#but yeah some of these hit me much harder than others but i included them anyway cuz i still had to sit there and Blink at it for a second

[threegunbrainrot]

Brutal things that i have been shocked to see happen period, but also completely uncensored in trimax (so far)

legato forcing someone to hole punch his own chest then rip out his heart, arteries + veins in full view

the first of the gung-ho-guns basically crucified but on steroids

the cyclops chucking herself off a building

knives' BIRTH?????????? what ever happened to regenerating in the soup. what do you mean he's REBORN. he has ENOUGH MOMS. GIVE ONE TO VASH.

[fumifooms]

Here to share Hien thoughts today.

One thing that defines her is that she’s very capable. She’s the highest ranking in the squad after Maizuru so her confidence is in part because she does have that senior coworker &/ leader authority to her, confidence which is very much earned.

If I had to dig deeper at her beyond just what we’re shown I’d go with the angle that… She was born into the Nakamoto household and being a ninja servant, she grew up there, she doesn’t know anything else beyond the job, and it’s a job she does well, traines to get there. She’s here to do her work and she’s content with her life being how it is, not that she knows anything else. I don’t think she’d be self-aware about it all? Both because this really is pretty normal for Wa and it’s her normal, and because, while she doesn’t fold her spine or care for things like cosmetics, she does mold her attitude to be both capable and respectable. Her home, the Nakamoto household, is simultaneously a professional setting, it’s a 24/7 thing.

She’s critical of others, including her superiors and she doesn’t shy from it. Everyone shittalks Toshiro’s father regardless, but she also gets reprimanded by Maizuru for seeing Toshiro as vaguely unreliable, again likely influenced by their history as childhood friends, sasses Maizuru when she goes off into an anecdote again, etc. Even as a kid with Toshiro, doubtlessly after starting her ninja training already considering that Toshiro started his at ~5yo, she told him it was unbecoming of him to cry. She’s the one both with the job and the will to keep others in check, like when it comes to Izutsumi not doing her tasks, etc etc.

Her childhood friend relationship with Toshiro only grew more professional with time, to her surprise but seems to be more about the thought of it rather than it affecting her emotionally. With the way her extra comic lays it out, it seems she expected to become Toshiro’s mistress because of history repeating itself, in a "it is what it is" way more than anything, which is in line with the reading that she’s more go-with-the-flow and "anything that I’m tasked with I’ll accomplish, as a matter of course". She’s not really social, and keeps herself ready to act at beck and call. She’s not uptight but she’s hard-working. So yeah like, taking pride in your skills but also keeping your identity mostly molded for efficiency. She doesn’t really think about it all, she just is and she’s fine with things as they are, going from one task to the next.

I think it’d be neat to look at her relationship with her parents… They’re both servants at the Nakamotos’, so while maybe busy like Maizuru was at times while raising Toshiro but still taking the time to cook for him (which, parents that prioritize work over her would make sense with how she became how she is), I wonder what their relationship was like, how much time they spent together, how Hien feels like towards them… I assume they’re a part in molding what her definition of normal is, after all if they are longstanding servants of the Nakamotos she has that much less reason to question such a life. But like… Have they ever had hard-hitting discussions, or is she pretty distant even with them? Did they push her into working harder, or were more hands-off? Does Hien maybe want to earn recognition by being capable? Hien has a younger sister that she gets along "so-so" with…

Hien’s younger sister seems to smile more, be more social and a bit nonchalant, such and such. Could be a point of tension that points to the "so-so", that they’re dissimilar/Hien thinks she doesn’t behave right or takes things too lightly, that she’s "unreliable" maybe. Or it could also point to some difference in how they grew up… Like oh I bet there could be tasty angst with mertocracy and siblings favoritism with her family thrown in there… Having to earn the love, earn your keep, earn your spot in the hierarchy (in work and family both)

To me she shines best as a foil, like to Beni, but like. She’s got neat stuff going on If you’re wondering where I took half of what I referenced from I recommend looking at my masterpost on the Nakamoto party, info and extras are compiled

[thezombieprostitute]

Dream Come True - Part 3

Summary: The “Garbage Men” are the guys in the mob who get the dirt on others and clean up after the higher ups. They have many different ways of gathering intel by running legitimate businesses. One such business is Jefferson/Jensen’s cyber cafe where you regularly go to work. You’ve actually become good friends with Jefferson’s daughter and Jensen’s niece. You even volunteered as their after-school tutor. One day, there’s a robbery attempt where you get hurt protecting the girls. This is how you are introduced to Curtis Everett, the guy in charge of the “Garbage Men”.

Warnings: Violence mentioned and referenced, not written. Insecure reader. Bullying with an emphasis on fat shaming. Please let me know if I miss any!

Part 2 -- Part 4

Series Masterlist

Ransom was not having a good day. Truth be told, he hadn't had a good day since Steve punched his stomach over a week ago. The writer's block had hit harder than usual. Many applicants for the Assistant position were garbage, completely upsetting his idea that you just needed to google the right answers.

He was starting to realize that Fatso, as he had taken to calling her in his head, was able to help him through his writing blocks because she had the context of the other questions, some rough draft information, and she'd include ways to use her research into the story. Maybe he just needed to actually hire someone from the "competent" file and try from there?

Problem was, time was an issue. His writer's block had kicked in hard and his publisher was getting more impatient about updates. He spent so much time just staring at his computer.

He was startled out of his contemplation by a phone call. If it was his publisher he'd just ignore it but the Caller ID showed "Steve Rogers".

Ransom answered, "Rogers! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Where the hell are you Drysdale?" Steve was quiet growling into the phone. Indicating he was around others.

"What do you mean?"

"The damned Stark party? Raising funds for Rhodes's campaign?!" Ransom could swear he heard Steve's teeth grinding. "You're supposed to be here chatting with Mrs. Devereaux. Buttering her up to at least not donate to Wilford?!"

"Shit," Ransom jumped up and ran towards his closet. "Tell her I'll be there in 20 minutes. If she needs an excuse, I was writing up a storm. I'll make it up to her by naming a character after her or something."

"Just. Get. Here." Steve hung up.

Yeah, Ransom was not having a good day.

Your life was returning to some sense of normalcy. The crutches were a pain but, thankfully, you didn't have a lot of places to go. You wanted to get back to working as quickly as you could, if only to feel like you were actually earning some of the money you'd been given.

But you'd kept your promise to be safe, and allow yourself to heal. You did your best to keep within the movement restrictions you were given. Part of you was still waiting for that hospital bill. Yes, Curtis, Dr. Beck, even Jake and Jefferson all said it was taken care of but part of you still waited for that dreaded notice of nonpayment.

Thankfully the cybercafe wasn't too far and you were able to convince the J's (as they told you to call them) that it was the perfect distance for your needed exercise and movement and you'd sit at the cafe long enough to rest for the return trip. You were happy to get back to tutoring the girls in the afternoons. Your mornings were spent applying for other jobs.

One morning your applications were interrupted by Jake.

"Hey, Y/N, this is Hal," Jake gestured to the handsome, shirt-haired man, wearing a too small shirt, next to him. "He's here to work with you towards getting his GED.”

"Oh, yes," you perk up. "Curtis mentioned another possible student." You reach out your hand and Hal, grinning even wider, shakes it.

"It's mighty kind of you to agree to this," he began. "I've been meaning to fill in that gap on my resume for some time.”

"Well I'm happy to help you with that. Please, have a seat so we can get started?”

Hal pulls out the nearest chair and turns it so that he sits on it backwards, his muscly arms resting on the back of the chair.

"So, is this a time that works for you," you ask. "I've got a pretty open schedule so your time preferences are get priority.”

"Well," he hesitates, "my schedule is pretty all-over-the-place. Is there any chance we could take it a week at a time?”

"Sure," you affirm. "As long as you give me notice so I'm not sitting here doing nothing.”

"Yes, ma'am," Hal nods. "I'm not in the habit of leaving pretty girls wanting." He gives a wink but you drop your eyes and sigh.

"Hal," you scold. "I'm going to guess you're the type to hit on anything that breathes?”

Clearly taken aback by your tone Hal straightens in his seat. "No," he denies. "Maybe. I swear I was just trying to compliment you.”

You pause your comeback and take a deep breath instead. "I suppose there is a difference," you concede. “Just please be careful with both of those around me. I am not a "pretty girl" and I do not appreciate being addressed as such.”

Hal's eyebrows furrow in confusion so you continue, "let's just keep the compliments related to our work? Please? I'd always prefer being smart or nice to being pretty." You give him a small smile and he visibly relaxes.

"Sure thing, Teach," he says. "So, where should we start?”

Curtis was cleaning up the interrogation room after Barnes and Fowler's latest “message” to Rumlow’s crew. They had already taken the body to drop it off on Rumlow's front door, Curtis would make sure all evidence was removed from the room. It was ugly work but maybe, just maybe, Rumlow would stop trying to push his drugs and thugs in their territory.

He was finishing up when he got a text from Jefferson saying Hal’s first session went well. He normally doesn't need these kinds of updates from the legitimate side of things but he found himself rather invested in your progress. You were unusual. A puzzle he wanted to figure out.

Or so he kept telling himself to explain why he was thinking about you so much. You’d shown yourself to be sweet and patient with others but he remembers the fire with which you spoke to him. He almost felt like a moth drawn to your light but he had to keep himself in check. For now it was enough to know you were doing well and helping his family.

At least until he got the follow up text from Jefferson saying, “Ran is looking for Teach. Ok to share info?”

Curtis felt his jaw tighten. The pompous ass had fired someone for taking a bullet. He didn't want him anywhere near you. He was sure you wouldn't want to see Ransom, either. Jake had told him you'd blocked your former boss’s number and his emails would go straight to spam. He texted back a simple “no.” Let the asshole suffer.

Part 2 -- Part 4

Tagging @alicedopey because I promised I would.

@dontbescaredtosingalong

@icefrozendeadlyqueen

@texmexdarling

@veltana

@winter-soldier-101

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged.

