#I need specific directions and orders rn

[upsidedownwithsteve]

help me

[james-silenthill]

I wouldn't consider myself an 'old school' silent hill fan tbh. Love 1 + 3, LOVE sh2 obviously. But I'm definitely a lot more lenient on 4 than I've seen others be, and also-- I got into silent hill in fucking. A few years after shattered memories came out. I was a kid but I was late to the party. Shattered Memories was my FIRST silent hill. And I loved it. And I still do love it, I think it was a great direction to take a re-imagining, and is probably the closest successor to sh2 because of it

All that said, I really do miss when cult shit was like. A significant aspect of the games. Like I feel silent hill has a really good chance to lean into institutional abuse and american gothic horror, but it hasn't really been attempted since, like, homecoming. But that was a trainwreck for other reasons

Like despite the shit I give it, I do really enjoy the cult. Maybe a more down-to-earth approach to it, or like. Mixing the horrors of living That reality with the fantastical elements of the fog and nightmare realm and monsters. People love the iconography from silent hill-- the town, the monsters, the trauma, the fog. But all of that is just, vague. It's iconography, it's plastic ghosts strung up on a window. There's nothing to anchor these placeholders to genuine horror

This isn't me saying that a short message was horrible, it was fine, but it is me saying that it was extremely fucking disconnected. Unless that witch thing connects to the order, its just using the nebulous ethereal psychological horror utilized in sh2, and in every shlocky indie horror project that has been trying to capture the magic of sh2

[acey-wacey]

Hi hi! Could I order a scenario of how Jade and Floyd would react to MC hiding behind them because they’re being chased by bullies?? Maybe grabbing onto the tweels (о´∀`о)

I like to think they’d be surprised of someone hiding BEHIND them instead of FROM them lol..

I'm a sucker for platonic tweels! This is my lifeline rn!!

...

Shrimpy Protection Agency

Three of the more troublesome NRC seniors decided that they weren't too pleased with all the attention you were getting, having been in Twisted Wonderland for only a few months.

The students decided to corner you in the hallway, much to your surprise and demand that you apologize for the trouble you've stirred up.

When you refused, they accused you of being disrespectful and threatened to hurt you if you didn't start respecting your upperclassmen.

Through your fear, you managed to slip between the students and make a break for it.

You knew they were older, stronger, and faster than you so you wouldn't be able to outrun them.

Your only hope was to hide.

You frantically searched for a place to hide as you sprinted into the courtyard.

You were hoping someone would be there to stop the upperclassmen from pummeling you but it was empty.

No, not empty.

On the very far side of the courtyard, hidden in the shadows, the Leech twins stood, both looking mildly bored.

"Jade! Floyd!"

They both perked up upon hearing your voice.

What was excitement to see you, quickly became confusion as you ran to them and wrapped your arms around Floyd's torso from the back, shielding yourself from your pursuers.

Jade almost never showed his emotions on his face which made it all the more terrifying when his expression darkened as the bullies followed you to the courtyard.

All three of them stopped in their tracks when they saw the intimidating look on Jade's face, worsened by the wide-eyed and manic Floyd.

It wasn't usual to see either of them, especially Jade, without their signature customer service smile on, even when threatening someone, but when it came to you, there wasn't any pleasantry.

They didn't even try to pretend like your bullies weren't in danger.

"I will give you 5 seconds of silence before I begin my pursuit," whispered Jade, though the attackers heard him loud and clear in the echoey silence of the courtyard.

The one that appeared to be the leader scoffed and nervously chuckled.

"You're just a second-year. I'm not afraid of you. And I sure as he11 wouldn't need a headstart."

"Oh, you misunderstand," Floyd laughed, his eyes still crazed. "Five seconds wouldn't help you for a headstart. We're giving you a chance to pray to every God who'll bother to listen to a pathetic bottom-feeder like you."

"You're monsters!" one of the goons screeched after a few seconds of listening to their panicked breathing. Both twins just smiled in the same unsettling form.

"That bridge was burned a lot time ago, my friend," Jade chuckled menacingly before he went back to staring into the bullies' souls. "5."

"Listen, dude! We were just messing around!"

"4."

"Okay, you're seriously starting to freak me out!"

"Better get on that praying then. 3."

"I'm gonna... tell the headmaster!"

"Oh, I'm so scared. 2."

"Guys, let's get out of here!"

"That little shrimp isn't worth this."

"Only I get to call them that!" Floyd screamed after the goons as they stumbled over themselves to get away.

You could hear the bullies leaving but you still slayed firmly attached to Floyd.

"I'm a touch offended you didn't latch into me that way. Do you trust Floyd more than me?"

You looked up to see Jade smirking at you with his usual calm composure, much opposed to his "predator mode".

"I'm sorry," you sniffled, though you all knew you didn't really mean it. "Next time, I'll hide behind you instead."

"Oh, no, no, no, Shrimpy," Floyd glared at you. You could tell it wasn't directed at you specifically but it was still intimidating. "There's not going to be a next time."

"At least we can agree on that note, brother dearest," Jade mused, brushing a hair behind your ear. "We'll make sure no one will ever mess with you again, Y/N."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, that's a secret," Jade put a finger to his lips and you could see the angry fire behind his eyes.

"You can hug me anytime you want though, Shrimpy!" Floyd chimed in cheerily. You laughed and leaned into his chest.

"Thank you so much. I don't know what I would've done with out you," you sighed and grabbed Jade's hand, tugging him into a group hug. "I love you. Both of you."

Jade wasn't usually particularly affection and Floyd didn't often practice restraint but both of them cared enough about you to just smother you in a brotherly hug, as long as it will make you happy.

Jade and Floyd made eye contact over your shoulder, making a silent agreement to break every bone in your bullies' bodies and make it look like an accident.

[partycatty]

you write for mk11 gramps johnny? have serious brain rot for him

if so could you write a fic of him dicking us down for being a brat? u can make up a plot or not i just need it and need him. love ur writing either way!!

- 💙

alright, im using this ask but i have a very specific image for this rn. this is gonna be a meaty post so hear me out

older!johnny cage > waste ur time

this is based off of the song WasteUrTime by Kevin Walkman with some lyrics (in pink) sprinkled in. you and johnny have a clear age gap, trying to avoid giving into desires, but 3am rolls around and you consider the idea of having a late night visitor.

warnings: smutty, age gap, ur both horny demons, virgin reader, i dont know how military ranks work, affair, sonya never gets Rocked

notes: this is going to be a little more artsy that what i usually do, so apologies if the format change is not ideal. this is more of an actual fic than bullet points. also the lyrics are out of order and not all included, so you don't need the song to enjoy this!

word count: 2.6k

[ masterlist ]

give me a glass of your innocence.

training was hard, your skin glistening with sweat and your face flushed from overexertion. the task was relatively simple; to climb up a deeply sloped wooden platform using nothing but your grip and momentum. your comrades were cheering you on, including briggs, commander cage, her mother, and her father. straining yourself to grip the ledge of the platform, you finally hoist yourself up and stand upright, not before doubling over to pant.

the others applaud and surround you with cheers. a firm hand finds its place square on your back, rubbing in circles.

