#is a Pretty good reason to have no interest in staying in the super magic world.

[alphajocklover]

So I just finished my 3rd year exams at university (hopefully I did well enough to make it into a 4th year and go for an Master's of science) and as soon as I get out near the crowd to celebrate a guy bumps into me and I broke my phone. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind until I saw he was pretty built, he must be on some university team for something. He felt awful apparently and he gave me his old phone as an apology. It came with this InstaJock app thing on it. I dunno what it is but I kinda wanna load it up...

Another instance of a jock giving someone a phone with InstaJock already downloaded on it. Another instance of someone doing something with InstaJock that doesn’t make any sense. I know it’s unprofessional to say something like this, but this is driving me crazy. Why would a jock give away their phone? If they wanted to turn you into a jock like them, they’d just send you the app! If they wanted to give you a new phone for real, they’d have wiped it before giving it to you. I guess it's possible they forgot, but InstaJock is super important to the users that get transformed into jocks. Even with how stupid jocks can be, I doubt they’d forget about the app that literally changed their life. So… why?

I’ve mentioned in some of my earlier Instajock posts that someone has been messing with people using this app. Using it in unconventional ways to mess with people, spreading false information about the app, and even making knock offs of the transformative app. My first thought was that it had to be The Master. Not the Doctor Who villain, to those who get that reference, but someone I introduced to you all in a recent post. He’s the creator of Instajock and the mastermind behind my Uncle’s transformation and kidnapping. He’s an incredibly powerful figure in the Transformation Community, even more than I’ve told you. Most people who know about transformations are scared to mention him, even other TF Reporters are, and most powerful people or groups who work with transformation either do business with him or stay out of his way. But… I don’t think he’s the one behind this. He likes to mess with people, play with his victims like whoever is behind this, but if he wanted to do that he could just add features to the actual InstaJock app. He had no reason to do things in such a roundabout way. Which makes me think… it’s someone else.

Whoever is doing this has an intimate knowledge of the app, so It has to be someone involved with InstaJock, someone besides The Master. Maybe someone who works for him? Even he couldn’t have programmed the entire app on his own and added in the magical elements without help. Plus he isn’t one for upkeep, so he’s probably having someone else run the site for him. They also have to be someone with a lot of nerve to mess with The Master, maybe someone who they’ve hurt personally. On top of all of that it’d also have to be someone the jocks would listen to. Maybe someone who worked on InstaJock that The Master fired, a former employee?

I can’t be sure of who's behind this yet, but I do know that whatever they’re trying to do with you isn’t good. When you press that app, you won’t just be turned into a jock like a regular InstaJock user. It has to be something… special. Something that would benefit, or would at least interest the person behind this. Maybe you’ll turn into a copy of the jock who gave you the phone, become their perfect twin? Maybe something else will happen entirely. I can’t be sure.

If it’s not too late, send me the phone immediately. I can put it somewhere safe, and I might be able to protect you from whoever's doing this. If it is too late… Well I hope you enjoy whatever happened. Being transformed against your will sucks, but being a jock can be fun, even if it isn’t your choice.

**3 stories in one day, all InstaJock? I must be on a roll! I hope you guys liked this one! There are still more mysteries and more transformations to discover! Stay tuned!**

[bitchfitch]

actually I've decided all those old ideas for them suck. Objectively the funniest possible answer to "who the fuck Are Conrí and Gwyn" is:

Gwyn is a proper nobody, but he's mostly happy living with his pet pixie frog, Jeremiah, and his roommate/best friend Human Jeremiah. who is a sorta eccentric older fellow. Tends to be very air headed and spends most of his time keeping to himself and quietly reading the old books he keeps up in their attic. He also does basically all the chores when Gwyn is at work so the dude could be a serial killer and Gwyn would still consider him the best roommate ever.

It's a great life for Gwyn. He can relax and persue his passions in his free time in a quiet and lovely home. He has company when he wants it and peace when he doesn't. it's Perfect.

Until Gwyn gets forcibly Isekai-ed.

He wakes in (bulk standard magic land... Bustmala) on an alter surrounded by strangers. They tell him he's the reincarnation of some ancient sorcerer and it'll be his job to stop some horrid evil. Gwyn is not down for this. He doesn't know how time moves in relation to the two worlds and Human Jeremiah is out of town so if Gwyn doesn't get home soon his beloved Jeremiah will starve or his water will dry up.

What proceeds is the set up for your standard harem anime. There's the extremely accomplished sorceress who works for the king/queen, Exac'coso, She is being forced to teach this newcomer. She resents his existence and he agrees that she should, they start hatching their plan in secret almost as soon as they are alone in the room together.

The powerful general who immediately starts talking strategy, Powge. her words go just as far over his head as Exac'coso's did. It devastates her to find out the plan her predecessors had been working to put into place for generations is going to fail. They didn't have any other way to possibly contain the BBEG. While she still has hope it'll work out some how, it doesn't take long to get her on board. The sooner Gwyn is gone the sooner the higher-ups will let them all start investigating more options that might actually work. This is the first time she and Exac'coso are getting to work together and she's learning to not be quite as intimidated by such a well respected member of the court.

And finally a maid of no renown, Manoré. She's the glue that holds the team together. The only one of the three of them that has an excuse to go anywhere without a single person paying her any mind. It also helps that she's a pickpocket and clever in a way that compliments Powge's straight forward eyes on the prize mindset and Exac'coso's overthinking and over complicating. Plus it also gets her a chance to reverse pickpocket a few things off the ladies. She likes stealing but also always feels a little bad about it later if the person is nice. She doesn't need to be convinced to join their mission, she was listening in when the other two weren't thinking of her as having been there because she was just the help.

The four of them get everything set up and nearly succeed in their goal without much fuss. Until the overly loyal dog of a guard that is Conrí interupts. He had been the greatest hurdle as he had been assigned to watch over Gwyn at all times in case BBGE tried to get him before he was prepared to win that fight. He had refused to hear any of Gwyn's protests on this matter and insisted he Must be the sorcerer because otherwise, what hope did any of them have?

The spell was already started up. Both Gwyn and Conrí were transported back to Gwyn's world. They land in his backyard and Gwyn just books it to check on Jeremiah. only managing to out run Conrí bc of the narrow halls and low cielings giving the giant fucker a hard time. Jeremiah is completely fine and Gwyn could just about cry with relief. His water is still full so despite weeks having passed in the other world it seems only a few hours at most had passed in this one.

Now Conrí is the one who's the fish out of water. You thought this was a story about a normal dude in a magic world surrounded by hot chicks? Gotcha. It's about a big wolf man stuck in a normal world that's wholely incompatible with him. with a man he's done a great job at making hate him.

Worst of all, Weeks had passed in his home when only hours had here. How long did they have to get back before the final confrontation was had and lost without the prophecized sorcerer there to save everyone? how long until everything he had ever known or loved was gone? He had pups, would they think he abandoned them in the days leading up to their firey deaths? They had already lost their mother, he couldn't make them suffer That too.

Things are awkward those first few days. Conrí is already going stir crazy having to stay inside what is to him a very cramped little house. Driving them both mad with his constant worry and hopeless anger. He's furious with Gwyn even if it's not fair for him to be. If Gwyn had just Paid More Attention. If he had learned more from Exac'coso before running like a coward then Maybe they would have gotten home in time.

They had summoned Gwyn with 3 years of prep time to make sure he was ready for the fight. With how time had moved between their worlds, the math said a year in Bustmala was only a day here.

The fourth day comes. Conrí locks himself in the spare room and refuses to come out.

The fifth day Gwyn barely manages to get him to eat.

The sixth he offers to bring Conrí a book so at least he could enjoy some reading while he wallowed. Conrí doesn't want anything that mentions earth or anything about it. All Gwyn has is non fiction. Human Jeremiah likes fantasy though. So maybe they could raid his library? Gwyn promises Human Jeremiah is cool and if he isn't Gwyn will pay him back for the book if he's not ok letting Conrí read it. Conrí reluctantly agrees.

They go up to Jeremiah's attic room and Conrí grabs a book at random from the shelves. They're all the sort that are bound in leather to look fancy and old despite being fairly new so he has to flick through a few pages to actually get a feeling for the type of book it is. Gwyn watches his brow furrow and realizes he might not be able to read english. but then Conrí is flicking to the table of contents and then to a specific story.

Conrí throws the book through the window and collapses onto the bed with his head in his hands. He already regrets having thrown that book. It was the same collection of short stories his kids had on their bedside table. He'd read it to them hundreds of times.

