#I can very easily find another reaction image

[rjalker]

The Rogue: *turns around*

The nameless narrator:

[ID: A blurry screenshot of a hamster standing upright with its mouth open so that from an anthropomorphized perspective, it appears to be screaming loudly in fear. End ID.]

[captainremmington-13]

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖛𝖊

show!Luke Castellan x daughter of thanatos!reader

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the image above or any of Rick Riordan’s characters/world-building. I DO own my OC, Julian Arroco.

⚠️Warnings⚠️: swearing, verbal harassment, mentions of insecurities and abandonment, daddy issues, crying

A/N: IM BACK AND OFF MY HIATUS🥳🥳🥳

“Hey! Emo girl!”

You instantly felt your cheeks turn red. He wouldn’t leave you alone.

Instead of giving him the reaction he wanted, you continued walking towards the Big House. You had been summoned there by Chiron (who had sent Luke to convey the message), and didn’t want to be late.  

Though, if Julian Arroco kept hollering at you the way he had since he’d arrived at camp two days prior, you would be very late. It would take a significant amount of time to kill him and find Luke so he could help you hide the body. 

As you approached the large wooden building, you placed your right hand on the hilt of your weapon. If another word escaped his idiotic mouth, you would ensure he ended up in the infirmary. 

Just as your left boot made contact with the first step, you felt a rough, large hand grab your forearm.

“Don’t do this,” you warned, your tone almost disappointed, as if you were scolding a young child.

“Relax,” Julian said with a cocky grin. “Just wanna ask you a couple questions.”

You sneered at him, reveling in the slight fear that appeared in the son of Aphrodite’s eyes.  “Sure you do. Now get lost.”

“I’m not afraid of you, emo girl-“

“I have a name-“

“You don’t scare me at all,” Julian continued, completely ignoring you. “Everyone thinks you’re intimidating, but you really aren’t. I bet you’re all soft and pathetic on the inside, hm? Seems like it doesn’t take much to get under your skin.”

Tugging your arm out of his disgusting grasp, your wings appeared, giving you a larger, more terrifying silhouette. Julian backed away, his muscular, conventionally attractive body cowering before you. 

You gave him a twisted smile. “You’re right, Julian. I am very easily provoked, and having brainless idiots follow me around and harass me all day really gets on my nerves. And I’m sure that you’ve heard the rumors about my “weird, horrifying death powers”. You don’t want to find out if they’re true, do you?” 

“N-No.”

“That’s what I fuckin’ thought. Now leave me alone, or I’ll tell Luke to target you during the next round of Capture the Flag.”

“Of course,” Julian scoffed. “You’ll go running for your man to protect you. Just like a girl-“

His lips froze mid-sentence when you raised your hand, the tips of your fingers pointing towards his throat. 

“I don’t know everything you’ve heard about me,” you began slowly. “But if you’re really that interested in my life, let me start with this: yes, I can kill without even laying hands on my opponent. Want a demonstration?“

“Please,” Julian whimpered. “I’m sorry, I swear by the gods that I’ll leave you be.”

You tilted your head. You briefly debated the benefits and consequences of hurting him, and decided that it was worth it.

But before you could act on your decision, you heard the doors of the Big House open behind you. 

“What’s going on here?” Chiron’s tone was apprehensive, yet it lacked any fear. After living for thousands of years, he had seen much more terrifying sights.

“She just started attacking me, sir-“

“That’s bullshit,” you snapped. “You’ve been harassing me ever since you crossed the camp border.” 

“Enough,” Chiron said firmly. “Julian, go back to the dining pavilion where the rest of your siblings are. I have an important matter to discuss with this young lady here, who you should not be treating so disrespectfully.”

Julian gave you a scathing look, but turned on his heel and walked away, his fists clenched at his sides.

Chiron looked down at you, his face softening ever-so slightly.

“Come, my child,” he said ominously, beckoning for you to follow him inside. “We must get this conversation started before you miss too many activities.”

.

.

.

You left the Big House even more angry than you entered it.

Out of all the things you expected the conversation to be about, “trying to blend in better with the other campers” hadn’t even entered your mind.

You’d tried so hard for years to fit in. To become a normal demigod (or as normal as a demigod could be, anyway) and get along well enough with those around you. It became much harder to do so after returning from the quest, but you still put effort into being at least agreeable. And it seemed like most people didn’t mind you, despite your darker demeanor and closed-off nature. 

But apparently it wasn’t enough.

Some campers had been genuinely disturbed by you of late. And though it wasn’t your fault in the slightest, you were being forced to change.

It simply wasn’t fair.

And even worse, you held none of the blame. Your father was responsible for it.

But because he was a god, he’d never face the consequences.

With every step you took, the grass and flowers withered and turned grey around your feet. You didn’t care that other people were staring. 

You just wanted to find your boyfriend.

You spotted him sitting on a stone bench with Chris, chatting casually. As soon as he looked up and saw you, his relaxed posture stiffened. He stood up and walked towards you briskly, instantly placing a hand on your shoulder.

“What’s wrong, angel?”

“We need to go somewhere more private,” you hissed. “Or I’m going to scare everyone else.”

Luke’s brow furrowed with confusion, but he didn’t question you. You practically dragged him towards Cabin 11, not even bothering to see who was watching.

Once you’d reached the clearing behind the Hermes cabin, you told Luke everything. How Chiron had stopped you from hurting Julian, and what he’d said once you were in his office. The longer you talked about it, the angrier you got. 

“That makes no fucking sense,” Luke said, bewildered. “You’ve been here basically your entire life, and he’s just now trying to force you to conform because it’s bothering a couple of cowardly half-bloods?” 

You nodded stiffly, trying not to show that it was getting to you. You didn’t want to place that burden on him, not after everything else he’d been through of late.

But the tears sprung to your eyes anyway. 

Luke sighed, pulling you into his arms instantly. 

“Hey, listen to me,” he said. “You haven’t done anything wrong. You don’t need to change, even though someone’s trying to force you to. If people are bothered by your existence, well, that’s their fuckin’ problem.”

“Everyone was fine until we came back from our quest,” you lamented. “Sure, I understand why my abilities may be off-putting, but I’m not trying to hurt anyone by just existing! Why don’t they understand that?” 

“Because they’re idiots,” Luke answered. “They judge you before they get familiar with you, which is unfair. But those who do know you well love you.” 

You sniffled, clinging to him like a vice. “But if I don’t change, people are going to keep complaining Chiron, and-“

“Don’t pay any attention to them. It’s not worth it,” he said firmly. 

With a sigh, you nodded slightly. “I know, I know…I just get so angry when people bother me for no apparent reason. It makes me want to leave this place, even though I know the outside world is so much more dangerous.”

Luke went silent for a moment. 

“Maybe one day, we’ll find a life for ourselves far away from here,” he began, running his fingers through your hair soothingly. “Forget about who our parents are, and spend the rest of our days living like mortals.”

“We’d be hunted constantly,” you pointed out bitterly. “I attract too many monsters. We’d never live a peaceful, domestic life.”

“Let’s not focus on the hypotheticals then,” Luke said. “Let’s focus on what we can do to help you right now. Don’t listen to anything that Chiron said, okay? He thinks that trying to be more like the others will make you happier, but he doesn’t know you like I do. Forcing yourself to be someone else will only make you feel more miserable. And remember, you have good friends who love you for the way you are, like Annabeth and Chris. And, of course, you have me.”

You gave him a small smile. “Okay.” 

Luke took your hand. “Good. Now, let’s go get something to eat.“

With that, you and Luke walked to the dining pavilion hand-in-hand. You were still slightly upset, but for now, you were going to try to let it go. 

Howrver, you couldn’t help but start to plot revenge against Julian Arroco. 

Little did you know that both of you had revenge running across your minds. 

________________________________________________

Wringing out your hair with a towel, you internally lamented about the humidity in the air. The gods were able to manipulate the weather within the camp borders in order to maintain the ideal temperature, but it never felt quite right to you. Perhaps it was because your body temperature was unusually low. You’d always assumed it was an inherited trait from your father.

And you never wanted to meet him, so you were content with never confirming it.

Carefully folding up your towel, you slid on your  sandals and exited the bathroom. You had always hated sharing showers with the other campers. It felt like a huge intrusion on your privacy, and the water was often lukewarm, leading to a less-than-enjoyable experience.

The outside world may invite monsters to kill you at every waking moment, but at least it had decent showers.

Ever since Luke had planted the idea of leaving camp for good in your head earlier, it had been the sole focus of your thoughts. What would life be like with him outside of Camp Half-Blood? Would you be able to find some resemblance of a normal life and escape the stigma that surrounded you? Or would you endure different kinds of prejudice, and never truly feel safe in public? 

You knew it was useless thinking about it so profoundly. Realistically, you knew wouldn’t be leaving camp any time soon.

But that did nothing to stop you from fantasizing. 

.

.

.

You and Luke fell asleep almost instantly that night, ready for a full night of rest. 

But while Luke slumbered soundly, his head resting on your chest, you were wide awake. 

Though your body was exhausted, your mind wouldn’t stop racing. You’d never been so tempted to pack up your things and leave camp forever. But you wouldn’t ever just abandon Luke like that. After being abandoned and neglected by his father, you knew that it would destroy him.

The only solution would be for him to come with you.

And you weren’t sure that he would want to. He wouldn’t want to leave behind his siblings, or Annabeth. Nor would he enjoy being homeless again, like he was for five years of his childhood. 

So you would stay at camp. For Luke. Because you couldn’t imagine life without him. 

Closing your eyes, you let out a heavy sigh. Worrying about this was futile. You needed rest, desperately. 

You allowed your muscles to relax, and your limbs suddenly felt like lead.

You were teetering on the edge of sleep when Luke jolted violently in your arms, and sat up abruptly. 

His eyes were frantic, and they were brimming with frightened tears. When his pupils met yours, you knew that something was incredibly wrong.

“Hey,” you whispered soothingly. “I’m here, Luke. It was just a dream, you’re okay.” 

Luke shook his head vehemently. 

“I-It wasn’t. Someone…Someone spoke to me.”

Your eyes narrowed. “Was it your father bothering you again? I swear, I’ll march up to Olympus and tell him to-“

“It wasn’t him,” Luke cut you off. His breath was shaky, so you took his hand in an attempt to calm him.

“Who was it then? Zeus? Hades? The Fates?”

He shook his head again.

“Please,” you begged. “Please tell me. I can’t help you if you hide it from me.”

There was a heart-wrenching pause. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Luke spoke.

“It was Kronos, King of the Titans.”

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[ms-scarletwings]

Irken senses, and other ponderings

You know, every time I start to wonder if I’ve finally run out of things to coherently say on the whole “speculating about irken biology” matter, a whole something more is induced to hatch out of the dehydrated floam inside my skull. Between you and me, I think the eggs are triggered by ironic timing.

Anywho, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the world hypothetically through Irken eyes, and other sensory organs. Think I’ll go down them piece by piece, and to follow the pattern I’ve kept through my other Irken brain dumps, I will be drawing a huge amount of inspiration from real life arthropods. Yes, I’m very aware that realistically, any resemblance to earth insects would be coincidental from an alien species, and there’s plenty of room to make up whatever somewhat plausible explanation you can for any faucet of their anatomy. Personally, I like to run from the convergent evolution angle, since I find it no less grounded, full of potential connections the show itself all but begs me to draw, and just plain fun. Let’s get into it.

