#honestly the worst part of this is that i don't have any time/energy to do anything creative

[guntapon]

oh my god jesus christ god fuck holy hell fuck me god damn it hell hell hell hell hell day from HELL

[opennwindows]

If you can, could I request BEN Drowned fluff / smut headcanons like about himself, with his headcanon age, hobbies, facts, what he is into or would like & want in a relationship, and what he would be like with a gamer girlfriend/ s/o?

If ya taking requests rn still?✨😇😊💖

Ben Drowned general + NSFW hcs

A/N: yes!! absolutely. i love getting to talk about how the pastas do their pastaing in my mind. i have so many headcanons for everyone that im excited to share!! also sorry i forgot to include the gamer gf part but i don't think it would change a lot of what i wrote!!

btw sorry for fucking dying i have been busy 😭😭 but no one worry i will still continue to work on requests!! if anyone has any marble hornets stuff they wanna request i will zoom you to the front of the queue so fucking quick. anyways enough of me yapping.

cw: 18+ nsfw, toxic relationships, crying kink,

GENERAL

ben is mentally and physically 22, but he can be quite emotionally immature at times. when he died he never stopped growing and maturing, his soul was just stuck in limbo. think like the worst waiting room ever.

he's surprisingly tall, standing at about 5'9. he's lanky but not bone thin. could easily get pretty far in a fight without his ghost powers.

the link costume only appears when he’s in his ghost form. so for example, when he’s messing with someone on their computer he’ll appear as the canon BEN we’re most familiar with. when he’s just chilling in his physical body, he mostly wears beat up hoodies and sweatpants.

contrary to popular belief, ben's not the hardcore gamer everyone thinks he is. sure, he'll play some overwatch or whatever when he's bored but he honestly just prefers to watch tv and browse the internet. understandably REFUSES to play any zelda games. if you were trapped in a video game for decades would you ever wanna touch it again? exactly.

ben loves to draw little comics and troll (see: horrifically traumatize) people online. god forbid you get into twitter beef with this man because he will crawl through your monitor at 3am and leave you with a crippling fear of technology. dude thinks it's absolutely hilarious. a true knee slapper.

lowkey has a sugar addiction. will slam down 4 cans of pepsi in one sitting. he's very lucky that he's basically a ghost because the kidney stones would be plentiful.

ROMANTIC

you know that guy with the blown out speakers in his car, lives off of energy drinks and burnt blue razz ice elfbars, swears aphex twin is the modern mozart and works on the grill at your local wendy’s? yeah thats ben. or at least would be him if he was still human.

“why would you need a chair, my lap is literally right here babe.”

would absolutely wear your skin if given the opportunity. not in a weird way. he’s just EXTREMELY touchy.

he needs someone who is significantly more organized and motivated than him. he can go almost a week without showering and it should honestly be considered biological warfare when he tries to smother you with affection during these episodes.

after awhile of you guys dating he LOVES the idea of y’all showering together. he has a fear of water and while showers aren’t too much of a trigger, your presence helps ease his anxiety.

favorite pet names: bro, dude, dawg, babe, bitch (non derogatory)

not really a romantic but he tries his best. a perfect date for him is just getting some takeout, watching youtube, talking about stupid shit and play fighting. if you want something more traditional or extravagant then he’ll oblige to make you happy but those types of dates make him feel quite suffocated and nervous. try to save those for special occasions.

now let’s talk about his problems because just like the other creeps he is ANGSTY.

he’s probably the most emotionally stable and healthiest of the group but he definitely still has his toxic traits, after all this man is a ghost that mentally tortures and kills his victims through manipulation.

ben would never ever get physical with his partner no matter how enraged he is but he absolutely is the type to do some mental damage when he gets carried away. ben drowned? more like ben gaslighted.

the type to say some shit that would keep you up for years and then kiss you the next morning like the argument never happened. he finds it easier to ignore problems than to actively talk and fix them. you’re gonna have to teach him some important communication skills or else you’ll grow to resent him after all the bottled up rage.

a bit too brutally honest and blunt for his own good so if you have thin skin the relationship would fall apart pretty quickly. he wants someone who can drag him twice as hard as he dragged you. bonus points if your insults are consistently funny as hell.

please watch anime with him and discuss it. he would propose on the spot, especially if you play with his hair.

pro player tip: if you want him to clean his disgusting room, help him and make it fun! he just needs a little push and motivation at times. and being around you makes him want to get his shit together.

big fan of late night make-out sessions. i’m talking like 45 minutes straight of just slobbering on each other’s faces with tongues down throats. if you don’t want his hands running over every inch of your body then you’ll probably have to chain him to the wall.

NSFW

okay. so he’s a little inexperienced with his hands. he’s just a slow learner. be vocal with him about what you like!!

ben's about 7inches and slightly skinnier than average but he will have you seeing stars in record time. the dick game is no joke. he tends to go fast and deep most times.

i can see him being a switch in the idgaf-as-long-as-i’m-fucking way. dude will go with the flow and will try mostly anything.

definitely one of the least aggressive pastas during sex. he has sadistic tendencies but he’s more of a edge/overstimulate you until you cry versus a beat the shit out of you and rip hair out of your scalp type. he’s pretty vanilla given his occupation.

despite his love of roasting the fuck out of you on a daily basis, the only words that come out of this man’s mouth is heavenly praise. he looks at you like you’re the most gorgeous being on the planet and he’ll let you know it.

he loves to whisper praises into your ear while you ride him.

he's more of a receiver than a giver when it comes to oral. he'll absolutely spend hours between your legs if given the chance but nothing beats the sight of you on your knees and teary eyed with his length in your mouth.

he can be a bit of a head pusher but just let him face-fuck you every now and then, hearing his loud moans will be worth it.

did i mention how much of a crying kink this man has? you guys could be on round three and if he stares at your teary eyed fucked-out face for longer than 10 seconds he'll immediately get hard again. you'll have to beg him to give your poor body a break.

he's also into choking but only if he's the one doing it. if you try to restrict his breathing he'll panic and the mood would get ruined.

[ritzylate]

@saradika-graphics made the lovely dividers and also taught me what dividers were.

This is from a huge fic I'm writing and I'm posting entirely out of order. I plan on posting the whole thing on a different AO3 eventually. this is just the start of just one part of the story. I cut out the worst of the NSFW content. I'm saving that for AO3. Kinda wanna feel out the crowd to see if my writing is something people would enjoy reading.

"Caught" A Harvey x reader fic - NSFW

NSFW 18+ MDNI MDNI MDNI MDNI I literally cannot say this enough. This is not for you.

Super dialog heavy.

Content warnings: Past relationship trauma, trauma and sadness in general, established relationship, adult entertainment, getting off. You get the idea.

AFAB!reader.

Word count: 3200 ish

I have trouble with tenses so I'm sorry if this is ass to read. I tried.

“So you're staying at Harvey’s then?” Robin asked.

“Yeah,” you say, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

“That's great,” she says with a smile. “How are things going between you two? Good then?”

“Yeah,” you say with a little more conviction. “It's going really well, actually.” 

You feel a smile spread across your face.

You hide your embarrassment by staring intently down at the pebble under the toe of your boot.

“That's so great!” Robin cheers. “Harvey is such a great guy, and he's not too bad to look at either,” she says with a wink.

You let yourself get lost in the thought of him for a moment before clearing your throat.

“I best be off,” you say. “I don’t want to get there too late. I don’t want to keep him from opening shop too late.”

Robin laughs to herself.

“Of course. Well, have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.”

“Robin, you're too young to lecture me on what to do,” you joke. 

Robin throws her head back in a laugh and waves goodbye.

The short drive to Harvey’s place allows you time enough to think of how you want to thank him. A few obvious ideas cross your mind, but you shake them free, wanting to offer something special and more thoughtful than just that.

“Hey!” Harvey stands out front of his office, the morning sun bright and beaming.

You hop out and sling your arms around his shoulders.

“How are you doing darling?” he asks, holding you in a tight warm hug. The fall air smells of sweet leaves and honey.

“I’m good,” you smile. “Robin’s started on the renovations. Should be done in a few days. It really means a lot to me that you wanted me to stay.”

Harvey chuckles. 

“Are you kidding? Of course I want you to stay. I’ve been waiting for today all week.”

Harvey leads you inside and up the stairs to his flat. 

“You can put your bag anywhere. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll make us some coffee.”

As nice as a good breakfast or coffee sounded, you had to get back to work. 

“You’re so sweet,” you say. “But I need to get to work, I have a long day ahead of me.”

“You need to eat,” Harvey said, flatly. “You can’t work if you don’t have enough energy. So sit. I have some pancake mix. I bought it just for today so if you don’t have any I’ll be sad.” 

Harvey tosses you a sarcastic smile as he reaches into the cupboard.

“Okay, okay,” you say reluctantly, sliding onto the bar stool at the counter.

“So,” Harvey starts. “What do you have planned today?”

You sigh. 

“A lot. I have some weeding to do, probably cut some trees down. Could use the firewood.”

Harvey nods as he listens to you spell out your mundane day.

“What about you?” you ask him over the rim of your coffee mug.

“Not much, honestly,” he says. “I have a few patients. But nothing big.”

A timer dings signifying the pancakes are ready. 

“Here you are, dear,” he said, sliding the pancakes onto a plate. 

“Thank you, Harvey,” you say earnestly. Your stomach rumbles at the idea of a pancake breakfast.

Harvey takes your plate and throws it in the sink as you finish your last bite.

“I’ll get to it later,” he says with a shrug.

“That was really kind of you,” you say shyly. It was hard for you to accept such kindness.

“Happy to do it.” Harvey watches you for a moment before drawing his attention to the clock.

“I better get down there,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Or Maru is going to tear me to shreds.”

You wipe the syrup off your lips with the back of your hand.

“Breakfast was lovely, Harvey, thank you,” you say again. You feel like there isn’t enough thanks in the world to express how much his gestures meant to you. 

Harvey places his hand on the small of your back.

“Don’t work too hard today,” he says as he nudges you, giving you a kiss on your cheek. 

When you arrive back at the farm, Robin is knee deep in her project. It’d only take three days, she said, but you have trouble imagining how such work could be done so quick.

You set to work at the farm. Your cows needed milking, your chickens needed feeding, there were new fruits found in the cave. But your mind wandered. 

Wonder what Harvey is doing right now?

If Robin was paying any attention to you, she’d laugh at how blissfully unaware you were of your surroundings. 

The sun sits high in the sky when you lean down to start plucking at the weeds biting at the base of your crops.

You yank at the greenery when you feel a tightening in your calf, followed by a sharp, sudden pain.

The pain catches you off guard, and you reach down to grasp at your leg. 

You fight to stay on your feet, but before you know it you fall to the dirt.

“Are you okay??” Robin calls out. You hear her boots hitting the metal on her ladder. 

“Oh what happened?”

