24 x 13 cm. Estimate: CHF 1,000-1,200.

Sold Koller, Zurich, 17 June 2024 for CHF 2,000 incl B.P.

The coco de mer is a rare palm tree found on only two islands in the Seychelles. The nut is the largest seed in the world with some weighing 40 lb or more. Its suggestive form has made it a must-have for curiosity cabinets for hundreds of years. There are now strict controls on the exportation of the nuts from the Seychelles to deter nut poachers, viable seeds being forbidden. Tourists can leave with a hollowed-out seed with the necessary paperwork.

#coco de mer #palm tree

31 notes · View notes

genshinnrambles · 5 months ago

Text

Archon Quest Chapter V Notes - Act I and Act II

“The victors will burn bright, while the losers must turn to ash.”

Just wanted to do some review before the finale and organize all of the ideas presented so far in each act. Each act’s themes, introduced concepts, main plot, and sub plots as I saw them are summarized, with some denoted speculations. This post contains all AQ content from version 5.0, or Act I and Act II. Noted from versions 5.1 and 5.2 are here.

Spoilers: Well, it’s in the title. You’ve been warned!

Act I: Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn

“Flowers” are frequently used as a metaphor for lives in Genshin (“Flower of Life” artifacts, “The Song Burning in the Embers,” the gardener metaphor from Shadows Amidst Snowstorms)

"Our forebearers carved 'miracles' into obsidian rock, yet future bearers looked upon them and saw 'strength.'" The miracles of the past become the motivations of the present. The limitations of the past become the breakthroughs of today... “

Themes: “No one fights alone”*, legacy, memory, and forgetting*, the meaning of strength, mutualism and partnership between humans and “nature,” the cruelty of war and the Abyss

(My favorite motif of “no one fights alone” is the generosity characters exhibit with food and drinks. C: )

*These themes are overarching to all of Chapter V, but are more prominent in some acts and less in others.

Concepts Introduced:

Ancient Names: A name gifted by the Wayob of an individual tribe to a tribe member. Not everyone gets to be an Ancient Name bearer, and they are essential to the Pilgrimage. Ancient Names are also not unique to each individual, but rather “legacies” that are passed down through generations of Natlanese. Each Ancient Name bearer also holds a feather-shaped obsidian stone, with their Ancient Name (sans vowels) written on it in the Abyss script. It preserves their accomplishments as memories. Ancient Names perish with their bearer if they fall in the Night Warden Wars.

A “flower of life” and her “plume of death.”

The clear analogue to this concept is Vision bearers, who enjoy a certain amount of privilege respective to “ordinary people” in society, though having a Vision can be seen as a blessing or a curse depending on who you ask:

Paimon: ...Then, you're saying this stone doesn't have any actual power? Like, it's not gonna make Paimon super strong or smart? Pacal: None at all, and that is precisely how it exercises its unique value. Kachina: Think of it this way... If you become a hero because the heavens granted you strength, are your triumphs earned or given?

Uthabiti (Resilience): Kachina’s Ancient Name.

Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame: A tournament to determine the strongest warriors of the present to fight in the Night Warden Wars. Participation is restricted to Natlanese and consists of two stages, a team stage and an individual stage. In other words, Natlan values both team and individual strength, seeing both as essential to victory.

Night Warden Wars: A battle between the strongest Ancient Name bearers of the Pilgrimage and the advancing Abyss, which Natlan is constantly at war with due to the special circumstance of their Ley Lines.

Saurian companions: Each tribe has a special relationship with a specific Saurian type, and humans live alongside Saurians in Natlan. Saurians are also partners in combat for some Natlanese.

Wayob: The “will” of each tribe that dwells in the Night Kingdom, symbolized by the obsidian totem.

Pyro Archon: In Natlan, humans ascend to this role due to the rules Xbalanque wrote for the nation. Mavuika was also the Archon during the Cataclysm.

Kachina: I do know this, though — even after becoming the Pyro Archon, the person in the position still grows old and requires rest.

Phlogiston: Primordial elemental energy (formally stated in Act IV).