Also like towards the end there’s a whole section on the hypothetical edibility of Irkens because why not

Prelude: If you want to hear a little more behind my theory about the Irken diet revolving around sugar and a small portion of minerals, you can zip onto this analysis I did, in which I touch on some ideas of mine regarding the composition of Irken skin, their reaction to meat, etc. that works from the assumption that Irkens evolved out of an arthropod-like ancestor. Not necessary to get the gist of this one, but it is background context behind my thought process.

Sight

The Irken oculus is perhaps the most striking feature of the species, very much resembling those tiny crawling things they have been inspired by; however, it’s tougher to say exactly how far the similarity of their insides go. The eyes of most arthropods are in fact along the more simple branches of the evolutionary tree. We know that Irkens are not likely to possess compound eyes, like those found in flies and most other insects, because compound eyes are specialized for wide FOV ranges at the sacrifice of visual resolution quality. Instead, I see a much closer match to a fascinating exception or two found in Earth’s arachnids.

While most of them have utterly piss-poor vision, the hunting styles of jumping spiders necessitated a great deal of further specialization of the organs for depth perception, color differentiation, and sharp images. These are the purpose of those two huge shiners at the front (the other 6 boosting their range for detecting blurry peripheral movement and threats), and these are what bring their effective vision on a level much closer to that of familiar binocular mammals than their own six legged prey. Now I really think we are working with the base of what Irken peepers likely developed out of. One of the ways they have really diverged off is in the fact that while jumping spiders can only move their retinas, irkens seem as though they are able to move the lens of the eye themselves- or at the very least, Zim does, else the false pupils in his disguise contacts would not behave quite so convincingly. To speak about the lenses themselves, their eyes are not dry and exposed like most arthropods, speaking to a vulnerable sensitivity. They clearly have blinking eyelids, shed tears, and Zim even complains about the “scratchy” feeling of getting used to that part of his kid disguise.

(Funny sidenote: I’m like 90% sure that Zim did not have those contact lenses designed correctly for himself. Usually, if contacts feel that uncomfortable and keep falling off of the eye as easily as his do, it’s a sign of them being poorly fitted. This could be another symptom of his outdated/lower quality invader tech.)

Not only do Irkens have an assumed base vision resolution that seems more or less on par with human beings, but Invader elites are fitted with ocular implants that grant them a significantly greater advantage in this realm. We don’t know to a certainty how well improved an Irken soldier’s vision is, but Zim was confidently able, within seconds and under pressure, to pick out the area of town he lived in from what was miles away under night hours.

On the topic of night vision, I have a hunch that even without the cybernetics, these guys are adapted to see much better than we in dim to dark environments as well. Most of the early part of their life cycle is lived out in subterranean crèches. On the surface, daytime Irk is cast in a sunset red atmosphere. Oddly, a massive portion of their fashion and architectural aesthetics show a preference for these dark, warmer tones. Ruby is far and away the most common eye color in their kind. All of these facts suggest that warm-spectrum hues and pigments were incredibly common in the homeworld’s history, to point of indicating something about a cultural attraction to them- kind of like how humans put the color blue all over so much corporate branding and elsewhere. Zim’s favorite color has also been revealed to be purple. Most of all, given what I’ve seen of Irk’s, Blorch’s, and Devastis’s surface skies, AND Zim’s reaction to staring directly at the sun for more than a few seconds, I’m assuming that most Irkens are wholly unfamiliar with living in an environment as brightly lit as midday Earth.

I do think Irken eyes “glow” in the dark, but not in the emitting sense. Just more in the reflective one. This they would owe to a well developed tapetum lucidum, as seen in cats and deer and pretty much any animal to give off an eerie eye shine under the right lighting. To point back to arachnids, wolf spiders are speedy nocturnal murder machines with highly developed tapetum lucida, in their secondary eyes, at least. What I love the most about that is it makes it very easy to tell if you’re looking at a mother spider because her babies will give off the same eyeshine if you take a pic of one with the flash on.

Additionally, I won’t forget that sleep is no longer a necessity for our alien subjects. This alone gives them a major edge over any dinural race such as humanity. While Zim has his appearances to keep up during the day, the nighttime on Earth is actually when he is allowed the most free rein to work on his endeavors uninterrupted.

Sound

Ah, so this is the part where I rattle off the common theories we’ve collectively formed about Irken antennae as the replacement for an external ear, eh? Yes, but actually no…. jokes aside, it’s just no. I’ll get to the deal with antennae, but as you might imagine, hearing ability also varies all over the place in the insect world.

It is true that antennae play a large role in the hearing of some critters, such as mosquitoes, whose males use them to pick out the high frequency wing beats of nearby females in a swarm. Crickets, on the other hand, use sensory organs on their legs tuned to much lower sound ranges. There’s no one way to evolutionarily put together a sort-of ear, as well proven by the sheer amount of times it convergently happened in bugs and in how many creative ways.

They literally be designing themselves like me playing around in spore. If we’re not talking about that mosquito or honeybee example, then what we are referring to as an ear and most hearing insects is going to be an external tympanic organ. Most people who have passed high school biology would be able to recognize a visible tympanum in frogs- that circular thing right behind the eyes in most species, and understand it as their version of an ear drum. Many bugs’ tympanums are likewise thin chitinous membranes situated… potentially just about anywhere on the body (again, see above). This is what I think Irkens use as a primary hearing organ, in his case, probably situated on their heads in addition to the feelers. The latter organs I think would also be sensitive to general vibrations and subtler environmental cues, like wind direction and pressure changes, but the bulk of their hearing would be owed to the tympanum.

As far as the quality of their hearing, well, there’s not any sign it differs much from the human experience. Like us, they communicate through verbal language, and the existence of the “Dancing Arcade Game (but for aliens)” confirms at least a similar cultural propensity for music as an entertainment form. Zim is an outlier for the fact that he seems genuinely a little hard of hearing next to his kin, screaming as naturally as he talks and repeatedly mishearing (if hearing at all) people who are speaking directly at him. It’s clear something’s up with his hearing, but there’s no clear answer what and why. At first I was tempted to suggest something about sound passing much differently through the medium of earth’s atmosphere (kind of like how noise on Mars would sound muffled to us), but neither Tak nor Skoodge seemed to pick up the problem when they arrived. It really could be as simple as some kind of birth defect, or even glitches in how his corrupted PAK is processing the inputs it receives. Like many others, I want to imagine that his wig could be interfering too, since it covers the whole top portion of his head; as well, I noticed he has more of those incidents with it on than not.

Smell

Alrighty, NOW we can round back to focusing on the antennae, because this is actually the main thing our insects fine tuned theirs for. And when I say fine tuned- I mean fine tuned. Blood suckers that find their prey through the CO2 of their breath, flies that can pick up on potential food sources from miles away; In the land of the little, scent is everything. Beyond it being their main tool for exploring the environment for what to eat and what to avoid, chemical messages are the backbone of bug-to-bug communication. Pheromones are the divining rod of lonely spiders looking for a mate. They are the bugle of yellow jackets when rallying the nest to attack a threat, and they are the signals that govern about every single action an ant takes from adulthood until death. Obviously, Irkens are much more sight & hearing dependent than these comparisons, but they still have much more bodily specialization dedicated to this sense than we can relate to. For one, they are fastidiously hygienic. Like, “the care-bots from that really creepy episode of the Buzz lightyear cartoon” hygienic. We have yet to see any livable surface of Irk that is not sky to underground terraformed over in all-consuming metal infrastructure. There’s less than no sign of visible life besides the Irkens; ffs, there’s not even soil in sight. Not on Devastis, either. The Organic Sweep sounds like such a nice and pretty euphemism in the face of the actual horror of Blorch’s fate, and all to spare the boots of their military from touching even a speck of “unsavory alien filth”. They live in such a controlled and purified environment that I can’t even imagine the absolute assault on the senses Zim’s every day on our barbaric ball of dirt is. Over and over again he gives off the impression that the constant stink of this place is in fact his chief complaint about living among us. The majority of insults he throws toward humans relate to how they smell or the fact that he finds them “filthy”. We’re flat out nasty to him and I don’t blame him. Even relative to other animals, humans are especially RANK due to the combination of sweat, oils, and bacteria that coat our skin.

And believe it or not, I do think Irkens are in a position to talk shit in this regard. Zim is a really sweaty boi; however, I posed an idea back in that write up about Irken skin before- to summarize- that his kind maintain remarkably sterile cuticles due to the presence of a toxic chemical in their skin. This, I said then, could have been the key to Zim’s lice repelling trait, but I wasn’t so specific at the time about more than that. I got the idea from a group of millipedes that, when disturbed, can secrete hydrogen cyanide as a deterrent to predators. I like to imagine that Irkens can do a similar thing via sweating, not to thermoregulate like us, but as a stress response. It would at least explain why Zim seems like a very nervous sweater. Fun fact if you didn’t know, cyanide’s smell is similar to almonds.

I’m deadass telling you I think Irkens just smell like almond extract. Do with that what you will.

Touch

So, in writing this whole whatever it be, this part was the trickiest to come up with any productive analysis on. I’ve already guessed at what I think Irken skin feels most like (spoiler: hairless caterpillars) in the analysis I referenced up top. Zim being able to pass himself off as a human under the examination of the Skool nurse points to an average body temperature somewhere around our own. What I did find interesting while rewatching the series though was the sheer amount of pain tolerance on these invaders, except in one way. Can I extrapolate this fortitude to Irkens universally? Probably not! Zim is a member of the most elite of the most highly trained members of Irk’s military. I wouldn’t take what a seasoned veteran can handle and assume that’s the human floor in a nutshell, but our invaders CAN tell us quite a bit about their ceiling… starting with the fact that these bastards are ridiculously heat resistant. Irkens are a durable race broadly, but their reactions to extreme temperatures strike me as jaw-droppingly underwhelming, if anything.

Irkens DON’T like being engulfed in flames. It’s still a painful experience to them, but seemingly the kind they can pretty much walk off as soon as it’s over. Through explosions and fire we have seen Zim (and Skoodge) survive in one piece. We’ve seen The Massive take a whole dip into a burning star with no ill effects to the crew within. Most amazing to me was the time in Battle of the Planets when Zim willingly piloted Mars into grazing by the Sun at close range while trying to evade Dib. Totally exposed driver’s seat and he was no worse for wear after this.

Further in the comics we see this touched on in the Zimvoid arc. Zib’s favorite method of torturing the Zims under his training program was to torch them at random for sadistic amusement. Quite interestingly, though, Number 2 implies that their bodies do actually adapt to this treatment over time! Theoretically, Zims further along in the program have become all but invulnerable to fire entirely.

On the other hand, one of the truly most painful things Zim has been shown to experience is to have his skin chemically burned. It’s a strange sort of irony that Earth’s water would prove to be an incapacitating force to them in place of any inferno. He’ll smash his skull into the Voot’s windshield with enough force to pop out an eyeball and it’s whatever. Plenty of other things hurt, but he can power through. You turn a shaken can of soda or a bottle of bbq sauce on him and he’s just left screaming on the ground or screaming and running away. Whatever brutal sort of training he had to go through off world, it didn’t prepare him for this.