"Funny how the world can find a way to beat you when you're already dead. Right house, wrong man."

He doesn't respond when Gwyn asks for clarification but Gwyn doesn't really need it. It was more the shock of the realization that had wanted the confirmation than any cognizant part of his mind. Gwyn wishes he hadn't turned down Human Jeremiah's offers to let him read one of his books. Maybe he would have realized the truth when they still had time to act on it then.

He pulls out a few books, opens and sets them aside until he has the one he wants. A magic grimoire that had a spell and set of sigil work he recognized from Exac'coso sending him home. He was barely at the point of learning to read the most basic of basics from her and this... This was something she had spent an entire day preparing for and studying and even then made sure he knew there was a nonzero chance she fucked it up and sent him way back in time or dropped him from a few stories up.

"I... I can try to learn more."

"What's the point in that? To let me see my home in ruins? To see if I can find their bodies in the rubble? Just put me down and move on."

"Human Jeremiah will be home eventually... He could teach me. Or send you home himself."

"And still there would not be a point."

"We were wrong. about how time passed. There's this, uh, this denotes a time I think? If you remember what the date was we can go back to the same day we left on. I think."

"I will unscrew your head from your neck if you are givinge false hope."

"I don't think I am."

[abominable-space-they]

A modern LuLaw Au, where Zoro is a huge hot thriller action movie actor. He does everything from historical magical swordmaster movies to modern non-stop suspensful spy chase films

Bepo is also a super famous actor but of the opposite variety. He came up in theater, is the loveable funny dad in family movies, comedic gay uncle in summer block buster type movies, and maybe the love interest in very first date mid market fluffy first date movies marketed to divorced moms and bisexual geeks. He's like Andrew Garfield + Nathan Foad + Harvey Guillén

Perfect in other words

They get teamed up for a wacky odd couple action comedy about an Assassin who has to find his dead lover's estranged brother. The estranged brother is a librarian who speaks 13 languages. They have to go on the run together to find a package that has evidence that can clear Zoro's name.

The movie is a huge hit. At the premiere after party both Zoro and Bepo bring all their best friends.

Both of their best friend groups consist of a motley crew of loveable weirdos

Bepo begs Law to come to the after party with him. It's his biggest commercially successful film to date and a huge accomplishment. It will open up all new avenues in being able to try something different besides the quirky comedic relief. He's elated... and a little overwhelmed. So of course, eventually Law relents.

He was always going to, they both knew it. Law just had to put up a fuss first, lest people start getting ideas about how much of a push over he might be

He's secretly a giant pushover, for a particular kind of chaos... The kind that drags him kicking and screaming into having a good time despite himself, but he always denies it

Law is there for maybe an hour before he's just sick of all of the loud smiling fake crowd. Overwhelmed, he grabs a few beers, and a vape off of one of the long tables full of party favors and escapes to the most out of the way unpopulated balcony he can find.

A balcony where the only other inhabitant is a free range Luffy perched on a railing like a little flip flops and sun hat wearing gargoyle.

Luffy it turns out, wasn't overwhelmed by crowds, but he couldn't stand how fake everyone was, Zoro's manager (Nami obviously) threatened to whoop his ass personally if he made Zoro look bad by getting into anymore celebrity fist fights or accidentally on purpose calling some mega star out on their bullshit

Law is despite himself charmed by Luffy's directness and lack of patience for anything fake ever.

They end up splitting the beer and the vape and hanging out talking till long after most everyone else had already left.

When they finally remember other people exist, it's coming up on dawn and the caterers are trying to politely get them to leave. Both their friend groups have long since left just assuming they both left without telling anyone when they couldn't find them.

In the cold light of predawn Law is a little embarrassed about getting buzzed and staying up till dawn at a Hollywood function with some pretty boy he's never met before.

Luffy is if course unruffled by all of that and drags Law to breakfast with him. He decided that since they were already on their own, there was no real reason to rush off in opposite directions. He thinks all Law's embarrassed bluster is very funny and cute.

And anyway, he knew a place they could eat near by.

Luffy drags Law to the Baratie of all places. Law is so flustered he listened to this hot unstoppable ball of bouncing charisma, he makes sure to point out why the Baratie on impulse at dawn was a terrible plan:

1) they couldn't just walk into to the Baratie dressed for last night's party, from last night's party. This restaurant was much to fancy for that.

2) the Baratie was booked for months in advance unless you were extremely well connected. It was extremely popular with all the right people (and plenty of the wrong ones too)

3) The Baratie was not now, nor had it ever been open for breakfast, it was a five star restaurant not an all night diner!!!

Luffy, shrugs super casualty, beaming mischievous joy at him

"I guess I'm well connected then Torao. It'll work out fine. Come on, it'll be fun"

Law follows him swearing to himself he's only curious what Luffy thinks he can do to get in

Really

When they get their Luffy bangs on the back employee's entrance. An extremely frazzled and probably a little hung over Sanji opens the door

Luffy beams at his friend

"Sanji! I'm starving! We need meat!!"

Sanji was prepping for opening, he scowls at his friend who went missing the night before without telling anyone where he was going again

"... Luffy! Yah! What are you doing here? Where did you go last night? What are you doing with pop rock diva Donquixote Doflamingo's nephew? Damn... You're hungry? Come on in, I have some meats left over from last night's dinner. I can make you guys some breakfast bowls or something."

Sanji knows all the society players and knows exactly who Trafalgar D. water Law is even if Luffy doesn't

Luffy bounces happily through the door.

"Thanks Sanj! What do you mean what am I doing here? I'm hungry! We need meat! We didn't go anywhere. You guys left without me. It's ok, don't feel bad. Lala and I were talking. He's real cool. I think he saved my life. I was considering throwing myself off the balcony in a final act of self sacrifice so I didn't mess up Zoro's party. But then there's Law, with beer, a vape, and my still beating heart in his tattooed hands like the drums of liberation! I could feel the freedom! So we hung out and talked about neat stuff. Then the people with all the shiny trays didn't have any more food left which is sad Sanji. No food. They just asked us to leave, so of course we came here bc we're hungry. I don't know anything about Mingy's nephew or whatever. Don't bring that pink jerk into this. I'm still sad mad from when Crocodad used to bring him to every family gathering. Mingo bahhhh. Lala and I are HUNGRY. Look how pale he is Sanji. We need to eat!"

"I do not feel bad we left you Luffy. You disappeared!"

"Don't be silly Sanji. We were right there"

Sanji gives up trying to talk sense into one of his best friends at this hellish hour. Settling instead on staring silent daggers at Law. Luffy might not know any shame but most everyone else did. Sanji isn't sure what's going on but he's pretty sure he doesn't trust any relative of that insufferable smug bastard Doflamingo.

Law shrugs loose and indifferent

"He's right, we were right there... I don't associate with my uncle, I don't like or trust him any more then you do."

Sanji, nods, he understands not associating with the family you can't quite escape. Still

Raising one gracefully manicured eye brow, Sanji can't help but ask

"LaLa though?"

Luffy leaps into the air, flailing his arms and legs like a particularly ecstatic starfish.

"Yes! Lala! Oh or Tora-ora-oh? Torao?"

Law, looks away, trying to hide the surprising way the nicknames make him blush. He mumbles, embarrassed

"I gave up asking him to stop two hours ago. Maybe if I ignore it he'll get bored"

Sanji absolutely clocking the vibes, snorts a rueful laugh.

"Yeah good luck with that, well don't just lurk by the walk ins Luffy. Take your man to the family table. I'll get you guys all that meat"

Law, spends the next couple minutes in embarrassed silent processing before he comes back around to what Luffy said about Doffy. Like, he knows him because of Crocodile?

"Wait Luffy, did you just call the infamous Hollywood fixer Sir Crocodile, Crocodad?"

Luffy is busy craning his neck towards the kitchen, he crinkles his nose in playful confusion at Law

"Huh? Oh yeah. I have a lot of dads"

Law scoffs,

"That doesn't really explain anything."

Luffy let's his head fall sideways, smiling in thoughtful distraction

"Oh hey! Yeah! I can introduce you to my dads! It'll be so cool! Mihawk will love you I can already tell. Buggy will say he hates you but he won't really hate you. Mihawk says being an utter bastard is Buggy dad's primary love language”

That makes Law huff a small dry laugh

"Is that where you got it from?"

He meant it in a teasing way and for a split second worried that he'd gone to far. People were always telling him his sense of humor was to sharp, to acidic.