The Sacred Flame: Provides Natlan with protection from the Abyss, fueled by Contending Fire collected from battles during the Pilgrimage. Outlander participation in the Pilgrimage does not generate Contending Fire, hence their being barred from the tournament.

If Ancient Name bearers are analogous to Vision bearers, then are Outlanders in the context of the Pilgrimage analogous to people from outside of Teyvat? If so, could the analog to the Pilgrimage tell us something about the nature of Teyvat? Personally, I think the underlying mechanism of the Vision system and the boon it provides to Celestia lies in this story.

The Ode of Resurrection: A song with the power to resurrect fallen Ancient Name bearers in the Night Warden Wars, provided there is at least one survivor to return from the Night Kingdom. The Pyro Archon steps into the Sacred Flame to retrieve them.

The Night Kingdom: The liminal space between body and mind, life and death. Comparable to the space below the Celestial Nail in “Perilous Trail.” In other words, it’s not quite the Abyss, but rather the “boundary” between the Abyss and Teyvat. In other words, it’s the Ley Lines of Natlan.

Abyssal corrosion/wounds: Technically corrosion is a pretty old concept by now, but in this context we learn about it as a potential cost in Natlan’s war against the Abyss. Corrosion stays in the body and restricts an individual’s ability to participate in things they used to do with ease, let alone participate in the Pilgrimage again.

Here, Abyssal corrosion is a metaphor for injury in the line of battle, which can leave both physical and emotional scars.

Abyssal Pylon: A gate between the Night Kingdom and Teyvat that allows Abyssal creatures to pass into Teyvat.

Main Plot:

This act establishes several key concepts and largely serves as a worldbuilding and set up act. We learn about the shared traditions and customs between the six tribes, which center on the Wayob, Ancient Names, the Night Kingdom, and the meaning behind the “nation of war.”

The Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame is being held in the Stadium of the Sacred Flame to collect Contending Fire and send another wave of warriors to the frontlines against the Abyss. Kachina of the Children of Echoes learns to value her will and achieves her dream of winning the tournament; her reward is to fight alongside the strongest warriors in the Night Warden Wars. While she’s away, the Traveler goes with Mualani to the People of the Springs and meets Atea, who sustained an injury from the Abyss in a past Night Warden War. Mualani, the Traveler, Marokau and Hikueru plan a party for Atea at the old hot springs she frequented before her injury and work together to renovate it, but the Abyss attacks the People of the Springs overnight. After finding Atea injured at the old hot springs, the Traveler remembers way back in Mondstadt when they purified Dvalin’s tears and tries that super cool power out again on Atea’s festering injury. Atea reveals to the Traveler and Mualani that her fate is sealed, and she only has a few days left; she leaves them with a “relic” to give to Mavuika, which “embodies fond memories and [her] strength of will.”

“Life is a journey in which there’s no turning back, so forge ahead and don’t hold back.”

Subplots:

Kachina’s struggle to assert her will (strength), which culminates in her defeating Mualani in the tournament

Kachina: "The key to winning is in the strength of the team captain," that's what everyone says. But, uh... the difference in strength between bearers can practically be night and day. Kachina: Mualani, I... I really want to win this time. I want to win this Pilgrimage and become a true warrior!

Phlogiston and the unique position Natlan occupies in relation to the rest of Teyvat.

The price of the endless war against the Abyss. Though it’s the greatest honor in Natlan to participate in the Night Warden Wars and emerge victorious in the Pilgrimage, the cost is cases like Atea’s or the erasure of an entire legacy if an Ancient Name bearer falls. The ultimate cost, then, is the erasure of all of Natlan if they ever fail in the war.

The weight of legacy and the importance of memory is central to Mavuika’s character. The ultimate cost of the war is unacceptable to her.

Act II: Black Stone Under A White Stone

Here, “Black Stone” refers to the Obsidian in the Night Kingdom.

