#and the flavor is already hard to justify

[dravidious]

You are really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really REALLY g-

Ah, finally hit the word count limit! Nice! It's been almost a year now. A card I made for this week's contest:

[s0ckh3adstudios]

Can I just say the reception to episode 2 of The Amazing Digital Circus has been absurd and NOT in a good way.

[tonycries]

Why Can't I Keep My Fingers Off You? [Part 2] - G.S. 

Synopsis. “Besides, Toru, just because it worked for you doesn’t mean it’ll work for me.” “Wanna bet?” For Satoru, convincing you to take the aphrodisiac chocolate too wasn’t the hard part - the hard part was being shoved into that bathroom stall, cock throbbing, mind spinning - trying not to beg for mercy. 

Pairing. Gojo Satoru x Reader

Content. MDNI, fem! reader, unprotected sex, slight femdom, overstimulation (male), lots of cum, you absolutely ruin Satoru, semi-public sex, subby! Satoru, aphrodisiac sex, multiple rounds, shutting up Gojo Satoru by making him cum in his pants, pet names (darling, my girl), swearing.

Word count. 3.7k

A/N. Can be read as a standalone, but PART 1 HERE.

Bros this was mad hard to write oml. Art by @_3aem on X.

Satoru had everything he needed to absolutely ruin you tonight.

Overpriced Cartier glasses? Check.

Jet-black Hellcat freshened up, ready with a little surprise for you inside? Check.

You, all dolled up and brows furrowed adorably at him? Holy shit, check.

“Toru, if we’ve missed our reservation because you had beef with the neighborhood cat again…”

“He was looking at you wrong! I had to defend your honor!” Dramatic protests falling on deaf ears, Satoru speeds through the darkening city streets, still grumbling under his breath about “cats these days”.

With your fiancé being absolutely swamped with missions recently, you’d been anticipating this night for weeks now.

Little did you know, Satoru had just as much - if not more.

Soon enough, the neon lights of that upscale, new restaurant you’d been absolutely dying to visit recently come into view. 

Okay, it’s time. 

“Y’know…” he begins, glancing at you with that familiar mirthful glint in his eyes. Laughter bubbling to his throat at your knowing stare, he plows on “Remember that one night where I just so happened to come across your special chocolate?”

“You mean swiped from my secret stash?”

“Semantics” he waves off. “But anyway, I was thinking…” he voice trails off mischievously as he swiftly turns to grab the mysterious black bag sitting on the backseat that you’d been eyeing suspiciously ever since you got in the car.

Oh shit, so that’s what he was onto. Eyes widening, “Toru, no.”

He whines, a pout forming on his lips. “C’monnn, no one’s gonna know except me. I want to make this night unforgettable, my girl.”

You raise a brow, “Unforgettable? Toru, your idea of unforgettable will end up with both of us arrested.”  After the madness of last time, you’d ignored his sticky note for a reason!

Letting out an exasperated sigh, you try to justify - probably to yourself just as much as Satoru, “And just because the aphrodisiac worked for you doesn’t mean it’ll work for me.”

He wiggles his eyebrows, twinkling eyes still undeterred. “Wanna bet? I’ll do the dishes for all of next month. We’ll never know till we find out, darling.” 

You narrow your eyes at the hand already snaking its way inside the bag, faded finger marks from last time still searing into your skin. Catching Satoru’s gaze - behind the amusement, something else shines darkly. 

Shit.

Goosebumps erupt down your spine. 

A beat passes. One. Two. Only the revving of the engine filling the tense air. 

“...two months.” 

It’s all Satoru can do to not jump in joy in his seat right now - knowing his girl, you’ll probably take back what you said and immediately bonk him on the head for being so ridiculous. 

“Deal.” he mutters lowly, pulling up to the driveway.

 A flash of hot pink. In the short time it takes the valet to reach your car, Satoru has already split that too-familiar chocolate, holding out the bigger part to you, eyes gleaming with excitement. “I swear this’ll be a night you won’t forget.” he grins, biting into the chocolate. 

God, he was going to be the death of you. 

The decadent flavor washes over your tongue, a slight tingling on your tastebuds. But, it’s still just chocolate, right? You scoff - at least you won’t have to do the dishes for two months.

Now, Satoru knows he won’t have to do the dishes for two months. 

Ah, how heavenly you’d be, splayed out and begging for mercy underneath him. Heels clacking against the polished tile and your hand warm in his as the maître d’hôtel ushers you both inside, dick twitching in anticipation. Shit, was the chocolate working already?

He risks a glance at how you’re faring - nope, still normal. That’s okay, he’ll be driving you crazy in no time.

---

Okay, maybe he won’t be driving you crazy in no time. 

How dare you sit there so gorgeous and unbothered, sipping slowly on your wine while he’s here mind whirling around how he’ll fuck you right here right now on this table without getting arrested for public indecency.

Fuck, it was hitting him hard.

Cock aching, heat rushing to his cheeks, eyes bleary - he sighs in frustration, resigning himself to do the dishes for two months.

Why did he even think of this? Damn his big fucking ego, he should’ve never taken that chocolate again. Maybe if he eats you out just right he could lower it to-

A feathery touch on his thigh. Too light for any sort of friction - just enough to set his skin ablaze. So deft that Satoru thinks he must’ve imagined it.

Until there it is again. Soft caress dancing delicately up his thigh. 

You.

A shiver creeps down his spine, blood rushing straight to his dick. Probably for the first time in his life, Satoru is speechless - maybe because you’ve reached underneath the table, teasingly sliding a heel along the top of his thigh.

“…darling…”

“Hmm?”

He blinks away the haze in his eyes, raising them to meet yours. “Wha-”

Oh. Oh, fuck.

What has he gotten himself into?

Eyes half-lidded, brows furrowed, and looking into his soul with a predatory glint that jolts the great Gojo Satoru right to his very core - and to his throbbing cock. He’d be lucky to make it out alive. Maybe he should just beg for his life right now.

Minutes tick by - or maybe it was seconds - Satoru is clueless. Mind only focused on the heel inching closer and closer, dangerously near to where he needed you the most. A smug smirk curls your pretty lips as his mouth drops into a soft oh.

The air crackles with an unspoken tension - his hips trying to subtly move you towards the erection furiously straining against his pants. He needed it so bad. It’s fucking pathetic, he knows. But he couldn’t give less of a fuck as your sole grazes his aching head. Pressing down. Hard.

“Fuck!”

Stomach flipping - before Satoru could fully process what the fuck was happening - he cums embarrassingly in thick spurts that pool on his pants, soaking right through the fabric, probably smearing on your new heels.

Head spinning, he bites his knuckles hard enough to draw blood, muffling the desperate moans threatening to escape his lips. 

He grinds his hips in shallow, mindless motions in a desperate attempt for more friction.

Instead, he gets the opposite.

“Behave, Toru.” you warn, swiftly resting your heel back on the floor, voice strained with something that makes his sensitive dick quiver animalistically. 

You huff out a chuckle at the almost-inaudible whimper of disappointment that rips from his throat. It’s laughable, really, he was supposed to be the one ruining you. This was so not fucking suave.

Face burning - whether due to the chocolate or embarrassment at the warm patch on his pants, he doesn’t even know - Satoru wishes the Earth would swallow him up whole. Would it be overkill to just teleport outta here?

The only thing that snaps Satoru out of his little reverie is your pretty lips forming into a tut. “Now now, Toru. It’s rude to make a mess at a restaurant. Why don’t we go to the restrooms and get you cleaned up, hm?”

Oh. Shit. 

A firm grip on his arm, his hands desperately covering his crotch. 

He was not going to make it out of this alive. 

Honestly, it wasn’t hard to bribe the waitress into letting you follow into the restroom after your fiancé - and put up an Out of Order sign promptly afterward. The actual hard part was trying not to rip off his clothes and give into your desires before you two even made it there. But you couldn’t let anyone else see him like that, of course. 

You were sure that if you had Satoru’s powers then you would’ve hollow purpled everyone here and taken him already.

You were going to ruin him.

Mind running a mile a minute, Satoru wouldn’t even be surprised if he’d just teleported to the restroom. If he was in a better state of mind he might’ve even admired the decor.

“My girl.” he breathes out, voice ragged. It’s all that is said before your lips are on his. 

It was like a fever dream - the bruising urgency of your lips, your aching pussy, and the heat of the stall as your quickened breaths mingle in a desperate dance. Your tongue intertwining with his. 

Manicured nails ripping his shirt open, you don’t have half the mind to register the designer buttons hitting the floor.

Satoru’s lips hazily chase yours as you pull away delicate strings of spit snapping just as quickly as your sanity. 

Your mouth waters at Satoru’s chest in all its chiseled glory, creamy skin peeking out from whatever remnants of the shirt were clinging to his sculpted shoulders. You wanted to ruin him.

“You dirtied my heels, Toru.” you frown, mockingly innocent. A choked-up gasp leaves his throat as you snake a hand down to firmly grip the erection straining against Satoru’s wet pants. Unmoving. “What shall we do about that, hmm?” 

“Ah! Please, my girl.”

“Please what? Use your words, Toru.”

“Please. Wanna cum so bad.”

Satoru learned the hard way that he could never turn back after uttering those words. 

Though, he already had an inkling once you immediately slam him against the stall door, fumbling with his belt, nails digging hard into his prominent v-line. “If you say so, Toru. Better not stop till you’re shooting blanks.”