Taste

The perceptive side of this I think may not be too hard to figure out. Irken food, as alien as its actual composition could be, has been shown to be heavily analogous to human junk food. I hesitate to call what Irkens are scarfing down “meals” in the proper sense, because I’ve noticed that neither Zim nor his kin intrinsically understand the concept. When he’s trying to blend in as a human being, he puts a LOT of bizarre effort into convincing us that he, just like you inferior creatures, TOTALLY eats “food” on a regular basis like a normal person. When Irkens eat their own products, it’s all and only “snacks”. What follows is the conclusion that their eating habits are not structured into any schedule and that Irkens instead graze throughout the day as they please- and even possibly that eating altogether is more a recreation to them, instead of a necessary function to sustain life. Some fans have speculated that the PAK could provide an Irken with all of the necessary energy to survive absent of nutrition. I kind of want to contest this, given that caloric energy is only one purpose of taking in food… but it’s definitely the most immediate one. Nonetheless, they still eat constantly on screen and it all has to be going somewhere. Whether they need it or not, they still readily digest snacks (and presumably use those chemical building blocks to regenerate tissue damage) with a terrifying metabolic efficiency. Assuming that the resemblance of their snack foods and our leisure treats are not purely coincidental, one gathers that sweetness is the largest dimension of Irken cuisine. They are drawn most enthusiastically to carb-dense synthetic, plant, and possibly fungal matter in the same way that the human brain lights up at the prospect of fat and sugar-loaded meals. The flexible tongues of Irkens to me also resemble the nectar catching, segmented mouthparts of some bees. I would be willing to bet that they can taste salt, but jury’s out if it is something they crave, like us, or are repulsed by, like ants. That would have to come down to the scarcity (or not) of the resource on their home planet and whether or not desiccation was a serious threat in their natural history. In other regards, Zim shows strong negative reactions to most Earth foods, if not physically, than in his expressions. They definitely have powerful vulnerabilities to many human ingredients, and so are very sensitive to the presence of these toxins. I can’t imagine acidic or bitter substances are at all pleasant to them.

Now comes the much more interesting question I’ve thought way too long and hard about in the shower a time or two. Knowing that Irkens are likely a herbivorous breed, ergo, thankfully would have no interest in the consumption of the human race… what about the vise versa??? I don’t just want to know what they taste, but what would they taste like?

So, you’ve decided to mix it up for the thanksgiving dinner and forgo the same boring old bird for an Irken you have vanquished (via what I can only imagine was a freaking miracle of luck). What should you come to expect? Most importantly and I must emphasize this, the secret to preparing their meat is the same as Tolkien dwarves, you have to skin them before anything else. The separation of edible tissues from the cuticle is necessary to avoid ingesting the defensive toxins it contains. Even if the concentration is not enough to provide a danger to you, it could end up contributing an unpleasant, bitter flavor to the final product.

That done, discard the head and digestive organs. True as it may be that Irkens are wholly free of parasites, with a chance that the viscera could be edible, it’s not likely to taste that great and besides, do you really want to take chances with exposing yourself to an entirely foreign gut biome you have no immune adaptations to? And don’t even think about the brain- I don’t care how rare the infection rates are, alien prions are a big no. If you happen to run into any cybernetic implants during the cleaning, however, set them aside! They could be worth a small fortune in the right circles. But, for the purpose of eating we’re really concerned with the muscle tissues, a delicate white meat with a texture similar to fresh crab. The bones need not be wasted, and are fine to leave in, or can be boiled on their own to make a flavorful stock which can be added to soups or a delightful gravy. A surprisingly practical use of Irken bone could also be in the compost bin, being rich in chitosan and other powerful garden fertilizers. The flesh can do well fried, or roasted to a crispy exterior. The oven rule is the same as chicken, low and slow, to prevent drying out. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the gravy idea or marinades. The flavor profile of the meat itself would be utterly unique from what most of us are used to, comparable to a nutty crayfish. Savory, a bit of a sweetness, and a mineral hint that pairs quite well with mushrooms or rice.

I can’t recommend serving this to any guests with shellfish allergies in good conscience. If they insist, do so in caution and with knowledge of the risk of cross reactivity.

And there you have …. certainly a thing I did write and queue up for y’all!

[jophiel-shakes]

I’m not sure if you have a character limit, but could I get the glamrocks reaction to them developing romantic feelings (separately) towards a coworker? Thank you, your writing is amazing

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note :: everyone is conflicted cause they luv u

warning :: none

reader pronouns :: they/them

relationship :: pining

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Chica

She’s super excited!!

Feeling infatuation is exciting and new to her, and for her to feel for to you of all people? Amazing!

She’s actually very open about her attraction to you, sometimes too honest.

“Ohmigod, you look amazing today! My heart totally just skipped a beat!”

Her compliments can get a little embarrassing but she could care less.

Chica wants you to know how much she loves you with no shame.

Expect many gifts from her, mainly food. Maybe some plushies of her.

“Take this mini me, to remind me by!” Another addition to your pile of Chica related toys.

She is always asking you out, “Hey hey! Wanna get some pizza after your shift?” Or “I heard the theatre is playing some chick flick, let’s go see it!”

Chica can sometimes be a little overwhelming with her love but she only means well <3

Roxanne

She doesn’t come to terms with her feelings for a while, she tries to repress them. She’s too independent to have a crush!

When she does realise that she’s got feelings for you, she doesn’t want to accept it.

Suddenly she gets flushed around you, always asking herself “Are my standards that low?”

Surprisingly she’s very easily flustered, suddenly compliments from you break down her walls easily.

She’ll react like “W-What did you just say to me?!” Instead of “That’s all?”

She tries to keep up the persona of confidence but fails miserably.

You can totally tell she’s changed, but don’t understand why! The other glamrocks are basically screaming it at you, but you’re too dense.

Roxy will never confess, too embarrassing (and she’s deathly afraid of rejection).

Neither will you, because you have no idea about her feelings!

Pls help these pour souls.

Glamrock Freddy

Freddy is quite in touch with his emotions and knew right away that he had begun to develop feelings for you.

He just has no clue what to do with those feelings!!

He confides in his friends, who all tell him very different things.

Roxy said “Don’t bother yourself with love, get over it and focus on your image.”

Chica (the only sane one apparently) said “Be open! Wear your heart on your sleeve and show them you love them with lots of food!”

Monty simply said “Why the hell are you asking me?”

Conflicted, Freddy decides it’s inappropriate to confess his love due to your work relationship but shows you much love an attention through gifts and words of admiration.

The others don’t keep their mouths shut so you’ll find out sooner or later.

But the bear really dreads/looks forward to that day.

Love is confusing!

Montgomery Gator

Monty doesn’t hate these feeling…

Which is saying a lot considering that he’s him.

He’s always had a soft spot for you and now he understands why.

Granted, these feelings come with jealously and overprotectiveness.

He becomes a little clingy, but brushes it off as just spending time with you so you don’t fuck anything up.

His love language is actually quality time! Activities and lots of fun :)

He loves playing golf with you, he loves it even more when it becomes competitive.

He tried to give you a gift, flowers, once and it honestly wasn’t him but it was the thought that counts!

Because his love language is mainly quality time being around you helps him sort out his emotions and just bathe in the love.

If he embarrasses himself or makes a wrong move expect him to punch a wall- it’s not always sunshine and lollipops.

[artful-aries]

Can't get this out of my head, but can I request headcanons about Arlecchino's S/O who just blushes so much when Arlecchino stares at them and she just finds it so cute/funny when S/O is so flustered they can barely form a sentence when Arlecchino stares XD Even worse for them if Arlecchino compliments them.

Ohohohohoho, anon you got the gears in my mind TURNING. If anyone cares, I wrote this while listening to this song.

Arlecchino With An Easily Flustered S/O

She is going to relish in your reactions

She’ll seem so innocent too, batting her eyelashes and asking you what’s wrong as you struggle to form coherent sentences under her intense gaze. She has you right where she wants you

Not that Arlecchino would admit it, least of all to you, but she thoroughly enjoys this power she has over you. It’s borderline predatory the way she backs your cute little self into a corner, just to watch how you squirm

Definitely makes a point to stare at you more, unless you express that you’re actually uncomfortable with it, then she would switch to staring at you when you aren’t looking

If you aren’t uncomfortable with it then she is going to stare at you like you’re her favorite piece in an art gallery. You might as well be, she cherishes you like a prized possession, showing you off to everyone but not letting them touch. Only she is allowed to feel the heat of your flushed cheeks, or hear how your breath hitches under her unblinking gaze

She teeters on the line between being loving and downright creepy with her staring problem. It’s a delicate balance that she manages meticulously. Arlecchino cares deeply for maintaining her image around you

When she finds out that complimenting you pulls the same reaction or more of one out of you, it’s game over. You’ll never know another day of peace with her around

She’s not a fan of giving very flirtatious or lewd compliments; she’ll be classy in this regard. Arlecchino will mention how lovely your outfit looks today, tells you that she loves what you’ve done with your hair as she plays with a stray strand for further effect, she’ll go as far as complimenting your bone structure as she placed a lingering kiss on the back of your hand

She likes the pristine image that gets painted in your mind of her, and watches with a sly smile as you fall deeper and deeper in love with her. It’s all for the sake of cementing her claim on you

And that’s exactly what you want, isn’t it? You’re her pretty, favorite little doll. Just let her handle everything and keep giving her the reactions she so craves of you

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

I need to know out of all the tr characters who would hate and like horror movies the most? (Benkei is heavily in the hate side, thanks to the character book lol) it would just be funny if you imagine all of them cuddled up to watch horror movies together, some were pretending to have a straight face (but wants to sh1t themselves so bad), some are covering with blankets crying, some were puking (because of the gore), and then there’s the one who’s laughing because someone got killed lmao

Lmao that is a funny image to think of! Ok so

Mikey- Isn't bothered by it, he's actually more focused on either the movie snacks he convinced Draken to bring or he's fallen asleep.

Draken- Gets emotionally invested in it, isn't bothered but enjoys cheering for the good guys.

Takemichi- Crying, trembling, holding Hina's hand for emotional support.

Hina- She's a bit flinchy with all the jumpscares but isn't keen on the gore but can watch. Is more focused on comforting Takemichi anyway.

Emma- Grossed out by the gore, will watch the other parts but turns her head away from the gore.

Naoto- Loves it! He's totally engrossed in the film, he seems fascinated in it.

Baji- Completely at ease with horror, probably laughs at certain points.

Chifuyu- Doesn't mind human killers so much but gets easily scared of supernatural stuff.

Mitsuya- Enjoys a horror a decent amount, isn't scared.

Hakkai- Gets a tiny bit scared but is good at hiding it (just look at how tight he clenches his fists while watching).

Pah- DOES THE DOG DIE!???? THE DOG BETTER NOT DIE!

Peh- People think he's scared while watching them because of his eyes but he's actually fine with watching them.

Smiley- 100% laughs at the scary bits

Angry- Remains unbothered by it, he's used to most horror from Smiley so it can't phase him.

Mucho- Also unbothered, it's just a movie what's the big deal?

Sanzu- Takes notes.

Kisaki- Doesn't care much, he probably does flich a few times throughout though (and gets teased by Hanma because of it).

Hanma- Another laugher, takes great delight in trying to scare the other people watching too. Will suddenly grab them as the movie reaches it's climax to try and make them yell.

Kazutora- Largely unaffected by it, some of the louder jumpscares make him a little on edge though.

