#dont pay attention to how the shadows dont make sense

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

Uhhhhh something something face-explode

[sonknuxadow]

okay sorry for having opinions on sonic shipping but . the more popular a ship is the more likely i am to be annoyed by it so its probably for the best that my favorite ship is one of the not as popular ones . but also the way sonknux gets talked about (or not talked about) as a result of it being less popular drives me up the wall . what do you mean it doesnt make sense. hes literally not staring at the moon and thinking about him💔

[pokeberry5]

do you have any tips for drawing dynamic poses? i always love the way you draw bodies!!

i know this has been said a million times but the way i draw bodies significantly improved after i started drawing more frequently from reference. if i cant find a reference for a pose on the internet, i'll just use myself or a friend. i spend an unfortunate amount of time just standing in front of my mirror looking at my own joints. pay attention to where your body curves!!

other than that though—honestly my anatomy/pose knowledge is a whack amalgamation of art tips i've accumulated over the years (i miss old school deviantart/tumblr style art tutorials). i also like to look at how artists i admire draw bodies—what details to they include, what anatomical short-hands etc

i think i'm still figuring out how to draw dynamic poses, but here are some cheats i've picked up (under the cut coz this got long again):

gonna use this stray!tim as a base

the easiest way for make up a pose is to start roughly with the head, collarbones, ribcage, and pelvis — you can build everything from there

here's a couple more of what i mean by the ribcage-pelvis deconstruction:

2. push your perspective a little!! imo things look more dynamic if you move your sight-line up or down—the horizontal orange line here. if you look at the panels above, the sight lines tend to be a little low, at around the character's torso or waist. i did the same below with stray!tim

to do this i usually try to get a sense of the space im working in by putting in some sloppy perspective grids

3. S curves!!! exaggerate the lines of the body. the body naturally has parallel horizontal lines—an easy way to get a body to look less rigid is to tilt those horizontal lines which in turn curves the vertical line of the body

this is what a mean by horizontal lines—usually i use the eyes, shoulders, and hips:

i'm gonna use caterina as a better example—usually you want the horizontal lines to sort of zigzag:

i've also picked up a couple visual tricks that don't exactly add dynamism to a pose? but they do give a static pose a little more oomph. a lot of this is done by visually highlighting one specific point of the body

for our purposes, i'm gonna make the focal point tim's face

motion blur! there are a couple ways to do this. i actually dont like working with traditional motion blur because you have to mess around with selections, so i usually fake motion blur using postional perspective blur:

2. gradient lighting—you can add a lot of depth this way. usually i like setting the gradient in the direction of the focal point, e.g. tim's face

below, i added a layer above the base drawing, used an airbrush to get this gradient, and then set the layer to color burn and lowered the opacity. you can also clip the lighting layer to the base drawing and set it to multiply

below, i did the opposite—instead of adding a gradient shadow, i added gradient light. i set the layer to add this time (instead of color burn) and then lowered the opacity again.

this kinda serves to desaturate the parts of the piece that are less important (ish i was kinda sloppy here), driving the eye to face—the most saturated. the motion blur does a similar thing, where the only thing "in focus" is tim's face

the gradient also sort of adds a directionality to the piece—it starts at the bottom right corner and goes up towards the upper left, causing your eye to follow that same path, which drags your gaze up tim's body

here's what it looks like when i combine 1 and 2:

3. chromatic aberration's been pretty popular recently. it does a similar thing as perspective blur but with more eyestrain (although i went with a really exaggerated version below just to show you what it does) but it looks cool!

bonus cryptid tim as a reward for getting to the end :-)

[stevie-petey]

Anything with reader and jon please? 🥺

Y E S !! will always love writing pre season 1 reader n jon <3

enjoy !

“im sorry, do you live here?”

the boy, who had been awkwardly standing on the wheelers porch, turns around in fright. he lets out a small squeak and you wince. you hadnt meant to scare him.

“sorry!” you say, putting your hands up so that he knows youre not a threat. “sorry, my mom always says i walk too quietly. it unnerves her.”

the boy doesnt say anything, he just stares at you with wide eyes and you get a sense that hes never really been spoken to by a girl before.

this is definitely not what you had in mind when your mom sent you to go pick up dustin tonight.

itd been a hellish week. you moved from virginia to indiana in the most boring thirteen hour drive of your life. your body was still sore from the ride, but the second you guys had arrived at the new house, dustin ran out the car doors and chased after some kid on a bike.

the two of them immediately became friends. dustin informed you his name was mike before he ran off to go play at his house, leaving you and your mom to unpack the car alone.

eventually mikes family came to help, their daughter, a girl your age named nancy, shyly introduced herself before running away back to her house. you were too tired to pay much attention to it, and too angry at the world for why you were even stuck in hawkins, indiana in the first place.

which leads you to now. standing on the wheelers porch with a boy your age who seems absolutely terrified of girls, unsure where your brother even is.

“so…” you try again.

the boy seems to snap back to himself. “oh! no, uh. no i dont live here.”

“okay… so why are you here?”

“right! uh, picking up my brother. will. hes best friends with mike.”

his nervousness makes you smile a bit. you nod at him and extend your hand. “my brother dustin is inside, too. we just moved in today. seems like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, then”

he shakes your hand, though tentatively, and his fingers are warm around yours and have a kindness to them. “im jonathan byers.”

“y/n henderson.”

your hands linger together, and jonathan gives you this crooked smile, the kind thats almost mischievous yet shy, and you find that you love it. it suits his face.

some hair gets in his eyes and he quickly snatches his hand away so he can fix it. “stupid wind.”

you giggle. “oh, im sure it hates you.”

jonathan lets out a small laugh. “you tease all your friends like that?”

“mhm,” so he thinks youre already friends. you think youre okay with that. “get used to it, byers.”

“something tells me i’ll have to.”

warmth spreads within your chest and the two of you stand on the porch with only a street lamp as your light. shadows dance across jonathans face and you know already that you feel comfortable around him. he understands your humor, he seems to like it, and hes kind. a bit shy, sure, maybe uncertain, but kind.

youre about to ask him if he likes comics when the door flings open.

“my mom said to tell you guys to come inside already.” nancy says. she looks between you and jonathan, her eyes alight with curiosity.

jonathan ducks his head down. “oh, right.”

“thanks nancy.” you grab his hand and shove him inside with you.

youve long decided to keep him by your side, and judging by how happily he follows along, how he tightens his hand around yours, you know he feels the same.

and, in a heartbeat, jonathan byers becomes your best friend.

[honeytonedhottie]

Dear honey ,I love you blog it’s so cute and helps me with my health.

Three questions please

how to stop felling insecure ?

How to have a healthy lifestyle, physically, ‘mentally emotionally and spiritually?

YouTubes and Podcast you recommend

thank you xoxo🌸

thank u so much for the amazing questions, also, THE VISION BOARD IS SO GOOD <33333 thank u for loving my blog that means the world to me. now unto ur three AMAZING questions;

INSECURITY - when it comes to insecurity there's a vast amount of places that u can start but the first place to start is your mouth. what comes out of ur mouth is a reflection of who you are. ppl that are smart will build opinions on u based on what comes out of ur mouth. ur words have POWER, dont let ur negative words become ur reality. speak positively on urself, STOP the negative self talk, dont make urself the topic of jokes and dont ever EVER speak negatively about yourself. bcuz even if ur like "its just a joke" you will subconsciously start to believe it.

stop comparing urself to others, the only competition is between the person u are today, and the person that u were yesterday. practicing self care is so good for ur mental and physical well-being. it can give u a sense of confidence, but ultimately the confidence that'll last will come from within u and that will RADIATE. practice saying no and put urself first ALWAYS. (self concept work is also super helpful when ur building ur confidence)

i want u to get to the root cause of ur insecurity, and why u feel that way. for some ppl they are insecure bcuz of the way that they look, or the way that they talk, the way people perceive them, it could be a LOT of different factors that contribute to why u feel insecure but i just want u to identify them. then DISMANTLE them. flip the narrative. for example if ur insecure about ur looks; you'd take a hard look at urself in the mirror and i can GUARANTEE that you are BEYOND BEAUTIFUL. start looking for things that u love and like and MAXIMIZE on those things. tell urself constantly that ur gorgeous and it'll become a belief. if ur surrounded by ppl who constantly belittle u then u need a new circle of ppl to surround urself with.

