#from mod red: nice

[ask-the-digital-rabbit]

I ship you with Ragatha. Opinion?

[britneyshakespeare]

well in more positive news

midge is now the proud wearer or friday night date (1960-1964)

[maranull]

Caelid being hauntingly beautiful

[sixeyesonathiel]

what happens when satoru gojo fakes vulnerability and someone responds with actual care?

a/n: reader using a male avatar so she doesn't get underestimated and satoru using a female avatar to scam his way through life is literally the silliest dynamic i’ve ever cooked up. like hello??? gender who??? one’s silently carrying the whole server with raw skill and the other’s sobbing in sparkles for loot he doesn’t even need. peak clownery. I LOVE THEM.

satoru didn’t play the game to be noble. he played to win.

he lounged on a mossy ledge in aethergate online’s emerald forest, legs swinging above luminous roots, beams of late afternoon light dripping through the tree canopy like syrup. his avatar—a petite girl with tousled silver hair in a wispy bob, watery blue eyes wide with a kind of fragile wonder—sat delicately beside him, barefoot, skirts artfully dirtied, wand trembling in her small hands. she looked like she’d burst into tears if you so much as raised your voice.

and she was him.

he’d picked the flattest chest size the game allowed, for maximum "innocent lost fairy" effect. her voice—filtered through a pitch-tuned modulator—was airy and lilting, like a tearful anime side character two seconds from fainting. her idle animations were rigged to sparkle when she wasn’t doing anything. a helpless deer stuck in traffic. a damsel in distress.

who also happened to be capable of obliterating an elite raid squad with one broken staff and an accidental crit chain.

in real life, satoru slouched deep into his gaming chair, hoodie collar bunched beneath his chin, white hair curling in a sleepy cloud around his head. his bangs hung low over a pair of gleaming, mischief-fueled eyes behind the visor. he stretched, knuckles cracking, before lazily adjusting the mic attached to his cheek. a bowl of half-finished cereal sat nearby, forgotten. his room glowed faintly with neon strips and a flickering holographic map of the game world plastered to one wall.

he was, objectively, the worst.

and today, he was feeling particularly theatrical.

the forest shimmered around him—twilight casting gold against the thick moss, background players flitting through with cloaks trailing behind, the soft ding of system notifications blending into birdsong. a sprite child NPC chased a floating pet butterfly near the stream, while two players argued over loot nearby, their chat bubbles popping like comic panels. satoru squatted in an overgrown fox den, triggering a scripted ambush, and let a swarm of level thirty wolves drag his health bar down to red. he screamed through his girl voice like a starlet in an old movie. “aah~ not againnn~ i’m sooo scaaared~ someone heeelp~!”

just in time, the brush behind him rustled.

you stepped out.

no fanfare, no slow-mo entrance. just calm, heavy steps. armored boots pressed moss flat as you walked into the fray, blade already swinging. three clean arcs. no wasted motion. the wolves fell without even a snarl. your avatar—broad-shouldered, practical, with short dark hair and a jawline like it was carved by someone very tired—stood tall against the dappled light.

satoru’s avatar blinked slowly up at you. perfect mark.

he mashed the sparkle emote.

“waaah~ thankyuuuu~ i was totally gonna diiie~ you saved meee~ teehee~”

you stared. then crouched, dropping a low-tier potion by his feet.

his real grin stretched wide. “ehhh? you’re sooo nice~ i ran out of everythiiing~ do you maybe have a few moreee?”

you paused. then dropped three more. silent.

he squealed for real. in real life, he kicked his feet against the desk.

“i love you,” he breathed through the mic, voice mod still on. but you just nodded once.

and left.

or tried to. satoru scrambled after you like a glittery barnacle. every time you stopped to check your map, his dainty avatar would sit cross-legged behind you, hands folded in her lap. if you set traps, he’d walk directly into them with the most tragic whimper you’d ever heard.

you always helped.

he couldn’t believe how easy it was.

on the third day, he managed to scam your epic raid-earned sword out of you with a long, high-pitched plea and a sparkly spin.

“n-noo~ i feel sooo baddd~ i’m scamming youuu~!!!” he cried, while pressing confirm before you could blink.

and you just... nodded.

no mic. not once had he heard your voice.

but you always turned to face him. always healed him. always gave a little wave at the end of a dungeon. sometimes you’d do a silly dance emote if he pretended to cry hard enough.

he was on top of the world.

until the boss hunt.

he was half-tempted to ghost you when the invite came in. but... he liked the attention. and the freebies. so he showed up, sparkles and all. actually tried a little. even dodged once or twice.

afterward, when the rare loot dropped, he waited for you to start dividing it.

instead, you traded it all to him. the legendary cloak. the mount egg. the enhancement cores. he stared at the trade window, then at your avatar. you stood still, like a sentry carved from obsidian.

his fingers hovered over the confirm button.

“w-wait, are you sure? i don’t— i don’t deserve all this—”

he flicked on the sparkle emote again, panicking.

but you only bowed gently. then waved.

then disappeared.

he stared at the empty space where your avatar had been.

“…what the hell,” he muttered, voice modulator still on.

then, real voice: quiet, almost pouting. “what the hell.”

he sat down in the same mossy spot, skirt fluttering in the still forest air. around him, players sprinted past in the distance, gear clinking, birds chirped lazily, a low-level bard sang off-key to a party of two, while an animated slime NPC bounced in slow circles nearby. the world went on, coded and infinite.

satoru stayed frozen.

then, slowly, he typed.

“did u mean to give me all that stuff?”

an hour passed. the sky dimmed from golden dusk to violet evening. fireflies blinked in and out between fern leaves. his cereal had gone completely soggy.

then:

“yes. u looked happy.”

his visor fogged a little. his fingers paused on the keyboard.

he didn’t log off for another four hours. just sat there, tiny legs swinging off the ledge, face pink.

slightly smiling.

[lush-escape]

This is Me Trying

pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

synopsis: your friend takes you out to a street race to meet her boyfriend and his brothers

a/n: street racing Jason Todd won't leave my brain. I'm going to do my best to keep reader as ambiguous as possible. Updates will probably be slow between work but I will also be posting this to my AO3 which i will link here. I hope you enjoy ♡

next: part 2

“I just don't see the entertainment in it, is all.” You try to explain to your friend. She had finally, finally, dragged you to one of her boyfriend's street races. You could see the appeal to them. Hot people racing dangerously and illegally in cars or on motorcycles, what's not to like? Aside from the fact that you only get to see them take off and then they're gone. A whole ten seconds of oggling.

“It's not just the race,” your friend smiles as she drags you along the sidewalk. It's dark out, almost midnight already, groups of people walking alongside you to the meet up.