"atta girl," the voice leans into your ear with an audible grin. "knew you had it in you."

your head turns to thank the disconnected voice, but out of your fuzzy mind, the realization pulls through that none other than your superior, johnny cage was the one congratulating you so intimately. his praise makes your cheeks flush even darker and your gaze averts, too afraid of such direct appreciation which johnny notes. you weren't used to compliments.

this is my creation, here's your invitation.

you knew something intense was brewing with each lingering stare or gentle squeeze to your shoulder. how intense exactly, you couldn't pick out. with minimal experience with others lusting for you, it didn't register in your head at first just how hungrily he gazed at you. not that you were complaining necessarily, he was part-time action star, part-time military leader. he was built, charismatic, and a family man. it felt impossible to not feel weak in the knees around him.

johnny knew he had an effect on you, as he did most others. despite watering down his hollywood charisma, he couldn't bring himself to deny how sexy he was at his older age. something about a buff salt and pepper man telling you what to do had you following commands like a dog, doing anything it takes to have him praise you more.

even still, you couldn't do anything about it. johnny was a married man. his family was your coworkers, hell, it was their job to command you! the guilty thoughts would creep up on you no matter how badly you wanted to avoid them. couldn't you have chosen a more... single man?

you seem so damn nervous.

"how can i be of service?" johnny asks, leaning his front half forward ever so slightly to show you he was interested in every word that dripped from your lips. your vision was too blurred from anxiety to properly articulate what you needed from him, so you nervously swirled your drink. damn the special forces and their free alcohol parties.

"how do you do it?" you ask with a stammer. "earthrealm, netherrealm, tarkatans, ninjas, thunder gods. it all feels so unreal. how do you stay so calm?"

"mm," he hums, lowering his own glass after a brief sip. "well, you get used to it. turns out i was born to a mediterranean war cult's gene pool. watched my daughter kick an elder god's ass while i got maggots down my throat. went face-to-face with younger me. there are just some things that are too damn ridiculous to ever fully understand, so i accept it for what it is. when you're my age, fighting for all of these otherworldly things, most of the little things feel like a walk in the park."

"don't get me wrong, sir, i'll fight for earthrealm, but this is all so... dizzying."

johnny visibly tenses up at 'sir.' "tell you what," he grabs his drink napkin and opens a sharpie with his teeth. "you ever wanna talk about it with someone that's seen everything, you come to me." he writes his personal phone number on the napkin and places it in your palm with a smile.

you fidget with the paper before pocketing it, worried you'd pick at it too much and rip it to shreds before you could save the digits. the most you could bring yourself to do was half-bow, half-nod before scurrying away to the bathroom to cool your hot face. johnny could only chuckle to himself with a shake of his head.

long walks of shame look so good on you.

a long time was spent staring at the new conversation on your phone. despite your inexperience, there was a simmering feeling that johnny didn't just give you his number to let you vent. he wanted to talk to you outside of work. the thought makes you sweat.

why would he want to talk to you? if he wanted conversation, he would reach out to his wife and kid. he had it all, and yet he still wanted to put everything on the line for you.

you're moving fast, and i'm into it.

"lieutenant. it's reader," you shoot a simple text out, lying to yourself when you justify texting him for the sake of him saving your number. it was late, too late to be texting your superior. another lie you told yourself: i'll just send the message now so he sees it in the morning! your shameful justifications are ripped from you when you receive a reply, almost immediately.

"couldn't it have waited until the morning?" he replies bluntly, and you're ready to type out a spew of apologies before a second text comes through. "i'm teasing. johnny, by the way. no need for titles."

"sorry." you try to remain professional with your response, fingers dancing wildly across your keyboard. your eyes flicker up to the clock in the top corner, realizing it's well into the night. "didn't expect a response so late. have a good night, lieutenant."

you're ready to throw your phone out of the nearest window out of sheer embarrassment, but you stop when you feel another buzz come through. your stomach flips.

"johnny. you usually stay up late?" he texts, drawing the conversation out much to your surprise. "it's 3:30 in the morning."

"my day's been so boring," you decide to lean into the more casual chat, hoping to find a softer side to your boss. you should feel disgusted, repulsed, put off. he was double your age and then some. but dear god, his attention on you was hypnotizing even if it was just words on a screen. "hoping to waste some time before tomorrow comes. lots of training."

johnny's reply takes a suspiciously long time to come through, his bubble appearing and disappearing. just before you thought you lost the conversation, a photo comes through. johnny's laying in bed, hair ruffled and shirtless. his eyes have a soft, pleading look to them and his lips are curled into a pretty smile. the tiniest glimpse of his chest tattoo pokes through the bottom of the image, and you had to make a conscious effort to swallow your drool and close your jaw. you almost don't notice the text attached.

"maybe i could waste your time?"

you choke on your saliva, glancing off to the corner of your room as if an invisible camera was perched there. this man held zero shame, that much was true. you suppose it's from his age. there's only so much time in one life, so he's seizing every moment. it terrified you, to the depths of your core.

"i don't follow," you text back, playing dumb. this was genuinely unbelievable to you, you needed to hear more from his perspective to make sure you weren't actually dreaming or reading too far into his offer.

"come on, girl," he teasingly responds. "don't play dumb. i may be old, but i'm still sharp." another photo slides into the chat, the same idea s his previous one but now fully displaying his torso. his broad chest with his name painted on it was now boldly on display. his hand laid flirtatiously on his abs, fingers spread out. at the very bottom, you could make out the beginning of a thick tent in his pajama pants. it was like every inch of this man was maximized. you'd seen his shirtless form in his old movies, but seeing it now... it was personal. that photo was for you. "i know you're still fucking with me. i see how you look at me." you bite your lip, wondering if maybe sonya was sharing the other side of the bed. your stomach churns.

"i mean..." you leave the text at that, rapidly typing and deleting. you're not quite sure what to say, how to carry this now heated conversation. you'd never... had to before. "if i may state the obvious, you're... older. and my boss. and married."

his replies stop for a good couple minutes. you wonder if maybe he was regretting his advance. you hoped not.

"is it something that you'd mind?" johnny asks, hesitation in his words as he breaks away from his flirty comments. his question makes you ponder. you were a virgin at your age, holding onto this trait longer than almost everyone at a similar age to you. work was your priority, never giving yourself enough time for a serious commitment. but here you were. johnny was throwing something onto the table that you never expected to happen. were you going to pass this up and stay a virgin forever? hell, no!

"sent you my location. let's try something new, lieutenant."

"johnny." he corrects you one final time before falling completely silent on his end. your stomach twists and churns wildly, realizing you have opened the flood gates to a hookup with your boss. you throw your pajamas off and replace them with a cuter, coordinating pair. you brush your teeth again and try to fix your hair into a neater updo, not impacted by the friction of your pillowcase. shoes and various discarded belongings are shoved under the bed and into the closet. you hadn't had male company, well, ever. you had to come off as somewhat decent for him.

jesus christ, your mind grows dizzy. you were going to lose your virginity, now, or in however long it takes for him to arrive at you apartment. you're not far from work, and even still the time it took for you to hear footsteps in the hallway must have been a century at the minimum. you were seriously going through with this because it was about damn time you enjoyed yourself and spiced shit up.

the heavy footsteps come to a halt, the shadow overtaking the faint hallway light glowing. a part of you wants to hide, maybe jump out of your fire exit. your nerves were blinding, and taking the steps to the entrance felt like an olympic sport. that is, until a new text appears.

"let me inside."

do you open the door? leaning against it, you can smell his musk just through the crack alone. damn his hypnotic... everything. if you open the door, his entire career, marriage, and life could be over. that is, if you spill. you wouldn't.

keeping shit a secret fits you like a glove.

you slowly open the door, hand frozen on the doorknob as you're met with your boss towering over you with a heavy look in his eyes. it's hard to avoid his own hesitation too, but his hard breathing betrays his morals. he looks ready to pounce at any given moment. johnny's mouth opens first, but you beat him to it.

