#and the fact is that it’s all genuine fear

[rosefires20]

My brainrot today is thinking about just how incredible for a character Eowyn is.

Genuinely. The series might not have many female characters but the ones we do get go so fucking hard.

To me, Eowyn is literally the definition of defining being a woman for oneself. She rejects the roles she is given despite acknlowdging the importance and its mostly because she knows part of the reason is that she is a woman.

The reason why she is obsessed with Aragorn isn't because she loves him but because she wants what he has. She wants the freedom and courage and bravery that Aragorn has at every turn. She literally has multiple conversations during the Two Towers about how what she fears most is a cage. All this girl wants is the freedom to be and not be forced into a role. The best thing is that she literally gets that.

The segment of Return of the King about Eowyn and Faramir is literally about her piecing together what she truly wants. She doesn't want Aragorn. She wants freedom and the ability to choose. Faramir does nothing but encourage that in her. Their love story is literally one of the healthiest love stories I've seen in a long time because at the heart of it, their love is a place to return home to for both parties. Both go off to lead and help their people for a considerable amount of time before returning to each other but that does not diminish their bond. Even Faramir, I believe, falls in love with her bravery and dedication to her loved ones. The reason she went to Pelenor Fields and Gondor with the troops of Rohan was because she had things she wanted to fight for. She wanted to fight for herself, her people, and her loved ones. She is the one who protects Theoden after he is killed so that his body gets the treatment it deserves. She encourages Merry and helps him go to the battle because she sees her struggle in Merry. They feel helpless standing around when there are things to be doing.

Let's also not forget the fact that she was around Grima Wormtounge just as much as the King was. She was exposed to the same poison and awful words that eroded the king. It's even implied that her care for him is part of the reason why Theoden was savable when Gandalf showed up. She had the same power and bravery as everyone else even if she didn't see it in herself.

Then at the end of the day, SHE decides where she wants to go and what path she wants to walk. She walked the path of a warrior. The path of a princess/ruler. The path of a caretaker. But in the end she decides which elements truly mean something to her outside of gender definitions. That is what makes her character so incredible to me. In this she literally kills one of the biggest enemies in that battle with such a badass line.

[wisecrackingeric-2]

Can I be mega autistic here and vent for a second and ask if anyone else is lowkey scared for whatever the next RE game is HSBWHDNDJ

[jojotichakorn]

so, in the midst of me constantly thinking about and analysing phum, i didn't write that much meta on peem or really think about his reasoning too much. for a long while, i dismissed his slightly erratic behaviour as a response to phumpeem's initial meeting and how their relationship has been set up because of it, but this episode solidified the fact that that's not it.

instead, for whatever reason, peem is insecure.

the most damning piece of evidence for this, i think, does not involve phum at all (and that is exactly the reason why it's such good evidence). though the majority of this post will still be about phumpeem lmao.

so, when peem claims that there is nothing going on between him and phum, kluen says that means he still has a chance, which gives us this confused face:

nothing in the world could produce this reaction in these circumstances, aside from insecurity. kluen isn't phum. he and peem don't have any bizarre backstory together, and he is very direct about his romantic pursuit. he explicitly said he came to the camp to hit on peem in front of all his friends and he reiterated the sentiment by saying what he did in this scene. the only kind of person who would need a clarification, when things are laid out that clearly is a person who is insecure and therefore has a hard time being sure about the fact that someone likes them and/or is actively trying to hit on them.

now, onto the star of the show: phumpeem! what do we know about peem's pov of their relationship at this point? 1) he has fully admitted that he likes phum, to the point of literally calling himself out on even trying to deny it. 2) he is happy about the fact that he likes phum. we are leagues away from the possibility that he has any issues with phum or the fact that he has a crush on him, which we have so much proof of, whether it be him actively enjoying the fact that phum is trying to get his attention, him looking at phum as if he hung the moon and calling him prince charming, him literally giggling and kicking his feet at that memory the next day, him instantly forgiving phum because he genuinely trusts him and thinks he is a good person, even if he makes mistakes sometimes, or any of the other clear signs that he is enjoying what's going on between them, both in the moment and in retrospective.

and now, let's take a look at all the moments from today's episode through the lens of peem's insecurity in himself and security in his feelings / phum:

him acting a little weird and distant after hugging phum the whole night, very reminiscent of the way he acted the day after their first kiss. both times after moments when peem made the first move.

him acting genuinely confused about phum's behaviour towards kluen, despite getting a fairly clear confirmation that phum is jealous when he literally bribed a child to get peem away from kluen. this is definitely not a "what a weirdo" face, this is a "wait, what's going on here?" face. he does not get it.

him claiming there is nothing going on between phum and him, despite clearly wanting that something and being in the depths of the talking stage, which is definitely a real relationship stage to him, as that was how he described chain and toey to q.

him looking a little heartbroken, when phum says he wants to call off the deal, as if that would actually mean that they stop spending time together.

