#but yeah my ranking is mostly physical

[minijenn]

All this talk of Shrek being powerful got me wanting to rank the Dreamworks protagonists by power levels so here's that, I guess, completely arbitrary with no real basis in reality at all.

Bonus: Dreamworks villains ranked on how easily I could take them in a fight

[anothermonikan]

I wanted to see if I could beat Rain World from (Basically) (I backtracked the chimney canopy so I made it harder for myself) beginning to end in one sitting and I think if I had started earlier I definitely could've! 8 hours. it's 1AM. I'm near the gate where you can get back the Chimney Canopy after exiting Five Pebbles. I've had enough Rain World for today. I'm eepers

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

au where vaggie has another little secret she didn't even know was a secret still (spoiler it's Mortality) (spoiler charlie Isn't Happy) and when she sits down with charlie for a hotel talk it goees like (TRAUMATIC EMOTIONAL SPEED RUN AAAAHAHAHA)

Vaggie: "Alright sweetie, the hotel's going good so far, one soul redeemed, minimal fire damage this week, so we should probably start planning for the next hundred years of operations."

Charlie: "YAY!!! Planning planning planning~ What's first on the list??"

Vaggie: "Start looking for a replacement manager."

Charlie: "You don't wanna keep being manager? OH- we can be CO-FOUNDERS together! WE COULD HAVE A PARTY FOR IT! And plan for the next one too- Charlie and Vaggie's centennial wow the hotel is still here celebration...!"

Vaggie: "That's sweet, but I'll be dead by then either way, so we still need to deal with the staffing shortage before then."

Charlie: "....dead... tired?"

Vaggie: "Dead as in dead. Doornail style."

Charlie: "What?"

Vaggie: "Expired. Shit, when did we last check the hotel fridge..."

Charlie: "Vaggie wait, I'm, I'm not hearing you right, what are you saying?"

Vaggie: "Heaven born don't live forever? Especially not down in hell, turns out."

Charlie: "I don't understand."

Vaggie: (chuckles) "Sweetie, thanks for ignoring my eyebags and zombie groans while getting out of bed in the morning- but my wings are already GREY, for fuck's sake."

Charlie: "Yes they're, grey. Beautiful and- aren't they supposed to be-?"

Vaggie: "And I'm pretty sure it's not just from the stress of running a business for a few months. Being hotel manager isn't that hard."

Vaggie: "....Mostly. Compared to, some things...." (sigh)

Vaggie: "Think anyone would believe that if we put it in the want ad?"

Charlie: "But-"

Vaggie: "No buts. We really need to get a head start on this."

Charlie: "....but you're a winner."

Vaggie: (SNORTS) "In my dating life, yeah. Anyway-"

Charlie: "But none of the other exorcists' wings are grey! So, so THEY aren't aging- so YOU aren't aging!!"

Vaggie: "They've got halos to protect them from the whole physically getting old thing-"

Charlie: "Halos???"

Vaggie: "-so we- they- can keep fit and ready for fighting our- THEIR whole lives, but duh we don't live forever. Lute and Adam left me here to die, not chill for all eternity."

Charlie: "Wh.. but-"

Vaggie: "Can you imagine how much heaven would've freaked if one of their actually immortal souls had gotten killed down here in hell...? But it was just one of us Adam's girls, and it was up to him to deal with it. With more murder. Bastard."

Charlie: "...."

Vaggie: "Uh.... Charlie?"

Charlie: "....your mortal?"

Vaggie: "I'm, yeah.... wait, Charlie..."

Vaggie: "...people know that about exorcists, right? You didn't... think heaven would risk putting winners in their rank and file army and send them down to hell?"

Charlie: "I thought you were a sinner."

Vaggie: "Hostia- right. I keep forgetting, they don't get old do they?"

Charlie: "Sinners don't. They get killed but they don't just. Die."

Vaggie: "I'm sorry. I thought- I really should've told you-"

Charlie: "Angels aren't supposed to die either."

Vaggie: "We did a good job proving that wrong. Exhibit A, Adam's corpse."

Charlie: "He was KILLED- it's not the same!"

Vaggie: "And angels aren't the same either. There's a lot of different kinds in creation- most of us aren't in the higher orders, there's waaaay more exorcists than seraphim."

Charlie: "But heaven is still supposed to be HEAVEN! People don't DIE in heaven! That wouldn't be Heaven! How could- how could it ever be HAPPY up there if, if- if people still left!?"

Vaggie: "Oh, sweetie... the only people who've earned a heaven like that are the winners. The rest of us are just-"

Charlie: "Just what? JUST, WHAT???"

Vaggie: "We're there to make heaven a good place for them. Keep it running smooth and safe. Mostly it's the higher ups who deal with winners personally, the rest of us stay back and stick to our jobs, try to keep some distance so no one... gets too attached... shit that sounded a lot less fucked up before I said it out loud-"

Vaggie: "Look- it's like that with hellborn too isn't it? The imps and hellhounds and-"

Charlie: "NO! YES? But this is HELL! Of course it hurts and isn't fair! You're not FROM hell it's not supposed to BE like that for you!"

Vaggie: "Or for my girlfriend."

Charlie: "I'm not the one who's dying!"

Vaggie: "You're kinda freaking-"

Charlie: "IM NOT FREAKING OUT!!"

Vaggie: "Right. I meant, you should've had more warning. I'm sorry I didn't say... I wasn't thinking that far ahead."

Charlie: "WELL I WAS! And I'm not- we're not losing that."

Vaggie: "Charlie-"

Charlie: "We're getting you your halo back."

Vaggie: "Pretty sure it's already been recycled-"

Charlie: "THEN WE'RE FINDING ONE FROM ONE OF THE DEAD EXORCISTS and you are WEARING IT until we FIX THIS."

Vaggie: "Sweetie- heaven collected all the halos from our battle-"

Charlie: "They didn't pick up all the spears and stuff, maybe they also missed-"

Vaggie: "No they wouldn't have. Halos aren't, they're not like the weapons. Heaven doesn't care if sinners kill each other with some left behind divine steel, but a halo? They store and conduct heavenly power or whatever. No one's gonna leave one of them lying around."

Charlie: "Fine. FINE- let me think-"

Vaggie: "Can we think less and focus more on you not shaking like a damn leaf first? C'mon, sit down-"

Charlie: "-the angel Carmilla killed. We'll use that one."

Vaggie: "We could use a deep breath right now."

Charlie: "It's head was missing when heaven picked up the body."

Vaggie: "Yeah? An Overlord probably has it hanging on their wall, big whoop, Charlie please slow down-"

Charlie: "If it's head was left behind then maybe it's halo was too! If we find the Overlord-"

Vaggie: "No. No more deals with Overlords."

Charlie: "I'll make as many damn deals with them as I want!"

Vaggie: "But not for ME, alright! If it's about me then you don't get to sell your fucking soul! Or bind it or whatever! You can't make me be the reason for that!"

Charlie: "Vaggie- we NEED that halo."

Vaggie: "No we don't. I don't."

Charlie: "You're dying without it!"

Vaggie: "I KNOW I am. But that's just, life!"

Charlie: "LIFE? Dying so soon isn't-!"

Vaggie: "Charlie, you're half seraphim. You mom was the original demon, your view on life expectancies is kinda skewed."

Charlie: "You said the halos let you live longer!"

Vaggie: "I said they keep us young. It's not the same thing."

Charlie: "It's still SOMETHING!"

Vaggie: "We don't even know that would help at this point, I've been in hell for years-"

Charlie: "Oh so we shouldn't even try!? Just, sit back and go 'well we haven't don't anything to stop this but I guess it was just completely unavoidable'-"

Vaggie: "It probably WON'T help. No, listen- It worked up in heaven and for short runs down here- that doesn't mean it'd have any power to draw on in hell. It's probably just a fancy looking hoop down here."

Charlie: "Then we'll get you back to heaven until we can make it work."

Vaggie: "I'm not going back to fucking heaven!"

Charlie: "AND I'M NOT LETTING YOU STAY HERE AND DIE!"

Vaggie: "You can't kick me out- this is OUR hotel, not just yours."

Charlie: "YOU- you-"

Vaggie: "We need. To calm down."

Charlie: "CALM DOWN! Every second you spend down here your body is-"

Vaggie: "Not dying anytime soon, okay? I'm fine. This whole talk has gone way too far way, way to fast. That's my fault for not thinking about all this sooner, but. Just. Take a breath. Let's just take a breath, take a break, and come back to this when we're both had a moment."

Charlie: "....."

Charlie: "Did you plan all this."

Vaggie: "What?"

Charlie: "Owning the hotel together. Making sure you couldn't be forced out of hell."

Vaggie: "That's not why we started the hotel-"

Charlie: "No, that's not what I was thinking when we started it. But were you?"

Vaggie: "Charlie... you're connecting dots that aren't there..."

Charlie: "You're here. You're here and dying and don't want to leave."

Vaggie: "I'd be dying up in heaven too."

Charlie: "But your wings wouldn't already be GREY, would they?"

Vaggie: "They'd still be an exorcist's wings, if I'd never left-"

Charlie: "Well they're not anymore and going back wouldn't change that. All it would do is help you stay alive."

Vaggie: "I don't want that life."

Charlie: "It's that or die."

Vaggie: "You're being dramatic-"

Charlie: "You've always said you liked that about me. Was that a lie too?"

Vaggie: "No."

Charlie: "Do you want to die, Vaggie?"

Vaggie: "Of course I don't- I could've just let Lute-"

Charlie: "Die, not be killed. Does it make you feel better about all the people you've killed? You'll die and join them, sooner rather than later?"

Vaggie: "......."

Vaggie: "... I want. To spend my life. With you."

Charlie: "No you don't." (voice cracking) "You can't do that when you're dead."

Vaggie: "That's not my fault."

Charlie: "Your choice though, right?"

Vaggie: "It’s not same thing-"

Charlie: "Yes it is. You want to be one who leaves."

Vaggie: "....... wouldn't you?"

Charlie: "...."

Vaggie: "..."

Charlie: "I don't.... want it to b- be like this."

Vaggie: "I know."

Charlie: "I want US! Not like this."

Vaggie: "I know, sweetie, I know... I'm so sorry-"

Charlie: "Stop it." (muffled in vaggie's hair) "You don't want this either, stop apologizing for it!"

Vaggie: "... I shouldn't have let you think, it could be different."

Charlie: "...."

Charlie: "It will be."

Vaggie: "Okay. Denial, that's a, normal step in-"

Charlie: "No- It WILL BE. I- We going to- we'll MAKE it different."

Vaggie: "I don't think we can..."

Charlie: "We will."

Vaggie: "Charlie-"

Charlie: "Damnit just trust me! If we can save a sinner's soul, then we can f-fucking save you."

Vaggie: "....."

Charlie: "Please, Vaggie. Can we try?"

Vaggie: "...it'll be a waste of time."

Charlie: "No it won't."

Vaggie: "We're already not gonna have forever together, sweetie. Why not just. Enjoy what we do have?"

Charlie: "I will! We will."

Charlie: "But we're going to have longer than one century for it."

Vaggie: "Half that, maybe..."

Charlie: "That's not the sound of trying. Vaggie. Please."

Vaggie: "...well... if you're gonna look at me like that about it..."

Charlie: "Don't joke about this."

Vaggie: "I'm not." (smile) "I just know better than to doubt Charlie Morningstar when she gets an idea into her cute, stubborn head."

Charlie: "All my head needs right now is an answer. One word. Clear. Honest."

Vaggie: "... alright. Yes. We can try."

Charlie: "Thank you." (kiss) "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Vaggie: "But you have to promise me. No deals. No selling souls- not for my sake, not even a little bit. Got it?"

Charlie: "Why are you so strict about this-"

Vaggie: "Because it's your soul."

Charlie: "-people make deals all the time! YOU made one with-"

Vaggie: "And it creeped me out even though it wasn't with my soul. Do you promise?"

Charlie: "This is a heaven thing isn't it?"

Vaggie: "Do you promise."