Inui- Sits there silently throughout with a small smile on his face

Koko- Is completely grossed out by the blood, doesn't get why Inui loves this stuff so much.

Taiju- Fine with it, is perfectly happy watching horror.

Yuzuha- Also completely fine with horror, she knows it's all just special effects.

Izana- Is so unbothered that he finds it boring sometimes, prefers to watch Kakucho's or whoever he's watching with reactions instead.

Kakucho- Loves horror but is effected by it, like the jumpscares do get him but that's part of the fun of watching to him.

Rindou- Also loves horror, he especially loves the sounds of the terrified screams and the fight scenes.

Ran- Moderate horror enjoyer, it's not his favourite thing ever, mainly because he doesn't get scared by it but will watch it.

Shion- Talks about how he'd survive the killer the whole time and how the character's are making mistakes. At least he's generally enjoying it though?

Mochi- Also enjoys the fight scenes the most.

Shinichiro- Not as bad as Takemichi but definitely gets scared easily by the film. Tries to hide it more though (esp if he's on a date).

Takeomi- Fairly into horror, probably showed Senju and Sanzu the films a bit too young.

Benkei- Canonically hates horror, despises the guys whenever they suggest watching a horror film together.

Wakasa- Loves horror, especially after he finds out how much Benkei hates it. It becomes his new favourite thing to tease Benkei over.

Senju- Also loves horror, was probably watching things since she was young. Very expressive when she watches, laughs if something manages to scare her.

South- Likes horror, isn't scared by it so he focuses more on the story and the soundtrack.

[m1ssunderstanding]

On the John/Paul opposite roles thing, Paul said himself a couple of years back: "[John] could be quite caustic and witty, but once you got to know him he had this lovely warm character. I was more the opposite: pretty easygoing and friendly, but I could be tough when needed." That kind of thing can be easily oversimplified but I do think in broad strokes it's true. I guess that's another way they worked well together: they both had their soft and hard sides but proportioned in such a way that they balanced out well and made up for where the other lacked when working towards the same goal.

I do think their "armours" for the world served their purposes well too. The image the press takes is always going to be crude caricature of whatever you show regardless, I just wish more of the people doing the deeper dives would recognise how misleading extrapolating purely from their public faces can be. But I guess many of them just don't want to let go of their tough-John soft-Paul images for various reasons. The general reaction to Get Back was somewhat encouraging along those lines though, quite a few journos made note of how Paul drove forward and John supported the band in ways that go against those preconceived images.

Thanks for finding that quote anon. Every once in a while Paul is able to articulate a coherent introspective thought and this is one of them. And you sum it up so well. They could both be both but in exactly the ways and amounts and times that the other lacked.

And yes. They did too good a job with their suits of armor. Not only are they extremely difficult to penetrate, but they are so attractive that no one wants to open them for fear of damaging the pleasing exterior. You're right. Even supposed experts "don't want to let go of their tough-John, soft-Paul images". It's a very marketable story they created. The trouble is, it's not the truth. Luckily the trend seems to be with younger, non-casual fans, and with a select few creators of docs, pods, books, and articles, that we actually are interested in the more complex humans who created and wore the armor, why and how they created it, etc.

[thelunarfairy]

I think I once saw someone says that Tsukasa is possibly sensitive, like- He often doesn't really show what he's really feeling, but he's quick to jump to conclusions (Like the time he thought Amane hated him for some reason)

And, if u take a closer look at his eyes in this panel...

It's almost like he's crying-? Okay, not really; There are no tears falling, but it really looks like he was about to cry.

idk i just want to hear (or- well, read.....) your thoughts about it xd

Also, hi! hope u have a good day/night/afternoon!

Heey, you are brazilian, ain't ya? XD It made me so happy, ok I'll put the answer in english (so everyone can understand) and in portuguese for you, ok?

If you want, you can skip to the text in Portuguese, but I will only include the images in the English parts. OK? OK!

Tsukasa's eyes, of course, those eyes.

Particularly, the way the eyes are represented in this work is spectacular. The eyes can reflect the feelings of the characters without them needing to say a word, I like talking about these eyes, whether they are Amane, Yashiro, they speak and you noticed that.

Every now and then we see Hanako reflected in Yashiro's eyes, like a work of art, her eyes reflect him while shining brightly, what can you read by looking at them? The joy of seeing the person she loves again after so long, the surprise that he is there in front of her, and she has tried so hard that she is about to cry, and she actually does.

So take a good look at those eyes

So for a moment, Hanako looks like this

And in another, like this

The watery eyes, the ones that show that we are about to burst into tears at any moment. Those are Tsukasa's eyes too.

Baby Tsukasa is the more human version of him. We can see how loving and affectionate he is, whether with his parents, his brother and even with animals.

It's worth remembering that Tsukasa didn't know what that creature in the house did with the animals (not even us).

He is sentimental, but like Amane he shows it with attitudes, and even so he talks more than his brother. How many times did you see Tsukasa saying that he loved him?

How many times have you seen Amane say this?

If we make a comparison Amane loses very easily. Tsukasa demonstrates that he loves him even after death. Even though his brother was responsible for his death.

The moment we almost see Tsukasa cry is when he finds out that his older brother kills him in the future. Because Tsukasa apparently feels rejected by his brother, so he tries his best to make Amane love him.

His brother is sick, so he might be thinking "Amane doesn't like me, but what if I bring him a new ball, will he like me? What if I bring him another book?"

You see? Every moment we follow Tsukasa's childhood he is bringing something to Amane, he is doing something for Amane, he is by Amane's side, it is always Amane.

He is a twin, we know that twin brothers are more attached than ordinary brothers, so in addition to all this love between them, Tsukasa is about to lose the brother he loves so much to an illness.

Can you feel his pain?

"My brother is going to die, and he hates me, I want him to love me, I want him to live"

Tsukasa did what he could to save his brother, and the love he showed him was what he thought was right. Tsukasa loves toys, so he figured his brother would love them too.

Kou told him that just because they are twins doesn't mean they know everything about each other. That's what Tsukasa thought, if I love it, Amane loves it too, so I'll give it to him and he'll love me for it.

Then he finds out that the brother he tried so hard to save, who he did so much to be loved by, kills him.

So this reaction. A Tsukasa about to cry

Then the heartache came, he didn't come back just because he missed Amane, he came back to understand why his brother killed him.

It was as if he confirmed right there that Amane really hated him. Is there greater proof than this?

Then he comes back. And his eyes still reflect who he was, even though he's changed, don't you think?

The innocent eyes are here

and the melancholic ones too…. No shine

Just a dark blur

Proof that this hurt is reflected even in the sealed Tsukasa is the first thing he says to his brother when he meets him again.

"Will you protect her? but you killed me"

He will protect the girl using the knife that killed him. Can you feel the hurt in that sentence?

Even though he is hurt, Tsukasa shows that he loves him, no matter what version of him he is. He suffers because he tried so hard for this brother, he literally gave his life to save his, and Amane took Tsukasa's life again.

He received the first stab the moment he discovers this.

And he is about to cry, because his effort was in vain. He did everything for his brother, and his brother still hates him. That's what he thinks. So it's okay if Tsukasa does bad things, Amane really hates him, it doesn't matter anymore.

Tsukasa likes to see Amane's expressions, maybe because his brother doesn't say what he feels, but as I've said several times

His eyes reflect his feelings.

Tsukasa wants to see how Amane feels, and he gets it that way.

Then…

Baby Tsukasa has feelings, he shows it all the time. Don't confuse him with the sealed Tsukasa, this one is a chaotic mess that was created to control Amane, those dark dull eyes of the sealed Tsukasa are hard to read. There may be some feeling in him, but we don't know what and if he will show us.

One day we will know how Tsukasa really feels. For now I just want to hug him.

I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for asking!

The Portuguese version

Os olhos de Tsukasa, claro, esses olhos.

Particularmente, a forma como os olhos são representados nessa obra é espetacular. Os olhos conseguem refletir o sentimento dos personagens sem que eles precisem falar uma palavra, eu gosto de falar sobre esses olhos, sejam de Amane, Yashiro, eles falam e você percebeu isso.

Vez ou outra nós vemos Hanako refletido nos olhos de Yashiro, como uma obra de arte, os olhos dela o refletem enquanto brilham intensamente, o que você consegue ler olhando para eles? A alegria por rever a pessoa que ama depois de tanto tempo, a surpresa por ele estar ali na sua frente, e ela se esforçou tanto que está a ponto de chorar, e ela realmente o faz.

Então, olhe bem para esses olhos (Imagens)

Então por um momento, Hanako está assim (Imagens)

E em outro, assim (Imagens)

Os olhos lacrimejantes, aqueles que mostram que estamos a ponto de desabar em lágrimas a qualquer momento. Esses são os olhos de Tsukasa também.

Tsukasa bebê é a versão mais humana dele. Nós conseguimos ver o quão amoroso e carinhoso ele é, seja com os pais, o irmão e até mesmo com os animais.

Vale lembrar que Tsukasa não sabia o que aquela criatura da casa fazia com os animais (nem mesmo a gente).

Ele é sentimental, mas assim como Amane ele demonstra com atitudes, e mesmo assim ele fala mais do que o irmão. Quantas vezes você viu Tsukasa falando que o amava?

Quantas vezes você viu Amane falar isso?

Se fizermos uma comparação Amane perde com muita facilidade. Tsukasa demonstra que o ama mesmo após a morte. Mesmo o irmão sendo o próprio responsável por sua morte.

O momento em que quase vemos Tsukasa chorar é quando ele descobre que seu irmão mais velho o mata no futuro. Porque Tsukasa aparentemente se sente rejeitado pelo irmão, então ele se esforça ao máximo para fazer Amane amá-lo.

Seu irmão está doente, então ele pode estar pensando "Amane não gosta de mim, mas e se eu levar uma bola nova para ele, será que ele vai gostar de mim? E se eu levar outro livro?"

Você vê? Em todos os momentos em que acompanhamos a infância de Tsukasa ele está levando algo para Amane, está fazendo algo por Amane, está ao lado de Amane, é sempre o Amane.

Ele é gêmeo, nós sabemos que irmãos gêmeos são mais apegados que irmãos comuns, então além de todo esse amor entre eles, Tsukasa está a ponto de perder o irmão que ele tanto ama para uma doença.

você consegue sentir a dor dele?

Meu irmão vai morrer, e ele me odeia, eu quero que ele me ame, quero que ele viva.

Tsukasa fez o que estava ao seu alcance para salvar o irmão, e o amor que ele demonstrou para ele era o que ele achava ser certo. Tsukasa ama brinquedos, então ele imaginou que o irmão ia amar também.

O Kou disse a ele que não é porque são gêmeos que eles sabem tudo um do outro. Era o que Tsukasa pensava, se eu amo isso, Amane também ama, então vou dar a ele e ele vai me amar por isso.

Então ele descobre que o irmão que ele se esforçou tanto para salvar, que ele fez tanto para ser amado por ele, o mata.

Então essa reação. Um Tsukasa a ponto de chorar

Então veio a mágoa, ele não voltou apenas por sentir falta de Amane, ele voltou para entender porque o irmão o matou.

Foi como se ele confirmasse ali que Amane realmente o odiava. Existe prova maior que essa?

Então ele volta. E seus olhos ainda refletem quem ele era, ainda que tenha mudado, você não acha?