[crit20art]

[ID: a traditional sketch of Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood from The Magnus Archives as they might appear as a woman and as a non-binary butch, respectively. Jon is a small, thin British-Pakistani woman with short curly hair. She wears a large cardigan with a cami and business casual capris. Martin is a tall, fat Vietnamese-Polish person with glasses, many freckles, and short hair with an undercut. They wear a tank top, leather jacket, and jeans with a carabiner clipped to their belt loop. Martin stands with one hand in their pocket and one hand on Jon’s shoulder, smiling fondly at her. Jon rests her hand on Martin’s at her shoulder and cuts her eyes back at them with a loving expression. End ID]

uhhh @tdogkarate said the words “butch lesbian Martin” and i blacked out and this happened. it’s v messy and i won’t vouch for the proportions but im sharing cause it made me happy and also filled me w So Much Gender

honestly this would change very little about them (including names i love them being girlies named Jon n Martin…) but here are some lil headcanons:

they/them lesbian Martin (yeah we’re openly projecting now what of it!!!!!)

Jon n Georgie started transitioning at the same time at uni and when Jon felt like she had to change her name, it was Georgie who assured her that it was ok to remain Jon

HRT did not affect The Voice much for Jon but she owns it and it’s sooooo sexy it’s fucking insane bonkers gorgeous. Martin has written no less than four poems about it (finding one of these in s2 may or may not have greatly softened Jon’s opinion of Martin)

Jon is hit a bit harder by concerns about her appearance after the coma, bc her head got shaved (goodbye beautiful gender-affirming hair) and she’s lost a lot of the weight that defined her figure. She gets angry at herself for even caring and it snowballs into her snapping at Martin at some point, but Martin, who’s Been There w body issues, reassures her as much as they can and takes her on a very nice trip down to Aberdeen to get some clothes other than Basira’s old athleisure wear. and after several hours of Jon being stared at starry-eyed by Martin and being told with soft awe “yeah you look incredible in that” like 500 times, she feels a lot better

anyway jonmartin rights in every universe forever i love them sm. also i love you women i love you butches i’m frankly feeling a bit insane abt it all right now

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Gotta say your au mixed with the art style and such and amazing work in what we seen so far with the horror and some laughs it's just become a treat every time I saw new details (whenever you supplies them up, thanks for that)

I know you already disclosure that it's gonna be bad BAD TIMES for the puppets gang but does it have it's soft ad fluff times??

The shot were Frank ask Wally if they're dying will looking up for the ceiling hasn't leave my brain, such a raw emotional clear on them, I wonder when they were just the two of them for a while they cuddle or hold hands for comfort??

I just.i just want them to have small victories of comfort

of course it has fluff and comfort! a lot of it! having a nice blend of both makes the fluff feel sweeter & the hurt hit all the harder <3 i will now supply some (written (for now)) examples and tidbits. putting it under the cut cause it got kinda Long

Frank & Wally do become very affectionate with each other! ofc as soon as Frank woke Wally was like "ok im holding your hand everywhere we go, this is Non Negotiable". because its dark! he doesn't want Frank to stray too far or get lost! and it's easier to yank Frank outta harm's way if they're already holding hands. comfort factors into it later, when Frank starts initiating & Wally does it purely to make sure Frank is still there. but yeah they get Very comfortable with each other, to the point where when Eddie wakes up he asks Frank - misinterpreting the situation entirely - "if you'd rather have Wally than me, i understand." ofc Frank laughs his ass off bc uhhh no that is Not what their relationship is, Ed

~ similarly, (almost) everyone acclimates to Wally's need to be as close as possible at all feasible times. he's Very physically affectionate and has little to no regard for personal space or boundaries anymore. like, he'll listen when someone asks him to back off or somethn, but until then he does not give a fuck. and this rubs off on the others as they get used to it

and then there's OH WAIT IDK IF I'VE MENTIONED THIS YET but! Wally - during his main exploration phase - found the Welcome Home episode recordings! and he eventually figured out how to work a tv he found, so he added "watch an episode of me and my friends" into his Routine. when the others wake up, he includes them in this. is it horrifying for them at first? yeah. but they get used to it and find similar if not the same comfort and enjoyment in it that Wally does. like in This Scribble, Frank & Wally & Poppy & Howdy are all watching an episode, and are quoting the lines they've memorized. they all cuddle up on a couch together and watch their favorite show <3

& Wally also teaches them (as they wake up) how to repair and care for themselves / each other, sleeping or otherwise. picture a little sewing circle of Frank, Wally, and Poppy, with Poppy giving tips and guidance on how to improve. these sessions provide them with genuine smiles and sometimes even some laughs.

before Wally & Home's divorce, they'd pass much of the time with games! go-fish, charades, i spy, etc. one of their favorites was when Wally would toss a ball at Home's door, and Home would hit it back. additionally, whenever Wally discovered something new, he'd rush back to Home with it - either the information or the actual thing, if he could carry it. ex: when he'd find books or files, he'd bring them to Home and (quietly) read them aloud while resting against them

and just in general know that the Post Office is a place of safety. Wally has made sure it's secure. i like to imagine like... little craft sessions and impromptu dancing lessons and story sharing going on in there among the awake neighbors. they try to have fun despite it all

that's all i can recall for Act One's fluff tidbits rn, but trust me there is More. and also abundant angsty comfort. the downright painful stuff has to earn its existence yk yk this au is Not grimdark

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Hello ! I'm fairly new to the fandom: a friend of mine advised me to watch the original series before watching the live action (I'm not American and I had never heard about ATLA before that).

So I wasn't there when the fandom seemed to be torn by the ship wars, like two decades ago. I keep seeing Zutara's fans claiming that their ship was the original endgame except that there's no evidence in the show (at least with my "virgin Atla eyes") and all I can see are interviews of the creators/showrunners saying that Kataang was the endgame all along.

I guess my question is this : is there an actual interview of them entertaining the idea of Zutara at the time (even just to shipbait) ? Because I've been in several fandoms where creators/writers would do that just to keep the audience interested (*cough* Riverdale - yeah you can judge me...).

You say that Nickelodeon promoted the ship wars. In what form ?

That was a long ask. Thanks for reading me!

Okay, so here's what you need to know to fully understand that mess: back when the show was first airing, lots of zutara fans had fully convinced themselves that either the story was going to be changed to make their ship canon (because "it's more popular than Kataang") or that Zutara was TOTALLY planned to be the endgame from day one and that's why some many people liked in the first place (because "there's no way this is all in our heads" - spoiler, it was).

And this wasn't a case of fans simply disagreeing on theories about how the show was going to end - lots of people were being AWFUL to each other on fandom spaces, and the behavior was not exclusive to zutara or even just the other non-canon ships. Everyone was calling anyone who disagreed with their takes stupid and bragging ahead of time of how THEIR ship was going to be canon instead. And because the internet was not at all as inescapable as it is today and information was much harder to verify, some people were making "100% legit claims" that their parents or uncle or cousin or whoever worked on Nickelodeon and had fully confirmed Zutara would indeed be a thing.

Nickelodeon, being the shameless corporation that it is, realized that ship wars could mean A LOT of money because people would keep watching if they thought there was any chance of their ship becoming endgame. So, whenever there was an episode in which Zuko and Katara would interact, they made sure to not only include it in the promo for the episode, they'd describe it as "sharing a special moment" or "growing closer" even when that was not what was going to happen in the episode itself. They didn't do that just with Avatar either, and would spend years pulling simmilar things with the hit shows ICarly and Victorious, both of which had ship wars too. In hindsight (and even back then if we simply compare the promos to the episodes) it's obvious that Nick's promos should not have been taken seriously, but Zutara fans latched onto them as "proof" anyway (and some Nick exec laughed all the way to the bank).

But then the finale happened, Kataang and Maiko were endgame, and Zuko and Katara were never even stated to be interested in each other like that. The ship just wasn't a factor in the story - much like Kataang and Maiko fans had said it wouldn't be, because it was obvious what the writers were actually going for.

So, instead of admiting they let their enjoyment of a fanon ship get a little out of hand and that, even though they had every right to like it, it simply never had any chance of being canon and they shouldn't have insisted otherwise when the truth was so clear, they went for a different approach: just double-down on the lie that they had inside knowledge about the show's writting and production, and make up a whole conspiracy about how the lead writer and "true creator" Aaron Ehasz and everybody else had been building up to Zutara from day one, but then Bryan and Michael or "Bryke", the evil showrunners, meddled at the last second and forced them to change everything.

They also claimed there were things like a "deleted" scene in the finale, with Iroh saying Katara would be perfect for Zuko, or with a kiss between the characters, or Katara telling Aang she loved someone else, ya know, all kinds of copes. Nickelodeon made it worse by airing some "fun production facts" during re-runs, plenty of which were obviously fake - but one mentioned "Zuko was going to be Katara's original love interest" so plenty of people were willing to pretend it was all 100% legitimate. And the icing on the cake was an "interview" in which Ehasz supposedly confirmed all of the conspiracies, "proving" zutara fans had always been right about everything and it's the Kataang and Maiko fans that were lying to themselves.

Unfortunatelly for these people, pretty much EVERYONE has a social media presence nowadays, and it's really easy to not only get in contact with writers and producers of the shows we like, but to also PROVE that what you're telling everyone is indeed what that person said.

And there's tons of videos and screenshots of everyone involved in writting and producing the show saying, including the ones that like Zutara, saying KATAANG was the planned endgame from the start, and Aaron Ehasz has repeatedly said that the supposed "interview" in which he validates the zutara endgame conspiracy and "calls out" Bryke is completely fake, and he's happy MAI got to live happily ever after with Zuko.

Finally, we got access to "the series bible", aka the original plans for the show, and we got to see everything that was cut or changed: Uncle Iroh was originally going to be a twist villain that would betray Zuko, Azula was still going to be a prodigy and Ozai's favorite child but she'd be Zuko's older brother instead of his younger sister, and there was a cut love triangle between Aang, Katara... and TOPH, who was going to be a super buff dude, much like we see in Ember Island Players and in the opening sequence of every episode because yes, they had already designed that character AND started book 1 when decided "Wouldn't a blind girl that looks delicate but can wreck people's shit be more interesting than this generic guy?"

But even now that disproving this Zutara endgame conspiracy is easier than ever because we can just ask the people who made the show, some people continue insisting that all these writers and producers, again some of which DO like Zutara, are lying for no reason - or because "Bryke is forcing them to hide it all."

They're just desperately trying to save face and pretend that they didn't spend over a decade lying to themselves and their buddies, and sometimes using this conspiracy to justify bullying, threatening and doxxing people.

It's VERY sad.

[id0what1want]

What would Cereza’s Pokemon battle quotes be? Things like victory, defeat, their Pokemon landing a super effective hit, their Pokemon taking a super effective hit, Pokemon on low HP, Pokemon fainting, low HP victory, stuff like that?