"i'm a virgin," you blurt, mind too empty to feel embarrassed at the fact. you felt the need to tell him now, before he was on top of you and you laid there like a fool.

johnny's brows raise up ever so slightly. "what?"

the heat of the admittance catches up to you, and you twiddle with the hem of your shorts. you repeat yourself meekly, letting the predicament set in between the two of you.

"that's..." he trails off, glancing into your room. "um."

"i'm sorry-" your face heats up, your eyes pricking with tears at the awkward air. "i just... i didn't want you to be surprised, because i don't know what i'm doing."

something new stirs in johnny's core as he understands the weight of the situation. his fists clench and he takes a lumbering step toward you. you back up on instinct.

"that's alright," he purrs, voice hitting a new low, one that's far away from his professional volume. "'cause i'll take care of you. i've got you."

he stands up straight, scratching the back of his neck.

"if you'll have me... i guess that speaks for itself. i'm here, aren't i?"

you nod with a nervous chuckle. your bodies move in sync as you figure out where to put your hands. they settle on his neck, wrapping your arms around him to pull him in. his hands hold your waist. jesus, his hands are big. you'd kissed before, so this is familiar territory.

"i'll take that as a yes," his eyes flick to your lips, visibly restraining himself from fully taking advantage of you. he leans in for a tender kiss, your lips and his moving together. it turns heated quick, with his tongue darting out to get a taste of your mouth which you accept gratefully.

johnny's hands trail down to your ass, cupping the underside as if his hands were destined to fit there. he tugs upward, and you understand what he's trying to do. you jump up and break the kiss momentarily so your legs trap his waist. in between make out sessions, you guide him through your apartment to the bedroom. his lips taste bitter like alcohol but cleanly sweet. exactly how you imagined.

your mind is hazy with lust, your pussy clenching around nothing as you envision taking a monster like him for the first time. a part of you wonders if it's even possible. instead of throwing you onto the mattress, he lowers you like a princess, supporting your head and back with each hand which does nothing to help your aching wetness pooling between your legs.

johnny's lips dive to your jaw, sucking and biting tenderly. you wince, but replace the noise with a lustful gasp as he soothes the pain with his hot tongue. you want to clench your thighs together to relieve the throbbing pressure, but johnny's hands pry your legs open as his hips fit perfectly between them. like a forbidden puzzle piece. you feel his cock rub through your pajamas, and your mouth gathers drool.

johnny finds any possible plush flesh of your neck to take in, kissing wetly as he gently ruts into you, not even realizing he's doing it. he needed to explore every inch of this new body, this new lover... his mistress.

if you were to start praying for forgiveness, it'd be now. you internally cursed sonya for getting her hands on him before you could. your chest burned with jealousy and desire. he was so evilly delicious, and every inch of him needed to be inside before you'd start sobbing. your hands fly forward and tug him forward by his waistband.

"need you," is the most you can coherently ask for, blinded by your horniness. johnny pulls away from your collar, panting in your face. he can't bring himself to look directly in your eyes, your wet, pleading eyes.

"you..." he swallows thickly, brows knitting together. he frowns. "you can't tell anyone. you know that, right?''

you nod with a small whine. you wanted him to just shut up and fuck you.

"hhh - won't say anything," you huff back, gliding your dampened bottoms across his dick with need. he groans, and buries his head in your neck, a deep sigh sending goosebumps across you skin.

"atta girl..."

so hit me up when you feel down i'll make your ass stay 'til sundown i understand what you've been through 'cause I'm a sorry sucker too i know you're scared and that's alright just let me love you for the night

[storiesofsung]

Question for OM! players:

What is something that you want be canon/have a more prominent characteristic in Obey Me in the main storyline?

I’ll go first (starting with the least controversial)

Leviathan’s ex-role as grand admiral of hell’s navy

This seems to be a key point in Levi’s characteristics and overall nature, which actually explains a lot of where he’s coming from, other than “oh he’s envy so obviously he’s envious 🙄🙄🙄🤓🤓👆”…I mean that is true, buuuut I mean the more personal aspects of him characters. Yes he is a ball of envy but he specifically chooses to be an otaku, or more specifically a gamer for that matter.

A casual player who couldn’t have been that invested in the game would just say “oh uh because the game needed a quirky shut in”, which is may be partially true but also does deny the fact that he used to be, and still is, a master strategist due to his role in the Celestial War. Leviathan is smart, that I cannot deny. He may not be book smart like Satan but he is smart, and it was this intelligence of his was more explored as a plot point or at least given more importance in the story rather than a throw away in a chat.

I mean cmon be fr rn. Being Grand Admiral FROM MOTHERFUCKING HELL is a big deal no matter how you put it, former or otherwise. It’s just a bit of a waste for this to be so overlooked because I don’t know, the developers want him to play into his uwu shy boy persona all the more.

No cuz imagine Beyoncé becoming a barista in the future and from that point on nothing about her being literal Beyoncé is even given a lick of recognition like “May I take your order Ma’am” “HOLY SH-“ “um chill anyways so”

Another thing it explains is his certain envy towards his brothers and other people for that matter. Yes the game could’ve easily gone through the “oh yeah he’s envy soo 🤓🤓🤓” and honestly it sorta did but it also could’ve have gone in the opposite direction and explained that oh maybe the root of his jealously stemmed from his importance in the war—and now that that has been stripped of him, he doesn’t know what to do with himself, he thinks of himself as worthless now that he can’t move on from his ptsd.

This specific scenario was explained upon in the first few chapters of Nightbringer where he was jealous his brothers were able to move on with their lives while he lived in a cesspool of his owl self-pity, and I do applaud the game for that. (honestly I’m just picky that they didn’t go through the admiral route because HE COULDVE BEEN SO FRIGGIN HOT IN HIS OUTFIT I SWEAR—)

Ahem.

Lastly, I think this could’ve also explained (at least slightly) the extent of his power as the Leviathan. I mean he is a sin, he is a powerful demon from Hell, yet like all of them we don’t get to see the extent of his power, or at least a glimpse into what he can do (HE IS A DEMON AFTER ALL AND THE THIRD RANKED BROTHER IN TERMS OF STRENGTH, CMON BRO) :)

Man.

I really am grateful to all the fans who provided fanart and fanfic of Levi as admiral.

Lastly, happy birthday Leviathan

[callmearcturus]

Stumbles in covered in dust to pass you a note that says "Arc please your analysis of the strange priesthood (your words)/odd mysticism (mine) of the IMF in Dead Reckoning, I need it urgently"

(It is such an integral part of the movie and its just one hell of a lore drop and I also have Thoughts about it and how it makes So much sense for Ethan's MILF era but you first you first)

bless you and all your endeavours

SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE FRANCHISE

I want to talk about the evolution of the IMF. Because one of the things that always kind of confused me about it was what it actually was. Is it another three-letter agency or is it a task force inside the CIA or... is it something else entirely?

IMO the answer changes over the course of the movies. In MI1, there is a concrete institution, the mainframe for the IMF is inside Langley, thus it seems to be part of the CIA. And it's kind of the villain of the movie honestly; the IMF mole hunt gets Ethan's team killed and almost gets him killed because he can't turn to the very agency/group/force that he's supposed to be working for to get assistance.