Os olhos inocentes estão aqui (Imagens)

e os melancólicos também…. Sem brilho, apenas um borrão escuro. (Imagens)

Uma prova de que essa mágoa reflete até mesmo no Tsukasa selado é a primeira coisa que ele fala ao irmão quando o reencontra. (Imagens)

"Você vai protegê-la? mas você me matou"

Vai proteger a garota usando a faca que o matou. Você consegue sentir a mágoa nessa frase?

Mesmo magoado, Tsukasa demonstra que o ama, não importa qual versão dele seja. Ele sofre porque se esforçou tanto por esse irmão, ele literalmente deu a sua vida para salvar a dele, e Amane tirou a vida de Tsukasa novamente.

Ele recebeu a primeira facada no momento em que descobre isso.

E ele está a ponto de chorar, porque seu esforço foi em vão. Ele fez tudo pelo irmão, e o irmão ainda o odeia. É o que ele pensa. Então está tudo bem se Tsukasa fizer coisas ruins, Amane o odeia mesmo, não importa mais.

Tsukasa gosta de ver as expressões de Amane, talvez porque o irmão não fale o que sente, mas como eu já falei várias vezes

Seus olhos refletem seus sentimentos.

Tsukasa quer ver como Amane se sente, e ele consegue dessa forma.

Então…

Tsukasa bebê tem sentimentos, ele mostra a todo momento. Não o confunda com o Tsukasa selado, este é uma bagunça caótica que foi criado para controlar Amane, aqueles olhos escuros e sem brilho do Tsukasa selado são difíceis de ler. Pode existir algum sentimento nele, mas não sabemos qual e se ele vai nos mostrar.

Um dia saberemos como Tsukasa realmente se sente. Por enquanto eu apenas quero abraçá-lo.

Espero que tenha gostado e obrigado por perguntar! Espero que você tenha um bom dia/ noite também ^u^

Desculpe, ficou mais longo do que imaginei hahahaha

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Tell me, do you think Amelie shows any of the signs of a woman who was mistreated by her husband, or at least do you think she did before season 5?

That is really, really, really not something you can tell just from a few casual encounters with a person, especially since we didn't meet her until after Colt was dead and we never saw her in another romantic relationship. Every victim will act differently and have different triggers. I have no doubt I could find Amelie's perfect match among real victims because there is no set pattern of behavior they're required to follow to be real victims.

All that being said, I think this ask may just be poorly phrased, so I'm gonna talk about the general way the abuse was handled by the story, which was not great.

As I talk about this more, please remember that we are discussing characters in a story and not real people. I would never be this critical of a real person because a real person is not a piece in an ongoing narrative. A friend revealing that they were abused without any prior indication of this fact is perfectly normal as victims are often very good at masking their symptoms. A character doing the same is often bad writing as stories allow you to get inside people's heads, to see people in private moments, or even just when no one else is looking at them. If the writers never take a moment to use those kinds of tricks to set up a big reveal like an abusive parent, then the reveal comes off like something the writers made up at the last minute, which is bad writing.

So, if you're asking if the show set up the reveal well, then no, I don't think it did as nothing we see in the show would make you guess that something was off about Colt. Like you could argue that it makes Amelie's overprotective and indulgent nature make sense, but lots of people spoil their kids without going through abuse, so that behavior didn't need to be explained. It was perfectly logical as-is.

You could also argue that the abuse explains why Felix is a bully, but plenty of people are awful to others without ever going through some sort of trauma. Felix being a bully could have just as easily have been the result of a pampered upbringing where he was given everything he wanted.

Colt's reveal can be argued to recontextualizes Amelie and Felix's behavior, but that's about it. It doesn't take questionable behavior and make it suddenly make sense. Like I'm still baffled as to why Felix did all the crap he did in his titular episode because he was never cruel just to be cruel again, so what was going on there? Why the dramatic character shift in season four and five?

For the show to have actually set up the reveal of Colt's abuse, it would have needed a really blatant example of Amelie or Felix being triggered OR some sort of line that established that something was off about Colt or even just a line to establish that Felix changed after Colt's abuse started since it's implied that it only showed up after he realized he was sick/dying.

For a trigger, just look at how Marinette was written in Derision. That actually was a good example of PTSD (or at least, my second hand understanding of it). The reason why I'm so critical of that episode is because PTSD doesn't magically turn on and off like that. It's not the kind of thing that shows up for a single episode and then disappears. Marinette should have been having moments like that long before Derision AND long after it, especially since the show has written in a lot of moments that would have made for good times to trigger her and establish that something was off. She's been to that pool with Adrien before. She had Kim ask for her opinion on a present he's giving to another girl. She saw an image of Kim down on his knees with a gift.

Any or all of those should have drawn out some kind of negative, trauma-based reaction from her if the writers wanted us to believe that this fictional character who they have full control over has ongoing trauma. Unless the writers are really saying that all those questionable jokes were her being triggered and then just.... I hope I don't have to explain how utterly disgusting that is.

For an example of a line, they could have done something like having Adrien apologize for missing Colt's funeral only for Felix to say something about Colt not deserving to be mourned or really anything to indicate that he wasn't exactly sad that his father was gone. They could have also had Adrien comment on how much Felix had changed since they were kids and how he could never imagine his cousin being so cruel.

To be fair, they kinda do that one with Adrien initially dismissing Felix's behavior as being the result of his father's recent passing, but it's hard to tell if that means that Felix used to be kind or what. That's especially true because Adrien's been show to tolerate a lot of bad behavior and Felix is canonically made from jealous (Yes, I'm serious, this was a line in the play: His jealousy came to life). So Felix has probably always been jealous of Adrien and will probably always be a jealous person because I guess that's just what he was made to be?

Moving on!

I wanted to highlight that the writers do know how to do this kind of discussion-based setup, as we saw back in Frightningale:

Mayor Bourgeois: But sweetie, there's no way we can cancel the shoot now. Chloé: (pulling out her phone) I'm going to call Mom and tell her how all my dreams have been crushed! (feigns sorrow) Mayor Bourgeois: (stammers anxiously, then grabs Chloé's phone and starts punching in a phone number) Let's not disturb our beloved Queen for such a little matter; right, my little Princess?

Even if this line is kinda weird since Audrey probably wouldn't have even answered the phone.

Any time the writers actually commit to a plot point, they set it up in a way that a little kid could pick up on because of course they do! This is a show for little kids. I think the writers do genuinely want it to be entertaining for the intended audience.

This is why the Colt thing is so weird to me. It's a pretty freaking serious thing to add to your show out of nowhere and I have a sneaking suspicion that it's never going to be mentioned again, which is less than stellar writing. It very much feels like something the writers added to hand waved away Felix's bad behavior, but I'd argue that this is actually a terrible lesson to teach kids.

Being kind to those who have gone through trauma is always a good lesson to teach, but Felix has attempted to assault Ladybug, tried to malign his cousin's good name by impersonating him, and betrayed the entire world by empowering a terrorist even though he could - and should - have immediately gone to Ladybug and told her who the terrorist was. These are not minor faux pas and trauma is not an excuse to traumatize others, otherwise we'd end up with a world full of traumatized people doing whatever they wanted because trauma!

There is a lot of nuance to this topic, but at the very least, Felix needed to do some serious apologizing to make his redemption feel earned. We should not be teaching kids that a sob story is all it takes to justify the kind of shit Felix pulled as that would mean that Gabriel and Chloe's actions were also fully justified because trauma! Might as well lump Lila in there, too, because I'm pretty sure that she's an orphan? Whatever is going on with her backstory is nothing good and we really need to be seeing some clearer messaging around who gets redeemed and why. It's why I've reblogged so many posts about Felix and Chloe being near identical in their actions. The issues is not that Chloe needs to be redeemed. The issue is that there is no reason why she wasn't and Felix was. There is nothing a child can point to in order to understand who you should give a second chance to and who you should run away from for your own mental health.

[kquil]

every time i find a new blog by sifting through the x reader categories i find the prettiest blogs known to mankind istg ♡ congrats on 1000 btw!!! im new here but love, love, LOVE your writing already.

for your celebration, could i get a 🧁 by chance?

im 5'4, brown hair with dark blue eyes. im an introvert, infp, and a slytherin [ mainly cause im ambitious as hell ]. i love, love the color pink!!! it's my favorite color of all fucking time. like, i see something i like, ill be looking for it in the color pink. i like to think im a very giving and generous person. just today one of my new co-workers said they liked my bracelet and my instant reaction was to give it to her. plus, i like to see other humans happy. i truly believe in the kindness is free sort of deal.

when it comes to interpersonal relationships, my usually introverted self becomes much more open. still, i can be pretty reserved even with my friends because my social battery drains so, so quick. however, with those select few, it feels like i don't have a social battery. my hopes for a romantic relationship would definitely include movie nights with a giant pillow fort. if we can't do that, then what's the point. oh, and bookstore dates + picnics afterward. also, my love languages are definitely touch and gift giving. something wonky and weird about me is that im extremely prone to accidents. im constantly discovering random bruises all over myself + getting hurt, and ending up in the emergency room.

i think that's a pretty good description of me!! so yeah (: again, fricken love ur blog!!!! ♡

awwww~ thank you so much for liking my blog aesthetic and calling it pretty and enjoying my writing! that makes me so happy! (≧▽≦) since you’re new here, welcome! and i hope you enjoy what i came up with for you~ 

I ship you with Regulus Black 

i. for a slytherin, you’re quite unique in how you act sometimes. regulus being his usually observant self always sees you in his peripheral with your close group of friends but also often easily making friends with other houses when forced to interact during classes. he can see that they realise how personable you are and how…you’re nothing like a slytherin but regulus can also see those snake-like traits in you. he sees your high ambitions and it isn’t anything like his other slytherin friends’ hopes for their futures. you don’t crave power for yourself, you crave reaching your personal, unfeasible goals. he often hears you muttering to yourself about what achievements you want to get in your academics, he doesn’t believe you’ll make it but keeps his mouth shut and waits for the results… proving him wrong each time, and now, he finds himself secretly hoping that you achieve everything you hope to achieve in life, no matter how formidable. 

ii. you keep surprising him. he’s never seen green be paired with so much pink before. but you make it work somehow, he doesn’t know why it suits you so well when it would look ridiculous on other people. when he glimpses you from across the library and takes in all your pink stationary, he imagines his slytherin friends with the same pink materials and snorts when the image that manifests in his mind becomes too ludicrous for him to imagine further. “What’s got you in such a light mood, Reg?” one of his friends asks suspiciously, missing the way his steel-grey eyes linger on you before answering, “nothing…”

iii. another way that you intrigue regulus is through your interaction with your close friends. he has many who would rather lose their limbs than share their good fortune with others but you don’t even bat an eye when offering your personal valuables. It’s so otherworldly to regulus how you’re passive to power and wealth but still so ambitious and snake-like. you bring a new image about slytherins that’s refreshing and hardly ever antagonistic, creating a warm feeling that blooms in his chest. regulus reasons that it’s hope for future slytherins to follow in your example when he’s too caught up in his family drama to confidently make independent decisions. That’s not the only feeling he’s experiencing, however, and it becomes obvious the more time he spends at Hogwarts with you slowly moving from his peripheral view to his centre of focus.