him confirming that that is indeed his fear, when he literally looks terrified at the prospect and fully asks to continue being phum's "slave".

him not being able to admit why he kept the flowers

or making up a lie about not having finished the painting, even though he definitely has, because he literally said so to his aunt.

and him answering a question with a question, needing to hear the fact that phum likes him directly first, before he confesses back. which, in all this context, just doesn't read as stubbornness.

all of this makes sense, if you consider the fact that peem is insecure and is afraid of reading into other people, when what he's trying to glean is their opinion of him specifically.

one big thing that he constantly repeats (this moment is far from the only time he says that in this episode alone) is asking phum to tell him what he thinks directly. mind you, unlike phum, who is just constantly deeply confused about everyone and can't take implications for shit, peem is actually absolutely incredible at understanding what other people's feelings are, even when they don't tell him directly, as long as the feelings in question aren't about peem.

he also manages those small bursts of confidence, like kissing phum first or reaching out to him, but they are not long-lasting and are often followed by bursts of denial and shyness, which is extremely common for someone who is insecure but also impressively brave.

and here is your key to pre-relationship phumpeem and the reason why we are on episode 10 and they are still not dating. insecure x insecure can be hard at times. they both need the other to outright state their feelings, and that is just not easy for either of them. but they are getting there. together 🫶

[simplybakugou]

Story Mode | Mystic Academia: Kirishima Eijirou's Route

⋆ PAIRING: jpop.member!kirishima x fem!reader ⋆ WARNINGS/TAGS: kidnapping ⋆ WORD COUNT: 1020

A/N: omg the first written story mode i’ve ever done! initially i was going to make this part like the regular story modes but i realized i think it would be executed better if i wrote it out instead. for other longer story modes like this, they will also be written out in the future for kaminari, sero, bakugou, and izuku’s routes!

NOTE: the kirishima cap is from @eraserhead-transparents. this part is inspired by the reader story mode in day 10 of zen’s route.

Mystic Academia: Kirishima Eijirou's Route Masterlist

Everything felt hazy the minute you opened your eyes. Your vision was blurry, only for a moment as your eyes fluttered open. Looking around you, you sighed a breath of momentary relief. You were back at the office, your new home. Perhaps everything that had happened was a dream, or a nightmare rather, and you were finally back home in your apartment.

That sentiment was immediately eradicated the minute you realized you were tied to a chair with your arms pinned back and around the chair. It was very much not a dream.

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” an unfamiliar voice greets you. A man dressed in all black walks from behind you and stands before you. He had a black face mask covering his face and the hood from his jacket covering his head. The only feature you could discern were his piercing crimson eyes. 

You could feel your whole body shivering in fear. The last thing you remembered was waiting to watch Kirishima’s conference when this Unknown person broke into Kirishima’s apartment. Who knew you’d have to have security guarding the balcony door as well…

“If you’re wondering how I brought you here, I simply used a chloroform rag to knock you out. Then I just dragged your body here.” You could hear the smile in his voice as well as on his face, despite it being half-covered, as his eyes crinkled up. He spoke so nonchalantly about doing such revolting things to you.

“What do you want?” You mustered up the courage to question him. You hated how shaken your voice was and despite wanting to seem strong, it was hard to do so when a strange man had been stalking you and finally found you only to hold you hostage in your own home. 

“Oh, I don’t want anything from you. I’m just a pawn and I will do whatever it takes to help my master carry out their dream.”

He started pacing around your room, looking around at the things you had moved in with you. You had paperwork all over your desk as the party was just two days away and you were still working on inviting guests to the event. 

“You see, you’re just a pawn, Y/N.” You shivered at his utterance of your name. “We don’t have any issues with you personally. In fact, I was ordered to lead you to this place to help take down those five imbeciles.”

Five imbeciles… He was referring to Bakugou, Mina, Sero, Kaminari, and Kirishima… He most likely left Deku out due to his absence from the group.

“Just leave them alone. What could they have possibly done to deserve anything?” You could feel yourself getting angry for your new friends. Despite only meeting them almost a week ago, you could tell they were all genuine, including Deku. I mean, who hosts events for charity if they weren’t good?

Unknown bursted out into a fit of laughter. It was an unpleasant sound. He approached you once again and if it weren’t for your being tied to a chair, you would’ve attempted to move as far away from him as physically possible. He crouched down in front of you, bringing his hand up to pat your head. “Don’t you worry. As long as you don’t fight back, everything will be fine. After all, I was ordered to bring you back alive.”

Just as you were realizing the severity of the situation, the doorbell ringing ripped you away from your fears. Several pounding knocks on the door followed.

Unknown chuckled, standing to his feet. “That must be Sero Hanta. Since he’s the only one who knows where this place is.”

“Help!” You screeched. 

Several beeps could be heard on the opposite side of the door, indicating that someone knew the password and was entering it. The door swung open and, to your surprise, revealed Kirishima, who was out of breath and his leg was free from the boot you remember he still had on that morning.