This idea of a group that is very rigid is continued/heightened in MI2 and MI3. The IMF misleads and lies to Ethan. They are still be bad guys. In MI2, Swanbeck uses Ethan to manipulate Nyah without cluing him in and is upset that Ethan didn't bring back the deadly super-virus for them to have. In MI3, the entire IMF just feels like the FBI in structure, all the visual signifiers casting it as a discount FBI. And that's echoed in the way the IMF handles its agents, the rigidity of the structure, the oversight, the centrality of the headquarters-- it all points to the IMF being a weird 9 to 5 govt job until someone goes on a mission.

There is a hierarchy, there is a director and assistant director and mission handler and tech team and all this shit, right.

Then we reach the McQuarrie Trilogy-cum-Quadrilogy, and things begin to change.

In Ghost Protocol, there is a feeling that the agency (if that's what the IMF even is) is more... amorphous. It's made clear there are safehouses and caches just shoved in various corners of the world. There are mentions of a headquarters (specifically, that it doesn't exist anymore) but when its time to get a new mission, Ethan hands them out from fuckign Seattle, and then walks off into the smoke to his next one. After Benji and Carter have their disastrous mission that sets off the plot, they don't circle up at HQ in the same way that happens in MI3, they are just directed to go grab Ethan, and clearly they find a place to grab some gear beforehand. The IMF is decentralized.

Then oh fucking boy, Rogue Nation. The CIA absorbs the IMF's assets and all we see is the CIA's HQ, not any central location of the IMF itself. Even in the intro when Brandt is monitoring the team going after the package on the plane, he's clearly in some shipping containers-turned-monitoring office. And Ethan going rogue survives by picking over the abandoned remnants of older safehouses.

Another interesting pivot happens in RN. Ethan is explicitly the functional leader of the IMF by example. There is no new secretary to give orders and hasn't been for years, there is no director, the closest thing we get to a hierarchy is Brandt who could allegedly "authorize" things but the agents just.... dodge him by not looping him in.

The idea of a structured organization is fully jettisoned in favor of the modern IMF, which mostly seems to be a lot of people under the radar working together to share information and execute missions.

Emotionally, Ethan is the leader of this new type of IMF, and we are in the movie that truly sets off on the idea that Ethan's ethos is that... he can't handle casualties. It's the blunt object used to hurt him, the way Lane murders the IMF plant in front of him, and his expression of haunted shock is vivid and clear.

All the way back in MI1, Ethan stopped Krieger from killing a bystander, telling him they didn't leave a body count. And by RN, that's become the bedrock of the IMF, the idea that the lives of the many are never more important than the few, and the IMF agents will destroy themselves in the name of getting everyone out alive. There are no acceptable losses.

This is bad, frankly. It is a very bad weakness for a super secret spy to have. But it is TEXTUALLY the entire point of Fallout, that Ethan can't let Luther die. In RN, he couldn't let Benji die. He couldn't let that random French cop die. Over and over, Ethan is given a choice between "save a ton of people" and "save one person" and keeps picking both, and it hurts him every time. It is unreasonable and demands so much from him.

And I have been wondering what that was building to, and Dead Reckoning lays it out.

The IMF as a formal institution doesn't exist anymore. There is no director, there's no hierarchy. What we see of a possible HQ is not the IMF, its everyone else in the intelligence community. As Kittridge explains, the IMF is a mail drop where they "leave word" and hope someone inside the group gets it and takes care of it. There is no oversight because each agent is basically a self-contained satellite.

AKA the way Ethan has found he works best. For every. single. fucking. movie. the IMF has been a hindrance at best and The Bad Guy at worst.

When we meet Ethan in Dead Reckoning, he is a man standing in an old building with sturdy walls and high ceilings. He initiates a new member and tells them they made the right Choice. It is the reassurance of an elder member to a novice.

Because I think... Ethan has essentially guided the IMF to this. How the fuck does anyone survive when there is no hierarchy, there is this creed of Save Everyone Yes Everyone, how do they do that?

Well. Everyone in the IMF lives by simple rules. Any IMF agent looks to another and says "your life will always mean more to me than my own." And the details don't matter. There is no exception to this.

The reason Ethan is alive is because his life means that much to his team, and their lives mean that much to him, so they survive by prioritizing each other in a way that borders on irrational.

This is where I think we get into the weird priesthood/odd mysticism of the IMF. They are a self-selecting group of people fanatically devoted to the preservation of everyone, and are skilled enough to back it up. There is a level of altruistic devotion there that's absent from the other agencies. Hell, Kittridge is back and when we catch up with him, he's fucking trying to buy the key to the fuckign Entity! Once again the CIA is evil, shock of shocks.

In a franchise where the CIA is always evil and the IMF As An Organization isn't better, the only moral choice seems to be to opt-into caring radically about everyone. It's the only counterpoint possible.

I think its significant that in Dead Reckoning, with this new evolution of the IMF, we only see Ethan and the team in old buildings. They are fading remnants. They can't pass on the responsibility to family, so they keep watch for others who have what it takes. They are a small, dwindling group, and they are the only people that can destroy the Entity.

Punct and I have talked about how Ethan defeated the Syndicate by infecting them with humanity basically; through Ethan's influence, Lane becomes vicious and petty in a way he'd like to deny, but he is motivated by his connection to Ethan more than his ideals. Similarly, I think Ethan and his ilk have infected the IMF with this strange solemn duty, and act as guiding stewards. It's an ideal that will die, but until it does, they will keep saving everyone they can, because no one else will.

[nattyontherun]

More On To Oblivion:

hi-ho, can't sleep so since i've posted the fic already, short as it is right now, i thought hey! lemme just do some explaining for why the fuck it's the way it is?? that way i make my job less hard with the writer-y bits!

(i can't sleep so i'm talking,,,, shhh i didn't say that)

On the Rating:

thinking of changing that, actually . next chapter, so ch3, will be more of the same - build up for the plot at large which is, ngl, a wee bit more complicated than i thought it would be in writing ch1. i don't have a hard and fast, bullet pointed skeleton for every chapter but i've got a very generalized outline of things i want happening... and the fic being rated for Teens feels lacking. no it absolutely is lacking.

would it be disingenuous to leave it at T until the plot changes up enough to warrant a level up? or should i change the rating now and leave everyone to wonder at my justification as the fic (very slowly, UGH) progresses? questions, questions and no answers in sight as yet.

the cast!

unlike in HF where we really did just have like, two MAIN main characters in shisui and sasuke, to oblivion has an ensemble cast🙏 the taggings are listed in order of both how much of the character we'll see in-fic and how much we'll focus on them. where HF was all about growth and healing with minimal outside interference, this fic is... well it has a plot🥹

in one of those oneshots i wrote after HF, there's this scene where shisui rants up a storm at sasuke about konoha, how rotten it can get yk? just, having to live in the village knowing that the truth of your family's murder has been suppressed to keep the peace - when the "peace" used to justify that extermination didn't even last more than a handful of years. this fic directly confronts that. actually, it's specifically because every single character engages in the village whether as the leader, in kks' case, or as proponents to its growth and success post-war, its kind of a necessity that everybody has an opinion about what goes on yk?