The only thing that registers in his mind is the deadbolt echoing throughout the empty bathroom and his still-rock hard cock throbbing in your hands. 

“Ah- hah! Fuck.” low groans leave his throat at each jerky movement down his length. 

Head thrown back, pants bunched underneath his heavy balls, your tits pressing against his body as your hands urgently move along his veined length - up, up, up. 

Your thumb harshly teases his flushed head, spreading the precum from his leaking tip lewdly. “Oh God.”

His knees buckle, hands slamming against the top of the stall hard enough to make the walls tremble, desperately trying to keep himself from collapsing. Mind spinning, he doesn’t even know if he’s on planet Earth anymore.

“Toru~ Gonna let me join in on the fun?” your dangerous purr sends his cock twitching, breath hot against his ear.

Your cunt quivers, slick soaking your panties and trailing down your legs at the pornographic moans spilling from his lips as you fucked his thick cock with your fist. You wanted him so badly it was driving you insane.

Straddling a muscled thigh, your clothed core meets the fabric of his pants. It was already ruined, so what was another stain?

You grind your hips down on him, hard. Humping him like an animal in heat. 

Your slick seeping into the fabric of his leg. Harsh texture stimulating your needy cunt so painfully good. Swollen folds parting, mewls of pleasure leave your swollen lips as your clit catches on the rough fabric of his overly expensive pants. Over and over. 

Distantly, you register a strong hand tugging roughly on the thin fabric of your panties - easily ripping it and letting it fall to god-knows-where. 

Your hand doesn’t let up either, milking Satoru’s cock mercilessly the way you’d been dying to ever since you stepped foot into his restaurant. Your head spins, hips moving so animalistically on Satoru’s thigh.

A hand reaches down to sensually massage his heavy balls, squeezing and pressing hard circles - just the way you knew he liked it. 

“Oh, my girl. Always so good t’me- Ah! Hngh, gonna-” 

Satoru doesn’t get to finish his sentence before he’s pumping hot ropes of seed that decorate your pretty hands. Hips fucking up into you desperately.

You’re not far behind, juices squirting all over that expensive fabric, pooling on the tiled ground with a drip! drip! drip! that bounces off the walls of the restroom.

You two were so fucking loud. 

But right now, you wouldn’t even mind if anyone walked in to see your Satoru so debauched - as long as they see you fucking the soul out of him as well. 

It wasn’t enough.

“You said you wanted to cum, didn’t you, Toru?”

A shiver runs down his spine - all the way to his dick. “What? W-wait, darling. Fuck- Oh!” the strained words tumble out of Satoru’s kiss-bitten lips as you push down his soaked pants, kneeling to leave a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down to his twitching, thick base. 

“I won’t be merciful, Toru.”

Ah, you could do this forever.

Nipping teasingly till you’re satisfied with the bite marks decorating his pelvis, you pool the saliva in your mouth, spitting a long stream into his furiously flushed head.

Once. Twice. Mixing enticingly with his precum, trailing down his length. “Ah! Hngh- oh, darling. So sensitive-” he bucks his hips into you, moaning loudly.

“You can do it f’me, Toru.” you murmur darkly against his twitching tip. Satoru keens as you take him until his fat head hits the back of your throat, pulsing around your warm mouth.

Your fiancé’s choking on his breaths more than you as you hollow your mouth, bobbing up and down at a ruthless pace. Gagging, you shove his throbbing dick all the way in with a desperation that eclipses the need for air, till you’re nose-deep in those tufts of snowy hair. 

“Oh, darling. Jus’ like that. Losing m’mind.” he whines.

Your pussy quivers at Satoru’s slightly salty taste, making you moan around his rock-hard length. Drool and precum dribble down the corner of your mouth, mixing with the mascara running down your cheeks. It was debauched. It was messy. And it was exactly how you wanted him. 

Tonguing Satoru’s sensitive slit in a delicate dance, you feel drunk off his sinful moans as you suck on him desperately. Breathless. Craving for more. 

Looking up to see a delicate streak of tears falling down his pretty face at the overstimulation, your cunt clenches around nothing. Fuck, you could just devour him.

“Cum, Toru.”

It was too much for him- 

Tight balls twitching sensitively, he cums onto your ready tongue. Fucked out whimpers leave his lips, tears clinging to his long, white lashes as he paints your pretty mouth with his thick, white seed.

Ah, he was always your favorite taste. Tasted so good - so good that you could cum untouched. 

And you do.

Eyes rolling to the back of your head and pussy clamping down on nothing as you reach your high.

You milk his cock ruthlessly, relishing in the thick cum flowing down your throat. But it still wasn’t enough.

Removing yourself off his dick with a lewd pop! you reach a hand to grab Satoru’s flushed throat, nails placed right over his thundering pulse. With a single tug, the great Gojo Satoru is on his knees before you, in the bathroom of some fancy restaurant. 

Walls still quivering, you stand over him, connecting your sweaty forehead - and your mouth - with his. 

Kiss-bitten and smeared with your lipstick, Satoru’s lips are soft - or maybe that’s the cum coating yours. A part of you delights in his half-lidded, fucked out gaze as your eyes bore into his - does he even know what he’s doing anymore? 

Hot seed flowing down his throat, Satoru can do nothing else but kneel there and take it. He feels lightheaded, all the blood in his brain rushing to his cock as you suck on his tongue. This was driving him insane. You were insane.

And he fucking loved it.

“You d-drive me insane, my girl.” his words muffled by your hand still around his throat. His voice cracks with sensitivity in a way he would definitely be embarrassed about if he were in the right mind. 

Yet, how could he ever be with the slow, feral smile that spread across your beautiful face?

Leaning down, you whisper lowly against his ear. “I’m the same, Toru.” 

Maybe it’s your words, and the hot breath that sends shivers down his spine. Or maybe it’s the way you lift your dress so alluringly - cunt dripping on full display, slick trailing down your legs. 

All Satoru knows is, he’s surging forwards. He’s got your front pressed against the cold wall, cock twitching to life and bullying its way through your swollen folds. 

Mindlessly, a strong hand smacks against the stall as Satoru tries to keep himself steady. Too drunk off of you - off of your whimpers of his name, and the feeling of your plush walls clamping down on his throbbing erection, struggling to accommodate his size despite being so dripping wet. 

He doesn’t give a fuck. 

“Hngh- S’tight. Oh, fuck! S-sucking my cock back hah- in s-so needily” 

Ramming in and out of your hole at a merciless cadence, Satoru’s balls smack your clit so animalistically. You two feel like a pair of fucking animals. 

Shudders of overstimulation and pleasure wrack his body. Chest heaving, his blown-out eyes roll to the back of his head at the rapid, desperate thrusts inside your warm core. 

Pulling out all the way to slam back in mercilessly, Satoru could pass out at the sight of your ass jiggling as it arches to meet the rhythm of his hips. 

“God, m’girl. Gonna- gonna cum ah! Fill this pussy the way you want-” he groans raspily into the heady air of the stall, exhausted cock shooting wispy strings of cum that fill you up - some missing as he pumps into you, spilling out to paint your swollen folds white.

Before he knows it, a low hiss leaves his throat as you remove yourself off of his furiously pulsing cock - only to shove him seated on the commode. 

You take a split-second to admire your gorgeous fiancé - face flushed as much as the prettily leaking tip of his throbbing cock, eyes dazed and miles away, curtained by his sweaty white locks. A delicate trail of drool made its way down the corner of his ruby, kiss-bitten lips. Exactly how you wanted him.

What a fucking picture. Maybe you should take that chocolate more often…

“Toru~ Remember what I said? You’re not tapping out, are you?” you hum, eyes narrowing at the way his erection twitches so ferally at your dangerous tone. 

“Ah- don’t know- Can’t, please.”

You loom dangerously close, a hand reaching out to mockingly push his cheeks together, drool pooling at your fingertips. “I’ve told you before, Toru. Use your words. Please what?”

“M-mercy, please!” pathetic pleas muffled by your hand.

“Mercy?”

“Mercy!”

“No mercy for you, my darling Toru.”

The great Gojo Satoru, begging for mercy, will face none at your hands. 

You straddle his muscled legs, shivering with sensitivity. “Ah! Hah- Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god-” he whines nonstop as his quivering tip teases your swollen, messy folds. In one, fluid motion, you sheath him fully in your dripping cunt.

Ah, you feel so full. 

You relish in the way he twitches instinctively inside you. Steadying yourself using Satoru’s shoulders, you drag your cunt along his length, his prominent veins grazing that one spot inside you. Pulling out till his thick head teases your entrance, you drop down - inch by inch - over and over.

Satoru thinks he could cry right now - or maybe he already is. He doesn’t know, nor does he care - not when you’re so beautiful and fucked out, nails digging into his shoulders and heart eyes palpable in your gaze as you ride his sensitive cock into insanity.

He can’t stop the ragged moans that escape his swollen lips, head thrown back and hips bucking up exhaustedly into you to meet your every bounce. A hand is at his throat, pulling your face to his, “Don’t run away, Toru~”

He felt so raw. More a feral beast than a man as he watches his abused cock get swallowed up over and over by your wet pussy.

If he thought his dick was broken after this time then it’s really unsalvageable now.

He wanted to run away. He wanted more. He wanted you to keep looking at him with that fucking predatory gaze that made a carnal part of him twitch so good. He wanted to cum.

“I wan’- I wanna cum, please, my girl.” Satoru gasps out, teary eyes blown and looking up at you so delicately.