Charlie: "...."

Charlie: "I won't make, deals with anyone in hell, to save you."

Vaggie: (breathes out) "Then... we'll start by talking to Carmilla tomorrow."

Charlie: "TOMORROW!? But that-"

Vaggie: "Will give us time to figure out what we actually wanna SAY to Carmilla. She's still an Overlord, Charlie. Any info we give her she'll want to sure to keep her family safe first."

Charlie: "I know the fucking feeling..."

Vaggie: "So we're slowing this down and doing things carefully, so we do them right. Right?"

Charlie: "Right." (grumbling) "Fools rush in- blah blah BLAH."

Vaggie: "That's my girl."

Vaggie: (hesitates) (tentative smooch)

Vaggie: "Feeling better?"

Charlie: "Fine. I wish you'd stop asking ME that."

Vaggie: "Just glad you're not shaking so much anymore. Kinda scared me for a second."

Charlie: "I'm fine." (sighs) (hugs vaggie) "I didn't mean..."

Vaggie: "I didn't mean to scare you, too."

Charlie: "It's fine. You'll be okay."

Vaggie: "Mm. Already am."

Charlie: "And we're NOT looking for a replacement hotel manager."

Vaggie: "We're gonna need-"

Charlie: "NO."

Vaggie: "-okay. We'll hold off on it. We've got time."

Charlie: (holds her closer) (glares at distant light of heaven)

[caineinthecorner]

Hi. I binged like 80 chats in a row and I have opinions(tm) about physical strength and general power stuff of the brothers. Mostly just strength related things, but I tried to cover most of their battle stuff.

Yes I know, yes I know, "they're ranked as siblings by power blabla", but that's LAME. So here are my personal takes mostly for fun. Canon is dead and I ate it.

Also I finished the dividers and general aesthetics of this blog woo

★ Lucifer.

Generally the strongest, period, can and WILL kill almost anyone without much issue or even second thought

Physical strength, however? He’s not the best, as he doesn’t rely on it at all for battle / conflict

He didn't need it in heaven, after all

(Beel was his brawns and he was already a powerful angel so it never was a requirement)

I don't see him actively working out (anymore, at least), so most of his strength is merely his baseline

His main tactic conflict wise is intimidation.

Cough giving MC death threats cough

Very prideful of himself in battle, obviously

Rarely would ever use any sort of dirty tricks

Would probably prefer to go down the "honorable way"

Target his brothers though and he WILL play every trick in the book with little regard to his pride or his own life

This fuck looks like he knows swordsmanship and is probably the only of the brothers who does so

(except maybe Satan who is learning just to copy / be better than him)

Either that or he knows fancy sword dances for angel rituals he cannot partake in anymore (and doesn't do them anymore)

Diavolo has photos of him doing said dances but his lips are triple sealed since it is a heavily touchy subject

★ Mammon.

Canonically this man is physically weak (or at least has a weak complexion / scrawny arms)

Probably the most disappointing in terms of strength because he is literally the second born

His saving grace is his unholy speed and dirty tricks, using it to cover his weaknesses / lack of physical strength.

A LOT of dirty tricks and bs magic stuff. So so many. Never ends

He’s the living embodiment of the “random bullshit go!!!” meme

You know Looney tunes? Yeah this man has the Bugs bunny's levels of bullshit

But he has the best stamina out of his brothers (so he can run away from his debts)

Doesn't train because he's already perfect as it is (<- that's his ego talking he can barely pick up the weights at Beel's gym)

Honor is for the dead type of person. Nothing is out of the table in battle

(^ that makes him terrifying to fight against btw)

He either tries to intimidate (imitating Lucifer) or sweet-talk his way out of conflict

It usually just pisses off his adversary more which actually leads to the fights starting, but hey, he tried 乁⁠(⁠ ⁠•⁠_⁠•⁠ ⁠)⁠ㄏ

★ Leviathan.

Physical strength is shit.

he will get his shit kicked if he tries to brawl with almost anyone

Except maybe the lowest hanging fruit (humans)

Magical or general strength is decent, but he's definitely not the greatest in battle out of the brothers

^ he's kinda insecure about this and he wishes he were stronger (he sulks about it)

Wishes that actual irl battles were like Fire Emblem or strategy games bcs he's actually good in those

Update: I didn't make it clear (mb lol) but I see him as the best strategist of the brothers by far, he just isn't good at front-line action

^ Being away from the front lines keeps the pressure away from him for the most part, and it avoids him getting riled up and acting rash

He once tried to workout with Beel but quickly got overwhelmed because Beel shoved 200kg weights onto him thinking it was an reasonable starting point

So he kinda has trauma(tm) about it

Despite his garbage physical prowess, he WILL start fights and get riled up easily

He goes onto his demon form immediately when he wants to fight

^ bcs his strength isn't great, and he needs any boost he can get

Plus, awful anger management

My man will get onto a fist fight with the demon equivalent of a redditor over anime waifus and he will lose

★ Satan.

As the literal embodiment of Wrath, he does pack quite a punch and will maul you to death with only his fists. No problems at all

But that's merely his baseline strength (which is a lot) since he doesn’t really train physically

Probably focuses on other areas (read: intelligence) instead of physical strength.

Which is ironic because he could kick Lucifer's ass in a fist fight if he actually trained more

But oh well. Books do be booking

Surprisingly strategic while in fights, although not above Going Apeshit

Funnily enough the least likely of the brothers to enter a fight

Has read The Art Of War and will quote it just to be a smartass

★ Asmodeus.

Physically? Weak.

Probably the weakest of the brothers, having more or less the strength of a human (and on the weaker side of that).

He doesn’t train whatsoever; Likes his slender figure and muscles “ruin” that.

However, he makes up for it on the "trickster" scale.

As the Avatar of Lust, he will probably go the charm route instead of wanting to directly fight his enemies, or he make someone else do the dirty work for him.

Think of Mammon but make it a bit less scummy, tricks wise.

His go-to is sweet talk.

Something something the Avatar of Lust being physically weak since sex is considered an act of vulnerability and therefore the lowering of one’s guard something something

Something something the poetic narrative of the Avatar of Lust having only power through Communication something something

★ Beelzebub.

Contrary to Asmo; he does lift for days and can pack quite the punch, being one of the stronger brothers physically despite being one of the youngest.

I don't see him caring much for magic or other types of strength, he is content in packing the punch and has the capabilities to back him up.

Fight wise he will probably punch the problems away

Maybe use one or two tricks he’s learned

Mostly relies on his intuition and gut and it surprisingly works out

Nothing fancy; Dictionary definition of all muscle no brain battle wise

Literally one of the scariest brothers to ever fight he will actually beat you to a bloody pulp

And make a smoothie out of it

★ Belphegor.

This fucker doesn't lift at all you can't tell me shit

At MOST he'll accompany Beel to the gym and would sleep at the benches

The strength he has is the strength he was born with

Which isn't a lot, but still above human average by quite a lot

More or less demon standard of strength. Maybe a slightly below it

But he's still above most demons by a mile in other regards, mostly magic prowess

He's stronger than Levi because I think it would be hilarious that the dude who sleeps all day is stronger than him

(or you can make him really physically strong just because it'd be funny to see the sleepy dude kick ass)

(either way is funny as shit go ham)

★ Physical strength chart

Behemoth type strength :

Beel (only barely)

Lucifer

Satan

High / Low above human average :

Mammon

Belphie (low diff w/ mammon)

Levi

Asmo

★General strength chart

Can kill hundreds no effort :

Lucifer

Satan (If apeshit)

Are not as strong but still terrifying :

Mammon

Beel

Belphie

Levi, Asmo (Tie)

[still-a-morosexual-help]

this is quite ramble tbh but this thought has been sitting in my head for so long. as a poc obey me player i have this little self indulgent scenario where my mc is talking w the brothers and they ask about how mc dealt w all the bs the other demons were giving them about being a human. and my mc is like “racism exists in the human world too??” and it made me think about how out of touch the brothers are from the human world. like do they know anything from the last 500 years of human world?

The funniest thing to me is like yeah there's classism and racism (though I would argue it's more classism than racism) within the demons of the Devildom but it seems to be mostly based on "how able am i to kick your ass" hence the more magically and physically powerful demons end up in higher positions (and this makes much more sense when you learn that the Devildom had no laws until Diavolo's grandfather so it would have very literally been "survival of the fittest")

However if you take out the magical/physical strength factor: demons, as we see in the game, come in all shapes and sizes and from different cultures and are never treated differently based on that eg: the ant sized demons and the nightlantern people

So all I can imagine is demons being like:

Humans discriminate each other based on *rapidly check notes* skin...colour????? and where you come from and what you believe in???? Not on who can knock out the most teeth????????????????

Just absolutely bamboozled by it

Also about knowing what the human world is like, we find out in S3 that at least Mammon has a pretty good idea what the human world is like because of how often he visits it due to running errands for Lucifer, paying debts to the witches, visiting his kid - to the point that he blends in pretty easily unlike some people *cough*Satan*cough*

ALSO ALSO

It's not human world racism but Nightbringer shows that the 7 brothers have a pretty good idea of what racism actually is, given the way they're initially treated by civilians of the Devildom (eg: how they're kicked out of shops) and how they still seem to be treated by the nobility. "Fallen Angel" also seems to be a slur or something similar which I will never get over

We also get to see a lot of racism from the angels towards the demons in S1-4 and vice versa in Nightbringer. Also, of course, keep in mind that the Devildom and the Celestial Realm aren't actually Hell and Heaven and it's not a story of Evil vs. Good, so like Mammon and MC say in Nightbringer there's no actual difference between being an angel or a demon other than living in a strict society vs living in a free/chaotic society

And going on a tangent here because this interests me:

About the Sins vs Nobility and how they treat lesser demons

We never see the Sins, or Diavolo for that matter, treating lesser demons badly despite being some of the most high ranking demons in the realm:

• With Diavolo of course it'd go against his personality to treat them differently

• The second Dames event shows that the Sins seem to have more of a problem with the nobility than anything else

• Which is supported by how against them the nobility are in Nightbringer

• Through Mephisto, in the current time, we see that though this attitude has mellowed out it hasn't completely left

• Despite the Sins and the Nobility generally being in a similar station of power there's a huge difference between their attitudes towards the lesser demons

• Mephisto for instance is so rich that not only is Belphie shocked by it but Mephisto has also never eaten a burger before which is insane

• Meanwhile, all the Sins have frequently held working class jobs, either because they're genuinely trying to earn some money or because they're covering a shift for a friend

• In Nightbringer, despite thinking MC is a lesser demon they're never really treated differently by the Sins. If they are ordered around (which again is very rarely) it's because they're literally working for the Sins and if MC doesn't want to do what they're ordered to they just... don't and they face no consequences. The Sins also acknowledge and respect MC's competence and opinion.

• Meanwhile, in Nightrbringer we see Mephisto (who is literally and narratively a representative of the House of Lords and Nobility) thinking MC's a lesser demon; ignore MC, dismiss their opinion and expect to be shown out of RAD by them without even being asked which heavily implies that due to their perceived difference in position this is MC's duty even if they don't work for Mephisto/Diavolo/RAD

• The Sins seem to see more of themselves in the lesser demons than in the Nobility which makes sense when you consider how they came to the Devildom with nothing, had to rely on Diavolo to survive, still live in what is essentially a RAD dormitory and have to actually work and earn money to buy the things they want

• Whereas, the Nobility are probably demons who had to fight their way to the top long before Diavolo's grandfather introduced the laws and then spent generations at the top, amassing wealth and getting more than used to their set status quo

[fairuzfan]

It’s “vote blue no matter who” but then you get Dems like Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin, and John Fetterman or people like Tricia Cotham and Jeff Van Drew who switched parties and then it’s every excuse in the book as to why Dems can’t get shit done and just “vote harder.”

Dems did know that embracing disenchanted conservatives would push the party further right, and that’s precisely why centrists and the upper middle class liberals were all so excited to join ranks with “never Trump” republicans.