“I don't know,” you say honestly. “I think I pulled something. I stood wrong or something. I'm fine.”

“Well. It's a good thing you're fucking the doctor, huh?”

You try to laugh, but the grimaced pain on your face won't go away. 

Robin rubs your back. 

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't joke. When a farmer stops working because of pain, you know it's serious.”

“It's not serious,” you say. “I'm fine. But…maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to stop early.”

Robin wraps an arm under you and lifts you up. You hobble to your car, Robin helping you open the door to shuffle you in.

“I can drive you,” she offers.

“No no, I'm fine, I can make it. It's all good.”

Robin looks after you with a worried, motherly look on her face as you wave to her through your open window.  

You pull up to Harvey’s clinic. The windows darkened except for a distant light shining through the hallway door leading to the stairs. . 

The pain comes and goes, but either way, you really weren't getting that much work done. And you’re already here. No sense in returning only to have the pain spike again. You might as well call it a night.

You push the front door open into a near silent office. The only sound being a slight hum from the heater.

“Harvey?” But no one answers. 

You close the door quietly, locking it behind you. 

There are slight sounds emanating from beyond the stairs but nothing too distinct. Just enough to let you know he's home. 

You climb the stairs, holding onto the wall for extra support. 

The handle to Harvey’s flat sticks slightly, but gives way to a click with enough force. 

“Harvey?” you ask again.

You move to peer round the door, not wanting to spook him. You press your knuckle to the door to give it a knock, but take pause when your brain catches up to what you're hearing.  

Heavy breathing, soft moaning, the creak of Harvey’s leather chair.

You peek your head around the door just long enough to see Harvey at his desk. His laptop opened, the screen obscured by his bare chest.

Harvey’s head rests on the back of his chair, knees barely visible on either side of him. 

“Oh fuck,” he breathes.

Your eyes widen from the shock. From this angle, you can't see much, but you still feel your cheeks flush.

You can see enough to watch him bring a hand to his forehead, running his fingers through his hair. He grabs a fistfull of his auburn locks, tightening them into a fist.

You shut your eyes, turning from the door. But the sounds of Harvey still wash over you like a wave. 

You feel breathless yourself. What do you do? Do you say something? Interrupt? Do you turn and leave? And even then, what next? Wait a few minutes, then come back? Do you pretend you only just arrived, give him a shout up the stairs to give him warning? Do you lie and pretend you didn't see anything?

You decide that leaving would offer the most ideal situation for him. Leave, wait downstairs for a little bit, then come back up. He doesn’t have to know you were here. You pull the door towards you to slowly shut the door. As it swings shut, your boot catches the edge, causing the door to bounce off the rubber. The hollow squeak sounded louder than church bells in the current situation. 

Harvey’s head whips around, his eyes widening in horror.

“Oh Yoba!” Harvey shouts, fumbling with his laptop screen. His hurried, frightened movements cause him to trip over himself, nearly knocking over the bookcase and all of its contents. 

“I- it- oh my- I can't believe, I-” Harvey’s panicked voice rushing over his words.

“Hey, hey, it's okay!! Harvey, it's fine!” Your race to issue as much reassurance as you can through the half closed door. 

“I wasn't, I mean, I was but, shit this is so embarrassing oh Yoba I don’t know what to say.”

You close the door over and hide even further behind it, teetering on the edge of the stairs.

You can barely make out Harvey's figure as he fumbles to pull his pants up around his hips before the door shuts completely. You hold onto the handle with one hand, your knuckles turning white from sheer panic.

“Harvey, really, you're fine! It's okay!!” you call through the door. “I'm so sorry I didn't mean to walk in on you, this is my fault, I'm so sorry.”

“You're just here earlier than I expected, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe-” Harvey pulls the door open, looking at you with a beet red face. You stumble over your feet to catch your footing. 

 Harvey narrows his eyes. 

“Are you okay?” The panic in his voice fading immediately. 

You don't say anything, feeling your own embarrassment sneak in. 

“Your leg? What happened?” Harvey's voice shifts from anxious to concerned medical professional immediately. 

You didn't realize you were still rubbing your calf.

“What?” You almost forgot. “No, I'm fine, I think I just strained it or maybe a charley horse, I'm fine. I thought maybe it was my sign to come back a little early. I should have texted you, I'm sorry.”

“Yes you should have!” 

You feel a wash of shame at his voice being raised. This was all your fault, none of this had to happen if you had just been responsible and texted him first. 

“You shouldn't have walked on it, I could have come and gotten you. That's what I'm here for. To help you.”

His words softened and by the end his voice was soft like satin.

“No, no, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have just let myself in. There’s nothing wrong really. I can go,” you offer.

You stand up straight, putting your weight mostly on the other leg. 

The pain fades into a dull ache that feels more like a memory of an injury.

Harvey walks to you, placing a finger under your chin. He pulls your eyes to meet his.

“Hey, no, stay here. You don't have to leave. Let's get you off your feet.”

Reluctantly you follow Harvey into his flat, feeling a flush of panic and shame for having created such an uncomfortable situation. 

“You don't have to do everything yourself, you know,” Harvey said. 

You laugh to yourself, thinking of all the times you were really injured, and probably should have called upon him for help, but didn't. Of all injuries this was hardly the one you'd bother him with.

“I've been through so much worse,” you say, before realizing that was probably the last thing Harvey wanted to hear you say. 

“It's just a muscle cramp. Really.” 

You try your best to assure him, but the worry still sticks to his face.

Harvey runs his hand down your arm.

“Why don't we get you some water, sit down, relax a bit. If you're getting Charley horses you might be dehydrated. Or you're overworking yourself, but either way, water isn't a bad idea.”

You feel yourself blushing at how Harvey rushes to take care of you.

You don't say anything out loud at first; you just take a seat on your favorite stool.

“It seems we're both not used to having someone else fuss over us.”

Harvey reaches for a glass, his pj's riding down on his hip slightly. 

“Whatever would give you that idea?” Harvey jokes. 

Harvey’s voice returned to normal, but his eyes still held worry. His brows stitched together in concern. Concern for which one of tonight's events was a toss up. Probably both, realistically speaking. 

As much as you hated to admit it, taking a load off felt nice.

The two of you fixate your gazes on the tap filling the glass. You wondered which one of you would break the silence first. 

Harvey turns the tap off and leans over the counter to slide you your drink.

“Thank you,” you say quietly. You take a modest sip trying to draw out the silence until one of you finds the strength to speak.

To your surprise,  it’s Harvey.

“Listen,” Harvey starts.  “I-I would feel better if we just…forgot about what you saw. I honestly-I can honestly say I have never been more embarrassed by anything in my entire life.” 

Harvey fixes his gaze on the floor, wearing away at an already thread barren towel sitting on the sink.

“Harvey.” You try to soften your voice as much as you can without sounding like you're patronizing him. You want to tell him you’ll forget all about it. You want to tell him there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, but you know that won’t help the situation.

“I've always felt this weird, I don't know, shame? About that." Harvey makes a wide motion with his hands towards the corner of his room with his desk. 

“I know all the facts, I know it's not weird and it’s common for a lot of people.  I hear the shame and fear from patients myself, all the time! And I reassure them that, scientifically, it's not only safe but healthy. And if that doesn’t help and they still have concerns, I’ll suggest a therapist I know out of town, and they’ll come back to me telling me how much it’s helped them. I know all that. But…” Harvey trails off, tracing a finger along the edge of the counter. 

“I find myself feeling weird about it too. Like, I don't…” Harvey shifts from foot to foot. 

“Like you don't what?” You reach out, taking his hand in yours. 

“I feel like I don't deserve it. I feel like, okay, sex, at least someone else is getting something. I'm serving a purpose. But by myself it's just me, and I struggle with the idea that I deserve it.”

You sit in silence, letting Harvey take his time and say whatever he feels comfortable saying. 

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I don't know why I'm telling you all this. This just made this even more embarrassing.” 

You take a beat before speaking again.

“Thank you for telling me. You can always tell me whatever you want, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing that with me. I know it can be hard.”

You reach a hand towards him, inviting him to your touch. He obliges, leaning into your cupped hand. You gently stroke his cheek, feeling the flush of his skin. 

“But we don't have to ever talk about this again if you don’t want to. You have my word. I will speak of it no more.”

Harvey went quiet for several minutes. The only sounds coming from the ticking grandfather clock and the hum from the radiator. 

You don't look away, keeping a soft gaze on his face. 

“You don't think I'm weird for it?” Harvey’s voice was small, almost weak. 

“Yoba no!” You exclaim. “I'd be a hypocrite if I did. My vibrator gets more use than my farm tools. My bottom drawer is as colorful as a rainbow.”

You offer him a lighthearted smile as your eyes search his face. 

Harvey closed his eyes and nervously tapped his foot against the linoleum floor. 

“That's really a relief to hear,” he says with a nervous chuckle. “My biggest fear was that you’d be upset.”

“Upset?” You tilted your head to the side. Upset? Upset about what? The very idea would never have crossed your mind. 

“Yeah,” Harvey drawls. “One of my past partners felt a certain way about it. Certainly didn't help me with my own hang ups.”

“I'm really sorry to hear that.”

“Eh,” Harvey shrugged. “We were young. I wasn't exactly the most reasonable person either. It was just a bad time.”

You nod. We've all been there you want to say. 

But instead you say, “just know that I’m here to listen. And if you want to stop, we stop. But I’m here to listen for as long as you want.”

This time Harvey is the one to nod. You can practically see his thoughts racing behind his eyes. 

“It’s okay. We can keep talking. This is good.”

You settle into your seat and take a breath in. You open your mouth to speak, but just offer a smile, a nod, and a small squeeze of his hand instead.

“So you don’t think it’s weird?” he asks again, continuing to nervously shift around.

“I think it's hot,” you say with a shrug.

“Really?” Harvey’s surprise both visible and audible. 

“Yeah,” you chuckle. “I would have been open to watching if that had been something you wanted. I panicked, and I didn't know whether to say something, leave and come back, pretend I didn't see anything and call out like I had only just arrived…”

“I would have picked the last one if you gave me the option,” Harvey said, putting his head down laughing.

“I'm so sorry,” you plead. “I was turning to leave, but I made too much noise. I’m truly sorry, I wasn't there for more than 5 seconds, I swear. I wasn't even sure what I was seeing at first, it was that quick a glace. If that helps.”

Harvey inhaled deeply. 

“That actually does help,” Harvey chuckled. 

“But-” he stuttered. “I'm kinda glad you didn't. Leave, that is. I'm kinda glad we're talking about this. Really glad, actually. Not just to clear the air, but because this feels like a really good conversation for us to have.”

Your heart beats out of your chest, you feel so warm and fuzzy.

“I really like you,” he says softly. Harvey looks up at you over the rim of his glasses. 

“I like you a lot, so, this feels like something I should share with someone who I really, really like.”