“Cum?”

“Yes.”

“Cum, Toru.”

Maybe it was the glint of fondness in your eyes, maybe it was the piercing of teeth as you bit down hard into the crook of his neck. Or maybe it was the way your snug cunt clamped down on him so sinfully as you cum as around him. But Satoru is immediately bucking up into your hips - reaching his climax, if you can even call it that. Poor, exhausted cock cumming dry. “Ah- Cumming- M’cumming hgnh-”

Satoru doesn’t even know if he feels his orgasm, just waves of pleasure that overwhelm him as he rides it out on your cunt. 

Ah, he thinks if heaven was a person then it would be you. 

Maybe he’s died already.

“Toru? Open your eyes, darling.”

Slowly opening the eyes that he didn’t even realize he had furiously scrunched closed, Satoru slowly blinks his vision back.

An angel?

“No, Toru, your fiancé.” you huff out a laugh. Oh shit, he said that out loud? 

Head still reeling from, well, everything - the great Gojo Satoru can do nothing else but sit there, exhausted and fucked out of his mind as you slowly remove yourself off his twitching cock. He’s never felt so vulnerable - so ruined.

Ah, someone remind him to never let you have a bite of that chocolate every again. 

A low hiss leaves him, along with a few tears that later he swears were never there. 

As you tenderly clean both yourselves up in the humid stall, Satoru thinks he’s never been handled with so much care. Ah, he loves your gentle hands. He loves you.

“I love you too, Toru.” you whisper into the intimate silence. Oh, shit, he said that out loud again?

Your beautiful laugh, “Yes, you did, Toru.” Throwing away the used tissues, you grin “Y’know they’ve probably brought out our food by now.”

Absent-mindedly, “Mhm?”

“I was thinking I wanted chocolate for dessert.”

A/N. Oh Satoru, you poor, innocent fool…

Also this turned out longer than expected. Reblogs so so appreciated!

Plagiarism not authorized.

Taglist:

@sage-ove @mo0nforme @thirtykiwis @planetzetra

[mistyorchid]

General Store

Old Man Logan x fem! reader drabble

Warnings: MDNI, no use of y/n, fluff, age gap, reader is 21+, some suggestive actions/comments, pet names (doll, baby). wc: 739

When you run out of your favorite ice cream, you know it's time to make a shopping trip to the closest general store. You smiled, fondly remembering lazy Sundays with Logan. He'd never admit it, but the sweet taste of chocolate ice cream helped ease his nerves; Twilight Zone reruns were no joke.

Logan turned on the radio, switching through static until he heard the baritone crooning of Johnny Cash. Every time the truck hitched over a bump, Logan steadied you with a firm hand on your thigh. At least that's how he justified it inching closer to the hem of your skirt. His cocky smirk made you playfully slap his arm, but you secretly loved the way he made you blush, even after you'd been dating for months.

He pulled into the neglected parking lot and killed the ignition, lovingly staring at your profile as you moved to unbuckle your seat belt. The universe had shown him mercy when you spontaneously came into his life. Your boundless grace and empathy made his house a home. You once gifted him handmade framed embroidery that read, "God bless our smelting plant."

Logan's thoughts were interrupted by the faint click of the passenger door unlocking. "Not on my watch, doll," he exhaled, rushing out of the driver seat and jogging to the passenger door. You reached for his hand, cautiously stepping down from the truck. Logan knew you could open the door yourself, but he always upheld the dying art of chivalry.

"Thank you." You smiled, stabilizing your descent by placing your left hand on his white beater. "Sure thing," Logan responded, knowing you just wanted to feel his broad chest.

A quaint bell rang as you entered the store, alerting the cashier of your presence. "Howdy, welcome in! Milk's half off today." he chimed. Logan didn't miss the way the young man's eyes widened as you sauntered ahead of him to the frozen aisle. Hell, he didn't blame him. You never wore a bra when it was this hot, instead opting for a lightweight tank top. The cool air blasting from the open freezer door made the hard outline of your nipples difficult to ignore.

"You want our usual or this new flavor?" You asked, prompting Logan to ignore the cashier's gaze. He lengthened his stride and stood over you, peering into the freezer. The carton you pointed out had an adorable illustration of a bunny as its mascot.

"Hmm . . ." Logan pondered, leaning into the frigid air to grab the carton. "It's cute, reminds me of you. I say strawberry."

You traced your bottom lip, pretending to be indecisive. "If you say so." A sweet blush crept onto your face, subtle enough to be missed by anyone but Logan.

The cashier's eyes lingered on your tank top as you both returned to the front counter. You were too busy checking out other items in the store to notice.

"Good choice, we just got that flavor last week. Cash or card?" The young man redirected his attention to Logan, who he assumed was paying based on the fact that he was holding the ice cream and already had his wallet out.

"Do people out here really use card?" Logan asked, puzzled by his question. He remembered a time when he'd have to write a check to pay if he didn't have enough cash.

"My dad's the same way," the cashier chuckled, trying to establish some common ground with you. Logan's eyes narrowed at his lame attempt to relate to his girl.

My dad. This prick thought you were his daughter.

He threw more than enough cash onto the counter before muttering, "Keep the change." Logan tried his best to finish the transaction without leaving three scratch marks over the young man's uneven stubble.

You noticed that Logan was brooding as you linked your arm through his, more than usual. The cashier's words had stunned him into an icy silence, clearly bothered by their implication.

Before you crossed the threshold of the door, you pulled the collar of Logan's beater and kissed him hard. He gasped into your mouth, fingers moving to glide through your hair. Your tongue darted along his upper lip, deepening the kiss.

A thin string of spit connected your lips as you slowly pulled away. "Mmm, almost as sweet as this ice cream, baby," You teased, savoring the cashier's shocked expression as you both heard the doorbell ring.

I really appreciate all of the <3 Meet-Cute (and my blog in general) has been receiving lately. Since your comments have been so sweet, I thought I'd write a fluffy drabble for y'all. My asks & DMs are open. Thank you all for the support.

[markrosewater]

Has there ever been any thought to combining the Ox and Minotaur creature types? Such as simplifying both to simply "Cow?"

I'm a huge fan of bovines in all forms and it would be nice if all of the Ox in magic worked alongside their more anthropomorphic cousins the Minotaur. As it is now we're lucky to really get cards of *either* type printed. There's resonance to the name Minotaur, no doubt, but it also has its share of baggage. It has Greek connotations and that's probably a big reason Minotaurs are almost strictly in Theros (although some favorites, such as Neheb, are from other planes).

I was happy that Outlaws had more Ox cards, but it also highlights my dissatisfaction: Holy Cow is an *ox* not a cow, despite the name. It feels like a retread of the Hound or Naga debacle all over again. Hound was simplified to Dog and all Snakes, from rattlesnakes to Naga, are simply the type Snake now. This allows snakes and dogs of all walks benefit from a shared unity. Cats had it right, we didn't need Leonin as a separate type.

I just feel like there's unnecessary separation being created by dividing Ox and Minotaur and it has the same resonance failings as all dogs being labeled "hounds" had. If it's important for a particular creature to *be* a minotaur then they can just *have* minotaur in their name, like ~30% of minotaurs already do. There's also the simple fact that Minotaur is a longer average creature type, limiting design space for other types to be included. It's hard to justify why a Minotaur is on a random plane, but much less so if it's simply a "Cow Warrior" for example.

As for why I think "Cow" should just be the combined type name, I simply think it fits. Cow is a resonant name. Almost everyone, East to west, knows *of* cows if only because their milk is such a widely used commodity. We don't call it "Ox's milk" after all. More than that, it's fun! Cow is *funny* in the same way *squirrel* is funny. It's amusing to see "Squirrels you control" in this game full of fighting. In that vein, "Cows you control" is an amusing line that can help break up the seriousness of a setting.

I know this is making a mountain out of a molehill, but magic is a game of different perspectives coming together and creating something new. Cows are my favorite animal and it's simply dissatisfying, to me, that my Holy Cow can't benefit from a Kragma Warcaller. That Angrath, colloquially named "Cow Dad" in the community, would have the creature type "Minotaur." The only downside I can see is that "Cow" *does* specifically refer to females of a bovine species. But that is a distinction few, if any, seriously take into consideration. If one sees a field of cows, they're not saying "I see lots of cows and 3 bulls!" They're going to say "I see cows!"

So to bring the thesis back, has there been any discussion internally to simplifying the Minotaur and Ox creature types under a single banner, such as "Cow?" I would also happily settle for "Cattle" as the new type. I just feel the current Ox vs Minotaur divide has to go, for both flavor and mechanical reasons, and the sooner the better.

I have been on Team Cow (as I was on Team Dog) for many years. I even made Cows in Un-sets. I still believe Minotaur should be its own creature type though.