I LOVE THIS LITERALLY SO MUCH THANK YOU FOR ASKING

The very first one that comes to mind is one I've had that triggers when her Glimmora's Toxic Debris activates

Cereza giggles (in like a smug smirking way) and says "That's gonna sting-!"

Her victory line would likely depend on the situation, though her default would likely be her stretching then jumping up and down "Freaky cool! That was a blast, hell yeah!" and pumping her fist in the air, that or leaning forward with her signature freaky grin with a line along the lines of "Your *insert lead pokemon* was wicked! You gotta tell me how you're training a gem like that-" (She's very talkative lmao)

Her defeat line would involve her getting annoyed, her lip would twitch into a frown before laughing it off (almost wrly) and rubbing the back of her neck. Her eyes get a little sharper and her smile is lopsided (though it doesn't seem all the way genuine) as she says "Those are good partners you've got! There's a strong bond between you guys for real..." that or the starry look in her eyes shatters and she takes a step back, returning her pokemon and looking to her pokemon before her opponent. Her lip tugs down into a frown as her eyes crinkle, she grits her teeth. "I'll do better for you guys next time, I swear it." (She prioritizes Pokemon over the trainer) I feel like if she gets a supereffective hit her dialogue is specific to each Pokemon, I'll elaborate on that in the eventual Pokemon team rundown post!!

If her Pokemon were to take a supereffective hit she would wince but hold her grin (sometimes grimace if it drops her pokemon to red all at once) "It'll take more than that to keep me down." Her smirk would widen or her grimace would darken depending on the previously mentioned context.

Pokemon on low HP would be similar to supereffective hit. She runs a hand through her hair, brushing her hair away from her face momentarily as her eyes close, as if thinking. She taps her foot (a habit I hc Kieran picked up from her!!) as she says her line. "You know backing a wild Pokemon into a corner only makes it bite harder, right?"

Pokemon fainting would include her returning her Pokemon to its ball then her nodding at the ball as she send out her next Pokemon. "Hope you aren't under the impression that you've got me on the ropes." She cracks a wide grin as she sends out her next Pokemon. MOST OF HER VICTORIES ARE LOW HP LMAO She'd likely get super starry eyed and pumped and have an animation with the one or two Pokemon that were on the field where she shows them affection or hugs them in some way. I'll try to remember to include each individual reaction in the post with all her pokemon. Extra!!: She smiles and grins her freaky little grin more around Kieran as an idle animation. If Kieran is in his emo phase, she'll glance at him for a few seconds and her pupils dilate a bit if you squint

Her intro animation involves her trying to 'spook' the camera with a pose similar to the ghost z-move pose, with her hands like claws and her freaky little grin (she just leans into it at this point) THIS WAS SERIOUSLY AN AMAZING ASK If you have any other questions, headcanons, ideas, etc don't hesitate to ask!

✨do whatever you want forever✨

~ Cytoplasm

[fitgothgirl]

Hiii look at me making a post! Haven't been super talkative here lately and hardly ever share my workout pics. Here's the one I just finished - I've never seen the t-rex before?? Fuck yeah. 🦖

Things are going pretty well. Since October I've still been successfully slowly cutting back on weed. I'm at the point now where I'm smoking a bowl per evening, if that. I have it locked up in my kSafe until 8pm each day. Soon I'll be updating the rule to 10pm, and after that I'll start smoking every other day, and so on. Me from six months ago smoking all day everyday would not believe I'm at this point! I'm proud. 😁 January 15th is the day I start my official break, two weeks before we leave for Costa Rica, so I'll be sure I won't be withdrawing by then. And when we come back I'm going to keep the break going to hit 8 weeks. Not quitting weed forever but I don't want to come back to the all day everyday shit... Not even daily either. Sounds crazy to me, probably sounds normal to most others though I'm sure lol.

Weight loss has slowed a bit but that's expected now that I'm smaller and I'm like a friggen solitary pound above having a normal BMI lol. Also ever since daylight savings ended, things have been harder to do and I've been feeling more blah. Story of everyone's life I'm sure... So considering all that, I'm still doing really well! No guilt or bad feelings about slowing weight loss or slightly less frequent workouts; no need to rush. At this point I've lost 29lbs/13.2kg total, 19lbs/8.6kg of which have been since late July.

I've also noticed visible muscle! The way my shoulder meets my trap when I flex is more defined, I have more biceps, I can often see my quads, my calf muscle has become an obstacle while shaving lol, etc. Loving it. 💪🏼

An NSV includes wearing more of my women's t-shirts; 95% of my t-shirts are men's shirts (band shirts and Blackcraft lol) since they're more comfy and I often don't like how women's t-shirts fit (depending on how they're cut; women's clothes have zero consistency). But I do have some women's t-shirts and I'm wearing them more again since they fit much better and I'm more confident (my skyrocketing confidence is another NSV!). And another NSV is needing a new belt, and soon here I'm going to need new pants! 😅

Therapy has been helping with all this too of course; I love my therapist. 🖤 She keeps things in perspective and makes sure to hype me up about how awesome I'm doing and tell me to be proud of myself. And since I'm doing so well, she makes sure that I give myself grace when I'm feeling more in a lull. Since things have been harder since DST, I've gotten a bit down or at least worried that I don't want to go back to how I was (health-wise, weed-wise, etc.), but we had a good pep talk yesterday. I'm not even regressing, just slowed down a bit. But who doesn't slow down this time of year...

Anyway, not sure what else to update since it's been a while lol. Had friendsgiving on Thanksgiving weekend, went to Vegas for my bf's work Christmas party a couple weekends ago... Last concert was Psyclon Nine in mid-November (pretty sure that's where I got a cold that emerged a few days later... Either that or an Addams Family musical we went to the next night. But all better now!). And I can't believe I'm saying this but I don't think we have another concert planned until ✝️✝️✝️ (Crosses) in friggen March. So uncharacteristic for us lol. I'm sure we can find something if we want, or I've also been wanting to hit up a Death Guild since it's been a minute for that too. Nothing else too crazy going on, our calendar's been a bit quieter than it has been in years past. But it's kinda nice haha. 😅

[sunflowerscottie]

Sponge bath, Claire is Verbal edition (which is uhhh edited but still less edited than the Claire is Nonverbal edition, which can be found here) under the cut. Enjoy!

(Please note that this isn’t smut. There is no smut. If you go in expecting anything to go anywhere, you will be disappointed! There is swearing because this is Resident Evil, but there is only a lot of pining and repressing desires because I’m a lesbian and that’s all I know how to write, apparently. Once again the Claire is Nonverbal edition, which is closer to canon, is here. It is also Not Smut! Thanks!)

The attack had left Alice winded. She was still getting used to that, the perceived weakness that came from being totally and fully human again. The attacker lay on the ground before her now. They weren’t undead, that much was for sure. The attack had been, well, not coordinated, but too coordinated for that. Alice nudged them over, careful not to get too close in case they were playing dead. Then her jaw dropped, lips parting in a soft gasp.

Claire?

***

Alice watched Claire warily from other other side of the fire. Night had fallen and it cast flickering shadows over everything, including the other woman’s face, which matched Alice for wariness. It had hurt, Alice had to admit, when Claire hadn’t recognized her. A lot more than she had expected it to hurt, too. She grimaced and shifted her weight, muscles twinging where Claire had gotten some good hits in despite the clumsiness of her attack. If Claire had been fully cognizant her attack—well, she probably wouldn’t have attacked Alice to begin with, unless it was out of frustration at Alice having been gone so long—would have been a lot more effective. Alice probably wouldn’t have made it out relatively unscathed.

“Hey,” Claire’s low voice came from across the fire. She still sounded wary.

Alice looked at her and arched an eyebrow. “Hey,” she replied.

“Any way I could convince you to untie me so I can clean up a bit?” she asked and tugged on the rope that anchored her to the defunct airplane Alice had made camp beside. “My skin is crawling.”

Alice tilted her head to the side, considering. Claire was filthy, there really was no other way to put it. Dirt coated every inch of her. It was caked onto her clothing—which had held up surprisingly well considering she’d been out there for only God knew how long—and into her hair. And there was the smell, which Alice was decidedly not going to mention, but which, if Claire’s wrinkled nose was any indication, Claire had clearly noticed. Then Alice evaluated Claire’s expression, which at first glance looked gently pleading but upon further inspection had an air of calculation to it.

“No,” Alice responded.

“Seriously?” Claire exclaimed, yanking harder on the ropes.

Alice arched her eyebrow and nodded her head in the direction of Claire’s efforts. “See?”

Claire huffed out a hard breath and cast her eyes to the night sky as she stopped tugging on the ropes. She inhaled and her chest expanded with the effort. “Okay. I’m calm.”

Alice snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, real calm.”

The glare Claire shot her could have killed a man. Thankfully, Alice wasn’t a man. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll compromise,” Alice said, pushing herself to her feet. She really did feel bad about leaving Claire in her current state.

“Wait, where are you going?!” Claire shouted after her, tugging desperately at the ropes again. Alice winced and tried not to think about the state of the other woman’s wrists from all of the pulling. “Are you seriously going to leave me like this?!” And then, after Alice’s continued silence, a slightly softer “Fuck!”

Truthfully, Alice did not want to leave Claire alone like that, but if there were any undead in the area, they would have shown up by then, and Alice wasn’t going to be gone very long anyway. She’d picked up the metal bucket from beside the fire, and there was a stream leading to the ocean, she’d seen it on her initial walk to the shore. She walked there at a quick clip and filled the bucket with fresh water before hurrying back to the campsite, where Claire had subsided into a sulk.

Claire immediately tensed when Alice entered the campsite, scrambling to push herself upright against the plane again. Alice stopped at the edge of the ring of firelight and peered at her with concern. “You didn’t forget me again, did you?”

“Ha ha,” Claire said, watching Alice’s every move.

Alice shrugged as she set the bucket up over the fire to let the water warm. She sat back down to wait. “It was a genuine question,” she said. “And clearly the answer is no.”

“What’s that?” Claire asked, nodding her head to the bucket.

“Water,” Alice replied, biting off a piece of jerky. “You said you wanted to get cleaned up, so.” Alice waved a rag in front of her.

Claire jerked her chin up at her wrists. “And how, exactly, do you expect me to get clean while tied up like this?” she asked.

“Well, if you let me, I can get you at least partially there,” Alice said. “It might not be as clean as you like, but it’s better than nothing.”