“Oh Harvey,” you say, placing your hand over your heart. You had a million things you would have liked to say. But all you could do was sit there, staring at the man you were falling in love with, thinking about all the ways you wanted to kiss him.

“This is, I guess, my first real, mature, established relationship since college. And even then, I don't know if I can call any of those relationships mature or real.”

“I'm really honored to hear you say that,” you say in a voice closer to a whisper. You can barely hear him over the sound of your heartbeat in your ears. 

Harvey closed his eyes and took in another deep breath. 

“I guess that's the plus side of dating in your 30s, huh?  We're all a little experienced.”

“A little traumatized,” you add. You sound like you're joking, and even though you both throw your heads back in a laugh, you both know you're right. 

There's some more silence between you, but the air feels lighter. 

Harvey rounds the corner of the counter and wraps his arms around you. He holds you in a tight hug. His heart sounded like a war drum.

“Thank you,” he says. His voice deep and echoing in his chest.

“You deserve to be happy, Harvey.” you say, absentmindedly running your fingertips down his back. 

“I’m starting to believe that, now,” he said, pressing his lips to your forehead. 

[eeldritchblast]

Thoughts on Halsin

I want to preface this by saying I don't have anything particularly against Halsin as he is in game. But I do find him lacking in depth, when compared to everyone else.

Even without knowing that he was added as a full companion last minute, I would probably have guessed as much simply because there's not much to him beyond the role he plays in the Shadow-Curse quest of Act 2. This is lampshaded with dialogue about how he himself feels consumed by his determination to end the curse. But to me, that just feels like a cop-out. Imagine any other character looking at the camera and just saying "yeah I know I don't have much character beyond what happens to me in the plot, too bad?"

But I think the worst crime about his lack of development, is the fact that because he doesn't have a lot else going on, he feels a little overly sexualized to me; like he's just there for the player to thirst after because he's this big, bulky man. Now, to be clear, I don't care that he's horny, and I definitely don't care that he's poly. (My GF is a poly lesbian, and honestly I could see myself having more than one romantic relationship , too, if someone else was ever interested in me like that and cool with it.) What I'm trying to say is, because he's lacking in other areas, leaving those traits being of his few you can list, it makes them feel of less value, and makes him feel more like a sex prop. And if you're gonna have a character with rape victim as part of his background like Halsin has, then that's the last thing you want, I think.

So, what more could be done with Halsin?

I once made a joke that someone should draw Halsin in a "Big Auntie Energy" shirt. For those of you who aren't Native, let me try to translate: In most if not all Indigenous Nations, we often call women who are champions of our cultures and communities "Auntie", whether they are actually literally your aunt or not. An Auntie is someone you dearly love, and trust to guide you. Halsin already plays something of a mentor figure to the protagonist—indeed, dev notes even call him "avuncular"—so why not lean into it further by showing what he does for others, too? Pretending that there was more development time allotted, here's what I would've liked to see...

"This place crawls with life, but little of it flourishes. I see refugees, unhoused. The destitute, unwanted. Orphans, unloved. … I wish there was a better way. I wish everyone could see the sun, have a full belly, and know nature as a friend. There is a balance that is yet to be found." —Halsin

After ending the Shadow-Curse, Halsin says he needs to find a new purpose. I feel like his purpose could easily align with his horror of the inequalities of Baldur's Gate. Instead of just talking about how awful it is, why not allow the player to challenge him to try and change things, then? For example, I like to imagine Halsin telling stories to the orphans in Rivington, providing them comfort and someone to look up to. Or another example: Halsin helping out in or maybe starting some kind of charity meal program. It's small, but it's enough to say that he could actually grow a little as a person within the game's story. And it would add at least a little bit of engagement on the player's end as well, instead of feeling like the relationship with Halsin, platonically, is one-sided.

This all doesn't come from nowhere, by the way. If you exclusively romance Halsin, he says goodbye to the player in the end because he is leading a group of people into Thaniel's realm to start a new life. But personally, I feel like this is too great a leap back into an Archdruid role he specifically rejected, because he didn't like it. It also would've been nice to get this kind of dialogue without having to romance him; to know what lies ahead for Halsin as a friend, too.

Now, that's the good ending. But almost all the companions in BG3 have a "good" and "evil" ending. I feel like this really adds a lot of insight into the characters, because they feel real through it; we all have the potential to make good and bad choices, after all. So what could be Halsin's evil-aligned ending? Well, remember when he questions if the Shadow Druids actually have a point? How about giving the player the opportunity to push him further down that path instead... Shadow Druid Halsin, holy shit.

Now, there's one more thing I want to circle back to: Halsin's past. He very casually speaks of his time as a captive in the Underdark. And maybe it was so long ago that he's long dealt with such trauma, but still, I really wish there was a way to say "hey bud, that's really fucked up and I'm sorry that happened to you." But there's not a single dialogue option that allows you to express sympathy, besides just saying "that's awful", which doesn't cut it. Halsin himself says, "sometimes I think people look at me and imagine my feelings can't be hurt." Not allowing the player to be sensitive to his feelings goes exactly against this message not to judge a person's emotions by physical appearances.

Anyway, Halsin is a character that I think has a lot of potential, but doesn't quite reach it in game. I think it's great that he was given a bigger role due to popularity, but I just wish that role was expanded on to the same degree as the other companions.

[stevethehairington]

okay so. overall review:

actually not as bad as i expected it to be! and not as bad as i thought it was going to turn out while i was in the trenches there lol. i still wished it focused a little more on eddie's home life/relationship with his dad and uncle AND his friends, and had way less of the romance stuff (read: none), BUT i will admit that there ended up being a lot less of the romance stuff than i initially expected and a lot less than it seemed like there would be while still in the middle of the book.

the paige stuff still made me uncomfy bc i didn't like the power dynamics there (paige had something eddie wanted desperately, and i don't like the idea that that could have had something to do with his "feelings" for her/why he engaged with them ((esp bc let's be real — he didn't seem super torn up over not getting to be with her in the end)) or that she used that to her advantage bc there was ALSO something in it for her) BUT i will say they did make it slightly less skeezy than i expected bc she was only a couple years older than him instead of like. significantly older like i expected.

i do wish there was more about eddie's friends and their fallout and reconciliation. his friends were super important to him and he just. dropped them. like that. and there was BARELY any blowback. like yeah there was a fight with ronnie, but we never actually got to see the reactions of any of the other hellfire/corroded coffin guys, and i would've liked to see that. same with the reconciliation, it felt very minimal — i would've liked to see more of how that played out too.

I LOVED EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN SECOND OF WAYNE MUNSON CONTENT, THAT MAN IS A GIFT HE IS AN ANGEL I ADORE HIM WITH EVERYTHING IN ME. IF THERE IS ONE THING THIS BOOK HAS DONE IT HAS SOLIDIFIED MY STANCE THAT WAYNE MUNSON IS THE BEST GOD DAMN CHARACTER AND I WOULD DIE FOR HIM.

as for eddie — i think the author did an alright job finding his voice. there were times where i thought she really nailed it, but there were also A LOT of times where i thought "he would never say that!!" "he would never do that!!". it wasn't very consistent, but overall it wasn't awful and there were some good parts!

the other characters we know and love that made cameos — VERY fun to see them (gareth, chrissy, jason, hopper, will, jonathan!!!) gareth was ESPECIALLY fun to see because they really embraced that feral chihuahua boy energy we love to assign to him. BUT. i am SO incredibly upset with how badly they massacred my boy tommy h (whOSE LAST NAME THEY COULDNT EVEN GET RIGHT I MEAN W H A T!?) they fucking. got his characterization SO BAD. it was awful. i am. personally offended by it (joking, mostly rhsjsi). (as a tommy lover i am. devastated tho. HE WOULD NOT DO THAT!!!)

OH ALSO — reefer rick. WHAT a fun dude. hes out here in his robe and bunny slippers drinking darjeeling tea, living it up. what a guy.

id like to give a huge FUCK YOU to principal higgins too! they made that dude a straight up MONSTER. he was unnecessarily CRUEL and some of the things he said straight up to eddies face,,,,,,, sir what the FUCK. i know the 80s was a different time but jesus fucking cHRIST was casual cruelty and bullying from grown ass ADULTS commonplace? i sure hope not.

ALSO FUCK AL MUNSON LIVES ALL MY HOMIES HATE AL MUNSON LIVES. that man was AWFUL, TRULY HONESTLY GENUINELY THE WORST. neglectful and cruel and downright AWFUL. NOT ONLY DID HE CONSISTENTLY ABANDON EDDIE THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE BUT THEN HE DREW EDDIE INTO HIS SCHEMES, CONNED HIM, FUCKED UP REAL BIG, AND THEN LEFT EDDIE IN THE ASHES OF THEIR — OF HIS — HOME AS THE ONLY PERSON LEFT WITH THE COP WHO GOT SHOT AND IS LIKE SLOWLY BLEEDING OUT. TALK ABOUT FUCKING TRAUMA WHAT THE FUCK. i hope he got flayed ALIVE by charlie greene lmao it would serve him right that absolute twat waffle.

also, im gonna be real. the end of that book was actually INSANELY depressing. like, it tried to be positive because you gotta end on a positive note right? but it just fell. COMPLETELY flat. bc we all know what happens to eddie in canon. he's sitting there reenrolling in school, peacoking around about how he's GOING to finish high school and he's GOING to graduate and he's GOING to show principal higgins that he CAN do it and that he ISNT the fuckup deliquent he's convinced he is. BUT WE ALL KNOW HE DOESNT FUCKING GET THAT IN CANON. he's taking waynes advice and fully embracing who he is and he's learning to be comfortable in his own skin and to rise above all the noise of people who don't like him and think he's a freak. ONLY WE KNOW HE NEVER TRULY GETS TO DO THAT EITHER BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW HOW IT ENDS IN CANON. so yeah it just ends up being a REALLY fucking BLEAK ending because all of that "positivity" is absolutely tainted. it's fucking soured. and i am once again INSANELY INFURIATED about eddies death. so fuck the duffers, again.

also, eddie munson literally never caught a fucking break. not one fucking break. his ENTIRE life was just one series of tragedies after the other and it truly just continued on that way until he fucking died. honestly, its a goddamn MIRACLE that he has ANY ounce of positivity and optimism and hope left in his life when we get to him in s4. thatd how utter dogshit a hand he has been dealt in life. and it only.got worse from there. and i will NEVER forgive ANYONE involved in his creation for that.

so yeah! that concludes my journey reading flight of icarus. it was a wild ride lol.

[astroangel23]

Pick an Image: A Message From Your Inner Child 🤍🧚‍♀️

your inner child has something they would like to say; let me know how it resonates for you, enjoy!