“Its also the after party. You will have fun. I promise. Maybe you'll meet someone.” She shrugs, you roll your eyes. And yet you follow along like a puppy dog to humor her all the same.

It's crowded, almost overly so. Suffocating in a way. But your friend finds her boyfriend easily like she has a GPS radar on him. He's handsome, because of course he is. Dark hair and beautiful blue eyes, dark brown skin. Dick, she said his name was. This is your first official time meeting him.

He's friendly and polite and his smile was bright enough to power up Superman if he really put his mind to it. You doubt it would be hard for him. You stand off to the side a bit awkwardly as the two talk for a second, catching up. You hear him mention his brothers.

There's more of him?

You can hear your friend and Dick talking quietly to each other before you catch;

“Yeah, I mean.. Jay's here tonight. I could introduce them.” Dick mumbles with a smile and you notice him burying his face into the side of your friend's hair. Ugh.

“Jason?” A younger voice pipes up, you turn your head to take in the newcomers. “If you hate your friend you could just say that, there is no need for torture.” Dick laughs before introducing his younger brother, Damian.

He says they're adopted but you find that hard to believe when they look almost identical. Aside from the fact Damian has green eyes instead of blue. Both black hair and dark skinned. Damian speaks more properly, you notice, with a hint of an accent you can't quite place.

“I dunno man,” another speaks. Tim, you find out his name is. “Jason's been in a pissy mood all day. I wouldn't-”

“It's fine, it's fine! It'll be good for him. He needs to make new friends.” Dick insists.

They're talking about you as if you're not even there - not giving you a chance to speak for yourself on if you want to meet this Jason person or not. Your friend laughs. You glare.

Damian and Tim share a look before shaking their heads and that doesn't look promising at all. You're regretting your agreement to come along but your friend places a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

“I've met Jason before, he's nice.” But you know what her definition of “nice” is. It's far different than your own.

“Yeah, mhm.” You respond with a half hearted smile.

But the group walks further into the crowd. More cars and motorcycles come into view. You learn that Dick races with a 1979 trans am, one that he rebuilt with his brothers. The five of you walk by it and it's impressive. You find out that Tim is, apparently, still hesitant on racing while Damian claims he's too young - Dick teased him for being scared which earns him a chop to his throat.

‘If Jason is like these three then he can't be so bad.’ you think to yourself.

Until you see him. The small group stands in front of a heavily modded black and red Honda CBR600RR. It's nice. Clean. You stare at the bike until a gruff voice cuts you out of your thoughts.

“What, Dick?” Jason's expression is one of pure irritation as he tunes his bike.

He's tall and built like a brick shit house. Your mouth almost goes dry. Black hair with a white tuft in the front with a broad chest, beefy biceps, and piercing blue eyes. Oh boy.

“Just showing the angel around,” Dick slings an arm around your friend's shoulder. “And her friend.” Dick gestures to you. Tim and Damian step aside, a parting of the sea. You stand silently, almost dumbfounded, until you find your voice again.

“Uh, hey-” You try.

“No. I don't want to talk to people.” He cuts you off.

Oh.

“Told you,” Damian snickers quietly to Tim with a crooked smirk who shakes his head with a snort of laughter that he tries to cover with his hand. Your friend gives you a sympathetic look.

Great.

“C'mon, Jay. Don't be rude, I was trying to introduce- ” Dick tries again.

“Ain't got time. Race starts soon.” Jason grunts as he stands to his full height and holy shit is he intimidating. “Sorry, little birdie.” He comments as his gaze sizes you up. But he turns away before you can even get a word in.

‘Nice my ass.’ You think to yourself with an eye roll off to the side. Dick shoots you a sympathetic smile before he leads you and your friend away from Jason back towards his trans am.

“Worry not. That was him being polite.” Damian turns his smirk to you. Lovely.

It's a warm night in Gotham already and the crowd of people definitely doesn't help. “So it's always like this?” You ask your friend as you watch groups of people walk by laughing and talking. She nods in response.

“It's fun! I didn't think the racing scene in Gotham was this big but it kinda makes sense I guess.”

“I never even knew there was a ‘racing scene’.” You comment in response which gets a small laugh from Dick.

“Oh yeah, the scene’s huge here. It's fun and illegal, two things that every Gothamite loves.” He jokes.

“So, do you race for fun or.. is there a pool involved?” You ask Dick. The most knowledge you had about street racing was from the Fast and the Furious movies.

“For fun!” Dick beams. “Okay, well- winning the pot is nice, obviously. But personally? I do it for fun.” The answer makes sense to you. Dick gives off the vibes of an adrenaline junkie with the energy of a golden retriever.

“And Jason?” You ask, pretending to simply be curious. Dick stops for a second before he smiles at you. He looks at you like he knows something you don't.

“He races-...” Dick cuts himself off, his eyes roam off to the side as he chooses his words.

“Jason races to forget.” Tim finished for Dick who simply nods in response.

“Cliche.” You respond.

“Very.” Damian agrees. He looks less than impressed. “For him racing is simply a way to focus solely on the rush. Nothing else.”

[orteil42]

some undifferentiated thoughts about my Starfield playthrough as i have them. i am a game developer with a strong interest in procedural generation and i've enjoyed a bunch of other bethesda games so this might get pretty mean sorry

(this is a long one)

starfield dialogue is already exhausting me "oh you must've been living under a moon rock ;)" get it! because they're in space! this would've been too corny for the Jetsons

there's a kind of cheap dusting of space theme over everything. the food isn't salmon but alien salmon. it's not seaweed but alien seaweed. cooking alien stir-fry. come on

cannot get over how clumsily the theming is handled. books, board games, weapon names revolve heavily around space. these people have been living on alien planets for hundreds of years yet have this unending sense of novelty about it. the game takes itself completely seriously but feels like it's attempting to parody itself

people's EYEBALLS are CLIPPING THROUGH THEIR EYELIDS

a woman is speaking to me in french. her accent is about as believable as her haircut

these are some of the worst reflection maps i've ever seen

next to nothing is interactive. you can sit in chairs and sleep in beds and that is about it. can't even drink from people's toilets. disgraceful

game helpfully crashes 5 seconds after i decide i should get some sleep. very handy!