[thousandyearphantombunker]

The Owl House Critical Post, scroll away now I don't know if I am being too harsh in this post but I wrote it anyway so if you don't wanna read something potentially upsetting this is a warning (to those who decide to read please tell me if I'm being too harsh)

I remember initially hating how the show handled its villains, they all felt like jokes, they never felt like threats or like they provided a meaningful challenges for the main cast, they never had any real depth or complexity. but i bit my tongue, I was told that I was basically a dumbass for complaining that Bump openly breaks a law that's supposed to be punishable by death so that Luz could fulfill her witchy fantasy and that he wasn't arrested. the show could've had him make the multiclass student thing be something underground- boom it lets luz live out her fantasy but doesn't ignore what was established about the setting and creates potential stakes if these underground classes ever got discovered! That already made me angry but the cult thing is what I wanted to complain about- i only had basic ass knowledge about cults and TOH fails at portraying that crap, most people in the EC can just quit and do so in a way that makes it feel like they're just quitting a job, it doesn't feel like they fear losing their friends or sense belonging and community, they don't feel like they're anything but jokes. Leaving a cult is scary, often times cults will send their followers into the real world and set them up to have bad experiences so they'll come running back, they'll hire thugs to scare them into staying or position them in away so that they suffer (sending them out without money or the skills to survive), they humiliate those who begin to ask questions so that they stay in line. guilt tripping, putting members against each other, cutting off contact with the rest of the world! The show only adds the whole 'forced to fight on a mountain' thing for flavor! Everytime it brings up actual stuff cults do it feels like it's more for flavor than actually writing this topic with sensitivity- look at how they treat Lilith! Imo It feels like the show insulting people for ever trusting belos, treating them like they're braindead and could've just realized fairly easily that he was evil. It's the most egregious with hunter who was basically fucking born into the EC. the show is also pretty black and white, which is curious for a show that gets praise for its portrayal of religious trauma. You think the show would be more grey. I did deeper research into cults and just got SO tired of people talking about how good the show was at conveying such a heavy topic. The titan reveal also doesn't help- Luz is told by an all powerful deity that she is the chosen one basically and is told that old man is evil and needs to go down- isn't that the same justification that belos uses for his actions- not saying belos should've gotten redemption or forgiveness but this feels wrong. He deserved to die don't get me wrong but using this justification feels gross. What's even worse is that the titan made Philip's life harder on purpose- ah yeah that brainwashed cult victim would totally change his mind especially if you make his life harder- yeah I would've preferred if belos was depicted in a flashback just having a bad time on the boiling isles and cherry picked those bad experiences to justify his actions. Also I hate that the show just writes belos off as greedy and glory seeking when it could've conveyed a message about how people can get absolutely get warped by religious dogma. I do wonder though if I'm being too harsh because TOH is for kids and I was told it would be hard to portray this stuff in a way kids could understand. I can come up with ways to make the breaking the law openly thing less egregious but I am struggling to think of ways the show could have handled the cult thing, I am aware that maybe I'm accidentally saying stuff that is kind of bad faith but this is my truth. I feel like TOH wasn't good at villains and it sure as hell didn't write cults well

[masterofdumb]

The Charlie Slimecicle Snacks, Diet, Skincare, Daily Supplements, And Workout RoutineTM

SNACKS

-IF BIG HUNGRY

- Get 1 and 1/2 pound of ground chicken -if still hungry, get another one- can put in low fat tortilla, add cheese, spinach, ect.

-IF SMALL HUNGRY

-Must be Greek yogurt, MAX three times a day, because one time you had too many and your tummy hurt and you kept doing it and your mom said you had to stop -can add fruit and chia seeds-if small hungry but you have already consumed 3 yogurts, then handful of nut -if still hungry, but not enough for ground chicken, enter post-yogurt, pre chicken gathering, aka squirrel mode- squirrel mode until you are hungry enough for big chicken

-EVERYTIME YOU NEED GAS FOR YOUR CAR

-Go into gas station, find refrigerator, find healthy section-Grab packet of two wet hard-boiled eggs, preferably with salt, if no salt, you can get packet of salt from the little table -If sad at gas station, get breakfast sandwich, look at eggs, 50% chance to get eggs, you will know if you want them or not, but even if not, look at them-Every second wednesday, when driving back from therapy, get muffin - not every wednesday get muffin, but always get eggs- look around to see if in sweet or salty mood, then go get the eggs-protein chips

-POST WORKOUT

-Once a week, after workout, treat time-usually a bagel- Asiago bagel, egg, bellpepper, ham, Chipotle mayo, and chedder cheese-can also be breakfast sandwich or muffin-rarely, can be a restaurant you haven't tried, go and get treat

-LATE NIGHTS, AKA YOURE HUNGRY BIT YOURE SUPPOSED TO HO TO BED

-after 9-10, past dinner, back in breakfast sphere- Eggs, turkey bacon, breakfast bites, fruits, ect-make eggs-either scrambled with spinach or cheese, can be with or without a wrap with meat - can also be an omlette- omlette is made with thyme and garlic pepper, NO SALT-can pair with turkey bacon, or finish with yogurt-can justify a 4th yogurt this late-tummy will hurt

-SKINCARE

-every morning and night-apply gentle foaming cleanser -must be specific to you, must work for your skin- once or twice a week, use exfoliating cleanser-for night specifically -apply retinol serum one every 2-3 days-apply 25 hrs peptide moisturizer, not too much, can cause breakout-use a Vaseline like substance on cracked or dry spots, including lips-for morning specifically -use vitamin c serum, paying extra attention to the space under your eyes and any discolored patches-after, use green tea face mask to release toxins, refreshing but unreliable and unsustainable

-DAILY SUPPLEMENTS-step one, two multi viramine gummies-Allegra, for anti inflammatory benefits and allegies-orange flavored vitamin c gummies-2 for 500 milligrams, 4, if on trip, for 1000 milligrams-difficult to overdose on vitamin c-take 1 fish oil pill to cognitive function and slipperyness-last one, a peach vitamin d gummy (best flavor)-if experiencing difficulties with nails and/or hair, or are without assessment to biotin shampoo, use biotin gummies for nails and hair-people will say that multivitamins and vitamins in general, are a scam unless you are vitamin deficit-scientifically, they are right, however, they taste gummy good

-WORKOUT ROUTINE-it is important to keep consistentcy in your workout routine plan-pick a 12 week routine - beginner if you're a beginner, intermediate if you're intermediate, and advanced if you have done other routines in the past-stick with it with for the duration before you make any hasty judgments on its impact-comes in 3 sets, A, B, and C, swithing every four weeks to make sure your body doesn't get used to any one specific movement or routine-Workout A of weeks 1-4-3x hip thrust-barbell, free if available, Smith machine if no other option-3 seated row-cable-three barbell full squat-3 bench press-barbell-reps dependant, 8 if high weight, 12 if lower weight -if you can do 12, move up weight and do 8-3 good morning-barbell-plank-plank-plank-dumbell side bend-band standing abduction-end workout-Workouts B 1-4, C 1-4, A 5-8, B 5-8, C 5-8, A 9-12, B 9-12, and C 9-12- you will become a glutial God-Open app store-install my fitness pal-find macros-need protein if building muscles, 1.5 to 2x body weight in protein grams every day-EAT 2X BODY WEIGHT PROTEIN. GET BIG, LIFT BIG.-EAT 50 EGGS A DAY. YOU WILL BE HAPPY. RIGHT AMOUNT OF PROTEIN IN 50 EGG -EAT 50 EGGS TO BE SAFE-400 GRAMS. IT WILL BE ENOUGH.-IF STILL HUNGRY, TRY YOGURT.

This took so long 😭😭 charlie I think you need help

[whetstonefires]

oh hang on so Oliver Twist as a book is largely about child labor, right.

like the commonality between the workhouse, the abusive apprenticeship, and the pickpocket gang is that Oliver is being exploited. for his labor. and Fagin's gang while crossing the line into illegality and therefore in some ways the most dangerous is also the most pleasant of the three.

and ofc which i have underconsidered until now, child labor was fully legal at the time and a major political issue--the 1833 Factory Act had only just recently outlawed employing under-nines on the factory floor, or working 9-13 year olds more than 9 hours a day, and 13-18 year olds more than 12.

it was a struggle to enforce and it was controversial.

so. Fagin's gang replicates that factory owner-child laborer relationship on a tiny, illicit scale, where the kids are taking all the risks and doing all the work and he's getting most of the profit, and it's not fair, but oh he's giving them food and a place to sleep and wouldn't they be worse off without him? (they would is the thing. but does that make it okay?)

with the goal of this being that next time Dickens' milquetoast middle-class readers encountered an argument for the benevolence of a guy employing child labor to maximize his profits they might go, hey! that's not true, he's just like that crook Fagin!

but of course this kind of political messaging works best when it can't be too readily clocked as such--if Fagin was obviously a stand-in for a respectable capitalist, a lot more of the readers would be comfortable excusing him.

which is why he's Jewish, and why the text belabors that point so obsessively--antisemitism is being used as a lever to discourage the public from identifying with Child Labor Exploiting Guy and to characterize his desire to accumulate wealth at the expense of others as greedy, selfish, and illegitimate.

i could never quite figure what the point of using that stock character in that context and so emphatically was. especially after learning that, having had it extensively explained that it was harmful to actual Jewish people to go so hard on this in such a popular novel, Dickens was like 'oh my bad' and walked it back a bit.

because in that case the antisemitism obviously wasn't an end in itself? but if it was incidental flavor, why so much?

but as a screen for his political agenda, it makes sense. using judaism to code an antagonist's profit motive as illegitimate had a long literary history already, but in this case Fagin was already manifestly a criminal so it was like. why.

anyway this isn't about justifying charles dickens' artistic choices that even he somewhat regretted. it's a bit about how easy it can be to fail to put together context even when you have all the pieces, especially at a remove from our own lived experience.

and a bit more about how the tools we use for political ends should be carefully inspected. no matter how ordinary and unremarkable they seem when we pick them up. because we might be missing different historical context due to being embedded in it.