Helloooo pile 1! Your inner child wants you to know that it's never too late! You may feel as if you've let your dreams pass you by or laid your imagination to rest in order to get a grip on your physical world as an adult, but they are letting you know that your imagination is still running wild in the background, probably in your dream state. They're proud of you for focusing on building a stable life for yourself. You could find yourself feeling blue a lot of the time in order to keep the stability going. Your inner child wants you to know that there is always time to do the things you love, even as an adult. Life doesn't have to be so serious to be considered successful. Find a healthy balance between work and play. Focusing on building your coin has brought out a more cold side to you since you have put so much on your plate. You are walking the right path towards your goals but it's entirely okay to have fun on this path as well. Honestly, keeping your inner child alive will bring more movement and clarity upon your path moving forward, so if there's something you always loved to do as a child or dreamed of doing, make plans towards bringing that alive ✨ - Astro Angel 💚

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Hi pile 2! Your inner child wants to warn you of moving too fast. There may be something that you urgently want to move towards, but this situation or this offer is not what it seems. You could be moving off of emotions instead of logic at the moment and your inner child wants to guide you away from the self sacrificing pain that could possibly come from impulsive actions. There are some manipulative energies surrounding this situation or this energy is you striving to control the narrative or the outcome and you're being guided to leave out this prideful energy. I'm watching Coraline atm & he just said "don't go through the little door" I really feel as if there's something here that isn't what it seems to be. I feel that your commitment to yourself, to your self respect is being tested rn. Are you going to jump at the first offer or are you going to wait until something is truly worth your time & energy? Are you going to give your inner child the best or just give them the bare minimum? - Astro Angel 💌

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Hope you are well, pile 3! Your inner child wants you to know that you are good enough just as you are. I feel that this pile is very aware of their inner child and already strives to nurture that part of themselves. As much as your inner child loves and appreciates this, they want you to know that it's safe to put your sword down. It's important to know that only we can allow others to hurt us. Whenever someone catches an attitude with you or is rude towards you for absolutely no reason, we have all the control to whether or not we're going to let it tear us down or not. Your inner child wants you to know that you carry the power, your mind carries the power to overcome any struggles throughout any day, it's safe to trust your adult self. Let the energy of your inner child shine through to see the lighter side of situations. There's no need to fight the world anymore. Your inner child is offering you a huge cup of overflowing love to find compassion over impatience and anger rn - Astro Angel 💚

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Welcome to your reading, pile 4! Your inner child simply wants to thank you for putting in all of the work you are putting in day to day. They also want you to know that you have come so far when it comes to listening to your intuition. You have protected yourself from the wrong people that would have led you down karmic paths. You've left out the people that would have just kept you up at night contemplating the worst case scenarios. Instead, you've given that cup of love to yourself in order to heal to become a healthier version of yourself and they are so thankful for this! Your inner child admires you. Keep living out your days with a childlike imagination, never settling for less than you deserve because it is doing nothing but bringing you continuous growth and expansion in this life! Do take time to reflect on all of the transformations you've gone through. Give yourself the credit where it's due! 🧁🥳 - Astro Angel 💚

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[familyvideostevie]

hold my hand through it

you're feeling overwhelmed, so you and steve go on a drive | 1.5k, fem!reader, fluff, life is hard and i am sad and if you feel that way too i hope this helps < 3

Sometimes life is just a little too much. You woke up this morning feeling it -- the weight of the day before it had even happened, your mood sour from the moment you opened your eyes. It just happens sometimes, you know that, and there isn't much you can do. But it made you irritable and you argued with your coworker today and cried in the bathroom about it after because you felt bad for taking out your emotions on her and ever since then you've just been looking forward to coming home and sulking.

But when you finally get there and see Steve's car in the drive, your stomach twists. You want to see him, you always do, but you're worried you'll just be grumpy to him, too, and while you know he'll understand, you can't help but think that maybe this is the time your melancholy drives him away. But you sigh and head inside. You can hear Steve in the kitchen, radio on, singing softly. It cracks your frostiness a little, the corner of your mouth curling as you toss your things by the door and take off your shoes.

"Baby, that you?" he calls and you hear the radio turn off. You don't reply but make your way into the kitchen, ducking around the fridge to find him making...something. "Kiss for the cook?" His gaze travels over you before you give him a quick kiss, and his brows are furrowed when you pull away, like he's caught on to your mood. But he doesn't say anything, knowing that you'll tell him when you're ready.

"What's happening here?" you ask, hopping onto the kitchen island as he turns back to the stove.

"I'm making some fucking...pasta...thing I found in one of my mom's cookbooks because we had all the stuff, but honestly I don't know how it's going to go." He keeps talking, waving his hands around as he dumps things into the pot, explaining how he has no idea what "blanch" means and that the pasta was expired, which he didn't even know could happen, and you sort of zone out listening to him talk. The irritation you were worried about isn't present, and you don't find his voice annoying, but you feel heavy, like you want to cry but can't muster the energy.

"Hey, you alive over there?" Steve says. You come back to yourself to find him standing in front of you, hands running up and down your thighs.

"Yeah," you mumble. "Sorry. Did you ask me a question?" Steve studies your face for a second, dark eyes scanning your features like he's searching for something.

"I asked if you wanted to watch a movie, but don't worry about it." He moves his hands from your knees to lace his fingers with yours. "You okay, pretty girl?"

You drop your head forward to thunk on his chest. Not that long ago you would maybe had avoided the truth, made something up, and retreated to your bedroom alone. But you are in the habit of being honest with Steve because he has always made you feel safe. You know that he can't read your mind -- and you can't read his -- and being open with each other has served you well. It lets you love each other better.

"Ugh," you groan. "Not really." His thumbs stroke the backs of your hands as he waits for you to continue, humming a little at your admission. You feel the sound on your forehead. "Just stressed and overwhelmed and it turned into just being sad. Been feeling blah all day."

"Okay. Any reason? Anything I can do to help?" One hand comes to your chin to gently pull your face up so he can look at you. You shake your head.

"Nah. Just happening." That's the worst part, you think. That you have no explanation for feeling this down, no problem to tackle to make it better. It makes you feel selfish, makes you feel broken, though you know that's not true.

"That's fine, baby, you know that. Don't need a reason to feel things. You can just feel them," Steve chides, like he can hear your spiral of negative thoughts. He gently lets you go and turns back to the stove, switching off the burner.

"You can say no," he says, "but what about a drive? We can just roam around, listen to the radio or talk or sit in silence. This is a lost cause, anyway." He wrinkles his nose at the cooling pot before turning to you, shrugging.

"That...sounds great, Stevie." He beams and you smile weakly back.

"Yeah? Let's go then, c'mon." He holds out a hand as you hop off the counter, barely letting you slip into your shoes before he corrals you out the door and to his car.

As soon as he starts driving you put your feet on the dash -- only you're allowed to do that -- and roll your window all the way down. You leave the radio off and stare out at the familiar streets, at the sky as it starts to turn pink and orange, letting the fresh air flow into your lungs. Every breath seems to relax you, and while you still feel that pit in your stomach, it shrinks and you start to feel a little like yourself again.

Steve's driving you all around, taking random turns but trying to keep on side roads with less traffic. You know that he's waiting for you to break the silence, if you want to, to reach for him though his hands itch to hold yours. After a while, you pull your legs down and grab one of his hands off the steering wheel, bringing it to your thigh and holding it there. He gives you a squeeze, mouth quirking up but his eyes on the road. You take the opportunity to just look at him.

He starts to flush the longer you stare, studying his profile. Hair a little longer than his usual curling under his ears, some fringe hanging over his forehead. His thick brows and long lashes, the swoop of his nose and the plush of his lips you love kissing. His angular jawline, the moles on his neck you've traced with your fingers and your tongue. You know every inch of Steve, and he every inch of you.

"What're you lookin at?" he grumbles. "Do I have dirt on my face or something?"

"Just lookin,'" you say. "You're pretty." The flush on his neck gets darker but he smiles at the genuine joy in your voice.

"No fair!" he cries. "I gotta look at the road while you're sitting there so pretty it should be illegal."

"Life isn't fair, Stevie." You mean it as a joke, but it comes out a little more serious than you intended.

"No," Steve says, squeezing your thigh again. "That's true. But it's not all bad, right?" He glances over at you for a few seconds, his expression soft. You know Steve doesn't mind your moods. He is patient with you through them, but you know he gets a little worried and always wants to help you get to the other side.

"No, it's not." You smile a little at him as you say it. "Thank you, Steve."

"What for, baby?" You gesture with your free hand at him, the car, the world going by outside the windows.

"All of it. For getting out me of my head." For being you, you think.

"It's a pretty head, don't get me wrong." Steve sighs, and brings the car to a stop. You look around, only just registering that you're in a nearby neighborhood at a stop sign. He shifts in his seat and turns to you, bringing the hand on your leg up to cup your cheek. The golden hour light makes him look so beautiful your breath hitches.

"I just want you to know that I love you and I'm here for you, yeah? For every mood, every bad day, all of it." Steve keeps his voice soft, but you know he means every word, needs you to hear it. You swallow the lump in your throat, this one caused by your sweet boy.

"I know," you breathe out. "I love you, Stevie. So much." His eyes crinkle at the corners as he moves his face closer to yours. "So much," you say again right before he brings his lips to yours. Steve kisses you slowly, sweetly, as tenderly as he's ever done. You reach out to grab his bicep, wanting him as close as you can get with the gear shift between you.

And then a car honks. Steve, for his part, doesn't startle as much as look annoyed.

"Jesus! Alright, alright, can't you see I'm doing something important?" he says, maybe a little loudly for the stillness of the evening. He gives you one last peck before sticking his arm out the window and waving the car behind you around him. He gives the middle-aged driver, probably a dad, a mock salute that makes you dissolve into giggles.

"So," he begins, putting the car back into drive. "We need to find dinner somewhere."

"Pizza?" you suggest. Steve grabs your hand and gives your palm a kiss before setting it on his thigh his time, his warm fingers lacing with yours.

"You're a genius, babe," he grins. "Just what I was thinking."

want to be added to my tag list for full-length (non-ask) fics? send me a message and specify for steve, eddie, or both! reblog, send feedback, requests open, masterlist here!

[veliseraptor]

Top 5 fucked up family bonds!

oh mannn. I feel like this one fluctuates depending on, like, what fandoms I'm focused on at the moment, but to try to shake it up a little since I've answered a question like this before (though that was specifically for siblings! and no shade! just challenging myself, mostly, since most of these are probably going to end up being siblings, that's just what I'm like)

1. Azula and Zuko. Since Avatar is in the air lately and I just queued a post about them, and I am deeply invested in their relationship even if I don't talk about it a huge amount these days - I think about this one in particular from Azula's persepctive. The way that Zuko is the negative that Azula measures herself against, that she pretends not to care about him but I think he occupies a substantial part of the way that she constructs herself in opposition to him, as everything he isn't, the negative model she will never be. But then there is Zuko's end of things, the push-pull between the ever-present comparison between them where he falls short and the fact that I think he genuinely does care for her even as he doesn't, I think, really know how to deal with her, or really understand her. And also any family relationship involving attempted murder is going to be like catnip to me.