The issue is that voting is great and all in theory. Some of my family is residing in a country where you can't vote so like, having a say in your government?! That's great!

But I don't *really* have a say in my government when all the standard forms of calling and emailing are being flat out ignored. Sure I voted. But now what. Fetterman is a racist asshole that pretended to be "on the side of the oppressed" to get his position. Sinema is.... like that. Manchin is annoying as hell. And what, you're telling me "just wait til next election and they'll be gone"? Like at what point will this endless spiral of "it could be worse" honestly start benefiting anyone.

And people are saying "join unions or organize" as some sort of gotcha... Palestinians have been organizing for 75 years. The whole reason people know so much about Palestine is because we've been organizing for YEARS, have been participating in the system for YEARS. Sure I can unionize. Sure I can organize. But when absolutely no one takes you seriously in your government?? Then what are you supposed to do??

I still am an advocate for voting locally, but I honestly don't see the point in voting higher than that. I remember a comment in the "can't vote out fascism" post was saying "actual physical fascism is worse than passive fascism" and I'm like.... yeah for you maybe? I'm disabled and I've been mostly in my house for the past 3 years because I want to avoid COVID at all costs. Disabled people around the states have as well. People have been dying well before the past couple of months. Are you saying you'd rather have silent deaths than loud ones?

And another comment that really annoyed me and felt severely disconnected from reality was "Trump's Foreign Policy is the same if not worse than Biden..." Worse than funding a genocide...? Like I hate Trump so much and would never vote for him. But I also won't ever vote for Biden.

Also something that "Vote Blue" people don't realize.... Biden's already lost. I'm not saying this to be smug or anything. Many Muslims and SWANA immigrants vote PRIMARILY based on foreign policy. Like that's one of our main concerns. Every single election, we consider which person would be "better" for people overseas — this isn't me projecting, we talk amongst ourselves about it to make a decision. And these people live in major cities and swing states like Michigan in Dearborn and Detroit. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Illinois turns red next election. Many Palestinian refugees after the Nakba and Naksa settled in Chicago and the greater Chicago area. I've heard that people hate Fetterman so much that they're not voting for him next election or wanting anything to do with democrats anymore. Dems have completely neglected the Muslim and SWANA community and that will come back to bite them in the butt.

Like at this point, you should be thinking of what to do when Trump becomes president lol. Actually think about it. Because honestly, you can yell at me all you want and call me stupid or an idiot for not voting/doing a write in — but I'm 10000% sure that Trump is going to win next election. What more are you going to do other than vote?

[riallasheng]

Answering an Ask

In an unusual way, because my darn tumblr be broken and didn't show the ask in my inbox! Fortunatly, @edutainer2022 PMed me to make sure I got it! ^^

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Hi! Just in case the asks act out, some ask game points for you:

🍒 What’s your favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

🥭 Rank from most enjoyable/fun to write to least: Fluff, Smut, Angst, Crack.

🍏 Is there something you overuse, whether it’s a certain phrase, trope, or piece of punctuation?

🍐 Is there anything in canon that you absolutely hate and love to fix in fics? A wrong choice made, a fuck-up in characterization, a misunderstanding never cleared up, a conversation never shown onscreen, etc…

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🍒 What’s your favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

Platonic and/or familial! While I can and will write romance, there's always a heavy focus on the friendship of the characters, more than the romantic ^^

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🥭 Rank from most enjoyable/fun to write to least: Fluff, Smut, Angst, Crack.

Well, I don't actually write Smut at all (closest I'll come is Lime, and usually I'll only write Orange. I've never actually written even a Lemon, let alone anything more hard core than that), and the closest I get to Crack is 'here is a silly thing that canonically could happen' rather than true crack.

Sooooo....

Drama (angst, fluff, serious, comedy, and bunch of other stuff rather than a heavy focus in just one type.) FAR and away my favorite.

Angst & Whump (as old fanwoman is old and I go by the definition that ANGST is mental/emotional 'harm' that may have a physical element or trigger, but is all about the emotions and mind. Meanwhile Whump is physical 'harm' that may have an emotional/mental element or trigger, but is all about the physical). I generally prefer it to be an ELEMENT of a story, and I strongly prefer hurt/comfort, but I do have some instances fics / ficbits that are (mostly) solid angst and I'm more likely to have Angst scenes / elements in my works than Fluff

Fluff: tends to be only sparingly and mixed in admist other things, and even my 'pure' fluff pieces like A Cure for Boredom were cahracter and fan-lore explorations alongside the fluff. Mostly because pure fluff BORES ME ^^;;

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🍏 Is there something you overuse, whether it’s a certain phrase, trope, or piece of punctuation?

Ellipses, probably XD I actually try to alter my writing style to a degree depending on who the viewpoint character is, but I am ANYTHING but brief (even though I know brief / less is more is the 'in' thing now). So I tend to have lots of details and asides and descriptions and trend much more towards being VERY wordy

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🍐 Is there anything in canon that you absolutely hate and love to fix in fics? A wrong choice made, a fuck-up in characterization, a misunderstanding never cleared up, a conversation never shown onscreen, etc…

Oh yeah, many things XD There's always at least ONE 'fix it' in every fic I write. Sometimes small, sometimes BIG... I try to give my reasoning for any / all changes, I do my best to respect that other people may have totally different takes than me. But yeah, there's always fix-its in my fics for things that bug me or that I flat out hate

Heck, in an example that I'm currently writing (well, re-writing as back in the Naughts this darn thing was COMPLETE and now I'm re-writing it from memory XD ). In As the Wyrm Turns and my fanfic Universe in general....

I moved Marineville. I've always HATED that it's canon location for a REALLY LONG LIST OF REASONS THAT ARE VERY VALID DARN IT, so I moved it to Maine (Isle Au Haut specifically). On top of solving most of my list o' issues, it also meant that I could have the Aquaphibians living in or near 'Atlantis' ^^

[anonymouspuzzler]

today in puzz: i thought really hard about power-scaling and categorizing the different capabilities of psychonauts-verse psychic powers and made charts about it. please click the readmore to see a lot of rambling thoughts and also the charts

first of all i genuinely don't know why you decided to click through but i'm impressed. second of all let's start with the blank template chart i made (feel free to use for your own blorbos and such. i set it free) and touch on the explanations

[Image ID: A chart with seven sections, each with a bolded handwritten section title, a handwritten explanation of the section below, and five outlined star shapes to the right. The stars are labeled, from left to right, in handwritten text: "low", "below avg." (NOTE: "avg." short for "average"), "avg.", "above avg.", and "high". The seven sections and explanations are as follows:

Raw Psychic Power: Raw potential, regardless of application. Specialization: Capability in chosen signature power(s). Adaptability: Ability to learn new powers or apply them in new ways. Stability: Mental soundness and ability to preserve it. Mental Defense: Ability to resist outside psychic forces (ie. projection, Psylirium...). Mental Control: Ability to control their own mindscape. Non-Psychic Abilities: Capability in physical, mental, etc. abilities (ie. acrobatics). (NOTE: In this context I'm considering this specifically in ways the non-psychic abilities can be used in complement with and/or to otherwise enhance otherwise separate psychic abilities.)

End ID.]

So this is the chart! While it wasn't my explicit aim, I kind of focused on something, like, the Psychonauts as an organization might use to assess potential or existing agents - categories that would be useful to measure and consider in the field and such. I did three quick off-the-cuff samples with specific characters too, ranging from stuff we know pretty darn well to more speculative, but I tried to stick to "things we see fairly explicitly and unarguably in canon", which is why you'll see a couple things marked "insufficient data" - I'll explain my reasoning there and for everything below.

[Image ID: The previous chart with a picture of Raz from Psychonauts 2 pasted to the left, and the stars for each section colored in to represent "score" in the given category. These "scores" are as follows:

Raw Psychic Power: 3 stars (average) Specialization: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Adaptability: 5 stars (high) Stability: 4 stars (above average) Mental Defense: 4 stars (above average) Mental Control: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Non-Psychic Abilities: 5 stars (high)

End ID.]

So here's our favorite little guy Raz! He seemed like an obvious candidate to assess with this chart since we see so much of his powers in action in a close-up, extensive way. The "raw psychic power" is admittedly debatable - you could probably argue for it to be above average and I'd be like "yeah". I mostly set it as average because some dialogue implies his use of his powers isn't particularly refined/spectacular, and comparing to say, the other campers or interns suggests as such as well. (For the record, for comparison, I'd consider the likes of Sasha, Milla and Oleander above-average in terms of raw power, and the likes of Ford, Maligula and Bob Zanotto on the high end.)

Where Raz really shines is his adaptability, which I set to the max rank accordingly - he picks up powers super fast and utilizes more distinct, unique psychic abilities than pretty much any other character we see. The next closest are the likes of Sasha, Milla, and Oleander, who seem to all use the "basic" suite of powers (TK, shielding, levitation, and PSI-blasts) at a high level with ease, on top of their specializations and/or more advanced capabilities. It's also implied that Raz is using the powers he picks up in unexpected and interesting ways, too, most notably in how the others react when he starts using Mental Connection. At least part of this is because of his other big high point, non-Psychic abilities - it's very clear and textual that Raz being an accomplished acrobat is a huge part of his success and plays a large part in how he approaches and uses his powers.

The other few categories... specialization, I'd argue we don't really see any concrete evidence of him "specializing" in a particular power or powers; in a lot of ways he's such a capable jack-of-all-trades because he doesn't seem to have any particular standout specializations. It's entirely possible he just hasn't had a moment of "clicking" with a particular power in the Three Whole Days we see him learning, though, so I've marked it "insufficient data" rather than low. The stability rating should probably also be "insufficient data", but like. The fact that the kid's still smiling after the Fucking Three Days he had is enough evidence for me to earn that 4-star stability rating. Mental defense, we see at the very start of the first game that he's able to resist Oleander's mental probing, and he's the least effected by the Psilirium in RoR outside Coach, so I think it's safe to say he's a bit of a standout there. Mental control, "insufficient data" again because we never actually see his mental world without external influences - first the interference from Coach/Loboto/Linda in the brain tumbler, then the Meat Circus when he and Oleander get their mindscapes all tangled. As such, I don't think we can make any kind of fair assessment of Raz's control of her his own mental world.

speaking of Oleander, though...

[Image ID: The previous chart with a picture of Coach Oleander from Psychonauts 2 pasted to the left, and the stars for each section colored in to represent "score" in the given category. These "scores" are as follows:

Raw Psychic Power: 4 stars (above average) Specialization: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Adaptability: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Stability: 1 star (below average) Mental Defense: 5 stars (high) Mental Control: 5 stars (high) Non-Psychic Abilities: 2 stars (below average)

End ID.]

aw yeah baby it's Morry Time. let me explain my Visions. Raw psychic power - as mentioned earlier, I'd consider him above average, alongside Sasha and Milla. alongside just what we see of his powers in-game, I'd argue for the three of them to have the kind of separation they do from the rank-and-file Psychonauts agents, they must be a bit outside the norm power-wise as well. (yeah you could argue that they're separated from Motherlobe NPC #5 because they're main characters but whatever i'm approaching this in-universe it's more fun.)

as you can see we've got two sections for Morry that are marked "insufficient data", both of which probably require some explanation from me. Specialization I marked as this because I think the info we get here is conflicting and circumstantial - the first game doesn't really suggest Coach has any particular psychic specialty (you could argue maybe PSI-shield based on how you get it and some other circumstantial stuff about Oleander - it's what I like to imagine is his specialty - but it's hardly super foundational evidence), and the second game kind of retroactively implies it's PSI-punch (or at least that Coach signed off on Raz's merit badge for it), but we literally never see him use it. As such, insufficient data, I says! Adaptability, you might be able to argue it's low or below average since all the powers we see him use are pretty in line with the "standard" we see for everyone, but we also don't see him use a lot of his powers nor where or how he picked them up, and as I argued above for Raz, just the fact that he can use multiple powers capably at all is noteworthy. So, "insufficient data" seems most fair.