[reqxxyt]

coffee m.s

[unedited]

this sweetheart needs more appreciation <3 requests are open !

pairings: mick s. x f!reader

warnings: none (i think??) except for rushed ending....

masterlist

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

This had to be a nightmare. The only way to justify this scenario. Toto, my boss had asked a simple thing this morning, like every other day: coffee freshly brewed from the local coffee shop that he claimed to be the best because according to him “there is a big difference between rich flavorful coffee and one that tastes like burnt shit”. 

This morning had started like any other; wake up, get ready, head to the coffee shop, wait patiently (considering the line can get very long), and finally head to the office to hand in the coffee to Toto before finalizing plans with one of his many assistants. I hadn’t anticipated the line to lead to the end of the shop, way longer than usual.

That's fine, I can just wait a  bit longer. Shouldn’t be a big deal. I thought to myself before I finally realized after nearly 15 minutes passing. I wasn’t going to make it in time and I had just finished ordering his custom drink. My leg started to bounce, in anticipation as I made a timeline in my head, calculating how long it would take from here to the office barely going over the speed limit (with hopefully no traffic). 

They called my order and I thanked them before quickly leaving. The ride wasn’t completely terrible, just a few people who shouldn’t have a license cutting in front of me. I glanced at the clock in my car, showing I was already 10 minutes late. Crying internally, I exited the car with the hot coffee gripped in my hand. 

“Y/n, you’re unusually late,” one of the desk ladies said with fake concern hiding back her smirk. I only turned to her for a second ready to make a remark or witty comeback but before I could even get a word out I felt another body come into contact with my own, sending the hot flavorfully rich coffee forward. 

Apologies were said before I could even get a glance at who exactly I was trying to help with dainty napkins. “It’s fine” was the voice that made me  finally look up, feeling the most embarrassed. 

Mick Schumacher. 

The guy I had been crushing on since I was first employed. I froze before finally remembering that he had made contact with hot coffee. Coffee; a very hot liquid that could cause third-degree burns. I mentally cursed at myself before apologizing frantically. 

Before I could suggest, he took off his white t-shirt taking the napkins from my hand, still trying to reassure me that it was fine. But no matter how hard he tried, I would glance at his face and internally feel terrible seeing the wincing pain he was experiencing. 

“You should probably get that checked” I informed, still trying to help. He only made eye contact with me for a split second, mumbling an agreement. 

Footsteps were heard from behind me and I glanced behind me, spotting the last person I wanted to see. 

“Should I not be witnessing this?” he asked, staring down at the shirtless Mick. My cheeks burned bright red at the thought of that ever happening and we both said

“It’s not what it looks like” I picked up the empty cup of coffee and he made a face of understanding before finally giving me a death glare and handing back the cup. 

“Get me another one. I’ll send someone to clean this up” he blankly stated before walking away not sparing another glance. 

I  was ready to apologize again to the still shirtless Mick who stood beside me before he interrupted me “You want my forgiveness?”

I gave him a confused look, about to ask a simple question that started with a w and ended with an “aht” but he choose to interrupt me again offering me a deal. “Buy me coffee, not today. Saturday maybe?” 

This sounded too much like a date. Too good to be true. Again, confused I asked “What?” without being interrupted. 

“Go on a date with me. This Saturday. Then I’ll forgive you, of course, you’re paying” he shrugged and I finally understood. 

He clearly just wanted free coffee after I had nearly sent him to the hospital. 

“To be honest, I’ve liked you for a while just never got the chance to ask you out. Now I do” what. 

Of course, I agreed, trying to be the most chill meanwhile internally I had contemplated if I was dreaming. 

Best nightmare I’ve ever had.

[an-excellent-choice]

I was recently gushing at a friend about bg3 but didn't want to spoil her in the romance and the characters backstory.

So, I started comparing everybody with Dragon Age companions to give her an idea on everybody's personality.

Now I need to complete this list just for the sake of it.

Astarion: Zevran, Isabela, Morrigan

I know a lot of people compare Astarion and Fenris but honestly, I personally don't see them being similar enough( yes even with the slavery and white hair) they are just two different flavors especially in personality. They are similar in broad strokes but in the details not really.

Now with Zevran and Isabela, I can see. These two very sexual characters both use their sexualities and their daggers to manipulate those around them.

They both cope with their trauma with putting a mask of light heartedness and sexual freedom. The main difference of between Zevran and Isabela to Astarion is that Astarion is more upfront with his trauma.

The Morrigan aspect is his pragmatism. Astarion's killed or killed is similar to Morrigan. They both hate helping people as they don't see anything beneficial it. They are so used to the absence of kindness that any they see from the protag is seen as naivety or even fakeness because if there truly kindness in the world why did they never experienced themselves.

Gale: Anders, Merril, Solas

So the common trait I established from these characters that I see in Gale is them being blinded by their goals. These 3 all kind and mean well but they think their way is the only way to fix things. All these three are self serving to their selfish desires to the point it overwrites any kindness they have. They want to do something drastic to help others. Solas with elves, Merril her missing friends and Anders with mages but in the price of themselves.

Personality wise,Merril is also similar to Gale with her akwardness and naivety. Gale has a tendency to do akward moments in his enthusiasm and lackk experience in socializing. While the Solas is love information and informing others, he's very welcoming in sharing experiences.

Now, Anders. Specifically Anders dao and da2 Act 1-2 because Gale would never justify the means justifies the end mentality in act3 of da2. The basics commonalities: cat dad, mage, time bomb but the most damning similarity is that both Gale and Anders thought that they know better even though they were already warned. Gale with the piece of weave and Anders with Justice. They both essentially shot themselves in the foot by ignoring the warning signs.

(I'm not including Merril in the shooting of foot because her ritual was tampered she knew her risks and had actually prepared a kill switch just in case)

Wyll: Cassandra, Merril, Varric

The main thing I focused on this trio is responsibility. All these 3 has certain responsibility or expectations set upon them with a main conflict of whether they should just follow expectations or do their own will even at the price of losing support or their people

Wyll has heavy expectations on him and he himself always tries to put the well being of others before him even at the price of his soul.

Now personality-wise, Cassandra is an old romantic. Just like Wyll they both enjoy poetry and wooing. They both live for the romance even though they try hard to focus on only their duty they cant hide their soft squishy hearts.

Merril is kind and is always torn with her abandoning her duty to do what she thinks is needed to be done. She loves her people so much she will bear being seen as a monster to try to help them. *cough* wyll is the same*cough

Varric is charming as fuck but he also is kindaa running away from his responsibility until finally he was forced to take a stand. He accidentally helped start aspects of the mess but he will be damned if he doesnt try to help.

Okay, I'm running out of steam now. I'll do a part 2 for the ladies as this is also too long now.

[satans-codpiece]

Darkfic Enjoyer here. please share some of your dark thoughts since you said you only unleashed your demons in only one fic of yours >:)

With Ramattra, you mean? Because EY doesn't even come close to releasing demons as compared to a lot of stuff I wrote with Kylo Ren or Michael Myers.

I just never really got a lot of darkfic inspiration for him? I honestly haven't in quite a while-- I dunno if that's better commentary on my relationship with my recent string of blorbos or on my mental health lol. Because the potentiality for darkfic with Ramattra is right there.

TW: Noncon, kidnapping, paralysis/forced to watch, injury, probably more

I briefly started a hard noncon fic where Reader is injured and/or pinned in the wake of a Null Sector attack and Ramattra unleashes some of that pent-up rage on them. Lots of Ramattra using his strength to keep Reader still and him talking about how this is justified by the simple fact that they are human and deserve to suffer as so many omnics have.

But I just didn't have the drive to write it?? There's so many WIPs I have with him that I want to finish but can't force my awful brain to look at for more than a few minutes at a time, but with the noncon fic I wrote a little bit and then my brain was like mmm, no. not this flavor. I still love reading noncon with Ramattra, I just don't have that drive to write it.

Hell, even, a Reaper/Reader noncon fic (with Sombra/Ramattra noncon in the background) was of higher interest to me than Ramattra/Reader noncon.

(For interested parties: where Talon is done using NS so Reaper & Sombra are sent to deal with Ramattra & Reader, but in particular Reaper's more than happy to make a point on what happens to people who betray Talon. so Sombra disables Ramattra-- but makes sure that he's awake and aware of what's happening as Reaper attacks Reader, with maybe some unwanted wireplay so that he's forced to cum watching it).

But with Megatron it comes so naturally. The very first thing I wrote with him was “Mmm, fabricating desire in exchange for your own survival is hardly the worst idea your species has had.” Literally the first line of dialogue my muse spat out to me was him accusing (and approving of!!) Reader trying to seduce him so that he wouldn't kill them.

And everything I have written with him since then-- which is all unfinished or no-context snippets that idk if I'll post-- has involved some degree of fuckedupness.

Megatron/Reader mutual noncon + Starscream/Megatron/Reader where Starscream catches Reader & forces them to suck off a regular gun. And Reader's humiliated and scared and just so confused as to why Starscream has this regular human gun laying around- until they realize it's literally Megatron stuck in a new alt mode that they've been polishing with their tongue. To which Starscream giddily fucks them with Megatron's barrel and the whole time Reader is terrified because... what does an overload look like for a gun? Also, Starscream's motivation is much more centered on Megatron, Reader is completely incidental and just gave him an opportunity.