Claire froze, eyes flicking from the rag to Alice. “Are you joking?”

“No.”

“Like, a sponge bath?” Claire asked incredulously.

“Well, a rag bath, but sure.”

“No.”

Alice shrugged. “Okay, then stay dirty, what do I care.” Which was a bluff. She hated seeing Claire like this, uncomfortable and afraid. She could remedy one of those things, but she also couldn’t risk untying Claire and having her run off again. Not when Alice had just found her and especially not in Claire’s current state.

Claire’s chest rose and fell as her breathing quickened and Alice remembered why it had been so hard to let the convoy go on without her. Alice shook her head just slightly to clear it.

“Okay fine,” Claire said, shaking Alice back to the present.

“What?” Alice asked, surprised and suddenly nervous.

“I said okay,” Claire said, rolling her shoulders and shuddering. “I feel inhuman, so just, sure. Okay?”

Alice blinked. She honestly hadn’t expected Claire to agree to what she offered. “Okay,” Alice said, clearing her throat. “The water’s probably getting warm enough by now anyway.”

Claire nodded. “Right, sure.” Alice couldn’t be sure but she thought she saw a blush start to creep across Claire’s freckled cheeks.

The water was just on the warmer side of cool, so Alice went ahead and dipped the rag into it but left the bucket hanging over the fire so that the rest would continue to warm. Claire hissed a little when the rag met her skin, but Alice was gentle as she wiped the dirt from Claire’s face. At first it only smeared, and Alice was forced to wring some of the water from the rag so that it could actually scrape away the layers.

“This would be better with a scrub brush,” Alice murmured as she cleared the grime from Claire’s hairline and gently wiped over her eyebrows and around her eyes.

“Or you could just let me do it myself,” Claire said pointedly, her eyes fluttering shut when the rag got close. They opened again just as quickly, as if she was afraid to let Alice out of her sight.

Alice couldn’t blame her really. If their positions had been switched, Alice wasn’t sure she would let Claire get so close to her. For a brief moment, Alice wondered if she should have secured Claire’s legs before attempting this, but then she decided it would have worked against building Claire’s trust. It worked both ways after all, and hopefully Claire realized that the less she fought, the more likely it was that Alice would release her. Alice wiped along the edge of Claire’s jawline and down the side of her neck. Claire shuddered, and Alice pulled away quickly. Now it was Alice’s turn to blush, which she hid by turning back to the fire and dipping the rag into the increasingly warm but also increasingly dirty water.

“What about my clothes?” Claire bit out, as Alice resumed cleaning her neck, lifting her heavy red hair out of the way. Alice had been considering Claire’s matted, dirty hair when Claire spoke and froze, mind sputtering to a halt at the other woman’s question.

“What about your clothes?” Alice asked, dropping Claire’s hair and grimacing at the dirt that fell from it when she did.

“They’re disgusting,” Claire said. “What’s the point of getting me clean if you’re just going to leave me in them?”

Alice pressed her eyes shut, Claire couldn’t see her, so there was no need to hide the expression. “I’ll see what I can find,” she said.

“Are you going to dress me, too?”

It was Claire’s taunting tone that did it. Alice stepped around and then dropped so that she was crouched in front of Claire. “Do you want me to?” she asked.

Claire’s lips parted in surprise and she kicked out so that she was pressed back against the plane. Guilt and regret flashed through Alice at her intimidation tactic, but then she caught sight of something else in Claire’s eyes. Some expression that wasn’t fear. It was closer to excitement. Alice kept her face carefully neutral.

“I could just dump this water on you and let it do all the work on both you and your clothes,” Alice pointed out, amusement creeping into her naturally rough voice. She raised her eyebrows at Claire’s affronted expression.

“I’d freeze,” Claire snapped. And she had a point, outside the range of the fire, and honestly within it as well, the Alaskan night had well and truly set in.

“Then maybe we should leave it until the sun’s up,” Alice suggested, stepping away again.

Claire looked like she was going to protest, but then she shivered. Alice waited patiently for Claire to make a decision. Then, finally, Claire exhaled. “When the sun’s up,” she agreed, much to Alice’s surprise.

“Okay then,” Alice said, and she took the bucket off of the fire.

Claire’s position tied up to the wing of the plane couldn’t have been comfortable, not with her arms raised above her head the way they were. Alice considered the other woman, then, before Claire had a chance to react, Alice untied the part of the rope holding Claire’s wrists to the plane. Alice held it and looked at Claire, blue eyes meeting hazel.

“If I leave you untied from the plane,” Alice began, her eyes still searching Claire’s, “are you going to run in the middle of the night?”

Claire’s eyes narrowed just enough that Alice sighed and sat back. “Right, okay then,” Alice said, tying the rope to the plane’s landing gear. “At least you’ll be able to lie down now.”

There was a grunt when Alice turned away as Claire tested the new knots only to find them just as strong. A loud exhalation came from behind her and then Claire’s low voice called out, “Seriously? I didn’t even answer you!”

Alice laughed and turned back to Claire as she settled down on the other side of the dimming fire. “And what would your answer have been?” Alice asked, raising her eyebrows as she lay down on her side. As Claire opened her mouth, Alice spoke again. “Your honest answer.”

Claire closed her mouth again, fuming.

“Right. See you in the morning then,” Alice said, rolling onto her back.

There was an inaudible grumble and then, finally, silence.

***

Alice and Claire faced each other from opposite sides of the fire that Alice had revived soon after sunrise. Alice was staring at Claire with neutral blue eyes while Claire’s hazel eyes burned with frustration. “I don’t trust you not to run off,” Alice repeated. Between them, the bucket sat above the fire, water beginning to steam.

The muscle in Claire’s jaw was bunched. Her clean jaw, Alice felt like pointing out but didn’t. The redhead shook a dirty length of hair away from her face.

“Look, it’s cold, but we’re blocked here from the wind and I found clothes in one of the planes that should fit you,” Alice said. “I’ll untie you for long enough for you to get undressed, but that’s it. I can untie you again when we’re done so that you can put on the clean clothes.”

“This is ridiculous,” Claire bit out. Which wasn’t a no, Alice considered. “Fine.” Claire pulled at her wrists. “Let’s get this over with. For what it’s worth,” Claire said suddenly, something unreadable flashing in her eyes as she became very focused on Alice, “I won’t try to run.”

Alice blinked in surprise, but then she held Claire’s eyes and, after a moment, nodded. “Okay,” she said and saw Claire’s eyes widen ever so slightly.

The knot securing Claire to the plane came undone quickly under Alice’s deft fingers and the knot holding Claire’s wrists together met the same fate. Freed, Claire rubbed her hands over her raw wrists, wincing when her fingers brushed over broken skin. A hand clamped down on hers, and Claire looked up, startled to find Alice standing close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from the other woman.

“Stop, don’t. You’ll get the wounds dirty.”

Claire dropped her hands to her sides, feeling exposed. “Sorry.”

Alice shook her head. “Don’t apologize, we’ll clean them,” she said. Then she placed the bucket of water, now properly warm, beside Claire along with the rag. For a moment, Alice considered the rope, then she tucked it through one of her belt loops, leaving Claire free. “Strip. I won’t look.”

“Then how will you know if I run?” Claire asked. There was a teasing edge to her voice, but it was hiding her surprise.

“I won’t,” Alice replied, and she turned away leaving Claire feeling unmoored.

Alice’s heart was pounding, but somehow she didn’t think Claire could run. Besides, even if she did, Alice could catch her again. The lanky woman was quicker than the stocky redhead. Not by a lot, but by enough. The sound of clothes rustling and hitting the ground followed by a sharp gasp brought Alice back to the present.

“What?” Alice asked, half-turning before she could stop herself. She hadn’t made it far enough to see anything, just enough to let Claire know that she was paying attention.

“It’s fucking cold, that’s what,” came the response, and Alice chuckled before fully turning away again.

“It’s Alaska,” Alice replied. “The water’s hot.”

The aforementioned water splashed and there was the wet sound of scrubbing. Alice shifted her weight awkwardly, her back still turned. The longer she stood there, heat licking her cheeks, the more she thought that maybe she should’ve tied one of Claire’s hands to the plane again. All she had was Claire’s word, after all, and while that had meant a lot to the Claire that Alice used to know, there was no telling if that was the same Claire currently standing behind her with a hefty metal bucket within easy reach and no memory of their…their what?

It had been a friendship, Alice was fairly sure. The fast-developing friendship that came about in stressful life-or-death situations, but a friendship nonetheless. The heat in Alice’s cheeks grew. A friendship that, if Alice had read their interactions correctly, might have developed into something else if given a little more time and air to breath.

“Hey.”

Alice shook herself and half-turned again. “Yeah?”

There was a soft shuffling and then Claire cleared her throat. “I can’t reach my back,” she muttered so quickly that Alice almost missed it.

“I-what?”

A pause. “I can’t reach my back,” Claire said, enunciating each word so crisply that it sounded physically painful for her to say.

All of the breath whooshed out of Alice’s chest in a quiet exhalation. “Okay?” she said uncertainly, resisting the urge to turn around entirely to see what Claire wanted. As it was, she looked to the side, just a little over her shoulder.

“Will you help me?” Claire asked, each word carefully formed. “Please,” she added as a begrudging afterthought.

Alice’s skin warmed from her chest to the tips of her ears, and a long stream of curse words started up in her mind because she knew that she was pale enough for the flush to show. “Of course.”

“Thank you.” Claire’s low voice sounded grateful, but Alice didn’t know what her expression said because she was keeping her gaze resolutely downward.

The rag dripped water onto the ground as it hung limply in Claire’s hand. It was dirty. Alice took it and wrung it out over the ground before dunking it into the bucket of water. Dirt swirled over the surface, and the water had cooled so that it felt tepid against Alice’s skin. She watched her hand as it held the rag below the murky water. Then, mechanically, Alice lifted the rag and wrung it out again to get rid of the excess water.

Claire stood in front of her, every muscle in her back tense and waiting. The woman’s pale skin was bruised and caked with dirt, a lighter layer where her clothing had protect her from the worst of the elements. It was all bare now though. Alice swallowed and began to clean the dirt from Claire’s shoulder blades in light strokes.