Like a surgeon, cutting to the quick of a person

But Luffy only stares at him owlishly, thinking earnestly about the question

"... Oh yeah. Probably. Next time I'm over I'll tell Buggy Dad that. He'll be so happy he'll cry about it. It'll be so cool. Then Shanks will think he's in trouble again and he'll be so relieved the crying's not his fault this time that he'll love you extra. Probably buy you a yacht or something in thanks for getting him out of the dog house this week. You'd look good on a yacht Lala... Or maybe a submarine, a fancy science one not those weird tin cans billionaires keep committing elaborate suicide in"

"I don't need a yacht... a submarine might be cool. A sciencey one like you said. I don't know, no I'm not thinking about that. Luffy, you just name dropped the French Designer single handedly responsible for bringing back gothic romance in high fashion, arguably the most beloved and successful mainstream actor of his generation, and the grand line's Banksy. I know this because my friend Bepo is old college buddies with one of his assistants. Is there anyone you don't know?"

"I don't know everyone. I don't know your friend Bepo yet even though he did a movie with my bestfriend. I don't know who his friend is either"

"Uh Richie, big dude, loves meat almost as much of you, nice enough. He has a giant tattoo of a green lion on his back... He's probably a furry, most Bepo's friends are... but we never talked about it to confirm it. Not a big deal either way..."

"OH YEAH RICHIE! I know him!"

"see? You know everyone"

"You're The Celestial Diva Demon Doflamingo's nephew"

Law sighs deeply

"I was hoping you didn't catch that"

Giggling Luffy shakes his head

"Shihihihihi I catch things fine, I'm flexible... I understand. I understood. Mingy doesn't have anything to do with me bringing you to my family. So it doesn't matter to me if he's your uncle Torao"

"Oh... I... Luffy... Thanks"

Luffy laughs

"Anyways, I didn't know you before but now I do and I'm glad I do. You're really fun Lala. I love fun"

Law swallows thickly, he feels called to being honest, vulnerable even. He doesn't know why exactly but it feels like Luffy will understand the importance of his saying anything at all. He clears his throat

"I'm... I can't believe I'm saying this but... I'm... not mad about it either. Usually people in this god awful town only want to talk to me because I'm the son of famous post modern surrealist painter Rosinante Corazón or because I'm Doflamingo's nephew... Fuck It's exhausting, being expected to constantly perform precious little society Prince every day for their gratification. I love my dad but I hate the looks and the judgement and the expectations for me to follow in their footsteps"

Luffy's eyes are bottomless pools of deep sepia understanding. He nods, emphatic.

"Yeah I get that. Hey, that's why I come here and eat lots of meat! Sanji's dad always yells at me with his big voice and tall hat like, I DON'T CARE WHO'S DAMN BOY YOU ARE. LET ALL SIX OF 'EM COME IN HERE AND MAKE A SCENE. I WAS OUT IN THOSE STREETS WHEN THEY WERE JUST A LITTLE TWINKLE IN THEIR DADDY'S EYES. I'M NOT SCARED OF ANY OF 'EM, NOT SCARED OF YOUR GRANDPAPPY EITHER. LET 'EM COME. YOU COME IN HERE ACTING LIKE AN ANIMAL AND TRASH MY KITCHEN. I'LL PUT YOU ON A LEASH! MAKE EGGPLANT SOLVE HIS OWN STRAW HAT SHAPED PROBLEMS!! It's real great. He loves Sanji so much and he doesn't take any crap from anyone. Sanji wants to be just like him when he grows up"

Thankfully Law is saved from acknowledging how seen, understood, and appreciated Luffy makes him feel by Sanji coming back with food.

Luffy immediately forgets anything that doesn't involve shoveling breakfast steak into his face

Later, Luffy would somehow convince Law to come back to his apartment, where they would fall asleep on the couch together watching Zoro's movies (the only DVD's they had in the house)

Luffy falls asleep chattering about pokemon and beetle battles and all his friends.

It's nice

Really nice. The sort of nice he kinda hopes continues

Law is almost asleep himself when his phone buzzes.

The screen lights up.

It's Bepo.

He totally forgot to text Bepo and let him know that he was ok.

Law wiggles a hand free and arduously texts Bepo back

-Phone mostly dead

-I'm ok

.

.

.

-Met someone...

The response was immediate:

-YOU WHAT?!

-Later Bep. I promise I'll explain. I'm gonna sleep now

-You're sleeping?! Oh you're down bad. Ok ok. I love you but boss please don't forget next time

-Promise Bep

With that taken care of and no witnesses to see him being quite so soft, Law tugs the sleeping Luffy even closer, pulled in close under his chin. He pressed his face into Luffy's mess of dark Auburn curls. For some reason Luffy smelled like sea salt and mesquite smoke. It made Law smile.

He whispered into the top of Luffy's head.

"You just blow into my life with your ridiculous hat and your insatiable appetite. You're're gonna be the death of me Captain Strawhat"

Luffy grumbled sleepily, nuzzling further into Law's chest.

"Torao worries to much. It'll be so much fun, like breakfast. I'm right. Fight me."

Somehow reassured Law grumbled some sort of acknowledgement and was shockingly, soon, fast asleep.

Luffy made such a cuddly weighted blanket. He could get used this

[nkn0va]

Celica, Yuzuriha, and Rise with a more mellow, jaded s/o? Like their still nice and stuff to people they just have completely opposite energy along with being a little cynical, also probably a smoker.

Garcello lookin' headass /hj

-This girl needs someone who can keep her down to earth so, so badly. As much as you love her, she was the type to have her head in the clouds a bit too much for her own good.

-It's as endearing as it can be troublesome at times. Your patience is the biggest reason you two mesh so well together. You sorta remind Celica of Jubei in the sense you have the chill he does that's able to remain so nice and understanding despite seeming to some like you don't care about much.

-You sorta came off that way to her too, but she's a firm believer in not judging a book by it's cover. She wanted to actually take the time to know you, and it paid off. You were definitely more than met the eye.

-If you happen to smoke, she'll gently chastise you for the behavior but it's not the biggest dealbreaker as long as you have the decency to not do it inside. She's too pure to turn something as petty as that into a relationship-breaking argument.

-Having Celica as a girlfriend will also be a huge boon to you because of her healing magic. She won't risk secondhand smoking and can heal the ill effects of it you'd otherwise have to suffer through.

-She one hundred percent wants you to meet Ragna. She thinks you two are similar enough to get along. It's an interesting interaction but it does go surprisingly well. He's lowkey impressed by you being pretty much the only stranger he's met that doesn't react with immediate fear upon meeting him.

-You and Celica stay surprisingly happy together, much to everyone's confusion. Nobody really knows how it happened but there's no complaining, except maybe from Nine, but she can be won over eventually given enough time.

-Yuzuriha takes an extra joy more than anyone else in poking fun at you. The way you contrast her energy so much leads her to finding a childlike, almost petty satisfaction in attempting to get you all worked up. Good naturedly, of course.

-Meanwhile you're the one keeping her down on Earth. She can be a little ditzy sometimes and forget the fact that she has duties at the shrine. Having someone other than her sister to reliably remind her of her schedule is definitely good for her.

-She's kind of the one in charge of your relationship. You don't mind her dictating the pace as long as she's happy. Though again, you'll have to tell her to hold her horses if she tries advancing things too fast.

-Yuzu is overflowing with ideas for dates she's always wanted to try out, both from seeing places that caught her interest as well as ideas she's heard from other people. Almost every other day consists of her taking you out on a new date. She prefers to mix things up a lot to keep it fresh and prevent monotony.

-She kinda just drags you along every time. She knows that you're fine whatever happens. She finds it super cool how you just shrug off what seems like nothing and just keep on trucking, as she puts it.

-You get along pretty well with her sister, though when you ask her to tell you more about Yuzu, she only sighs and wishes you luck with dating her, saying that you'd need it. You didn't really know what she meant at first but it became apparent pretty quickly.

-Still, you wouldn't have it any other way.

-Honestly you are a godsend for Rise. Specifically in the fact that there's no one better to help blend in and keep suspicion down on nearly every level.

-That's from the only reason she's dating you, obviously, but's certainly a huge plus not a lot of people, if any, have. People would definitely not expect the unenthusiastic, bored looking one to be dating someone with such opposite energy, especially if you smoke, and you're a natural at acting natural. The way you're completely unbothered by paparazzi and can steer them away with such ease nearly has Rise starstruck with how unphased you really are.

-Much like Yuzuriha, she takes it as a challenge to break your facade. If she manages to get you flustered she takes great satisfaction in doing so. Though you can easily see through her tricks after the first couple times. She attempts to come up with new ways to embarrass you almost like it's a back and forth game.