Now let's look at where Morry really shines - Mental Defense and Mental Control! Everything we see suggests he's really exceptional in both these regards. On mental defense, he's literally the only character we see resisting Psilirium to such an extreme degree, and even outside of that we see circumstantial evidence of him being able to keep folks out of his head - the two times Raz gets in, the first time he's explicitly invited in, and the second Morry's a disembodied brain stalling out by the side of the road. Mental control, similarly, he stands out - he, Sasha, and Milla I would argue are all above average on that front, being able to partition their minds and memories enough to create safe training grounds for the campers, but Oleander's also actively creating false memories to be discovered and passively maintaining his mental construct for the campers even when he's actively doing other shit (compare and contrast the vast majority of people basically going temporarily comatose when their mind is entered and like. damn morry).

On the flip side, the places where Coach really falters. Stability - This One Is Obvious I Think. the man processed his trauma so bad he kidnapped a lot of people about it and even after addressing that his solution was to keep doing the same exact thing but kidnap people less. That man aint well. Non-psychic abilities, well - take your pick. This is a himbo who can't swim. He doesn't know shit and he's a coward and he's bad at talking to people. Ironically, I genuinely think he's in the best possible place could be as head of Whispering Rock - he's genuinely protective and seems all right with kids, so he seems much better placed as a coach than as an agent.

anyway now that I've laid all that out perhaps you will allow me a more Speculative Argument.

[Image ID: The previous chart with a picture of Doctor Loboto from Psychonauts 2 pasted to the left, and the stars for each section colored in to represent "score" in the given category. These "scores" are as follows:

Raw Psychic Power: 5 stars (high) Specialization: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Adaptability: All stars colored grey, with an asterisk noting "insufficient data". Stability: 1 star (below average) Mental Defense: 4 stars (above average) Mental Control: 4 stars (above average) Non-Psychic Abilities: 4 stars (below average)

End ID.]

if you're here, I assume you follow my blog. you knew this was coming.

ANYWAY! My Argument: Specialization and Adaptability, not enough data to say anything. We literally see him actively using powers for like, 30 seconds tops, which isn't enough to say if he has a particular specialization or if he's picking up multiple powers/using them in interesting ways. (You might be able to argue he's a TK specialist based on circumstantial evidence, but that's not particularly foundational, so I won't be arguing it as fact.) Stability, just like Oleander, obvious - he's not, like, well. At all. (I could argue, funny enough, that he's actually less stable post-Raz's interference in RoR, but that's a whole 'nother post.) Non-psychic abilities, again obvious, in the absence of access to his powers they're the only abilities he's been able to develop, and they're nothing to sneeze at! unstable though he be, he's an undeniably accomplished bio-mechanical engineer, and there's enough circumstantial evidence to indicate he's pretty physically capable as well (he survived the fall from the tower in the first game, for one, and need I mention the implication that he swam to the Rhombus of Ruin at least in part. fully clothed. carrying a suitcase)

Raw psychic power - and again I emphasize that this is raw potential, whether it's utilized or not - I think Loboto is really exceptional there just based on what little we see of his powers. Like, he's using telekinesis in a natural and fairly refined way as an infant, and there's enough circumstantial evidence on the level of his mental control and defenses (which I'll get into), as well as stuff like "whatever the Hell he did with Linda and Crispin and the like" that even without any conscious access to his powers, he's still using them pretty effectively. I genuinely think Loboto would be on the level of some of the strongest psychics we've seen if he could still use his powers.

and speaking of "I'll Get Into That", Mental Defense and Mental Control! this is where we see the most substantial evidence of loboto's powers, IMO - you'll see I marked him one down from oleander on both, who, as I detailed above, I think is very exceptional on both fronts. we see Loboto being very mentally defended in the first game, with Raz totally unable to get into his head, and if we take his words as truth Loboto somehow protected Crispin from psychic projection as well. Raz isn't able to get in his head alone until RoR (during which time he is Literally Surrounded By Psilirium, The Rock Which Dampens Psychic Abilities, Which Literally Only Oleander Has Been Shown Able To Resist In Full), and in Psychonauts 2's version of his mind it takes the efforts of Five Trained Psychics, who are also functionally hypnotizing him with a false mental construct, and even then it takes Literal Minutes for him to notice the ruse and start circumventing and ejecting them. this guy's got something going on and Sasha's theory that it's the fault of Loboto's employer doesn't hold much water because Loboto's employer is a complete non-psychic.

on the same front, mental control! this one's a little shakier, because in some respects it seems like the lobotomy has had a significant impact on this for Loboto (obviously in him being unable to use his powers anymore, at least consciously, but also in things like him being unable to access his mental compass and recognize right from wrong until Raz interferes). but at the same time, even with that, he's able to exude enough mental control to fight back against Sasha's construct and impose his own version of his mind over it, not to mention we him construct a false memory similar to Oleander (I personally believe Gristol at least partially had something to do with that, but that's, again, a whole other post, and the point is Loboto's still able to create and maintain a false memory for others to find in his own mind). given all that, I think we have enough evidence to conclude that Loboto's pretty capable on this front, and would probably be on Oleander's level if he weren't Actually Literally Physically Brain Damaged.

anyway. I don't actually have a nice clever ending to this rambling. I'm just Like This

[cleavetheclover]

Clver, think about it...shadowire (platonic or romantic) domestic fluff,,, or just fluff,,, angsty fluff? ps this is just my sleep deprived ramblings

Like...

- Post Hourglass Omen being found by Cypher (probably willingly i don't see Cypher going to go see Omen if he'd rather not see Cypher) and just...a talk. Omen venting. Cypher comforting Omen and listening quietly. And then cuddles. A kiss when Cypher leaves Omen be again and an orange, "for luck," Cypher would say (knowing it had no such meaning)

- Pre Hourglass, Omen coming to see Cypher at night, cuddles and physical intimacy mixed with quietness, because if nothing else Over feels just a little more grounded when Cypher is holding him.

- Cypher noticing little quirks Omen has. Sometimes Cypher tells Omen about what he's noticed. Omen enjoys it because it at least means he's still human if nothing else. (I mean, what kind of monster has a preferred sitting position or a certain kind of wool they enjoy knitting the most?)

- Above, but roles exchanged. Omen notices things about Cypher that makes him Cypher and some that makes Amir. It's weird, Cypher thinks, I'd hate being known but it feels natural with Omen. (Inspired mostly by hermit card, which normally means like being known by no one but yourself)

ehh welp thas all i got in the brain goodnight I'm by no means asking you to draw any of these i just saw your ask thingy and went "bet lemme think"

Noooooo stop I stg every single member of the cyphmen community has the exact same headcannons please 😭😭😭

(Not that I’m complaining, that just means more food for all of us)

ANYWAY all of these are wonderful ideas and I definitely want to write all of them!!! Unfortunately I am rather swamped right now bc senior design is kicking my ass and job hunting is harder than ranking up in val, and my current hyperfixation is a game called Noita…

But I’ll definitely get back to writing as soon as my life stops being as volatile as a bucket of acetone.

Also I wrote a short thing for the hourglass thing I hope you like it! I’ll respond to the other prompts later

Post hourglass Omen:

I think he would shut himself in his room for a while and just sit there, completely overwhelmed and not sure where to go or what to do next.

Since it’s cannon that Omen can sense others emotions, I think pre-HG Omen would have already sensed a timid friendship and significant fear from Viper, but it wasn’t until post-HG that he knows why. He’s having this world-shattering realization that one of the few people he has trusted and befriended in this lifetime not only doesn’t return that friendship, but actively fears him, and for good reason.

Imagine learning that your best friend fears you, for an incident you would have never learned of—had you not hired a shady information broker to find it out for you.

Confirming that she sees you as a monster— something you never wanted to be.

Yeah, I’d be pretty lost and upset too.

So Omen is gonna be hiding in his room trying to figure out a path forward and simultaneously avoid thinking about said path forward.

Cypher, being the nosiest man alive, a friend of Omen’s, and also the guy who helped orchestrate the mission in the first place, is not gonna sit there and let Omen feel so alone.

He shows up and Omen really wants to just slam the door and tell him to fuck off, but he really doesn’t have the energy (and also can’t really afford to burn more bridges at the moment). So begrudgingly he lets him in.

Cypher softly says his name, “Omen,” but the shadow doesn’t dare look him in the eye. Instead he stares at the sentinel’s belt. Browth leather. Battle-worn. Probably replaced several times over, like Omen’s own combat gear.

The sentinel approaches, and Omen can feel a protective sentiment befitting his role as a Sentinel. It’s soothing, he’s felt it before, but he really wishes he weren’t the subject of such a keen emotion right now.

Cypher’s gloved hands come up to rest on the sides of his own shoulders. The intent is to be reassuring, but Omen doesn’t find it to be such. What is he supposed to do with his own hands, anyhow? Touch Cypher’s shoulders? His belt, or chest?? His waist???

Well, the chest option is gone, because the next thing he knows Cypher’s chest is pressed against his own. And his arms are wrapped around his back.

Omen always knew humans were warm, but for some reason, he had always imagined Cypher to be cold. Maybe it was the utter lack of skin showing. The minimal expressions in his mask. The way he never so much as brushed hands with anyone else in the Protocol, as if he were a robot like KAY/O. Hell, the literal killer-bot had a warmer attitude than Cypher most of the time. Maybe it was…

Whatever.

Cypher is warm. Like any other human. Embracing him without any reservations at all.

No fear. No pity. No grief.

It makes him feel like, for one moment, that maybe he isn’t a monster after all.

Omen responds in the only way he can think of: he ducks his head down and buries his face in Cypher’s collar, and lifts his hands up to Cypher’s back and pulls him as close as he can.

He smells like bar soap and leather. And something else more organic, musky almost like sweat, but that can only be described as subtle and pleasant.

Alas, their embrace cannot last forever. Poor Cypher is a man, not a scented candle or a stuffed animal that can be basked in or embraced forever. Omen releases him, already missing the warmth and the scents and the textures and the intimacy, but he would rather save face and keep Cypher comfortable than anything else.

Cypher seems… satisfied.

Omen isn’t sure how he feels.

There’s a long pause.

“I am not my past,” he blurts, immediately wishing he didn’t. He almost says something else to brush it away, but he knows that doing so will only dig a deeper hole for himself. He says nothing more and hopes Cypher will have the courtesy to do the same.

But the Sentinel, as always, has other plans.

“Neither am I.”

Omen’s gaze snaps up at that.

The Sentinel then reaches into a bag of items that he had discarded upon entering, and produces a ball of yarn and a small tin box.

“I have spent the last decade of my life paying for crimes too heinous to be named.” He comes to stand in front of Omen once again. “They called me everything from a villain to a monster to, well. ‘Villain’ and ‘monster’ in more callous terms.”

Cypher chuckled humorlessly. Omen dared not ask who ‘they’ was referring to, but got the feeling that he didn’t need to.

“I am not absolved from my past. I cannot fix the innumerable lives I have ruined or the things I have destroyed.”

Then he lifted the little tin up to his face. “But then again, what kind of monster has a favorite type of tea?”

In his other hand, outstretched to Omen, was the ball of yarn. “Or a favorite type of wool?”

Omen just stared at it. Cashmere imported from India, said the label.

“To the best of my ability— which admittedly isn’t much— I left it all behind.” Cypher somberly bushes the tips of gloved fingers across his masked cheek. “My name. My face. My skin, even.”

Omen tilted his head at that last one. It sounded painful. But then again, what about Cypher’s existence wasn’t?

“Like me, you might carry the legacy of a monster. But that does not mean you are one.”

The cashmere is soft in Omen’s hands. He runs his thumb along each strand, marveling in the gift. On its own, it didn’t feel deserved. But when he looks back sees the tin of tea being cradled in Cypher’s own hands, it does.

Former monsters sitting under a warm roof with their silly little domestic joys: the thought of it almost makes Omen laugh.

Cypher must have seen the way the tension eased from Omen’s shoulders, because now he is chuckling too.