2. Kinn and Vegas. Family dynamics where I am both very into the family dynamic and also kind of ship them occupy 3/5 positions on this list, which says something that I think is just about the way that sufficiently obsessive and entangled relationships between a pair of people is going to lure me into seeing what I can do to make it more fucked up (with possible fucking). But anyway!

I love how they make each other worse, all of the time. They bring out the absolute worst in each other, always; they fail to see each other clearly and perceive each other beyond their flaws but also beyond how their respective fathers have pitted them against each other like fighting roosters. They're mutually obsessed with each other no matter how much I think Kinn would like to pretend that he is aloof and indifferent. It's a mess. It's delightful. Also the only non-siblings on this list. Notable for the fact that in their first scene I failed to recognize them as cousins and assigned them ex-boyfriend energy.

3. Felix and Mildmay. Okay so I've included them on lists like this before but they deserve a mention anyway. Because boy! What a mess! From the beginning! They love each other so much and it's a disaster! Felix's attraction to Mildmay at least in part because he doesn't know how to love without sex! Mildmay's hopeless attachment to Felix despite all the cruelty he dishes out! They're just...I love them and I love their mess of a relationship and I also love how it develops over the course of the books into something better. Honestly the only one of these pairs that does that. Kudos to them.

4. Celegorm and Curufin. Okay, this one is built a little bit on a towering edifice of headcanon, but so sue me, and it's not entirely! There is on page content for these two! So there!

A friend of mine has the tag for these two #the other brotherwives and I feel like in some ways that sums it up for me - the way that they are, again, entangled in each other in a way where they always come as a pair, and their personalities both complement and contrast each other, and they're just so. All the sons of Feanor are a mess of codependent relationships but these two kind of stand out by virtue of always being paired, in everything, including all their worst choices, even their deaths. And again, I have a towering edifice of headcanon in particular about how their relationship both decays and calcifies over time, becoming both more desperately close and also more tangled with resentment at the way things fall out, but ultimately they can't be separated from each other.

5. Millions Knives and Vash. Throwing out a wildcard I haven't talked about much, but like. Wow! Another sibling relationship tailored to cater to me that came as a surprise out of left field and decked me in the face! I still need to read the manga but at least when it comes to Trigun: Stampede the sheer toxicity here, the fucked up love and protectiveness and possessiveness and guilt and the way that ultimately while Knives' goals exploit Vash it doesn't, I don't think, erase the love; I think he still sees it as for Vash's own good, even as he's doing much the same thing he deplores when humans do it. I have headcanons about part of Knives' motivation for crashing the ships has to do not just with self-protection but protection for Vash, and the way that decays over time is. Chef's kiss. Love it.

Bonus mention to Lucivar and Daemon and, because I just can't leave them off and they do still have a special place in my heart, Thor and Loki. But also for a non-sibling relationship again possibly out of left field, I actually think a lot about Loki and Odin too, and if I still have MCU feelings sometimes those are one of them.

[puuta-heinaa]

Joker Out -sweater series Post 1 Post 2 Post 3 Post 4

Happy Carpe diem's birthday!

As promised, here's the chart now that I've finished the yoke! The four rows I added on the go (20, 22, 29, 31) are now part of the chart, so no need to knit any row twice. I did alter the most annoying cloud rows slightly.

There's "colours only" chart at the end of this post.

What you'll need:

Technique Ladderback jacquard/invisible stranding technique is a MUST, and honestly it makes following the chart easier as well! If you don't feel like learning it, you might want to mark the blue lines with stitch markers. Here's an EXCELLENT video of the technique in Finnish, it's very visual + auto-translated subtitles seemed to work reasonably well, so it might work even for non-Finnish speaking people! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtapBYocY80&t

Yarn I'm using Drops Alaska, 17s/10cm in color 15 and 58 and 3. It is widely available and affordable yarn. It's not soft but it's not worst either, somewhere around 29-33 microns I'd say.

In reality I'm using Drops Nepal 0501 for the grey, as I was going to use Nepal in the first place as it is a lovely yarn!!!! I'd say around 25-27 microns, and 35% alpaca, makes even warmer sweater! Colours are sold out in most places in Jan and Feb as it's always on big sale in Nov-Dec, but 6790 or 1709 would work for blue, and 2923 for the yellow.

I used one skein of grey, 1(2) skeins of yellow and as I'm making a crop version like I always do, about 8 skeins of main colour. If you want a regular sweater, you'll need 10-12 skeins of blue depending on your height.

Friendly reminder to check your local shepherd's and local mills' yarns before buying Drops, if that is something you financially can afford.

Needles 5 mm needles. I've recenlty fallen in love with addi's unicorn needles. They're easy for the hands as they are slightly shaped. No need to grip hard = more knitting time per day! And they're pretty! You want to use lacquered or metallic needles for this yarn, you will struggle with bamboo needles.

Some adjustments The chart is not scaled. It's one size. It makes size M/L. The widest part of the yoke is 150 cm, and I'm aiming for 100-105cm for the body. If you need a bigger sweater, use yarn that has 15 or 12 s/10cm and bigger needles, or add a few (blue) stitches on each side of the chart. If you need a smaller sweater, use yarn that has 18-20 s/10 cm and smaller needles. Do some math before choosing your yarn. And please swatch!! It's boring and annoying but you will thank yourself later.

+ stitch markers (you can use yarn loops)

I'll write up the whole pattern once I have energy to do that. I started with 86 stitches, knit rib for 5 rows, placed the stitch markers (17,17,17,17,18), did some shaping for the neck (5 short rows with 42 stitches in total) and moved on to the chart. 1-2 rows with just blue to cast off the ladders, and then I'll move on to sleeves. I don't promise my pattern will be any clearer than these quick notes right here, but if you know someone who knits or have already knit few sweaters, these should give you a decent starting point.

OK ON TO THE CHARTS.

One with only the colours. The numbers on the cloud are upside down when you're knitting, but they still help somewhat (I had put them in the same table/layer with the colours, and couldn't hide them easily, so we'll just have to live with them.)

Dark grey boxes are stitches that don't exist yet, but where will be a stitch later on on the chart. You add the stitches on rows where the boxes turn white.

And the second; what you might want to embroider on the suns and clouds as finishing touches.

And yoke part of the sweater for those who hadn't yet seen it yet and didn't click the links:

[higuchisora]

As mentioned before, I'll be sharing my top 10 anime characters that could solo my beloved sweet baby boy Binghe. This is both serious and not at all serious. Disclaimer: I love him, he's my good son, but he also needs some competition to keep his head nice and deflated. I'm sticking with 1 character per show to keep things fresh. Also "anime" is a... loosely used term here lmao. Also also, manga/LN spoilers ahead for some shows.

Without further ado (and in no particular order):

10. Uzumaki Naruto (and friends)

Definitely the most obvious so I'm putting it first. Honestly the Naruto cast could've had its own top 10, but rules are rules. That Talk No Jutsu is fucking lethal. If he couldn't TedTalk Binghe into a reluctant friendship, he'd rock his shit first and THEN befriend him. Without so much as a filler episode.

I'm of the mind that any Kage-level character could wipe the floor with my son, Mano y Mano. But even a solid jonin team would have some serious hands for him.

9. Saitama from One Punch Man

I haven't watched the full thing, but ending careers with 1 punch is literally his job, so I'm taking this one on good faith that he'd also be fast enough to catch Binghe at all.

8. Yoriichi from Demon Slayer

The only thing that could defeat this man was his own sadness. He'd clap TLJ and then come for Binghe without so much as a snack break.

7. Hua Cheng from TGCF (yes I know it's a donghua shut up)

Call me biased, I don't care. Hua Cheng would obliterate this man without even thinking about it. He'd laugh, too, because he's an asshole. And then go home to bang Xie Lian.

6. Rimuru from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

I don't like this man or this show. But no one can tell me he wouldn't just. Eat Binghe. Like full vore, as is canon of his abilities. He's done it with physically larger targets and succeeded, he could do it for some pretty boy. Binghe wouldn't even be the first demon king he's fought.

5. Aang from The Last Airbender

I SAID WHAT I SAID. Specifically in his Avatar State, I firmly believe he'd clap Binghe if led to believe it was absolutely necessary. Like the literal world ending. He exorcised a man when he was 12, I think Aang at his peak could handle an emo boy in need of an exorcism.

4. Saiki Kusuo from the Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

He'd dust Binghe out of existence before homie even knew what hit him. Argue with the wall.

3. Yumiella Dolkness from Villainess Level 99

I don't even really like her, but considering she's taken on a demon king of her own before, and is capable of making black holes big enough to swallow cities without breaking a sweat, she'll at least be a worthy opponent.

2. Kumoko/D from So I'm a Spider, So What?

Literally a god. The world-ending kind, and that's when she's being chill about it. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being in control of the System tormenting poor SQQ and SQH. She's not as advanced in the anime, but in the light novel ending a world is literally light work. She's done it before and she'll do it again.

1. Mash Burnedead from Mashle

I haven't even caught up 100% with this show but I don't care. It doesn't even matter that Mash can't do magic. Actually, it's precisely BECAUSE he can't do magic that I firmly believe he deserves a place on this list because that just means this human dude is just Built Different. Binghe would throw a bunch of spiritual/demonic energy attacks at him and Mash would just bitch slap it out of the way. And then bitch slap Binghe. Worst part is that he wouldn't even realize they're fighting for real, which would permanently ruin Binghe's self esteem, IMO.

Honorable mentions:

Gabimaru from Hell's Paradise

I don't think he COULDN'T take Binghe on, just that it's unlikely he'd survive, honestly. Cultivation is real in their world kinda, and from what I've watched he's not yet capable of taking one on by himself 100%. But he's tenacious and skilled, so he'd at least get a few good ones in before Binghe smokes him. With a good crew and a battle plan, he'd be able to lock an average Binghe under a mountain.

Sailor Moon

The only reason she isn't on top 10 is because I'm not confident in her ability to take hits. She's great at dishing them out, but in the event Binghe manages to get a good whack in, I feel like it'll be over for her. I don't think she's fast enough to reliably dodge the whole time either. Plus, I barely remember the OG show, so it's kind of odd to be comparing her to stuff like Naruto, which I know well.

Hina from Hinamatsuri

Just offer a lifetime supply of red caviar and Binghe's a dead man. That being said, I don't think she'd walk away unscathed. This battle would mostly be dictated by how it starts. If she has the element of surprise, he's dead. If Binghe is suitably enraged (say, Xin Mo possession style), Hina's a goner. Hence she isn't strong enough to be able to beat him soundly in all scenarios.

Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul

He's pretty cool. Also likes to eat flesh. I don't think he's as fast at it as Rimuru is, but then again I also gave up watching after the first season. Gets an honorable mention because he might actually be stronger than I think.