iv. regulus was subtle in his approach but to his friends, who knew him, he was being too obvious. he first approached you in the library, appearing to look at the books in the shelves next to you as you were preoccupied with reading one you had recently pulled off the shelf. he glances at you over the cover of the book he was pretending to read and you do the same, the two of you actually meet eyes a couple of times but never say a word to each other. it’s become quite a small routine for the two of you to read standing side by side at the shelves. sometimes, regulus would be the one to approach you, other times it would be you approaching him. Sometimes it would be for long periods of time, to the point where you both would end up sitting on the floor together, and other times, it would be for a short few minutes and one of you has to leave. it was a good routine, quickly becoming familiar and comfortable but it was too silent. 

v. eventually, at the same time, you two plucked up the courage to ask the other to sit at a table and read. it was quite a flustering situation; it was the first time he got to hear your voice up close and it was the first time you got a close up look on the famous, younger one of the Black brothers. over time, your relationship and readings together became a semi-cuddle on the common room sofas where you both held a book to read and one of you would eventually find their fingers combing through the other’s hair. many of your house mates saw you two like this and grew curious over how such an odd couple came to be. a unique pairing, indeed. a very true slytherin loving on a slytherin that didn’t really act like one. they grew to accept it eventually. 

vi. the two of you were in denial, however; you two were just good friends. good friends who spent a lot of time together, gifted each other small but meaningful things, who go to the bookstore together while holding hands, who frequently go on picnics by the lake after visiting the kitchens and who cuddle close to each other at every opportunity. It’s all innocent, just like how regulus innocently kisses your temple whenever he greets you and innocently holds your hand on instinct; carrying around a bottle of bruise ointment for your clumsiness. Very innocent indeed, with the way you like to curl up in regulus’s arms for comfort, seeking him out for every little thing, no matter how small, innocent, with how close you like to keep your face close his, how you seem to be the only one to make regulus happy and how he only seems to relax into your arms and nobody else's — he wouldn’t even let others touch him, especially not in the same way you do. 

vii. yes, it’s all very innocent but you two are so perfect together, i can’t see you with anyone else other than our beloved reggie. you two just have to get it together and finally make it official — everyone’s sick and tired of your puppy love, simply because you’re too cute of a couple to even make fun of.

1K MILESTONE EVENT | NAVI.

[doodlegirl1998]

Another thing I hate about Hawks killing Twice is that usually when someone on the side of good does something like actually killing someone, there're consequences.

Like the character loses respect from their peers, they start to think badly of them, their image is tarnished and now the character has to find a way to prove otherwise.

But here with Hawks? He loses nothing.

He's still seen as a hero and no one gets onto him for murdering a potentially mentally ill person. And when the twice clones do show up... he literally has no reaction to it and what he's done.

It all really solidifies the glorification of heroism and that they really can do whatever they want and get away with it, from family abuse to literal murder.

Hori REALLY needs to learn that in order to make themes and plot points like these work, there needs to be actual consequences and backlash.

Hi @theloganator101 👋

Exactly. Exploring consequences to things that happen in his story is something that Hori does really poorly but this is especially shown and salt is rubbed into the wound here with what happened to Twice.

Personally speaking, I liked Twice. He was funny, a sympathetic villain and someone who really could have used a hero reaching out to save him (like how other heroes are reaching out to save his friends at the moment - Touya, Toga and Shig.) So to see this character who fell into villiany through a combination of bad luck and mental illness - who has been canonically shown to be easily manipulated time and time again reach his end by - being manipulated one last time. Being outmatched by Hawks (who he considered a friend) be quite literally stabbed in the back by him. That was already a very bitter pill to swallow.

Hawks lost me after that. He showed no guilt for killing Twice, he looked very cold during his press conference and not one of the press doubted his actions.

No one - not even the other heroes despite the no kill order heroes have - looked down on Hawks for murdering a mentally ill man. A villain who was clearly outmatched by him. And thanks to his double agent gig, Hawks could have knocked out and took to prison easily at any time Twice's back was turned.

He didn't lose his wings - or even his looks despite being burnt to shit by Dabi. All he's got is one new facial scar, shorter hair and being briefly unable to talk for a time. Hawks legitimately got NO long lasting consequences for murdering Twice in cold blood. And this angers me.

Hawks used Twice's memory (who he calls in his head by his first name in a very entitled move) to justify supporting a known child abuser who abused one of Twice's friends into villiany (lmao fuck right off Hawks.) Then from that point his 'guilt' is forgotten - Hawks evolves into an Endeavor bootlicker to an extreme degree so much so Endeav's shoes must be constantly shiny. It's just sad and pathetic to see.

Even Toga at the moment is too busy having an identity crisis to use her Twice clones on anything more distinctive than "Kill all heroes" or on having a identity crisis.

She is meant to have been Twice's best friend.

Honestly how I would have improved this arc would have been by:

Narrowing down the Twice Clones focus to "DIE Hawks!" as Toga's identity crisis takes place. Meanwhile, having Hawks look distraught at the fact that Twice's clones are back. He killed a good guy for nothing and have him constantly evade Twice clones taunting him for having killed him.

If I were in Hori's shoes I would have done that instead of having Hawks fighting AFO. AFO vs Hawks had no personal undertone. It was a fight I didn't care for other than lowkey wishing AFO would kill / actually maim Hawks the entire time.

Meanwhile, Twice Clone army vs Hawks that would have been juicy and made this arc 10x more interesting.

TLDR - Hori dropped the ball hard with Hawks character and the impact of Twice's death. I feel like this comes down to Hori writing what he wants and if the consequences of the plot point he wants to explore is something he deems uninteresting (Midnight's death) or doesn't want to explore (Twice's death, Endeavor's child abuse) - logic be damned - he just doesn't.

[moongeonight]

An unexpected meeting, phantom thief AU!

Summary: Shuichi goes to investigate the place where the phantom thief could perhaps be living But he is not prepared for the surprise that awaits him...

A/N: This is tickle fanfic!, I also lost the message from the anon who sent me the request 😔 luckily I was able to take the screenshot, I hope you enjoy it! And I'm sorry for taking so long! I was busy with work.

-------------

shuichi was investigating about the phantom thief, a crazy man who has been his headache for the last two months non-stop, he left clues but always managed to escape Shuichi sighs with tiredness.

"Of course he doesn't go down this easily... Alright... What have you planned THIS time?!" He sounds like he's almost ready to give up.

In the middle of his thoughts her boss, Kyoko Kirigiri, had sent him some images of evidence which pointed to where the phantom thief could currently be living.

Shuichi was ready and takes out a notepad and pen and frantically starts drawing out a list of all the clues he's collected so far.

"Ok, let's see... So, the Phantom Thief is always leaving some kind of a calling card... It's very odd to say the least. And from what we've gathered, they must be an expert at hiding and escaping... I guess we'll just have to be faster then them..."

he knew that it was probably something reckless since his job as a detective was mostly to investigate but... He was too intrigued by this new evidence, so much so that even he himself wanted to go to investigate.

"This might be our first real lead to the Phantom Thief... I can't let that chance slip away, I'll get to the bottom of this, even if it means I end up spending all night investigating."

He determined to catch the Phantom Thief, no matter the cost. He decided that he was going to investigate the place, regardless if her boss approved or not.

...

Shuichi was now in front of the door of the supposed house where the phantom thief was...He was nervous but determined, he knocked on the door and... Nothing, no one opened the door.

After waiting for a moment, Shuichi decides to try the door handle. It was unlocked! He cautiously opens the door and steps inside.

He couldn't go much further since when he entered it was all dark and Pam someone hit him from behind.

Shuichi falls to the ground, unconscious, as he lets out a moan of pain. In the pitch blackness, he could hear footsteps approaching, He heard a voice say.

"nishishi! I think it worked. But to be safe... I'm gonna tie him up."

...

Shuichi wakes up, He finds himself lying in a dark room. He can't see anything but he can tell that he has been tied up. He feels groggy, he tries to recall what happened but it's no use.

Suddenly, a light turned on and the phantom thief appeared in front of him. He was eating a lollipop.

"I know you woke up, detective. No need to struggle, you won't get out of those ropes." he sat on the floor in front of shuichi.

"Nishishi! I have to thank you, detective. You really are amazing!, finding my hideout so quickly! And all those items of yours were helpful."

Shuichi looks down, He then tries to move, but the restraints on his wrists make it impossible to get free, He starts to panic.

"Let me go, you bastard! What do you even-" Shuichi was cut off.

"Oh! You're so cute, detective! I'm just wondering what should I do with you? You know, it's not really easy to find people who can be useful to me. It's quite rare, actually... I think you earned the honor of knowing my name! I'm kokichi ouma"

Shuichi went quiet, He felt his heart sink to his stomach, His worst nightmare has come true. To think that he had underestimated Kokichi, the great liar. And now, he's been captured by him.

"D...Damn it..." Was all he could say, with his face turning completely red with embarrassment, he feels his face heat up.

"Nishishi! You're so cute when you're embarrassed! I just love it when people have a big reaction just because of me." Kokichi took another bite of his lollipop.

"But now... I would like to know some things, like, for example, how did you know where I was living?"

Shuichi was caught off guard by this question. How was he supposed to answer that question without exposing the truth about the lead he got from Kyoko?.

"Err... Well... I...umm... I just, erm... guessed...?" Shuichi replied sweating bullets.

"Aw, no! You can't fool me, detective! I'm the one who fools people, remember? You're just trying to hide some information!" Kokichi laughed.

"I can give you another chance to speak... or, I can use my other methods to make you tell me the truth."

Kokichi got closer to shuichi,he put the lollipop on the table of the tiny room and looked right into shuichi's eyes.

Shuichi was at a loss, He knew that Kokichi would see through him no matter what he did, He closes his eyes to steel himself for what was to come.

"So... this is the decision you have made, detective. I will have to torture you if you don't tell me the truth."

Kokichi said in a very serious tone although in reality... He didn't even plan to torture him, at least not in a serious way, he was known for being a prankster so he had to use that.

"Oh gosh... Why do you make me do this?! Don't you understand that if you don't talk then I'll be forced to... to..." He opened his eyes again, his face full of anger and seriousness.

"I'll have to... to tickle you until you tell me!"

Shuichi's eyes widened in complete and utter shock "Wh-What?! Y-You aren't serious!!"

He was practically in disbelief that Kokichi would try something as childish and ridiculous as tickling. And it was in these moments where all of Shuichi's fear and dread immediately disappeared and was replaced with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Of course I am serious! I could never lie, especially when it's time for this... I guess it's time for you to know what being tickling means!"

Kokichi's expression turned from serious to a mischievous one and he started tickling shuichi's armpits.

"Ah...! W-wait! Whahahat are you dohohoing?!"

Shuichi was still pleasantly surprised but he couldn't resist the giggles that escaped him when he felt the tickling.

Kokichi couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard shuichi's giggles.

"nishishi... I'm tickling you! Did you really think I would torture you?! Your reaction is so funny to see!" He kept laughing and kept on tickling shuichi.

Shuichi continued laughing while thinking about how the situation changed so quickly.

"ah-h! Nohoho! Stop! Stohohop it! Hahaha! Please!"

"No! I won't stop until you tell me how you managed to find me!" Kokichi said as he continued tickling shuichi's armpits.

Shuichi didn't know what to do, should he take the risk and tell him? He had too many thoughts in his head and the tickling wasn't helping.

"I cahahan't tell you! Hahahaha! Just stop already! please! Hahaha!"

