#i'm not too fussed about credit and stuff like that

[telleroftime]

I'm tired so here's some Treasure Planet x Reader longfic ideas before I take a nap. All are post-canon by the way:

Silver x Reader where Silver looks back on his life and tries to do something new with it. He no longer has a treasure planet to find and the only thing he's good at outside of pirating is cooking. So, he starts working at Reader's inn/restaurant. They're the only person that will take him in, though if that's because they're kind or desperate he does not know.

Silver x Reader where Silver, inspired by Jim, decides to try and settle down. A retirement sort of deal. He ends up finding a comfortable enough place on a fairly popular planet. The countryside would do him well though he yearns to sail again. The first time he meets Reader, the local blacksmith, is when he needs to get his arm fixed up. They are patient with him and confident enough to comment back their own offhand flirts. Slowly but surely, Silver gets comfortable and Reader is happy that such an exciting ex-pirate settled down in their town.

Silver x Reader where Reader is a teacher. The school they work at just so happens to hire a new cook, who just so happens to be a retired pirate. The two don't interact at first, but after Reader organises a story time for the children and Silver tells one of his own, Reader becomes completely enamoured. The two get along well as Reader helps out in the kitchens in their free time, if only to hear more of his stories.

Silver x Reader where Reader is a scholar. Though they weren't too keen on the cyborg suddenly working at their place of research - be that as a cook or some other not-so-scholarly job - they end up growing fond of the alien. They enjoy his charisma. Eventually, they even offer to sponsor him despite what their colleagues have to say about it. Silver has great stories and Reader knows that. It would be wasted potential otherwise, and the two bond over that.

Of course, because of his pirate background, Reader would have to teach him how to read and write. Well, at least better than the bare minimum. And who's to say no to cute study dates?

Silver x Reader where Reader owns a pub on one of the Etherium's more dangerous space stations. A space station that is known for how many pirates and corrupt politicians it harbours. With Silver's lacklustre lineup of previous jobs, he's lucky that Reader needed a bouncer. Looking at them, he assumed they were someone that would be easy to take advantage of - not that he would - but it turns out the saying it true: don't mess with the barkeep.

Scroop x Reader where Reader is the boss of a gambling den at one of the more notorious pirate strongholds. They just so happened to be in need of a bodyguard to keep the loud clientele in order, and who better to fill the role than someone who begrudgingly admitted to be part of Silver's crew. Well, at least before he was found floating in space that is.

He'd pretty much be 'scary dog privilege' incarnate, though that's not to say that the Reader would be weak. Someone has to keep him in his place, although someone also needs to keep him out of trouble.

Scroop x Reader where Reader is a farmer. They were just about to scare away the Etherium's whales that were floating too close to the small planet's atmosphere when they encountered the arachnid-like alien, unconscious and too cold to the touch. They take him back down and nurse him back to health. Scroop, now stranded with no real life to get back to, helps Reader on the farm. Though he isn't too keen on it.

Scroop could end up learning to relax a little. There is no one he need to perform to anymore. It's just him and Reader, and if he needs alone time with his own thoughts then that's okay too.

Scroop x Reader where Reader and their tribe find Scroop floating in space. He's not too keen on having woken up on a tropical-like planet, let alone in a place where he doesn't understand anyone. He's aggressive and the elders debate whether to just get rid of him. Reader, naturally, decides to keep him around. It takes a while to break through the language barrier, but eventually the relationships better. Scroop shows Reader how to uses a cutlass, Reader shows Scroop how to forage the planet's resources, and the two bond over that.

Scroop x Reader where Reader is a surgeon on a pirate ship. After Scroop's been floating in space he is lucky enough to be picked up by a different band of pirates. He's back to being his mean self, instantly being seen as an outcast that is only kept on board because of his good spacer skills. However, compared to what he was accustomed to when part of Silver's crew, he now has a Reader to deal with. Someone who isn't too happy about being disrespected.

Both would end up growing in the end. Reader, who previously had little skills in terms of ship duties, ends up being taught by Scroop. Well, less teaching and more following him around as if he had a choice. Scroop on the other hand would learn how to take care of others and of himself.

I haven't read this back yet so sorry if there's any errors.

[heck-theo]

ROTTMNT Pride Flag Icons

The response to my last post about these was very encouraging so I finished them! Here are some examples using popular headcanons and/or headcanons that I like (so hard to pick cause there are so many great ones).

Below these examples are some rules for use and then below that are the blanks with the green flags for you!

Rules: First I wanna acknowledge that there's nothing I can really do to stop people using these however they want, and while I would disapprove, I'm not going to get mad and fight you about it. I won't give you the attention.

If you have any good faith/genuine questions or criticisms about these rules please let me know.

TLDR:Keep it respectful and PG.

Who can use these? I don't mind anyone using these if it follows the rules. Please credit me in some way if you use (even if it's just a text post), and don't claim that they are your own. If you would like to use it in a way that isn't specified here or with a flag not mentioned, feel free to ask.

Editing? I don't mind if you want to add small details, adjust colours etc, but I'd rather you didn't make large adjustments that could really change the overall picture.

How do I use these? I actually have no clue how to mask over a colour in a flat image, these are all clipped over the flag colour layer. If you do know please feel free to leave a comment. If you would like to request a specific flag go ahead and ask. If I only get a few requests I probably won't mind doing them for you. This is not a guarantee though, and it just depends on what I have going on and how I feel at the time.

What flags can I use? This is intended for flags that represent or support LGBTQIA identities. To be clear this does NOT include anything like TERF, MAP or Zoo flags. Also please don't use any flags representing kink and stuff.

Country flags? That is not the intended use and I'd really rather you didn't, however in the end as long as the flag isn't being used in a way that supports war, genocide or bigotry I'm not toooo fussed.

I really hope I'm being paranoid and this won't be an issue but I feel the need to say it cause I've been on the internet long enough to know it's full of trolls, grifters and creeps. If you see anyone being problematic, bigoted or disrespectful with these feel free to let me know. Free block list.

One last thing: There is a more "fem" leaning/alt version and a more "masc" presenting version. I tried not to get too carried away with changing their designs in the alt version. Also I'm still trying to figure out this style so it's not perfect but I was flattered that you guys were interested so I wanted to finish them off. Also they were designed to read well on a small scale so a lot of choices were made specifically to try and increase readability when they're itty bitty and some things might look slightly odd on full scale? Anyway.

Ok without further ado here are the blanks (I hope you can get some use out of them and enjoy ^^):

[seeminglydeathlessredshirt]

Ramblings on Bioshock Infinite

So, I've decided to start writing down how I feel about what I'm playing here rather than wait for my friends to be online so I can infodump at them.

Anyway, Bioshock: Infinite. The original was pretty alright. I didn't get all the way through it because I was getting a bit tired of Rapture and some other little annoyances, but it was a perfectly decent experience. Skipped past 2 because once again, not in the mood for spending a dozen more hours underwater, and went right to the one that people fuss about all the time to see what the fuss is all about.

I shouldn't have gone out of my way to see what all the fuss is about.

Spoilers for an 11-year old game will follow, but I do not recommend going out and checking this out yourself.

To its credit, the game does have a very strong opening. The welcome centre/church you arrive in offers absolutely gorgeous visuals and a strange yet interesting blend of Christian motifs and the weird sort of reverence built up around the founders of America. "Gee," I thought, "maybe this will be a game that finally tackles religion in an interesting and nuanced way that doesn't just feel like it was written by a 14-year old who just discovered Reddit." Unfortunately, it doesn't(if anyone knows a game that does, please let me know.) After a level where you walk around and take in the sights of Columbia(an experience that feels like walking into a veritable wasp nest. Either one, take your pick), you're thrust into your standard action game plot shenanigans. Kill a bunch of guys while someone rants at you over an intercom, go through various setpieces, all that good stuff.

Is the killing actually all that fun? For a certain stretch of the game, yes. You have some okay abilities, a good selection of weapons to choose from, and takedowns are pretty cool as well. The skyrails scattered around some maps are gimmicky, though a welcome addition(the irony of a game like this leaning heavily on what are basically rollercoasters is not lost on me.) But somewhere past the halfway point, it takes a steep nosedive. The weapon list gets bloated to hell and back, and a combination of the carry limit of two plus the tendency to only ever give ammo for everything you don't want to use drags it down. Enemies also seem to get substantially spongier and more numerous, which makes fights incredibly unsatisfying. Bioshock was already firmly in that grey area between immersive sim and combat sandbox, and Infinite is neither of those. Everything feels so much less versatile, there's no thinking outside the box to be done here.