my character has not said a single thing since i started playing. not one peep. this is an unmitigated improvement over Fallout 4 i'm so glad honestly

the more i poke around the big city the more the NPC quips feel like something out of gen-1 pokemon. can't get enough of this coffee :) this city is where it's at :) spacesuits are comfy and easy to wear

very strange sense of altered reality from the quest dialogue too. has anyone at bethesda met a person before? i move on to some mission that has me scanning wildlife on a faraway planet hoping this will, somehow, feel less alien than human conversation

just as with No Man's Sky, every planet is uniformly dotted with equidistantly-placed points of interest that you slowly make your way to (no vehicles besides your jetpack) which always turn out to be some cave or building identical to those you've cleared before

unlike with No Man's Sky, the seamless exploration is faked and the biodiversity is nil. you do get an impressive amount of raw loading screens however

the prefab bases and power stations found everywhere on planets seem to have very sparse, very specific slots for spawning consumables, which results in encountering some giant industrial installation in the middle of nowhere with, i don't know, a loaf of whole-grain sandwich bread just casually sitting next to it all proper. there is no breathable atmosphere here. who is eating this

planetary traversal is a CHORE. i am saying this as someone who loved Death Stranding

heinous "hold to confirm" buttons sprinkled in various flow-breaking places throughout the interface

enemy AI is abominable. nobody is pathing their way to get my ass. "must've been the wind" taken to the next level. an infant playing peekaboo has more object permanence

hoisting yourself up on ledges when jumping is…nice

companions randomly nowhere to be found. persists through multiple fast-travels and loading screens until, just as randomly, they pop back up

storage space is now limited! unlike in Fallout 4 and virtually every other bethesda game, your containers now hold a finite item capacity. god forbid we let the player have fun

baffling inventory UI. i imagine there's a mod out there that completely overhauls it the way SkyUI did for Skyrim. this should not be needed! how are your UIs getting worse a decade later!

scanning the precious few species inhabiting some dusty planet; one of them is this arching red root i've already seen several times before. my job done in this biome, i travel (read: teleport with a loading screen) to the polar region to find some other species. the first one i catalogue is the exact same red root again but this time it's named "boreas root" todd howard is a genius

some alien horror comes at me full fangs out. i hop on a pebble. obscenely, i am safe

procedural terrain generation beyond dull, impossibly unimaginative. these people have not had one critical thought on what makes a procedural world interesting. beginning to feel validated in my belief that only i should be trusted with proc gen. along with perhaps tarn adams

jokes aside this is making me feel genuinely insane. there have been excellent procedural generation techniques that produce compelling explorable maps for decades now. bethesda absolutely has the budget and know-how to do miles better than this yet somehow they just…do not? the same way Pokemon has decided to just no longer bother with their mainline games despite being the highest-grossing media franchise in history? hello? what is for real going on

some of the most cynical breadcrumbing i've seen in years. approaching some random cave and this person in space gear, who in the vast immensity of the infinite cosmos just happens to be snapping pictures right here, tells me more-or-less verbatim "if you like this place, you should see this other place" [other random cave has been added to your map.]

i do not like how good this makes No Man's Sky's gameplay look. it depresses me how much i have to hand it to No Man's Sky for at least not fucking up this bad. please stop making me wish i was playing No Man's Sky instead this is grotesque

i think i've exhausted my interest and patience for this game at the moment. i'll get back to the main story at some point and try some other systems ie. crafting and base-building to see if there's any engagement to be found but so far, my god. my god

[lilacqiqis]

"Darling"

naruto, kakashi, obito(non massacre), hinata, itachi(non massacre), sasuke, sai

Scenario: getting casually called darling by their crush

A/N: pls send in Naruto reqs I'm starving to write stuff, also finally decided to give characters specific emojis LMAO last post i made i randomly gave them emojis 😭 Writing this at 3 AM sorry if it's ass -mod Lilac

TW: none, GN!reader

more under the cut

🌱 Naruto isn't used to romantic affection from people, let alone his crush, so his reaction when you call him "darling" is a huge gaping mouth and stuttering as he tries to process what you said

🌱 "W-wait!! Whuh?! Huhhh?!! Whaddja call me?!"

🌱 Whether it's a joke or not he has a dorky smile after as he laughs, the pet name making him feel warm inside. He probably will try and call you a pet name back afterwards, hoping you'll like it just as much as he did.

🌱 Goes to brag to all his friends the next day. "Hey hey! Guess what?! S/O called me DARLING!!" Nobody really cares too much honestly, they think he's overreacting or even lying.

🌾 A stoic man he is, that Kakashi. Not much can get him flustered, besides reading Icha Icha of course.

🌾 He usually can keep his feelings hidden away from his crush, treating you like any of his other friends, but when you call him darling? Lucky that he's wearing a mask because you'd be able to see the huge blush forming on his face.

🌾 He'd try not to react too much, his eye slightly widening and body tensing up when the word hits him. It felt so... Natural? The pet name came off your tongue so nicely that Kakashi can't help but want to hear it more.

🌾 Wouldn't comment on it, but may bring it up in the future to tease you. Perhaps to get back at them he'll also call you a romantic pet name... Nah, he's too nervous to do that, if he was that bold he'd go and just confess already!

🌺 Like Naruto, Obito is flabbergasted. He's liked you for gods who knows how long and you can just casually call him that while he becomes a mess just hugging you?

🌺 His head whips towards you so quickly as he stares at you with wide eyes. How is he supposed to react to this?! Does this mean you like him...? Did you even mean this romantically in the first place? Do you call other people that too?!

🌺 His mind is running and he just kinda... Stares at you in awe. Don't let him down by telling him it was just a joke when he questions you later, he'll be devastated.

🌺 Obito will try and be confident, calling you an affectionate pet name as well but all that comes out is stuttering.

🌺 "Heheh... I think so too, s... S-sweet... Sw-sweethEART OKIMGOINGTOGONOWBYES/O"

🌻 Goes absolutely red. Hinata already gets embarrassed by little gestures so something like getting called darling is sure to make her pass out!

🌻 Did you really mean that? She hopes so! That small name made her day, and she won't ever forget about it<3

🌻 Of course, she's still too shy to admit her feelings to you. If that was your way of confessing you'd be dumb to not see that she obviously likes you too... You'd probably be dumb to not notice her behavior before, after all Hinata isn't very good at hiding her feelings towards you.

🌻 She wouldn't realize it's a confession of your attraction if that was your motive, so please be more blunt with her.

🌙 If you think he wouldn't remember, he will. Itachi is a romantic individual, though not as much before a relationship. He takes note of everything S/O says, and will try to hint towards his feelings through small actions and words.

🌙 Absolutely loves it. Itachi will think about the pet name, wondering if you'd mind if he called you that as well. Maybe you'd get embarrassed that you're getting a taste of your own medicine? It's not the humiliation part Itachi would enjoy, but he'd love to see your flustered face.

🌙 Doesn't make a huge fuss when you call him darling, probably doesn't even say anything about it, but has a small smile while thinking about it.

🌙 Will begin to also call you pet names!! It depends on how close you are, but if you two are good friends he'll return your affection. You two probably end up having a lot of romantic tension while everybody suffers watching wondering if one of you two will finally confess or not...