i feel like ppl who came into the fic expecting romance and fucking are gonna be disappointed by that sjshsjshshsh there's gonna be SOME of that, but very minimally, and right at the end lmao. fic subscribes to the idea that there is no room for personal growth within self and relationships in an environment in perpetual turmoil lmao

the polycule 💃

it's still happened lmaooooo, like i just get crazier about the idea the more i sit with it! though, i forgot to say in the AN, and i'm too much of a sleepy cat to go back and edit it in, but i meant to mention that kakashisasu(???!!!ship name???!!!) isn't gonna be like a right angle. like... the dots connect in all directions despite how things are playing out rn! 🙏

i will say, however, that development for each relationship on a personal, one on one level, is different between each pairing because yk, they enter the story in different stages of their lives with different agendas and opinions abt each other. kkss are halfway in love already, but kkshs probably need to fight it out for another several dozen chapters before they can even stand to look each other in the eye without wanting to kill smth and that's not even touching shsasu who haven't!! even!! met up yet!!! (gawd what did i get myself into?? lmao😭)

the timeline

woof. the timeline! WOOF! HF had the benefit of sticking incredibly close to just one stream of happenings in a very linear format,,,, to oblivion? not so much. the past, whether it's ten years ago, during the fourth war or even just prior to the fic happening is AS important to the story as the story itself, unfolding. if i decided to tell this fic in a linear fashion, a, it would be very boring and retrace too much of canon and b, it would be very LONG. like staggeringly long, enough that i'd probably tire of writing the fic long before i even reached where we are right now in the fic - there is SO MUCH yet to uncover

what i will say is that canon largely stays the same except for some staple fanons of mine, some seen in HF, and others very specifically for this AU. for the obvs staples, there's madara is final baddie and no VOTE2 so no losing arms for either of my babies - god forbid. the major deviation from HF is that i've reduced how debilitating Ssk's mental health issues (if you will) can be in presenting themselves, though we do have some of it cropping up within the fic if you're the type who reads very line by line. there's also, ofc, the fact that shisui has been ALIVE for all this time - but i'll save all the explaining for that to shisui when the time is appropriate.

but yes, it's because the past matters SO MUCH for how this fic develops that i really saw no other way to progress with it than mixing everything up. and i do mean EVERYTHING. what i will say is that there are certain periods where we can kinda cluster scenes together to form an idea of how all this shit is happening only Now.

war/between canon era: so far we only got one scene from here, from ch2

pre-tribunal, post-war - a LOT of scenes fall here, so it's broken up even further into two periods: 1. while sasuke is incarcerated post 4th war and 2. after he's left incarceration but before the tribunal (ch1 has a LOT of afterward scenes, in particular)

pre-massacre: these scenes will tend to be more kkshs focused so happy hunting for when there's more of them!

pre-trial, present day after shisui appears: this is the main storyline and will be the easiest to follow, go figure!

pre-trial, immediately post-tribunal: i've only written perhaps a scene or two(?) from this period, i don't see it cropping up as much as the others because it's only there specifically for relationship and character building. i'm squeezing a lot of post-canon pre-fic character development in to explain away why some of our faves may be acting a wee ooc, and i can't begin to explain how consequential the tribunal is, personally and politically for all of team seven oh lawd😭

i can't stress enough that i drafted much of the bedrock of this fic immediately after HF,,,, but while my intention (heh, hehe) (translate what the characters before "to oblivion" stand for, okay, its funny i swear!) remains the same as what it was then, my focus has become more... hm, exacting. sharpened.

writing is an inherently personal affair, i think. to write is to put meaning to the thoughts that swim around your head, whether that's by poetry or prose, through the guise of imagery or character work. i write fic because i like writing fic, and wanna be able to read work that satisfies me personally. i've got an itch in my brain and to oblivion has become, essentially, an outlet for my thought process. so if there's anything you find in it that speaks of a very particular kinda way of thinking, shall we say, keep poking at it. i very much am having a conversation with you.

and that's a wrap, i have a shift in seven hours and i desperately need sleep sjsjsshhsshsh

[n3onstarss]

Hello person who also likes Lyla. Could you write fluff hcs of Lyla x reader who is like dying of period cramps? On the floor rn.

sorry if that's an uncomfy topic!

have a nice day ^^

Hello hello person who also also likes Lyla! Yes, ofc I can! I hope you enjoy these!

HCs below the cut!

The entire time your body is betraying you she's wishing she had a physical form

Mostly so she can cuddle you and tell you you'll be okay, but also to get you everything you need

Until then, she's constantly paging someone to come help

Like, Gwen could just be going about her day or Jess could be mid-fight and all of the sudden Lyla is a little hologram on their watches telling them you need more pain killers or a heating pad

She calls in every favor in the books and blackmails Miguel into letting you stay in HQ or letting her stay in your universe in the watch until its over

He relents with specific rules about needing to come when called and needing to be ready in case of an emergency, but otherwise she's right there with you

Will hack your TV or computer or phone to play your favorite shows or music and will scam doordash into bringing you free food (or she charges it to Miguel's card, it's a 50/50)

Keeps you in her sight as best she can unless you need or specifically request privacy. Not to be overbearing, no, but to make sure you don't just keel over and die like you keep swearing you will

Has a little monitor floating around with all the others that's basically a direct video call straight to your phone or whatever device you've got on you. It's the only window she has open consistently and never closes for that few days to a week. (Again, closes if you ask or need privacy, but not without some jokey whining or playful sass)

Need a supply run? Not anymore, one of the spiders has been asked to bring you what you need or a instacart has been ordered. Painkillers? Already on their way. Need to go to work or school? She's on the watch/phone the entire time, if not hanging out in the corner of whatever screen is available and just sitting with you.

If she needs to check on someone for a mission she's very reluctant and sasses whoever told her to until she gets back, and she's back fast when she decides it's taking too long

Will absolutely sing you to sleep or tell stories and gossip, just depends on what you both feel like

All in all, will not leave your side unless strictly required, and works around her hologram/AI state to get you taken care of until your period is over

This got longer than I expected it to be, but the thoughts just kept coming! I hope you enjoy and I hope your cramps aren't actually killing you! Make sure to drink some water and stay safe, anon!

[pftones3482]

Hello and good evening. I am a long time follower of yours on this platform. If it isn't too much of a hassle, I would like to ask you a couple of questions.

I am a college student from Europe and I an currently working on my bachelors degree. The subject of my degree is on the subject of current social issues in America. As I've been following you for the past few years I have come to the understanding that you are rather well informed about what goes on in America. Far better than I (an outsider) am at least. So, I thought that it would be a good decision on my part to ask for your opinion on what are the five most important or talked about social issues in America. As well as what you think the best or most reputable sources to use for research on these topics are.

If this isn't something you feel like commenting on for whatever reason, then feel free to ignore this message. Or if you believe that there are better people to ask about this, can you please steer me in their direction. Thank you for your time.

Kind regards.

P.S. I tried to send this as a direct message, but Tumblr continued to give me a 'could not send' error message. I don't know why that happened, but apologies if this causes you any inconvenience.

Oof, this is a long one to answer lol.

First and foremost, I want to say that I myself am not a reputable source. I actually get a lot of my information from first hand experiences of people on TikTok (blah blah TikTok isn't reputable yadda yadda I KNOW, but first hand accounts of people's lived experience are always more reputable than some random commentary by a white man on CNN). That being said, I can link a few people directly to follow, but I've struggled a lot to find ONE news source in recent years that isn't biased. I tend to just compare multiple sources to hear what all of them are saying (and everyone should be doing that anyway).