As for the rest of the story, you may have heard about how centrist it gets, and I am sad to report that everything they said was true. What really gets me is how it's already setting up the "both sides are the exact same thing" even before the characters would have any reason to think that. They're literally basing this entire viewpoint off of "oh, the workers are being violent about overthrowing their oppressors, that's super bad, right????" This game also does try to tackle things like racism but I don't exactly have a good eye for whether or not something tackles that matter maturely, so all I'll say is that it feels very surface-level and inconsequential. "Inconsequential" can sum up everything else in this paragraph too because it's all eventually abandoned for !!Dimensional Shenanigans!! This is what the last few levels are taken up by entirely and all it accomplishes is covering over a weak attempt at social themes with an even weaker attempt at sci-fi themes. The ending is certainly a bit more batshit than you'd expect for your standard seventh-generation slop, but it can't salvage this. The fanservice just reminded me of a somewhat better game. I would make a joke about this game only having two characters, but then it goes out of its way to say "yes, there really are only two characters."

I am not playing the fucking DLCs.

[sighthounds-and-sketches]

Let's talk about flying to pick up a puppy by yourself

And some ways to make it easier on you.

Your prep starts honestly, about a week before baby actually comes home. Maybe 2 weeks.

For my pre-flight prep, I first picked out a flight carrier. I went with the one my breeder recommended.

It has expandable sides, and a little storage pocket. And it's resistant to chewing. I'm really glad I didn't buy a cheaper one, and I can't stress enough that it's cheaper to buy a quality one the first time than have a zipper break or a tear in the middle of your trip. My trip in total was 4 flights and 4 hours in the car, with him being with me for half of it and having the longest layover of my day. I could only really let him out a couple times, so this next part was incredibly helpful.

I mailed the carrier to my breeder,

at her behest. This was *huge* because the siblings got their scent on it and he was acclimated to being in it before I got to him. It acted as a secure place for him to ride in the car and for his first few nights here, he slept in there through the night.

And now that he's in his crate, the removable pad with scents on it has been instrumental in establishing the crate as a safe place for him.

Video of why I'm really glad I got the durable carrier.

Please consider what you're wearing that day.

Wear clothes you don't need to fuss with *at all* that's normal airport protocol- but I can't stress this enough, you're carrying the puppy in your arms through the TSA checkpoint and other people will be fussing over him. Make sure your appearance and personal bag is no fuss.

See: jeans, hoodie, puppy treat and potty bag that can be shoved into my personal Item, and a no fuss backpack.

In my personal travel bag I kept:

Pee pads, his food from the breeder, a change of clothes in case of incidents, a portable battery to charge my phone, collapsible food and water bowls, collar and leash incase one wasn't provided, and SEVERAL toys in there.

The toys were great for waiting in the terminal. I'd expand the sides of the crate and introduce a new toy to him to help him run a bit of energy out before we had to board.

Peepads: Even though airports have animal relief areas, chances are they're either kind of gross or your dog may be a little too young for it to be safe. I was traveling through one of the busiest airports in the world, and nobody was checking jack shit so I opted for potty breaks to occur in bathrooms with pee pads. He didn't end up going but it's better to be prepared.

I flew Delta and used Skymiles accumulated from our credit card with them that we pay off monthly, so the only thing I paid for out of pocket was 95.00 to bring Argos on board. My flight only costed 20k miles total, and that was only a small portion of what we'd accumulated over the 6 months we've been using the card. I think it's worth considering if you're planning to fly to a breeder. It enabled me to go anywhere in the country that Delta flies and not worry about costs.

Day of hack: double check your flights on the airlines app and switch your seat if possible. I swapped one of my return flight seats to an empty row for 15.00, which meant I could have my carryon and him with me at the same time and that was very nice for readjusting where my stuff was and taking a damn nap. Because at this point, I'd been up for about 18 hours and still had 7 hours of traveling before I'd get home.

I think my last thing is that if you're like me and you do have an invisible disability- ask if you can preboard. Dont be afraid to say "hey, i have this problem and standing in the heat while carrying a bunch of stuff is potentially going to cause an episode. " The employees were extremely nice, and willing to work with me. Ultimately, I went through all of this because he's a service dog prospect and will hopefully help.

Small things for me specifically prior: ate in the morning and right before I picked him up, he was able to chill in his carrier while I ate dinner at a restaurant in the airport- didn't make any sounds. He slept the whole time. I don't think I couldve eaten in the food court, too much to carry between him and my main bag.

I think that's it. I may add to this if I remember anything I forgot.

Edited to add: for my besties with miscellaneous illnesses-

A baggie with your medicines is IMPORTANT. Do not forget some dramamine, advil, Tylenol, whatever, pack it if there's a small chance you'll need it!

I ended up getting migraine symptoms like 5 hours into travel, and that was not a day I could afford to have blurred vision. <3 remember to take care of YOU on the journey.

[sageistri]

https://x.com/kchartsmaster/status/1782360443584966886

"HYBE, a leading K-POP company, is blinded by short-term profits and copies successful cultural content without any hesitation, producing banality instead of showing novelty."

Of course she has a point but that won't hold up if she's doing illegal things as a counter. Anyway as long as Jimin isn't affected, I can't lie and I'm say that I'm not entertained by this alien vs predator situation

True but she didn't complain when she benefited from their focus on "short-term profits", getting playlisting that most BTS members and other hybe groups never got or when new jeans was being promoted at the expense of bts. And no shade but new jeans isn't a novelty to anyone aside of kpop, to everyone else they're just another kpop group who releases aesthetic music for social media posts, because that's literally the main reason their music is popular "aesthetics", Illit's song literally only went viral because the snippet was being used for picture edits. If a group from an unknown company had been the one to debut with that concept, no one would have cared and no one would claim they're some kind of pioneers. I feel like it's one thing that annoys me about new jeans stans and mhj, this claim that they debuted with something out of this world when no one would be saying all that if the debut had flopped. When it comes to concepts and other stuff, the only girl group I would consider a novelty is Loona.

Everyone gets copied, it's not the end of the world. And like everyone has said, name dropping those girls just like that is nasty work. I get that it's painful to see them become so successful through something you introduced to the company while it seems like those people who used to like new jeans are now gravitating towards illit, but they're children... They already got a shit ton of hate for being similar to new jeans and now she just mentioned them outta nowhere when it's pretty obvious that it wasn't even the reason for her actions and she's obviously been planning to go seperate right from new jeans' debut. BTS used to have all their concepts and roll outs plagiarized, and all they said was they don't care because they never do the same thing twice.

I talked about this before when I talked about illit and their similarities to new jeans, but I had so much hope that min heejin probably didn't care much because she was so "creative" that she could shake things up and introduce a new concept for the group, but I guess I gave her too much credit and she never had plans to do anything new with the group. Because that is the only reason why she would care about two groups having similar concepts. And other groups have copied new jeans, she only cares now because of how successful illit are. If they flopped she wouldn't be making a fuss over it.

Not to be that person but there's something about her that I just don't like, she seems shady and weird as fuck. So hopefully her and hybe both cancel each other out for my peace of mind.

If we go by the current roll out for new jeans comeback you can tell she's run out of "unique" ideas and just doing whatever to still keep that edge, so they should just bring in another talented creative director for the girls and all will be well. Everyone loves to act like she does something out of this world, but after studying her I think I could literally become a creative director and succeed at it.

[lyriquette]

Old RWBY AU description from Frosen Steel chat server - 3/31/2021

lilac — 03/31/2021 12:43 AM

--- After an hour or so of tossing and turning in bed to no avail, I suddenly have an idea for an AU. 8)

---

Searching through Atlas's archives, a young impressionable Penny discovers a digital scan of an ancient translated version of the Tale of Two Brothers within. The previous owner of the book had written notes.... well, rants....in the margins about how the God of Darkness deserved to have no worshippers and that both gods were pieces of shit.

Still, the tale fascinated her about how the gods had actually created Remnant and humanity, sorta like how her dad created her from nothing. And it was also kinda sad cause it sounded like the God of Light got all the credit for making humanity if the lack of worshippers for the God of Darkness meant anything.

He kinda reminded her of her dad. Because before Dad made her, people was always taking credit for his work, even though he did 99% of it. But her dad was too nice to make a fuss.

You know what. I'm gonna worship the God of Darkness now and no one can stop me!

----

Her dad had been pretty cool about the entire thing after she explained it, even bought some books about prayer rituals and worship. (He assumed Penny was just going through a phase.)

And so one day, Penny got all the stuff she needed and began praying to the God of Darkness every day.

------

lilac — 03/31/2021 1:44 AM

In a galaxy far far away, the God of Darkness just stared in dismay as another bunch of his worshipers got exterminated again. By the Church of Light no less.

He really wanted to toss an energy beam down there, just to let the stupid ants know that 'hey these are my worshippers', but that'd break the rules he and his brother made.