🪻 Sasuke loves hates it. Do NOT call him that cheesy warm and gooey shit, he will scoff at you then turn his head away. jk he just has an ego to protect

🪻 Hates how it makes him feel. That disgusting ticklish feeling he gets in his stomach and the heat in his face makes him feel weak and vulnerable, so stop that. This is just as bad as a genjutsu and he doesn't like it one bit!

🪻 In reality though, Sasuke adores being called darling. He's just... Really bad at dealing with affection you know? He doesn't know how to react and the feeling of love is so foreign to him, so his only way of reacting is acting like he hates it in hopes of ridding his feelings. (Spoiler alert:it doesn't help one bit.)

🪻 You can catch him with a soft blush and tiny smirk on his face if you can catch a glance before he turns his head. Quit being such a loser and just accept it, Sasuke!

🪶 This was mentioned in his book, so Sai should act accordingly, right? He'll begin to also call you pet names, and he probably already did before you due to the fact he read a book saying he should...

🪶 Doesn't quite understand the meaning behind the sweet names but he's trying his best

🪶 It makes him happy though, being able to connect with you... Someone he enjoys being around so much, someone who he feels he has a "special" bond with.

🪶It creeps into your twos friendship, and before you know it you two are acting like a married couple with all your affectionate behavior.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

very specific but i like to think of a nikolai, just out of the shower, still in a towel, coming into price’s office. he sits down on the couch put in the corner (price only got it because, if it wasn’t there, he would take price’s chair. when the captain complained, nik would pat a knee and tell him there’s a perfectly good seat there, just to see the other go red.), and sit there for god knows how long just *talking* about anything that comes to mind.

This is a delicious thought, Non. Freshly showered Nikolai would smell so good, and his body hair would be so soft.

Imagine it's early days. Pre-first shag and relationship. The first time Nik kipped over they didn't have any spare beds. Base was run by the MoD, not the bloody Hilton, Nikolai. Nik hadn't complained, but he had helped himself to Price's en suite while Price was at a meeting and, upon Price's return, he found Nik in his desk chair, completely in the noddy but for the towel around his waist.

If it had been anyone else, Price might have thrown a wobbly and barked them back into their damn box, but it was Nik and Nik was about as controllable as a feral black street cat. That is, he did what he bloody wanted and, if you had the audacity to try and correct his behaviour, he dug his claws in.

"Get out m' bloody seat," Price grumbled as he dumped his laptop and a stack of files on his desk from the wrong side. He was trying not to look at Nik's body, his broad shoulders and hefty tits on full display, the curve of the towel over his lap leaving little to the imagination. Not to mention all that fluffy black body hair that probably felt absolutely fuckin' fantastic to--

Focus, Jonathan.

"I have better idea," Nik said, spinning a little on the centre stand. He stretched his long legs out and then curled them back, patting his upraised knee with a crooked little grin. "I will be your seat."

"Yer a nightmare, Nikolai," Price said with an amused huff, rubbing his fingers into tired eyes. Mainly so he didn't linger on those thick thighs or the large hand that looked like it would fit very nicely around his waist. "Put some fuckin' pants on, fer Christ's sake."

After that, Nik's sleepovers became fairly regular so Price dragged an old couch out of inventory. It hadn't been completely shredded by the squaddies in their rec room and after a bit of judicious scrubbing it was clear of all suspicious stains. Nik sat there in his towel, sometimes with a book, other times with only his phone, chattering away as Price ploughed through his paperwork. All the while, Price had to fight the urge to waltz over there and tug that damn towel open to put his mouth to better use than nattering about any ol' bollocks.

Problem was Price reckoned Nik knew what he was doing. But if Nik was a feral street cat, then Price was a cantankerous bulldog and he would not be rising - or sinking, as was the true shape of his want - to such bait. Nik would have to come and bloody ask for it like every other bloke. Price wished he'd hurry up though, because there were only so many sad wanks one man could have before it became pathetic.

[blairxbear]

How they react to accidental hand touches...

UA Part 1 / UA Part 2 / Pro Heroes / Villains

When your hand accidentally brushes theirs how will they react? More adorable moments with my absolute favourite boys!

Featuring: Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, Tenya Ida, Denki Kaminari, Mirio Togata, Hanta Sero, Koji Koda, Mashirao Ojiro

Izuku Midoriya

Immediate panic.

His brain short-circuits as soon as your fingers brush against his.

Visibly stiffens, blush creeping up his neck.

"Oh—uh—I—sorry!" He flails a little, pulling his hand back like he just touched a live wire.

Goes into a spiral of overthinking (Was that on purpose? Did they notice? What does it mean?!).

Avoids eye contact for at least ten minutes but keeps sneaking glances at your hands.

If you don’t seem bothered, he tries to casually “accidentally” touch your hand again.

If you tease him about it, he gets even redder but stammers out something dorky like, "It—it was nice, though!"

Shoto Todoroki

Freezes completely.

He stares at your hands touching, his brain buffering.

"Oh." He says it so softly like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.

Doesn’t move his hand away immediately because he’s too busy processing the warmth of your skin.

If you act casual, he might not even mention it.

If you fluster easily, he gets curious and might brush his fingers against yours again just to see you react.

Secretly enjoys it way more than he lets on.

Tenya Iida

Immediate, dramatic reaction.

"OH! I—I APOLOGIZE!" Yanks his hand back so fast you barely realize what happened.

Bows slightly like he’s committed a crime.

Probably starts lecturing himself out loud about "personal space" and "proper conduct between friends."

Blushes all the way to his ears.

If you laugh, he becomes even more flustered but smiles at you shyly.

If you casually brush your hand against his again, he short-circuits but secretly loves it.

Denki Kaminari

Immediate, dramatic overreaction.

"OH—so we’re holding hands now? NICE!" Grins like an idiot but is absolutely internally screaming.

Might jokingly lace your fingers together for a second just to tease you.

Flirty on the outside, a mess on the inside.

If you pull away shyly, he instantly melts.

"Aww, don’t be shy! We can do it again if you want~" Winks but is actually very nervous.

His brain replays the moment for the rest of the day.

Mirio Togata

Completely unbothered.

"Oh! Looks like we’re connected now!" Gives you the most radiant smile ever.

Gently squeezes your fingers before pulling away like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

If you seem shy about it, he might casually grab your hand again just to tease you.

100% chill but definitely thinking, "Wow, their hands are soft."

If you bring it up later, he’ll just laugh and say, "Want to do it again?"

Hanta Sero

Smirks immediately.

"Oh? We holdin’ hands now? Cute."

Doesn’t move his hand away for a few seconds just to see your reaction.

Super casual about it but secretly finds it adorable if you get flustered.

If you pull away quickly, he’ll tease you. "What, I don’t bite~" but is secretly a little bummed you let go.