(ik that this is SUCH a long paragraph but i can elaborate on it further in a separate post if its something that u wanna discuss more)

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE - im separating this into parts

physically - start moving. it could be doing pilates or yoga, or literally just taking a walk but u should just be MOVING. fueling ur body with nutritious foods and staying hydrated. taking care of ur health by eating balanced meals and snacks throughout the day. listening to ur cravings, taking care of ur skin and ur hair and ur nails etc etc. taking care of urself from head to toe and from the inside out. once u prioritize ur physical and like, self care you will look and feel SO GOOD

mentally - listen to podcasts and consume content that makes u feel good about urself and pushes u to become the best version of urself. sleep can greatly improve ur mental state, stimulate ur mind and cultivate ur passions and talents. educate urself (knowledge is powerful) about anything that interests u and the world around u. PAY ATTENTION IN SCHOOL (if ur in school) and constantly stay in a place of learning. surround urself with people who are diverse and whose experiences and worldviews are different from yours so that u can learn from others.

emotionally - start journaling, when u feel emotions, identify them and take care of urself accordingly, meditate and become more mindful of urself and those around u. if u have the means, invest in therapy, however if u dont, start journalling, doing shadow work, and we have SO MANY resources to start our healing journeys. like youtube for example. take advantage of that <3

spiritually - if ur talking about religious spirituality, then read ur religious texts and study that so that u can grow and get deeper in ur faith. start making time to pray as many times a day as u should, and focusing on building a relationship with the god/gods that u believe in. watching content from people who share the same faith and religion as you can help u become more confident in ur religious identity AS YOU SHOULD BE <333 if ur not talking about religious spirituality..

start meditating and take part in other mindful practices, avoid negative people and negative energies, connect with nature and the world around u, cultivate gratitude, if u feel like u should u should def invest in some crystals and things of that nature. i dont know much about spirituality in this specific sense so please feel free to teach or add onto this in the comments so that we can all learn from each other <3

YOUTUBES AND PODCAST RECCS -

the wizard liz

manifestelle

manifest it finesse it

simone squared

persephones mind

shera seven

simone simmo

THIS WAS SO LONG BUT I HOPE THAT IT WAS HELPFUL TO YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE <3333333333 i will definitely elaborate on these topics in the future 💗

[iouinotes]

Heroic Betrayal | Luke Castellan (part 3)

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS SERIES AND THE BOOKS SPOILERS

pairing: Luke Castellan x female!reader

show: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

warnings: dark!character, betrayal, angst

summary: You meet Luke again in battle. But nothing turns out the way either of you expect.

a/n: The third part, yayyy! Somehow I still can't figure out the end. But as long as no one complains, I won't stop :))

I'm breathing heavily, my feet hurt and I'm struggling to stand properly on my legs. The wound on my arm hurts, I can feel the blood running down my arms. My shirt is soaked red. I feel the strong urge to cry and I'm amazed that I can still breathe. Everything around me is spinning, but the fear keeps me running.

I know he's ahead of me. That I'm chasing after him. His golden sword reflects shadows in our surroundings. Any person with enough sense would hide.

But Im done hiding. I want to fight.

Maybe I'm a coward for admitting this now, but I was hoping my friends would be by my side.

My friends…I hope they're okay. I lost sight of them almost immediately when Krono's troops stormed out of the forest and attacked the camp. I only had time to listen to Annabeth's orders and the next thing I knew, I was in the center of the fight.

And then there was Luke.

He was standing there just like he did a few days ago when he showed up here at camp and begged me to come with him. But the idea of being back on that ship scared me more than anything. The thought of being near the Titan.

Close to him who betrayed me.

He doesn't really look any different now, perhaps more angry and murderous than usual. It's enough to wake me from my trance. Because the look in his eyes is darker than the deepest night and it sends a cold shiver down my spine. I'm not running away anymore, I tell myself at that moment.

But just as I'm about to go in his direction, he disappears behind a couple of monsters. I pay little attention to that, only trying to find him again.

I can't let him get away.

So I follow his tracks, stab some of his warriors and make them disappear into smoke. I'm so angry that my jaw is grinding, because I'm clenching my teeth so hard. Then I see his figure behind some trees and suddenly I'm filled with energy. I draw my sword with newfound strength and run towards him.

Until my lungs feel like they're on fire. And yet I don't slow down. I forget how deep I'm going into the forest. I slowly lose my sense of direction as to where I am, even though this has always been our place.

Hidden behind trees, bushes and naiads. Now the branches are on fire, smoke is in the air and there are no friendly forest dwellers to be seen. I stop when I see a flash of golden light to my left. Hope rises in me that Percy has found me.

But as soon as I see his dark hair, everything tightens inside me. I stop and raise my sword protectively in front of me.

"Stop running away! I thought you wanted to fight?" He leans his shoulder casually against a tree, his smile making me seethe with anger.

"Princess, I'm not running away. I was just shielding you from the others." My pulse quickens, adrenaline coursing through me. My grip on the weapon tightens.

"Then what are you waiting for? Come and get me!" I see him shake his head.

"Are you so naive that you seriously believe that? You're not here to be killed." My eyebrows draw together and I shift my weight uncomfortably.

"Then why?"

"I'm doing you a favor. I don't want you to watch your friends walk to their certain deaths." Silence spreads over us. Then his voice cuts through.

"Face it, you're doomed. I'll give you one last chance. Join me."

I hate myself for it, but I hesitate. And I hate it even more that he notices.

,,You friends will never consider it, they will lose. You cant imagine how weak they are compared to Kronos. And I dont-" for a moment, he seems to be uncertain. He presses his lips together and walks a step towards me.

"I would hate myself for eternity, if I allow myself to lose you."

My heart hurts, it's beating in my chest as if it wanted to show me how much I miss him. But could I listen to my heart, even though my mind tells me the opposite?

“How can I trust you again? How can we ever go back to where we where? You and me, we are not the same as before.“ My voice seems drained, my desperation seeks through my facade.

I try not to show him, how I feel. How much I wish for us to get back together. Him telling me jokes, us laughing. Kissing in the sun, after we won Capture the Flag. Playing hide and seek in the woods, hugging and touching each other.

Being in love.

“Dont you want a future with me? Imagine a home, a safe place. Just for us. Against the world.“ He makes it seem so easy. As if the world we know, wouldnt be falling apart in this moment.

“So whats the plan? Fighting against your friends and family? Being Kronos slave?“ He‘s silent for a moment.

“You were always my only family. I only need you by my side.“

„I dont believe you. You are the one who lied to me. I wouldnt lie to you. I would have never left you in the first place.“

"I can't do it without you." I scrunch my eyebrows, how dare he ignores my accusations?

"What are you talking about?" He hesitates.

"I wont be here much longer. Well-thats not really true. My body will still exists, but I wont be myself anymore."

"Dont try to mess with me! You said yourself, you will fight in the war."

"I will, darling. But you wont know me."

"I-I dont understand." He's just an arm's length away from me. His gaze is distant.