Bastard.

“Omen,” the informant takes the revenant’s hand and says his name with that dratted melody of affection in his voice, “Would you like to knit while I brew us some tea?”

———————————————

Since you suggested an orange:

It’s a very cute idea— I think oranges are for luck and wealth in Chinese culture, not sure about other ones tho.

Unfortunately I’ve come to kind of associate them with mourning. My grandma passed away last summer, and my grandpa and I leave flowers and oranges on her gravestone when we visit. So I didn’t feel like writing that into this little story lol

And yeah I also incorporated your “what kind of monster has a favorite kind of wool?” Thing in here wahoo

[sjsmith56]

None Shall Sleep

Summary: Bucky comes to the aid of his neighbour one night when he hears her crying after breaking something in her apartment.

Length: 5 K

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, named but not described OFC, minor OFC, Pepper Stark.

Warnings: Description of eye surgery (personal experience), trust issues, Bucky feeling inadequate, health insurance company assholes.

Author notes: Inspired by this video of a tenor who sang Nessun Dorma (from the opera Turandot) accompanied by a flash mob orchestra in a German bookstore. The video showed up on my FB feed but I’ve always loved this piece, as it’s full of passion. My description of the opera is taken from the internet. https://fb.watch/pE60YHrtsM/? I’ve been to one opera in my life (La Boheme) which I enjoyed. Bucky is a big softy in this one shot which ends very romantically.

👁️ 🎶 🌖

Sam carried the last box into Bucky's new Brooklyn apartment, taking note of the high ceilings and windows this place had, compared to his old place, the small studio apartment.  With the settlement for his back pay, and damages for what had been done to him awarded from the now unfrozen assets of Alexander Pierce and several other high ranking HYDRA officials, James Buchanan Barnes was finally in a position to live in a manner that he deserved.  Buying this apartment was the start of his new beginning.  He also had plans to take some college courses so that he could prepare for a life that didn't involve using just his physical attributes.

"This is really nice, Bucky," he said, as his friend came out of the bathroom with an empty box, pulling the tape off the bottom so he could flatten it.  "Pepper found this place for you?"

He looked around.  "Yeah, it is nice.  Still has enough of the old features like hardwood floors and finishes, vintage claw foot tub in the master ensuite bathroom, mosaic floor tiles in both bathrooms.  Feels familiar but it's mostly modern so it should last a long time.  Not sure how the other owners feel about me living here but no one's said anything yet."

"Why would they?" Bucky scowled without answering.  "Hey, your money is as good as theirs.  You're quiet, you're not a criminal, and honestly, it will likely make criminals think twice about trying to break in.  I'm sure you'll be attuned to everyone's coming and goings pretty quickly."

"You calling me a busybody?" 

At least he said it with a grin.  It was true.  His bad sleeping habits meant he was often awake at night, watching out the window for anything out of the ordinary.  Knowing his neighbour's habits came easily to him but wasn't always understood or appreciated by them.  Still, his previous landlord and Pepper Stark wrote character references for him when he first applied to buy in the building.

A week later he had met several neighbours, finding most of them quite nice.  It surprised him on the one night when he heard crying from his nearest neighbour's apartment, a woman he hadn't met yet.  At first, he listened carefully for any sounds of fighting or abuse, but it sounded more like frustration than anything else.  Then he heard the sounds of something breaking and jumped out of bed.  Approaching her door, he listened carefully again then knocked before speaking.

"Hello?  Is everything alright?  I heard the sound of something breaking."

He could hear the sounds of someone approaching the door.

"Who are you?" Her voice sounded both anxious and upset.

"Bucky Barnes.  I just moved in next door.  I could hear you crying but tonight sounded like you broke something.  I can help."

"Fuck."  He could barely hear her swear.  "Hope he's not an asshole."

With the sound of her locating the locks and turning them, he waited, only to be surprised by the sight of a woman with both eyes heavily bandaged.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," she said, extending her hand outwards, not quite in the right direction.  "As you can see I have temporarily lost my sight.  I'm supposed to have someone to help me but they haven't showed up for the past two nights and that's left me trying to fend for myself."

He took her hand gently in his, squeezing it then releasing it.

"Well, I'm here and I can help you if you wish."

"I know I broke something, and I stepped on it."  She lifted one foot, that seemed cut open.  Spreading her hands helplessly, she began to cry again.  "Could you just help me?"

"I'm going to pick you up and carry you to the bathroom," replied Bucky.  "You have cut your foot.  I can take care of bandaging that.  Then I'll clean up what you broke.  After that, we'll see what more I can do for you, okay?"

She allowed him to pick her up in his arms, carrying her into her bathroom, where he placed her on the counter.  Returning to his place for his first aid kit, since she only had a kit of bandages for her eyes, he gently cleaned her foot in the sink, then checked the wound for any pieces of the broken glass.

"What's your name?" he asked, as he applied some antiseptic to it.

"Roberta," she replied.

"That's a pretty name," he smiled.  "How long have you lived here?"

"About a year.  I sublet from the owner.  You just moved in?"

"Yeah, a week ago.  If it's not too personal, may I ask about your eyes?"

She lowered her head.  "I was mugged, hit my head pretty hard on the pavement.  It gave me a concussion and partially detached the retinas in both eyes, so I had to have surgery to fix them.  It sounds kind of gruesome, but they had to empty the eyeball of the vitreous gel to do it, then used a laser to seal the tears, and then a bubble of gas to reinflate the eye was inserted to keep the retina in place.  As the gas is absorbed into the body, the eye replaces the gel with new liquid, but it takes about six weeks for it to heal properly.  This past week I had to sleep on my stomach at the hospital, face down so that the bubble stayed at the back of the eyeball and kept the retina from detaching again.  I had an aide to help me at night for the first two nights when I was released, to make sure I didn't flip over onto my back, but she didn't show up last night or tonight.  Since I can't see, I can't call my insurance company to find out what happened to her and the woman they got for the daytime doesn't speak much English.  She just cooks and cleans for me."

He listened, fascinated by the medical process that would restore her vision, knowing that during the 1930s the success rate for repairing that was abysmal. 

"When were your eye dressings last changed?" 

"Two nights ago," answered Roberta.  "I was trying to do it myself because it felt gross, but I knocked something over and it broke."  She lowered her head as if she was looking at the floor.  "I just feel so helpless.  I'm sorry I woke you up."

Once again, he took her hand in his.

"I'm a lousy sleeper and was already awake.  You stay here while I clean up then I'll see if I can help change your dressings.  Is that okay?"

She nodded, waiting patiently for her neighbour to return.  At least he sounded nice.  Bucky wasn't a common name, perhaps it was a nickname.  Carefully, she listened as she heard him sweep a broom over the floor and into a dustpan.  The running of water was followed by the sound of a cloth being wiped over the floor, presumably to clean up the blood from the cut in her foot.  Then she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Just me," he said, before he entered.  "Everything's cleaned up out there.  Now, how do I take care of your eyes?"

She told him to boil some water first and let it cool, then add a little salt to help with cleaning.  He left coming back a few minutes later.  He washed his hands, then unwrapped the larger bandage which released the plastic eye shields that protected her eyes.  Under them were gauze pads, which he carefully peeled off.  All she saw was the light of the bathroom, and the bubble of gas inside her eyes which kept her repaired retinas in place.  Everything else was blurred or distorted.

"It's pretty red," said Bucky, his face close enough to hers for her to smell his aftershave.  "Is that normal?"

"Well, it's pretty invasive eye surgery so I guess it is.  If you could take some clean gauze and dip it in the boiled water, as long as it's not too hot, you can clean the guck off, gently."

Patiently, she waited as he did as he was told, slightly surprised at how gently he cleansed her damaged eyes.  She noticed the sound of whirring and that one of his hands was warm and the other cold, which she brought up.

"I have a prosthetic arm and hand," he explained, hesitantly at first.  "It's a very high tech one.  I'm kind of the only person in the world with one like it.  It functions almost like normal, but they can't make it feel warm, or mask all the sounds it makes.  I'm thankful for it but I worry about how people see it."

Roberta smiled.  "Good thing I could only hear it and feel it then," she said.  "Although, I bet it's impressive looking.  Is it a prototype?"

"I guess," he admitted, then she was aware his face was further away.  "Okay, that looks better.  What's next?"

"There's a tube of ointment," said Roberta.  "If you pull the lower eyelid out, you can squeeze a small portion into each one and distribute it a bit.  That's to heal the incisions."  She waited while he did it.  "Okay, new gauze to cover my eyes, then the shields over top.  Just check that the shields are clean.  They can be cleaned with soap and water if they have anything on them."

She smiled as she heard the sound of water, assuming that the shields needed cleaning.  Then they were placed over her eyes, and she held them in place as Bucky wrapped the bandages around her head to keep them there.  By his silence, other than his breathing which seemed to shift slightly as if he was moving his head, Roberta assumed he was checking his handiwork.

"How is that?" he asked.

"Feels great," she answered.  "Thank you."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?  I'm guessing anything involving the eyes are out."

"I wouldn't mind listening to some music," she answered.  "My phone is around here somewhere.  If you could open the playlists, I could choose one.  You're welcome to stay if you're not sleepy."

She felt his warm arm circle around her waist as he helped her off the vanity, then he placed her hand on his arm as he led her out to the living room, telling her when they were a couple of steps away from the couch.  He joined her a moment later, as he placed her phone in her hand.

"Needs to be unlocked."

"Oh, it's set to Face ID which won't work with these bandages.  If I give you the code, do you promise not to go snooping?"

"Scout's honour." She could just feel the smile from him.

After giving him the code she waited while he opened her playlists, then he began listing them off.  When he got to her guilty pleasure one of opera, she told him to choose that.

"I'm a bit weird, I know," she joked.  "Not many people my age like opera but it was something my dad and I would do every time the Met put on a new one.  We always had discount tickets, would go for dinner, then to the opera.  Dad loved it and it was time well spent with him before he died."

"I'm sorry.  You must miss him."

"I do.  He died of cancer just five years ago." 

The sounds of La Traviata came on and he smiled as she relaxed, slightly leaning into him.  She quickly told him the plot of the opera and encouraged him to close his eyes and lose himself in the singing.  There were several other arias from other pieces that played then another came up and she straightened a bit.

"This is one of my favourites," she said.  "It's called Nessun Dorma, from Turandot.  A disguised prince falls in love with a princess who is indifferent to him.  To win her hand a suitor must solve three riddles, but if he gets any of them wrong, then he will be executed.  The prince succeeds but she still refuses him, so he challenges her to guess his real name, which would allow her to put him to death.  If she doesn't then she must marry him."

"Does she?" asked Bucky.

"That's the mystery behind this opera," said Roberta.  "The composer, Puccini, didn't finish it as he died, so no one really knows if he meant this to have a happy ending or a tragic ending.  This piece, Nessun Dorma, means none shall sleep, as the princess commands everyone to put aside sleep and find out the prince's real name.  Whether she found out and chose to reveal it or not is one of the great mysteries of Turandot.  Both endings have been used, written by other composers."

He listened with her, finding it a stirring piece of music.  As they listened to several more, he became aware of her breathing becoming deeper and more regular.  Roberta had fallen asleep.  Gently, he extracted himself from beside her then remembered what she said about sleeping with her repaired eyes.  Going to the linen closet he pulled out some towels and rolled them into position on her bed, to surround her face, keeping it off the surface of the sheets.  Then he returned to the couch and gently lifted her into his arms.  She whimpered a little and buried her face in his chest.

"You smell good," she whispered, sleepily.  "I like it."

"Thank you," he whispered back.

Gently, he positioned her face down, making sure that she was set in a way that was comfortable but allowed her to breathe.  Then he covered her up with her bedcovers and turned off the light.  Returning to his apartment, he laid on the couch, falling asleep until the morning.