To be honest, if he actually liked them, he might even done so anyway.. but really, he knew they had it coming. He liked destruction and mayhem as much as the next God, but there's a line between destruction and intentionally torturing and making people suffer - a line his worshippers regularly crossed with the whole skinning and dismemberment alive thing. The sad thing was they literally were all he had.

eriously, why did he get stuck with all the crazy cultists? He wasn't like that. Sure, he had a bit of a temper problem like most gods did when it came to pride, but he hadn't genocided anything since he left that stupid planet wi-

Oh. That human. That Salem. It still made his horns quake just remembering it. He thought he was going to get his very first genuine worshipper, intelligent and sane and wishing for favor. And he granted her the favor, even paid the horrendous price of pulling a soul from the world and encasing it into a mortal shell. And for what? She was just using him.. only came to him cause his older brother wouldn't give her what she wanted,, and he got played like a fool.

And when she got all those greedy humans to rise up against them - to try and demand immortality from them - okay yeah, genocide probably wasn't the brightest solution, but he was what- like a million years old at the time and going through a phase- he's easily ten times that by now.

"Oh, and there goes your worshippers again," said a very unwelcome voice in a tone that didn't seem smug but really was meant to be smug.

"I have a moon and I'm not afraid to drop it," the God of Darkness sourly replied to his brother as he turned his attention back on the last of worshippers getting cleaned up by his brother's.

Wait, that'd probably kill everything in the planet - damn it.

Eh?

Did they miss a spot? Why was he still receiving faith?

"That's the last of them," the God of Light remarked, "Hopefully it won't take another dozen millenia for people to discover your existence again."

...Ignoring his brother's gloating, he directed his attention towards the source of the thin stream of faith.

...Was that Remnant?

He glanced at his brother. He was going to ask if his brother had sensed something from the world they abandoned. But you know what? Fuck him.

"Ugh. Shut up. I'm going to destroy a couple uninhabited planets. See you in a couple millennia or something." he pretended to grumble as he transformed into his dragon form and flew off.

"Sure, brother. Come back soon," the God of Light replied before directing the entirety of his attention back on the world they currently lived in.

The God of Darkness could only roll his eyes as he flew off towards the world they abandoned: Remnant.

---

lilac — 03/31/2021 2:42 AM

Creates an avatar of himself as a Grimm squirrel... human girls like cute things right. This should be an acceptable disguise, right?

It takes him months to create a squirrel that didnt look monstrous enough to get shot on sight by Atlasian security. And since he didn't actually know if his worshipper actually cared about these humans, he can't just go on a murder spree to get through.

Penny gets to learn that though gods, though very powerful and already born fairly intelligent, gain insight and learn very very slowly. Even GoD will admit humans are incredibly fast in that regard.

[mollusken]

That last post actually got me thinking and I'm about to be insufferable about Dungeon Meshi Survivor AU lol here's my headcanons:

- Laios is strong, he's going to be targeted as a challenge beast. But his social is not great so he's not going to be high on the list. With how long it took for his monster passion to come out I see it taking a while for him to truly get on people's nerves, but he would probably have a misunderstanding with Shuro and a bad reputation due to something he did/said being taken as a threat, or siding with the wrong person for a vote ala the gold strippers. He's really great for early challenge team leader, and would be able to win his own immunity. Great ally to be with, which makes him a big threat.

- Marcille is going to have a rocky time to start off. She can be opinionated, she makes a fuss, she gets paranoid and freaks out about vote. But she's good at social and puzzle challenges, so she keeps her tribe in the lead. Her alliances would help keep her head on straight, and she'd make it far because she's loyal. Once she's comfortable, she's playing strategy. She gets too cocky after a good move and it takes her out.

- Chilchuck's social would kill him in the beginning, because he's not going to share anything about himself (suspicious) & people are gonna find him too opinionated. He's bossy at camp. But he'd be great for puzzle challenges, and would find an idol that he would tell 0 people about so it surprises everyone when he whips it out for a tribal. I think he's good at studying the social game and knows what side to be on for votes. Once you get in with him he would protect his alliances but he's willing to flip to save himself because he always plays for himself first and foremost.

- Senshi would keep people fed so they would keep him around. There are points in the manga when he's carried in fights so I think for challenges that aren't based on strength he's going to have to be carried a bit. He's easy to talk to on a surface level, and Laios would have a strong relationship with him from day one. Loyal to his alliances and good at teamwork.

- I actually don't see Izutsumi playing tbh -- plus if you're being true to real life she can't play til she's 18 -- but she is going to struggle. Poor social play, bad at cooperating, definitely gets hostile with others ie. Senshi & food lol. Would do good in individual strength challenges but gives up on anything puzzle related like, immediately. If she didn't get voted out early she would have to reevaluate her game and once she learns to cooperate/make alliances, she's going to be okay for a while.

- Falin I don't see there especially with Laios already being, but she would be a well-rounded player. She's friendly with everyone so she is in a good place with the whole group, but that also makes her feel guilty when it comes to voting. She's decent at both physical and puzzle stuff but not the best in either. Good middle of the pack player who can make good alliances. Would gain an idol or advantage that she would sacrifice on her allies, leading to her vote-out.

- Kabru. Incredible social. Amazing manipulation, always on the right side of votes. Absolutely capable of huge blindsides, but he would be smart enough to keep his threat level down for as long as possible. Able to set up votes the way that he wants. Great at leading a team through challenges, mid strength, decent at puzzles. Probably would keep middle in individual challenges and never win, but gets taken on reward. Maybe loses at a fire making challenge since I doubt he has a lot of survival skills tbh, but I like the idea of him losing to Laios & see him getting Laios to take the credit for some moves to keep the heat off of himself until he makes his case to the jury. Laios has tighter alliances and his loyalty would push him ahead in the voting imo.

- Shuro: rich guy on the show that everyone is like. Why the fuck are you here. Good strength, awful social. Easy to use as a goat. Probably gets voted out post merge when they don't need the strength for team challenges.

- Namari: Decent social and strength, loyal to her alliances. Could go far but would be voted off early to save other alliances/voted out when an idol is played.

- Honestly I don't see Mithrun even applying but if we're going by fan favourites the main Canaries and Kabru's party would make up the majority of the players. He's going to merge just on the fact that he's great for challenges and has tight alliances very early on.

Cithis social, Lycion challenge beast (ha), Rin poor social but good puzzle. Most of Kabru's team doesn't get on the jury. Survivor can go any way depending on who gets placed where, personality clashes, etc. so I can see different votes in the beginning. But I definitely think most of Laios' party gets far.

[neptuniadoesstuff]

Helo ppl here... Uh... yeh this is my first time so imma just introduce myself before ppl geht mad at me.....

So who am I? i'm Bubs. A teen artist who makes random pieces of art whenever she feels like it. If you know me from Scratch (or Screb as I like to call it) you might be familiar with me & my nonsense in general. But if you dont.... Then here's smtn ig.

• I'm a avid fan of MO: Astray. So you might see me posting some stuff of that. (Also I ship 2 characters in there but we don't speak of that unless you want to)

• I'm AroAce. So plz don't say anything weird to me. (Also don't make weird art of my OCs as I'm a minor)

• I'm sorta... crazy? Not rlly? Idk I just like saying random things from time to time.

• I post art... A LOT! So expect me posting art here. (This will include refs, doodles, actual art pieces, & dumb nonsense I made up for the goofs)

• I may post everyday but if I don't then I'm either taking a break or busy.

• I sometimes misspell things... ON PURPOSE! Primarily bcs Im too lazy & I want to be funy. Also my grammar succs lol.

• I'm a bit of a moron so keep that in mind.

Also DNI:

Weirdos (This includes Pəđøs, Zø0s, NSFW, etc)

Bad Ppl (By that I mean who hate on others for no reason)

Harassment/Hate comments

LGBT-phobes

Ræćı§țṣ

Art Stealers/Theives (IM LOOKING OUT FOR YOU GUYS OUT THERE!) (Plz note if you do take my art plz for the love of Vallah credit me or Imma have to yeet u off a cliff)

Also, funfact: PNS means (Plz No Steal), so if you see ANY OF THAT on my art pieces... YOU SHOULD GO BCS IM NOT HAVING MY ART TAKEN WITHOUT MY PERMISSION BY SOME GOOFY AHH THEIF!

Another Fact I decided to edit in: My content is primarily 13+, so yeh just deal with that.. If yur under 13 I suggest you kindly leave & not make a fuss.

Some links ig:

My Carrd for easier stuff. (Where my main socials are located)

Guide to my blog ig.

The official Mortal's Curse Blog (aka my take on the future of MO: Astray) (You can ask if you want)

My Ref Archives Blog (That I might post on once a week or so)

Edit: Also here is my ToS just to be sure no one steals my frikin art.

Bubs' TOS: Plz don't repost/steal, trace, or recolor my art WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! If you do, I'll take yur femur and pelvis.. SO, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! (The PNS on my Blog's pinned project clearly means "Please No Steal" plz follow that rule.) If you do post my art on anything like yur blog or somewhere else (With my permission) PEASE CREDIT ME!

[joshuaorrizonte]

Untitled, Chapter Six - The Drunk Tank

@eventide-imp @zottower

Ask to be tagged/untagged!