Goku

He's fucking Goku. I just have never watched this show so I didn't feel comfortable ranking him.

Kibutsuji Muzan + Upper moons from Demon Slayer

Any of them would be a solid threat. However, considering they get their asses handed to them by a bunch of human high schoolers and fold at the tiniest ray of sunlight, I figure the moons would be somewhat of a miniboss vs final boss in terms of power scaling.

Muzan probably would've gotten a place on the list if not for Yoriichi. Also, as said, anyone that gets clapped by a bunch of high schoolers in their own home gets a permanent L. Shine a lamp on him and it's over for bro.

Hashiras from Demon Slayer

Not a single one of them can 1v1 any upper moons. That being said, they still managed to body all of them. They go down with them though, so I'd say it would take all of the hashiras (maybe including pre-canon ones) to take down the average Binghe. And they'd all die doing it.

Hero of Time/Hero of the Wilds Link from Legend of Zelda

Is this an anime? No. Do I care? Not really. Fighting opponents wildly out of his league but ultimately winning anyway is literally his canon lore. All Link needs is a slingshot and an ocarina and he'll fight the fucking moon. He's no slouch in recent games either; a beef bowl and a stick is all it takes for him to take on the immortal demon king possessing the castle in nothing but his goddamn boxers.

This was my list!!! Very long, but a lot of fun. Let me know what your own lists are, I'm curious lol.

If I've not mentioned a show, it's probably because I've never watched it lol.

[yjyt85r98r]

Aikatsu song reviews: Onaji chikyuu no shiawase ni

Song

This review might not go as in-depth as I want, or I might edit it later, because despite the fact that I like this song, I have not listened to it very many times.

This song feels fairy-like, but not in the traditional "small and delicate and ethereal" way. It's more like a "grand awakening" kind of way. Like taking heavy steps as flowers sprout out of the ground.

I think this is a good song, but I always feel kind of scared to listen to it because the beat is so loud. Aikatsu has done this with a few of their ballads, but this is the first and one of the worst. I get what they're trying to do. They want to give the song a 'heartbeat', to make sure it isn't boring. But in the end, it just hurts my ears and makes me unable to focus on the rest of the instrumentals.

I like how the key change doesn't happen all at once – instead, the song slowly lures the listener in and out of the new key. I find that type of key change far more pleasant and interesting than the kind that happens all of a sudden with no transition.

Anyway, I think that this song is a ballad done right. Ballads sort of have a bad reputation among those who prefer fast-paced songs, and when I hear a mediocre or overly-simple ballad, I can honestly understand why. But I think this one is pretty good. Of course it's not perfect, and I'm sure it's not for everyone, but it's still really nice.

Vocals

The first time I listened to Sakura's vocals, it was in a duet song, and I thought that I would never actively want to listen to a solo song by her. But then I listened to this and changed my mind.

This song makes really good use of her voice's breathy quality. The vocals are mostly soft and gentle, but with surprising bursts of strength that make them much more interesting to listen to. That one low part in the chorus is especially fun... she almost sounds like a completely different person.

Lyrics

I... feel bad insulting the lyrics... but the English translation kind of reminds me of an 11-year-old's first attempt at a serious song. I don't think it's fair to say that about the Japanese lyrics since they contain some pretty high-level vocabulary that maybe an 11-year-old wouldn't know. I think it probably sounds better if you're fluent in the language, which I am not.

But I feel like these lyrics are exceedingly rare for an idol anime. These days, it feels like there aren't that many songs with lyrics about nature, so these lyrics are refreshing. They have a tone reminiscent of a poem or a folk tale, or even a sort of benevolent commandment, which is also quite rare. They feel strangely nostalgic.

Choreography

One of the most ballet-like dances in Aikatsu, outdone only by Aria's performance. It has the same problem as a lot of choreography for slower songs: a bit too much energy. Most of the dance is slow, but then suddenly there will be this fast series of leaps and spins. The dance would be too boring without them, so I don't think it's a bad thing. It's just a thing that happens when choreographing a slower song. If there was any way to improve it, I think that would just be to create a better flow between the energetic and calm parts.

I feel like the choreography of this one might have influenced the choreography of Alicia's song. Some of the poses and movements are similar.

The dance seems like it would be fun to do.

Visuals

This was one of the most visually experimental performances in Aikatsu, or at least in season 1. They had the performer jumping off a platform, moving patterns on the stage, partially blurred shots, plants briefly obscuring the screen, and a sky that changed mid-song. The CGI was starting to get better, and they made full use of that.

And the stage design! It sort of looks like a level of a nostalgic video game, but I couldn't tell you what game because it isn't any one in particular. It just looks really magical. I love the fireflies and the lily of the valley flowers, and how they're so big that it makes the performer look like a little fairy. Sakura's aura matches the visuals so well that could be mistaken as part of the stage. And the way it grows when it first appears is so whimsical. It's all so pretty, it's a shame it was only used in the anime, like, once.

Good points: Good vocals Bad points: Beat is too loud

Rating: 7.3/10 Personal rating: 7.3/10

[fiveraccoonsinatrenchcoat]

Another Funeral

Eddie Munson x f!reader

Description: You got Vecna'd. Eddie's handling it about as well as anyone would have expected him to.

Warnings: ANGST with a capital everything. Major character death. Hurt/no comfort(for the most part). Very heavy drug and alcohol abuse. Some cursing. Lots of tears. Canned meat.

Word Count: 1198

Notes: This shit is SAD, folks, but I am also very proud of it so don't say anything bad about it to me or I will cry.

By the time Eddie was finally able to make his way back to the (somewhat destroyed) trailer, the gravity of what had actually happened had finally set in. The image of you floating in the air with that vacant look on your face was etched into his mind. The feeling of both Dustin and Steve having to hold him back as your limbs cracked and snapped above him was still there.

By the time Eddie’s van pulled up, he thought he couldn’t possibly cry anymore, because how could there be any tears left? Surely he must have cried so much that they were all dried up, but when he saw Wayne out front, smoking a cigarette like he always did, he crumbled. He cried in front of his uncle for the first time since his dog died when he was ten. He cried harder than he ever thought possible, and as Eddie stumbled to his knees on the wooden porch, Wayne knew. Eddie didn’t have to tell him what happened because he could see by the look in Eddie’s eyes that something in him had broken; the worst had occurred. 

By the time Dustin was able to make a trip to check up on Eddie a couple weeks later, the scent of whiskey and cigarette smoke had permeated through his room, his clothes, his hair. Eddie knew it, too, because it stung in his nostrils; whiskey, cigarette smoke, and the faint scent of your shampoo that stuck around on the sheets after every visit. He mumbled through sentences and nearly crashed into his mirror between swigs from the cheap plastic bottle in his hand. The other hand gripped a tee shirt of yours that had been tucked away into a corner of his dresser along with a pair of pajama shorts and a change of clothes. You’d left them there for when you’d stay over.

Guess you wouldn’t be doing much of that anymore.

“Eddie, dude, you can’t do this,” Dustin said, his voice laced with worry. “You can’t get yourself into a hole like this.”

“Why not, hm?” Eddie questioned, eyelids fluttering shut as he flopped down onto his bed. “A nice, deep hole to curl up in sounds pretty good right about now.”

“Stop it, Eddie, I’m serious.” Dustin reached for the bottle hanging loosely from Eddie’s fingertips, and if Eddie hadn't been so out of it, he would’ve protested and snatched it back. In his current state, though, filled to the brim with a cocktail of pretty much every downer on the planet, his muscles felt like jelly and all he had the energy to do was lie there & complain.

“So am I, Dust-hey, wait, that’s mine!” Eddie slurred as the liquor was taken from him. He sat up, slowly, and scowled at Dustin, muttering. “Asshole.”

By the time Eddie woke up, Dustin had left (he'd had to check Eddie’s pulse a handful of times just to be sure he wasn’t dead too). The sun had long since set when Eddie swayed his way into the kitchen for a glass of water and whatever food he could get into his stomach. In this case, it was the end pieces of an old loaf of bread and a can of. . . something. It smelled like meatballs? Maybe? Honestly, he didn’t really care much about what it was beyond the fact that it was food. He was going to heat it up, but he couldn’t get the burner to light and eventually resigned to his fate and ate it cold. His uncle was presumably at work, so he could play his loud music and drink his shitty booze and. . . his shitty booze was gone. Surely he hadn’t gotten through all of it, right? 

He made his way back into his room and found a note left on his desk. His name was scrawled along the front in Dustin’s chicken scratch handwriting. He unfolded the paper and read.

‘Eddie, you can’t keep going on like this.’ Eddie had to rub his eyes a few times to keep them from going unfocused. ‘I know this royally sucks, and I know how much you loved her, but she wouldn’t want you to wither away like this, drowning yourself in drugs and cheap whiskey. I can’t lose another friend.’

Eddie sniffled, feeling the ever familiar pinpricks of tears in his eyes. He wiped his nose before he noticed a small ‘p.s.’ written on the bottom of the page. 

‘Also, I took all the booze. You'll thank me later.’

“Little shit,” Eddie murmured, tossing the note back onto the desk. Even though he was annoyed with the kid, Eddie couldn’t help but smile a little at Dustin’s concern for him. His attention turned back to his cold meatballs (yes, he was right; they were, in fact, tiny meatballs) and sat, hunched over, on his bed. He swayed a bit as he used the bread to sop up whatever barbecue sauce was in the can, when his eyes caught something glossy on the floor. He didn’t remember it being there before, but he didn’t tend to remember much about his goings on these days. He abandoned the can onto his nightstand and went to see what it was, having to steady himself on the walls after getting up too quickly for his swimming head to handle. He reached down and picked it up.

It was a photo-strip of the two of you.

It used to hang off the side of his mirror, but he must have knocked it off at some point by mistake. His fingers grazed the edges as if it were made of porcelain; like if he were to be too rough with it, it would shatter into the grain of the carpet, never to be seen again. Your smile shined up at him, your eyes shining just as bright. He was smiling in the pictures, too. It had come from a photo booth at the Indiana State Fair two summers ago, and it was beginning to peel a bit around the corners. His favorite of the four images was the one on the very bottom. You were laughing as Eddie planted a kiss on your cheek. He remembered tickling you under the jacket you were wearing (his jacket) and your giggly protests telling him to stop. He remembered getting the pictures out of the machine and you gushing about how much you loved them. He remembered tossing an arm around your shoulders as the two of you made your way to the nearest cotton candy stand, and he remembered leaving sweet, sticky kisses on your forehead.

The floodgates opened and tears started pouring out of Eddie’s dark eyes. His fingers trembled as he brought the photo-strip up to his face, holding it close as if someone was about to come in and take it away from him. 

By the time Eddie had steadied his breathing again, the gravity of what had actually happened had finally set in. You were gone, and Dustin was right; no amount of ketamine or shitty whiskey was going to change that.