Themes: Sacrifice, regret, “the shape of time” (another name for legacy), ideals vs. the real, fate

Concepts Introduced:

Abyssal cunning: another concept that isn’t quite new if you’re familiar with “Perilous Trail,” but since that’s optional content it counts. The Abyss can take on a form specific to each land’s memories to bring about destruction - this matches the Traveler’s past encounters with the Abyss, such as the Withering of Sumeru, the miasma of Chenyu Vale, the poisoned waters of Erinnyes, and the tumor beneath the Sacred Sakura.

Malipo (Turnfire): Kinich’s Ancient Name, once held by Burkina (Cataclysm era) and Yupanqui (Xbalanque era).

The Sea of Souls: The “unity” in the Ley Lines of all memories and emotions held by each individual on the land. Where individuality goes to die.

Spiritspeaker Stone: An artifact Citlali created to commune with the Wayob.

Wayna: As you probably know, your intended destination is completely different from the real world. The Night Kingdom is like a river flowing with "concepts," and the Ancient Name you seek is like a tiny fish swimming downstream. In that sense, the Stone is like a fishing boat drifting down the river.

“Concepts” (lol): fundamental ideas underlying a physical thing. The Night Kingdom is a realm of “concepts,” which is why it’s typically only visited through one’s consciousness. This is also why all descriptions of the Night Kingdom rely so heavily on analogy. These “ideas” need physical vessels to ground them in the real world.

Mualani: Wait, are you saying you're going to use a real net to "catch" Kachina's Ancient Name? How does that work when one's tangible and one's not? Vichama: By creating something tangible in our world — like a net — we can create a connection to a corresponding "concept" in the Night Kingdom. Basically, I'm going to use the "concept of a net" to catch something equally intangible — an Ancient Name.

Talismans/relics: Items that hold the memories and will of each of their owners, a symbol of the “legacy” theme.

Mavuika: Most people perceive time as a linear concept, almost like a straight line that can only move forward. We cannot change the past or predict the future. But, there's also a different theory, one that I believe to be closer to the truth. Namely, that the "past," "present," and "future" all exist at once. [...] Mavuika: Let's say your journey ended right now. Thinking back on your experience in each nation, which one would you say was the most important? Traveler: I'd have to say all of them. Mavuika: Exactly. Even at the end of your journey, the things you experienced along the way don't cease to exist. They become part of who you are. Take out a portion of that journey, and you would likely make very different decisions, and eventually arrive at a very different destination. The future is the same way. It exists even though it has yet to come to pass. We just lack the means to perceive it. Of course, there are those with the power to foresee the future. They simply call it by a different name — "fate." You're quite familiar with that concept, I would imagine…

See also, all of the personal item stories in each playable character’s story page.

Umoja (Unity): Mualani’s Ancient Name, previously held by Tupac (Cataclysm Era).

Main Plot:

This act raises the Chapter’s stakes, creates suspense regarding the two unawakened heroes, and sets up future conflict between Mavuika and Capitano. It also establishes Mavuika’s greatest personal strengths (patience, empathy, humility, and long-term thinking) and hints at her fatal flaws (enormous sense of responsibility, tendency for self-sacrifice).

The Traveler and Mualani learn Kachina fell in battle, so they head to the stadium to partake in the Rite of Resurrection. However, something goes wrong and Kachina’s Ancient Name is lost in the Night Kingdom. Mavuika gathers an investigation team in the Speaker’s Chamber and lays out the stakes of the failed Rite of Resurrection, specifically the doubt it sowed in people’s hearts of the Pilgrimmage’s value.

“[The Abyss’s] goal isn’t to break the rules that make the Ode of Resurrection work. It’s to destroy the people’s faith in them.”