Kirishima’s scarlet eyes scanned the room briefly as they stayed focused on you. “Let Y/N go!”

Just as Kirishima attempted to move towards Unknown, he swiftly removed the rope tying you down to the chair. Unknown grabbed you by your collar, forcing you to your feet as you felt the cool metal blade of a knife to your throat. 

Kirishima stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening. “You take another step and I can’t promise you Y/N will be unharmed,” Unknown threatened in a low voice.

Kirishima’s hands balled up into fists at his sides as he felt powerless. “What the hell do you want?!”

Unknown shrugged. “I’ve just been ordered to take Y/N with me.”

“Yeah? Over my dead body will I ever let you take her away!” Kirishima’s voice was strained out of the pure rage he was feeling. You felt tears threatening to spill out as you were doing your best to keep it together. 

“Oh, don’t you worry, Kirishima Eijirou. Eventually you and the rest of MFA will go with her.” Unknown smiled sinisterly through his mask as his eyes crinkled upwards once again. “You can all have a little family reunion then! How fun!”

You were getting fed up with all of this nonsense. Who was this strange man to impose on your life and think he could do whatever he wanted in the name of following orders? Unknown’s hand was right below your chin and so you bit down as hard as you possibly could, certain that you drew blood. 

Unknown screamed out in pain, dropping the knife to your feet and recoiling back in pain as he fell backwards and held his hand to his chest. You swiftly picked the dropped knife up, spinning around and back towards Kirishima. You held the knife out in front of you, nonverbally threatening Unknown not to take another step towards you.

“You stupid girl,” Unknown grumbled, struggling to get back up to his feet.

Kirishima grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards him. He took advantage of the slight pause before he screamed, “RUN.”

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[discretocincel]

When skies are black

The last time I finished a story was so fucking long ago and I was starting to think I'd never do it again, but then I found a little guy with anxiety and depression and an asexual serial killer and my writer's block was cured (not really, but we're getting there!)

Anyway, I made something for RadioApple Week 2024! Today's prompt was Late Night/Early Morning, go check it out on AO3:

00:44

After long shootings, it had become a habit for Angel Dust to go sit at the bar with Husk, no matter how exhausted he was. It helped him feel like himself again, not only distracted but centered him, having the other’s eyes on him, listening to ruthless remarks in that raggedy low voice of his, forcing down some water to try to recover a tenth of the fluids he lost in the long filming hours. The man had become his sanctuary, and Angel wasn’t ashamed to admit it. In fact, he did it often, hoping to get the message across even when the barkeep refused to acknowledge the truth behind it. Angel didn’t mind much. He was in for the long run, so he would enjoy the chase while it lasted—he knew it would only make the catch all the more satisfying.

That Thursday evening, however, his sanctuary was already occupied when he made it to the hotel. Angel kept the disappointment off his face; he didn’t want to make the intruder feel bad, not if he could help it. He’d been surprised at first, to realize that their sovereign was just as volatile and emotional as his daughter, but it only made the little guy more endearing in his eyes. He genuinely didn’t want to see him upset, and not because he feared for his life in his anger (although after the extermination, he was reminded that Lucifer Morningstar truly was on another level, and perhaps he should be, if only a little, afraid for his life).

“Your Majesty, hey! I wasn’t expecting to see you up so late! Can’t sleep?”

“Angel! Welcome back!” Lucifer replied with a nervous grin, and he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck as he angled himself towards the sinner in a way he didn’t turn his back on Husk. “Is it really that late?”

“Well, no, it’s not that late, but don’t you usually go to bed quite early? You’re the first one to leave after dinner!”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess…” The king avoided his eye, downing what was left of his drink before elaborating. “I like to read before falling asleep, so it’s not that I fall asleep as soon as I go to my room, you know.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Angel conceded, repressing the urge to make a dirty joke at the king’s expense. “Then what happened tonight? Did ya run out of books or something?”

“I just wasn’t in the mood to start anything new, is all.”

“Understandable,” Husk grumbled as he slipped a delicious looking mocktail towards Angel. “People underestimate the energy required to get to know new characters in fiction. Can I get you another one, Your Highness?” He nodded at the king’s empty tumbler.

“Please.”

“Now Husky, baby, got any fun tidbits about the new residents?” Angel asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he sipped on the pink straw of his sugary drink. Just because they weren’t alone didn’t mean they couldn’t talk like they usually would, especially considering their company. He didn’t know what had the monarch in such a jumpy state, not that he normally was calm personified, but he was kicking his feet in the air and fidgeting in his chair more than usual. Angel needed to unwind, and apparently so did The Devil, and he knew that good gossip about souls they couldn’t care less about always helped lighten the mood.