Eddie wasn’t about to be the reason his friends had to attend another funeral. 

[thelampisaflashlight]

Strangely Human Rewrite 2: Pretend

[Dew struggles behind closed doors. This one is a bit heavy as a heads up, and deals with the rougher part of Dew's transformation into a ghoul.] Below the cut.

It has been a little over a week since the ghouls decided that they'd had enough of Mountain and Dew's petty little... whatever you wanna call it.

At the very least, Mountain can't ignore Dew anymore, not with a section of their shared wall missing, and, try as he might to cover the hole, Dew lacks the motivation to do anything beyond hang up Mountain's stupid beaded curtain.

Which, admittedly, doesn't look too bad.

Dew's honestly not sure why he's even still mad at Mountain, or if he's just mad in general.

It's hard to distinguish what's genuine anger and just... him being in irritable from feeling sick.

Dew doesn't have the energy these days to unpack his suitcases -still set in the middle of his floor mocking him- let alone pick through his feelings.

Perhaps that has something to do with it.

His lethargy, the perpetual feeling of malaise... it's one thing to deal with it behind closed doors, but now he has Mountain, who isn't in his space per se, but within sight more often than not these days.

Who shifts noticeably in his sleep whenever Dew gets up in the middle of the night or glances through the partition if he lays in bed for too long.

Sometimes, Dew's heart will warm a little when he sees Mountain's face pop into view from around the corner.

He tries not to be obvious with his concern because they're sort of fighting, but kind of not.

But, at times, it's... it's too much to be seen when he's feeling bad, and he knows the guy means well, but Dew needs his alone time, and he hasn't been getting much of that lately, and not just because he and Mounty are roommates now.

None of the ghouls are leaving him be.

Not since Aether discovered the rough patches on his skin had begun to spread.

"I... I don't know what's happening." he admitted, brow creased with worry as he tried and failed to make the scaly skin smooth out again to no avail, "I don't know how to help."

What's worse, is that the patches have started to itch now.

The only thing that seems to soothe the persistent ache is water.

Not lotion or a cooling balm -they tried that and it had burned so bad soaking into his skin that Aether all but threw him into the shower to wash it off of him- just water.

He spends a lot of time in the bath, soaking, leaving the door open so he can talk to Mountain even though they're totally still fighting.

Totally.

Neither of them have really apologized to one another, but Dew can only go so long sitting in silence before he starts to go a little stir crazy, and being sick certainly brings out the worst in him in that regard.

That said, it's nearly impossible to force two unwilling individuals to share a room, especially two grown adults, so, perhaps, the fact that Mountain has not abandoned his room, and Dew hasn't returned to his old accommodations is their own stubborn way of saying sorry.

Who knows.

Any which way, as Dew lets the water run over him like a dehydrated houseplant, Mountain is sat with his back leaning against the edge of the tub, fiddling with one of the bath toys Sunny had happily tossed into Dew's bathroom that morning.

It's a light blue crab with its eyes poorly painted on, made of a soft, hollow rubber that squirts water when squeezed, and although Dew had been a little annoyed being given something clearly for toddlers... he did have to admit it made wasting his days soaking in the tub a lot less boring.

"Hey, Mount?" Dew asks, shoving a small red and yellow octopus beneath the water, releasing it so he can watch it pop above the surface and bobble about.

"Yes?"

"Do you think... Do you think I'm dying?"

The earth giant turns to him, letting his elbow slip over the edge into the water, fingers still worrying the toy and frowns.

"I don't." he says.

"Why not?"

And Mountain pauses then, arm drooping further beneath the soapy water as he breathes.

Green meets amber, and in a voice so painfully small, he says...

"Because I don't want you to."

.

.

.

"It is possible that the last ritual had some delayed side effects." Papa says, wincing as he sees Dew practically clawing at his own neck, scratching at the long, angry looking marks already drawn there.

If he weren't so preoccupied itching, Dew would make some kind of witty remark, but his throat is sore, so he just glares at him, bemused.

"Then does that mean Dew is becoming a ghoul? Or is he... is he cursed somehow?" Aether asks, hopeful that it's the former not the latter.

"We suspect that Dew is undergoing the transition gradually, as opposed to all at once as the ritual was meant to do." Papa explains, "However... it's unclear which..."

He breathes in.

"It's unclear which element his body is shifting into..."

Aether tenses, "Elaborate."

"They tried turning me into water first." Dew says, cutting into the conversation, still dragging his nails down his neck, "Then fire. Twice."

"How come it didn't work the first time?" Aether wonders, grabbing Dew's hand to stop him from tearing at his skin anymore, "How is that even possible?"

"Well..." Papa clears his throat and sighs, "...we don't know. One theory that has been proposed is that Dewdrop already has a demonic attachment, which would explain why the previous rituals did not take... and, perhaps, that entity, the one preventing his transition, is finally tapping into the magic from the ritual."

"How would I..." Dew holds up his hand, "How the fuck could I have already been possessed and not know it?"

"I did not say possessed, I said you might have an attachment. It's not quite the same thing." Papa says, "But that's just one theory. I am more inclined to believe the second one, being that you may have had an ancestor who laid with a demonic entity at some point, meaning you were already technically a demon, and the rituals made it more... pronounced."

"...I personally do not wanna imagine being a monster fucker is a familial trait-"

"I mean that IS how the original ghouls were made..." Papa trails off, "But I digress."

"I don't think it's too much of a digression to imply that rawing demons may have lead to my current predicament... Maybe I caught something from the ghouls?" Dew mumbles, "Some kinda weird demon STD...?"

Aether frowns, "Dude."

"What? We all fuck around. A LOT. I'm just saying-"

Papa coughs into his hand.

"At any rate, we will look into the cause more thoroughly soon enough. Until then, monitor your symptoms and report any notable changes."

Dew pouts the entire way back to the dorms.

"That was completely fucking useless." he complains, scratching at his neck again, leaving the skin raw underneath his nails.

"Dew-" Aether starts, then tenses, "Dew, stop scratching, you'll make yourself bleed at this rate."

"It fucking itches." Dew grouses, then adds in a tired voice, "...It fucking hurts."

Aether furrows his brow, "It's only going to get worse if you keep that up. C'mon, let's get you back in the t-"

"I don't want to get back in the fucking tub, Aeth, I want to be able to actually get shit done, but I can't, because it feels like someone fried me and ran my skin through a cheese grater..." He hisses, itching the dry patches on his arms now, "I can't even fucking sleep-"

"You haven't been sleeping?"

Dew mumbles something under his breath.

"What?"

"I said of course I fucking haven't!" Dew cries, "I'm either shredding myself to pieces or trying not to drown, and any time I DO get the chance to lay down, my spine feels like someone is pulling it out my ass!"

"...You didn't mention the spine part when we had our check-up earlier." Aether says, "I told you to tell me if there was anything new! You-"

"I-" Dew gives a frustrated shout and stomps his feet, "I'M TIRED OF EVERYONE BEING UP IN MY BUSINESS, OKAY?!"

"D-"

"Every fucking day. Every fucking day! Someone is asking me, 'Hey, are you alright?' or 'How are you feeling?' and you know what?! I FEEL LIKE SHIT!" he digs his hands into his hair, "I feel like shit, Aether, and it's not getting any better."

"It's not getting any better..."

"Dew, it will. It will get better, it's just going to take time." Aether tries, reaching out to pull Dew into a hug, but as soon as his fingers brush the other man's sides, Dew flinches.

Hard.

"Fuck!"

Dew curls into himself.

"Dew?!" Aether startles, placing his hands on Dew's shoulders, "What's wrong?!"

"Don't touch me!"

.

.

.

So yeah.

Yeah.

Dew's getting worse.

A lot worse.

Every day seems to drag on and on and on.

And he doesn't sleep.

Just lays awake, too tired to even think of raking his fingers across his skin.

Mountain keeps the others updated, lets Aether in to check on him, but no one else really visits anymore, because every time anyone starts to speak, Dew snaps at them.

Physically.

He's taken to biting anyone who gets too close.

Even poor Rain, who had just been trying to ease his symptoms with a bit of his magic met the painful bite of blunt teeth.

"You should apologize." Swiss tells him late one night, sat beside his bed, he sounds like he's angry, or trying to be.

But more than that, he just sounds worried.

"When you're better, you have to-"

"Swiss..."

"Yes?" the multi ghoul asks, feeling hopeful.

That hope fades quickly as Dew rolls over to face him in the darkness, replaced with grief.

Dew's entire face is flaking like ash, like he's one breath away from being reduced to nothing but dust.

"...I'm sorry."

[biconickyoshi]

NAtLA first impressions (eps 1 & 2)

Here are my thoughts as someone who has been a superfan of the original series since 2007 (spoiler-free first, then spoilers below)!

Honestly, I'm feeling pretty middle of the road about this adaptation so far. I like a lot of the costuming, and some of the actors are good, while others have felt a bit lackluster. There's also some characterization choices I didn't like too much for certain characters (which I will get into in the spoiler sections below). The score is definitely not as good as the original series - I don't particularly like the new elements of the score, and when themes and motifs from the original score are used, I feel like they aren't used enough. The bending, while better than the 2010 version, still feels a bit fake and clunky, as do a lot of the special effects. There's also a problem with a reliance on exposition dialogue, moreso in the first ep than the second.

Now we'll get into the spoiler section. Don't read below this if you do not wanna be spoiled.

EP 1: "Aang"

What I liked:

Getting to see a bit more of the Air Nomads (which makes the genocide feel even more devastating)

The design of the Southern Air Temple felt very warm and inviting - I liked that there were lots of trees and whatnot

The added details about the Sozin purposefully allowing news of the war to be leaked to the Earth Kingdom to throw everyone off their trail of planning to attack the Air Nomads

Making the comet a special event for the Air Nomads, which brings them all together at the Southern Air Temple for Sozin's attack to happen

I like that Wolf Cove was actually called Wolf Cove (since it's never name dropped in the actual show)

Zuko and Iroh did a good job - I think Dallas is capturing Zuko's energy pretty well, and while Paul's Iroh feels a bit different than the OG, he's still doing a good job

What I was not so keen on:

Yep... I really didn't like that Aang didn't purposefully run away, and instead went to "clear his head" after Monk Gyatso told him he was the Avatar, fully intending to return before getting caught in the storm.

They really weren't kidding about removing Sokka's sexism. Instead of Aang being released bc of Katara's anger at this, they just happen upon the iceberg, and somehow while trying to waterbend their canoe closer she waterbends the iceberg open behind her??

Exposition dump from Gran Gran... and her basically just straight up telling Aang to his face "You're the last airbender! All your people are dead! And you're probably the Avatar too!" It all felt very wooden and definitely a bad change from how Aang realizes he's in the future in the OG series.