As far as "most important or most talked about" social issues, those vary person to person in the US. The social issues I find most important are not going to be the ones my neighbor finds most important. And keep in mind going into this I'm a cis white woman. I am part of the LGBTQIA community, I'm disabled, but I also hold a lot of privilege that many of my fellow Americans don't. And that's definitely going to skew my thoughts.

For me, personally, the top five most important social issues in the US rn are (in no order):

1. Land Back. Native Americans have had their land stolen from them for CENTURIES, and it is crucial we give it back to them. They actually care for the environment around them in a way that white rich men don't. Native people have existed peacefully with wildlife since the dawn of humanity, are humane in hunting practices, and care for the land they use. They deserve their homes back. The atrocities committed towards the Native community are horrendous (they've lost language, family, traditions), and they need better protections as a whole.

2. Trans rights. Specifically with trans youth, but overall in this country trans people are facing more and more discrimination in terms of legislation. There have been hundreds of bills introduced against them in the last few years alone, and all they're trying to do is survive. Especially trans people of color, and even more specifically trans women of color - they're all struggling in this country.

3. Public schooling/libraries. This one's broader, but we are seeing a huge educational gap between the last 15-20 years of schooling. We're teaching for tests, not to learn. Schools should not be funded based on local taxes, they should all be given the same funding from the government to give children an equal opportunity across the country. Teachers need higher wages and smaller classrooms, and children need HELP developmentally. Less tech, more hands on. Libraries, similarly, need significantly more funding and protections, and the censorship in both spaces is getting out of control. Children are not thriving in school because of the "No Child Left Behind" act - it needs to be revoked, because it doesn't help any child actually get the education they need.

4. The police. Specifically, their treatment of the black community and their authoritarian complex within the states. Funding needs to be heavily divested and frankly the entire industry needs to be scrapped and replaced. More of their "services" need to be allocated to mental health professionals/EMTs, and they should be required to go to school for psychology/humanitarian studies/cultural relations. No one should be allowed to shoot a person after only six weeks of training. No one should get a paid vacation after taking a person's life. Cops in America are disgusting, brutal, racist pigs, and they are a big part of the reason why we cannot move forward as a country.

5. Housing/minimum wage. We have a MASSIVE housing crisis going on right now, and it's in large part due to the fact that our national minimum wage stagnated at $7.25 in 2009 - 15 years ago. While many states are above that now, it's still LEGAL to pay that rate nationwide, and people in the service industry make even less. Because of this, and inflated housing costs, people literally cannot afford to live here. There are virtually no programs to assist many of our homeless people, no care for them in general, and every day I have to walk past people begging for money who I can't help because I also don't have it to spare when there are people literally buying billion dollar dresses to wear once and then throw away. We have the infrastructure in this country TO house everyone, and it costs more to police homeless people than it would to house them long term. (This also goes hand in hand with our substance abuse problem/mental health crisis as a country, but that would take way too long to type out)

There's way more I could get into - taxes, the voting system (and specifically how much we need to get rid of the electoral college and implement ranked choice voting), queer rights, women's rights, the return of Hawaii to Hawaiians, reproductive rights, etc. I struggle to pick because so many social issues are important for different reasons.

As far as people to follow, here's a small list of people who tend to cover the majority of topics I've listed:

Rynnstar - they do a great job covering all kinds of issues, really can't recommend them enough to follow

Mercury Stardust - lot of people know her as the "handyma'am" but she also talks about a lot of these issues, especially those faced by the trans community.

Ellaequeue - Land Back discussions, Mexican American, overall great person, love their posts on my fyp

Ebony Warrior Studios - a black veteran openly speaking out against our military complex, as well as delving into other social issues. He's also a voice actor!

These folks are also all pro-Palestine which we love to see.

Again - not a comprehensive list. None of them are traditional news sources. But they've all lived their lives in their bodies, in our society. And I think if you don't know where to start on US social issues, these people are an easy way to learn more and find more people to follow.

News sources are great, when vetted correctly. But most news sources in the US are heavily skewed one way or another, so if you're trying to learn about social issues, you need to talk to the people directly. Not read articles about them (general statement, not directed at you lol).

I appreciate the ask, and wish I could give you more in the way of sources. But again, I tend to get my news from people first and THEN look up information to confirm. If I'm going to pick one news source right now, it's going to be Al Jazeera. Any media that Israel bans is okay in my book 😌 They cover more than just Israel/Palestine, in case you weren't aware!

I hope any of this helps, and if any of my followers have people/sources you trust, feel free to drop them in the replies.

[ohgodimafraud]

👤🤧?

omg ty for the ask

👤 - Describe your current favorite character (including OCs)

rip im so sorry bc im already so excited.

my favorite character rn is L/ucifer (aka u/rushihara) from the d/evil is a part t/imer. im obsessed w him specifically. i was watching the anime and he came on and i was like oh no, cmon he cant really be my favorite but he just is.

he went from being an edgelord demon general who was previous ly the top archangel who fell j because he was bored and joined w the og satan and then joined with the current satan bc he was like i mean there was nothing else to do. over like 10,000 years old with absolutely zero aspirations other than playing pc games and eating snacks and online shopping. but also he does have some character growth but it's more subtle and hes just like so unserious and nobody respects him at all ToT

hes a little man with big wings. he got duped by some rando into spending crazy money on garbage and was like it's not my fault :( (( im socially awkward.

his whole thing is being a neet and exerting as little energy as possible for the most part but hes also one of the smarter characters for sure. like he does actually contribute to the group but it doesnt rlly up his respect or rep and then he usually evens it out by him doing something like ordering stupid shit they dont need while theyre trying to keep a roof over their heads.

he also has the most canon allergies ive seen in forever. an entire chap of the manga and a chap of the light novel and a 50 min DRAMA CD is dedicated to satan taking in a cat and saving it and l/ucifer sneezes the entire time. and theyre like stoooop being so loud!!! lmaoo T_T hes so cute and pathetic <3 i love him sm hes like basically a cat himself. but also during that chapter when the cat coughs up a hairball he prints out directions to the vet and is like dondt panig call a bro (pro). like ok. also he did try making a FOUND poster LMFAO.

something about him just resonates with me he has an unnaturally long life and just wants to live a chronically online life and i feel that. he gets picked up by the collar or scruff all the time and every time i see him i get like lkFLAEJKJRGJLKJ THERE HE IS!!!! yay!!!!!

🤧 - Do you prefer stoic characters or characters who complain?

both <3 like up until recently i was more for stoic characters or ones who will deny deny deny until theyre forced to admit theyre sick or yeah ok they are having an allergy attack. but i also think some complaining is hot. u/rushihara would def complain/has canonically been like cmon this really sucks u guys. D:< i think for me it's also about the dynamics between the characters and the situation/context. omg or a character who goes from im alright it's not bad to this suckkkss :(( and then starts making specific complaints and is all needy. damn. bye-

[rainyfroggy]

Hi Rainy!

I really like the way you’ve set up your commission sheet- it looks like you’ve had a bit of experience with making them, and I was wondering if I could ask if you had any tips for artists just starting out on selling comms?

I’m an artist thinking of selling commissions because I’m broke and need to make some $$ for food and living expenses lol. (this is my reblog acct so I don’t have much moved here rn unfortunately.)

I have no idea where to look for advice and Google hasn’t really been the best help as a lot of resources I’ve seen are mostly pros/people in the later stages of making an entire career out of it (which, for my situation right now isn’t exactly what I’m looking for)…

I also don’t really know much about payment methods like Patreon or anything like that so I don’t really know which is best or which to start with.