Knowing that Roberta wanted to phone the insurance company about the aide not showing up, Bucky woke up early then listened carefully to any signs of the young woman getting up.  When she did, he went over and knocked on the door, waiting as she approached.  Instead, it was another woman who opened it and he looked at her a little surprised.  She spoke Spanish, identifying herself as Maria, the daytime helper who cooked for Miss Roberta.  Addressing her in Spanish, Bucky identified himself, waiting while she checked with Roberta before she let him in. 

"I thought you might want me to help phone the insurance company," he said when she came out of the kitchen.  "Find out what happened to your night-time aide.  I also speak Spanish if you want me to tell Maria anything."

"Yes please, to both," said Roberta.  "Thank you for putting me to bed last night.  I actually had a good sleep because of how you arranged the towels.  How did you know how to do it?"

He shook his head.  "Just seemed right."

She gave some instructions for Maria, which he passed on, then dialled her insurance company for her, placing the phone on speaker so she could talk to the agent.  When she told them the aide hadn't shown up for two nights they disputed her account, saying the woman had clocked in.  Bucky frowned as he listened then asked if he could speak.

"Hi, I'm Roberta's neighbour," he started.  "I can't say about Monday, but your aide was definitely not here last night because I heard Roberta crying after she broke something and cut her foot open.  I looked after her, cleaning her eyes and changing her dressing.  She wouldn't be phoning to complain if your employee actually showed up, don't you think?"

"Well, our employees are very professional and whose to say that you aren't lying on behalf of Miss Paxton?" said the woman on the other end.

Roberta's face reddened when she heard that, and Bucky felt his own irritation grow at the insinuation.

"Well, why don't I give you the name of someone to verify my identity," he said.  "If you would be so kind to contact Pepper Stark at Stark Industries, I'm sure she can vouch for me."

"Your name, sir?"

"Bucky Barnes, currently one of the Avengers.  My full name is James Buchanan Barnes."

There was no sound from the insurance agent for a moment.  Then there was a little cough, and she came back on.

"I will make that call and get back to you, Mr. Barnes," she said.  "Will you be at this number?"

"Yes, I'm not going anywhere." 

He hung up and placed the phone on the table.  There was silence between them until Roberta extended her hand towards him.  Gently, he took it and held it.

"You're really him?  I didn't quite hear your last name when you came in last night."

"Yeah, I'm him, the former Winter Soldier.  Once we get this cleared up, I won't come around anymore, if my presence makes you uncomfortable."

"No, I mean, I would like it if you came over.  I enjoyed your company.  You were kind to me and let me talk about opera and never once interrupted.  That's more than most men have ...." 

She coughed, then began to cry and Bucky reached into his pocket for his handkerchief, then looked at it, realizing her eyes were still bandaged.  Maria looked at him, whispering in Spanish that perhaps an arm around the young woman would be acceptable.  With a slight smile to her he did just that and pulled Roberta close.

"I'm sorry.  I'm kind of predisposed to being rejected and kind of jumped the gun on your reaction to who I was."

His phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket, seeing that it was Pepper.  He explained to her why the insurance company was calling, smiling as she expressed dismay that they would leave a woman without home care when she was basically helpless because she couldn't see.

"If they don't send anyone, I'm happy to help her," he said to Pepper.  "Roberta is very nice, and we got along just fine."

"Well, if they don't send someone, or if no one comes, you let me know, and I'll hire a small team myself to help her out."

He passed on the message to Roberta, who thanked Pepper profusely, then hung up, expecting to receive a call from the insurance company.  When it still didn't come an hour later, they phoned again, were put on hold then the call was dropped.  At that time, Maria came out of the kitchen with her phone, looking like she had bad news.  With a halting voice, she told Bucky she was laid off, as Miss Paxton's insurance policy had been cancelled.  Worriedly, she looked between Bucky and Roberta.

"Hold on, Maria," he said in Spanish.  "You won't be laid off, I promise.  Wait with Miss Paxton while I make another call."

After telling Roberta he had to make a private call he headed out to the hallway and called Pepper to pass on what he had learned.  She swore profusely, then he heard a large exhale of breath from the executive. 

"Alright, I'm assembling a team to take over Miss Paxton's care, and you tell Maria she now works for Stark Industries starting at twice the measly pay they were probably giving her.  Then I'm calling my lawyer and getting them on the sudden cancellation of her policy.  They can't do that, and I won't let them get away with it if I have to buy the company myself.  Don't you worry, Bucky.  We'll take care of Miss Paxton while you're on mission."  She hesitated for a moment.  "Okay, I wasn't supposed to say anything, but you'll be getting a call shortly."

Returning to the apartment, he broke the news gently to Roberta, then assured her that she would be looked after.  He also told Maria she still had a job, with Stark Industries, sending the woman into her own joyful expressions that someone would do that for her.  As she thanked him enthusiastically for his help, he received his mission alert from the Avengers and looked at the readout.  He had six hours to report for duty.

"Well, I have some sad news," he stated.  "I'm being called out for a mission, but you can take Pepper Stark's insistence on a team to look after you as the complete truth.  She'll make sure you're taken care of while I'm gone."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know but we can talk whenever I have a chance," he replied.  "Give me your phone and I'll put my information in."

He entered his information in her phone then did the same to his.  Then they sat together on the couch.  Her hand slowly inched its way towards his and he held her hand while they waited.  An hour later, the doorbell rang, and the first member of Roberta's care team, Julie, arrived, along with a contract for Maria to sign that she explained fully to the woman.  He stood up, then began to walk towards the door.

"Bucky, can I see you privately for a moment?" asked Roberta, then she blushed and grinned.  "You know what I mean."

Julie took Maria into the kitchen, leaving the couple alone.  Hesitantly, Robert lifted her hands towards Bucky, and he took them, holding them in his hands.  She stepped closer, until there was barely any space between them.  Raising one hand to his face, she cupped his cheek as he watched her intently.

"Thank you for taking care of me," she murmured.  "You're a very nice man."  He began to protest but she placed her fingers on his lips, and he instinctively kissed them, bringing a smile to her lips.  "You are a nice man and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  When you get back, I would like to see you again.  I don't know many nice men and I kind of want to keep you around."

If she could have seen it, his smile likely would have dazzled her.  With his free hand he brushed some hair over her shoulder then leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

"I would like to see you again, Roberta," he answered.  "You're a very nice lady and I don't know many.  You let them take care of you while I'm gone, okay?"

She nodded and they kissed again, for longer and with some feeling.  Then he caressed her face and left to get ready for his mission. 

Two months later.

Carefully, Bucky looked at himself in the mirror of his apartment, satisfied with his haircut and the trim of his beard.  After making sure his tie was right and that there were no white cat hairs on his black suit, he turned towards the window.  Alpine, the stray kitten he found on the mission and brought back with him, watched from her cat tree in front of the large window.  He confirmed he had his wallet and his car keys, then checked the inside pocket for the tickets, smiling at how excited Roberta would be when he told her where they were going.

"What do you think, Al?  Do I look good?"

A cross between a meow and a trill greeted him, confirming that he did indeed look good.  Leaving a light on in the living room, he gave the kitten a quick stroke on the head, then left, locking the door behind him and walking to the apartment next door.  He could hear opera playing in the apartment and smiled, then knocked loud enough to hear the music stop and footsteps approaching the door.  It was opened and for a moment he was dazzled at the vision in front of him.  Roberta was in a form fitting black dress that seemed to glitter like the night sky.  Its open neckline highlighted her collarbones, and a hint of décolletage completed the top part of the dress.  A long slit on one side showed off her shapely leg, along with the strappy-heeled sandals she wore.

"Wow!  You look amazing," he said, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.  "Pepper helped you get that dress, didn't she?"

Roberta blushed.  "Maybe.  We've become good friends, I think.  So, we must be going somewhere fancy because you're looking good as well."

"Darlin' I always look good," he grinned, then his face grew soft as he came closer.  "I mean it.  You look like a dream and I'm the luckiest guy alive."

They kissed and she used her thumb to wipe off the lipstick that transferred to his lips.  Taking her lipstick out of her clutch she reapplied it then waited as Bucky approached with her coat, helping her put it on.  They held hands on the elevator down to the parking garage, where Bucky held the car door open for her until she was belted in, and he got in behind the wheel.  As they passed over the Brooklyn Bridge, he told her to close her eyes so that it was a surprise.  When he pulled up in front of the Metropolitan Opera House, he reminded her to keep her eyes closed.  After helping her out, he handed his keys to the valet, then whispered in her ear.

"Open your eyes."

She opened them, ignoring the camera flashes from the paparazzi and seeing they were in front of the Metropolitan Opera House.  A big smile appeared on her face, and she looked up at him.

"It's Turandot, isn't it?" she asked.  "You got tickets?"

He nodded, then took her hand into the crook of his arm and began to walk to the entrance.  There were several calls of his name, and he stopped once, to the sounds and flashes of multiple cameras going off, then they turned away and continued inside.  After dropping off her coat at the coat check, they went up the staircase to the Parterre, where they were shown their seats, two in the front row of the left center box.  Two programs were already waiting for them, and he watched with an amused smile as she excitedly read it through.  When the music started, she watched the performance intently, occasionally glancing at him and squeezing his hand. 

At the intermission, they went out and ordered champagne for her, bourbon for him, sipping it as several celebrities approached them, introducing themselves.  Bucky was polite but reserved, his attention directed all towards Roberta.  The second half of the performance was just as enthralling as the first, especially when it came to the performance of Nessun Dorma, which drew a standing ovation and cries of "Bravo" for the tenor who sang it.  Bucky watched Roberta's face as she sat, enthralled at the whole experience.  When it ended and the theatre started to empty, she sat bright eyed, still staring at the stage until she turned to him.

"That was amazing," she enthused.  "I've never seen it before, and it was everything I ever hoped it would be.  Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled, standing and offering her his hand.  "Now, we can go to dinner, or we can pick up some takeout and have it at your place.  I'm good either way.  Which do you prefer?"

"You really don't mind takeout?  These sandals are beautiful, but I'm not used to them, and I wouldn't mind changing into something more relaxing."

"Takeout it is," stated Bucky, as they approached the coatcheck and he helped her on with her coat. 

On the drive back to the apartment building, they held hands, stopping only when they picked up some Chinese food.  They were both quiet on the elevator ride to their floor.  Inside her apartment, Roberta left Bucky to open the containers as she disappeared into her bedroom, coming out in a pair of leggings and a soft tunic.  He took his jacket off, draping it over the back of the chair, then slipped his shoes off.  They both ate a good portion of their food, then Roberta winced when she stretched her one foot, noticing she had a blister forming.  Putting his food aside, Bucky switched positions on the couch and gestured for her foot, gently massaging it.  As he ran his hand over her foot, he rubbed her ankle then her calf muscle, watching her intently.

"Stop," she whispered.

He stopped.  Carefully, she shifted closer to him, ending up on his lap.  Looking at his tie, she loosened it enough to raise it over his head, then unbuttoned several buttons on his shirt, placing one of her hands on his upper chest. 

"Stop," he murmured.

She stopped, still perched on his lap, close enough that she was well aware of the warmth of his body radiating through his shirt and the hands that rested on her thighs, in addition to the bulge already forming in his pants.  They gazed at each other then Roberta leaned closer.

"None shall sleep," she said softly.

"You're sure?"

"Very sure."

Slowly, he ran his right hand up her body to her neck.  Placing his hand at the back of her neck he pulled her closer then wrapped his arms around her as they kissed passionately.  They explored each other's lips and mouths thoroughly, before pulling away, each of them a little breathless.  Lifting herself off of Bucky, Roberta went over to her phone and brought up the opera playlist then turned off the light and stood in front of the couch, offering him her hand.  He kissed it, then raised himself off and picked her up in his arms.

"You smell good."  Her eyes were luminous in the dark that was lit only by the moonlight coming in the floor to ceiling windows.  "I love you."

He smiled softly, kissing the top of her head.  "I love you, too."

To the sound of her favourite arias, Bucky carried Roberta into the bedroom where neither of them slept until much, much later.

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One shots Masterlist.