The bartender immediately caught his drift, his perceptiveness being just another trait of his that had the spider head over heels, and he placed his forearm on the bar to lean closer towards them, giving them an air of confidentiality that was hardly needed given the time and place, but was appreciated nevertheless. Husk’s insight to the newcomers’ vices, fears and desires was always delightfully detailed and usually right, no matter how farfetched it seemed. Not long ago on that very bar he had revealed what he believed of their king, though he had yet to relieve anything about the demon that owned his soul. Angel was madly curious, but also too terrified to press for information on that front. Some secrets were best left untold.

Without truly noticing, Angel finished off his third mocktail of the night, preceded by two full glasses of water, while Husk opened up a brand-new bottle of whisky for the king, when the familiar goosebumps warned him of yet another intruder to their evening. It was a small mercy that Husk hadn’t given him a drop of alcohol, otherwise, he just knew he would’ve made something crazy when the Radio Demon materialized from the shadows right behind Lucifer like the creepy motherfucker he was. Angel wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or he was just that immutable, but the king didn’t even flinch when a bony hand came to rest on his shoulder. Whether he was foolish or brave, Angel still had to admire the guy for his lack of a response.

Except, it wasn’t that he didn’t react, he would soon realize with the violence of an unexpected bucket of cold water falling on him. He just didn’t react the right way. Because who the fuck would smile in delight at having the fucking Radio Demon lean against them?!

“Good evening, gentlemen! What a pleasant surprise to find you all here this late in the night.”

“Yeah, wish I could say the same to you,” Husk grumbled. “What are you doing here so late, anyway?”

“He was at a party!” Lucifer revealed with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Just a small gathering. It would’ve been far nicer without some of the guests, sadly.”

Angel forgot how to breathe for a moment when he saw Lucifer pout and send the Radio Demon a dejected look as he said: “Then why did you stay so long?”

Alastor blinked a few times, and Angel expected to see his eyes turn into radio dials at any moment, but it didn’t happen. The sinner simply appeared amused, if only a little tense.

“How much did you drink, Your Majesty?”

“You’re not answering my question.”

“No, I’m not. It is a dumb question. You should go to bed, Your Majesty. I shall go, too. I’m rather tired. Sleep tight, gentlemen.”

Alastor sank back into the shadows, and the king stood up abruptly not a second later, the angry scratch of the wooden floor making Angel Dust jump slightly in his own stool.

“Well. He’s right. I guess it is time for me to go to bed. Sweet dreams, Angel. Husker. Thanks for the lovely night. I’m sorry if I bothered you…”

“No way, I had fun!” Angel said, a bit awkward, thoughts reeling with distant possibilities, each one more insane than the last, but not insincerely. “We should do it again.”

“I’d like that,” Lucifer agreed, his own forced smile softening into a more genuine, gentle thing. “Good night.”

“So… that was weird, right?” Angel asked in a nearly hysterical whisper to the bartender as soon as they were alone.

“I am not acknowledging that, and neither should you. You had a long day. Go to sleep.”

Angel frowned. “You’re no fun!”

Husk sighed, but the lines around his eyes were kind, even if his mouth fought a smile.

“Maybe I’ll entertain you at a different time. I don’t think you’re ready to hear it, Legs.”

Angel’s heart skipped a beat, focusing on all the wrong parts of that sentence. He wanted to ask more; he knew whatever juicy story Husk was keeping from him was bound to make life at the hotel a hundred times more exciting, but when a gentle hand rested softly on top of his, a thumb delicately brushing over his knuckles, Angel’s knees went weak, his feet slipped from the stool’s cross stretcher and he nearly stomped his face on the bar like an idiot. He wasn’t even drunk! He was a master of seduction! How was it possible that the other man never failed to make him lose his cool and mind with the most innocent gestures?

“Go to bed, Angie. It’s late, and you’re tired. I won’t stay much longer either.”

“Okay,” he replied softly, slightly out of breath. It was the perfect time to ask the bartender to keep him company, to share his bed with him, to become more than what they were. But he couldn’t. The words just wouldn’t form on his tongue, stuck to the roof of his mouth as it was.

But that was okay. He knew he would have another chance, maybe on another night like that. Maybe after having some alcohol himself, with their king as company. And if the Radio Demon joined them at some point, well, maybe then Husk would finally give in and reveal all those secrets he kept, some even about himself, if he was lucky.

♪

03:33

“You’re drunk,” Alastor repeated as soon as Lucifer materialized in the sinner’s bedroom. “I didn’t even know that you could get drunk.”

“I wanted to be up when you returned,” Lucifer confessed, still pouting. The insufferable king had no right to be that adorable. It did unspeakable things to Alastor’s heart.

“I told you I’d be late.”

“I know. I didn’t care.”

“Clearly, you did. You’re upset.”

“No! But you said it was boring, and yet you stayed all this time! It’s suspicious!”

Alastor frowned in disbelief. “Suspicious? How, exactly? What are you accusing me of?”

“I’m not accusing you of anything. I just…” Lucifer sighed, and his shoulders sagged, as if all anger and tension was physically abandoning him. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being ridiculous. How was the gathering? How was Rosie?”