In the presence of two of her awakened heroes, Mavuika discloses her plan to sacrifice her power to fuel the Sacred Flame a little longer. But before she can do that, Capitano shows up with a cryptic message about her plan and fights her for the Gnosis. After he flees, she sacrifices her remaining power to the flame. After she does this, a similar visual effect is produced as was seen in the Ignition teaser:

(I expect to see this effect again in Act V and learn its meaning, for now I can only speculate its related to one’s sense of self)

The Traveler, Mualani, and Chasca use the Spiritspeaker Stone, a net, and obsidian to salvage Kachina’s Ancient Name from the Night Kingdom with Vichama’s help. Vichama had hoped to salvage his own fallen friend’s Ancient Name as well, but the Spiritspeaker Stone is overwhelmed by the Abyss and Chasca destroys it. They return to Mavuika with Kachina’s Ancient Name to pinpoint her location in the Night Kingdom. When they conjure her image, she reveals that the reason the Rite of Resurrection failed is because the Wayob is being affected by the Abyss. They head to the Night Kingdom in their physical forms and discover ruins of the ancient dragon civilization on the way.

Side note, this looks eerily similar to the “wheel” in Bottle Land, which um. Yeah. Loom of Fate, anyone?

(Also, there’s a leitmotif here from the room with the Celestial Nail in the Chasm)

They find a rift entrance and make their way through the hostile Sea of Souls under the protection of Vichama’s lost friend, Mallko. After finding Kachina, she leads them to the corroded Wayob’s totem to purify it. A pyro Abyss Lector intercepts them and talks a bunch of shit undermines the ideals they value to sow doubt and distract them from the totem, but Mualani concedes that while the ideals themselves may be meaningless, the actions that uphold them aren’t. Mualani awakens to her Ancient Name’s will and inherits Tupac’s memories.

The Abyss’s cunning is why it feels uncanny.

After purifying the Wayob, the rift out of the Night Kingdom closes and Mavuika’s consciousness saves them at the cost of every relic she kept in the Speaker’s Chamber. She discloses the truth that Natlan’s destruction is imminent, and that the events of the present were set in motion 500 years in the past. The price of their victory then was their faith in the customs used to fight back the Abyss. The first part of Mavuika’s plan, then, was to reunite the tribes and rebuild the Wayob’s strength, after which a “hero” would be selected from each tribe. Mavuika’s plan as it currently stands does not guarantee that each hero will awaken their Name - that is left up to fate.

Mavuika pays her own visit to a realm of consciousness and revisits several conversations with past figures, seemingly ruminating on the weight of her plan. “Voices of the Past” speak to her in a non-corporeal form, implying that these are past Pyro Archons.

(Acts shocked that this is exactly what she did to herself).

It concludes with a cliffhanger where Capitano speaks to someone who is out of frame, ostensibly his co-conspirator from the Masters of the Night Wind. Capitano believes this person will be useful for his own plan to counter Natlan's crisis.

Subplots:

Mualani’s survivor’s guilt, which is juxtaposed with Vichama’s survivor’s guilt. In Vichama’s case, his guilt was a symptom of his obsession with Mallko’s death and the delusion that he could ever bring him back, which is why the plan to rescue Kachina appealed to him so much.

Vichama: If I could do it all over again, I would have followed Mallko to the frontlines no matter what. Even with an injured leg, there were still things I could have done. That way... even if the outcome stayed the same, I still would have fought alongside him to the end. There are critical junctures in life, and if you don't seize the chance to act, there's no going back.

This brings to mind something Acheron said in Honkai: Star Rail:

“But you said, ‘Sleep is the rehearsal of death,’ so why does life slumber? Because we are not ready for the final rest. So you can definitely understand why we want to be prepared. Even if the ending has been predetermined, that's fine. There are countless things that humans cannot change. But before the end, there are many things that humans can do while on their journey. And because of this, the ‘end’ will thus reveal a completely different meaning.”

What Vichama is getting at is that fate had no bearing on his will, it didn’t matter if it couldn’t be changed because the journey to that end would still be different, and for him, more meaningful. This revelation empowers Mualani to move forward.

Mavuika’s connection to the Sacred Flame and Natlan’s memories.

Capitano's relationship to Natlan and personal motivations for seeking the Pyro Gnosis.

Chasca and Chuychu’s apparent difficulty communicating with each other and ability to understand one another. “Apparent” being the key word.

Also, Chasca’s survivor’s guilt.

Kachina's struggle to assert her own will to life, not as something that must match the legacy of her Ancient Name, but as a continuation of its story that belongs only to her.