"Heehee-! I won't stop! I won't stop until you tell me everything, I must say that i have never seen a detective like you, Most detectives don't laugh and beg for tickling to stop!"

shuichi could do nothing but blush at the teasing while continuing to laugh in an embarrassed voice.

"AHAHAHA! s-stop making fun of mehehe!"

"Oh? You're blushing? Aw... that's so cute! Hehe, don't worry, detective I wasn't making fun of you, I was just stating a fact you're the only one so far who reacts like this! You're really adorable!"

Kokichi continued to giggle and now tickling his ribs, honestly he almost forgot that he started this to find out how Shuichi found him, but this was more fun.

shuichi's ticklish reaction was even more noticeable and his laughs were getting more and more uncontrollable.

"N-NO! PLEASE NOHOHOT THERE HAHAHA! COME ON JUST STOP!"

"Hey hey! Is that a sign of surrender? Are you already tired from the tickling, detective?" Kokichi said with a clearly amused mocking tone at Shuichi's laughter

"AHAHAHA! Y-you are the wohohorst! HAHAHA!" Shuichi laughed and screamed at the same time.

"Ahahaha... I think you're tired of this! Would you like for me to stop? Maybe you'll tell me my question then, will you? Or should I keep going?"

Kokichi then put his whole hand under shuichi's ribs, making his ticklish reaction even more intense, his fingers were going up and down with great force and he didn't stop, he simply laughed with every movement.

shuichi was laughing and now he could barely pronounce words but he managed to say with difficulty.

"STOP STOHOHOP FINE! FIHIHINE! STOP PLEASE! IM GOING TO TELL YOU!"

"Oh! Well, I'm glad you're going to give me the answer I want to hear! That's very mature of you, detective, But just to be sure, I'm still going to keep tickling until you say it" Kokichi said with an intense smile.

A few seconds later, shuichi said the words kokichi wanted to hear.

"Just... please stop! HAhaAhAha! You can have the information! I got them from Kyok-hahahaha!..."

Kokichi's fingers kept going up and down, making shuichi's laugh more, He couldn't even finish his sentence due to his intense laughter.

but he couldn't say much more, since sirens were heard outside the house.

Kokichi heard the sirens and thought "Oh shit, time to escape"

He untied shuichi quickly and gave him a lollipop to keep his mouth shut while saying.

"Well it was nice to meet you in person detective~ we should do this more often!"

And with that he ran out the back window of the house while the police finally entered in with a very red-faced Shuichi having a lot to explain...

[wytchia]

(Nightmare Harem) how would they feel if MC was a goth

Funfact I had a goth/emo phase a few years ago and I would dress in full black during a heatwave. The HCs are more based on the physical appearance and less on the full subculture of being goth, but if you want me to make others don't hesitate to send another ask !

TW :

Slight NSFW on Ricardo's part, Nothing graphic.

Disclaimer : I like to make my HCs as accurate as possible as the image I have of each character. Please keep in mind that I'm not the most familiar with some characters. Some of the characters will have a more positive reaction and others a more negative one. This is in no way meant to bring down or ridicule the goth subculture and goth people, on the contrary, I absolutely adore this subculture and I strongly encourage anyone who is into it to do what makes them happy !

Because fuck what other people think everyone deserves to be happy with who they are ♡

Some characters might be assholes at first, but they love and care for you all the same

NIGHTMARE HAREM :

REACTIONS TO A GOTH MC ?

𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕒

At first he would probably tease you about it or even ask a bunch of offensives questions

He doesn't mean to sound rude, he's just a very blunt person

He wouldn't know shit about goth culture, he's too much of a himbo for that

Probably very impressed by your makeup skills

If you're down for it, hewould totally agree with trying the whole aesthetic out for a day or two !

Kaim said no

The type of guy who would do a pop-style dance and have the time of his life when you play your music

''Lucia it's a song about-''

''DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T DANCE!''

Definitely told you at least once to try to wear some colors

If you wear chains or crosses he probably asks you why you're wearing ''dog chains'' or ''the jesus thingy''

Yeah he's kind of an asshole

Once you two get closer he becomes your biggest defender and will insult anyone who makes the comments he made before

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕪

At first it's only another reason for him to insult you

Not because he's against your tastes or anything like that. No it's only an ammunition for him to push you away

Someone solve this guy's brother-issues

Doesn't really care about the lack of colors in your wardrobe, he's much more appealed by the chains

They could get stuck everywhere

If you have any piercings he will actually find them cool and ask you when you got them

Doesn't mind your makeup and might even like it, but he won't ever wish to try it

He doesn't like to wear makeup, it gets itchy and smudges everywhere

He's a good critic and will tell you when it's not symmetrical

Not in a very subtle way though

I feel like he might have had a more alternative style when he was a teenager but Kaim stopped him from going fully emo/goth because he's technically royalty and the other nobles are very judgemental in Nightmare

So he might be a smidge jealous that you get to dress like you want and that you don't care about other people's opinions

Definitely knows a lot about the whole goth culture and has a few vinyls of goth music that he will lend you if he likes you enough

You two can talk shit about Lucia's lack of manners together !!

𝕄𝕖𝕗𝕪

Doesn't care, he's too busy making evil plans

You could be a duck for all he cares and he wouldn't bat an eye at you

Well he might be a bit surprised, but in the end you're still an easily manipulable human.

At first he might give you passive-aggressive compliments or insults depending on weither or not he likes you

But once you two grow closer he's definitely helping you out for your makeup

"Hmm you should try another brand this is definitely going to smudge in the heat!"

"MC....Your eyeliner smudged"

A bit annoyed if you wear white powder or fondation since it gets EVERYWHERE

I don't care, this guy wears eyeshadow, his eyelids are green there's no fucking way he doesn't

Doesn't like the chains, he thinks they make too much noise when you walk around, but he will tolerate it if it makes you happy

Might buy you rings or jewelry that you look at when you two are wandering around town

Anyone who sends a single odd look in your direction gets their whole life burned to the ground over night

𝕆𝕤𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕕

At first he's intimidated by you.

Not scared, afterall you're only a human! But when he sees you dress in all black with heavy makeup, tons of jewelry and belts...Well he's a bit overwhelmed

This man saw Levy's goth/emo phase and Levy was a real little shit during it...It's not against you

Probably one of the few characters that won't make any type of rude comments or questions about it, afterall he knows too well what's it like to be judged for who you are...

If he sees one of your chains or anything else with your outfit that is misplaced or that has gotten stuck in the manor's furniture, he will help you get unstuck

Somehow he gets even softer when he has to move near you or touch you

He's just nervous ! He doesn't want to tear your clothing by accident or tug at your jewelry!

You seem so at ease and like you out a lot of efforts in the way you dress, he would never want to accidentally ruin it

Finds your music tastes interesting and would love to see you dance ! But he's too shy to do so himself.

This sweetheart would never ask you to change anything about your appearance, but when you want to help around the garden he won't have any other choice but to warn you

You don't have to buy new clothes, he can lend you some of his ! But you could get your clothes or jewelry dirty or even break them if you garden with him in your usual attire

You two walking around the town goes two possibles ways;

His sheer height and large silhouette makes people too intimidated to even dare to give you a second look

Or...Your more dark aesthetic and vibes scare off any of the petty nobles who like to mock him for the reaper disease he has

Any way, people don't dare to even think about insulting either of you.

But you can bet that they love to gossip about you two

𝕂𝕒𝕚𝕞

I'm sorry for all the Kaim lovers out there, but this man is going to be one of the most annoying about you being goth

At first, it's simply because he finds it "too much" and not "proper enough"

Yeah he's got a stick up his ass at first

But let's leep in mind, that Kaim's reaction is not personal. Nightmare is a kingdom situated around the medieval age for us and as seen in Levy's and Oswald's routes, is full of prejudices and closed-minded people.

The only reason he cares so much is because he was raised to care about such things

And because it's his duty to make sure his masters keep a good reputation

Levy's phase was problematic enough

Therefore, having a someone, let alone a human, so close to the three heirs of the demons' royal family who dresses so differently from the norm could bring the spotlight upon them

He can't have that happen. The three boys that he serves already have enough pressure on their shoulders.

That's why he might be cold about it at first. Asking you to change outfits everytime you go out in town.

When you two go to buy some clothing at the shop, he gets surprised that the clerk is amazed by your outfit and spends hours talking with you about being goth and what not

He realises that he might not have been fair to you and had acted like the people he dislikes so much

From then on, he stops being on your case about your outfits. He even becomes supportive of it.

Sits down with you and apologises for being disrespectful. If you ask him why, he will be upfront and honnest about being worried for Lucia,Levy and Mefy

If you want to, he will start to help you put diverse types of outfits for all the different occasions!

And if you struggle with your hair, he will gladly help you tease your hair or tie up your corset

I had to look up the word for it

𝕂𝕦𝕣𝕥

At first, he's probably the same as Oswald

But unlike Oswald, he never witnessed Levy's phase, therefore you're probably one of the firsts, if not the first, goth person he sees !

So yeah, at first he would be very apprehensive. Afterall, he's a child/pre-teen so novelty might be intimidating to him and like most of the other characters he was raised in a place where people are prone to be closed-minded.

Definitely was scared at first, your looks were intimidating so your personnality had to match, right?!

When you two start to talk though, he realises that he was clearly wrong : you're nothing like he expected you to be !

He's probably the most curious out of everyone and might asks odd questions or offensive ones without meaning to be rude

Thinks that Kaim is a stick in the mud for trying to change your aesthetic !

Highkey thinks you look super cool and badass! He clearly wants to go in town with you to see people's reactions

When he realises the amount of effort you put each morning into your makeup, hair and outfit, he starts to come to your room every morning to help you out!

You hate to teach him how to tease your hair or how to put on your makeup, but otherwise he's probabky the most determined to help !

He will totally ask you to teach him how to dance like you do !!

If people look at you funny, he will whisper mockeries about them in your ear to make you laugh

Kaim had to scold him once because everyone had heard him

If they make disrespectful comments, he's ready to clap back

You would be surprised at how much sass he can have

𝕄𝕚𝕜𝕒𝕖𝕝

Probably a mix of Mefy and Kaim if I'm being honest.

When he first sees you, he might make a few passive-aggressive comments, not because he hates the goth subculture

Lowkey because he thought you were a reaper-demon because of your outfits

But because he's just that type of person. He doesn't like other people and he's not afraid of saying things that might be rude to others.

So yeah, at first he's definitely picking apart your appearance and tastes juste because he's petty like that

When you two grow closer though, he might ask you some subtle questions about being goth

He finds the makeup to be a bit over the top and will definitely complain if you smudge any of his furniture because of it, but will accept to help you out it on if you ask

Everytime Ricardo makes a comment about your style, he rolls his eyes at him and sasses him

At first he refuses to listen to your music, but it eventually grows on him and you might catch him listening to it in his bedroom

He actually quite like the contrasts betwen you and him since he dresses in simple white robes and you dress in complicated black outfits!

Doesn't like the noise your jewelry and chains make, but he learns to like it since it reminds him of your presence

He will ask Noel to go with you to the store if you want new jewelry or anything else

The only thing that will make him have a cardiac arrest is if you tease your hair.

This man has the longest and fluffiest hair, it physically hurts him to see you tease your own

He just knows it's going to be tangled after !