“It was exactly what I expected. Nothing more and nothing less. Rosie was alright. She sent you her regards.”

“Were the Vees there? All three of them?”

“Yes. As expected.”

Lucifer nodded his head weakly, still standing in the middle of the room, where he’d appeared, with his boots, coat and hat on.

Alastor narrowed his eyes, studying the man in front of him like he had just located the missing pieces that made sense of the picture in the puzzle.

“Did you have fun talking with Angel Dust and Husk?” He asked conversationally, walking towards the cabinet that stored his liquor as he undid the buttons of his coat. His ears moved to show that he was listening as Lucifer mumbled an answer, some story about a newcomer named ‘Steven’ or ‘Stephen’ or something like that, but Alastor wasn’t paying attention to the meaning of the words as much as he was focusing on the way they were spoken. His bowtie came next, pulling it off with one hand as he poured himself a finger of whisky. Then, after savoring his first long sip, he continued with the buttons of his shirt. His smirk widened as Lucifer’s tone went higher and higher the more skin Alastor revealed.

“What, what about you? Did you have fun? Did you speak with Vox?”

Finally. All Alastor had to do was take off his shirt, and the King of Hell easily revealed all that was troubling his mind and heart.

“I didn’t,” he said.

Lucifer frowned. “What, like nothing at all? Didn’t you at least say hi? You said it was a small gathering, no more than twelve people. You couldn’t possibly have avoided him all night. You were there for hours!”

“I didn’t avoid him as much as I ignored him, my dear. After a couple of laughable attempts, he stopped trying altogether.”

“Oh.”

Alastor hummed as he went to sit on the foot of his bed. Once there, he extended one arm in invitation, to which the other responded by flying to his side, wrapping his arms around Alastor’s middle and pushing him back on the bed. With his face pressed against Alastor’s bare chest, Lucifer mumbled:

“Good. I don’t want you talking to him. At all. Never again.”

“Even if it is to tell him that my heart belongs to another?”

Lucifer’s breath hitched, the hold he had on the sinner tightened before relaxing, and he slowly lifted his head to look up at him with eyes shiny with tears.

“You can tell him that. But I want to be there when you do.”

Alastor’s grin widened even further, while his own arms circled the shorter man, awkwardly pulling to bring their faces closer.

“Deal,” he said, and they sealed it with a kiss.

[tired-fandom-ndn]

man your post about the weight the touden party treats death with reminded me to watch the latest dungeon meshi episode and im lowkey inconsolable. anime doesn't make me cry often but i actually sobbed. that episode is BRUTAL and so perfectly constructed with the context of what's gonna happen later.

and just. thinking about how it is probably the healer of a group who has a large part in setting the "tone" of how Big of a Deal death is, since they're the ones resurrecting people. how in namari's group it is in fact specifically the party cleric/resurrector who's using her as a meat shield.

and how the touden party's treatment of death as a last resort probably isn't just due to everyone treating the lives of the party with weight and value. it's probably also due to marcille treating her party members' death as something to be avoided at all costs, even though she has the power to reverse it.

now im also thinking about how chilchuck's formative experience of adventuring was being used as disposable bait, and how that combined with the unusual weight the touden party places on preserving life probably informs his choice to stay with the party.

....and ALSO thinking about how that's definitely something that makes SENSHI more comfortable with the party, given his aversion to magic

thinking about how izutsumi was clearly viewed as disposal, fitted with a curse that would kill her if she ran away. how she didn't join the other ninjas in risking their lives to fight falin. unlike them, she didn't want to die even knowing she could be revived — or perhaps she didn't trust that she would be.

how the last words falin leaves laios with before the teleportation spell are that she wants him to live.

man,

[context]

Yes yes yes you get it exactly once again!!

It's so interesting how the healer absolutely controls how casually their party treats death and revival and the contrast between the Touden and Tonsu party I think is a really deliberate example, especially since you have Namari going from a party with a healer who is TERRIFIED of death and sees revival as a last resort to a healer who literally uses her as a meat shield, even when she's clearly scared and unhappy with that. She lectured Kaka and Kiki about the unreliability of revival and the risk of it not succeeding, I wonder if she received that same lecture from Marcille when they were still adventuring together?

With Marcille, there's this constant terror of death, the intimate knowledge that it IS coming and eventually there'll be nothing she can do to prevent it. Revival works in the dungeon most of the time, but what if it doesn't? What if it fails? And I think that every time she sees one of her loved ones die, she's faced with both the fear of revival not working AND a reminder that one day, her loved ones WILL die and there is nothing in the world she can do to prevent it. I bet her dreams are haunted by their few deaths every single night.