When the rag touched Claire’s skin, she stiffened, hands fisting at her sides, but as Alice continued to clean her off, the redhead began to relax little by little. Every time a breeze snuck into their corner, Claire would tense again, a shiver wracking her body as the cold air came into contact with her damp skin. Alice shifted them—Claire yelping quietly in surprise and protest—so that they were farther from the plane and closer to the fire and the warmth it provided. Claire shuddered, melting a little in the warmer air.

The muscles in Claire’s back were knotted and tense and after only a moment’s hesitation, Alice kneaded into them, pressing as she continued to wipe away the grime. A low groan escaped from Claire and Alice felt it in the lower part of her abdomen, coiling there. Alice clenched her jaw but continued, hands shaking slightly as each press of the massage drew forth another sound from Claire’s lips. The redhead arched her back toward Alice like a cat, though whether or not she was conscious of it, Alice couldn’t say.

Once Claire’s back was clean, Alice let her hands drift down Claire’s sides to her waist under the pretense of cleaning what little dirt remained there. There was hardly any left though. The only way Claire was getting any cleaner was with a bar of soap while fully submerged, and that wasn’t currently an option. Alice swiped the rag over the lower part of Claire’s back, tracing the divots in her back just above her ass. The redhead shivered, and there was a quiet crushing sound as Claire’s toes curled into the dirt. Alice dunked the rag again, but there really wasn’t anything more to do. She brushed the rag along the tops of Claire’s shoulders and right up along the back of her neck to her hairline.

“Thank you,” Claire said after they’d been quiet for a while.

Alice blinked. She’d been so focused on only looking at Claire respectfully. “For?” Alice asked, dunking the rag and then stroking it down Claire’s spine in little brushing touches, watching the water run down her back in rivulets.

Claire shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Helping me?” Claire suggested.

“With the bath?” Alice asked wryly, trying to pretend that she was completely fine with Claire Redfield standing naked in front of her.

Claire snorted. “That, too.” Then Claire’s voice grew pained. “I don’t remember what happened. I wish I could remember.”

Alice hesitated, then she placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder, and the other woman stiffened. Alice kept her hand there though, like a weight to anchor Claire. “Don’t push it,” she said, husky voice softening to a whisper. “It’ll come back. The important things. They’ll come back.”

“Know this from experience do you?” Claire asked with a humorless laugh.

Alice exhaled sharply. She was standing so close to Claire that she saw her breath shift Claire’s hair. “Something like that,” Alice said, refusing to prod at the void where the memories that hadn’t come back should have been.

“They’ll come back?” Claire asked, voice cracking in an uncharacteristic moment of vulnerability.

“Yes,” Alice said firmly.

“What were w–”

“What do you want to do about your hair?” Alice asked, taking it in her hands. She’d pushed it to the front of Claire’s shoulders to give her access to Claire’s back, but now it was the only part of her body that was still as dirty as it had been when Alice found her.

Claire glanced back at her, a flash of confusion and suspicion crossing her expression at Alice’s interruption, but then it was replaced by an expression of determination. “This,” she said simply.

Then Claire Redfield bent over, shoving her hips backward toward Alice, and dunked her entire head into the bucket. She reached forward and scrubbed her fingers through her hair, dislodging dirt and leaves built up from what had to have been months of feral living.

When Claire moved, Alice froze and then took a startled step backward as Claire’s ass moved dangerously close to her groin. Heat flashed through her, smothered with a self-reprimanding thought. Then it reduced to a smolder, a warmth that settled into the space between her legs. Which was, of course, exactly what she needed right then. Alice shifted, pressing her thighs together to try to get herself under control. C’mon, Abernathy.

There was a gasp as Claire finally came up for air, flipping her hair up out of the bucket. Alice flinched as droplets of water splattered across her, almost as effective as a cold shower. Then she reached over and grabbed a blanket, opening it to hold out to Claire. “Here,” Alice said, looking now that Claire’s body was blocked out by the blanket. “Don’t get dressed yet. Not until you’re dry. The last thing I need is you getting sick.”

“The things I would do for a hairbrush,” Claire muttered, wrapping the blanket around herself like a towel and running her fingers through her hair.

Alice raised an eyebrow and walked around the fire to reach into her bag. As Claire watched, Alice rummaged around and then whirled around, holding up her find. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Red,” Alice said, holding up a slightly battered hairbrush.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Claire said, reaching out eagerly.

Alice held it back, just out of reach, and Claire frowned. “I need to restrain you again,” Alice said apologetically. “Believe me, in your hands, this is a potential weapon.” Then, under her breath, “In your hands anything is a potential weapon.”

“I have a feeling the same can be said for you,” Claire said, raising her eyebrows. She held out her wrists, letting her elbows hold the blanket tight to her chest. Alice swallowed.

The skin on Claire’s wrists was still broken and raw, though clean, and Alice didn’t want to make that situation worse, so before she tied the rope around Claire’s wrists, she padded each one with strips that she tore off one of the thinner rescue blankets she found in one of the abandoned aircraft. Claire stood quietly and allowed it to happen, watching Alice’s face as Alice knotted the rope tightly, securing Claire’s wrists in front of her body.

“I’m surprised you let me do that,” Alice admitted, stepping back once she was done.

Claire tugged experimentally at the rope. “Well,” she replied, “I figure that you’re my best bet for surviving whatever I’ve gotten myself into. Plus, if you’re telling the truth, you know me. Also…” Claire trailed off, eyes searching Alice’s face with a slightly softer expression. “I don’t know. There’s just something…I think I trust you. Trusted you. Before this.” Claire cleared her throat and sat down on the ground close to the fire, shivering despite her blanket. “Goddamn, wet hair is cold,” she muttered. “You have the right idea.” She gestured to Alice’s dark brown jaw-length hair.

Alice reached up to touch the blunt ends of her own hair, no longer blonde from the desert sun. Then she picked up the brush and sat down behind Claire. Again, Alice felt the woman tense the moment Alice was out of her sight. Clearly, despite what she said, Claire didn’t trust Alice fully. That was probably a good thing. Alice would have been more worried if Claire had trusted her.

Claire hissed and yelped when the hairbrush almost immediately hit a snag and yanked at her scalp. There were so many knots. Ideally, Alice would have gone through with the end of a comb or something first, but as it was, she was lucky to have the brush, so she went through as carefully as she could in short strokes, working her way up from the ends of Claire’s hair and wincing when Claire made sounds of discomfort. The bucket of water, though now definitely dirty, helped. Alice dunked the brush when Claire’s hair started to get too dry to untangle, letting the water do some of the work. She wished she had conditioner or oil or something, but those were luxuries they hadn’t had in years.

Night was starting to fall by the time the brush was moving smoothly through Claire’s red hair. The parts of her scalp that Alice could see in the dimming light were angry and red from the brush’s abuse, but at least she wasn’t in danger of having to cut it all off. That would’ve been a shame. Thoughtlessly, Alice ran her fingers through the ends of Claire’s hair before she blushed, pulling her hand back as though she’d been burned. She cleared her throat and pushed herself to her feet. Claire half-twisted to watch her.

“We should get some sleep,” Alice said. Then she jerked her head at the plane’s landing gear. “C’mon. Let’s get you secured.”

Claire frowned, her eyebrows pushing together. “Are you kidding?” she asked, low voice rising in pitch and volume.

Alice raised an eyebrow. “As fond as I am of getting stabbed in my sleep,” she said, trailing off.

Claire let out a low sound that wasn’t quite a growl but got most of the way there. It was the only fight she put up as she let Alice tie her to the plane again. Alice loathed to move Claire, damp and naked as she was save for the blankets, further from the fire, so she let out a length of the rope. Claire blinked, surprised that she wouldn’t have to move, then she settled deeper into her blankets, closing her eyes. Then her eyes flew open again as Alice pulled the blanket partially over her head.

Alice jumped back, hands in the air. “Sorry,” she said, slowly lowering her hands again and taking another step away. “You just–Your hair is still wet. I don’t want you to get cold.” Her cheeks warmed and her blue eyes flicked away to find safety in the shadows around them.

Silence fell and Alice felt the weight of Claire’s gaze, looking back only when it didn’t let up. Claire was watching her, hazel eyes careful and considering. “Thank you,” Claire said only after Alice met her gaze.

Alice’s breath hitched in her chest and, like when she’d first met Claire, she found herself incapable of speech. Like then, she nodded without a word. They hadn’t slept together in the Nevada desert, merely side by side in the trucks, passed out in the front seats. Sometimes Alice wished they had, and that feeling translated to the odd emptiness she felt beside her as she curled into her blankets across the fire from Claire. However, now was not the time or the place. Not with Claire’s memory loss, and not when there wasn’t even a history there behind them. Alice wondered if it would be easier or harder if they had been together in the desert. She flexed her hands around the edge of her blanket and pressed her legs together, eyes slamming shut. A deep, ragged breath raced into her lungs.

“You okay?”

Alice’s eyes shot open again. “Hm?”

“I-” There was a pause. “Never mind.”

“Are you?” Alice asked, pushing herself up onto her elbows.

There was a shift in the pile of blankets as Claire shrugged. “Still a little cold. It’s my hair, I think. I’m fine.”

“You know,” Alice said after a moment, heart racing. “You never did say what you’d do for the hairbrush.”

Claire’s pile of blankets shifted again and the redhead’s pale face appeared in the flickering firelight. She held up her bound wrists. “Can’t do much like this,” she replied, raising her eyebrows. Alice sputtered and Claire laughed at her. Which felt…refreshingly normal. Almost like they were back in Nevada. Almost like Alice had never left.

Claire was going to be so angry when her memory came back.

[miss-tc-nova]

Angry S/O - Leona, Kalim, Jamil

Well, you voted, so this is what you got. 