Also, I have since realized that a certain prolific author has already written a series of books called Dragonsinger, so I'm back to square one with the title. My apologies for injecting my original stuff into an existing tag.

The guards hauling Kain along threw him bodily into the large, unfurnished room. He fell heavily, and a moment later Gavin stumbled into the dingy space, and the door slammed shut behind him. The sound of the lock engaging echoed painfully around them and faded, leaving them in silence. 

“Well,” Kain ground out, picking himself up with a wince. “That could’ve gone better.”

“I don’t like this,” Gavin said softly. 

Kain curled his lip in derision. “Of course you don’t. You’re so hard to please. This is prime accommodation-“

“Will you stop being sarcastic and engage your brain for two seconds?” Gavin demanded with a hiss. “We still have our weapons! Why wouldn’t they disarm us?”

Gavin’s words struck Kain like a bolt of lightning. He was right. They were both obviously armed, their swords sheathed but worn openly. Everything Kain knew about being arrested told him they should have been disarmed. “They let us keep our armor, too,” he said slowly. 

“I don’t like this,” Gavin repeated. “There’s only one reason I can think of that they wouldn’t take our weapons and armor.”

“Could it possibly be that I was kicking up such a fuss that-“

“You were a peacekeeper in Reythak,” Gavin cut him off sourly. “Would you truly have let someone being arrested keep their weapons if they were acting like a child having a tantrum?”

“A—a child having a-“

Gavin ignored his indignation, peering into the darkness. “There’s so much in here that we can’t see…”

Kain immediately went quiet. “I have a light spell.”

“Don’t.” Gavin shuddered. “I get the feeling we’re going to need your magic for other things.”

“What other-“

A low groan from the darkness interrupted him. “What the hell was that?” Gavin whispered.

“The reason we were allowed to keep our weapons, no doubt,” Kain answered, shifting his stance, planting his feet firmly to the ground and dropping his weight, his entire body tense, fingers itching to snap his sword into his hand. “It will be used to the darkness,” he whispered. “Gavin, your magic is stronger. Can you blind it?”

“If you’re right, of course,” Gavin whispered back, “but we will be blinded as well, and there’s no telling which of us will recover first.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Gavin scoffed, “Of course not. This has taken me by surprise. If I had time to think-“

“You might. You just might if we’re very still and very quiet.”

“They’re going to toss Liashta in here shortly. I’d rather have this thing taken care of before then, if you don’t mind.” Kain muttered about Gavin being uncharacteristically impatient, derisively, about him being afraid, and Gavin snapped, “Yes, I’m afraid, and you’re dumber than I’d given you credit for if you’re not! We don’t know what this thing is, but we know it’s a big enough threat that they felt the need to toss us in here with our weapons and armor."

"At least we know they don't want to just let us be eaten," Kain murmured. 

"Don't be so sure. Depending on what this thing is, it may have been a token gesture."

"You are just full of sunshine."

Another low growl interrupted Gavin’s retort. The room shook as the monster in the space lumbered forward. Kain gasped hard as the creature stomped into the dim light of the chamber. "That... that's a dragon..."

Gavin recognized it in the next moment. It was a dusty red from head to tail, including its eyes; those eyes lacked pupils, a milky film over the orbs. It's scales hung loosely in places, threatening to fall off and leave it's soft hide beneath exposed. Indeed, there were exposed spots all over the beast. It moved as though every step pained it. It roared at them, deafening Kain for several moments after. When he could hear again, Gavin's soft voice cut through the ringing in his ears: "You poor thing..."

"What are we going to do about this?" Kain asked, dreading the answer. 

"What else can we do?" His voice was full of sorrow and despair. "It's suffering. We can't leave it like this. It's being used as an executioner, and you know it isn't happy like this. Look." 

Gavin pointed, and Kain's gaze went to the dragon's feet. Heavy chains bound the dragon to the dingy floor. Kain could see blood welling from beneath the thick iron shackles, and he shuddered. "We're riders," Kain said helplessly. 

"I know. I know! But that's exactly why we need to do this. We can't leave it to suffer like this!"

Kain drew his sword in the next moment, his mind made up. "You're right," Kain said, although Gavin’s sorrow was in his own voice now. "We can't leave it to suffer like this. I wish we had Stormsong with us. She could tell us what this old gentleman is thinking and feeling.”

“It hasn’t attacked us,” Gavin observed, sadness in his tone. “We know from Stormsong that dragons’ intelligence surpasses that of human and elf both. I think it knows we mean well… that we can free it.”

Both of the men startled as the dragon snorted, stalking closer, it’s great snout snuffling. Kain reached out with his free hand and gently touched the dragon's snout. The dragon nuzzled against his palm, and Kain smiled sadly. "We'll make this as painless as we can, sir," he whispered. 

"It will be painless," Gavin said, his soft voice firm. 

Kain glanced at him, stroking the dragon's head. "Do you have something in mind?"

Gavin nodded, his expression wary. "You must promise not to make a thing of it. I wouldn't make this known but for necessity. But this old man's comfort is more important than mine."

Kain's expression softened, not pausing in his gentle movements on the dragon’s snout. "I won't make a thing of it," he promised, "and I'll keep it between us."

Gavin nodded, gratitude in his expression. Kain watched curiously as Gavin turned his attention to the dragon, clearing his throat. And then the dark knight began to sing, his voice threading almost sweetly into the air. A sense of peace settled over Kain as Gavin sang, the melody strangely familiar. The great red dragon's blind eyes fixed on Gavin, and it snuffled again, eyelids drooping. It crouched and then laid down, Kain going to his knees with the beast. He continued stroking the dragon's head soothingly as it rested its chin on Kain's lap, closing its eyes. 

As the dragon’s breathing deepened, its head growing heavy on Kain’s lap, Gavin nodded to him, not ceasing his song. Kain embraced the creature with one arm, resting his head on its snout for a moment as he maneuvered his sword to press the tip to the dragon’s temple. Gavin’s singing abruptly cut off as Kain thrust forward with all his strength, driving the blade into the dragon. Its breath shuddered to a halt and Kain, after a moment, withdrew the sword, laying it on the dingy floor beneath them.

Neither of them asked if they’d done the right thing. If it hadn’t wanted this, it would’ve fought them, killed them easily. They knew from Stormsong that dragons understood human speech; it knew what they had planned. 

But that didn’t make it less painful.

Gavin took a deep breath to speak. Kain beat him to it. “So. Dragon singer.”

“Yes. You promised.”

“So I did.” Kain paused. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

Irritation flashed across Gavin’s face. “There is nothing I need to tell you, no. You’re free to ask questions.”

Kain sighed. “Forgive the misstep. I’m not used to my companions withholding critical information from me when he demands trust.”

“That’s remarkably fair.” He sighed. “There is no sister. I am Darkfell’s dragon singer.”

“So there’s no need to go to Darkfell.”

“Not quite. We have a ceremony… something to amplify magic. I don’t know where my dragon is, who’s taken him, nothing. If I want to have any hope of successfully singing him back, I need that ceremony, and we can only do it in Darkfell.”

“I see-“ Kain cut himself off, blinking in surprise. “Wait. Skyfall wasn’t just a red herring? You truly have a dragon?”

“I truly am a dragon rider, as well.”

“How is that possible-“

Gavin sighed. “There’s more duality to me than that.”

“What does that mean?”

“Irrelevant. My point is that yes, I am a singer, and yes, I am a rider. I-“

“No, not irrelevant!” Kain snapped. “We could’ve used your power back in the parlor! We didn’t need to be here - you could have used your magic to put them all down-“

“I will not kill at your command, Kain, stop being absurd,” Gavin snapped back. “I didn’t need you to know about this to do it, and I certainly don’t do it on your directive. I could have, but what good would it have done us? I cannot ‘put down’ an entire city’s guard! No one’s powerful enough to do that!”

Kain grimaced, putting a hand to his forehead. “Alright. Alright, fine, you have a point. But still, what do you mean, there’s more duality to you?”

“None of your-“

“It is my business,” Kain interrupted bluntly, “if we’re going to be traveling together. You need to tell me everything that’s relevant.”

“The rest of it is not relevant,” Gavin said firmly. “It is absolutely none of your business. At least, not yet.”

“What in the world do you mean, ‘not yet?’”

Gavin, in response, simply gave him a smug yet misty smile, and turned away. “So we’re here, in a prison, with a dead dragon. What are we going to do about it?”

Kain stared at him with narrowed eyes, covering for the fact that he had no idea with his irritation with the dark knight. But he thought about it regardless, and said finally, "They will be back to make sure the dragon killed us. They're not going to be happy that we killed it instead. We need to be ready for them. Will you be able to sing them to sleep?"

"I can sing those soldiers to sleep. We'll need a plan for the rest. Putting a dragon to sleep takes a lot of magic. I won't be able to do that again for very many people."