[mylittleredgirl]

Hi! I'm so excited you're finally watching MASH! I hope you enjoy it and I selfishly hope you grow to like Margaret who starts off as not great and then becomes great and my fav.

i am having a great time!! i started at the beginning of season one and just finished season two. some of the discs in the complete series set i got as a gift last year don't play right or cut out mid-episode, which is driving me a little nuts, but i guess i'm having the classic syndicated tv experience of randomly missing stuff and always having some episode i've never seen floating out there forever.

my long form thoughts so far for those interested:

it's such a great collection of characters for comedy, because they are all pathetic and terrible in their own unique way, but are so charming and funny and easy to watch while they commit their little crimes against common sense.

i really like the mix of episodes -- the We're Having A Caper episodes and then the ones where it's like we're just kind of living here and things happen in some kind of order, but the things aren't necessarily related, which feels very appropriate for the setting.

i'm watching without the laugh track, which highlights one of my favorite things, which is that the main and background characters laugh out loud at what's happening. it gives the show such a lived-in and messy feeling. i just came off of watching the good place 5 times in a row, where the dialogue and plot are especially tightly packed, so this feels especially like it has a lot of just hanging out.

i keep thinking about how i'm watching this show fifty years later, not knowing what is the 70s lampooning itself, what is the 70s lampooning the 50s, and what is actually being played straight but i assume is a joke because of my perspective. some scenes are hard to watch on purpose and some are hard to watch by accident.

i wish i were watching it with my dad so he could keep pausing it to explain things to me, even if they don't need explaining, because i think that would add to the experience.

character feelings after two seasons:

hawkeye: alan alda being so charming and having such great timing really makes this an easy get. of course i'm going to love him equally in both success and failure (mostly failure).

trapper: my bestie!!! there's something about his face that makes me feel like i know him personally. i just love his physical acting choices. it's always funny. my fave i think.

margaret: i definitely enjoy her!!! how can you not?? they introduce her as being both highly capable and The Sexiest American Woman In Korea, who either can have or has had every high ranking officer in the army, and then she's soooo horny for the most pathetic man alive that she can't function.

frank: the narrative requires him to suck sooooo much every minute of every episode, because everyone else also sucks, so he really needs to put his back into it. he's gotta be there and he does it well, idk what more to say.

henry: he fascinated me in season one because i was like... clearly he's supposed to be A Caricature, but i couldn't figure out which one, and then he turned out to be A Character instead. i love his complexity and his serious moments, but i don't tend to find drunk acting that funny, so a lot of his shtick is lost on me. i wonder if he's the only character (and maybe klinger?) where the laugh track would actually serve him.

radar: as a former assistant yeah bro i get it, you keep on keeping on.

father mulcahey: the only one who is not terrible at all so far even once. Protect Him. i am so happy every time he comes on screen.

klinger: i'm still warming up to him as a character since he's mostly a sight gag still.

the parade of nurses: i have decided to take it at face value that 1) they are all here at war because they're super horny, 2) they are playing hard to get for fun, and 3) the pill was somehow invented before 1950, and under those conditions GET IT GIRLSSSSS.

my largest outstanding question: were they all actually functioning people before the war? i assume war did this to them but it's also possible they were like this before and their wives are all like THANK GOD they're overseas cheating on me because imagine how much worse it would be if they were like this but in my house.

on to season three!!!

[veveisveryuncool]

so, i was wondering about that mirror AU. first off i wanna say, i really like the designs. but i did have a few questions.

So first off, for Magolor, you say he's basically blind but it looks like he has an eye in his mouth like the original soul version. Is that not an eye or am I just going crazy?

Secondly, You mentioned how Adeline is the most normal of them. So are all the characters basically insane and if so, how would you say they rank on the sanity scale?

And finally, and I just have to ask this being a fan of both these characters, but you mentioned that Magolor has someone to help guide him, being blind. Is there by any chance that this seeing-eye jester you mentioned happens to be Marx?

ohhh hi!! tysm for asking about this! i'm really glad people took an interest in those mirror world counterparts, it means a lot :]]

ok, to start, i'm gonna talk about adeleine and sanity :D (since the two magolor questions tie in with each other and bc i like talking about her)

here is the "sanity" scale! i put this in quotes because they are all a little bit insane in their own ways <3

adeleine is the "most normal" here, not because she is mentally sane, but because she basically lives the same life she had pre-DL3 (living alone in cloudy parks, surrounded by her living discarded WIPs, having various temper tantrums). obviously, she still plays a role in the mirror-world version of 64:CS, but she let the whole "shiver star oh my god. earth is dead. humans are gone and i'm the only one left" thing completely take over her psyche. she stays up in the clouds, desperately trying to remember life on earth, and maybe– just maybe, convince herself that she's not alone.

magolor is doing surprisingly okay here?? like, sure he barely managed to scrape his way out of purgatory, and now has the remains of his wrongdoings etched into his body, but he's taking it like a champ 👍👍 he denies what happened to him was his fault (even when it totally was), and because of it, his AD experience was ramped up to 11. he feels no remorse for his betrayal, and instead no longer fights kirby simply because he gave up trying. he's also got the whole..eye and crown thing going on. so.

elfilin is next, with him basically being confined to the Pickle Jar. he's trapped in his own mind (forever wandering the isolated isles) and just kinda floats there, waiting for something to save him from an eternity of chaos. i put him above adeleine because of the situation that leads him there in the first place. since the initial splitting of elfilis/elfilin was a lot more messy, it means that they're stuck in a yin-yang scenario. instead of completely good, elfilin is mostly good, and that sliver of darkness increased his susceptibility to fecto forgo, drawing him to lab discovera. the beast pack captures him and tries to fuse him with forgo, but because of the discordance, it's taking a lot longer. the "good" part of elfilin hangs on, trapped in his dreams and slowly losing his grip, which is represented by his constant crying of the blood cell-like orbs from chaos elfilis' fight.

ribbon is. not doing so hot here. not only is she on the verge of breaking (mentally and physically), she has essentially isolated herself to complete an impossible mission. since the crystal was smashed into thousands upon thousands of pieces, she'll likely spend the rest of her life searching for each shard. she wallows in guilt and self-depreciation (even though it's not her fault!!), and is also fighting off dark matter possession at any given point. her will is strong, but how long can she last?

okay!! magolor time!!

magolor's seeing-eye jester is indeed marx! (though he will kill you if you call him that) while mirror-marx is even less of a good choice to befriend than normal marx, their friendship still upholds :]

while yeah, magolor does have a huge-ass eye in his mouth, it's not him that's doing the seeing. the visual information goes straight to the master crown, if this makes sense.

the master crown's power has dulled, now forming a symbiotic relationship with him. magolor provides the crown with a body to host, and the crown's magic allows him survive AD, basic perception (he's not gonna run into a tree anytime soon, but can't read or see faces), and a huge ego boost.

[esssteee]

"the three body problem" DO YOU HEAR ME SCREAMING?!

I am but a humble beggar desirous of any crumbs you can feed me related to that one

XD XD XD of course YOU would latched on the promise of potential darkolina uh?

ok soooooooo main idea is that we are like 10 years after the main storyline of of monsters and men, and both aleksander and nikolai are doing okay-ish as tsars (which is a ton better than any other lantsovs before them, but still!!! ruling is hard!! people are needy, war isn't exactly over even if there is new, fresh ruling and treaties are coming down faster than people can slap each other's ass, plus on top of that the courtiers who haven't sided with the previous regime and are still very much alive have once more settled in their bad and more than greedy habits of always asking for more). ANYWAY you did not necessarily wished to know the setting but here you go nonetheless!

but the main thing is that we have nikolai (40 y.o., long-haired, bearded jaw, a bit of a pouch thing going on around his waist, just plain gorge) now more mature physically and mentally (or that's what he thinks lol), and who has come into a stage of his life where, even if he is profundly in love with aleksander, feels something is lacking. basically, the man wants a child (not me exploring my own issues here, no ma'am). he does not necessarily want an heir, but he wishes for a family of his own blood (plus there may be some breeding kink that will show its head there, but i'm pushing back the smut with a bat at this point, tho it WILL be smutty, you know me too well not to explore our favs thru sex).

how alina comes in the picture? well she's basically nikolai's best friend and has long ago fallen into disillusionment concerning mal while also feeling something is lacking. oh oh, would you look at that. anyway, she has her circle of friends with grisha and the twins, but she still is considered a saint and someone of a different rank than all of them, a bit like aleksander in that way. the one to be there for her as a human first is hence nikolai. it's friendship, yeah, but it's first of all a deep love and appreciation for each other, something that could so easily become more than it already is. they are already both very physical in their affection, always touching and standing close to each other, always making sure the other is okay and lifting each other's mood when necessary. sweet, fluffy stuff, you know? and aleksander has long learned to be okay with that cause he wants nikolai happy, and alina, well, there is fondness there too, hidden under layers of exasperation and frustration and roughly-healed wounds, but mostly, regarding them both, there is that possessive instinct to hoard and claim. but we gotta keep in mind that the blistered tangle of aleksander and alina's previous relationship is still very much present―how they tolerate, even appreciate each other, but it is def not the easy relation of when alina first joined the Little Palace. so, playing the good-natured king, nikolai wants to mend that, needs to mend that, even, because, self-sacrificing fool that he is, he knows he is not immortal like them (even with aleksander's shadows) and he knows that they will continue on living long after his death. and since they are his two favs persons in the world and were once almost-lovers, well, they should end up together after his death. right? riiiight?

so that's more or less it, the birth of an OT3 with all the hassle of repairing previous relationships, expanding and morphing existing ones into a completely new one, and, perhaps, discovering the desire of parenthood along the way (tho it won't be a kidfic, but there will be multiple talks of it and the quite sexy consequences of such talks).

oh and, what have we here? could this be all in aleksander's pov? oh my XD

SORRY FOR THE WALL OF TEXT but here you go :D :D i have unfortunately almost nothing written, just curt passages here and there and that dumb copy-paste of the wikipedia text on the three body problem, but this has been the ~main~ rotisserie chicken in my head for sure. won't leave me alone at all ;_;

gonna tag @theonewiththeory just so you have the first idea of that darkolina i mentioned the other day 😈😈😈

[matt-imagines-popcorn]

Hey! This is my first request so sorry if it's kinda funky!

May I please request romantic headcanons for zeku, Seth, and juri with a himbo reader? Like the reader is huge and buff (a little chubby), but he's so oblivious to everything.

Please and thank you. Sorry if this doesn't make sense.

Hell yeah we need more himbo readers out there lol

Warning; Yandere/Unhealthy relationship for Seth's bit!

Juri, Seth, and Zeku with a himbo boyfriend!

Juri Han

See the reason that it took so long for the two of you to hook up finally was that Juri just assumed you ignored her advances as most people did. But she caught on quickly during one of her handsy moments and saw just how flustered it made you!

“All your brains must’ve gone to your muscles big guy!”

She’s a bit mean about it and will subtly poke fun at your intelligence a bit, finding it funny watching her boyfriend slowly realize that she is either being a jerk or a flirt. But no one else is allowed to insult you like that - only her. She’s like your mini guard dog [which is a bit funny to imagine, considering you could probably lift her up by one arm if she allowed you]. She makes sure no one takes advantage of her boyfriend.

As much as her comments about your body are, more likely than not, sexual [or at least, a bit flirtatious in nature] she really does love the size difference the two of you hold. Something about it gets her going and makes her - almost giddy in a way. Especially your tummy. Yeah, she might tease you about it but never out of malice - she thinks it's cute.

Seth

Seth is quite hard to pinpoint on this subject. On one hand, they're an egotistical sadist. They don’t generally view humans as equal to them - only ranking them by their usefulness. You, at least seem to be strong - but too clueless to be of any benefit to them, too easily manipulated by others. However, I see this as a sort of reason they're so drawn toward you. Believing you're no better than one of Bison’s dolls. But it's when you prove them wrong, they become… different towards you.