I’m seeing a trend, not that I’m complaining. 

~~~~~ When You’re Angry

Leona:

Leona doesn’t always help when you’re angry.

To him, you’re cute—especially when you’re angry.

Sometimes he picks on you, mocking you for being so upset.

He draws the line at tears. If he causes them, he’s going to backtrack like hell. Probably even try to bribe you to stop.

If it’s not his fault your angry to the point of tears, someone will pay though. Assuming there is someone at fault.

Once he’s had his fun or pushed too many buttons, Leona will haul you off to Savanaclaw. Most of the students there are athletes anyway, so surely there’s a punching bag to help you blow off some steam because lining up other students for you to beat up is frowned upon.

He braces the bag, egging you on to “hit him harder!”

“C’mon kitten, I know you got more than that. Let him have it. Knock his teeth out.”

At some point, it turns into him showing you some of his dirty tricks top tips to winning a fight. Might even include a knife he’s got the funds to replace the bag anyway.

After the bag is properly flayed, Big Kitty may sneak you up to his room for a make out.

“You know how hot you are when you’re mad? Didn’t think so.”

 Kalim:

Otter is fully oblivious to your fury until you decline tea with him.

Yeah, that’s when it finally clicks for him.

He’s used to being nagged and told off while never taking any of it to heart, but when you show signs of not enjoying the little things you normally do, that’s when he knows there’s something wrong.

So oblivious but not.

Anyway, Kalim is a big pest when he’s trying to cheer you up. He’s genuinely trying his best to be helpful, he’s just not always good at it.

However, he’s persistent so, at some point, you inevitably give in to his whims.

The young man drags you off to the Scarabia Dorm to show you his magic carpet. Of course you’re not just going to see the magical artifact and not ride it.

“This is gonna make you feel a thousand times better. Just trust me.”

The sky, whether day or night, is beautiful. More importantly, it’s empty. Far away from the dorm, high above the ground, Kalim just starts yelling at the top of his lungs. It takes some poking and prodding, but he gets you to join him—yelling about your frustrations and just generally expending all that pent up negative energy.

It’s surprisingly exhausting.

It’ll eventually end with the two you, flat on your backs, staring into endless sky as you float along. You feel significantly better, just as promised, laughing with him about stress that seems so far away now.

“Haha. You’re scary when you’re mad. But that’s okay, I’ll bring you out here whenever you want.”

 Jamil:

Snake is much more perceptive than Otter.

He generally tries to keep tabs on your frustration levels as they progress, offering small gestures and words of support as the day goes.

Unfortunately, due to so many tasks on his plate, he may wait a bit too long before intervening.

In the instant he notices you starting to reach your limit, though, he makes a show of stopping whatever he’s doing. It’s a bit jarring which is the point. Books close suddenly, his bag is flung onto the table with supplies stuffed inside, he’s done with whatever he was doing and he’s got you by the hand as he leads you back to the Scarabia Dorm.

You end up being pushed into his room but he closes the door after, leaving you there with little explanation.

When he returns, however, it’s with a tray. There are two cups, a steaming pot of tea, and perhaps a sweet or two.

Jamil ushers you onto the bed, sitting across from you, and placing the tray in between.

“I know you’re upset. So come on. Let’s hear it.”

So, in the privacy of his room, you vent, while Jamil genuinely listens to your strife. He presses when he knows you’re holding back and makes remarks so you know he’s paying attention. He’ll even add his own sass about whatever asshole is giving you grief if there is one.

But talking helps. Talking about your troubles turns into talking about school which turns into talking about absolutely anything. Lying on the bed, you spend hours blathering nonsense together, which is something he probably needs now and then too.

“I hope you know you’re helping me with dinner tonight. No? Would you rather babysit Kalim then? Fine. Probably best not to give you a knife when you’re angry anyway.”

[mashithamel]

Full spoilery thoughts on S2E2 below the cut

- I feel confident the guard checking Rand’s pass is the same guy who sees him every single day, and still asks to see it every single time

- I love how the couple passing Rand make sure to step quite to the side to avoid brushing into a poor. And how they don’t need to spell out the sharp divide between the Foregate people and the wealthy inside the walls, they just show it.

- I was definitely hoping we’d get the opening credits for the second episode. Please let them come back eventually?

- I do like how both Lan and Moiraine look like death warmed over. Last season skipped the fatigue of Healing, but they use it well. Neither of them is feeling good enough to even pretend to hide how pissed they are at each other.

- Do we think we’ll get more on Adeleas not wearing her Ajah’s colors? Like, is she just an eccentric, or is it just because she’s semi-retired, or because she’s at home and she’s damn well going to wear what she wants at her own house (or Verin’s house)? I wonder how that will be reflected in how Egwene and the Wondergirls ultimately dress. Elayne will have to be in red eventually.

- “You’re in luck. My sister and I have decided to accompany you.” Love Moiraine’s face there.

- “Have Tomas ready my horse. You’re still weak from the Healing. I don’t want my saddle to slip.” Yes, Moiraine. Make sure any sign of sympathy or kindness gets followed up by a serious jab at his honor. That will help you get rid of him faster.

- Yeah, Perrin with a sword just feels weird.

- For Nil on Twitter, I am happy Ingtar has an owl on his breastplate.

- I seriously love that they include this scene from the books (complete with flies on the table afterward!!) and use it to help show how Perrin’s senses will work. Again, such a good translation for a visual media. I was wondering how they would do it, and this works so well.

- I feel like Elyas is going to be a lot more helpful for Perrin’s development than he was in the books. For someone who should have been a mentor and teacher, he really didn’t do a whole lot for him.

- Honestly, Perrin, how on earth could Fain have done that to a Fade? For that matter, how did he do it? It’s not really clear how he could overpower and torture an awake Fade in the books. Perhaps we’ll get a chance to see some power or enhanced strength from him later in the season?

- Love how they use a unique character so efficiently with Errol. Aiel War. Yep, Rand still looks like Aiel even with his head shaved. More of Rand’s compassion and kindness (like Mat in season 1 we need to make rhat clear so later characterization will hit harder). Sword forms! PTSD.

- I have to admit, I really did not catch on to the fact that Errol was actually teaching Rand sword forms. Dunno, in my line of work crazy old people are not in great shape to be showing real physicial stuff. But I’m glad to see it. It’s more Rand seeing beyond the surface to the value and dignity of a human being others will easily overlook. And I really like how Rand is using his time here well. It feels very much like TSR Rand, who is trying to use every single moment available to him to learn something, so much better than the Rand of TGH who is really just trying to run away, or TDR Rand who is not really avoiding the crazy…

- Is the type of cloth for Errol’s bathrobe anachronistic?

- Sword forms!!!

- Oh, showing Nynaeve Healing is so smart. And we’ve already established that breakbone fever is usually lethal. Do we think Nynaeve actually healed Egwene, without realizing?

- Someone pointed out that crimsonthorne is what killed Adeleas. It’s like they read the books!

- In my head this unnamed Accepted is Theodrin. She’s so kind to Nynaeve in the books. This Accepted is just giving me her same energy.

- “Men who can channel are not a disease.” I so look forward to Nynaeve being able to intentionally heal. I am really so envious of the ability to Heal, I want it as much as Nynaeve does.

- I like this look at Liandrin’s reason. She wants to change the course of history itself.

- Aes Sedai live for centuries! I seriously thought they were going to leave that out! But this episode really plays into the tragedy of outliving your loved ones.

- Donal really understands Mat.

- I love his mimicking her actions locking the door

- I have never loved Elayne. She never did anything for me, and by the end of the books was my third least favorite. But I adore Ceras’ Elayne and I am ready to be her new best friend too. Spoiled (by which I mean the kind a child who is loved well by their parents but grew up in priviledge), sheltered princess, but kind and lovely, and not ignorant. She had me with “You’re my…subject?”

- Cadsuane!!!

- Sheriam’s reaction to Ivohn speaking in an Aes Sedai meeting is so good. Nynaeve in the books sometimes gets looked at askance for “letting” Lan speak up—this is a nice soft change from the book, which also makes us like Alanna more. Is she going to betray us? Rafe, you are going to break my heart.

- Love the Warders being worried about Nynaeve. I so love that she has friends in this turning.

- Sheriam’s internal monologue while Alanna talks about the Last Battle coming must be so great. “Blood and ashes. This was supposed to be about gaining power and advancing, not the bloody actual last Last Battle in my life time. Goat kissing—“

- I do really like how Alanna and her Warders act as a team. It’s a nice juxtaposition against Lan and Moiraine, especially this season.

- Does Nynaeve’s tracking ability work in a big city? Is that how she follows Liandrin?

- Lionfish!

- Why would the first plate be on the house? That seems like a bad business practice for a small village

- Someone pointed out Moiraine’s dagger may be the same one she killed a Darkfriend with in NS.

- Why does Verin think it would only be one of the boys? Oh. Because those were the ones who didn’t come back. She knows the girls are in the Tower. She is really knowledgeable for someone who lives in retreat.

- “Either of those things may one day be necessary.” I love how this series (both book and show) get into the gray areas.

- “Oaths have loopholes.” And later, when reminded Aes Sedai cannot lie, Moiraine says “we were never equals.” Loopholes indeed!

- Tomen Head! Battles in the sky! A sword of flame! A branded hand!

- Trolloc puppet! And it really doesn’t look like a Trolloc!

- I like how it seems Rand is just getting justice for Errol. But we learn later he has additional motives, that gets him closer to his goal. Very true to Rand.

- I’m glad they show the guy is still breathing.

- Selene in the books was playing such an over the top, seduction role, it was so painful to read. “Help me undress, Lord Rand.” “Don’t you want glory and power, Lord Rand?” “I am so into men who want glory and power.” For the love of the Light, Rand, don’t let her touch the Horn! As much as the show is doing a clearly toxic relationship, it’s leagues better than Selene in the books.

- Elayne continues to be adorable and I want to be her friend. And she understands her duty to her subjects—she will take responsibility for their actions. Oh, she’s going to be such a good queen. When did I becomes an Elayne fan??

- I am so releived that corporal punishment is delivered on the shoulders. Thank you, Rafe, for fixing that.

- Liandrin has a son??? I am on board for fleshing out Liandrin’s character.

- Love Nynaeve stepping out, against Liandrin’s threats (and she knows Liandrin can definitely hurt her), to be a Wisdom. Because Nynaeve will always be a Healer, no matter what.

- “I didn’t know it would hurt you. I didn’t mean to leave you here in pain. I’m so sorry, my boy. My beautiful boy.” 😢

- I am fully in support of Mat and Min being buddies. This will be fun.

- Why was choosing Verin the end of Tomas’ sex life? I mean, aside from waaay TMI, Adeleas. That’s….interesting.

- Oh goody/s. We aren’t skipping the carneira thing. I will just have to keep reminding myself about wearing a shift through the Arches and no spanking. Rafe can’t fix everything, I suppose.

- I mean, Edyn trying to kill him, and then deciding to bed him and marry him to her daughter, was an interesting plot point. But everything else…ugh.

- “Meditation’s never come easily to me.” Um, I have decided to trust Rafe that he knows what he’s doing, because it has been demonstrated over and over that he knows how to make good use of changes. But in the books Lan can enter the ko’di without any effort, he’s so good at it. I will withhold judgement on this until I see more.