"Kronos will awake. He needs a body, so his soul or whatever he has, can dive into. Sort of a reborn-kind-of-thing. And it will be me."

I'm so shocked that I'm unable to react. Hundreds of thoughts stream through my head, the thought of losing him - it's unbearable.

"You wont." His eyes shift from the floor to my face. There is astonishment hidden in his eyes.

"Exuse me?" This time I take the final step closer to him. His face is right in front of mine, both of our swords are drawn at our sides.

"I swear on the Ryver Styx, I wont ever, as long as I live, let you trade yourself to that thing and let you- the real you, die in the process. You just wont." My wild expression is reflected in his pupils. Silence surounds us, then a small, genuine smile that I haven't seen in months spreads across his face.

As if he had all the time in this world, he leans down and stops himself in front of my lips. It's the first time since he left camp that he silently asked me for permission.

,,I love being in love with you." His whispering voice ghosts over me.

I close my eyes and connect our lips. A sweet, slow kiss ensues, his fingers hold my chin up to him.

How could I ever resist him?

When he pulls away, he presses two quick kisses to the corners of my mouth. He calmly pushes a strand of hair out of my face, our eyes watching each other.

"I wish the gods didn't exist. I wish no one existed but us."

As I'm about to answer, I see golden curls behind his back. Percy's appearance surprises me so much that I forget Luke's words for a moment.

I pull myself together as soon as his voice sounds again. "I know you don't see it that way. But if Kronos destroys the gods, if there is a chance to reshape the world, maybe then we could have a chance at peace. Dont you think?"

There is so much hope in his eyes that I would finally believe him, join him in his unattainable dreams.

When my eyes meet Percy's, his look tells me exactly one thing: Distract him.

I love Luke. But I have put my faith in Percy.

So I nod slowly. Silently agreeing with Percy and making it seems, that I agree with Luke. I see how Luke's entire body straighten, his eyes glow with a new light.

He seems happy.

I almost fall in love with him again.

"I knew you would understand when the time is right. I knew it! God, I love you so much." His hands cup my cheeks, he kisses me. So intense that I forget my fears and doubts. I forget that Percy is standing behind him.

Luke's adoring look is the last thing I register before Riptide crashes over his head and the boy I love falls unconscious to the ground.

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

"He is dangerous." Annabeth's voice is the only thing that can be heard clearly in the room. Murmurs, footsteps and rustling are like a rushing background noise. My head hurts.

It's been almost two hours since we were in the forest. I tried to catch Luke's body so he wouldn't hit his head, as he fell to the ground. I didn't really succeed, because now he has a small cut on his forehead.

Percy and Beckendorf helped me bring him to our destroyed camp. But not in the infirmary, instead they dropped him in a cell. I protested, but no one wanted to give him the opportunity to be free and possibly escape.

That's why they locked the door and the sight almost broke my heart. Silena said I shouldn't be here, shouldn't see him like that. But I couldn't leave him alone.

The only time I left was to go to the infirmary, so I could get a first aid kit to treat his wound. Then I had a hard time convincing Percy to let me into his cell.

Now I'm sitting on the floor with his head in my lap, brushing his hair out of his face. They are longer and darker, his face looks older and more exhausted. And I treated the wound on his forehead as best I could, after all, I'm not a child of Apollo.

The scar on his cheek glows faintly red in the light, and I carefully run my fingers over it. Just like I always did when he was stressed. I try to ignore the judgmental looks from others. The withering looks “How can she be with the traitor?" But none of them dare to talk to me about it.

Only Percy looks at me warily, as if I wasn't much older and he was the one who needed to protect me. He really is like a brother to me.

When he also notices the looks of the others and therefore my discomfort, he gestures with his hand to leave us alone. Even if he stays there. It's quiet for a moment.

"You can go to Annabeth. I'll be fine." I look at him, trying to make it clear to him that I'm fine. But he doesn't look convinced.

"He'll be angry when he wakes up. I don't know if it's a good idea for you to be in there." I sigh, my eyes returning to Lukes sleeping face.

"I think it's sweet that you care. But Luke wouldn't-" I stop in my sentence. For a moment I am in doubt. Luke would be angry, of course he would be. And after everything, can I be sure he won't hurt me? This question would never have been considered before. But now?

He never physically hurt me. But he lied to me, betrayed me. Kidnapped and gaslighted me, basically tried to force me to stay with him. He wasn't the same anymore. So how could I be sure?

"He won't let anyone talk to him when he's in here alone. He's too stubborn for that. I'm the only one he would listen to. And even of that I'm not sure." Percy's eyebrows furrow. He looks not much more relieved than he was a minute ago.

"Well, now I'm definitely convinced." His sarcasm makes me smile. And I think that's enough to calm him down.

"I'm sure Annabeth is looking for you right now. Please go, Percy. Let me pretend I have everything under control for a moment." He hesitates, but nodds quietly. His fading footsteps are the last thing I hear before I feel sudden movements in my lap.

My eyes dart towards him. A painful groan escapes his throat, the sound is enough to make my heart beat faster.

Without thinking, I stroke his hair and scratch his head. He always liked this tender gesture. I hope it's enough to temper his anger, which I know is to expect in time.

As his eyes slowly open, I see the disorientation in them. Then he realises what happend. When he sees me, I make out different emotions in the way he looks at me. Fury, sadness, pain.

"I'm sorry." My voice is just a whisper in the silence. As he tries to sit up, I see his strength pulling at him and his face turning pale.

"Wait- you still need to rest. Here" I take the water bottle that Percy put in front of me and carefully hold it to his mouth. He slowly drinks a few sips.

When he's done, I put the bottle back to the side. I look at him, waiting, while my hand remains still.

"You are here." It's not what I expected to hear from him.

I meet his gaze, clearly confused.

"You never liked waking up alone." My voice sounds breathless, an old memory haunts his face.

"Still, I would have thought you would be standing next to Percy, laughing. If you finally have the opportunity to lock me up, I mean." His voice drips with hostility at the mention of Percy, the look in his eyes dark. But at least he doesn't try to stand up again for now.

"I would never do that." He knows it's true.

His eyes look away, his cheek turning to his right side to gaze through the bars. Light falls into the cell.

"You tricked me." It's not an accusation, just a statement.

"I guess we're even." He stays silent when I answer.

"You will not hold me prisoner." I just look at him confused. I don't know how to answer. Does he think the cell is just an unpleasant stay until he can sleep in his cabin again?

Since he doesn't say anything more, I do the same. A few minutes pass, both of us dont know what to say, then distant footsteps are heard and I see Percy again. As sweet as he naturally is, he first looks at me to see if everything is alright. Then his gaze turns to Luke and when he realizes he's awake, his eyes harden. But I see the sadness in them.

After all, Luke was his friend too.

"Percy." Luke's voice sounds malicious, as if he would like to get up and destroy the bars himself to fight Percy.

"Luke." Percy's voice is neutral. Only his facial expression reveals what he feels. He is angry.

The two boys stare at each other and I feel myself getting nervous, so I clear my throat to get their attention.

"What's the plan? Can we get out?" I choose my words carefully. So that Percy knows what I mean and Luke knows that I don't just want to get out myself.

Luke sits up and I see how much effort it takes him. I let him, because I also know that he doesn't want my help in front of Percy. Guys.

Percy hesitates. He also tries to choose his words carefully.

"I don't think we can just let him walk around here-" his voice is interrupted by Luke.

"You won't keep me prisoner in here, Percy. Anyone who has a problem with me should raise their sword against me."

Percy's eyebrows shoot up. “Then good luck competing against the whole camp. I'm sorry, but I cant let you out."