Any info you could provide would be very appreciated, even if it’s only a little!

Hello! I will try my best to help from my experience and what I heard it works. 1. It all depends on your needs, but you need to be organized. It doesn't matter if you use a notebook, your phone, an excel sheet or whatever: It's important to keep on track who requested a commission, who had paid you and the order you need to follow. Even if this list is only to yourself.

2. This is a universal thing: Make a work email and use it as a contact for customers, paypal and other things in case you don't want to get mixed with personal stuff.

3. I highly recommend using a Google Form or simmilar to receive request of commissions (you can use mine as reference or look on other artists who use it). It will also helps you to put on order the order of commissions and you will spend less time asking the customer a bunch of questions or explaining innecesary stuff. (Ko-Fi also have the tool for commission!).

4. I only use Ko-Fi (for now). I had used it on commissions. It's useful if your method is simple. Allow you to put add ons with its respective price too!

5. It's hard to make a portfolio, but at least make one example of each type of commission you are doing. People gotta see what they are buying.

6. You make the rules. You can see in my cardd I have the Terms of Service where you explain what you do and don't, how long you take to finish a comm, etc.

7. Be as clear and direct as possible. Don't accept commissions you are uncomfortable with. Don't allow people guilt-trip you or start asking to lower your prices.

8. About pricing: Look up people with simmilar skill level and art style as you to make an idea of pricing. You can start with one price and rise it as your skills improve! Set a price you can be satisfied with, or you will feel downhearted.

9. I highly recommed being paid first before start drawing. Be careful of scams too! Never trust a paypal email that isn't official (I say this cus someone tried to scam me last week).

10. I would recommed choosing a few niches of your interest and work on your public from there. It can be an specific fandom, a genre, an animal, a topic... Stuff people can know your work and be sure you are good at it. Example: I draw g/t stuff, so people into it know how I do it and what to expect from me. You will not ask the furry artist to draw you '90 mecha robots right? (THIS MAY OR NOT WORK! draw whatever you want and make you happy. Follow your heart and people will slowy get at your work).

That's it! Uh I'm not an expert, I'm still not big enough to live full from commissions but don't give up! Can be rough at first but keep working!

[duckmine]

I've been really self conscious about my coloring abilities in digital art, can you maybe give some tips on that because your art looks amazing

of course!

some general tips i can give you with no specific order of method is: *filters, *what are complementary colors, *color picking, *hue direction on lighting and *layer blending modes to summarize what i’m covering here.

tip #1- feel free to mess around with filters. if you have a program with filters like brightness/contrast, hue/saturation, yada yada, value those tools to help you adapt better to understanding flattering coloring. sometimes you may color a piece and it feels super saturated or bright, use the filter tools to adjust it in a way that is less straining for you to look at but also still makes sense.

tip #2- practice identifying complementary colors. what colors work with red? blue, green, etc. what level of contrast/brightness should it be to help the red pop out more? these foundations will help you decide necessary colors for your palette, but try to keep it simple. and dw multiple colors of the same hue (section of the color wheel, like blue) count to, but try to keep it simple.

tip #2.5- you can also just copy off an official color palette if you ever need to, it’s also just helpful for accuracy.

tip #3 for shading, the hue of the lighting will tend to vary both based on position and environment. i wouldn’t worry too much about it but some general tips are, lighting will get gradually cooler the further it is to the darkest area of the shadow.

another general trick is if you don’t know what color to use for the shadow, warm tones like crimson or maybe the color of the skin are good for general lighting like day time or such. cooler tones like sky blue are good for stuff like closer to night time or a cool-lit room, etc. but again it also really depends on what looks good and benefits you.

oh yeah, for shading layers, i tend to switch between multiply and linear burn on blend layers. it just depends how intense i want the shading to be without having to directly go to the filter tool. multiply does general shadow building but linear burn helps emphasize shadows in darker colored areas, like a dark navy blue. again it depends on whatever i need. i also tend to use the add or glow dodge or linear light whatever is the brightness and most saturated blend mode on your program for highlighting certain areas. i typically use warmer colors for this unless it’s nighttime to which i’d use like a cyan.

these are really the main basics i’ve had in my coloring routine for a years that always helped me.

i hope these aren’t to confusing or broad, i would have drawn more examples but i’m kinda tired rn ^^. if you’d also like some recommendations i suggest looking into sinix design and his quick tutorial videos. marco bucci is also really good at coloring but there are really a lot of videos so i’d recommend colour harmony - 10 minutes to better painting. you don’t really need to start digitally painting but it’s just good fundamentals to learn about as it impacts cell shading as well.

[rev3rb]

Hey. I’m even more confused than Yuu and Mika rn. I was following along fine in the beginning. Then Yu orb started making all the humans, ok cool. One of them can understand Mikaela for some reason? Mikaela’s soul goes into him (Twice maybe bc of the original angel soul infusion)?? Mikaela is Yuu???

Wtf man. If Yuu is Mikaela, why were so many Yuu clones created and killed like they were expendable? Did Mikaela just repeatedly transfer himself over? I’m pretty sure that in the other flashbacks Yuu still treated and talked to Mikaela’s body like he was a separate soul? Is The First still unaware of the transfer after all this time? If Yuu is Mikaela, who TF is our current Mika? A random? A copy?

Why does The First need to resurrect everyone as angels specifically? Is it not enough for them to be reincarnated as humans?? God doesn’t notice/care that The First is sinning more in order to collect darkness???

I think I’m gonna give up on trying to figure this out for a little while 😓

Hey! Uh yeah.

Honestly I'm a little unsure on what to say on this one. They're the same person, but that really just leaves a slew of other questions. What happened to the angel soul that was in Yuu's body originally? Are they two souls in one body? If that's the case, who the hell is Mika? Can souls be copied/duplicated? Who even was that original angel soul? Is it even relevant? It seems like it would be. Why does Yuu have that name if the floating orb that was making humans is named Yuu?

Then there's all your questions! They're very good questions and I don't even know where to begin! This really does feel like something Sika Madu should have caught onto, but there has to be a reason he seemingly doesn't know. Yuu/Mika doesn't have his memories until they witnessed all this so maybe Sika Madu doesn't know because Yuu/Mika never knew? Idk. There's so many possibilities that it's hard to say what's possible.

I would guess the angel thing is because that was thier "original form"? He wants to restore them as they were meant to be? maybe? Idk. As to why God hasn't caught on? I suppose Sika Madu isn't exactly breaking any rules? but you'd think that something should have happened regardless...

I didn't read early early OnS so maybe one of the plot twists early on lead to more confusion than this one, but this one really leaves me at a loss. It kinda makes me excited to see where things go from here? Simultaneously, I'm WELL aware of how things can get drug out and go in weird directions with OnS so I'm just gonna sit here like :1 until we get more.

Overall though? I think it was a nice chapter! It gives us something to think about that isn't us bemoaning... well everything. I have a feeling the flashback is going to come to an end soonish and I'm glad for it. I wanna get back to the present and the other characters we know and love!

[olasketches]

How ya so good at art?