-The rest of the Investigation Team has absolutely zero idea how this happened. She did crush on Yu before you two met and yeah you're both chill and mellow most of the time, though Yu was far more popular for good reason.

-You're the yin to her yang if you feel so inclined, the normalcy she so desperately needs in her life away from the lights and grandeur of being an idol. You're her safe space.

-She honestly makes a ton of jokes at your expense about you two marrying someday which you take in stride, but the more you really pay attention as time goes on the more you start to realize it might not be entirely jokes. She really can't imagine her life being spent with anyone else. She just finally feels like...herself for once when you're around.

[guesst]

MANHWA REC LIST PART 3 courtesy of @ihavenobigbrain

have tried my best to put in all the nice platonic manhwas i’ve read! theres still a bunch of romance but fun and games and lightheartedness is the main focus of these for sure 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

first of all i will rec the obvious and popular ones so they dont get missed becuse they are Popular for a Good Reason:

the s classes that i raised (super good, ive read the novel mostly but the manhwa is JUST as great. mc is collecting people like pokemon)

trash of the counts family (amazing art, little dragon child, mc is collecting people like pokemon)

also gonna plug some ones from the previous rec posts just cus i truly believe they are some of the best non romance manhwa: susu, han; i see you; the tale of goldiluck the black kitten

okay onto the actual recs !

WHEN THE THIRD WHEEL STRIKES BACK

HILARIOUS. genuinely so good, pretty underrated too (in that i havent seen anyone talking about this?) but it has a main character who isekais into a second male lead and decides to stay awayy from the leads — this fails miserably, obviously, and its comical. the misunderstandings, the unlucky run-ins… also the mc is a priest and theres a pretty interesting magic system and worldbuilding!! and as a final bonus the art is nice. genuinely so fun to read, highly recommend

A STEPMOTHER’S MARCHEN

favourite manhwa of all time tbh its the only one ive bought a physical copy of (so far, anyway.. hehe). has a romance sub plot but the characterisations, relationships, plot development etc is exquisite. the family relationship takes precedence here especially in the first few arcs, the characters are REALISTIC, the art is gorgeous…, i love it so so much highly rec if you havent read it already. i guess this doesnt fall as much into light-hearted, because there are quite a lot of heavy moments… but its nicely balanced out with the comedy n all so i’ll put it in anyway :]

SCHOOLMATE FRIEND

super cute! this one is a school romance and it doesnt have many chapters out but its simple and the two mains are adorable. its a nice fluffy read and the artstyle is also lovely.

THE DEMON KING DAD AND HIS HERO DAUGHTER

jdjsjd can you tell how this goes from the title? speaking of which i type it from memory and i cant find the tab i had it open in so it might actually be “his daughter the hero” not “his hero daughter”… not sure. anyway i havent read much of this one but the first few chapters alone had me screaming the dad and his lackey are idiots please read it for him. he loves his daughter but this is backfiring on him so badly djrnfj

^ idiot lackey, everyone

RETURN OF THE WAR GOD

you would assume the war god goes to war! but no. he picks up a little girl and then he’s like. ok mine now. and the rest of the manhwa is spent getting money out of people and living in the woods in his homemade mansion with his daughter and the mamy many sidekicks that they pick up along the way. lovely art, lots of funny moments, plenty of action -- this is a martial arts story -- n the side characters are great (especially the governor lol) .

SCREW THE NOBLE LIFE, I’M GOING HOME

there arent many chapters out for this one (24 i think?) but im so invested already. as it stands this is centred entirely around the isekai’d main character and her new family, there is a heavy dose of angst about identity issues but every chapter has a new misunderstanding and it has me rolling fr ,, oh also the mc’s new brothers are her stepsiblings but they shoot down that romance route really fast and their relationships are so entertaining if it keeps going the way it is this will definitely become a favourite. heres an out of context foot pic

SIGRID

AMAZING TRULY AMAZING the character arcs in this one are so !!! yummy !!! mc time travels n endeavours to correct her actions n save people and in the process makes sm friends and all the characters have depth and grow and theyre all so !!! lovable !!!! the friendships in this one are amazing even without the romance subplot (and also speaking of romance, its a slow burn mainly cus sigrid is as dense as a brick but its NOT frustrating because it actually makes sense for her character!! like im usually the first one to move on from a thick fl but honestly you cant help but cheer them on) its so so good, i love it

THE MEANING OF YOU

this one is an isekai romance with again some lovely character arcs :D the main character is pretty depressive but its also got plenty of light/funny moments to balance it out, and the plot centres around her learning to take care of herself and becoming more confident,, i love the characters a lot ! they care a lot. the romance does get a bit cheesy at times but it really is so wholesome with solid characterisation n its completed too so you have a nice 3am read.

HOW TO BE A DARK HERO’S DAUGHTER

urgh one of the best kid leads ever, plenty of plot and the art is gorgeous as well like its a winner all around okay. as it stands its on an indefinite hiatus (author had cancer and i assume is still recovering or just taking a break for a while) but season one is already completed and its an excellent family centred read with a few mysteries scattered here n there also did i mention the entire family is so yummy. im so gone for the butler fjddjdnndd

MY BROTHERS, THE PROTAGONISTS

simultaenously super funny and somewhat angsty. this is one of those dungeon manhwa but the caveat is each of the mc's brothers has a different trope going on (time travel, became demon king, isekai'd) while mc is a decent potion maker and has to deal with all their bullshit (affectionate). it handles family issues and balances it with comedy perfectly. the main character is really really likeable and you cant help but cheer her on. so far its almost entirely platonic but i spy a few male leads lol

MY CUTE BEAST!!!

romance manhwa again !! fjdmcjf the author of this one looked at all the classic miscommunication and misunderstanding tropes and noped the fuck out its so easy to read because you will NOT stress out and the male lead is so cute also. they play with the typical gender roles so fl has the knight aura while the ml is the damsel. its great and the characterisations are also awesome. big big fan. look him

WEE!!

iirc this is actually either malaysian or indonesian, not korean i think..? its mostly slice of life iirc n its been like.. 2 years since i read it so the humour might be . slightly outdated haha,, the cast is pretty diverse which is cool and there are a few angsty backstory chapters scattered here and there but on the whole it is chock full of shits and giggles if you want silly times. the only caveat is there isnt an official translation afaik so like… fan translation will have to do djfnc

A FREE RIDE EVERYDAY

back to romance ! romance manhua this time, slice pf life office type of thing and its pretty much just fluff. its a cute low stress read for times where u just want to sit down n smile about something and the characters r not thick about everything like they can be in SOME romances fjfnf and also the art is lovely! look at the cover, thats what its like the whole way through.

PURRFECT WORLD

mad underrated djfhdn it’s pretty chill, its a story about a human girl working at a salad restaurant on a planet full of cats. the art is super cute, the cats have jobs and all but they also act like cats and its great dhsks like the owner of the restaurant likes to sit in random cardboard boxes. its been a while since i read it but there is not much romance (if at all??), but plenty of cats and shenanigans. heehee

read it for him !! its also complete and its not particularly long either btw forgor to say

ONI NO KO

this one … i think is a manga actually? in colour?? its about a random oni kid that gets picked up by a high schooler’s family. very very cute art, it’s short and sweet and i will repeat very cute.

look him! hes so small ! he likes baseball!!

BONUS REC which doesnt fit the mood but i think more people should read it: the goldfish osushi. i wont elaborate anymore but its truly… your heart will be touched after it lol

also if anyone has more to add to this list (preferably things u think r underrated !! and no orv because everyone automatically recs that to me and im tired ajfndn) please do i would also like recs. also also if anyone has requests i love making lists

[laslow]

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing! Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: Sam

Pronouns: she/her

Birthday (no year): 5/28! Cyan and I share a birthday with: Liam O'Brien, Laura Bailey, Ian Fleming, and Siegbert :)

Where are you from? What is your time zone? California, USA! PST (west coast best coast)

How long is your roleplay experience? 10+ years? Is it closer to 15 now? If you listen you can hear my joints creaking

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? None other than Wajas.com. Middle school, what a time you were

How were you introduced to TOA? iirc a FE blog I was following reblogged a ToA post and I thought "hm, that's pretty cool! I'll look into it!" and then I blinked and 5 years passed.

Do you have any pets? No :sob:

What is your favorite time of year and why?(Season, holiday, general period) Winter! The weather is actually livable

What is your IRL occupation? Office Assistant though I ask for good vibes I have some new opportunities coming up to leave my current place

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? Writing, reading, cross stitching, karate, journaling, language learning

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? Legend of Zelda, Persona, Stardew Valley, occasionally I dip my toes back into Honkai Star Rail

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: Vaporeon and Water Type!