- We get the pond scene! And leave out the ants part!

- Adeleas: The right Warder can protect you from yourself. Moiraine: Ah, yes, this means I must immediately push him as far away as possible. And be brutal about it.

- Mat not wanting to know the future is so correct for this character.

- Possum is a great nickname and I’m glad she gave it to him.

- Selene: “You can’t hurt me.” Of course not. He’s basically a toddler. She is totally safe.

- Also, Selene is very toxic and deeply messed up. It’s been 3000 years. Get over him already.

- “I like to tinker with things.” ❤️ They manage to tell us so much about her in just a few scenes. I am an Elayne fangirl now.

- Oh, poor Nynaeve. Overhearing something like that is always so hard.

- “Jealousy, it’s not the best look on you.” I love how they brought this conflict, and adapted the slap, from TDR!

- Oh, that slap left a mark on her face.

- It’s dialogue right from the book :)

- Yep, take that right out of her saddlebag, Lan. I feel like this is something he’s never done before, and never thought he’d have to stoop to.

- “I couldn’t imagine the courage it took to face the Shadow with nothing but a sword.” Aww, that’s a nice thing to say, Moiraine. “I knew when the time came you’d be able to survive on your own.” Oh. That’s a deeply cynical way to look at it.

- At least she’s sharing some information?

- It takes 8 Aes Sedai to cut someone off? Interesting. So, 13 just gets translated to 8 in show language.

- Also: not stilled. There, I’m placing my bet.

- “You and I walk this path together. Every step of it. Every choice, every sacrifice” Oh Lan. You are breaking my heart.

- “We’ve never walked this path together.” Moiraine. How did this get past the Oaths? “I’ve never shown it to you.” Has to be a lie, somehow.

- “You failed me.” Ouch.

- “I’ll have her take your bond by force if I have to.” Foreshadowing? For Lan or for Rand, or both?

- I wanted her to say his full titles here.

- My first thought (forgetting the Seanchan exist): please don’t let this be Hinderstrap. It’s too early, right? Me a minute later: oh. Maybe Hinderstrap would have been better.

- Oh. Hotsema is, indeed, hot.

- Ishy taking an interest in Perrin is a delightful turn of events.

- Of course they have better care for the rich in Cairhein.

- I love Josha’s little smile here. “I have a feeling you and I have a lot more in common.” 😊

[spinningbuster98]

I sometimes see people give Samus Returns and Dread shit for being too action oriented than actual Metroid games, as they’re too linear and rely too heavily on their combat mechanics.

And to be fair, that is a legitimate criticism to make, but that’s not my issue. What bothers me is that I often see said people then turn around and say “unlike past games”, which usually includes Fusion and....

shouldn’t Fusion be the first game to be thrown into the garbage bin in that case?

I love Fusion don’t get me wrong, and it’s entirely possible to like it over Dread or viceversa as they’re certainly not the same, but Dread absolutely takes plenty of design elements from the game, to the point that most of the things people complain about with Dread originated from that game

A more linear structure that aggressively funnels you in a direction, preventing backtracking by blocking the path you used to get into a room? Check

A gimped wall jump? Check

A strict order you have to get items in? Well Dread actually allows for some sequence breaking here and there so that’s actually a point in its favor

A greater emphasis on action elements to supplement the more limited exploration? Surprisingly also check!

Because yes, the greater focus on action over sheer exploration is not something that started when Mercurysteam came on board, it’s not something that started with Other M, it started all the way back in Fusion

Just think about Samus’ movement and how it’s used

In Super Metroid Samus is very floaty, and has a run button allowing you to have greater control over your speed and momentum when jumping. This, alongside stuff like the wall jump, allowed you to traverse the world in unique and inventive ways. On the flipside her rate of fire is very low, even lower than previous games’, her movement isn’t very snappy, you have to cycle through items with a button etc

Fighting enemies in SM is usually a non-event, most of them can be dispatched in a shot or two and don’t require much effort. Bosses can be irritating because Samus’ floatiness, while great for world traversal, is not ideal for dodging attacks, meaning that boss fights usually amount to little more than wars of attrition: you can’t dodge reliably often and so have to tank hits and hope the boss dies before you do. Phantoon is my favorite example

In general Super’s movement is very exploration-centric, but not ideal for combat

Fusion is the opposite

You have one static speed and the floatiness is gone, along with the infinite wall jump and all sequence breaking tools, meaning that, for thye most part, the exploratory aspects of Samus’ movement have been stripped down

On the other hand she is much easier to control, her movement is far snappier, you don’t have to cycle through items, Super Missiles replace normal ones, your Charge Beam is not only more powerful but also charges faster, your rate of fire is far faster etc

And you know how Fusion uses this new movement style?

By placing a greater emphasis on fighting enemies

While in Super enemies were generally a bother, in Fusion enemies are more aggressive, they take more hits, there are more enemies that need to be dispatched with missiles, and they hurt way more. If you approach enemies in Fusion the way you did in Super you will die. But it’s no biggie, because Fusion’s snappier movement allows you to attack enemies and dodge them much more reliably. This is particularily noticable with bosses. You can’t just tank hits here, you gotta memorize attacks and dodge them and know when and how to go on the offensive, you can’t fight Yakuza and BOX round 2 the same way you did Phantoon or Draygon. Bosses hit harder, have more attacks, even more phases often, and there are more of them in general!

Essentially Fusion’s movement sacrifices exploratory elements in favor of making the game’s action flow much better, and the game knows this because it ramps up said action when compared to the previous game

Yeah sure Fusion may not have a counter mechanic or cool cinematics to show you how badass Samus is, but the general gameplay loop of mostly following a linear path the game lays out for you while fighting tough enemies that require you to stay on your toes is fundementally the same, it’s just more explicit in games like Dread (hell even Prime 3 did more or less the same thing)

[redundantz]

What are your thoughts on how the characters were written for stampede? You sounded kind of :/ about Meryl at one point.

Hello! Yeah it was a bit of a rollercoaster for me personally. ⚠ STAMPEDE SPOILERS ⚠ BUT they really pulled it together in the end i think (for the most part) Since we now know for sure this is a prequel and where its now going after the finale it puts more perspective on things. I have OG Trigun brain so take my own opinions with a grain of salt. I think if people enjoy this new series on its own merits thats wonderful. HOWEVER I still think the series has severe pacing issues and we miss a ton of important character moments imo. And I wish we got to see more interaction with uhh actual humans. After the first 3 eps and then the one with Rollo we basically dont interact with any other humans who live on the planet and its so weird. (also my god we need more fun time in this show was a depression speedrun istg) Have a graph of my emotional journey:

Vash: oh man haha this one is tough. now that the season is over and we got a HUGE payoff with him so I am very happy now but yeahhh. Some parts I was like wow this is Vash he's perfect. But then as the episodes went on I was getting so frustrated. Because he just would stand there giving everyone UwU eyes and not do anything. Especially for his flashback with Knives. Which I understand it was "shock" but he basically stood there with a blank expression the whole time and it was so...??? Being a pacifist didn't mean he is a limp noodle and doesn't take action. Like don't get me wrong he did have a few moments where he fought Livio and the Badlads but that was about it. I think a lot of my frustration might be because he kept using hand to hand combat compared to using his gun which I am used to. again though, they really brought it back in the end 10000% and brought it into perspective so I can forgive some of the previous stuff. Meryl: She was made more cutesy and naïve. Which definitely got on my nerves here and there. But I was okay with it for the most part ( im not immune to cute lol) They got the most important part of her character where she is touched by Vash's convictions, and his love for humanity. She didn't start off jaded and roughened by the planet this time so I think it has a bit less impact in that regard. But I think the best thing they did for her is she is basically the stand in ambassador for humanity and its strength of character. Wolfwood: I don't have to much to say for him personally. but dude needs to have some fun. First ep with him was pretty great but after that was just a lot of angry yelling and nasty looks. Like...for awhile I couldnt even see how him and Vash are friends besides the fact that Vash is nice to him. Him and Meryl almost had more nice moments than both of them. I LOVED finally getting to see more of his backstory though esp with Livio that was so great. But I really wish we got to see how much he cares about kids and him interacting with them. All we would get is NOT THE ORPHANAGE!! but we never get to see it in action really. Besides him giving Zazie a lollypop that one time and the flashbacks but those only included Livio for the most part. Roberto: NGL I loved him he was cynical and grumpy LOL I was pretty offput at first because it felt like he was replacing Milly. I dont think he wasnt really utilized to his full potential though. Especially because he dies later. I feel like we didnt get enough time with him or character moments. I think it could have made his death hit harder. Also just a shame that he was just there to further Meryls arc. But i think he was meant to mirror Meryls drive to help against his pessimism. Milly: millyseason2millyseason2millyseason2!! That's the main group anyway. Thank you for the ask!

[seducemefanficsandheadcanons]

Rank the routes fave to least fave?

Sam, Matthew, James, Erik, Damien, Diana, Suzu/Naomi, Andrew.

⚠️Spoilers for all games ahead⚠️

I love and appreciate all of the routes. I love MOST of the characters.

Sam and Matthew are close to tied route wise. I love Sam's because his freaking character development between the two games is INCREDIBLE and the good and bad ending always manages to make me tear up. Both good endings are bittersweet, which is heartbreaking and poetic at the same time. One of them has to give up something important for the other and is more than willing to do so.

Matthew's route for me is also very engaging, and we see him become more than "The boy who wants to make everyone happy" as the game progresses to the second game. We really see the toll of being infantilized your whole life can take on you. Plus, evil Matthew is hot, which doesn't hurt. He literally kills his mother for MC, despite loving and caring for her deeply.

James and I have a love hate relationship. Sometimes his superiority complex pisses me off and sometimes I think it's hot. Idk. BUT his bad ending in the last game is a tearjerker, (who am I kidding, they all are.) and I love the way Angels were implemented. Character wise, he didn't have as much development as others, but his story makes up for it.

Erik's route is very interesting to me. Character wise, out of the boys, he is my least favorite. Don't get me wrong, I love him but if I had to choose a least favorite it would be him. But route wise, I really appreciate the way Michaela implemented the effects of his mother's teachings. He seemed to develop a lot, slowly becoming his true self. I also really liked Oribels plot. As sad as it is, I think it was cool that Diana's sister was included. Because of Oribel, some of Erik's deep rooted self-esteem issues were made more obvious, which wasn't as obvious in the first game. Erik lives to please his partner and can't do that if his partner is disgusted by him. (He literally ask MC "Are you disgusted by me?" )Oribel is a literal baby who associates Erik with the Demon lord and doesn't understand why MC doesn't do the same and wants to change MCs mind. (The vision of the demon lord walking into the room when it was Erik) Oribel doesn't understand the fact that Erik isn't like his father and wants MC to feel the same. I also liked Oribel possessing the demon lord. She was an angry child who felt betrayed by her sister who promised to protect her and doesn't understand that she was trying. Because she is a child. The ending is really sweet too.