Similarly to Juri, Seth does poke their own little fun at your obliviousness - through their much more obvious and harsh about it, not fully expecting you to catch on. Their also less defensive over you, allowing others to tease you as well but only up to a point, and it never ever gets physical. Anyone who is caught being hostile to you is as good as gone.

Seth’s new body had made their mind break. Not only has their hatred for M.Bison increased but their need to protect you as well. Sometimes they malfunction and view your close friends and family as enemies using your ignorance against you. You can try to escape them but know that they will not stop searching for you, destroying anything in their path to get to you.

Zeku

If he found someone he really likes, I imagine Zeku can be a big flirt. He thought at first you were joking with him whenever he tried to hit on you or perhaps even playing hard to get - but thoughts of those quickly disappeared once he started to pay more close attention to your actions and realize you’re just oblivious. Which is fine by him of course! Means he just has to be more open about it s’all!

Old Zeku is more than happy about being more physical and clear about his love and appreciation for his boyfriend - it's the young Zeku who has a tiny problem with its. He’s much more subtle compared to his more aged counterpart and anything above simple touch is enough to get his face all red. Old Zeku finds it hilarious watching him try to flirt and you just not catching on - at all.

Zeku never pokes fun at his boyfriend, especially for his intelligence! He understands that you’re smart! Just a bit clueless about certain social cues, which has caused him to be a bit protective. Old Zeku knows that you can handle yourself well in conversations so he mostly lets you take over, till he notices someone being rude - young Zeku doesn’t fully understand that yet and oftentimes, intimidates your friends into silence.

Sorry, this took a while! Seth and Zeku were bloody difficult to figure out. I think I got Seth semi right but Zeku was a bit tougher. Might rewrite his one-day :P Hope it was still enjoyable non the least!

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR rambles PT 2

FSR rambles PT 2

More stuff I like about my own comic (Head cannons about why stuff is the way it is too)

So like, yeah Vio had a panic attack. He’s relatable to me. UwU (I write shit I can relate too. Lmao. Deal with it. X’D)

Also Vaati’s curse: Dark Link, I won’t say too much about his “Powerset” or what he does since most of yall can deduce so far what he “Can” do atm.

Smth about Vio/the four swords gang that has always struck me is:

HOW EXACTLY ARE THEY SPLIT UP? (Not physically, I think they’re magical bodies and Link’s body is somewhere in the spiritual realm but that’s a head cannon)

Like, it’s not just “They reflect emotions” that breaks down after Blue and Red. Anger and “sad/emotional” respectively. Green’s like a weird husk of the original Link. (Like…Idk he basically acts like any other Link in any other manga but bland. X’D which is why I gave him depression in FSR. He's infamously the most under- memed character in FS. He’s effectively bootleg/dollar store Link. Worse without the other 4 and bare bones Link by himself. Flavorless Link if you would. Watered down fountain soda because you added too much ice Link.)

Vio, at least, is really hard to pin down what part of the link he IS. (At least imo)

Let’s break down Vio’s traits:

At the start of the manga, he’s selfish, lowkey, rude/blunt, the ‘Smart” one (All of them are smart in their own ways tho so that’s not ALL.) He’s cunning, manipulative, rather cold, and generally “Negative” traits.

I think he’d be insecure about that. Identity crisis. Because well, he IS mostly “negative” traits. Or at least ones that are SEEN as negative and it’s obvious to ME at least, he feels alienated from the other 3. He comes off as lacking empathy too.

Basically: Vio’s own moral ambiguity makes him very uncomfortable. Because there’s no outrunning it.

This frame is fun, because Vio was reaching for his sword which, because he’s in the “Headspace” , wasn't there. But as Shadow Link mentions later, Vio was reaching for it in reality too.

I’ve gone on my rant, but imo this was a bold faced LIE. X’D

WHY DID YA DROP THE SWORD THEN FUCKER???

Lol so this is a headcanon: 

But basically: Why the hell would Vio formulate a plan with Shadow Link (One that even guarantees Zelda's safety as if he was REALLY trying to make it work…), just to drop it in favor of a “Quicker” solution?

He was uncomfortable as hell by Shadow Link’s confession, so decided “Yup, mirror shattering time.” Emotions make him uncomfortable. Especially Shadow Link’s because the very act of manipulating Shadow Link is very Un-heroic of him.

He couldn’t play the long game because it made him realize his own “Failings” as a hero, but that was the OG plan after gathering his thoughts in the woods. (At least to me.)

Infiltrate/get friendly with Shadow Link, find out who or what is behind Vaati after learning of “Gannon”, destroy Vaati, save Zelda and defeat Gannon.

He went with Mirror shattering because: 1. It makes the most logical sense. Cut off Gannon’s power supply AND destroy Vaati. Shadow link is an unfortunate victim but “It’s worth it”

I find it funny BLUE is said to be the one who’s “Willing to do anything to win” When I feel that is WAY more applicable to Vio. X’D Bitch was willing to do a LOT to save Zelda and defeat Vaati. And...similar to how he states at the beginning of the manga "Team schmeam I don't need any help". He goes off to invade the enemies ranks ALONE.

Art wise the Vaati wings on Dark link block out and make fire lol. Which I imagine makes Vio uncomfortable after that whole “Almost getting burned alive from lava” thing.

This is smth brought up in the twilight princess manga, which is fun because Vio’s outfit is very similar to that Link’s. X’D

The weight of being a hero and it's title being a heavy burden for whoever is "Link" at the time.

Now that Vio isn’t “The hero” doing something towards a hero goal, “Who the fuck is he?” FSR is kinda a thing where it's like "Okay sure Vaati's here...but he's like...a non issue lmao" they're kinda aimless. Who are they if not THE HERO. LINK.

Hahahaha

Okay these frames are so pretentious but here we go:

Dark Link is literally his insecurities being suffocating. X’D

Specifically: Considering Shadow’s words and his status as a hero.

Also all the eyeball imagery, so many people watching him fail/judging him.

Fun things art wise: Human teeth are scary as fuck.

I like the panel where Dark Link hugs him. Because an embrace can either be VERY UNCOMFORTABLE or very comforting depending on the context. Here it is very much NOT a comforting hug.

Also side note: Dark Link might come off as “Confusing” as a character…He’s very INTERESTING as the series goes on.

Vio snapped out of it but he’s still ain’t okay lol. Shadow Link didn’t hear Dark Link’s part of the “conversation” so he really just heard Vio mumbling utter nonsense. That would be scary as hell. Especially when he’s reaching for his weapon like dayum I’d cry too Shadow.

~Shadow Link blames himself~

He still feels like he’s on eggshells around Vio, he's aware their relationship atm isn't very stable. 

Lol so this is some of that sexy “Character development” i keep joking about with Shadow Link.

He’s still  a creature of darkness but he cares very deeply about Vio. 

Lol so smth you may notice is how: I fucking love how SINCERE Shadow Link is as a character. Like bro puts on a spooky act, but he’s just a sweet little guy that wants friends and he’s super open with his feelings. (I think he was just talkin’ his feelings in the woods too but that’s a head cannon. X’D He’s so weirdly soft with Vio out in the woods like…Bro)

It was a trait that bit him in the ass as a villain but I think that it shows that he is a good boy on the inside.

Lol so we all know how much Shadow Link hates pity, he doesn’t pity Vio, he emphasizes. And i think bro just really wanted to be hugs (HE’S SO TOUCH STARVED LMAO)

Even lines like “They’re all a big happy family in the dark world” (Paraphrased) show to me Shadow just REALLY wants a support system/family/SOMEONE he can rely on. X’D

So he says shit he wishes someone had said to him.

Also he hasn’t been able to physically HOLD someone in 7 years, Shadow Link misses physical touch like crazy.

Hug didn’t work lol.

Vio’s still frazzled.

I fucking love Shadow Link’s face “CURSE WHA-” like Vio’s really talking utter nonsense and it’s kinda funny ngl.

Vio didn't mention Dark Link so, to Shadow Link: Vio brought this up just because he's spiraling atm.

*cough cough* “You’re guy’s house” *cough cough* he doesn’t consider it HIS house too…

Continues to apologize for…nothing. Ouch.

Still blames himself for setting Vio off- oof.

Lol. Everything Vio says in the library is very telling of how he feels the pressure to be the one to come up with a plan to fix things. Because “He’s the smart one”. Even when LITERALLY NO ONE has put said pressure on him to fix things as Blue and Green outright don’t wish to be Link again, and Red complained back in the headspace

*Dies* Shadow Link is best boy. He tries to hard. TTuTT

Also Vio continuously gripping Shadow Link because he wants Shadow Link close to him. 

You can tell he isn’t trying to hug Vio anymore because that didn’t work lmao. He touches Vio a lot less and only in comforting ways (Patting his arm, his head, rubbing his arm ex), Vio’s actually the one who keeps pulling him closer.

Vio is correct here: He’s TECHNICALLY in no physical danger.

Dark link choking him in the headspace didn't do squat to him. It’s Vio’s own thoughts that are fucking with him.

Lol that statement is very bloated. Vio realized “Holy shit, he’s still here after EVERYTHING.”

The manipulation in the past, the panicking. 

Shadow Link’s just, still there for him. He isn’t leaving, and shows no sign of wanting too.

100% accurate. Shadow has no obligation to be helping Vio rn in any way. At all. Especially after how Vio’s treated him. Shadow's even looking for books to help with the curse that MAY OR MAY NOT even be affecting Vio for all Shadow Link knows.

Cause Shadow link: Is cool.

Lol so he DOES wanna be touched.

Okay funny story about pages 63-65 : These look so sketchy because I literally was like “doing line art for these expressions would ruin them” So they’re sketches. X’D

About the panels themselves: Shadow Link’s response to getting thanked in the manga makes me think he REALLY wants to do good things and get complimented for them. So when Vio thanks him (Smth he didn’t expect) he gets embarrassed.

Vio is FINALLY HONEST WITH SOMEONE ABOUT HOW HE FEELS.

He can’t run from it anymore lmao. So he has no choice but to tell him.

Lmao funny story: OG draft Shadow Link laughed at the "I'm a bad person" line. X’D

I’m glad I cut it but it also would have been very funny because like…Objectively no. Vio you’re not a “typical” bad person. And from Shadow’s perspective Vio is anything BUT a “Bad” person. He’s the “Hero”.

While not directly apologizing, Vio does admit to feeling like utter shit for what he did. Which is, SOMETHING. “Sorry ma i goofed up” vibes. XD

Lol. Of course you don’t. Simp- I say as a joke. But fr, from Shadow's perspective, this is kinda a weird admission. Vio's "Naughty" if you'd word it that way- X'DDDDD

*Implodes*

Okay fr out of ANYONE he could have shape shifted into during the vaati fight…Shadow Link chose VIO.

We know he can look like Green, so…The choice to look like Vio was very…deliberate. X’D

Almost like he looks up to him or smth...

Vio being utterly bamboozled by this information. X'D "YOU WHAT!?"

Fun thing about this being a fan comic: I can make them explicitly gay. X’DDD SO THEY ARE.

And that's all for now. I might do more later with more pages. X'D

It's fun to just, go off about my own crap. Cause I only get to do that with my friends usually.

[gravyhoney]

I was scrolling through your blog and saw your power ranking about the new DR characters, I was wondering if you can eleborate on that?

Yeah uhhhhhh yeah I can do that.

1. Euphrasia, I really truly and genuinely believe that wind has the potential to be extremely powerful, and even new wind users have the ability to cause pretty extreme devastation with it.

2. Sora, she’s above Wyldfyre mostly because she got the spark from Riyu for a long time and that has to count for something.

3. Wyldfyre, it’s not clear if he ever really reached his true potential, and honestly. With ALLLLL the love and respect to my beloved daughter. I think he’s a one trick pony right now.

4. Arin. Due to. The absence of an elemental power. I think he’s strong in different ways!! I’m gonna be real, in terms of like, physical strength (not factoring in powers) I think he’d be first on my list. But his jank Spinjitzu seems very. Not powerful. Love him to death though 🫶

Sorry if this doesn’t make much sense I have a raging headache rn.