He will ask Noel to brush your hair everyday and to buy you the appropriate products to make sure it stays healthy

ℕ𝕠𝕖𝕝

Slightly surprise that you aren't more "typical" looking

But overall it really doesn't change anything to him.

He might be confused as to why you wear so much black even when it's hot outside, but Mikael mostly only wears white so he won't really comment much on it

Actually a bit annoyed at the noise your jewelry and chains make when you walk, but it quickly becomes his way to spot you in a crowd.

If you go to the store to buy some clothes, he will make a beeline for the darker clothes they have and make you try them on

Immaculate taste in goth clothing and you might want to ask him to help you create new outfits or match the correct accessories

If you help him around the garden, he will recommend that you change to other clothing, but if you insist then it's up to you

If you break or tear your jewelry or clothes he will definitely say that he warned you

He will still buy you another item of the same type as the one who was destroyed

The first time he sees you without your makeup or hair done, he's actually shocked and needs a few sdconds to process it

Absolutely in love with your hair. He never thought about teasing it ! Will totally help you to style it.

He's a bit worried it might tangle, but he still loves it, it looks so unique !

Doesn't understand the appeal of your music or dance, but he will still listen to it because you like it

When Ricardo starts to comment on your looks, he will drag you away from the other angel

Glares at anyone who makes rude comments about you

ℝ𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕠

Probably the most into it out of every character

Have you see his military outfit? It gives off dark vibes

Just like you

The moment his eyes meet yours, he's head over heels for your style

Thinks you look absolutely stunning and badass

And hot

However that doesn't mean he won't make any comments on it

In contrary, his comments are even worse and even dirtier. If you wear any types of chains, expect him to make jokes about you having a choking kink or something

Will tug on your accessories or jewelry to get you riled up

If he accidentally breaks them, he will lowkey feel guilty and bring you to the store to buy you something new

Ready to throw hands at anyone who makes a snarky or rude remark

Will sing/scream the lyrics of your every songs you make him listen to just to piss off Mikael

Otherwise, he actually likes that people are staring at the both of you, he feels like he won the lottery

He's highkey bringing you with him everytime he goes in town just to see people gawk at you and insult them in their faces about it

He wants to pass his hand through your hair to see if it's tangled or not

Don't ask him to help you with teasing it, he will make you go bald

Surprisingly, he knows quite a lot about makeup and stuff. He might refer you to good brands in Nightmare and help you do your eyeliner

If he sees you without your makeup or hair done, he's going to make a double take to make sure he has the correct human in the room

However, he won't comment on it and will just talk to you as usual

He loves you with and without your whole attire, he finds your boldness to be hot no matter what

He definitely tries to get into your pants once a day

𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕒𝕤

Doesn't bat an eye.

Why should your appearance or tastes matter? He likes you for who you are not for what you like.

Will give you so many compliments and he actually sees it as a form of art!

You take so much time everyday to get ready and it's always so unique, how can it not be art?

Will leave jewelry or makeup that he knows you like by your window

You know it's from him because no one else goes onto your balcony at 3 in the morning

If your eyes linger on anything at the store, he immediately buys it for you

Actually suggests some new items for you to try out! Some of them are actually pretty bad, but a lot of them are also very good

When you go shopping, he will always check the quality of the clothing and warn you if it's of bad quality

If you want, he will definitely brings you with him on his travels and make you meet some of his goth acquaintances

He helps you out with your hair and makeup and like Mikael will make sure your hair stays soft even if you tease it

He finds it amazing that you're so confident in yourself and that you're so passionate about something

He's willing to try anything you want and absolutely will listen to your music and even dance with you!

When you go out, he will hold your hand and play with your rings if you wear any

If anyone stares for too long, he will flash them a beautiful yet aggressive smile

And if it's not enough and they try to comment on your looks, he quickly shots them down in a calm and mature way

The stranger goes home crying after that

[amorphous-binary]

[discussion of Transformers: Earthspark “Home” below — not spoiler free]

I. intro

I was only very recently was able to get up to date with Transformers: Earthspark. It's super cool, and I’m really enjoying it this far, but the uh ... anti-Transformers sentiment in “Home” kind of fell flat for me.

After thinking about it for a few days, I think that I’m coherent enough to sort of ... explain why that is.

II. context

“Home” introduces us to Stevie, one of Robby's old friends from Philadelphia. Cool, cool, neat, right?

Unfortunately, Stevie is a lil’ bit of a bigot / insensitive / he doesn't really like Transformers. That's fine, I guess.

A horrible message is spray painted in the skatepark: “Transformers Go Home”. Judging from Robby, Twitch and Hashtag's reactions, this is supposed to be seen as hurtful.

Stevie's comments that the ‘Transformers’ mentioned in the message only refer to Decepticons really doesn't help. Robby and the Terrans leave at that point, and we don't see Stevie until close to the episode's end, where he replaces the “Go” in “Transformers Go Home” with “Are”, so that the message now reads “Transformers Are Home".

III. initial response

I remember seeing someone say that Earthspark actually does a poor job of engaging with any theme that is not ‘family’, and I kind of see where that critique comes from.

The audience is meant to disagree with Stevie, but it is actually very difficult to disagree with him entirely. We’ve seen images of Transformers (Decepticons, but they are Transformers nonetheless) destroying Big Ben, and attacking the White House. In “Warzone”, Megatron explicitly mentions that there were human casualties as a result of the Autobot-Decepticon fighting.

Knowing that information, I would say that Stevie's viewpoint is understandable. Hell, I find it difficult not to sympathise with humanity in general here — you have these big, massive robots that can destroy you and your loved ones easily.

I'd want Transformers to “go home”, too.

IV. criticism — stevie is sorta kinda right, y'know

I would have preferred for there to be some sort of discussion with Stevie on his views. To me, it's so weird how “Warzone” featured the deaths that came with the War — again, the human casualties — and a human who is understandably upset with Transformers for bringing their War to Earth is made out to be an antagonist for those views.

As the audience, we know that the Terrans weren't part of the War (Thrash, in particular, is extremely adamant about it in “Warzone”), but the everyday layman just sees a Transformer. Just sees another, potential threat. And after the while business with the War, the layman would be justified for having that view.

V. criticism 2 — why are we using Transformers as a vehicle* to criticize racism?

*pun unintended, but wholly appreciated

At the end of the day, Earthspark is about the Transformers who were "sparked" on "Earth". From that perspective, it makes sense why the "racism" featured focuses on them.

But attaching any sort of lesson on racism (or what is clearly meant to be the equivalent of racism) to non-human characters just feels ... I guess the word is "shallow"?

It's weird, because, I don't have this hang-up when the non-human characters are being racist to each other. Like in “Warzone”, when Shockwave referred to the Terrans as “lower class Cybrids”.

I guess the difference is that the “racism” in “Home” felt forced whereas in “Warzone” it felt far more natural?...

VI. conclusion

It's rather late in my time zone (3:43am at time of posting) so this is probably not very coherent at all but ... eh.

I’m still excited to see what more Earthspark has to show us, though!

[applesharonfiction]

The Millionaire Waltz

Fandom: Honkai Star Rail

Pairing: Dr. Ratio/Aventurine

Rating: Explicit

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53630005/chapters/135758929

Loosening his grip, Aventurine tangles his fingers in Ratio’s. There’s something electric about their connection — a sensation that sparks through the fabric of his gloves and up Aventurine’s arm, causing him to shudder violently.

In a life where Aventurine is essentially dead, few things make him feel this alive.

When he looks up, Ratio is staring down at their intertwined hands blankly.

“Their impression of me must have been convincing enough,” Aventurine adds, almost bitterly, “given how…close our relationship has been at times.”

Ratio bristles at the insinuation that he was so easily tricked and Aventurine basks in it, even as he fights off a twinge of anger that Ratio very obviously hadn’t been able to tell the difference despite their handful of — highly pleasurable, in Aventurine’s opinion — encounters.

“I had my suspicions.”

Before Aventurine can refute Ratio’s claim, the fake fireplace in the corner of the room crackles loudly. Giggling, Aventurine releases Ratio’s hand and shrugs, gesturing dramatically towards Ratio with a grin.

“How like you, refusing to admit when you have been bested.”

“I have not been bested.”

“Sure you haven’t, Doctor.”

“How like you to be overly-concerned with matters unimportant to this alarming situation. You have been compromised.”

Clicking his tongue with a chiding sound, Aventurine shakes his head. Behind Ratio, the images of flames dance, casting Ratio into a dark shadow by contrast. They’re almost fully lifelike and just like everything else in the dreamscape, different enough that their existence is discomforting.

He wonders if Ratio feels the same way, or even notices. The good doctor doesn’t seem overly-concerned with aesthetics but he must care enough about them given his attachment to his plaster bust and overall appearance.

“On the contrary…I find your reaction to be very important,” he says, casting another appreciative look up and down Ratio’s body,

“It is irrelevant. Your concern is unnecessary.”

“When did I say I was concerned?” Aventurine smirks as he sees Ratio’s mouth pinch further down into an annoyed grimace. “Maybe your reactions are just that intriguing.”

Chapter 3: The Hotel Room (explicit)

[fruityyamenrunner]

this is a good cut and read of crumb.

Just like neural net generated text or images, we are so overwhelmed by the low-order correlations, the pixel to pixel or word to word coherency, that we easily become convinced there must be a there there, because we don’t ever encounter such fluent text or locally coherent images which don’t have any global meaning. The generated samples are parasitic on human samples, which do have multiple levels of structure, and payoffs for thinking about it. But the longer we look at a generated sample, the more we realize that it’s “just one d—n thing after another”, and it adds up to less than the sum of its parts. We put more into it than we get out; it is the artistic equivalent of a scam, or those videos on social media where the gimmick is that it is impossibly blatantly wrong or always looks like it’s about to make sense, to keep you watching and troll a reaction out of you. (It is not even good pornography.)It is also no wonder that Crumb was so popular among the hippies and fit in with the psychedelic artwork of the era: the signature feature of that style is that it is packed with meaningless detail, which means nothing, but feels important. (Isn’t it interesting that a false feeling of profundity, insight, and unity is also one of the most striking aspects of the psychedelic experience?) Crumb’s LSD-caused art was the perfect fit for an era of LSD-affected readers

the robot artist is an extremely illustrating technology because it exposes a lot of frauds like crumb.

i mention every time i post about the robot art that the people who freaked out about it the most when it was released were precisely the sort of people gwern talks about here: people whose sensibility was bust open by schizophrenia, or psychotomimetics, or initiation into occult nonsense, who were presented with evidence that their ~spiritual visualisations~ were crude and even pre-artistic.

critics have been saying as much for a long time, but having a machine prove it was something else.

gwern mentions crumb's illustrated genesis and thinks there's nothing to say, but I think there is a little. crumb claims:

he has, as it were, recapitulated the fate of the prophet. visionary art is a crude rorschach, and where it resonates it is because the artist is best considered an agent of something greater than himself, even if the something greater than himself is only a genuine artist who can apply thought to a prophet's automaticity, or even a critic who can turn a basquiat scrawl into something worth a million dollars.

the genesis book is therefore very dull, because what you see is the product of a prophet who has been always-already sacerdotalised. a prophet precisely *intends* to ridicule and make jokes -- crumb in crumb mode is more genuinely prophetic than when he illustrates the Bible! These are some typical pages:

this is dreamlike, in the sense of "some people appeared and said things". pure automatism -- these are the kinds of dreams that artists do not usually find worth remembering.