Tell us some funfacts and trivia about yourself! Dunno if I've mentioned this in the past but I have crooked pinkies due to a recessive gene in my family! My dad has crooked pinkies as well :)

How did you get into Fire Emblem? Five/six year old Sam watched my brother play Path of Radiance on the family Gamecube and I never looked back

What Fire Emblem games have you played? Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Sacred Stones, Awakening, Fates Conquest route, 3 Houses, Engage. I have read the scripts for Genealogy and Thracia. Halfway through Blazing Blade!

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: First was Path of Radiance! Awakening is still my fave all these years later

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! Inigo, Ilyana, Dimitri, Xander, Haar

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! Ilyana! I honestly can't remember why anymore I just thought she was super cool something about the thunder magic spoke to 5 year old me's imagination

Any Fire Emblem crushes? Laslow AND Dimitri that has not changed

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays? - Awakening: Chrom, still Chrom - Fates: Silas, still Silas OR perhaps Laslow if I'm feeling Spicy- Three Houses: Dimitri, still Dimitri - Engage: Diamant, still Diamant

Favorite Fire Emblem class? Assassin or Swordmaster!

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? A very mid Myrmidon who can get some good stats if you have good rng luck

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue Lions pride baby!!

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? -Boon: Sword, Bow -Bane: Heavy Armor, Axe -Budding Talent: Authority

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? Brodia!

How do you pronounce TOA? Tee-Oh-Ae

Current TOA muses: Laslow, Leo, Nephenee!

Past TOA muses? Ilyana, Vanessa, Azelle!

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Inilow is here to stay I can't make this man leave my head if I tried.

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? I love my flirts, and I also enjoy more serious characters who have a relaxed side if you know them well enough. Also youngest siblings.

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? Villains! As interesting and multifaceted as they can be, I struggle staying within that mindset for a long period of time.

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? (If you filled this out last year, has this changed in any way?) I do still enjoy combat--nothing like getting your adrenaline pumping!--but recently I've found I enjoy some of the more emotional things, too. Relationships, grief, etc.

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? Not really; I've been extremely lucky over the years to have written pretty much every scenario I can think of. I would love to continue exploring both Lazzy's and Leo's arcs as fathers.

Favorite TOA-related memories? Oh goodness....way too many to count! Most recently, I still find myself laughing over Leo (muse) dying for Jan 2024's event plot. Iconic

Present or past tense? Present!

Normal size text, small text, no preference? No preference! I try to use small text on Leo solely for that #aesthetic, but that's it

Got any potential muse delusions to share? 😉  Not at the moment! I'm happy with my lineup! (But if you twist my arm.....a certain knight from SacStones still lives in my head. And there's this wyvern rider from Tellius who occasionally whispers.)

[ryuichirou]

So what do you guys think about the relationship between the Tweels and Azul ? not in a shipwise way but their Dynamics in general?? and their said "friendship", lots of fans already made lots of statements/theories about their "relationship", some genuinely think their friends, while others think the Tweels might turning on azul in the future

The Tweels have openly statted that they might leave Azul behind if he becomes boring BUT at the same time the Tweels stuck around even when azul overblotted and floyd even said he is even willing to put up with boring things because the outcome is always fun and the Tweels even got worried when they heard what happened to azul in chapter 6

BUT then again it is also stated that the Tweels favourite food is octopus which is kind of worrying?? jade also upfront stated in chapter 4 that he does not trust making a contract with azul with lending his unique magic, which is also kind of telling of their so called "friendship" ??

i guess on "human" standards they aren't really "friends", but both the Tweels and azul grew up in the coral sea which is all about survival since in the sea its "eat or be eaten" kind of thing, so they might view things like friendship (or even Romantic) differently than us humans?

that said their relationship is probably either pur business or mutualistic

what are your guys thoughts ?? how do you view their "friendship" ??

Hi Anon! First of all, sorry for replying so late: as it usually is with this kind of replies, I try to collect my thoughts and express everything properly, so it takes even more time than it usually would… but I am very happy when we receive asks like this one, because it’s another opportunity to talk about our faves.

And thank you for sharing your thoughts, we loved reading them! And you’ve made a very very good point: their so-called “friendship” could barely pass as a “friendship” by the human standards, because they are lacking some pretty important stuff that is needed to be considered someone’s friend, one of them being trust. All three of them know that the other party is up to no good and is pretty capable of using them to their advantage if there is even a small reason for that. There is never “comfort” between them, and no feeling that the other would genuinely have their back and unconditionally support them no matter what. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have any confidence in each other: they do, but it’s not an emotional confidence, it’s evidential, based on the thought that it would be illogical for the other to backstab them right now.

Based on what we know about the life underwater and considering Azul’s and the Tweels’ perception of their relationship, we can assume that this isn’t anything super unusual. Since we’re talking wildlife, one way to describe their bond would be to call it symbiosis, which honestly has a lot in common with friendship (oh no I think that was a “Terra e…” quote…). Both the Tweels and Azul have something to gain from this relationship, they are mutually beneficial, and, as long as it is, they’ll stay together.

The only thing to note is that, despite how hostile the underwater world seems to be, being with each other isn’t absolutely necessary for Azul’s and the Tweel’s survival. I would assume that Jade and Floyd’s relationship was initially like that: they survived together, because they had the advantage of hunting together. But they are no longer in danger, and Azul’s existence is mainly the source of amusement for them. Mainly, but not only that, I kinda think Azul gives them some kind of purpose, not in an existential way, but it’s just that the life underwater seems kinda dull: Floyd even complained about it being boring in ch4, but since they’ve met Azul.. every day is like a holiday LOL I might be wrong, but I feel like Jade and Floyd wouldn’t have left the Coral Sea to pursue education on land if it weren’t for Azul. And both Jade and Floyd adore living on land: it’s so interesting and fun for them, they genuinely can’t get enough of it.

Does that mean that they have some kind of emotional connection with Azul? Do they have a soft spot for him? Probably, I don’t think they don’t have any emotions at all. But would it prevent them from eating him if hanging out together stopped being fun? Not necessarily. They’ll definitely dip him as soon as he stops entertaining them, there’s no doubt in that.

Who knows, maybe they’ll consume him when he is on a death bed, as a token of gratitude for all the fun years spent together~ Poor eels, he’ll be old and not tasty anymore…  Or they could just leave him, of course :)

From Azul’s perspective, having the Tweels around is a super useful boon too, even though he doesn’t have any illusions about the nature of their relationship. I really love that Azul is aware of that: Jade and Floyd are neither his servants nor his friends, they can turn against him the moment they aren’t amused enough with his decisions.

At the same time, Azul is a super cautious and paranoid person that doesn’t trust anyone, especially the two guys who pretty much wanted to eat him and never let him forget about it, even if it’s just teasing. And it’s probably for the best that he never lets his guard down, but I still think there is some emotional reliance on them from Azul’s part. For how uncomfortable he is around these two, their presence is probably still comforting in a way. They are the closest thing that Azul has to having friends.

So yeah, in short, there are some emotions between the three, but I still like to think that things are far more sinister between them that we think.

Also, it’s so great that every person in Octa-trio knows that the other two are dangerous and never underestimates them. There is some kind of nice equality and balance in this, when Azul complains about Jade being far scarier than people give him credit for/Floyd being far smarter than people give him credit for, and Jade and Floyd talk about how Azul is untrustworthy, smart, cunning and strong as heck. And the fact that you can picture both Azul, Jade and Floyd looking at the other two, thinking “oh no these two are at it again” is priceless. A wicked triangle of sickos.

We love Octa-trio and their relationships a lot, it’s one of the cases where, despite not shipping the characters with each other romantically, we would still watch 5 seasons of a sitcom about just these three. They are incredibly entertaining and fun to watch.