Tell me ya secretssssss OvO

oohhhhh man thank you (ya got me so flustered rn ssksksk)

and my secrets?? oh boy… mhhhh honestly I just do a lot of studies like photo reference studies, anatomy studies, hair studies which all sounds really boring (because it is) that’s why I don’t just do studies for the sake of studying something, I only study when I have no brain power to draw anything original (which is like 70% of the time cause to draw anything original you need an idea first, then you need to find reference photos that MATCH your idea and that can takeAGES then… well you know the drill)

ok so because I don’t really have any secrets or actual tips to offer, I thought that I’ll just talk about how I do things and what is my thought process behind doing them… mhhh here we go

doing studies is the best time for me to just draw without worrying about how my drawings are going to turn out cause your task here is to simply copy/replicate what’s on your reference photo. so… how do I go about it? when it comes to studying I like to do it in my sketchbook (but sometimes I work in procreate too, it depends on my mood honestly) my vash doodles are actually studies, cause that’s how my studies look like. I find something that I like, something that interests me, something that I want to integrate into my own art or something that I want to give it a try because it looks cool.

my sketchbook is filled with disney studies (specifically moana and elsa sketches lol I love the fluidity of disney’s facial expressions)

portrait studies (I started doing the 100 heads challenge like a month ago and I didn’t even get past 20… I’ll finish it one day tho!!)

MORE VASH STUDIES (that’s the easiest way for me to practice anatomy and facial expressions dude just have so many cool poses and funny faces)

art style studies (I study art styles of other artists like laia lopez cause I like the way she draws hair specifically I also did art style studies of artists like loish or samdoesart simply because I like their art style even though it’s not really the direction I want to go with my own art, I just wanted to try something new)

traditional anatomy studies (I only do those when I feel like it tho)

and many, many other studies. cause you see, for me, the goal of doing all that is too get to know myself better and what I like and to keep developing my own taste (and also to get better at drawing DUH sksjssks)

so to summarise do studies. study the things that you like. copy what you like because really that's what art is. you copy what you like but you're not exactly becoming that same artist you're taking aspects or elements of something that you see and you want to integrate that into your own work, but of course in order to understand how that style works you need to observe it and copy it on some level and the thing is that even when try to copy something you won’t draw it in the exact same way the other artist did. AND THATS THE POINT. studying other artists is really just drawing what YOU see and interpreting it in your own way, so you’ll always end up bringing some aspects and elements of your own style into any artist study you make.

pheew this has gotten quite lengthy… anyway so this how I do things I hope this could help… somehow 🫣

[saucerfulofsins]

phd student here (just advanced to candidacy): i honestly feel like academia is meant to break us. my first advisor bullied me into almost committing suicide, and it's been ROUGH... but that said? i think you finishing your degree in spite of everything matters so fucking much. both on a grand scale (academia needs more people from "untraditional" educational and life experiences) and a minor scale (proving something to yourself and to the people around you who've played a part in breaking you). i believe in you because i believe in me. fighting is hard, but sometimes things turn a corner when you least expect it—networking at a conference i didn't even want to go to accidentally solved a big gap in my advising situation.

sending all the best vibes in your direction. you are smart, capable, and will end up in the right place eventually. academia destroys souls, and you're not alone. ❤️

Hey ❤️❤️

I like seeing it from that side. Maybe not doing it AS well as I could have if I'd have the circumstances other ppl write theirs in (I started mine first with a rejection of my initial topic,then switching to a topic I had taken NO courses or associated courses on, and all of this while I had the very real concerns I might have cervical cancer as a trans man... the day I found out I didn't was the day I found out my supervisor would be leaving, leaving me with about 10 weeks to write a MA thesis which obvs didn't happen and then shit REALLY hit the fan). I wouldn't consider anyone else's grade under my circumstances a true reflection of what they're worth, either. I should add that my MA program is a research master, preparing you for academia and after which you'd move on to a 3-4 yr PhD program in my country. If your grades and project are good enough, of course. Mine? Aren't.

I applied to some PhD programs last yr but only major/big name unis and I think that might have been a mistake too. I had an interview and everyone there sounded so smart, had so much background, and I'm from the countryside with parents that barely finished their high schools (with levels that wouldn't get anyone into uni).

But yeah. You're right. In the end this is one grade, and it's a passing grade, and I... I mean I won't get into a big name uni with this rn and I don't think I wanna pursue a PhD rn anyway just because of all the pain but also the backlog I have compared to everyone else there. I just really wanna figure out a way to stay involved in academia without ending up in this locked down situation where, as you say, there's an attempt to break down everyone that doesn't fit the way the established order thinks we should.

It's just super difficult to keep believing in yourself when you're turned down and turned away at every junction in your life. After so many years (I'm 31 now) it's just. There's a point where it feels too much. At the same time I took an entrance exam to uni at 21 which I failed, and which I took to be a sign I shouldn't pursue uni at all. Clearly I was wrong there. I just.

I just wish there were more ways of learning than just the one specific kind universities (and high schools for that matter) dictate rn.

I also wish you the best of luck in your own degree, now and in the future! I know a PhD is another step up from a MA and I cannot imagine how rough it must've been for you especially with your first advisor. You don't deserve that (and lbr no one does). If you ever want a listening ear abt what you're working on, even if it's something I know nothing about, feel free to contact me!

[troph4eum]

yet another rant lol TW// talkin ab suicide n shit like that this is a sad one

so im not gonna get too specific w this one cuz its honestly jus a bunch of mess ion want strangers on the internet knowing but like a series of events have transpired and honestly they've left me feelin hopeless like idk rn its looking a bit more up but this honestly isnt the direction i want my life to be going. idk ab the rest of yall but it feels like my life has been a series of waiting for shit to happen w the promise that itll get better once that thing happens. but every time it gets to that point its basically the same as it was before.

and honestly i just need to come to terms with the fact that im always just going to be sad because of MDD like theres literally nothing i can do about it my mind is just wired to be hopeless type shit. and now its like all the options that i used to have have been stripped away from me all at once and its all coming to a head and like i rlly dont know what to do. i only got like 2 ppl who im rlly close to rn everyone else left due to one thing or another and in all honesty it sucks. like i love those 2 ppl w all my heart dgmw but damn man icl i do miss having a more extensive support network. and like honestly i wouldve been kms if i didnt have my dog. having another life to consider and take care of has rlly been a blessing and a curse for me. like bc of him i stayed alive to experience all the good that has happened but it also lead to me being here with damn near nothing to do. i cant leave him alone here i cant trust nobody w him hes like my kid almost. i dont want him to have to live in this world without me n ion wanna ever b without him. shit just thinking ab it makes me wanna tear up man i love that dog so much yall dont even know.

anyways idk outside of that if i die before i get to see this project to its completion ill be letting myself down. trophaeum is supposed to be my opus its supposed to be what the entirety of ilyjin is building up towards but im just struggling so much with staying alive that i cant see myself making it up there. i cant even focus on working on the project bc of all the shit thats been goin on man. i jus dont wanna let myself down ive done that more than enough in this life. ik ive talked before about how i dont fit in the mold that society has constructed for us and that holds true more than ever now. with all the things going on in the world idek if my dreams are still gonna be possible. its very disheartening. idk man ion think i wanna talk ab this anymore. its not even that its too painful or anything its just that im starting to not see the point. and tbh ion like ppl knowing just how sad of a person i am like all the time. but at the same time i cant help but be honest about who i am. i am a neurodivergent person with depression theres nothing i can do to change that and i shouldnt have to be ashamed or hide it. but sometimes it genuinely feels like im supposed to just ignore those parts of myself in order to fit into the capitalist machine.

ig my whole point in saying this is that im scared that ill never be able to show the world how much of an artist i really am and that ill never be able to have the impact i want to on the next generation.

after this post im gonna talk about overcoming toxicity like i said i would last time.