If you act normal, he just rolls with it and might "accidentally" do it again.

Koji Koda

Immediately panics.

Face turns beet red, ears included.

Looks at you like a deer caught in headlights.

"S-Sorry!" Voice so soft you barely hear it.

Pulls his hand away instantly, even though he kind of liked it.

Too shy to bring it up again but will definitely think about it for the rest of the day.

If you casually touch his hand again later, he might pass out from flustered happiness.

Mashirao Ojiro

Surprisingly smooth about it.

"Oh, my bad." But doesn’t seem uncomfortable at all.

Gives you a soft smile but secretly feels his heartbeat speed up.

If you get flustered, he finds it super cute.

Might casually do it again later just to test your reaction.

If you keep acting normal, he will pretend it’s no big deal, but inside, he’s a little giddy.

Ko-fi / Masterlist

blairxbear © 2024. do not copy, modify, or translate my work. you do not have permission to share my work outside of tumblr!

[kirlicues]

Tranquil Townhouse | Sims 2 Lot Download

This little bitty 1x2 lot is great for filling in those small nooks and crannies in your neighborhood. It has 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, and comes in 2 varieties: with a pool in the back yard or without.

Let's take a look at the lot with the pool first. Here's the back yard: The most appealing thing about the yard on this version of the home is that it requires very little upkeep. Instead you'll be maintaining the pool!

Since this lot is so small I was only able to fit one bedroom in so it's great for newlyweds, or retired sims like the Goodies.

1st Floor: Clockwise from left: Entryway, living "room", dining area, and kitchen.

2nd Floor: Clockwise from bottom left: Upstairs landing, bathroom, and bedroom.

The lot without a pool is nearly identical on the inside (instead of the end table and dresser being yellow, they are white).

So let's take a look at that second option!

Everything is the same on the outside of the home from this angle...

But at the back you can see some things have been changed. The patio has some lawn chairs, and a small grill being that this home is built on a 1x2 lot, everything has to be pretty small.

Everything should be accessible inside and out, but I still recommend the Object Freedom mod by @fwaysims . You'll also need the mod that allows your sims to sit in chairs placed at 45-degree angles.

And, instead of a pool, you get-more flowers! 🎉

So now the choice is yours: Do you get the home with the pool, or without? They are in the §45,000-§46,000 range for cost.

Tranquil Townhouse with Pool: MF | SFS

Tranquil Townhouse without Pool: MF | SFS

All EPs and SPs are required.

*I highly recommend that you have the PerfectPlants mod from TwoJeffs*

I’ve run this home through the Lot Compressor so any random references to sims that aren’t there should be removed. I have also run this lot through the Lot Cleaner to remove any bits of buggy code. This lot comes with a shiny custom thumbnail so it has even more curb appeal in your Lots and Houses bin! 😄

This home has 1 piece of CC which you may already have in your game. They can easily be replaced or omitted if you don’t want them though.

CC List (Included): -Maxis Match Wall Cabinets by CTNutmegger at ModtheSims

Default Replacements Shown: Purple Lupin shrub from @peppermint-ginger If you don't have these in your game your Lupin will be blue (which also goes nicely with all those warm red and yellow tones).

I ALWAYS recommend using the Sims 2 Pack Clean installer to install lot files.

Want to improve the look of your game, or grab some “Lost & Found” Maxis objects? Check out this post.

[chettyspagetti]

Camp Race Show Down (CRSD)

Lore at bottom

(Red?) Racekid is illegal racer and has been racing for a long time. Not the best but definitely not the worst. Keeps his cool most the time and pulls off a lot of stuns. He will either win by a smidge or be ran off by the cops and have incomplete race / loose. Always finds a way out of whatever pickle he’s in and has funny quip about it. He’s willing to do anything for thrill of the ride, and frequently doesn’t think before he does something. Mainly just doing it because he belives in himself.

Neeancy is flag girl / with Racekid as not a racer but as more of moral support / love interest (??) She is in the car when he races and is back seat driver but she sits in the front. Shes the brains of the operation and keeps him from killing himself. She doesn’t race at all but is there to help with plans and strategy since she’s still really smart and can calculate like the air and shit and how it drags. She can get kinda crazy but Racekid likes crazy so it’s okay , she tells him off when he looses or does something stupid in the race and he just nods because he knows she’s right

Mad Max , sponsor/manager for Nikki . Schemes their way into races and does shit under the table. Wears a nice outfit and tells Nikki to “do what she does best”. Is a Bookie, makes bets on races but will make it in his favor . Has a watch and a bunch of different ids on him.

(Panther) Nikki is a reckless driver , hitting cars with hers and grinding them on walls. Has no fear with racing and having a fun time doing it. Gets hurt and acts like a wounded dog when hurt . Car frequently has to be repaired and it’s a pain in Maxs ass to fix

( Erode )Ered is cool racer who has a low rider with lots of mods. Purplely/pink with yellow accents. It can glow with led lights and shit. Very chill with her riding and doesn’t try to hurt the racers, not out of kindness it just doesn’t benefit her like Nikki. Top dawg with racing and wins against Racekid but there’s no bad blood between them. More of “you did good, maybe you’ll be a good as me one day :p” and she drives off. Plays music while she races .

Sasha races and is sponsor of Erin and Tabii. Will pay people to ruin the race for others and purposely sabotaged people. Has very nice car , not fully made for racing but it’s still really good. Does similar things to max but both don’t like each other because they are “different “ with the way they do it. She wears a helmet and it has a visor on it to keep her safe. Bought all the tokens and has a lot more then everyone else.

Erin is a slower driver then Tabii is, being more calculated and less or a risk taker. She has a dark blue car and focus more on accuracy and consistency then speed. Tabii can get bad road rage and if she looses she’ll be extra nasty next race or even after . Tabiis car is more angular and has white stripes. Sasha is hard on both of them if they loose and are lowkey scared of her.

Dolph is sketch artist and makes posters for the event. You can see them in dark parts of town with the list of racers on them. Anyone can sign up. Hes also been asked by the police to sketch who he though did it but just fucks with them cus snitches get stiches (sketched max as Barack Obama) (Rouge Racer) (Rou)

Harrison owns a “bar” that many kids reside/hang out in to drink juice / caprimoons/ whatever like a normal dingy bar. He looks like a normal bar tender and does this instead of racing. He helped his brother get into illegal racing but got caught by Gwen and David, and got sent home. (And to a boarding school) he doesn’t mess with that kind of stuff anymore but still needed to make a living.

Everyone else bets on the races , they also bet with Max cus he has higher risk/ higher reward . It isn’t legal but none of this is

Instead of getting money for winning races they get arcade tokens to “Charles Pizza Family diner” A family owned restaurant with Charles the Hamster and his gang as the mascots. They like it and that’s all it matters.