"Just curious: what happens if you try?"

Gavin gave him a dead stare. "What happens to you if you overextend your magic?"

"I can't."

"You what?"

"I can't overextend my magic," Kain said slowly. "I'll be knocked out long before that happens."

Gavin exclaimed something that sounded like an elven curse. "I've never before wished I was anything but what I am," he said, his soft voice an annoyed growl, "but this may just do it."

"Why? You can overextend your-"

"Yes, and if I overextend too far, it will kill me."

"... alright, that idea is straight out the window." 

"I'll say," Gavin said incredulously. 

Kain glared at him. "You can stop the ones who come for us, though?"

"As long as it's not half the guard, yes. You may need to watch my back afterwards."

"You don't need to worry about that. I'll always watch your back."

Gavin’s expression softened. “Thank you, Kain. I wasn’t sure about you when we met, but now I… well.” His face flushed and he looked away. 

Kain wasn’t sure if he wanted to press or not. But he was in no hurry to decide; there was a good chance that the guards who threw them into this hole wouldn’t be back for hours. After all, they’d just been fed to a dragon. There was no reason for the guards to return anytime soon. 

And that was dangerous ground for Kain to be on. 

Gavin looked up to see the strange look on his companion’s face. “What is it?” He asked cautiously. “You look pensive.”

“Pensive.” Kain looked away. “That isn’t how I would phrase it.”

“I’m aware,” Gavin said, his voice cool and unbothered. “I’m trying to be diplomatic. What you have on your mind is plain to observe and it’s quite…”

Gavin’s voice trailed off. “Disgusting?” Kain offered, his voice flat.

“I was going to say uncomfortably tempting, but if you want to go in that direction instead, we can.”

“Tempting, huh…”

The dark knight backed up a step as Kain advanced. “Keep in mind our surroundings, what we just did, and the fact that we don’t actually know when the governor’s guards will be back. I do not wish to make love in these circumstances, and I don’t think you want to, either.”

Kain sighed, and stopped his advance. “But you admit that you want to.”

“I admitted that I wanted to back at the shrine. That doesn’t make it a good idea, Kain.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Kain asked, his voice soft and suggestive. “You discover that humans aren’t as gross as you think?”

“I’ve never thought that-“

“Oh, bullshit, Gavin. Do you think me that sheltered? I’ve never met a night elf but I’ve met plenty of moon and sun elves and they all couldn’t wait to be away from the repulsive humans. The only reason they tolerated our presence at all was because we were dragon riders.”

“Kind of makes you think,” Gavin retorted softly, accusing. “Doesn’t it?”

Kain shook his head. “That’s different-“

“Why? Because you’re the one doing it?”

“Because I never thought you were disgusting,” Kain replied bluntly. “On the contrary, you’re far more beautiful than a single being has a right to be.” Gavin’s eyes widened ever so slightly and he pulled away, startled, as Kain continued, “I thought you were evil. There’s a gulf of a difference between-“

“There really isn’t.” Gavin contradicted in a strained voice. “I find evil to be pretty repulsive.”

“And that’s where you’ve proven to me that I was wrong,” Kain told him, crossing the distance between them. Gavin didn’t resist as Kain reached up and pulled Gavin’s helmet off. Gavin didn’t resist as Kain tucked the helmet under his arm and caressed the night elf’s face with his free hand.

Gavin resisted as Kain tried to kiss him. “This is never going to work,” Gavin murmured, turning his face away. 

“Why not?”

“Because you find me evil, Kain!” Gavin’s face snapped back to fix once more on Kain’s, his words a gasp of frustration. “You find me evil and I consider you beneath me-“

“I’m not beneath you yet.”

“You vulgar-!” Gavin growled, cutting himself off as he lunged forward, pressing his lips to Kain’s hard. Surprised, Kain did nothing for a few seconds before melting into the kiss, dropping Gavin’s helmet and pulling the elf flush against him. They remained like that for several moments before Gavin pulled away abruptly. “That helmet took days to get the perfect fit with. You better not have dented it.”

Kain let out a bark of a disbelieving laugh. “Are you serious?”

“Quite.”

“After that-“

“I told you, I consider you beneath me.” Gavin thrust him away, and stooped to pick up his helmet. “I’m not going to debase myself by fucking a human.”

Kain’s lip curled delicately. “You’re so full of shit, Skyglow. You’re making desperate excuses-“

“Why are you so eager to bed a creature you think is evil?”

“Did it occur to you that I don’t think that anymore?”

“Then you’re too easily placated for my tastes.”

Kain’s already sour expression soured more. “You are just full of excuses, aren’t-“

His words cut off in a sharp gasp as pain flooded his mind. Gavin was by his side in the next second, easing him to the floor as he grasped his head, moaning in pain. He could hear Gavin’s soft voice, raised now in concern bordering on panic. “Stormsong,” he managed to gasp. “Something’s happened to Stormsong-“

At that moment, the door to the chamber slammed open. Gavin sprang to his feet and bolted for it, yanking his sword from its scabbard on his back. Kain heard Liashta scream seconds before the sickening sound of metal sliding into flesh reached Kain’s ears. Irrational terror gripped him, the pain stealing his sense, and for a moment, he feared that Gavin had just murdered his childhood friend. 

The fear was allayed as Liashta sank to her knees where Gavin had been only moments before. The door to the room slammed shut, and a body was dropped to the ground. “The door’s unlocked,” Gavin said, breathless with adrenaline. “Get him up, Liashta. We need to go.”

“What… what happened here?” Liashta asked. Kain looked at her. Her gaze was firmly on the dead dragon. 

“We’ll explain later,” Gavin replied in a tight voice, storming over to them. “Kain, get up,” he ground out, grabbing his upper arm and hauling upward. Kain stumbled to his feet with a groan, his head in the hand that Gavin wan’t yanking. Seeing that Kain was in no shape to just go, Gavin leaned in close to him. “Don’t lose it,” he growled. “Stormsong needs you, Kain. She needs you to be strong. We need you to be strong. You need to fight the pain and be ready to fight our way out of here. Can you do that for us? Can you fight?”

“I—I—“

“Can you fight, Kain?”

Kain nodded, although Gavin wasn’t sure he comprehended what exactly what was happening. Regardless, Gavin took it as an assent for them to go. He took Kain’s wrist and headed back for the door. “Where were you when you were taken?” 

It took a moment for Liashta to realize Gavin was talking to her. “We were resting in a guest room,” she answered. “I can bring you to it-“

“No, don’t bother. I don’t think Stormsong will be there.” Gavin huffed, putting a shoulder to the door. “Are you ready, Liashta?”

“I’m ready. Kain?”

“Don’t bother,” he repeated. “Kain’s in no condition to answer.”

“Can we rely on him to carry his weight?

“Honestly, no. But we can’t leave him here.”

“True,” Liashta said. She took a deep breath, then nodded. “I’m ready when you are. Hopefully we won’t be swarmed the moment we’re out that door.”

“Indeed.” Gavin put his free hand on the door, listening intently to what was happening on the other side. Satisfied that the corridor was empty, he pushed the door open, and gestured Liashta through, easing the door closed as she darted silently out of it. Keeping a firm hold on Kain’s wrist, Gavin looked up and down the corridor, and whispered to Kain, “We need you to guide us. We will protect you; just focus on finding Stormsong.”

“Yes… this way,” Kain replied, and started walking down the corridor, leading them away from the drunk tank, deeper into the basement of the manor.

[mmdstuff]

MMD Model Ripping Discussion.

Original post this post is in response to:

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A LAWYER NOR DO I CLAIM TO BE. All things highlighted in BOLD refer to my opinion or important information.

What I do is rip assets from games and convert them into MMD for people to freely use. For distributing the ripped cameras from Project Diva I make sure to add the warning that Japanese users should not use these MMD cameras as it would be illegal for them in their country. I do not translate it Japanese as Japanese distributors are not expected to translate warnings into English (and don't most of the time), so I am not expected to translate it into Japanese. (Language barriers are also a problem).

When people rip from games they often add people who should be credited. Such as the person who ripped it, who made the tools to rip it, the original game and their creators who originally made the model and so on. In my opinion crediting the original source/creator of the model itself (I'm talking about the game it is from not the ripper) is necessary. I respectfully disagree with you on "not crediting are fine". Also the way you word that sentence confuses me. At first you say "not crediting are fine" but then you say "but on my opinion, no crediting is even worse than ripping []". So what is your take on it? Is it ok or not? [2] "The copyright holder simply needs to take appropriate action, and it is not something that outsiders who do not own the rights should be making a fuss about."

A lot of this comes down to different laws in different countries and how copyright is handled. In Japan, they take copyright very seriously and have very strict laws about it. However in other countries it can be more relaxed or less regulated. Most of the time in other countries there is less strict copyright law and it mostly comes down to opinion on what your morals and ethics are about it all depending on your country and culture.