[eerna]

Out of curiousity, what was it about genshin that you hated? I'm not very far through it and now I'm curious what to expect from the story and you have good takes usually (Like aside from the gatcha system, which I stay safe from the clutches of by only engaging with genshin through my friend streaming it sometimes)

Sorry if this is kicking a hornet's nest, in which case no pressure to answer, but I would genuinely like to hear your thoughts on it

Thanks! That's ok, I am always up for some hornet's nest kicking :3 (note: this user never posts any of her opinions in main tags because she wants to avoid kicking hornet's nests as much as possible)

OK I will be a bit short and vague on it bc there's a Lot to cover and idk which parts exactly interest you. In any case it needs a keep reading

Yeah, I never paid a single coin for Genshin, all of my investment was done through time and braincells. The story is the same in every region you go to. You arrive, you wanna talk to the Archon, there is a problem caused by the baddies, you solve the problem, you talk to the Archon, the baddies take the Archon's thingie, you meet your sibling, the sibling goes away. This wouldn't be a bad formula, there's lots of wiggle room for fun yearly adventures, but the dialogue and the characters make it unbearably boring. The dialogue is just everyone talking in circles, repeating the same thing over and over again, broken up by meaningless conversation choices. You can't skip it, which is stupid because the MOMENT the conversation ends PAIMON JUST SUMMARIZES WHAT WAS SAID AND HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL ABOUT IT. After a while your sanity starts slipping. You can't even hang onto interesting personalities, because everyone in that game is an anime stereotype meant for fanservice depending on your type. My fav is the magical pirate woman with a big sword who has a lawful ruler gf!!! OF COURSE my fav is THE MAGICAL PIRATE WOMAN WITH A BIG SWORD WHO HAS A LAWFUL RULER GF because that's the type of shit I enjoy in better media so I am automatically more willing to like these cardboard cutouts. It's like the game is allergic to stopping and digging deeper into its themes or messages, everything is to be taken at face value, it honestly feels like a preschool TV show with jiggle physics. I know a lot of people say the game lore is super cool, but honestly it just reads like typical anime fantasy without any rhyme or reason behind it to me. What I DO like about the lore is the certain ideas behind the regions and the way nature (and the elements) are interwoven through the map. Exploration is 1000000% the best part of the game, the music accompanying the areas is beautiful and the views are very pretty. Honestly, the best time I've had with the game is when my friends and I would run around the map, talking aimlessly about whatever was happening in our lives, the one veteran showing us newbies cool spots or farming grounds.

All in all, hope you do have fun with it, but I honestly can't say it is a good game.

[sorcerous-caress]

I’m back with more~😏

I mentioned our masked human leader in a party with super horny non-human party members but let’s add a little spice~

Like we’re not just talking about our disguised/masked human leader who’s likely never bedded a non-human before. We’re talking about one that’s never bedded/been bedded by anyone period. When the leader first mentions them having never bedded someone before (before the party finds out they’re human), no one fucking believes them. I mean this was their cool and reliable leader who was also super charismatic with how they spoke for the group and settled disputes, the whole party even had a secret bet over who would be the first to get to sleep with them, what do you mean they’ve never bedded someone?

Leader mentions that it has nothing to do with a celibacy oath or anything like that. The reasons they had ranged from never being that interested to simply being too preoccupied with their goal/mission to pay attention to that sort of stuff which is why they feel super out of place when they all talk about their human-centric bedroom fantasies like it’s the opinion on the damn weather.

The party understood that the dirty talk they had wasn’t for everyone so they did stop for some time. At least until they found out their leader was human. In fact they began to talk about their fantasies regarding what they’d do to a human even more in hope of enticing their dear human leader to their tent/room at night.

After all, this wasn’t just a simple little bet over who could bed the leader first anymore, this was the opportunity to be the first person to bed their gorgeous leader, to be the one that introduces them to a world of pleasure, to be the one to help them form their pretty little kinks and fantasies. Now that, that was a bigger deal especially since every human any of the non-human party members had taken to bed before already had their first experience with another human for comfort reasons. Who knows what they’d do to woo their leader over? 😉

-🦑anon

Good fucking food anon good food, you're really living up to your emoji.

Virginity kink is really something mixed with the human kink because since other races live so long and have different social norms, it'd be pretty rare to end up being someone's "first"

But it is pretty common in humans who are rushing through all of their lives and barely get free time to fuck around, who keep jumping from one responsibility to another.

Especially their dedicated leader who is the one responsible for getting them all together, who helps them work out their differences. Who convinced the wood elf not to kill the drow and encourage the gnome to befriend the wise dwarf in the party.

Some of them would want to go slow and gentle, teach you the ropes one by one until you're ready for them. All pretty and spread out on the softest bed they could afford, this nights need to be perfect or at least in their imagination it is.

Others would rather throw you whole in the water to teach you how to swim. What's a better way to introduce you to sex than to give you the fuck of your life and overstimulate all night until you pass out from exhaustion. That sure will be a more memorable first time than going slow.

Yet some of them...actually want you to remain the way you are, especially the Aasimar in the party who gets off on the idea of you being a virgin. Who can't help but wonder how'd you react for the taste of their cum, would you even recognise it if some ended up magically in your food by accident?

So pure and untouched, absolutely untainted. None of these degenerate perverts deserve you, so you should stay with this totally not perverted angel who keeps insisting on you sitting on their lap as they read you the holy book of their chosen god.

Is their big chest pressing against your back? Their tits almost hugging your face? Don't worry about it human just focus on the lesson impeded within this book, ignore the way they're rubbing their thighs together under you.

Or maybe instead of that, their chest is flat and hard behind you. And there is something equally hard poking from under you and making you squirm. Their hands clenching hard on the book the more you keep squirming, their voice becoming shakey.

[dross-the-fish]

Can you talk more about your Christine? The way you draw her makes her look super pretty ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

My Christine is a little lost. Life with her father was relatively nomadic and part of the reason she was so devastated by the loss (aside from him being, well, her father) was because he was the one constant thing in her life. There was no house to call home, no friends or family, only herself and her father. When he died it was as if the world had been pulled right out from under her feet and she'd describe the months in between losing him and finding Erik as "an endless plummet" She struggled to find stability, to adapt to her new circumstances living with Madame Valerius keeps her off the streets but there's always a sense of being a guest in someone else's home and subject to the charity of another person and Christine felt pressured to make herself useful. Mme Valerius was also prone to flights of fantasy and magical thinking. Most of it was harmless, superstitions here or rituals to ward off spirits, occasionally she would try to contact her deceased husband from beyond the grave then fall into a depression when her efforts yielded no results. As much as having a roof over her head is a relief it's also exhausting and isolating to Christine to have her only company be an old widow who lives on fairytales and ghosts. Christine finds work at the opera house as a chorus girl and ballet dancer but struggles to fit in with the other girls. She's foreign, her french is good but far from perfect and having never been friends with girls her own age she finds she's very awkward and completely unprepared for how cruel teenage girls can be. One day things become unbearable and she finally breaks down and appeals to the 'Angel of Music' she doesn't expect that she'll get an answer, but she's lonely, tired and out of hope so she casts out a line and hopes that some scrap of her father's promises might exist. And then a voice answers. Naturally she has a breakdown and her first reaction isn't to be overjoyed, she's more angry. "Where have you been? Why didn't you come sooner? If you've been real all this time why didn't you come and find me?!" but of course she's ultimately overjoyed because angels are real and that means heaven is real and her father isn't as far away as she thought. Of course when she finds out it's just Erik everything comes crashing to the ground again. It's like experiencing her father's death a second time over. Erik doesn't help his case by making excuses that "It was the only way I could talk to you. You would have rejected me other wise!" (making it all about himself as he is prone to do) and she's angry, but at the same time, Erik is all she really has, that's the worst part for her. The months of learning music and having an angel to confide in very nearly saved her life and despite the truth being what it is she almost wishes she could have stayed ignorant. She finds herself torn between hating Erik and feeling betrayed but still needing him and wanting him to keep being her friend and teacher. So begins their complicated and tragic relationship with Erik wanting things from Christine she can't give him and likewise Christine being repeatedly disappointed when Erik consistently proves that he's nothing more than a deeply flawed man who continues to put his own interests above hers.

[lokiwaffles]

OOF SO TIRED. Anyways, here they are!!! Ash and Em(ery)! They took about 14 hours to complete! These are their designs when they are about 16 years old, in 2015. Their clothes probably vary from loop to loop, but everything else usually stays the same. Click for better quality because it is detailed I think but tumblr still killed it. Also there are design notes!

LORE DUMP BELOW (this is stuff i brainstormed over the past few days hehe):

-Both grew up in the Sanctum, both are orphans. Em’s parents are alive, Ash’s are dead.

-born 1999, Em in February, Ash in July.

-Both are sorcerers. Emery is proficient in offensive magic, and Ash is better at defensive magic.

-Ash and Emery learn about the loop near the very beginning, by accident. They tell the Ancient One who learns the loop cannot be broken and decides to use a memory erasing spell on the two. Unfortunately the spell goes wrong. This leads to Ash and Em remembering every subsequent time loop.

-They figure out who exactly is causing the loop after a few dozen loops— Holly and Co.