Luke's withering look makes me quickly stand next to him. I try to calmly put my hand on his arm. But faster than I can register, he has me trapped in his arms and is holding my own dagger to my throat. I didn't even notice he stole it from me.

The pressure is so tight that it's hard for me to breathe. I'm frozen. Percy also looks like he's just been struck by lightning.

"Let. Me. Out." I feel my eyes start to water.

"Luke-" but his grip only tightens and my voice falls silent. I feel his eyes stare daggers at Percy's.

"Now." Before I can stop Percy, he takes out the key. But unlike Luke, Percy's gaze is on me. Concern is shown in his eyes.

The door opens and I feel Luke's grip weaken. I see it as my only chance. I step on Luke's foot as hard as I can, pushing him away, while the dagger meets my skin, a suprised grunt escaping him.

I run towards the door and before I can even say anything, Im out and Percy pushes it shut again.

Luke's angry voice mixes with the rapid heartbeat in my ears. I feel Percy's hands on my shoulders and him trying to make eye contact with me.

But all I can do is look at Luke. Seeing his eyes blinded with anger, it scares me.

Before he can say anything else, I turn around and run out of the building.

Please comment how you would like the story to end! Thanks <333

[yugioh-rare-pair-poll]

Round 3: Poll 4

Propaganda under the cut

Pairing 1: Protectshipping (Ryou Bakura/Hiroto Honda|Tristan Taylor)

Propaganda: Tristan’s so loyal and dependable, and he pays more attention to Ryo than probably any other character does, and it’s what Ryo needs after everything he’s been through. He’d listen if Ryo wants to talk about his troubles, he’d remember little random details about him, and he wouldn’t make a big deal about these things, but they’d mean so much to Ryo, and he’d let Tristan know how much he appreciates his efforts.  I also think it’s interesting how Ryo looks soft and gentle, but is also really strong and brave, while Tristan looks tough (and can be), but is more sensitive than he’d probably like to admit. A lot of Protectshipping fics are more about Tristan taking care of Ryo, which makes sense and I love it, but I think it’d go both ways - Ryo would want to be there for Tristan if he was going through a difficult time, and I like the idea of Tristan being able to confide in him, especially post-canon when the Ring’s gone and he’s doing better mentally. He might still have some trouble putting his feelings into words (as we saw in chapter 7), but Ryo would be patient with him and let him say whatever he needs to, and I think he’d give pretty good advice too.  I just think it has the potential to be a really tender, caring relationship, and they both deserve that. ^-^

Pairing 2: Snareshipping (Katsuya Jounouchi|Joey Wheeler/Ryuji Otogi|Duke Devlin)

Propaganda: They would make an amazing couple and would definitely get married | They plague my mind every waking moment. Their chemistry is insane and theyre both so hot. | They look cool together n have that playful sorta rival dynamic. Also dog costume dont forget that XD

Now, let’s keep things civil. This is a silly poll where we can share why we love our overlooked ships. There’s no need to be nasty to prove your point. Bashers will be banished to the Shadow Realm.

[heesdreamer]

#4 & #10 for sunghoon 🙏🏼

prompt challenge from this!

4. kiss to the side of the head (cheek here)

10. placing their chin on the others shoulder

GENRE : lifelong friend! sunghoon

WARNING : a tad bit of barely mentioned underage drinking

WC : 2,851

AN i rlly love this so i hope you do too <3

➳ year one

the first time you had met sunghoon you were standing shaking in your too big shoes, looking side to side frantically like a lost deer.

it was 1st grade and you had stumbled off the bus into a whirlwind of confusion and slight betrayal against your mother for making you go to school in the first place. you didn’t understand why you had to leave home, getting on the big yellow thing and being whisked away.

you felt like your world was ending, like you’d never find your way inside or home ever again and you were holding your breath with puffed out cheeks, planning to float far away from the screaming kids around you.

then a shadow was overcasting you, even with your eyes squeezed shut you could tell somebody was infront of you now and unmoving.

you cracked one eye half open, doing a strange puffy cheeked wink to see who it was that was ruining your escape plan.

a boy was watching you with a big smile, eyes bright and distracting with the way they curled into his cheeks.

“are you a fish?” he was asking you and you were frowning now, arms crossing as you shook your head at him. he was holding both straps of his backpack and you thought he was way too big for all of the superhero’s covering it.

“im trying to escape.” you explained to him, sparing your surroundings another frightened glance.

he nodded like it made the most sense in the world and shrugged softly. “sure. but it’s not as bad as it looks, trust me. it’s my second time.”

your mouth parted slightly, trusting him less now that you learned he was a big kid. you were fidgeting with your fingers, picking softly at the skin with nerves and he was the one frowning now.

“dont worry. ill look out for you.”

➳ year 10

sunghoon had kept his promise about looking out for you, the rest of your school years being full of given advice and him ushering you through the busy hallways like he was your personal bodyguard. it was easy to be his friend, always so quick and casual with the way he spoke.

he had always been funny, always drawn a crowd out as he told stories at lunch or quipped quick jokes between classes. but as you both got older and matured, developing a real sense of style and individual personality, your friend truly blossomed into somebody charming and likable.

it drove you a bit crazy. you couldnt understand how he was so quick to understand himself, how he was so comfortable around people and could make friends anywhere he went. you felt so lacking next to him, only growing more awkward as you aged.

you thought back to the first day you met him often when this line of question came to mind. you were still those same kids, one looking for the fastest escape route and the other so open to comforting you and being friendly.

it also didnt help that sunghoon grew in other ways too, getting more and more handsome as he started to fit his features and shoot up in height.

these two things combined, along with a few other influences, were currently the reason for your most recent predicament. sunghoon often invited you to parties he was attending now that you were highschoolers, and you tagged along occasionally, but you werent exactly sure you had prepared for one like tonights.

the party, if it could be called that, was basically a hangout between sunghoons other friends and some of their partners. you knew them all, friendly even for the sake of things not being awkward when you inevitably ended up following behind sunghoon to events.

but this was strange terrority for you. parties were easy, they were loud and busy and it was so simple to be invisible and wait the night out, maybe even dance a little when no ones sober enough to pay attention. but this was intimate, it was sitting in a circle and talking to eachother.

it was noticeable if you stayed quiet, maybe even rude.

you had a weird longing for his friends to like you, a strange need to prove yourself to them despite knowing him double the time they had, despite sharing a bond with him that wasnt easy to replicate. youd hate to cause any uncomfort.

so it was the absolute worst case scenario when half way into the night one of sunghoons friends girlfriends suggested a game. you knew immediately where it was heading, drunk minds normally rotating between one or two of the same games.

so now here you were, looking around anxiously with a full cup in your hand, criss crossed on the floor and sitting straight and rigid. the others around you were in similar situations but with major differences, either casually leaning against the couch behind them or on their fifth drinks of the night. you once again were struck with how different people could be despite growing up together.

sunghoon sitting next to you was pulling you from your thoughts, his knees knocking against yours. you looked over at him to find him already watching you with a big smile on his face, eyes full of excitement. the look dissapeared briefly at the expression on your face but you quickly gave a half smile back to him to let him know you were okay.

he was patting your knee, letting his hand linger there for a moment before clapping and shifting to fully face the center of the makeshift circle youd all instinctively made. truth or dare was easy, it was simple and youve done it before so you wouldnt make a complete fool of yourself like if it was something like cup pong.

four rounds in and it was your turn to be asked. so far the questions had been prying but not yet building to a point of secrets and the dares had been overplayed and tame.

“hm okay this is hard.” sunghoon’s football friend jay was leaning against the couch, a hand on his chin in contemplation as he watched you.

your heart was racing slightly due to the eyes bouncing back and forth between you and jay in anticipation for what he was going to ask

“who was your first kiss?”

you felt sunghoon freeze next to you at the same time you did, a breath getting caught behind your lips. you realized you had two options here, either tell the truth and look like an idiot or lie and risk getting caught and looking like an idiot.