Damien is sweet, has an incredible amount of character development (Unpopular possibly, but less than Sam in my opinion.) and his story is so devastating. For me though, it was harder to navigate his route in the second game and not in the same sense as the others. My main issue though is the fake sex plot. If you've ever played the complete story version of his route, which was the newest version of the games, there is no lie on MC's part. He gets the explicit choice to sleep with Diana, says yes, comes back, is "human" and everything is good. There is no trying to hide the fact he knows about the deal, because he was involved. In the original version, he waits God knows how long to tell MC that, not only does he know, but she has been beating herself up over nothing. Now, in the complete story version, he waits God knows how long, waits for her to admit that she wishes there was another way to make him human, then tells her he didn't have sex with Diana. It just really makes me uncomfy that he waited for MC to feel uneasy to say, "Oh yeah, that didn't actually happen." You know? That conversation could've been had the same day. I love that he was given the choice but hate that he lies.

Dianas route in the first game just doesn't hit the same as the other demons. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Diana and she was absolutely part of my queer awakening. But her route just isn't my favorite. I find it weird that Diana is saying "I will take your memories, even if you must die for me to do so." and MC is like "Nu uh, I want you." I found it weird that she was the one trying to take them in the first place, wouldn't the angels be doing that? It just felt like more of a "Fuck you" to the boys than anything. There is also some confusion with her episode for me. Like, when exactly did that happen? Anyways, I definitely preferred her route in the second game more. That being said, I hate the possibility of being the cause of Siana not happening. I love the poly ending, and I was pleasantly surprised. I just hate to make Searo jealous. Being with Diana when she found her family is heartbreaking. (For me it also shows that MC isn't at fault for her family dying in the other routes but that is a rant for another day) Diana is such a badass in this, but I don't know it's just too difficult to navigate for me. I like it, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the others. Its also weird that she knew this lady for days and just left her whole life to live in the demon world. She knew Sam for years, she knew Diana for what, a week?

Naomi/Suzu's routes are just boring for me. I like the characters to an extent, but meh. It also breaks my heart that you can't let the boys stay if you don't romance one, like I so wish there was a way to let them stay without romancing them. (Like the episodes let you choose all of them, and it isn't even implied that there is any polyamorous relationship. Just Mika's found family. It makes sense that there isn't a poly ending for them, Michaela said none of them would be into the option, but I just wish she could still be their friends. It hurtttts to watch them leave.

I'm sorry but Andrew gives serial killer vibes. It doesn't help that I read The Fire in the Monster by AvabelleJune which is a fanfic, and it has ruined Andrew even more for me. I never liked him, but now I can't think of him without thinking of this story. It's on AO3 and Wattpad if you want to check it out. It's super good and I definitely recommend it. Anyway, he seems at first to be a more awkward version of MC, in the sense they have very similar backgrounds, both are set to be CEO, and just wants to be free. It is also sad that Andrew ended up CEO regardless. And his whole "What about Ace, or Axel" conversation gives me secondhand embarrassment. Him and MC also have a barely legal age gap. Hear me out, I know that the incubi and Diana do as well, but they are from another plain of existence. And while I wish the game had taken place with Mika in college, the age gap is the least of my concern for them. That would be like complaining about Edward and Bella's age gap. BUT MY POINT is that, while MC is an adult, Andrew is in a very different stage of life than her. He is in college and has a job. Mika is in high school and would still live with her parents if her father wasn't such a dick/her grandfather hadn't passed. The age gap isn't the issue, it's the fact that they are in very different stages of life. I have no issue with LEGAL age gaps until they are between a barely legal high school student and a grown man.

I hope this doesn't ruffle any feathers❤️ I got a bit carried away on my rants lol

Also, I apologize for incomplete request. There are a lot right now so they will be coming in slow. Please be patient with me🩵

[neriyon]

10 Characters from 10 Fandoms

Tagged by @zylphiacrowley , ty ty~

These are mostly in whatever order they popped up in my head, since I was hit with the "instantly forget everything you've ever liked" beam when I started writing this.

Hythlodaeus - Final Fantasy XIV I wuv purple wife guy... All the way from when he was just a weenwoon ghost. Honestly, FFXIV has sooo many good characters that picking just one feels kinda weird haha.

DIY - Welcome to My Home Help, the bastard chuuni wizard in a big hat has me by the throat. Everyone else seems ready to strangle him (both npcs and other players). And then there's me who's spamming the heart emote at him every chance I can lol.

Waka - Okami Another bastard of a man. Like FFXIV, Okami has tons of cool characters! But teen me latched into Waka so hard on my first playthrough. And listen. He's a pretty man with long hair, nice voice AND has a flute that he both plays and uses as a laser sword in battle. Yeah. Oh and he shows up to tell you mysterious (and funny) prophecies.

Wei Wuxian - Mo Dao Zu Shi (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) I'll be honest, he came to mind while writing Waka's thing (club long haired flute playing guys lol). But yeah, he fits in the "morally grey, overly dramatic and little asshole-ish pretty boy with long hair" category I happen to like very much.

Ukitake Jushiro - Bleach Long white hair! Twin swords! Gentle and silly old man who can kick your ass! Bleach was one of my first animes ever, and I still like the setting itself (and many of the characters).

Courier - Arknights First one that had me going "oh I like him, he's never leaving my team". Also first one I E2'd, and he's still my go-to vanguard for almost every stage. Who can say no to that adorable little smile and voicelines offering to make you food~

Blade - nu:carnival Cute white haired assassin android boy! I started this game thinking I'd fixate on Edmont based on the website character infos, but nope, Blade being cute airhead with love for cute things (and Darling) got me first.

Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose/Ibarahime) - SINoALICE Game may be gone but having played it for it's entire global run I felt I needed to include it haha. And! Who better than the character that got me into it~ Sleepy's basically what it says in the jar - she prefers to sleep 24/7 and will react violently if you try to force her awake.

Devola & Popola - Nier Automata Cheating and putting them both (lol). I love 9S too, but kinda felt like they deserved to get mentioned so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Idk what it is about them, but I spent a very long time just standing next to them when they first showed up haha. I'm specifically mentioning the Automata ones, since I met them first, and am yet to finish my Replicant playthrough (ooops)

Mashita Satoru - Death Mark I had hard time picking the last one since I didn't wanna go "too far back" in things I like/used to like, so I went with Death Mark since the second one came out not too long ago. The other characters are cool too, but Mashita is fan favorite for a reason. Guess we all love snarky detective who looks like he could really use some sleep.

Hoooo boy it was harder than I thought haha. I mainly only interact with FFXIV fandom, but at least I kinda.... glance towards these other 9 mentioned sometimes? Also purposefully skipping Ensemble Stars even tho I'm currently active player - I could not choose between Mika and Rei, and honestly straight up ignore 99,99% of the fandom.

[anime-cat-with-bong]

So I decided to get that fanservice anime games bundle on Humble Bundle, and like...the fucking cowgirl samurai in a bikini games are actually good????????

I really didn't expect much going into them, but these games are so much fun. A few thoughts I had (kinda long post incoming):

The combat feels really satisfying and flows so well. Especially when it comes to things like switching weapons or characters mid combo to extend said combo.

The Xtasy/Dare Drive forms were both badass and fun to use. I really like the risk vs reward feeling that makes you consider the right time to use them.

The plot isn't really anything special or amazing, but it's got that same vibe as a super campy grindhouse B-film which I personally adore.

I honestly really liked the characters. Again these games aren't trying to have the deepest plot in the world, but the characters are fun and memorable. Like I genuinely love them and feel attached now.

I even grew to really like the character designs a lot. Like hell yeah Aya. You go rock that bikini, feather boa, and cowgirl hat while you bathe in the blood of the undead. Again it's just so campy and silly I can't help but love it.

The music goes way harder than it has any right to. "Ichiban Wa Me" has been stuck in my head and refuses to leave.

Origin in particular has amazing combat. Combos flow well, hits feel really impactful, and it's honestly just downright addicting. It also almost reminds me of the Dynasty Warriors games with how you can feel really strong and unstoppable against basic enemies, but boss fights are still challenging and require you to focus.

I definitely think Origin is the better of the two in terms of gameplay, but there's a lot I did really love about it in Z2. One of the biggest things being the chase mechanic which I would really like to see return in a future game along with the more polished gameplay that Origin has.

While I do actually like the more "realistic" look of Z2, I think I like the more stylized anime look of Origin more. It's just much more visually appealing in my opinion, and I hope they continue with it in the future. (I'm also dying to see Kagura and Saaya in that art style)

As much as I've fallen in love with these games they do have some issues worth mentioning though. Mainly the fact that they are a bit buggy.

Z2 doesn't really have any game breaking bug that I found, but sometimes camera angles can get a little wonky. Especially when you're cornered and targeting an enemy. Also hitboxes on some enemy attacks can be a little taller than they appear to be. This is most noticeable with shots from guns that will hit you even when you are jumping high above them.

Origin can take some messing with to get working properly on PC, and even once it is working it's known to crash on occasion which will corrupt your save file. I haven't run into this issue myself, but it is a thing I've seen people talk about so I think it's worth mentioning. While annoying it is possible to protect against this by just making a back up of your save file in the event it does happen. Also worth mentioning that in a few cutscenes the models can be a little shaky. It's honestly not a huge deal at all, but it is noticeable when it happens.

One other negative I will say is that the regular prices are a little high. Especially with Origin which also has bonus missions that you have to buy as DLC. These missions are only $.99 a piece, but I still feel they should have just been included in the base game. I highly recommend these games, but I do suggest grabbing them on sale.

I'm honestly glad I got that bundle if for no other reason than these games, and I definitely plan to put a lot more hours into them to master the combat fully. Needless to say I'm a fan now, and I'm actually really hoping they continue to do more with this series. Maybe with a slightly higher budget even. I see a lot of potential with these games.