I feel like most of the Japanese MMD community are ignorant or don't know that other countries have their own laws. [3] The Japanese try and hold the rest of the MMD community to Japanese standards in regard to model ripping and in terms of distribution rules with out any regard for other cultures. This is evident with how hard they make passwords, how they stop foreigners from using their stuff unless they are Japanese and can read Japanese. How they block distributions behind Japanese only forums. However, I can see why they do this based on their strict copyright laws and cultural norms. But in my eyes, I feel like they can take this way too far and hold unnecessary grudges against foreigners for past transgressions - this is based on my own experiences. [2] "However, this does not seem to be a problem for some people as they have begun to develop xenophobic views towards foreigners, or, if they find someone using the language incorrectly, they are suddenly banished from the area before being given any opportunity to improve."

I found this Deviant Art post also discussing the rift between the Japanese MMD community and the rest of the MMD community. I recommend you read it for further view points and discussions as well to help you form your own opinion OP. OP please research before making claims and please back claims up with sources. I agree and disagree with some of the things claimed in the link. For example I don't believe we should have be "[1] taken seriously as a community by the Japanese MMDC." What do we have to prove? All we need to do is be respectful towards each other.

All quotes from source [2] have been translated from Japanese from a Japanese article from the perspective of the author (who is also Japanese). Please see the article in Japanese for the original Japanese version. The webpage was translated using a translation Chrome extension.

Sources:

[1] https://www.deviantart.com/trackdancer/journal/MMD-Towards-an-understanding-of-the-Japanese-MMDC-374564214

[2] https://hatsune39.com/2020/08/16/mmd%E3%81%AE%E3%81%B6%E3%81%A3%E3%81%93%E6%8A%9C%E3%81%8D-%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A2%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6/

[3]

I could write an essay about all of this to address multiple view points. At the end of the day you cannot please everyone and everyone should try and understand we all live in different places, with different laws, with different cultures, with different societal norms. I am sorry if I have offended anyone with my view points. If there is something I missed that may help better inform my opinion and understanding of the situation please reply with sources for me to further look into. I have fully read all sources and respect both the Japanese MMD community and the Overseas MMD community and have a better understanding of both sides of this debate. Being from the UK, it is acceptable for me to continue ripping but if you are Japanese please do not use my rips and respect my decision to do this. Thank you for reading.

This is just a short version. I will fully write a multiple page essay addressing these topics if needed. Giving both fact, opinions and cited sources.

[bthump]

how would you feel abt ppl writing fics based on headcanons that you’ve posted here? i’ve been eyeing one idea in particular that i think i’d like to take a stab at writing! (the one abt guts & griffith discussing their sexual trauma with griffith not fully realizing until then that he indeed has sexual trauma from his encounter w gennon)

I am over the moon at the prospect! In general I've always been of the opinion that getting inspired by other people's ideas is part of what fandom's all about, so I def give blanket permission for people to write stuff based on anything I've written, for anyone who wants permission.

And if you want to credit me w/ the idea that's cool, but I'm not too fussed either way. I'm just happy to know that stuff I've written is inspiring people to write their own things. Hope the writing goes well!

[gojonanami]

Sab, my dearest, my beloved, the light of my life,

I know I'm two weeks late (and that a certain professor would be on my ass for it) but I had the wonderful idea of re-reading the whole Prof Geto series before reading part 6, thinking it would make for the best emotional impact and after doing just that I have to say... my hypothesis was correct. There wasn't a single second where I regretted my decision (except, maybe when I had to read the breakup scene again 😭), not a single dull word in the +90k masterpiece you wrote (isn't that the length of a novel!?), the flow of your writing is just so good, the dialogue, the internal conflict of the characters... I loved all of it, Sab. This series holds a special place in my heart and I'll probably read it time and time again in the future ❤️❤️❤️

And this chapter– god. I really have no words, it was just a whirlwind of emotions. I was giggling and kicking my feet in the hair like a teenager and I even cried at some point. I loved the beginning, the raw emotion of seeing each other again after what happened, the longing... the way Suguru and Yuta felt so conflicted about their feelings for the reader, and her getting jealous over Mei Mei... omg.

I also loved how Geto helped her with the citations of her dissertation (they were my worst nightmare during undergrad) and hated how Yuta broke up with her right after she presented it. How could he ruin such and special day like that!!! (Ofc I know it made sense to have it happen right then, but gosh 😭💔) but anyway, regarding Yuta... I love how you've set up his part. I'll love to read it when the time comes ❤️❤️

Oh! And the way Yaga *knew*. Now I can't believe that the whole reader assigned as a T.A thing wasn't tampered by him in some way– he had to play a part in that, and I bet he wasn't too fussed with them sharing a hotel room, as long as Suguru was happy hahah.

And then, the passion in his office, the reconciliation and the ending... I had to stop reading a couple of times because I was getting way too emotional, Sab. It was beautiful. I can't wait to see more of them in the extra credit fics (!!) I really hope you make a proposal one <3

I wanted to thank you for writing this series, I've loved it more than I could ever expect to and I believe it came to me in a point of my life where it just... made sense. I was stressed and unsure about continuing in academia and I believe I told you a few months back that I was applying to grad school... well, I got accepted and then hired as a research assistant at the same university!! This is as close as it gets to me living reader's life though I'll keep living vicariously through her for a while longer, I think.

Anyway– I believe I'm babbling now. I just want to thank you again for writing this wonderful series. I'm so excited for Prof Gojo and all the wonderful things you'll write in the future, Sab ❤️

baby, love of my life, the sun to my earth

haha I think prof geto would more than forgive you — especially after the diligent work you did rereading — dare I say he would be very impressed—and I am too omg

I cannot believe you read all 90K+ that’s insane and it means so much to me 😭🥹 thank you so much — it truly means the world to me because I had so much fun writing it!! it was really a special series to me and will continue to be as I write more extra credit fics :).

ahhh I can’t believe you cried 😭 I’m sorry but also thank you haha. it’s the biggest compliment 😭🥹 I really wanted to convey both yuta and suguru’s conflicted emotions — and I’m glad they came across 😭 writing mei mei was so fun because it was very spur of the moment — and I love jealous reader 🥹🫣

citations are truly a nightmare and when I thought of the idea to have that be reader’s crisis, it was so perfect because I think so many of us in academics can relate to that 😭 we all deserve a suguru. I can’t wait to write yuta!!! it’s def gonna have stuff from prof Geto like the repercussions of his relationship with reader and it will be fun :)

hahah yaga knowing was also spur of the moment — it just felt full circle since so many times he’s also pulled them apart in some way 😭😭😭

thank you 🥹💕 I’m glad you enjoyed the reconciliation scene — it was so important to me to get that so right. and I really took my time and I’m glad you think I got it right 🥹💕💕I’m def writing the proposal!!! Don’t worry :)

aww baby thank you for reading 😭🥹 I’m so glad this series could help you in any small way that it did. omg I do remember and that’s amazing!!!! Congratulations I’m so so proud of you (and professor geto is too)!!!

writing this series also came at the perfect time for me because it just was such a wonderful thing to post a new part and see everyone’s reactions — it truly made my day. I especially loved your asks as well 🥹💕

thank you for being here and sticking around. I can’t wait to start writing more of professor gojo — I think you guys will really like it 🫶🥹💕

[red-panda-agere]

Some Free! headcanons because I'm slow and just watched season 1 for the first time a few days ago...

But it's super comfy and I...I am very sorry alshslsjal

(!!!Diaper/Pullup mention!!!)

(Icons free to use with credit)

Free! Headcanons

☆Little Haru

Very clingy little baby. He will start crying if Makoto so much has to get up to go to the bathroom or get something to drink. If he's not clinging to his Mama like a koala, his bubba is the next victim of his cuddles. Rin will fuss a bit, telling his Mama about how Haru won't let him go, even if he just has a hold of his arm. But after a few minutes, he doesn't really mind.

He gets panicked and overwhelmed very easy. Haru experiences sensory overload very easily, thus why he needs to always have something to keep him grounded. When in public or somewhere that Haru can't just run off and hide, Makoto has his headphones and phone on hand.

Usually pretty small, less than a year-2, and almost always nonverbal. Makoto kinda has to play a guessing game if Haru needs something, but really doesn't mind. He's very patient with his little ones.

-Haru whimpers a bit, hiding in Mako's shoulder. Makoto's brow furrows. "What's wrong little guppy? Can Mama help?" He asks gently. Haru nods a little, his Mama standing up now. They do a small searching game, Haru getting fussy after the first few misses, but melts back into Makoto's arm when he finally catches his gaze set on a dolphin plushie they bought together at an aquarium. (Rin has a matching shark, and they insisted Mama had an orca)

It's not that he can't go to the bathroom himself, he just hates the big kid potty. The sound and doing gross big kid stuff makes him insist to Mako he should wear diapers. And because Makoto is very over-prepared, he even has ones specifically for swimming and the water.