Megatron & Knock Out discussing the mental health implications of kidnapping a human for morale (everyone is jealous of the Autobots' pets obviously). Namely, Reader is having a bad time of it- who wouldn't?- and Megs suggests to KO that he'd rather kill this high-strung human now and replace them with one more... agreeable before the crew gets attached. KO (who is already attached) insists that Reader will feel better as they get acclimated.

During the events of Rock Bottom (TFP), it's Reader who finds Megatron. They, naively, agree to help him (because it's the right thing to do TM) in exchange for his promise that he won't harm any of the other humans or autobots in the mine. Of course, he just kidnaps Reader at the end instead. When they're furiously kicking the inside of his jet form, he'll insist he didn't lie; they weren't harmed, were they?

Not really super dark in the way any of the above are, but literally just a little dubcon-y drabble with Reader & Megatron making out and Megatron's denta cut Reader's lip. And Reader tries to back off, but Megatron is so fucking horny about it that he holds them still and kisses them harder.

And that's just what I've written. I've also toyed with Facsimile!Reader where Megatron fucks you because why not, you exist only to serve the decepticon cause and, well, you basically feel like a human on the inside and he's curious. Super fucked up not because of the dubcon but more in tone, that you entire existence is for obeying him and serving him and dying for him and you're okay with that.

[opbackgrounds]

TBH, I think over time even Oda himself relegated "official" bounties to a lazy power-level flavor text. (It's telling that Doflamingo's bounties are treated as a huge game-changing tactic on the Strawhats even though realistically speaking they should be used to dealing with that shit 24/7.) I mean, would it change anything if they were replaced with something like (alleged) bodycount?

I disagree, and don’t think that Dressrosa can be looked at as something that’s supposed to be normal. The citizens were hunting the Straw Hats in order to avoid being killers themselves. It doesn’t matter how used you are to bounty hunters, that’s a totally different situation.

I do think bounty hunters are underrepresented within the story, but with so much going on already it’s hard to justify adding more in.

[comicaurora]

Hi, Red! Love your work! 1. How do you deal with writing characters different from yourself? I've been struggling with that.

2.Any tips on worldbuilding? I've got decent OCs but worldbuilding...how do you even start!? There's so much to do and my mind blanks!

3.Kyana is lovely and I would befriend and hug her if I could! Thanks!

this is hilarious because two out of three of these questions are massive subjective mysteries you could fill tomes discussing and still not be done with just casually fired off in the same breath as "nice OC"

This question has two answers that are both equally true and equally unhelpful: every writer puts a piece of themself into their characters and it is impossible for them to write someone completely unlike themself, and every writer is a creative engine capable of conceiving an entire universe of unique characters that are utterly distinct from one another and their creator. The only requirement to write a character is that the writer needs to understand their internal logic, which can have very little in common with how the writer acts or thinks of themself, but must make sense to the author in order for the character to feel coherent and internally solid. This is most obvious in villains; The Collector is essentially a hyperextension of scientific curiosity coupled with a complete disconnect from the lives and well-being of the people she involves in her work, because she's operating on a sense of scale from which mortal lives are absolutely inconsequential. Doesn't mean I think murder is fine, it just means I understand why she thinks that. I find it helps to start simple, with how a character feels about certain things - what do they want, what do they fear, what makes them mad, what doesn't bother them. This can have very little in common with what you, the writer, feel about those things, and that's a good starting point to work from in building out a complete character who functions as more than just a vessel for the writer.

This isn't what you're supposed to do for pure hard worldbuilding, but honestly start with what you need. If your character has to come from a culture with specific traits in order to justify them having certain ideas/skills/experiences, build that first and then logic out from there. If you want a cool-ass wizard with a specific set of abilities, fix those as key points of your burgeoning magic system and then fill in the connecting bits in-between. If you have one super cool moment you really want to play out, figure out what parts you need for that moment to happen - weapons, locations, powers, supporting characters - and lock them in. Building a world too rigidly and too thoroughly can impede your ability to write new cool stuff, and that's not good at this early stage of the process, so give yourself wiggle-room to figure things out or add more interesting concepts later. Start with the people and places that matter to those OCs you already have, then start bridging gaps. As a general rule, adults don't ask "why?" more than twice about the same thing, so if you're worrying about depth of development, just answer two layers deep. "Why is this character such an incredibly cool badass?" "They're from a culture of warriors that train them starting very young." "Why does their culture train warriors so early?" "The environment they live in is very dangerous so they have to be able to take care of themselves starting early." Boom, two layers done. If you want to elaborate either of those answers with specific fun details, you absolutely can and should - what specific training is involved, what kinds of threats they know how to handle, what they consider to be dangerous, etc. Since the backbone of the question has already been answered, the rest is icing and flavor that gives your worldbuilding detail and character.

[waywardsalt]

Bellumbeck is such an interesting final boss, because not only is it your ally, some of the bosses actions/details make it clear that Linebeck is fighting back. Retraining Ciela instead of killing her, using moves he's seen Link do, and more darkly in the manga - willing to destroy himself if it protects Link. Link is forced to fight not just an ancient evil - but one of the closest friends he's ever made besides Tetra, and one of the few adult figures he respects. To fight Linebeck is to potientially lose another mentor as was with The King of Red Lions

Bellumbeck is so… he really stands out from pretty much all of the other final bosses and its so cool- and it’s like you say, Bellumbeck is not just some final form of varying flavors of Evil Thing or a dangerous character whose defeat the world would benefit from, that’s your fucking friend. It doesn't feel heroic like other final bosses, it feels like a desperate fight for the survival of you and your friends.

Linebeck being capable of fighting back or otherwise resisting Bellum is an interesting one; definitely a fun way to give him some sort of agency or role to play, suggesting that he may be fighting against Bellum just as hard as Link is. I think I've seen some people suggest that the slight hesitation or pause before some of Bellumbeck's attacks may be caused by Linebeck trying to stop himself (like the manga shows him doing).

I absolutely ADORE the idea that Bellumbeck uses a spin attack because it's something that Linebeck has seen Link do. The idea that it might be unconscious, or something Bellum just happened to pick up on from Linebeck's memories... UGH it's good no matter how you justify it.

On the other hand, I personally don't see how Linebeck fighting back would've had an effect on Bellum restraining rather than killing Ciela. I understand stuff like a hitch in the attacks or unconsciously influencing what attacks are made, since all of that is stuff that Linebeck has a direct (though unwilling) hand in, but Bellum grabbing Ciela is something that... Bellum individually does. I don't imagine that Linebeck would be able to have any ability to influence what Bellum himself does, especially considering that even if he can affect the part he's directly involved in it's only ever a small effect. Bellum restraining rather than killing Ciela is, I think, a deliberate choice on Bellum's part without any input from Linebeck, and honestly even that way it's still interesting to think about.

The manga's take on events is interesting, especially with the idea that, to some degree, Linebeck was able to overpower Bellum in order to move how he wanted (even though it was clearly limited to only specific parts and with clear difficulty) and the idea that he'd do... well, anything he can to ensure Link's safety is pretty good.

The general concept of a Link having to fight a possessed person isn't really new and wasn't new when Phantom Hourglass rolled around, but I honestly think ph did it best, holy shit. Link having to fight a close friend and someone in a role akin to a mentor to him is already one hell of a devastating setup, but one extra thing I've seen others point out is that the Bellumbeck fight is the second time Link's be faced with a sword fight with another human, and he ended the first one by killing his opponent. So, that's a fun correlation for Link to make during this fight!

Bellumbeck is just... it's such a cool, unique battle even compared to the other final bosses, and while it may fall short in difficulty or gameplay, it has some fantastic music and all of the story and character surrounding it is honestly amazing.

[popculturebuffet]

Supermay!: Battle of The Superheroes Review!(Batman BATB) (Patreon Review for WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy supermen, women and everyone in between and beyond whose still just as super, and welcome to SUPERMAY, a monthlong celebration of all things man of steel.

It's also a great time for it as Superman is in one of the best places he's been as a character in a while: In the comics we have Joshua Williamson's stellar run on Superman, on tv My Adventures with Superman, the first animated superman show since The Animated Series and one of the best superhero shows period, comes back for season 2 and next year James Gunn takes a crack at a shiny new movie that gets to the core of who superman is.

So in these times my love for the character has only grown, and thus me and my fine patrons and contributers are bringing this month from across his life and career.

So naturally we start with an episode of.. a batman show. Yes despite getting a whole month to himself earlier this year, Batman just can't stay away. Or maybe Kev's just addicted to Batman Brave and the Bold. What do you think of the show kev?

Nothing suspcious there. Now to freebase more x-men.

Yet while this decision seems bonkers at first, it makes sense on two levels: the first is that Batman and Superman have a long history together, and their regular team ups in world finest lasted for decades and tied to the two at the hip with one another. It's not hard to see why either: Their the archetypes for heroes with powers and those without them. The bedrock on which the whole genre's built. Teaming them up with their contrasting styles, backstories and skillsets just works. The other reason ... is that Superman didn't have a solo series for a while. His last one was the brilliant and sadly didn't make the schedule Legion of Super Heroes Cartoon, and even that's a team series, if one with Supes at the center. He's been in plenty of othe rcartoons.. but it's been long enough it's understandable why we'd reach for an apperance in another cartoon.