-Cursed with the knowledge of the loop, unable to grow up or move on, Ash and Em try different methods to figure out how to release everyone. This involves anything from attempting to keep Iris and Holly away from eachother as long as possible, or outright killing either of them. They figure out after more trial and error that Holly’s death causes a reset.

-Ash performs spells frequently to make the pair forget any of the darker things they’ve done, with only a vague “we did that already, don’t do it” triggered in their minds whenever they think of doing it again.

-They pity Holly, vaguely, but resent her immensely. For obvious reasons.

Iris annoys them, but they’ve figured out long ago they can’t really change her behavior. They know of Gray and Izzy, but neither play a huge part in Holly’s deaths 75% of the time.

-They have summoned Mephisto, and have even fought him before, but he always either kills them or kinda just laughs at them and flicks them away like little bugs. They’ve tried bartering, promising their souls, pretty much everything. He rejects them, and seems to delight in their suffering.

-They are super super close, and extremely dependent on one another. They’re past any sort of knowable bond (romance, platonic, etc.), and somewhat in the realm of literally two halves of the same person. They know one another perfectly.

-They have had arguments that spanned a couple decades, where they just. Ignore each other for loops at a time. But they always make up in the end.

-Have canonically lived hundreds of thousands of years. Em knows everything there is to know about 2010s marine biology. Ash is really good at art, if he could only retain the muscle memory.

-They have also convinced the sorcerers at the sanctum/any available avengers to come help fight Mephisto a few dozen times but it never goes well. Mostly because Mephisto never shows up to any challenge.

-The two have left Earth a few hundred times but never really find it interesting in space.

-Emery is a somewhat obsessive planner, and has the strength to execute any plans- by force of will, or magical strength. She is smart and strong, and knows it. She has a problem where she often thinks she knows better than others (mostly Ash), but Ash hates it when he feels as if he’s doing something “for his own good” or being ordered around. Em often ignores other people’s advice as well, but Ash gently reminds her that she does need to listen to what other people say, and that other perspectives matter.

-Ash is more laid back, but is smart as well. His is more of a subtle intelligence, more emotionally attuned. He’s less strategic, but he can predict what people think and how they will act, even outside of the timeloop. He thinks often of other people’s perspectives, and is more lenient towards Holly’s mistake than Em is (but just by a fraction). It’s hard to make him mad, but if you do, know he has Emery’s full support behind him. He is stands up to Em’s bossiness just fine.

-that’s all for now but I have TONS more info so if you have questions, just ask!!! I’ve probably thought about it at some point. Or I will. Work is a great place to brainstorm oc stuff.

Oh and here are individual outfit lineups:

[ramen2jpeg]

My linked universe designs! I don’t think I would get too into my version of my story, because it’s super long, but I still have a personal AU 😁

Time: 18 y/o, supposed to be 25 but grew up normally after Majora. Still very childlike and loves to play games. Besties with Wind

Wind: 19 y/o, continued sailing the seas as a pirate when he turned 16 since his grandmother passed away and Ariel grew up a bit more to be alone. Besties with Time, loves traveling back into kids with him.

Legend: 19 y/o, extremely pessimistic and negative after everything that happened in LA. Finds the worst in things and has some pretty deep beef with Time. Still taking some interest in Ravio though and besties with Four + Hyrule

Twilight: 18 y/o, sweet country boy who stays humble and can humble others. Gave up on love and is surprisingly individualistic. He tends to take the hardest workloads, and is physically the strongest Link. Besties with Wild.

Sky: 17 y/o, the kindest and most loving Link. He is easily taken for granted due to his passive nature but don’t underestimate him. Best swordsman out of them all, and is a great shoulder to cry on. Besties with Warriors

Hyrule: 16 y/o, shy but the most talented Link by far. Can use all sorts of magic and can learn from other Links as well. Enjoys his alone time and stays positive, looks on the bright side of everything. Very determined in nature and takes nothing from nobody. Besties with Legend + Four.

Four: 16 y/o, but outwardly looks 12. Personality depends on who you’re talking to. Link: leveled and easygoing, but can often be stoic and calculated. Red and Blue: Angel and Devil dynamic, Red is the good cop Blue is the bad cop. Red tends to go off of logic and morals while Blue tends to use his emotions the most and is spontaneous. Vio: laid back tiebreaker. Vio is the decision maker in everything because he is the most reasonable component of the Four Sword. Four is besties with Legend + Hyrule.

Warrior: 20 y/o, most cold and calculated link there is. He finds little time to joke around and is routinely the commander of many armies. Can come off as mean, but on the inside is just like every other loving and kind Link. However, if anyone is found to be out of line, trust that they will be dealt with. Involuntary besties with Sky.

Wild: 117 y/o, erratic and unpredictable, is called the “wild” card. While can mostly maintain a calm state of mind, it doesn’t take much to trip his wire. A 100 year nap messed up his inner workings considerably, so most social skills are nonexistent. Fits of rage, running off to do dangerous stunts, and destructive behavior are some of the reactions he has to triggers. He is lovely when calm though, and really enjoys playing hide and seek with Time. Besties with Twilight.

All of the Links together! If u read this all, thank u so much it means so much to me 🥹❤️

[misc-obeyme]

There was ask about angry and evilMC and honestly, I really love when MC can be angry /mostly because my MC has wrath as sin, but still/

Plus, angry MC can be pretty good, bc they usually have a LOT patience. But, they easily scared 13, scary to Mammon, forced to brothers listen to them and yelled at them, even Lucifer, when they destroyed the whole restaurant lol

Also, It was so refreshing, when in Nightbridge MC was so... Active? They can be openly annoyed and basically "shut up, Satan, I'm thinking" ...another reason, why I was disappointed in second lesson bc MC return to useless puppet...

But yeah, I would love to have more options for MC like that. Personally, I'm don't remember when I was really angry and mostly calm, so yeah, refreshing lol

Have a good day!

Hello there I hope you're having a lovely day/night!

Okay so I get annoyed with generic MC a lot, too, because they're definitely too nice. Especially when they have all those powers! Like you said, they can get all the brothers to listen to them, even Lucifer. And he's supposed to be super powerful! And yet stay seems to work on him!

I guess I just find generic MC too complacent in a lot of ways. It's less about the brothers being idiots for me and more about the large overarching story things that bothers me. Like I can guarantee you I would have been asking about a zillion more questions in Nightbringer. It's like MC is just going oh okay sure I'll be a devilsitter whatever. Oh huh I need to make pacts again okay.

I'd be like okay, I get that I need to do this to get my magic back or whatever, but who the hell is this Nightbringer fool??

And my MC is kinda funny because they like anything that keeps things lively. They enjoy the shenanigans and would be like ohhh we're in the past now, huh?? But they'd still want answers. I see them totally getting into it with Solomon in Nightbringer lol. Because when they get annoyed, they start getting argumentative and then they start to throw things.

Anyway, I suppose they have to keep MC as generic as possible for the game. I think that might be why we end up with puppet!MC for most of the time. All the characters talk a lot, but MC only gets the occasional one liner, which is understandable considering the format of the game. But it's interesting to think about what it'd be like and how the story would change if you had a more volatile and active MC.

I tend to think of generic MC as a meek lil cutie who sometimes does completely insane things, but for the most part just goes with the flow lol.

[wisteria--grows]

Thoughts on OFMD/fans/antis after binging during an ice storm post cancellation and interacting on Tumblr:

-I expected more slavery being aware of antis that always use that. idk if it's fair to blame super fictionalized versions of real people for slavery in a what's essentially a magical au when it's not really a plot point and the only character to call someone a slave is a British officer who becomes a hostage/is clearly a dick

-as an American I thought "Stede" rhymed with Ed and was disappointed to learn it was Steed. I was also confused by Rhys's name

-as a Brooklyn 99 girlie, be careful what you wish for in getting picked up. we got picked up for 2 more seasons and I almost wish we weren't

-similarly to b99, this is a fictionalized universe where the characters are the "moral" version of a pretty terrible career. Their harm is acknowledged occasionally but mostly glossed over to stay a comedy. some suspended disbelief is required.