If all else fails, it's bath time. Bunches of toys and bubbles. He especially likes the little finger paints for the bath. He paints lots of pictures for his mama. He's very calm in the bath, at home in the water.

He carries his dolphin and a pastel blue baby blankie around like his life depends on them. Even while in the bath, Mako isn't allowed to move them off the counter. If they aren't in his line of sight, he starts to panic.

Haru isn't a very social little one. When Nagisa and Rei come over, he doesn't enjoy playing as much as the other little ones do. But that's okay. Makoto doesn't mind holding his little one.

-HARUUU!!! CAN WE PLEEEEASE PLAY BLOCKS!!!" Nagisa jumped a bit, looking up at Haru as he stared down from his safe spot in Mama's arms. Rei stands up a bit, worried his little one may be upsetting Haru who'd just woken up from his nap. But Makoto is quick to handle the situation, not that either of the little ones had done anything wrong. "Hey little guppy, why don't you ask Rin to play when he wakes up from his nap okay? I'm sure he'd love to play. Blocks may be too loud for little Haru. He's a little too tiny to play. I'm sorry bubs." Makoto does the talking for Haru, knowing he would've been too shy himself. Rei sighs in relief, the little penguin returning to his coloring after. "Tha's okay! Un'erstan! Sorry Haru"

☆Little Rin

Somewhere between energetic and clingy. He is perfectly okay playing by himself if he has to, entertaining himself with toys, movies, and coloring easily. He likes to play pretend with his stuffies the most though. He's especially happy when Haru joins in.

-"The dolphin an' sharky are brothers okay! An' they gonna go have a picnic with the mama orca!!!" He looks up hopefully at his Mama. Haru also looked up, holding his bubba's sleeve. His other hand was occupied by his dolphin. Rin sets his shark down for a moment, hugging the little dolphin, putting his chin on his bubba's noggin. They both gave him the puppy eyes. "Of course little guppies!!!"

Rin has to nap everyday or he'll get extra fussy. He doesn't mean it, and on days they can't get Rin to nap or when he can't make it to somewhere to nap one day, he apologizes and kinda has a small meltdown at the end of the day. Makoto will gently hush the sleepy, fussy baby until he stops crying. "All is forgiven little sharky. You just had a rough day didn't you? You poor baby."

He's usually just a little older than Haru unless he's sicky or having an extra bad day. On extra sleepy little days he cuddles with his Mama and bubba. He's alot less energetic, but he's still the bigger brother.

-"Mama uppy!" Rin sniffles, about to cry. He's holding his arms up, Mako looking down a bit nervous as he already has one little one in hand, and he was making dinner. Haru clings to him, whimpering a bit. He looked up at Mako with a very grumpy face, silently telling him he'd better not put him down. "Mama, uppy! Uppy uppy uppy!!!" Rin started to whine now, Makoto now holding his hand and leading him to the living room. Rin started to cry, confused as to why his Mama wasn't picking up. "Nonono baby, shhh...come here little sharky..." Makoto now sat on the couch, patting the other side of his lap for little Rin. The little redhead leaped into his lap, clinging to his Mama and bubba as they waited for the dinner to be done. Makoto may have had to order take out...due to dinner mysteriously burning...

Very rarely uses any of the icky stuff unless he's really just too tiny, or extra sicky. Even then he uses 'the big boy ones' (pullups)

Never fussy in the bath, but definitely a bit more rambunctious than Haru. Lots of splashing and Mama getting sprayed with rubber duckies and other various bath toys. His favorite toys are a little windup shark, a windup boat (he likes to make them battle), and his sharky that shot water out its mouth after you pull and then push its tail. Haru is NOT a fan of the watergun shark.

His favorite comfort items are a sharky themed paci and his plushie shark. He also has a stuffed lion his dad gave him before he died that he's a little embarrassed to carry around.

VERY PLAYFUL BABY

He can get along with just about everyone, but if it comes to playing with Rei he's super duper shy.

-Rei looked up nervously to Mako and Nagisa for help. Nagisa moved to sit next to the two while Makoto helped Haru with his pre-nap bottle. "You two are so shy it's adorable!!!" Nagisa teased for a moment. The two both blushed, turning their heads away. "Alright little guys!!! How about we plaaay..." he looked around for the two little ones' for something to play with. His eyes landed on some toy cars "CARS!!!" he offered as he set the box infront of the two. Rin's eyes lit up at the offer, but he also avoided eye contact again. After some cooing and assurance, Nagisa got the two playing together. Baby steps.

☆Little Nagisa

Probably just as energetic as Rin when little.

Very stimmy little baby.

He teethes on absolutely everything. Rei has to carry teething rings, chewlery, and he carries lots of spare pacis. Nagisa has accidentally chewed through quite a few of them before, and Rei is a very prepared Dada.

Probably the widest age range. He can be nonverbal all the way to around 6

Very sensitive little one. The smallest things get Rei a meltdown to soothe.

-"No- Baby- Please don't cry- Dada's so sorry little penguin, but you can't help Dada pour his coffee little one. It's much too difficult for such a little one like you, I meant no harm sweetheart. You're alright baby boy..."

Any extra protection depends in how old he's feeling in the moment. He likes having pullups even if he's pretty high in his age range atm. (It is super valid to want pullups or diapers for your regression even if you're 'not small enough' or not mentally that little ^^) He usually has diapers if he's extra small.

Doesn't wanna do anything if his dada isn't involved. Or visa versa...if his dada is doing it he wants to help.

-"DADA, I HELP MAKE LUNCH" "DADA, I HELP WITH HOMEWORK" "DADA, WE WATCH MOVIE TOGETHER! HAPPY FEET HAPPY FEET HAPPY FEET!"

Very comfy with Build-A-Bear and Squishmallows. His favorite baby blankie is a blanket that Rei made just for him. He secretly likes knitting bc hush... he spent weeks on it, starting over a few times so it was absolutely perfect

Very good with other little ones and hardly ever fussy.

☆Little Rei☆ (Just hear me out-)

Very very quiet and very very shy when little.

Likes keeping his regression private. It took him forever just to open up to Nagisa about it. Nagisa was more than happy to help him de-stress. Only is little with other little ones when they're at the pool or when Nagisa just absolutely insists they go see the other three. Sometimes they kind of have to if they're both little. They're not very good at caring for themselves, but somehow Makoto can watch all four of them. He's like a super mama.

A little bit on the older side, but very reclusive and quiet. Not because he doesn't wanna be younger, but he's too full of pride to slip down that small. When he does though, it take a while for him to get out of the regression. Sometimes even a few days.

He prefers calmer, quieter activities like coloring and building with Legos.

It takes alot for him to cry... (not bc he's not upset, but instead of crying he just desperately tries to choke it down)

Sometimes he feels out of place when the other four are having comfy time. He knows he's the newest member to their friend group, and feels like he shouldn't be allowed in during such a vulnerable activity. But Nagisa and Makoto always make him feel safe and at home. Haru and Rin are a little less helpful, but they do their part.

The rarest little one to see with any sort of protection ever, only ever using pullups if he absolutely feels too sicky or too small

He gets very embarrassed and nervous about being little, especially since he's so tall and usually so tough and uptight.

-"B-But...Nini- NAGISA" Rei looks flushed, avoiding eye contact. "Too big too be a little one..." Nagisa quickly shakes his head, hugging the baby boy and handing him a manta ray stuffie. "Itty bitty ray! Just because you're in a big boy body doesn't make you any less little! Silly boy!" He says happily, snuggling the baby boy close. Rei melted, quietly sniffling as he snuggled his Nini.

A VERY dramatic baby

-"My little ray of sunshine, it's just a small spill okay? Nini can wipe it up!" Nagisa assured. "Noooooo! New shirt! Is all icky!"

Requires lots of reassurance and coaxing into using any of his little gear. Even more to get him to play or watch little shows, even when it's obvious he wants to.

(Also...just wanna throw this out there. Haru and Rin sometimes act as a caregiver for the other if Makoto is busy and they're able to be big. If not, Rin is a very good big brother for Haru. Aaand Nagisa and Rei do infact take turns being the big kid and the little one depending on how they feel that day. Very very rarely, Makoto finds himself babysitting all four of them, Nagisa and Rin usually act as his little helpers)

[aelaer]

I'm probably clogging your inbox with this but, ✨💘🎈 for the ask game? :))

Never clogging! I wouldn't do the ask game stuff if I didn't enjoy replying to it :)

✨ What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

I've bemoaned in the past about how IronStrange fics get significantly more views/kudos compared to gen fics with the same characters, and that's the same story for my fics. The two fics marked "IronStrange" are at the top of my kudos/hits list (with the two crossovers rounding up the top 4), and I used to be a little bitter about that. I accept it better these days, though I do think folks who enjoy IronStrange should also toss more bones to writers who use the Stephen Strange & Tony Stark tag alone, and should rec gen fics in those collections, even if it's a separate category.