#genshin impact #genshin lore #genshin meta #natlan #ue ue ue this took soooo long to type up so tbh act III and IV notes might not be until next weekend!!#in any case I hope someone finds this helpful #I already forgot so much stuff that happened since Act II #tillandsia sparknotes

19 notes · View notes

sapphireshineonao3 · 2 months ago

Note

Hello remember me?so I know the genshin impact Livestream just finished but I want to know your opinion about the new tribe, areas and most importantly IFA!!! What do you think about his design and such I think it suits him a lot but what do you think?

Hello! Apologies for the long wait, took me awhile to make time to watch the Livestream. As for my opinions… I LOVE IFA! I'm so happy we finally have an official model and the man is FINALLY appearing in the game! His English voice reminds me of a mix of Wriothesley and Anton (ZZZ).

His… design… I uh, I have opinions on. All good, just… I'm overanalyzing him way WAY too much.

Apologies in advance, but this ask will basically be an Ifa post I've been delaying ever since the trailer dropped.

But before I ramble about Ifa, I love the new areas and the tribe for the Collective of Plenty! I'm definitely pulling for Iansan (not Varesa though) and I'm looking forward to exploring it all! Even though I still have a lot of Natlan World Quests to catch up on, surface level exploration looks beautiful and I am excited! I like Varesa, the more I see her, I get Pinkie Pie vibes from her XD so definitely looking forward to how she's handled during the Tribal Chronicles.

Now… Ifa. The man I have been waiting for EVER SINCE 5.1. I am at 120+ wishes and counting and I just hope I have enough for him and Iansan. IFA… his design… there's so many details on it I nearly got a sensory overload looking at him, but … THE SCARS!

I know the scars are likely just due to occupational hazards because of how he wrangles big saurians, but I can't help but wonder if there's more to it than that. I've actually noticed something interesting in regards to his scars… Primarily the 3 fingered claw one of his right forearm. Beyond just the injury being on the same side as his scarred eye, none of the saurians were likely to have given it to him. The scar is too big to be from a saurian whelp and the adults don't generally attack with their upper claws. Not to mention only 3 of the saurians have 3 fingered claws, and none of their attack patterns involve scratching like the scar suggests. The only creature that could have reasonably given it to him (until proven otherwise) is a Rifthound.

On the other hand, the X shaped scar on his left eye is likely from a Qucusaur if not a Rifthound. What's cute is that Cacucu's eye patch is the same as Ifa’s scar, including the lil X design on it. There's also his asymmetrical design that includes a complete black arm bind around his right arm. Is it merely for protection from scratches and bites? Or perhaps to hide something from view?? The asymmetrical nature of his design is also fun contrast in comparison to Chasca’s design. The asymmetric coverings is actually mirrored, with Ifa’s right side more covered in comparison to Chasca, who's left side is more covered.

Also, we got confirmation he is ANEMO! Meaning I don't have to retcon his vision in my stories, so yay XD However, now I wonder what Ifa lost. Anemo inherently means “freedom” but the running trend of the Anemo wielders of losing someone or something close is strong. So that just begs the question as to what Ifa lost. The popular h/c is that Ifa lost a saurian companion, and people have also mentioned its probably from his occupation of all the saurians he couldn't save during his career.

There's also the fun when looking at Ifa’s tired expression, paired up with a closer look at his dialogue to Ororon in 5.1 (how most people just drift through life without a “true calling” or “purpose”), and Cacucu's line of “bad guy who's resigned all the time”... It gives a lot of fun speculation about what his full personality is like. It's funny since I got the initial impression that Ifa is more of a “go with the flow” or “rolls with the punches” type of person, and while that trait may be true, there's a lot more hiding under the surface and I cannot WAIT to see what is hidden inside his mind…

I have a few more thoughts and ideas, but that's for a different post. However, I am buzzing because my dream of making my Saurian Quartet team a reality is inching ever closer.

Thank you for the ask! I hope my answer was satisfactory ^^

#genshin impact #genshin ifa #ifa #answered asks #genshin 5.5

8 notes · View notes