I had high hopes for a lot of the actors, and I hate to say it (especially considering Sokka's actor is likely not even indigenous at all), but Sokka has felt like the best actor so far. His lines come across a lot more naturally than Katara's and Aang's often do. Aang is alright, and of course looks and acts the part, but the way he speaks his lines sometimes feels too quick/unnatural. Sadly, I think Katara's acting has been the worst so far - in this episode I didn't see any of the emotion in her eyes that I felt like I should've been seeing. I will say I think she got a bit better in ep 2.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka just don't feel close. They never got time to go penguin sledding, to hang out with the village kids, etc. They still feel like strangers.

Speaking of, I guess Aang went out of the Avatar State by thinking about Gyatso? Again, that distance between him and the siblings (especially Katara) is glaring. Katara in general just seems to lack the spark she has in the OG.

EP 2: "Warriors"

What I liked:

Seeing the Fire Navy port - it felt very SEA-inspired, and that street food looked delicious lol.

Kyoshi Island being run by a woman (Suki's mom). Just makes more sense to me lol.

Suki - I looooved how they portrayed her as this kind of socially awkward character who wants to talk to Sokka but doesn't know how. It makes so much sense with her being isolated her whole life. I also felt like her and Sokka had quite a bit of chemistry.

The final Kyoshi battle was pretty cool

I kinda liked Zhao and Zuko both being at Kyoshi Island

Zuko's desperation to find Aang - he really felt like a kid to me in this ep with the acting choices Dallas made.

Strangely, I don't hate them nerfing the Avatar State a bit by making it to where Aang can only enter it when he's in an Avatar shrine. I didn't even realize it at first but the reason he goes into the Avatar State in the SAT is because Gyatso's skeleton was in Yangchen's shrine. I still prefer OG series Avatar State though.

I like that Kyoshi warns Aang with the vision about the Fire Nation's attack on the Northern Water Tribe. It gives him an incentive to get there faster instead of meandering.

What I was not so keen on:

Zhao seems to be a much less arrogant character here, at least outwardly. I know he was probably a bit cartoon villain-y in the OG series, but this dude just feels like another commander. Maybe that will change as I watch more. He's definitely conniving.

The goofy ass high beam lights from the Kyoshi statue's eyes

Kyoshi's characterization... This Kyoshi feels like the caricature all the casual fans perceive her to be (i.e. violence and strength are the best way, smite my enemies type of thing). I also didn't like how she just kept berating Aang for running away (which is weird that everyone keeps accusing him of this bc this version of Aang literally didn't even run away).

Aang is very driven to master the elements and defeat the Fire Lord in this version, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... But I feel like if anything, they could have at least kept it to where he ran away the night of the genocide, even if they didn't want to show him ignoring his responsibilities to go on adventures in the bulk of the show. A major part of Aang's character arc is him learning to accept his destiny and stop running/avoiding.

Once again, no Sokka sexism arc. This ep in the OG series was very important for him, but that's nonexistent here.

Once again, Katara's acting, while better than ep 1, feels like it's lacking emotion.

Overall, it's obviously better than the 2010 movie so far, and I enjoyed the eps to a degree, but there's still a lot of things that I wasn't super fond of. The changes that they seem to have made so far aren't too extreme yet, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing how far they end up deviating from the original show.

The whole time I was watching, I just couldn't stop thinking about how much better the original show is. I just kept missing the characters I knew and loved. Also, I still firmly believe this world and story truly works best in animation.

[pluppsauthor]

OC Interview

Thanks to @themboty, @phoenixradiant, and @sunglasses-in-the-bentley for the tags! I'm not sure who to do this time around, we got a three part special this time. Anyway I will do... let me get a wheel Bene (Wounded Reflection), Akita, and David (both Hellfire)! (cw: swears)

Are you named after anyone?

"No. I asked my father what my name meant once. He shrugged and said it was a name. No deeper meaning." "No. Never heard of anyone with the same name as me." "Am I named after someone? ...I mean, it's a common name--not here, but just... generally. Can't really ask anyone so I don't know."

When was the last time you cried?

*deep sigh* "When my father died." "I don't know, and I don't really care. Why would I keep track of when I cry?" "Well, funny story, it was right after I almost died. When I was a given a second chance to live, I cried. But then I learned of the curse I had just taken on to be given such life. Then that joy turned to regret."

Do you have kids?

"No... although sometimes I wished I had chosen to start a family rather than fall into that pit of revenge." *Laughs* "How old do you think I am? At least you don't think I'm a kid." "Nah, not really interested in that stuff. Settling down ain't my style. I like travelling, I like doing things that having a family might... impede or make unavailable."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"No." "I don't think I know what that means, so... maybe." "Haha, yeah."

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

"Their aura. Not only can it inform me of their Frequency, should they posses one. But, it can gives a vague read on their strength and vitality. It's a good thing to know I think." "How easy it would be to pickpocket them. Also if I can outrun them." *sigh* "I'm not sure... I tend to assume the worst in people, so I guess I try to gauge if they have ill intentions."

What’s your eye colour?

"Brown." "I've only seen it in the reflections of broken shards of glass. It's dark, so maybe brown." "Grey. Although I SWEAR they look blue under the right light."

Scary movies or happy endings?

"Movies? I'm not sure I've heard of that. So I guess a happy ending." "What? I don't care for stories." "Oh, that's a good one. I've been somewhere where they have a theatre. Not for plays, but for reels. Honestly, I don't think their too impressive, from an enjoyment perspective. But I do like scary stories, so I'll go with that."

Any special talents?

"Excluding my Frequency, no. However, due to the effects of my Frequency I am fairly resilient against the cold. More than the average person at least." "It isn't a special talent, but people underestimate me. A real talent is I can create energy from my hands. Not a single person has expected that, scares people off of me too." "Oh, where do I begin? I have a lot of tricks I know. Sleight of hand, misdirection, illusions, that sort of thing. I'm also very lucky, or at least that's what I say. In truth, I have a sort of sixth sense of certain things. It allows me to cheat at most games of chance. Don't tell anyone that, or else I'll probably be banned from every gambling bar I visit."

Where were you born?

"Shadecross. It's a... connecting town. Brings in a lot of trade. Try not to go there much, brings back bad memories." "Redwick. Awful place. Nobody cares for you there, they beat the downcast and feed off misery." "Leeside. Shithole of a place, I'll be honest. Not worth going back."

Do you have any pets?

"No. Vesa has a cat and I was with her for some time. But I'm not any more, and I still wouldn't consider that my pet." "No, it's another mouth to feed. It's already enough to feed myself, why would I take on another creature to care for?" "No, but I kind of want one! I think I travel too much, though. Plus, it's kind of hard to find the time to care for an animal, at least for me."

What sort of sports do you play?

"I'm not the biggest fan of sports. Me, my brother, and Ollie used to play outside a lot as kids, but not really sports." "None." "I know I said Leeside's a shithole--and it is!--but the people there are great. The kids I grew up used to play a bunch of games and sports. I think all of the names were made up so I don't know what they were."

How tall are you?

"178 centimetres." "Are you making fun of me? You better not be... *sigh* ...anyway, I don't know exact numbers. a little bit under 170 centimetres I think. Maybe 167, I don't remember." "Uh, I think it was... 180?? Centimetres, of course."

What was your favourite subject in school?

"My father taught me everything, Shadecross still doesn't have a school." *chuckles* "Are you assuming I went to school? I wouldn't be scrounging for scraps if I did." "Leeside didn't have one, a school that is. But now I'm doing a lot of learning and stuff myself. I think one thing I've enjoyed to some extent was learning a language so, whatever that field is called."

What is your dream job?

"I don't have one. I think I'd either like to keep doing what I'm doing or retire and only do what I have to. I'm not one for professions like learning a craft." "Not being homeless, I know that's not a job. I survive for myself I don't care for anything like money, it only serves as a way to get what I need." "Honestly, I don't have one. I'd rather make my money gambling then work a day in my life."

Missed doing these, I want to do more about the Hellfire cast. I love those funny little gremlins so much. Anyway, onto tags!

Gently tagging (np) @mk-writes-stuff, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @kbwritesstuff, @illarian-rambling, @theeccentricraven, @tildeathiwillwrite, and open tag for anyone that wants to hop in! ❤

[umlewis]

lewis hamilton during the press conference [part 1/2], las vegas, united states - november 15, 2023 (transcription under the cut)

Interviewer: "Lewis, why don't we start with you? Good to see you. Now, you've raced all over the world in your Formula 1 career. Just how different does a race in Las Vegas feel?" Lewis: "I mean, we've not driven yet, but… Hi, everyone. It's pretty cool. I was mentioning the other day that I've seen Casino like a thousand times-the movie, obviously-so it's amazing to be here. I think it's something we spoke of, dreaming of having a race here, many years ago, and it's very surreal to be here and it's exciting. It's such an incredible place, so many lights. It's a great energy, a great buzz." Interviewer: "Did you ever do the kart race here, back iun the day? I know Michael Schumacher raced here in 2009. Not you?" Lewis: "No." Interviewer: "Okay, look, let's bring it on to performance. Now, Toto Wolff said that São Paulo was the team's worst race weekend for thirteen years. Do you agree with him?" Lewis: "I've got the worst memory so I don't really remember them all." Interviewer: "How bad did it feel?" Lewis: "Yeah, it definitely felt like one of the worst [laughs] but we just got the car in the wrong place. There is potential, obviously, in the car. We had two really great races before. We just had it in the wrong window and that's on all of us, but we've learned from it and the experiences like that, you learn more than the loss. So it's painful for everybody, but everybody's recovered. We were back in the factory the next week. Everyone's massively motivated to finish off strong this season, and I have no doubts that we can." Interviewer: "Do you understand why it was in the wrong window? Does the team understand?" Lewis: "Yeah, we knew exactly what it was. I knew exactly what it was already." Interviewer: "Okay. So how confident /are/ you, coming into the Vegas weekend?" Lewis: "Definitely more than the last one [laughs], but still I think it's gonna be a challenge of getting the tires working this weekend and… We're often not necessarily the quickest on the straights, so that would be a challenge, to see if we can not lose too much on the straights but keep up with everyone in the corners. But it's not the most technical of circuits, so hopefully [laughs] that makes it a little bit easier." Interviewer: "And, Lewis, how do you see the battle for P2 with the man down the end, Checo? I think you're 32 points behind now." Lewis: "Yeah, I'm coming for you. [laughs] He's too far away now, to be honest." Interviewer: "Do you think that?" Lewis: "Ah, thirty points in two races is… Yeah. He would have to have two disasters and I would have to be second, basically. But for me, honestly, it really doesn't make any difference if I'm second or third. I think we've still had an amazing year, given the car that we've had. We never thought that we would be fighting for second in the constructor's and knocking on the door of the most dominant car probably of our era, so yeah, I'm grateful for just being where we are and of having a half-decent season, much better than last year."