And with Chilchuck, who seems to be constantly battling against parties to get half-foots treated seriously and not as disposable fodder, the Touden party probably feels like an oasis in the desert to him. Yes, they're annoying and weird, but they also genuinely respect him and don't throw him around as something disposable. With the exception of Senshi, they also seem to leave him the hell alone while he's working, trying their best not to accidentally set off traps that could hurt or kill him. Their treatment of him, aside from Marcille and Senshi treating him like a kid, is probably a good basis for what he wants for ALL half-foots.

Senshi being distrustful of magic and especially of revival magic finding a party that heavily relies on magic while refusing to depend on it to solve everything, especially death. . . That's really good, ngl. I wonder how many adventuring parties he saw go through the dungeon treating themselves and each other as disposable, and how many times he saw revival magic fail from the sidelines. . . Something to think more about.

And Izutsumi!! Yes!! Oh my god, the idea of her not being revived if she'd died is so tragic but it makes so much sense, like they essentially had a bomb collar on her, why would they waste the time, magic, and energy on a revival? I could see her dying in that battle and Tade being the only person to argue for her to be revived, but even then, I think Maizuru would shut her down immediately and Tade would just. Quietly accept it because what else could she do? She's barely treated any better. So joining the Touden party, where Izutsumi isn't expected to die for them no matter what and where no one is disposable, was probably the first time ever where she didn't constantly feel the threat of death looming over her, even in the deepest and most dangerous parts of the dungeon.

Falin, using her very last moments to send her loved ones to safety even while being intimately aware that the chance of them finding and reviving her were slim to none. . . I love her.

[to-death-i-embrace]

Hi!

In a recent ask, you explained this about MC:

"Regardless of their personality, the MC places no real value on life because they cannot die. At the beginning, if the ROs die, the MC will think something like, "Oh? Well!" To them, it is the same as a new, pretty but inherently useless item they bought that broke down— it’s something easily replaceable. That’s how much value they have to MC, especially with the friendly and timid MCs, although they seem to emphasize but not to an amount you can expect from a human being. But this is something you can decide to change, you ultimately have a choice to change. There is a tracker that will be coded according to this, and it will ultimately decide the fate between you and your chosen RO."

And I've been wondering about that. Or well, something related to that.

What kind of progression will the MC be able to have? What I mean is that you seem to imply they be able to have more and more true empathy (or that they'll be able to simply stay the same), but will they also be able to change in yet different ways that would lead to different kinds of endings too?

Also, a bit of a side question, but at the start of the story, will a "nicer" MC be able to feel bothered by the fact they realize they don't seem to fully "understand" mortals and the way mortals seem to feel? Basically, they can't yet feel the same kind of empathy as mortals, but they are bothered by the fact they realize something is different?

Mortality is something MC takes lightly. They never been human; can’t fear death or aging when they can’t. To feel is something they never been taught or expected to have; MC had mimicked behaviors and expressions throughout their long existence to the point they have adopted it as a part of them. They had been this been this blank paper that have became a photo copy of the real thing. They can change, I believe people can change people whether for the good or for the bad, but it is always ultimately the individual to choose if they want to.

How MC progressed to be truly human, not just a “mimic” of someone else, is something that will be better explained in the full game, but MC is not gonna magically change in just one chapter, it will be a slow process for the ROs and especially themselves. Yes, there are choices that could make MC fall deeper in the rabbit hole they have built or they could change. The choices truly depends on what ending between you and your chosen RO based on the stat chart attached below:

There isn’t a bad ending, but the debate on what are you willing to give up

No, MC genuinely doesn’t feel bad, but it’s not out of maliciousness or anything of that sort. They know they’re different because they aren’t human, and that’s all they need to know, there is no need for overthinking. If MC had been bothered, something would have changed a long time ago.

[gooretrait]

The sun was high in the sky. The summer breeze tickled and cooled Melissa and Diana's skin as they made their way to the chateua gardens.

Melissa was nervous. Hell, she was more than nervous, she was sick with anxiety and the fear of rejection. However, in the space of just under a year she had grown to fall so deeply in love with Diana that she was convinced this kind of love was once in a lifetime. That any other love or romance would pale in comparison to what she and Diana had. And for that reason, she knew exactly what she needed to do and she finally had the confidence to do it.

As Melissa got down on one knee, she dived into the speech that she'd prepared. She told Diana everything that she was feeling. The love that ran so deep that it coursed through every vein and artery. The adoration she felt for her beloved every single day. Her inability to ever picture a future without Diana or Elisha in her life. She knew at the core of her soul and who she was that Diana was the woman for her and that she wanted to build a life with her and Elisha and any other kids that they may adopt in the future. For Melissa, this was it and there would never be anyone after Diana because Diana and Elisha were all she needed. By the end of her speech, the two of them were crying as Diana said yes and jumped into her arms, elated and just as madly in love as Melissa was.

Thank you so much to everyone who followed this current household from start to end! Playing without the aim of a legacy or building up a family was just the reset I needed to get me excited for playing with a family and family oriented gameplay again. In my next queued post, you'll start getting introduced to my Growing Together family (I've already played up until my main sims have their first child, so there's plenty of screenshots to edit and posts to queue up!). For now, however, I'm going to give a couple of fun facts about Melissa and her gameplay!