“uh… well-“ you were unable to control your stuttered words as your face lit up with embarrassment. you didn’t think jay had any bad intentions, maybe this question was even a cop out for somebody like him, but the glint in his girlfriends eye was making you flush.

she looked like she knew your secrets, knew why you were reacting like this. like she somehow could tell you were somebody who’d never been kissed in their entire life.

it was only a second in real time but to you it felt like hours of this tense silence rang out before anybody spoke, all eyes on you and your shaking eyes.

“it was me.”

your head was whipping to your right at the same time everyone else’s was, a shocked laugh and dropped jaws following immediately after the words fell from sunghoon’s lips.

“what?” jay was laughing, amusement in his eyes beneath his furrowed eyebrows. he seemed genuinely thrown off by this new knowledge.

knowledge that was, of course, untrue. a sharp glare from your bestfriend caused you to realize you looked just as shocked as the others and you quickly fixed your expression, switching to being bashful and nodding softly in agreement.

sunghoon was once again saving you from an awkward situation, albeit this time was far more awkward and unknown territory than usual. you were still thankful for him and his quick thinking.

“well then,” jay’s girlfriend was filling in the silence since everybody didn’t seem to know where to pick up from. she had a raised eyebrow in your direction and you felt nervous again despite it not being your turn. “truth or dare hoonie.”

you squirmed at the way his name rolled off her tongue, you didnt recall them being on nickname basis and judging by the way he glanced at you with confusion, he didn’t think they were either.

“dare.” despite the awkward air and his confusion, sunghoon’s voice still came out confident and strong.

“kiss yn.”

the room was completely silent again but this time there was no excited tension to fill in the gaps. everybody was awkwardly squirming in their spots. you were sure this wasn’t new to them, for the games to turn this way, but you had a feeling you were the cause of their discomfort.

“what?” for once sunghoon seemed to lose his composure, face flushed and his voice tweaking slightly as he shook his head and avoided looking in your direction.

“i mean you’ve done it before, right?” she emphasized the final word with a twist of her head like she was offering the two of you an out, an admission for a chance to skip the dare.

you furrowed your brows and leaned forward slightly so your elbows were resting on your knees. “yeah.” your voice was unusually dark and laced with venom. “we have.”

sunghoon was staring at you now and for a moment you thought you saw pride beneath the fear and hesitance on his face. you stared back at him, giving him a subtle nod of permission. he looked more and more uncomfortable with every passing second and you were starting to worry he was going to reject you.

then his hand was lifting up slowly, a slight quiver making it unsteady, and holding your chin softly, keeping you facing towards him. you shut your eyes tightly and waited, baited breath.

you were terrified it would be noticiable you had no idea what you were doing, they’d call you out for lying and you’d totally gross sunghoon out for the rest of your lives. you felt your head being turned, his hand gentle as it moved your face.

and he kissed your cheek.

➳ year 16

“when’s your boyfriend coming again?”

you were pausing at the sound of your coworkers voice, chirping out a question as she slid past you in her haste to finish cleaning the counters so you could finally close shop after a long day.

“he’s not my boyfriend.” you mumbled, although you had told her probably three dozen times since you’ve met her. you had a feeling she was forgetting on purpose.

she was still great, your first friend in a long time but especially your first one since you had moved away to the city for college. moving was never something you had thought about, not even really considering the future much.

but when sunghoon had called you from college like he did nightly and practically laid out a full essay on why you should apply to the same school as him and be his roommate, you couldn’t find it in yourself to say no.

despite the fact you had spent the entire year he was gone attempting to get over the way you felt about him. you had tried casually dating boys in your grade, even managing to have a boyfriend for half the fall, but none of your efforts ever mattered.

as long as sunghoon was around, you would be smitten with him and content with living a life in his presence, even just as his bestfriend.

loving him was never going to be something you regretted despite the pain and longing you almost constantly felt for him. it was always just enough to keep you moving but never enough to make you truly feel like you were going somewhere.

it was helpful that he hadn’t ever had a girlfriend since highschool ended, the fear of him finding somebody smart and beautiful and way more mature than you in college had haunted you his whole senior year.

then he was graduating, buying you flowers although he was the one who had accomplished something, and you were helping him pack up his room with teary eyes and stuffed stomachs from all the food his mom had been feeding the two of you.

like he had asked, you eventually followed him and after months of only seeing him for holidays or rare weekends, you felt like you could breathe again. it wasn’t all good, you were both busy and tired all the time, but you were happy.

you were happy when you came home from a late work shift and he was asleep on the couch, having dozed off waiting to eat a late dinner with you. happy when he crashed into your room and begged you to watch a movie or dragged you out for hangouts around the city or nighttime walks.

you were happy despite not being with him in the way you’d always dreamed about and you’d never ruin that just because of the hurt that came along with it.

“he’s not? i could’ve swore he said he was last time he stopped by.” your coworker was speaking again, this time yelling from the kitchen. you groaned loudly and laid your head down on the counter.

“no he didn’t. we aren’t dating.”

“you’re not dating who?” before you could spin around in the stool to see the source of the voice, hands were wrapping around your middle and pulling you back slightly. you felt his breath on your cheek as he laid his chin on your shoulder and you smiled.

“none of your business.” you tried to elbow him slightly but he ignored it, squeezing you tightly and leaning into you so his front was fully against your back.

he hummed softly and kissed his teeth. “a secret boyfriend.” he mumbled under his breath, you laughed softly as he started to use a fake serious voice. “not sure how i feel about that.”

“who knows.” you stood from the stool the best you could with him still holding you, swaying slightly and walking like a penguin so the both of you could move together. “it could totally happen.”

he was laughing as you waddled, your stomach flipped at the feeling of his laugh against your back but you ignored it. when you reached the door, you flipped the sign over to closed.

“we’re leaving katie.” he was calling out before you could, leaning forward more to see your face of annoyance as he smiled down at you, amused at both cutting you off and guessing what you were planning to say.

he let go of you long enough for you to take off your apron and grab your bag, throwing it over your shoulder and holding out a hand in his direction. he happily took it, holding both your hand and arm so you were pulled snug against his side.

“you know.” he was starting off as you left the small coffee shop, immediately hit by the cold air and loud sound of the train rushing above you. you sniffed slightly as you glanced at him, only for a moment to continue avoiding the puddles the snow caused. “if you need a super secret boyfriend, im always around.”

you faltered slightly, almost stumbling forward if it wasn’t for his tight grip on you. you stared at the side of his face as he chewed on his cheek and kept his gaze straight forward.

for a moment you thought he was joking, that he was teasing you and just making conversation. or maybe worse and he had realized you’d been inlove with him and was making fun of you, planning to laugh if you accepted his offer.

then you remembered who you were talking about, who was holding you close and walking you home after a late shift despite the fact he too had been busy all day and was probably itching to get back home. a home you shared and cherished, a combination of your different personalities with the organized mess of books and vinyls, couches you’d picked out together.

you thought about the boy who walked you to class your first day of real school and the boy who took you to prom, almost offended when you offered the idea of him going with a real date. the boy who kissed you on the cheek infront of all of his friends so he didn’t take your first kiss in a way you didn’t want.

he had always been good and kind and he had always been honest, especially with you and the way he took care of your feelings by staying true and open about his.

you decided that for once in your life, you were going to take a page from his book and you were going to lean into something and hope for the best.

“i think id like that.”