It did take a bit though as Superman was noticably a no show from the first two seasons of brave and the bold. And that.. was by design. Brave and the Bold tended to spotlight heroes who needed the spotlight, ones who either hadn't been featured yet or if so, all that often. It's the series where Bwana Beast got a heroic sacrifice, Ted Kord finally got to appear on screen, and the green lantern was Guy Gardner, the angry asshole what looks like moe howard hit the gym. It's something I love about the series, as it gave a lot of heroes their shot, taught me some existed and is a good thing, and thus it makes sense Supes wasn't around till it's final season: he needed his own solo cartoon sure, that took way too damn long, but he didn't really need the show or have as many new avenues to explore. Both Batman the Animated Series and The Batman already teamed the world's finest up. We'd seen plenty of them together in justice league and young justice. To justify trotting out superman for more than money's sake, they'd have to do something only THEY could do

And that.. was salute the silver age. Like Batman, Superman had a pretty weird time in the silver age, if better sales since weird shit happening to an alien who could suplex the moon fit better than happening to a guy in a mask whose suddenly a baby. It was a time of unbridled creativity: thanks to this age we got my beloved Legion of Super Heroes, who are sadly sitting this super may out due to scheduling, the legion of super pets, supergirl, braniac, all the various flavors of kryptonite, super vintiloquisim. I'ts a period I need to read more of but deeply love as it's just.. fun. it dosen't always hold up, but when it does it gives us fun breezy weird adventures with stuff that's hilarious now sure but also really fun to go back to.

And going back to this age.. was part of the hook and brave and the bold. Having the style of those days, not taking itself super seriously, but still having just enough seriousness to not come off as a farce. We still get plenty of character moments, a death or two and what have you, but we have fun in the process and it's done in an optimstic way that most batman work isn't, as batman.. isn't the most optimstic character. So doing a superman spotlight, while good to keep off, was something they kinda HAD to do. If anyone represented this age, it was supes and if any show was going to celebrate him at this stage in his history while slyly winking at all the weird shit it was Brave and the Bold

It was also a celebration of one other thing which you can find out under the cut along with a full review!

That one thing of course is Superdickery.

Superdickery was a webstie in the 2000's where a snarky man on the internet made fun of old silver and broonze age superman covers where Superman was a dick. Granted it's usually exagerated or explained in story, but it still lead to good times and often the covers were funny enough on their own

NGL I just did a google of superman is a dick to see waht I got... it did not disappoint. I mean you have superman doing a cultural appropriation to marry jimmy to an ape, jimmy harvesting superman's tears in revenge, and of course superman making jimmy dig his own grave while batman plans to shoot him..

You can see why it's easy to do an entire website making these.. and why Brave and The Bold opted to just lean into that, make an entire episode homaging some of the more infamous ones. It's fun to see the purest hero in existance as an out of context king sized asshole, complete with pope hat.

The episode can't begin with superman being a dick though.. you have to establish that baseline of Superman being for truth, justice and the american way. All of that. So we begin with.. Batman and Robin as spooky mummies

Yeah and like many of the events in this episode it's based on ana ctual comic

Though in that case it was to not give away their identiteis because they'd turend green... so brave and the bold wisely changed it to "rags soaked in buttermilk to counteract king tut's zombie ray" And really if you ever wonder "WHy take comissions' besides you know...

It's getting to write sentences like that.

THey beat him and Vicki Vale gets a scoop. Vicki Vale is Lois Lane if she were in gotham and after batman. That's about it. The 87 film I covered in march did flesh her out a bit and My Adventures with Superman does a good job making her distinct if also the queen of asshole mountain, but the version here and at the comics.. seems to just be lois except she's a ginger.

The proper story begins with Jimmy Olson faking his death so Superman will reveal his secret identity.

Which kinda justifies the whole "marry you to an ape" thing jimmothy. It's a constant game of one upsmanship with these two that will end with both in a grave Jimmy freshly dug with robin I swear. At any rate this fails because superman you know.. has super senses, so he senses Jimmy's just fine and jets off and was just playing along because these two have issues.

Superman responds to a jewel robbery and finds his oldest and greatest friend, batman! Thankfully there's none of that "blaming batman for a crime" nonsense this go round, as Batman's been investigating some eastern seaboard jewlery thefts, and agrees to team up. I also love how they go back to the more silver age partnership for these two: it fits given the astetic of these versions, but it's also nice to see the two just.. be pals. No distrust, no long term ressitance, no asking him to commit election fraud, just two guys who like fighting crime teaming up.

Naturally the culprit is LEX LUTHOR who is less an evil billinoare in the silver age and more a sciency weirdo who likes to throw on a death ray, though most modern versions combine the two making him a genius.. but having put that genius into

While doing evil super science as a side hustle or because he was finally indicted and has kidnapped lois because that's part of what she did back in the day, though she keeps her feisty nature by kicking out of a plane.. granted she then shouts for superman.. and is mad batman saved her. Superman stops Luthor, he's sent to jail to break out next week, they do this a lot.

We have a larger guest voice cast than usual this go round so let's dig into them real quick: Roger Rose is the man of steel himself. Rose is a voice actor but mostly tends to do "Additional Voices" looking at his credits on wikipedia, with his bigger roles being Dr. Strange on the Superhero Squad show, superman in this show, and Kent Powers on Quack Pack. And given any time i've seen kent in an episode he's hilarously douchey, Roger was the right man for the job here.

Luthor is played by Voice Acting Legend and marathon man Kevin Michael Richards, who I now realized has voiced both Lex Luthor and Shredder and that's dope. You've heard him in everything and he's great in everything. He also voices Mxy in this same episode.

Lois is voiced by Sirena Irwin, who I hadn't heard OF before but had heard before as she voices Spongebob's Mom, along with Lady Upturn. She also voices Mera on this very show.

Jimmy is voiced by Alexander Polinski, another va I hadn't heard of.. but i've heard a LOT of: He got his big break voicing Control Freak on Teen Titans, followed up by voicing loveable friend on the black market and stool pigeon Argit from Ben 10 alien force all the way thorugh Omniverse, is currently a lead in Monster High, and most important to me was Chameleon Boy and Matter Eater Lad on the legion of super heroes.

Finally we have a character intorduced in the next scene as Lois pitches a day in the life piece on superman and is mad clark almost gets it: Perry White, voiced by character actor Richard Mcgongal. Clark here is portrayed as he was in the silver age: a clumsy ditsy suit superman wears to live among mortal people. Thankfully it's not around enough to be an issue but to me supes works best when superman is clark no matter the outfit. He isn't a reporter to get info or trick his love intrest, he's a reporter because he loves being a journalist and wants a normal life, but knows he can't just fuck off and not be superman. It's not who he is.

So we get a neat montage of lois as Batman and Superman do their thing, with Supes having invited Batman to hang around for a bit. It's also neat in that it shows just how much Batman thinks of this version of supes from the get go: While he respects most of his partners, Clark seems to be one of the few he's genuine friends with. They just get in synch and there's no bossing him around like he tends to do in most team ups on this show.

So we get a fight with metallo who has his silver age apperance which is...

It's a lot. The series DOES him favors by bulking him up but the color scheme just dosen't quite work. I get why most later versions go with silver instead, the green glow of the kryptonite from it giving him a terminator vibe. It works really well. We also get good old mxy, whose castually talked back to his home dimension after cycling jimmy through all his various transformations.

Lois and Jimmy then get gifts that are from "Superman". Really shoudl've checked the air quotes. Said gifts are a shiny new signal watch with red crystal inlays and a red jewel.

Naturlly these TOTALLY incouous gifts awaken something in Superman as he fights the flying fat man, the toyman, who in the silver age was just.. a guy who made toy shaped death weapons.. .which is still impressive but I can see why the animated series gave him that now iconic doll look. Brrrr.

Superman beats toyman.. then prepares to REALLY beat toyman

Deciding he's done with truth, justice and not kicking your balls into your face. He'll figure the anatomy out later. Batman stops the toymurder and it's clear Superman has changed.. he's EVIL now.. and also a real di...ffrent person. A gag I REALLY love from this ep

So we get one of the most glorious montoages ever as superman is just.. the biggest dick the writers can conjure. It works if you don't know what their homaging as they set up who superman actually is well and it's just so over the top it's hilarious. It works even better if you've seen a bunch of silver age covers as they just.. made that into a version of superman, from literally tying up traffic to my faviorite, PUTTING A KITTEN BACK UP A TREE. I love cats but I can't help but also love how dickish that is.

Batman can tell something isn't right here because anyone with two eyes can tell Superman is acting off and something is wrong. Everyone except Jimmy Olson whose angrily tearing down his superman posters and takes this at face value. Then again he DID make him marry an ape so I kinda get not trusting something's wrong. It dosen't help superman burned his thoughtful father's day gift

At least even on an evil rampage Superman was kind enough to adopt him. Jimmy wishes things were back to simplier times...

That's not a joke by the way,.. the real joke is jimmy starring whistfully after they animated this cover. It's what makes this episode work really: they do do a LOT of homages.. but don't make that their whole business, making up new gags along the way. Jimmy gladly gives Batman the new watch.

Batman goes to talk to Lois yet and Superman's been the worst to her... he cheated on her!

Superman's childhood friend Lana fought over him a lot. Superman int his versoin does add it's because Lois is always trying to trick superman into marrying him which is sadly accurate

Though some times it horribly backfired

I mean.. at least she got a pope mobile out of it?

Batman notices the necklace and the connection and goes to TRY to talk sense into super dick where we get the best bit of custom made dickery in this episode: him grabbing the bottled city of kandor, shaking it and shouting "EARTHQUAAAKKKEEEEE!". It is truly the greatest thing human knid has put to a cell. Batman TRIES to talk sense into his friend but fails as he declares if batman fucks with him again he'll fuck him.