So, when I first made Melissa I was greatly inspired by Oshin and Shiipty's current households over on YouTube! I wanted to make a sim I could play with casually but added in an aspiration I wanted to do that I've never completed before. And so, Melissa was born!

I also intended originally when I first started playing for Melissa to have a fling with Don Lothario! I wanted to create some drama around her having a failed relationship with him and throwing herself into all of her hobbies, but then I saw the way that Melissa and Diana were drawn to each other and how Melissa would cancel out of actions to talk to her and I realised what Melissa's story really was. Melissa's story wasn't destined to be one of a failed relationship with a man who treated her badly. She was instead destined to fall for the girl upstairs who was always happy to see her and supported her in all of her hobbies and skills.

This last fun fact is more about Diana than Melissa. When I first made Diana, it was with the intention of exploring the Snowy Escape pack and the extreme sports aspiration. I loved the idea of an athlete falling in love with Mt Komorebi and eventually moving there, but I ended up never playing that out. So, when I started looking through my old sims to move into the same building as Melissa I thought Diana would make a great addition and even become a best friend for Melissa. Little did I know that that would turn into a romance that genuinely had me welling up with emotion when Melissa proposed.

Thank you once again to everyone for all your support for this current household! Hopefully this won't be the last we see of Melissa, Diana, and Elisha. I'm thinking of playing with them in my own time and watching them grow up and then MAYBE using one of the kids to explore the romantic expansion we're getting. But yeah, this definitely won't be the last we see of these sims ❤️

[poppedbubblgum]

Donnie tears up more than once in the rise movie.

For a split second, we can see him crying while he and Mikey were about to be crushed in the turtle tank.

He really thought he was going to die and the fear was enough to spur that reaction. It’s really sad to me actually, like, it looks like his life is flashing before his eyes.

[jestroer]

Here's @mcyt-yuri-week day 6 - Outfit swap/Cozy!

I think pink-loving, constantly afraid, tall-men-scaring women should hang out!

[homophyte]

its an episode about the many ways morty fears rick.

its about being afraid of rick and being afraid of his sadness and his callousness and his power. its about morty knowing the power rick has over him and being afraid of that. and knowing that ricks decisions are fickle and often Bad and that morty is going to be beholden to them. when rick jumps morty is forced to follow after and pay the same price for no crime. and the fear that for his loyalty and obedience there is no reward . Morty Is Afraid Of Being A Dog.

if rick is in a simulation where hes given everything he wants and hes too selfish and cowardly to leave when it threatens his life, morty will have to die with him.

if rick is in a simulation where he has the option of pretending nothing is wrong and everything is fine and hes too selfish and cowardly to admit its a lie even when it threatens his life, morty will have to die with him.

if rick is forced to admit he cares for morty or die he would die before saying it. and morty knows it. and Im Going Crazy

[hella1975]

hiiii haha. hello. exceptionally awkward introduction bc idrk how to start something like this so let's just jump right in. im taking a break from this account for a bit. i know i said i wanted taob out before halloween and currently im fine sticking with that deadline, but if i decide i need longer away then i will take longer away. every time ive reassured people that id never abandon a fic and updates will always come eventually i never once considered that my writing and ability to feel safe and comfortable on this site would be actively taken from me, so im not even going to apologise. i dont want this either and more importantly i dont fucking deserve it. i dont know what it is in the past year, if ive hit a certain amount of followers or 'popularity' that's made it so the natural ratio of positive to negative interactions must in turn go up, but there's been a serious uptick in weird asks for me. the annoying part is that a very small amount of them are actually objectively mean and hateful, the rest are just weird and invasive from people who seemingly dont realise that's what they're being. ive reached a point where i dont care if the intentions are good. it's not my job as a 20 year old tumblr user of all things to defend the morality of someone who couldnt even bother to come off anon. unfortunately, after blocking only one or two anons, the weird asks have decreased substantially, which says all you need to know about the fascinating and exhilarating lives led by these people, but ive also gone on to turn anon asks off entirely. this is something i actively fought against doing and had to be pushed into by my mutuals (who have been the coolest people on planet earth during this entire thing). turning off anon was a big deal to me even if it sounds silly. i felt betrayed and like id been backed into a corner because it was so vehmently something i DIDNT WANT that to feel like i had to do it anyway for my own mental health??? that sucks. so even though ive 'fixed' the problem, im still kind of reeling and uncomfortable every time i come on tumblr. i hope it's just something i need time to ease because i'll truly be devastated if this becomes 'ruined' for me. tumblr exists as the only place in the world where i am honestly every facet of myself without shame or hesitation; losing that would be insanely harmful to me. and to the people who cant appeal to the actual human behind the post, let me put that in words you can understand: we wouldn't get any more writing 😦😦😦 riots and fires and sirens, i know. so yeah. to anyone who has sent me an anon ask and you're now wondering if you were part of the problem, im firmly of the belief that you'll know if you are. when i say 'weird asks' i dont mean 'you sent me a para about your personal life just to vent or ask for advice' or 'you sent me a really deep emotional compliment about the impact me and/or my writing has had on you' - i love asks like that, so much that i put off taking a break and turning off anon solely for the joy they bring me. im sorry that it might feel like you're being punished too bc of the actions of what in reality is a HANDFUL of weird people, but this is what i feel like i have to do to feel safe and not go insane every time i log in. love you guys, hopefully ill see you soon x