[simsionic]

Updated Resource List: UI Edition (Updated 11/10/24)

This is all the mods in my downloads folder that changes the game UI and makes it look better on modern display, removes annoyances etc. My old resource list only listed 3 which have since been replaced.

I play on a 2k monitor with the game set to 1080p with the default UI because I like the nostalgic look.

If you use cleanUI by @greatcheesecakepersona, then many of the widescreen fixes are already included! Many of these also have an alternative version made for cleanUI.

Loading screen replacement:

UC loading screen by @eddysims replace the Fun With Pets logo and removes idle M&G sims on select menu (I use an older version to match the Super Collection for mac, but have combined with this to remove the idle sims).

UC startup strings by @simsllama replace the M&G text strings while loading to fit Ultimate Collection.

M&G to UC program name replacement (MTS) changes the program name to say Ultimate Collection on taskbar, when closing the game and in credits. I use the old original Sims 2 icon in start menu.

More UI mods below my loading screen.

Removed or disabled buttons:

No delete button in Sim Bin by Chris Hatch avoid accidentially deleting a family in the neighborhood.

No delete button in Buy/Build mode by Chris Hatch. I prefer to delete cc in the downloads folder instead.

Edited No useless town buttons by ePSYlord. Removes the AL, FT and Pets buttons from upper select menu in hood view. It also disables Custom Content Browser button to the old sims2 webpage, the camera and video buttons which I never use but always accidentially click.

Removed Auto Login button by ePSYlord. Removes the redundant option in settings.

No delete button in CAS, edited More Columns in CAS by ePSYlord. This is an edit of Chris Hatch's ui mod (cas300Extra) that adds the columns while also removing delete button from all categories. I had difficulty getting it to work for me, but managed after changing load order and removing specific cc hairs.

Remove hood popup dialog box reoploaded on MATY. No more nagging to add subhoods when entering a neighborhood.

Visual annoyances begone:

No CC icon in CAS (MTS) hides the star on custom content.

No pause frame by @simnopke removes the red frame from live, buy and build mode.

Add store icon to CAS by @jawusa. Restore the TS2 Store Edition icon on store content which can all be found here.

Widescreen fixes:

Wider change appearance by Chris Hatch.

Wider buy/plan outfits by Chris Hatch.

Wider family tree by SixAM!

Wider design tool by @lamare-sims.

Wider collections by Chris Hatch.

Menu fixes or addons:

Subhood selection by Mootilda changes menu from big button to list of selections instead. Useful if playing with multiple subhoods.

Select your cemetery (MTS) adds dialog box to move tombstones if all sims on a lot die.

Baby Last Name Chooser by @midgethetree adds dialog box to choose a baby's last name when born.

Marriage Last Name Chooser (MTS) adds dialog box to choose last name after sims gets married.

Misc. UI changes:

Clearer need bars by simnopke. It just looks nicer.

Season icons in color (MTS). Replace the blue with colorful icons.

LTW icons fixed by Lamare. Resizes the Life Time Wants icons to be consistent.

I think that was everything concerning the user interface in my game. A lot more than anticipated and most added in the last year or so. My game looks so nice now!

If you have other UI mods or dialog box addons that isn't on the list, then please leave a suggestion for me 🥰

[golyhawhaw]

Greetings. Here is my rendition of Arthur Morgan from the Red Dead Redemption 2. It's not often I create video game characters so it was a nice change of pace. Download and other information under the cut.

This was a commission. If you'd like to enquire, check out my commissions page.

This download contains:

Arthur Morgan Tray Files

Arthur Morgan Skin

The skin is HQ compatible and the photos were taken with the HQ mod.

Recommended Content:

Gold Standard Body Hair

Chroma Eyes

JDM Hair

Extra Neck Width Slider

Bigby Hair by Johnnysims

I hope you enjoy.

Download(Patreon)

Public Access 19th of May 2024

[halfasleepforever]

Salutaions!

Hello, I know that there are quite a few of myself on this... app and I'm glad I have an army of them here! Together, we shall take over This app! but also, please, I've got nothing to do, so out of shear, absolute bordom, I will respond to anything you send me! Okay then, I'm the mod of this whole blog, and to help you differentiate me and Al here, he has the red text and I have the black.

Also, here! Take some guidelines because, dear God, you people need them!

#1. Please, if you are a minor... it's fine if you ask really... just be nice! And... uh... if you don't like swears, go on... get.

#2. Have fun... I found this the second most important

#3. Y'all, this is just for shits and giggles so please, don't leave hate comments! That's just rude...

#4. Please, respectfully, no NSFW stuff... I'll just block you and plus, Alastor is Ace! Just saving you the trouble.

And don't mind the stupid art from the notes app I'll make sometimes...

Oh! And call me Lu Lu! No, that's not my real name, and no, my real name isn't Lucifer.

And! Update! I've got Roleplaying partners now because I some how made friends here!

Lucifer: @mischievously-royalty

Beelzebub: @ask-the-queen-beelzebub

Charlie: @certified-autistic

Oh! And this one surprised me, but made me really happy!

Lucifer... and Alastor? I dunno: @ask-radioapple

AND WE GOT A VAGGIE! YAY oh shut up...

Vaggie: @hazbinsprotectorxxx

Husker: @husksaysno

Allie (cursed cat Alastor): @cursedcatastor

Angel Dust: @ask-angel-dust-w

Rosie: @askyourauntierosie

Niffty: @nifftyyyyy

The fuck ass bitch of an annoying picture box (Vox): @voxrpblog

Blitz (lizard): @blitzascbog

Alastor again: @alastorisbestdad

Alastor again again: @alastor-ask

Zestial: @ask-zestial

Fuck ass bitch of an annoying picture box the second: @voxtek-enterprises-offical

The bird who hit our window yesterday: @asksheablog

The reason the horny police exist: @mothmandarling

Fizz: @ask-fizzy-jester

Stupid bird: @adamforthewin

Stupid bird 2: @angelofwrath2

cupcake flavor: @therealbackboneofthevees

Vox blackmail buddy: @justificated-catalyst

The emo version of Vox blackmail buddy: @unjustified-chaos

Signal (Don't ask how the hell this happened or I swear to all things unholy, I will find you and kill you.): @asktheradiostaticfamily

Lilith: @queensaskblog

And then we have the random friends that make no sense but here we are :3 (we love the randos)