He also gives him Krypto because he dosen't wants him anymore. I mean.. at least you got a free dog superman. Also if you don't know hwo krypto is he's superman's kryptonian dog who was also sent in a rocket from Kyrpton. He's a very good boy. Movnig on.

So Superman decides to take things a step further and declares himself KING SUPERMAN of metropolis... an homage to this iconic cover

Yes folks, it is the REIGN OF THE SUPERPOPE. And the series has him wear the super pope hat in all it's glory. They saldy removed the Cruella deville approved real dalmation fur but I put it back in on the title card because the fur just.. adds to it. LIke it's not enough he got himself a pope hat, which is glorious and golden, it's that he added a fur trim to both the hat AND his cape. It's so beautifully stupid.

The Reign of the Superpope is short lived as protestors come to .. get murdered by superman? I mean I get standing up to him but what was their plan. THey get saved by the new dynamic duo of batman and krypto, with batman wearing his dark knight returns armor.

And can we just.. sit back and bask in an episode of television that both homages internet meemes of silver age superman AND the dark knight returns, of all things in the same issue? I"m not a big fan of Frank miller, but I can respect how iconic that armor is and how fun it is to see it pop up in such a light hearted work.

Batman's worked things out: Superman is hopped up on Red Kryptonite. For those who didn't read a bunch of books about dc comics as a kid, red K is Kryptonite's wacky cousin. It's basically a magic story generator, with it's effects lasting 24 hours as said and allowing them to turn superman or supergirl into WHATEVER weird shit they want. It is the crown jewel of all plot devices and I respect it and i'm happy we've returned to i'ts oringinal form as there were attempted revamps, but none really worked. It's best as crystalized wacky nonsense and i'm happy.

Here though it just means batman has to hold out, doing his best and getting a few good hits in.. but ultimately even with bitching grappling armor an da REALLY well done fight scene with lots of nice tension and animation.. superman almost crushes batman's head... an image that's genuinely chilling in this otherwise silly episode

Thankfully he snaps out, everyone accepts superman was going through some stuff. I mean Jimmy accepts jit every week and he's still married to that ape.

Superman wonders who done it.. and Batman, being the world's greatest detective... found out who: Luthor. Turns out he sent a lexbot to prison in his place

And shoots batman and pulls out his green kryptonite ring what gave him cancer once. It was a whole thing. But turns out our heroes played swapsies and the day is saved and our heroes head out to fight braniac.

Battle of the Superheroes is true excellence, one of Brave and the Bold's best episodes. Doing a bonkers tribute to superman being a dick was a risky idea, as with superdickery now gone, the meme could've gotten old. But those old silver age covers are so charming in their over the top nature and the jokes around the homages so well done, it works. They even give us a geninely fantastic superman batman fight to go with it. The episode manages to condense how the silver age of superman feels into 22 minutes without being remotely boring or overstuffed, managing to hit all the high spots. The only things really missing are supergirl, superboy (superman when he was a boy, and the legion.. and even those I understand as simply overstuffing the episode. They got everything in they could while being utterly hilarious and unique, giving us one of the best stories of the world's finest there ever was in the process.

Next Time: Lex Luthor runs for president! Get ready for a lot of smaller stories chopped up into a graphic novel, a terrible christmas carol homage, and american voter idiocy. Just kidding your already aquanited with that last one.

[mediocrischorus]

Spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader

God this show was beautiful. Obviously it's the same main team that made our beloved BTAS so we already knew things were going to do. The brought back the beautiful meld of 20s art, fashion, architecture, and mob scene while also allowing for the modern representation of women and POC in high esteemed position. All of the men still get what my family has joked of as the "linebacker build" with the occasional skinny man for flavor but the women get variety. Babs has the classic batman woman silhouette, Montoya has broad shoulders, Harley has hips, and Selina got an hourglass.

This show goes back to origin stories but reworks them in a way that made every character exciting, even for someone who probably knows an obnoxious amount about the universe. Some characters were reworked entirely like us getting a female Penguin with sons working under her. While some were more akin to their originals like Harvey Dent (more on him later).

Some characters that aren't seen are name dropped such as Harley mentioning that she studied under Dr. Crane, assuring us that there is still space in this universe for them. Honestly, going into this I was excited that these characters weren't going to be bogged down by the Joker. He's a fun character but there's so much focus on him that other characters, plot lines, and stories tend to get rushed so they can get back to their big money maker. Their decision to keep him out of the first season really helped provide focus for the story being told.

The show balanced its violence well to. I've noticed with a lot of action, especially those with a darker framework like the Batman universe, a lot of the violence kind of blurs together until the creators feel a need to keep one upping themselves to keep the story going and create a shock. I genuinely gasped when "Fire guy" fell. I've been trained that Batman always swoops in to save the villain so having him crash into the car after falling several stories held that shock that the grandiose Joker stunts lack.

I loved Barbra Gordon. Her first appearance I was like "there's Babs" even though they changed her look a bit the essence, the competence, and the caring were all there. I really think they did her justice and I hope she ends up being great representation.

I loved that Jim Gordon wasn't all powerful. A lot of Batman media portrays him as Batman's "guy on the inside" that helps cover things up. They portray him as though he runs Gotham. This Gordon answers to a mayor and has to fight through bureaucratic bs. Alternatively, other depictions try to make him a pathetic guy who is only around to flip on the Bat signal. This show doesn't do that either. They really show the work he is putting in to clean up the force. They show that he doesn't instantly trust Batman and that he tries to do the legal thing until he can't justify ending the good that Batman does.

Detective Montoya. There's a character that not everyone knows but deserves respect. I love them showing how competent she is instead of writing her off as the foolish detective that just gets fired. She is an amazing detective and she works hard to do the right thing. I hope they explore her becoming the Question especially since it doesn't seem like we're making room for Robin anytime soon.

Speaking of Robin, episode 8 hit me like a truck. Right off the bat (heh), name dropping "Dickie" and "Jase" and then showing me their old designs!? Then they go outside and we get a Tompkins name drop!? I love that Doc is giving to the community even if its not as a medical dr she deserved to be mentioned. When Steph was mentioned I started being entertained by wondering how many they can incorporate. When Carrie's name was mention I celebrated. Talk about doing an often forgotten character justice. While it sucks that with 4 of the infinite Robins appear by name in this episode implies that we will not be seeing them in a more major role I do appreciate some of the things that will come of this. I know the fandom loves the Robin's, I am a prime example, but I feel like there is so much love there that any mischaracterization would have been met harshly. This also means no active child endangerment. If they do decide later on to bring on some of the other sidekicks I hope they don't use the name Robin. I know that the name is iconic, so of course they're going to want to use it but without the Grayson backstory it doesn't make sense. This is a real pet peeve of mine, especially with AUs like The Robin King where Bruce named himself that without real reason. They have been doing well so far with renaming where they feel necessary or even skipping over rogue names so I have hope.

Words cannot express how much I have wanted a film representation of Onomatopoeia. The first time I saw him on a screen grab from the comics instantly grabbed my attention. I went down a research hole and I have just always thought he was a wonderful, eerie, and compelling rogue that you just never see. When he stepped in I celebrated. I wish we got more but hopefully we'll see him again and maybe next time we'll get to see some of his more macabre work.

The somehow gave as rich and poor Selina Kyle and I live for it. Recent depictions of Catwoman being a scrappy woman who grew up in poverty are cool but I've always felt like they were just a weak attempt at making her more compelling. The fact that she started as a socialite had always interested me. This telling gives us that while also having her live rough like more modern interpretations because of loosing her funds. It makes sense why she's so good at playing the heiress because she is one. She belongs at those parties.

Dent was wonderful in how subtle but impactful the changes were. He was skeezy from the start. He didn't have this golden child reputation that we tend to get from his backstories. Every interaction we saw throughout the series was painted with him being underhanded and working on the wrong side of the law at times even if it was for the greater good. This was great set up to the part that I really love which is that the melted side of his face becomes his conscience. Typically once his face is melted, things are framed to show the disfigured side to be a corrupting influence, the reason he's willing to commit monstrous acts. In this show it frames that side when he's showing true remorse. It is such a subtle thing but it really highlights that he was always filled with this anger. He was always capable of committing these crimes, but the red tape was stopping him. The disfigurement shows that he is still human.

Harley having a darker motley was teased a lot leading up to this show. We heard that they were exploring her back story without the Joker's influence and that got me excited. I was never a fan of that dynamic but I do understand how she was created and the purpose it served. Making her Asian American was a wonderful choice. She's still unquestionably Harley. I wish they would have brought up some of her gymnast history because I feel its too often overlooked. A lot of people think she got her acrobatics from being crazy. They even gave her a relevant conversation to just drop a little comment about that history but alas. I think she was very well done. They gave her the trademark positive attitude without making it over the top bubbly. They kept the clown motif but justified it by having her make comments on the benefits of humor. Her experiments were dark and twisted without being over the top. They made her queer without making it an afterthought to help move her away from the Joker. Also they gave her a real human body so kudos there.

I mentioned this in a separate post but I really love that Bruce Wayne's voice is the Batman voice and that Brucie is the fake voice. They don't go out of their way to clarify this but the fact that he speaks as batman whenever hes alone with Alfred outside of the Bat stuff he still uses that voice. When he gets concerned for Harvey you can hear his voice starting to slip down into the Batman register like he's struggling to keep up the act.