[wheeler-fan]

Hi ok first of all im seeing alot of negative energy in your asks so i wanna make it clear that im not tryna be negative like genuinely curious about peoples opinions and yk wanting to talk about stuff i find interesting

So how do you feel about the framing in the last shot in season 4 like yk we have jopper and jancy (jopper is endgame im sure but idk abt jancy) and the will and mike in the middle like

The pairing and framing is very specific and odd like it is supposed to stick out to the viewer (cause yk normally people dont stand that far apart from each other in like pairs of two idk 😭) el in the centre alone makes sense though cause yk she’s in the eye of the storm (lol get it) (storm)

But they could’ve kept this framing but with different pairings too (like the wheelers together and the byers together) idk its just very obvious to me that they wanna make it stick out to the audience (not to mention that its the last shot of the season so obviously important)

And it doesn’t necessarily have to foreshadow byler but then what do you think it’s foreshadowing (cause there is something going on and yk the duffers love playing around like that)

ofc! i love getting questions from byler fans about my point of view!! let's just be nice to each other ❤️

well i see you're asking about this final scene

*jopper- well they're standing together bc they are endgame ofc!🙄🙄 we all know that, but also they were together in s4 in a team- they're an iconic duo fr

*jancy- first thing, they're canonically still together, we know that they have some issues but we're hoping they'll have a happy ending and will be an endgame duh🙄🙏🏻

* eleven - as you just said, she's in the eye of the storm, she's gonna be the main person who's gonna fight vecna, it's gonna be her final fight, her revenge to get a justice for Max and for Hawkins (also why mike is not next to her? not only bc they were kinda separated from each other at the end, but also bc mike can't be in her shadow, he's probably gonna have an important thing to do this season, the same goes with Will)

* byler - well as i said before i think eleven is separated from them so people will pay more attention to them and their role in final season, second thing and you have to agree with me at this point - they were such an iconic duo this season (+ we know that it's canon that Will likes Mike) so yeah, even if we won't focus at romantic stuff here i bet they're gonna be one of the most iconic duo this season!! (let's hope🙏🏻or else👹)

* you said that maybe wheelers and byers could stand together but idk about this one tbh😭 it's probably connected to the fact that- 1)We want jancy to be explained, bc nancy doesn't know why Jonathan was acting so weird and yk we also have a problem with steve and his 6 chicken nuggets....😭. 2) We want byler (some of us romantically, some of us platonically) but still we want things to be explained between them right? Well that's how i see it, hope it helps!❤️

[grapecaseschoices]

But I'm glad you're having such a fine time, who is your tav going for?

I do have some problems with the game, but overall it's fun to play. Probably wyll or laezel. Initially I was gonna go for shadowheart bcs I really liked her character design and my tav also hs that similar kind of dry sarcastic sense of humour. But after having her for a while in my party, she got on my nerves real quick. I tried out some races and she almost always had something to say about it. Im not thst far into it and I like astarion but the fact that he can leave ur party if ur character kicks him in the nuts sent me and now I can't take him seriously. I think my tav enjoys messing around with him. I just keep throwing spells at him and reviving him and he hasn't left yet so he's a trooper. 😂

I was playing as a tiefling originally but they kept having stuff to say about them being a tiefling and it got kinda annoying so I changed it to something else. /lh 💀

Playing as a Sorcerer is so much fun I can just make shit explode. Idk how to use astarion though, I just make him throw arrows and hide, he doesn't really do much in fights, but he's funny so I keep him around. I might get rid of shadowheart, but she's also a cleric and provides good heals so idk. She's so fine but she's really got a poll stuck up her ass so idk. Some of the remarks she makes about certain races and some of her actions towards a certain character because they are that race (don't wanna spoil it) just kind of put me off especially with her being white. I'm aware it's fantasy and stuff and I haven't finished the story, but anyways we'll see, maybe she'll get better. 😅

Wyll is my fave so far, he's super underrated!! I do wish there were more romance options of color though. I think so far I've only met one which is Wyll. 😭😭

sorry for the late response! i have not been my best the past weekend!

I do have some problems with the game, but overall it's fun to play.

Me a salty, hater: Feel free to share~~

. I tried out some races and she almost always had something to say about it. Im not thst far into it and I like astarion but the fact that he can leave ur party if ur character kicks him in the nuts sent me and now I can't take him seriously.

DOES SHE?? I have done an half-orc but she hasn't said anything?? Unless I wasn't paying attention. Who does she say shit for? I know Giths for sure, and I imagine drows. Also ROFLMAO. I mean TBF TO HIM! hahaha

I was playing as a tiefling originally but they kept having stuff to say about them being a tiefling and it got kinda annoying so I changed it to something else. /lh 💀

omgoodness. the druids right? omg so like i have a druid tief and i thought it might be like double the fun bc of the grove, but whew. literally every breath like: WOW YOU DEVIL YOURE SO EDUCATED FOR A A DEVIL. WOW HAHA DEVIL. it's like dude. 1. not a devil 2. heard the joke the first three times, ain't yall tired? so far proving to be worse for my half-drow but havent made it far.

Idk how to use astarion though, I just make him throw arrows and hide, he doesn't really do much in fights, but he's funny so I keep him around. I might get rid of shadowheart, but she's also a cleric and provides good heals so idk. She's so fine but she's really got a poll stuck up her ass so idk. Some of the remarks she makes about certain races and some of her actions towards a certain character because they are that race (don't wanna spoil it) just kind of put me off especially with her being white. I'm aware it's fantasy and stuff and I haven't finished the story, but anyways we'll see, maybe she'll get better. 😅

i mean he's good for picking locks. that was actually his sole purpose for me for the longest. then is tarted respecing him/multiclasing him thus he became my lock picker AND my arrow man in certain PTs. or my arrow man/shadow man. i am sure i dont use that to the full potential bc i am such a newb but wte. so you're not alone.

lmao i mean if you get a paladin or a druid or you multiclass someone else ... but honestly i havent really dealt with her racism outside of lae'zel -- which i do admit really annoys me. lmao. i remember i had a PT where it was lae'zel that saved her but she gave all the credit to astarion and im like ....... is this a glitch or is she just that ... bad re: giths. and nah, it's still annoying. the fantasy racism.

also i feel i under use my sorcerers bc im still figuring out the meta magic stuff but i do like them. are you wild magic then? both mine [i ended up respecing my durge to multiclass paladin and sorcerer] are dragon ancestory bc everyone and the mom says its best and also bc im a sucker for that shit.

Wyll is my fave so far, he's super underrated!! I do wish there were more romance options of color though. I think so far I've only met one which is Wyll. 😭😭

He is LITERALLY the only one. I know people wnat to include Karlach bc of what Larian did with her features [some people said she was modled after Gemma Chan] but I do not, because her voice actress is white. IDC. She is white. She a white woman who got surgery. Blame Z----l, if it makes yall feel better. She got a fetish or something. But Karlach is WHITE.

But Wyll is. [You know why. But also because Larian gives him so little but ... YOU KNOW WHY.]

It is one of my many issues with the game.