-I think they bit off more than they could chew with Ed being abusive in s2. maybe it was lost to budget cuts but holy shit

-yes, it's ridiculous that people raised tens of thousands for a tv show. It's also a big fucking deal that a show uniquely pro lgbtq+ got cancelled for no real reason. it's not disrespectful to Palestine/Conga/anyone else to care about queer issues in your own countries

-the izcourse is wild. I think he was the most interesting character in s2 but not the main character. I think his death could have been better with another episode of enjoying his life and learning to balance himself, but hbo said no thanks

-loved seeing all the happy and fulfilled women. pleasantly surprised by how the fandom treats Mary

-I was surprised to see how many people hated the ending. Clearly it wasn't perfect, but Ed and Stede were together and happy and the crew sailed into a beautiful sunset

-I was not the target audience at all and still really enjoyed it. I like a good love story and it was fun and campy. It's lovely seeing people feel so connected and represented.

[imtrashraccoon]

Been a long time coming but here are a couple of headcanons for my Horrortale boys. I wanted to come up with more but haven't just yet.

Baston: Horror Sans

- He changed his name at some point after leaving the Underground to have a fresh start of sorts. The name he chose is a word that refers to a baton, a staff, or a cudgel.

- While he doesn't prefer blunt weapons, in a pinch he can and will use anything at his disposal if it means coming out of a conflict alive. He prefers to use a weapon that is akin to a large axe or cleaver since he can't use much magic after his injury.

- He is a kind soul deep down, although he is rather guarded and has become jaded from the things he's gone through in his life. Generally, his priority is to keep his brother and himself safe, and he is rather hesitant to extend that same kindness to anyone else. He will go out of his way to help someone though if he thinks they need it and wouldn't take advantage of his or his brother's kindness.

- Baston is generally the calm and stoic type, but he can carry conversation, just doesn't prefer to. He spends much of his time alone and other than his brother, almost never interacts with anyone else.

- He wouldn't do well in large crowds as he gets pretty anxious around so many strangers that could, potentially, attack him. While his anti-social tendencies are natural from spending so much time away from society, the deeper reason is more psychological and stems from his trauma in the Underground.

- Baston is a woodsman as well an expert tracker and hunter. Despite his size, he moves deceptively silent. However since he is a monster, animals are more comfortable around him in general, but he has an extreme amount of patience and can stay still for hours on end which also aids his super stealth. He can and will track potential prey for several days at a time, slowly wearing it down, until he sees the most opportune time to strike.

- His senses are much stronger than any human's and he can pretty much follow his prey at such a distance where they would have no idea he's even trailing them. Of course, this means that most creatures would have no idea he's nearby, unless he wanted to make his presence known.

Hemlock: Horror Papyrus

- He chose the name Hemlock after leaving the Underground for the same reasons as Baston. Hemlock had a particular fascination for all the different types of trees on the surface and for this reason he chose his new name. It refers to the types of conifers in the Tsuga genus although there is also a plant called Poison Hemlock.

- He is the kind of person who will show unconditional love to anyone he meets and will go above and beyond to help them, even if they don't need it. This can be detrimental since he has the bad habit of neglecting his own needs just to help someone else. He's gotten better since leaving the Underground, but it is very difficult for him to not act like a mother hen if he believes someone isn't looking after themselves properly.

- Hemlock is a bit more social than his brother, although he pretty much never talks to anyone else either. Although, he will gladly talk your ears off once he gets comfortable around you, especially if you share similar interests as him.

- Large crowds aren't a good idea for him though as he would likely get overwhelmed rather quickly. He's pretty traumatized as well, although he tends to ignore it rather than repress it like Baston does.

- Hemlock doesn't hunt like Baston does, mostly because he has a difficult time moving for long periods of time over uneven terrain. His area of expertise is with elaborate traps, although he is quite capable of making them nearly invisible to anyone but himself. Generally, he leaves the task of checking the traps to his brother but he will fix broken traps or devise new ones on his free time.

- His preferred hobby has to do with botany though. He is an expert at identifying edible plants from poisonous ones.

- He also likes to look after plants inside since it's far easier to look after them than a garden. He does grow a garden in the warmer months, though he often has Baston do the heavier work. Hemlock also has a lot of knowledge about trees, but mostly local varieties and he knows which ones are best used for various purposes.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I have really truly loved all of NewJeans releases, downloaded Phoning but am too old to be bothered with it (sorry gals) and even would suggest I’m a “Bunny” to a degree, though I don’t have the time to really invest in their content beyond the music. But I was disappointed with this latest release, I find the songs pretty forgettable - with the exception of “bubble, BUBBLE, Bubble, bubble” part — I’ve been in Korea for the last couple weeks and am staying till mid June for work and I do hear the songs being played by stores and heard on the streets but then I kinda immediately forget them 😬. I had to wonder if *some* of MHJ’s ‘whistleblowing’ was knowing she was about to put out a less-than-stellar record of b-sides and that she was angry that Illit got Magnetic? Tbf, if IVE or like, idk, Kep1er (that 1 in the name cracks me up) had gotten Magnetic it would have done super well because it’s just that catchy. Not to knock the Illit girls themselves and the rest of their EP is enjoyable to be sure but not the pop-gold of Magnetic. But again, music is subjective - maybe it’s just me who isn’t catching on with How Sweet. It could be the backbeat makes me think I’m at the roller rink in 1993 at summer camp but still not as catchy as the actual songs from back then.

*

Ask 2:

Same anon who sent the ask about How Sweet & Bubble not being quite catchy enough — honestly maybe the other thing is that I have LOST! (And really all of RPWP) stuck in my head and my poor brain only has the bandwidth for one earworm at a time! 😅

***

It's unfair to compare anything to RPWP.

The NewJeans girls are sweet. They make good music. But nothing they've released so far holds a candle to the magic that is RPWP. There are some people who think the hype around Namjoon’s intelligence is overdone, and like I've said before, there was a time I was skeptical about if he actually knew what he was talking about. But that was years ago and he continues to vindicate the belief I have in his abilities as an artist. Acid jazz, psychedelic rock, Fuji music, new school funk, Korean hiphop - all of that seamlessly combined in a contemporary fusion jazz album, all of it his own creation, made with artists he personally selected and respects. Namjoon is very much worth the hype. He makes music that makes my blood burn.

And yeah Lost is stuck in my head too, the bass sequence on Lost reminds me of the sequence on Pharrell's Happy.

That said, I think How Sweet is my favourite track from NewJeans since New Jeans (the song). And funnily enough, I like it for kinda similar reasons to why I love RPWP: the song is avant garde for k-pop and takes interesting risks. And I frankly just like what I hear.

For example, the genre and bassline. How Sweet is in the Miami Bass genre, one of the more niche sub-genres to break out from 90s hiphop. It never really took on, which might be why it makes you "think I’m at the roller rink in 1993 at summer camp but still not as catchy as the actual songs from back then." G-funk, East-West Coast, and Gangta Rap genres got more popular while only a handful of Miami Bass tracks were hits. In fact the only Miami Bass song I (vaguely) remember from back then was Tootsie Roll (I didn't even fully remember the title of the song, I had to google it lol). ADOR could've made another song in the trap genre since that's a more popular Y2K hip hop creation, and their last song in that genre (OMG) was a hit anyway.

But no. They went with a fairly obscure expression of 90s hip hop, which I think shows the depth of knowledge and appreciation for the that era that either ADOR, Min Heejin, or their producer 250, has. NewJeans don't seem to be doing Y2K-type sounds for the fun of it or just because it's on trend, else they could've easily gone for something more mainstream or more modern/popular takes on that era, like Magnetic. To me, How Sweet shows ADOR is very deliberate in their exploration of nostalgia, and in that way they are the antithesis to what is typical in modern k-pop. [Ironically, Min Heejin's whistleblower report (linked here) explicitly called out the sub-par quality of HYBE's operations teams which I believe includes their A&R team (and I agree btw). And Min appears to be mostly responsible for A&R at ADOR, so in reality, it's unlikely Magnetic would've been a song she'd release, but it's still identical enough to NewJeans' sound to support her concerns about Belift and HYBE].

Also, to my ears it sounds like 250 tweaked the bassline in How Sweet to keep it centered in the mix with the synths, something I feel is innovative given the MB songs I've listened to have the bass more forward in the mix. The topline melody is also soothing over the high-energy instrumental, making it feel nostalgic, but fresh. Like, I'd rather listen to How Sweet than Tootsie Roll to that point, but just like RM's RPWP, it's a song that's strange for k-pop. It shouldn't sell, it's risky, but it works because the artists have already established an identity.

In my opinion lol.

I totally sympathize with you finding How Sweet to be underwhelming though. I've had similar conversations with some friends for both Namjoon and NewJeans' latest releases. If my guess is right about NewJeans, they'll continue their intentional/methodic exploration of nostalgic sounds and concepts, meaning for some people it will quickly become a snoozefest. And of course that's totally fine. Personally, I enjoy it.