[quirkle2]

I was wondering if there are any rare happy ritsu moments in ur zombie au since hes always miserable I think,, like is he always miserable or is he happy/not miserable and feeling kinda good sometimes?

VWHDGDGD NO YEAH OFC HE'S HAPPY SOMETIMES im just horrible and enjoy putting him through misery

ive never been able to get a genuine smile to look right on his face in my art style either i think thats part of it. as ive said his face is just built to be mildly uncomfortable and bothered and i lean into it sm it's starting to get kinda funny

but yes ritsu is happy plenty! i think, canonically, he just seems like the type of person to me that tends to turn lemonade back into lemons. he's easy to scare and his first reaction to things is often Dread and Anxiety. he dwells on the negatives a lot and seems to be a "hope for the best, expect the worst," kinda guy, but there's a section in this post abt shigeo always loving the little things in life, and ritsu steadily learns throughout the journey on how to do that and how healing it can rly be. even if he had to grow up too fast during this whole thing and learn things a kid should never have to, the journey also gave him some good insight and lessons in other places! ritsu is smart, he figures it all out

in terms of little things here n there he's the happiest lil guy on the planet when he finds one of his favorite foods—swings his legs while he sits and munches on a kitkat bar like he's got absolutely nothin in the world to worry abt. sometimes mob does smth funny that he laughs at; for the longest time i've had this silly image in my head of mob accidentally knocking down a bucket from a store shelf and it lands on his head and he just kinda stands there and makes noises.when the noises continue out of pure curiosity about the weird echoey quality it's giving them ritsu cannot help but lose it

besides tiny things tho, when tome comes around ritsu in general is a lot happier, just cuz he has somebody to talk to that will actually respond in some way. they're sorta reluctant partners in crime at first (at least on ritsu's end) but over time and over bonding they grow to rly like each other's presence. they bicker constantly but it's almost always fond eventually, and they shove each other and playfight until mob gets antsy enough to get worked up about it. rly, tome is a godsend to ritsu's mental health—after months and months of being effectively alone with his thoughts, he finally has another person to converse with. a person His Age, too!

tome is rly good at knowing when ritsu is thinkin himself into oblivion and she's Also rly good at being the most annoying girl on the planet to yank him outta that and replace any misery with Oh My God Get Off Me You Freak. she doesn't even do this on purpose at first, but over time she learns how to tell when he's thinking too hard and, ofc, she's grown attached and she cares, so she's as obnoxious as possible to lighten the mood

when they find reigen n teru, ritsu gradually gets Much happier still. now that he knows they're safe and the gang is finally back together (and now that there's an Adult present and he can relax a lil and let himself be taken care of) his stress levels r exponentially lowered. having teru back is another instant lift to his mood—im always a big fan of teru and ritsu friendship, and i think adding tome to their dynamic simply makes it more chaotic. truly a trio of the 3 most normal teenagers in existence which will surely bring nothing but good (reigen sweats offscreen)

actually this makes me feel bad for forever torturing him im gonna go draw happy zau ritsus brb ,.,.ok imback <3

[meteortrails]

I really do like big mom as a character bc like. one piece DID need more toxic mothers to balance out all the angelic dead ones and by GOD does charlotte linlin fucking deliver…. genuinely I love how so much of the whole cake island arc is set within the context of like, Intense interpersonal family dynamics. linlin’s obsession with her dead, secretly evil mother and with family and belonging and the way that translates into her authoritarian chokehold on her children’s lives and the country that she’s running….. she needs all of them to stay, and the only way to make sure that they stay is to make sure they’re scared of her (after all, loving her wasn’t enough to make her mother stay). she needs a world where she can be accepted and belong and the only way to get it is to be the one in charge of it, to be somebody that no one can deny. god like she even has horrific emotionally scarring family brunches she’s PERFECT

[daily-whistlepaw]

daily whistlepaw until ah becomes PoV day 1167

I think I finally understand how people feel when around a crush, can't say I enjoy it

[thesaltyace]

I am SO ANGRY.

I should have pulled out of the garage to open the back hatch. But I opened the hatch while it was inside. Which was actually fine. The garage door was open, plenty of room.

But then I hit the button to close the garage door. While the hatch was still open. And now I have a huge scrape in the paint, down to metal, on the hatch. 🫠

I can't even right now. I'm so angry I could cry.