[37q]

my last two jobs before this one, my bosses (before my sandwich shop co-gm quit) could probably be placed somewhere within neurodivergency, and it showed with how they operated and presented things. every little detail mattered if we wanted it to, and they were never put off from over-communication (unless my farmer boss could tell i was bogging myself down).

i was never afraid to clarify our conclusions into oblivion, either! maybe it has to do with ny proactiveness... or maybe i was just able to comprehend and coordinate work that im used to. yknow, need to be aware of what my constants and variables are so i can properly navigate and act on my own savvy.

but also that degree of comfort gave me a frame of reference for, well, what the hell details am i even supposed to pay attention to or tweak? i know food prep, i know management, im adept in operations and business finance and essential facilities maintenance. i make strong decisions, and im unafraid to execute them and wrap up the results.

for example. when someone says "clean this" do they mean a a swipe, a scrub, a chemical solution? when someone says "clean this room" do they mean back to its previous state? was i there to witness its default? i can pull out storage racks and deck scrub and agitate the fuck out of drain gunk, but if you only want me to organize then you need to say that.

ive received so many different trainings at every one of my jobs, and the gradual routine of such protocol instinctualized that kind of work. i have all the training and practice, i just need the work. like, i can only be perfect when im provided with reasonable conditions for it. once im briefed and autonomously beefed up im a labor fireball!

the funny thing? due to my reliance on formal training and protocol, im floundering under the pressure at this job without that autonomy i need. yeah, i was never trained. i had a shadow day, and i helped out until i was assigned my own events. every event is different, every detail is its own variable, and none of it can be articulated between coworkers. apparently.

this job is wayyyy more culture-centric. its overloaded with investor- and donor-interfacing, suffocated in a blanket of respectability, and driven by an impetus of socialized tact, sense, reason, and procedure. im finding myself slipping through the cracks of teamwork because so much communication is vague, on the understanding that someone getting the gist of your message will translate to perfect results. like a game of telephone, but half the people dont even care enough to try to mischievously distort the transmission.

i need to read that one article kai rereads every now and then. idr the exact name but its about white supremacy in the workplace. i remember a point about structure and formalization... im curious what alienating role that workplace culture plays in the grand scheme of white supremacist sterility.

[clover-46]

Model Hush making his return into my brain. I'm not wholly sure if this is a good thing or a counterproductive thing. But either way, here I am.

Hush just making another one of his unscheduled visits to Doc's studio, believing that they definitely won't mind. It completely slips his memory that he isn't their only client. Perhaps a pre-Freelancer Gavin? (Got to love those crossover episodes.)

Hush just standing there as Gavin calmly converses with Doc who's just doing the photography for Gavin's company because exposure from someone as big as this could be career changing. Don't get them wrong, Hush's distinct appearance gets them a lot of attention too, but Gavin is a huge name here. Plus he's funny.

Hush waiting for Gavin to leave and doesn't pay any attention to the wink that Gavin sent him on the way out. He just ignored Doc's exasperated surprise and yet another unannounced drop in visit. But no, this visit is different now because he decides that being a model just isn't good enough right now.

So he does the only logical thing and insists that Doc allow him to use their camera for the day, taking candids of whatever catches his eye. It takes a lot of convincing since Doc is pretty sure this goober is going to drop it and crack the lens.

But good thing he's persuasive. So they let him have free reign with a fresh memory card with the condition that he can't leave the studio. At least this gives them an opportunity to work on the fine editing for another project.

Hush goes absolutely nuts with this. Some shots are just blurry pictures of his shadow on the floor or his shoes while he's walking. (He's disappointed when he can't figure out if this camera takes videos or not. He wanted to create a cute little home movie. Oh well, he'll steal Doc's phone at some point and record then.) He took a picture of a dead fly on the window sill. He's basically like when a little kid gets their hands on their parents phone camera for the first time.

At least he's not being too disruptive.

The only high resolution photos are the ones of Doc. A good portion of them are pretty bad when it comes to the focus points. Sometimes it's a focus on the shell of their ear, knee, shoelace. But there are a few in there that are focused on the way they stick their tongue out slightly when they're focusing. Or on the way their jaw tenses when they're frustrated. The little quirks about them captured in the rampage of chaos that is Hush with a camera.

When Doc goes through the photos later, it gives them a little confidence boost. They don't look like a hunchbacked gremlin all the time when they're editing. They look like a cute creative artist.

... and then there's a bad selfie of Hush. How nice.

- 🙊

HELLO NONNY!! thank you for more model hush <3

i love crossover episodes and gavin is indeed very funny lol

oh lord i dont think i would have ever let him use it 😭

AWWWW real hush kinda has that childlike curiosity to him so this makes sense

💀💀💀

@messenger-of-stupidity

[sweetescapeartist]

More Sonic Frontiers Spoilers

Continuation of this, but this time its the stuff I didn't like.

Story didnt feel too original. Too much nostalgia bait.

Super Sonic was used way too often. Its like they were trying to make up for Super Sonic not being part of the story for the last few games.

Super Sonic felt kinda weak too. How come it takes so long for Super Sonic to defeat bosses? He's freaking Super Sonic! And for him to lose the Super form due to lasers was dumb.

Super Sonic fight music was... Misplaced and distracting. Its like they dont understand what made Super Sonic special anymore. Used too often, underpowered, unfitting music. It should've been used more sparingly for more impact. Or more orchestrated boss battle music. Idk. Something was missing.

Sonic's friends were barely used and weren't handled well.

Tails, Knuckles, & Amy holding hands then returning to cyber space made no sense. How did they know that would work? Why did it work? Why didn't they all split up and find the Emeralds like they did in Sonic 06? Oh that's right... They aren't playable so their roles are diminished. If SEGA would just allow for other Sonic characters to be playable, they wouldn't have to limit their storytelling & gameplay so much.

Some of the character progression is due to the charafters being ruined by the 2010's writers.

Sonic was too jokey for a serious story like this. He should behave more serious like in the Adventure games, Heroes, 06, & Unleashed.

Open world doesn't work too well for Sonic. Hub worlds with levels works better; like Adventure & the Unleashed hub worlds that had enemies in them in. (In certain sections of the Hub world of course)

Certain combat is more fitting for Knuckles than Sonic.

It should've been Echidnas instead of the Koco since in the Knuckles prologue, he mentions discovering that there were many more Echidna tribes. The Kocos weren't all that interesting besides their connection to the Chaos Emeralds. And the Echidnas are more interesting. But that would require Knuckles playing a bigger role instead of being captured for most of the story. (Probably can't use other Echidna Tribes due to that stupid copyright stuff with Ken Penders & SEGA not paying attention to their own IP)

Quick time events were boring and not very involving.

Sage sacrificing herself was pointless because of many reasons. One being that she didn't need to sacrifice herself at all. Super Sonic put a hole in the final boss, so why did she rush at it when it exploded? Seems like they tried to recapture Shadow's sacrifice from SA2 mixed with Chip's sacrifice from Unleashed.

Too many callbacks and references to past games because SEGA wants to play it safe.

What was the point of the cyber power?

Why was the final boss a living planet/moon thing?

(Other stuff I can't recall at the moment.)

Frontiers, to me, is a placeholder game. This is them trying to win us back. All they did for me is make me cautiously curious about what they will do next.

I'm still waiting for multiple playable characters as well as better & consistent character depictions. Until that happens, I won't be purchasing a Sonic game. And I haven't purchased one since Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

[archer3-13]

Been playing fire emblem echoes: shadows of valentia again in the last few days. on ocassion i go back to em and see how my opinion might reevaluate on old fe games, but heres some general thoughts:

-as this is for enjoyment im playing on normal which is basically just 'nes balance' mode since its the most overarchingly similar to the original nes game.

-on a pretty sharp if casual blitz i can manage to get to and beat grieth and desiaxs fortresses quickly enough. of the two of them celicas side of the map definitely has the uphill battle to contend with throwing more enemies, more promoted enemies, and more importantly more fast enemies at you then alms side which favours defensive enemies.

-it makes some general sense as celicas side gives you a lot more mages then alms side to use but a larger pattern of echoes design philosophy is 'fewer enemies, but much tougher enemies'. and i stand by that statement even with acknowledging cantors and other enemy summoners, because the enemies those units summon are intentionally chaff fodder compared to the main map crops.