Hoppy Hoppscotch: @justsomeonewow

Ayuda: @shortmomma1993

Willam Afton and Henry Emily: @spring-lock-scars137

Ludwig: @chosen-ludwig-and-koopalings

Jax (the damn purple muppet): @ask-jax-things

Bestie: @specified6

Nice Anon: @the-horrible-anon

Other bestie: @alohaitsb1114

THANKS! :D

Random shit you might want to know: pets

Pets: Nathaniel, Silas, Darwin, Dame, Allie, Chester, Sam and Tink

Nathaniel is a rubber Chicken. Silas is a duck. Darwin is a crocodile. Dame is a platypus. Chester is a beaver. Sam is a squirrel and finally Tink is a tabby cat

[fabric-shower-curtain]

By complete accident I somehow have the autopsy scar mod on top of the bhaalist tattoo mod, don’t ask me how they’re both on my durge I have no idea how it happened. But it got me thinking how would the origin characters (+halsin) react/barely react to a lover that is heavily scarred and tattooed? (Set in Act 1)

Read more for the full brainrot

Astarion: The first time Astarion saw your body for himself was when he walked past your tent late at night, through the flaps in the entrance he saw all those scars, he couldn’t tell what had you awake this late in the night, especially mostly naked with your back turned. The vampire simply continued on his way to hunt for the night. He dropped it there, until that is, the second night in the clearing you two spent together. He was lying down leaning his head against his arms as his red eyes stared at your naked body. His eyes flowed down every scar that littered your body, he barely seemed to look at the tattoos but that’s what he asked about first “So, can you translate that one?” - he points to the tattoo across your left arm, lifting up the limb you pull your skin to take a proper look at it. It’s been a while since you properly saw it, because just out of sight enough to make it annoying to stare at. When you tell him Astarion seems content with the information. His fingers drift across the tattoo. It’s a tender moment until the elf’s hand floats toward your neck. His ice cold fingers dancing across the lingering puncture wounds on your neck - “But these are by far my favorite mark on you,” You lean into Astarion’s touch releasing a chuckling sigh before calling him the weirdest flirt you have ever seen.

Gale: He really didn’t mean to go to the river at the same time he truly meant to go two hours early when he said he would, but that tome was particularly interesting - the effects of adrenaline on libido, certainly important for a man so restricted by his netherese orb. But now it was two hours past and he definitely had a musk going on. Taking an extra robe and rag Gale went to the nearby river, only you were there too. Illuminated in moonlight you were bare in front of him. Gale cleared his throat loudly, trying to let you know he was there. What he did not expect was for you to whip around and get out of the water to say hello. He tried his best to only look at your face, he did not succeed. Your skin was glowing with a vei of water cascading down in droplets. Gale’s eyes followed one droplet from your hair, down your neck, across your chest until a certain tattoo caught his eye, infernal script. Trying to keep his focus on the tattoo rather than the flesh its on he asked you if it meant what he thought it did. He was right in fact, and you told him the story behind why you got it, quite the nice tale. The wizard relaxed enough to notice another scar across your soldier “Is that from a magic missile?” He asked without thinking. Nodding in confirmation you turned to show your shoulder blade where the other two missiles struck. As you turned around the coldness of the night hit you like a thunder wave, a massive shiver shook your entire body spraying tiny water droplets around. “Gosh you must be freezing,” - Gale wrapped you in his towel-rag before stressfully ushering you back towards the camp. Once you got back to your tent you realized you left your towel and clothes on a nearby rock, you could return the peeping Tom favor.

Halsin: Halsin adores you long before he ever saw your birthday suit, sure he thought about it, quite a lot, but with his focus deep on the shadow-curse he doesn’t have time to do much other than think about out. But the first time he does see you was far from romantic or sensual. A hook horror had slashed your entire back open when you got to close, and Halsin watched it all happen. Before the beast even hit the ground he was rushing over to you, he didn’t think, he just ripped your armor right off of you to get to the wound. You might have been screaming but his ears were ringing too loud to tell one noise from another. Halsin couldn’t even see where scar ended and fresh cut began, your tattoos were doused in enough blood to make them impossible to see against your skin. The bear of an elf’s hand floated above the wound with the same glowing blue light the hook horror’s body was basking in, thank silvanus he was far enough from the sussur tree for his magic to work. Even with his healing a scar in the same place as the monster's claw marks stayed. Halsin’s druidic skills must be faltering, that’s what he determines at least. Until the next day, you’re healed fully up and about getting ready to leave camp for the day. Halsin calls out your name - “I’m sorry I could not heal you fully, I tried best I could but the scar persists” to his confusion you begin laughing. The scar he’s so upset about has been on you for so long now, and you tell him such. His healing left no scar, in fact he healed you so well an old scar was able to show.

Karlach: The first time she saw you naked you were bathing next to each other after a battle. Even with Dammon’s initial upgrade you can’t touch each other, but you swore to find ways to be intimate without touching, just like this. However you neglected to inform her about what lay under your clothes until now, scars covering you head to toe interlaced with tattoos of varying quality. “Hey Soldier! How come you didn’t tell me before stealing my aesthetic!” You didn’t even register this was the first time exposing yourself in such a way, a brief moment of panic before you burst into a smile. “Come here, let me see them” Karlach makes you twirl around, using the faintest touch of her fingers to pull your arms out and see the tattoos wrapping around them. Her eyes continued to trail down your body, after a gasp she jumped back up to your face - “That burn scar looks like mine!” She said before pulling down her trousers to show you the near identically placed scar on her thigh. But Karlach didn’t ask about the obviously fresher stab scars, she continued to smile at her new discovery but lets the two of you properly bathe for once.

Lae’zel: Even when pinning you against a wall the githyanki warrior wasn’t particularly gentle. It’s not like you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into tonight, she had said pretty explicitly she seemed carnal pleasure. Somehow Lae’zel was even more assertive in such a scenario than during your adventures. You couldn’t even take your own armor off, she practically ripped it off of you. Your body is exposed to her in an instant, she doesn’t react, her hands go immediately to unlace your trousers and undergarments. The night is enjoyable even as exhausting as it was. Only much later does Lae’zel ever comment on them, and its in a conversation praising you two’s battle prowess “Each scar is a battle fought, a battle won.” You try not to tell her you have at least two scars from dropping the knife while cooking with Gale. She’s sweet in her own way.

Shadowheart: Shadowheart first saw you naked while healing a particularly cruel wound, goblin had snuck up on you and slashed your torso deep. You stabilized yourself quick enough with a healing potion but the wound persisted. After the battle you wandered your way over to Shadowhearts tent, asking for help. She laid you down atop her bedroll, sliding your shirt off as you let yourself relax into the makeshift bed. And then you caught it, Shadowheart’s eyes widened, shit. But she didn’t say anything; she pressed her warm hands towards your open wound as they lit alight with magic. Radiating from your gash the warm feeling washed over you, your eyes closed softly breathing out in relief. Shadowheart quelled her magic, looking over you for a fat moment. You can feel her eyes wandering over you, up and down your chest, down your stomach and across both your arms. The relief of healing has left you now but you’re still too scared to open your eyes. And then a soft hand traced along your largest scar, her fingers were so light it tickled. “I like your tattoos.” The half-elf’s voice was soft, her eyes focused back on your large scar, “How’d you get that one.” Whether or not you tell the story she’s content, happy to have this extra piece of you in her memory.