But because of this trend, it means that the work I'm most proud of, my Earth-197320 series, gets a lot less traffic than my IronStrange pieces. At this point, though, I am happy that there are still some out there who read gen fic. It'd be super awesome if it was more of a 50/50 split with Stephen fans, but that I have anything resembling an audience does make me luckier than some newer writers because the MCU is not as popular as it was in 2019, when I published a significant amount of my work and got my name out there. (I myself haven't read fanfic since February, so I need to get back into it. Part of why I haven't is that trying to find new gen fic starring Stephen is so difficult and discouraging).

💘 Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

Yes, but not in the MCU! I have a large collection of ollllld one-shots that I did as a teenager surrounding book!Aragorn from LOTR. They're still up on older archives, but rewriting them would be fun. I did a couple that are up on AO3, but my LOTR muse simply hasn't returned. And there are fics I'd like to get done for the MCU first.

🎈 Describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? Does it change?

This is a pretty difficult question if you really think about it. I ended up going down a rabbit hole and read this fascinating article about creative writing and style and tried to see where I fit into it.

I know I don't follow all the rules of concise writing, especially with use of adverbs, because I think "said wryly" is a justified use of an adverb if it can be read as straight-forward *or* wry. I'm not sure what an editor would do with my work if I presented it to them, but considering that Ready Player One and 50 Shades of Grey's terrible prose was published without issue, I'm not too fussed about my use of adverbs.

I really enjoy deep dives into the character's psyche, but I always write from a limited POV of usually one or two characters, so we get a limited view of the psyche in general, at least in one chapter. I'm not terribly fond of the omnipotent POV and only wrote it in a comedy, which used it quite well.

I will say it can change depending on the needs of the story, at least a bit. For instance, I usually have a limited third person POV, but I have written in first person and I've written third person omnipotent. I have some description to help set a scene, but scenery is not my forte and it's something I actively have to put my brain power towards to get it done. My most descriptive piece by far was the one from Sherlock's POV due to his very observant mind, and that was a pretty challenging piece.

The narrative of telling the story is a huge part of my writing, but I like to see character growth throughout it, if possible. It depends on the length of the piece.

I think that's enough rambling on this subject, hah.

[palialaina]

Honestly the people of Kilima are something else. Some are less friendly than others (Lookin at you Eshe and Hassian) But for the most part, everyone is so... friendly, welcoming, and even willing to listen if I say something.

I feel like that didn't often happen in whatever life I had before.

Like... okay, Kenyatta. She's trying to find her Path, and it's been... entertaining? Interesting for sure. I gave her to stuff for a pickaxe, and while Hodari said no, Najuma tried to help (Hodari, dude, this is why you are not an uncle.)

I was kind of expecting it to backfire in ways of physical exhaustion, not, uh... literal explosions, but I suppose putting Kenyatta and Najuma in the same room together was bound to cause some trouble.

But, I also think something good came out of it! Sure, Kenyatta caused a landslide, but apparently she's also really good at healing and taking care of animals? Her bedside manner probably needs work, but like. I think she'd make a good healer with some real training.

She seemed surprised by that. Kinda hurts, but I get it. Support from a mother like hers must be hard to come by. Anyways, she said she'd talk to Chayne about a sponsership, so I've got my fingers crossed that everything works out well.

I sold the fish. I am just not a fish person. Also, the palcat brigade was eyeing it like it was gonna be their next meal. Seemed safer.

Naturally, now that she's not making life difficult, it's Uncle B. Honestly, he's not a bad composer, but he's just not prepared to put himself out there as a performer. I'm glad Auni eavesdropped on us, and decided that staying in the valley was better than 'running away' to Bahari Bay (again. This kid, I swear. Gonna be the death of me...), but at the same time, couldn't he have found me an easier recipe? Why bugs?

I have to hunt down dragonflies for a charm, I need to find a flow tree with some other humans, I need to get some rainbow trout for the trout dinner...

Oh, and I need to earn more money so I can build a living room for my house. I mean, I like it, I do, but the entryway is so crowded now, I think moving most of it to a side room will work better.

Reth... worries me. I like him, I do, but why is he all caught up in this magic thing? Also, I really need Tamala to not flirt with me. Eugh. I felt like I needed to scour my skin off after talking to her and delivering Reth's package. (Hassian, what on earth did you see in her? On the one hand, maybe she eases up if I befriend her more, on the other.... ngeh...)

There feels like some bigger reason he's working for Zeki and taking naps in the storeroom. I just don't know what it is yet. I hope Lark isn't getting in over their head when it comes to flirting with him like they said they wanted too...

Jel did make me laugh earlier, at least. I know it's probably not nice to laugh at him, but I think he did good, honestly. It's just a funny situation. He's still working on Kenyatta's gown, using the piranha teeth from the fish I caught him, but Eshe popped in and he dead-ass lied to her face.

I'm impressed he managed it. Majiri kind of suck at lying, I've noticed. Reth is bad at it for sure...

But he lied and said it was for someone else, and then fluttered and fussed about what to do. Honestly, the easiest way to deal with it is give the dress to Kenyatta, and I told him so too. I think he's a lot braver than he gives himself credit for. I mean, making the dress to Kenyatta's specifications instead of Eshe's, lying to, Eshe? Courting me

Maybe not that last one.

I have to remember to bring him some of the macarons I made later. I know Uncle B and Auntie Dal liked them, so maybe he will too? It's still not the 'cookies' I keep thinking off, but it's a nice, sweet treat, and a lot less dangerous to have in my bag instead of bottles of soup for when I get hungry! Maybe I can try adding some blueberry juice to them later. Or apples, once I finally get Uncle B to sell me apples.

I invited Lark and Jel over for a meal later. No idea if anyone will show, but I made everyone their own plate of macarons! Oh, and maybe if Lark says yes, next time they can bring Reth. I'll even make some soup just for him! Something to give him some pep since he and Jel are part of the Insomniacs Club.

Though speaking of, I should probably go work on my garden. My blueberry bushes are coming in nicely, and I really wanna make a blueberry pie.

[mr-geargrinder]

3d Printer Troubleshooting

Last week, I upgraded from a battered and overworked Mars 2 Pro to a shiny new Mars 5 Ultra, latest and greatest from Elegoo. Setup was a breeze. New software is great. There's a lot of things I like about this printer.... But it had problems on the first print. And the second. And every print after was a coin toss if everything would stay on the plate or even make it to the plate in the first place.

In hindsight, the answer was obvious all along. The clues were there, but my problem is that I went to some discord servers for 3d printing nerds looking for help. 3d printing nerds really know their shit, but they are so far down the rabbit hole that they are fussing over exposure tests and custom slicer software so hyperspecific that you can't talk to them about a basic problems. They're so desensitized to basic problems that it doesn't even occur to them that it might not be a highly technical problem or one of the common dummy problems like the settings just being wrong. And when you show up fresh to a server, they're just to default to assuming you're a dumb babby who just bought their first printer and didn't do your research.

I get that to some extent, but also being told to read the pinned list of tutorials or to download a dozen different calibration STLs and then print those and come back with results and then also post my settings and crosscheck my resin on the official resin settings spreadsheet is actually not helpful at all when the problem is that prints aren't even holding to the plate like they should be. As in, a fundamental problem that exists before any other problems can make themselves known.

And you know what the problem was all along? The build plate they shipped my machine with was warped. It has a slight bow in the center, right in prime "put your print right here on the plate" territory. The corners are pretty square to each other, so the auto-leveling feature sorts them out just fine, but the middle isn't making flat contact with the whole plate, which obviously messes up every print and the only solution is to overexpose that area so hard that it melts itself to the plate with as much extra resin as possible to fill that gap.

To Elegoo's credit, "check the build plate for abnormalities" was one of their first questions in response to my problem, with example pictures, no less. They also suggested the possibility that raising bottom layer exposure times might help, which it did, but they also made the call to check something so obvious that literally no one else had suggested I just get out a ruler and check the flatness of the plate... and that's such a crazy easy, quick, immediately understandable way to check for something that would absolutely be a problem for something that's going to consistently mess up everything else the machine is supposed to do.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm trying to say here. Maybe this is reflective of a more general idea not to over-complicate your problem solving and troubleshooting experience. The simplest stuff to check will often take the least amount of time. You can save yourself a lot of headache by checking that first, and if that's where your solution was the whole time, then you don't have to waste your time checking highly technical and specialized kinds of problems that completely gloss over the possible simple problems...

Like, did you remove all the protective plastic from every part? Did you remember to lock the build plate in place? Yeah, it's kind of condescending, but if you did forget to do those things, they'd reliably screw up everything far more than if your problem was that your exposure settings were .4 seconds to low for the exact brand of resin you bought or if the temperature in your room happened to be too high at the time.

Keep it simple. General to specific. Don't overthink it... and when someone else comes to you asking for help, do the same for them.