-in terms of grinding i really cant stress enough how bad an idea it is to grind every tier out to lvl20 unless you have an efficient grinding system in mind. the games systems actively work against ya going in that direction, and i dont mind that meself cause im very much an all or nothing type on that kinda stuff so the game slapping my wrist on that is more my speed. that said, i think a median can work pretty well, grindin out or atleast holding out until units reach atleast lvl10 for promotions

-next run ill pay more attention to the story, but with a fresh head/perspective on things the snippets i have been watchin again this time do make me realize that a lot of what people attribute to a misfired thematic thread of 'the station of your birth dont matter', more so has to do with narrative tensions and themes of alm and celica being reluctant or hesitant to actually grapple with their destinies/responsibilities. most of the flavour text of village npc commentary on the happening of things for instance reads more so in the light of emphasizing that to me anyways on recent reflection, village people complaining about how worthless the zofian royal family is to celicas face before praising her unaware of the irony, and the teasing of alms secret rigelian heritage fits into that framework a lot more snugly. and as i noted, theres a distinct reluctance on alm and celicas parts when it comes to facing their fates, celicas trip to see mila noted as being a possible way to avoid making a claim to the zofian throne that people probably wouldn't be happy to see and that celica doesn't want to make. and conversely on alms part well he takes on the mantle of leadership in war theres not much thought on his part put into what comes after kicking rigels teeth in, almost a reluctance to do so even evident in how he shys away from the indications of his royal heritage and downplays the peoples desires for him to become the new zofian king/ruler.

-thats just my current wild thoughts on the matter though, but i do think its a better throughline that makes more sense, especially given how often its alluded to in dialogue with characters such as grieth rubbing it in celicas face that he managed to get so powerful under the royal families noses because the royal family gave less then a shit about doing anything about it, similarly as to how desaix could be the most fragrantly evil/self interested piece of shit around without any repercussions.

-love grieths voice acting, i think the VA also does the voice of the brewer gundam pilot in ibos english dub and hes a joy to listen to. plus grieths just kinda fun with his weird lil henchman in general, really reminds me of a hokuto no ken villain.

[dying-sage]

i posted this on my main as well with some thoughts but its something tht i think is so important to recognize and i see hindering the lives of women around me so much it is insane. the ammount of fear that they feel every day that is so misplaced. the homeless guy wont kill you the random guy walking home from the bars just like you on a friday night COULD do something but you need to pay attention and you will be fine. but thats the thing most of the time its bot a situation that is talked of but the idea of it. i havent once actually heard any of my friends or even people i know talk about something that actually happened or was dangerous. its the IDEA of being followed or of seeing a creepy man. and its so diabolical i mean it makes sense why women are so much more paranoid and anxious because they are constantly pushed to believe that someone is put to get them! and im not saying its dumb vecause if i hadnt started thinking how illogical this is i dont think i wouldve ckme to these conclusions because women are constantly targeted with true crime stories and shit. JUST make me so sad when for example i saw a post of a guy saying he takes walks at night vecause its peceful and gets his steps in and there were hoards of women acting like that is physically impossible to do. of course it depends on where you live but i think i ciuld easily take a walk at night and probably meet zero people. i have in the past walked home from bars and my friends acted like i was going into a war zone when the streets were completely! empty! i met nobody! friday night and its dead! because people go to sleep wherher theyre homeless or bot. idk just seems to dumb women down even more into that im just a girl mindset where grown people are afraid of boogeymen and monsters in the shadows. OFCCC super situational for example in new york or other densely populated cities its unsafe in certain areas but i think its so important to keep in mind that murder and sexual assult is much more common from people close to the woman than complete strangers in the street. just makes me insane how women put themselves on house arrest and live their lives in fear its sooooo band my head against the wall.

[songsofadelaide]

Your Megumi Drabble of him teaching you the hand symbols but ! BUT! Imagine its years later and you both are making shadow puppets with your toddler. ;-;

DONT MIND ME IN MY FEELS

Hello! Thank you so much for all the love for Shadows as one. This idea is so cute and wholesome and I hope you don't mind if I write something about it. 🥺

shadows as one.

cw: female reader, future fic, established marriage, slice of life, child oc (fushiguro mikoto), papa!megumi being a li'l prankster — "you'd expect something like that from gojo-san! Not you!"

~ 20XX

"This is a bunny," you said with a smile as you tenderly moulded the soft little hands in yours to form the shadow puppet of a rabbit, the silhouette on your living room wall amusing your child so much that he didn't even pay attention to the way you gently squeezed his fingers for the form to stay put.

"Bunny!"

"Yes, a bunny!" You happily echoed his statement, trying your best not to engulf him into another embrace.

But you couldn't help it. Mikoto became the light of your world the moment he was born. It was impossible not to fall in love with him at first sight when he looked so much like his father— dark hair, length, feathery lashes that fanned out and framed his deep blue eyes... The nurse couldn't blame you for nearly snatching him off her arms when she was handing him to you.

And when Megumi first cradled your son in his arms, he was completely enamoured, even though it was like he was looking at a mirror. Dispelling the vestiges of his troubled childhood was no easy task— and he even questioned his own capabilities as a father— but he persisted to live in the present in the arms of his wife.

Mikoto beamed as he placed his small hands in his father's own, his cheeky expression never leaving his face as Megumi softly shaped his hands into the snout of a familiar canine.

"And this is a—"

You and your husband nearly fell off your couch when Mikoto just did the unthinkable.

The surprise appearance of the pristine white dog startled him so much that he couldn't help but let out a tearful wail of shock. You swiftly got over your disbelief when you heard him crying, his tiny hands hurriedly clutching onto you once you were within his reach.

"Where on earth—" you started, brows furrowed in confusion. It was too early for Mikoto to sense cursed energy let alone manifest it. And for him to possess his father's inherited technique meant—

"—hgk."

"Wh—" You were startled by the strange noise that sounded like someone being choked. You turned to Megumi, expecting him to be in deep thought, but all you saw was your husband sitting on the couch once more, his quivering lips pursed to a thin line in an attempt to hold his laughter.

"Megumi, I never pegged you as the kind of dad who'd make fun of his own kid," you clicked your tongue at your husband as you gently bounced your son in your arms. "You'd expect something like that from Gojo-san! Not you!"

"I-I'm sorry," he stated with a stifled voice before eventually sighing to himself. "I didn't expect Mikoto to be scared of the Divine Dog..."

"I suppose the rabbits wouldn't have been any different," you said with a sigh as well. "Then again, they're much tinier..."

"Give me," Megumi stated as he got up, gently lifting your son out of your arms and into his. He ran his thumb over Mikoto's warm cheeks. He didn't want to appear insincere, but he couldn't help but smile in delight at how emotive his son was, so different from when he was younger. "Papa's sorry, Mi-kun..."

His tiny version could only blink his blue eyes at him before eventually pointing to the Divine Dog in your living room. "Big dog..."

"Yes, big dog. Big dog is a good dog."

As if sensing it was being talked about, the white wolf got on its feet and circled its master's legs. It placed its snout in Mikoto's outstretched hand, a look of trust in its eyes.

"Try pranking him again when he's a little older," you said with a small laugh. A smile lit the boy's face again as Megumi placed him down on the floor so he could pet the harmless shikigami.

And if he inherits his technique... No. Megumi didn't want to think about that now. He was a father now and he wanted to get this thing right. He didn't want to miss a single thing in Mikoto's life. He wanted to be there right now.

"I don't want him to grow up so fast, though..."

"He won't," you chuckled in response, only for Megumi to take your hand in his. He threaded his fingers into your own, once again calmed by the sight of your three shadows coming together as one.

Author's notes: Happy birthday, Megumi! 🎂 Never imagined you as a papa before, but here's a little glimpse for us yearners hehe. 🥺💙

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