Wyll: Poor Wyll just wanted to ask about the plans for tomorrow, but not only did he smack his horns on the skeleton of your tent while entering but you’re also as naked as the day you were born. The man nearly shrieked like he saw a ghost, his entire chest swelled up with his shoulders shooting up and he looked like he just swallowed a frog. Without a word Wyll turned on his heel and left your tent, only after trying to cool his blushing face off did he even process all your markings. Upon the log he sat on he dragged his hand up and down his face trying to process what the hells just happened. And then you exited your tent, completely decent this time. You greeted Wyll and sat beside him wondering what he had barged in about in the first place. But the poor man can’t even look at you. He as calmly as he could gave you the sincerest apology you’ve ever heard. After your acceptance he finally turns to you “So what does that tattoo across your back mean?” You pause for a moment, then explain as best you can. And that conversation continues just like that, he’d ask how you got a certain scar or tattoo and you’d answer him. In return he showed you one particularly nasty scar on his arm from a monster he fought while traversing the sword coast. What may have started as the most embarrassing moment of your partnership ended with you closer than before.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Hot-Hot Rock Debut: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

You know something I love about the Mario series? Its tendency to use reduplication to put emphasis on certain words. You thought your average everyday mountain was tall? Well this is a Tall Tall Mountain. You've never seen docks quite this dire before! And it's not even just adjectives that get in on the fun! Rock Rock Mountain, Ice Ice Outpost, I love that something can be more "rock" or "ice" than something else. Sometimes a word is so nice, you just wanna say it twice twice.

Hot-Hot Rocks are one of the latest additions to this long-running Mario trend, and also one of our latest Cubic Companions! You know, Blocks are very important to the Mario franchise, but how many enemies can you think of that are blocks...? The answer should be a lot. This was a Mod Hooligon Trick and you may or may not have fallen for it. I can't tell unless you tell me, alright?

Hot-Hot Rocks first appear in the level Hot-Hot Hot! (this is an example of a linguistic phenomenon known as "threeduplication"), where they serve as one of the primary obstacles. As long as Hot-Hot Rocks are Not-Hot, you can stand on them like any other platform. But when they start glowing red, you better get out of the kitchen, because Mario and friends can't stand the heat!

Of course, a little water is all it takes to turn Hot-Hot Rocks into Not-Hot Rocks for good, so spray them with Elephant Mario's trunk or a precariously placed pot of water, and they won't be able to hurt you anymore!

Hot-Hot Rocks have a symbiotic relationship with another new enemy called Kerpop, which will probably get its own post someday, likely courtesy of Mod Chikako. These guys act like Goombas most of the time, but when they touch a hot Hot-Hot Rock, they will pop and begin jumping around! How cute! This attention to detail is what makes Super Mario Bros. Wonder truly special.

That's about all there is to Hot-Hot Rocks, but we're not quite done yet, because this post is about to get all philisolophical(sic)! Because as Weird Mario Enemies, an important part of that title-we-love-to-defy-and-love-bringing-up-how-much-we-love-to-defy-it is knowing what an "enemy" is to begin with. And so we must ask ourselves: what is an enemy? What separates an enemy from an obstacle? And is there even a meaningful difference...?

I can't say I can give you an answer. But I can give you a bunch of thought exercises under the cut! You like those, right?

You do like those! Thanks for looking under the cut, I really appreciate it.

So if we want to have a discussion of what counts as an "enemy" in the context of a video game, we should probably have a rough definition of what we think an "enemy" is in the first place. It's tough to look for edge cases of something that doesn't have any edges.

I personally think a good starting definition is along the lines of "a character designed with the intent of hurting the player," or something roughly like that. And now that we have a definition, we can scrutinize the hell out of it!

On the left we have Thwomp. Thwomp is a classic Mario Enemy. The kind you'd see featured on @regularmarioenemies. We invite Thwomp over for dinner every Sunday, and Thwomp always smashes the dinner table because that's just what Thwomp does. On the right we have Karamenbo. Karamenbo does the exact same thing that Thwomp does, but it doesn't have a face! And despite the fact they act the exact same way, this simple design difference leads to most people considering Thwomp an "enemy" and Karamenbo an "obstacle"!

Is the difference between an enemy and an obstacle really something so simple as having a face? And if so...

What do we make of Lava Bubble, another Classic Mario Enemy that only sometimes has a face? Are they only an enemy when they have a face? Or are they allowed to always be enemies in spite of their occasional facelessness? Or alternatively, are they prohibited from being enemies despite their occasional befacedness? I don't know, and my "the fact I am writing for this blog" tells me I should probably be an expert in this field!

And what about Moonsnake? What could easily be dismissed as a simple obstacle like a Spike Bar is revealed by in-game text to be a living creature! Does this allow it to be classified as an enemy instead? Does something become an enemy just because there's text saying it's alive? Do ghosts and robots count as alive? Is a thorny flower an enemy instead of an obstacle, or does the specific choice of the word "creature" make a meaningful distinction here?

What if I told you there's official text calling Karamenbo a type of Thwomp, does that change your perception of it?

And we haven't even started touching on the idea of whether or not enemies need to hurt you. Let me ask you an important question...

Are Hoppos enemies? They can not hurt you. Whenever you touch them, you just bounce off, and sure, you might be bounced into something that can hurt you, but Hoppo is just an animal. Is it really Hoppo's fault? Could Hoppo be charged with manslaughter for bouncing Mario into a bottomless pit? Are bottomless pits a type of enemy?

Flomps, Bomps, these can not hurt you directly, but they can cause you to get hurt! And they're relatives of Thwomp, too! Do these factors matter in defining them as an enemy? Bomps act basically the same as the Push-Blocks from Super Mario Odyssey, and the wiki classifies those as mere platforms!

Is mayonnaise an enemy? I don't even know anymore!

Basically, enemies are a subclass of obstacle but there's not really a meaningful distinction that separates them. Literally the only thing that separates an enemy from an obstacle is the Vibes. Nothing else matters! Sorry! But what does that mean for our blog...?

Absolutely nothing! As I've said multiple times, we stopped caring about that distinction ages ago. We're hardly even a Mario blog anymore! I just wanted to subject you to my ramblings because I've had this in the back of my mind for a while now and well I had to say it somewhere.

And since I subjected you to several paragraphs of ramblings that amount to basically nothing... am I an enemy...?