#my small contribution to the much neglected

[ophanim-vesper]

POV: Luz and Eda won't give King belly scritches and 10 million cupcakes so he decides to run away with Collector

[todayisafridaynight]

SO FUNNY I was just about to write in complaining that I got sick a day after you posted your last comic... I caught it... yet I don't have an Arakawa to take care of me... [<- I started writing this when you answered my last ask]

OH BUT NO WORRIES AT ALL I always love reading your responses and these were no exception :) It really means the world to me to have you guys listen! I believe I've [probably] mentioned the headcanon is a bit personal [In Other Words projection galore but. Believable Enough. Please DO dare to think... It'll work out...]; I was more or less expecting to keep it to myself forever because I felt the Venn Diagram of people who would know what I'm talking about and be interested had no overlap. I'm incredibly grateful to be able to have these talks and the assurance that's not the case :) and also I just kinda don't wanna Mansplain Jo To You so I'm glad that doesn't seem to be the case as well

AND I MEAN... LOL... LMAO EVEN...

it would be a pretty fair to pursue that line of thinking given he has both visible symptoms of sleep deprivation and things to lose sleep over... reminded of Debt [TWISTING AND WAILING AND CONVULSING] but also the counterpart to Matrophobia you were thinking about...

I absoluuuutely get what you mean by the mirror thing too I see you in the kitchen I smell what you're cooking... same here... very excited to see what he's like when he doesn't have to be a bullet as well... here are those for the sake of completion [If I May I think perhaps he wouldn't feel the need to change his name, just feel a disconnect if it's his father's family name and/or his given name was chosen by his father. Like an ambivalent Aoki I guess; he knows he'll answer to it so why fix what ain't broke and "inconvenience others"...]

SORRY FOR RAMBLING MYSELF HGLDJLKDJG again No Worries At All since you shouldn't be saying much with your Gameritis anyway... I hope your wrist gets better soon, rest up and take care!

NOT MY SILLY COMIC GIVIN YOU THE FLU (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) hope youre doin better now gettin sick SUCKS (╯x╰ )

oh but yaya of course : i have a cockroach for a brain so im glad star can supplement a lot more valuable commentary (╯▽╰ ) even if i have bugs for brains im still happy to see what you (and star should they write again) have to say :)

[thedreadvampy]

fwiw if you want to introduce more variety to how you draw faces I strongly suggest thinking really hard about noses

noses give you so much information about someone! they're usually one of the first things which define how we think of someone's face (after all - they're by far the feature that takes up most of it).

They change as we age - they take up more of our faces and move away from our mouths. babies almost all have round little tips of noses with no definable bridges, while depending on the type of nose an adult has they may get bonier and sharper or softer and flatter with age. nostrils widen, skin creases, eyes drop back from the bridge. I think often people try to age faces by putting wrinkles around an unchanged nose and it throws stuff off.

They're also a really racialised feature. like there is no one Black Nose or East Asian Nose or Desi Nose or White Nose, obviously, there's huge variation within and across ethnic groups, but there's a lot of overlapping trends in nose shape for different ethnicities and it's often a big contributing factor to people drawing characters of colour that kind of look like palette-swapped white people? like there are so many nose shapes that are super common but because they're relatively uncommon for white people, they're just not the noses people often learn to draw as standard.

but also a diversity of noses says so much about a character, the same way that their build or eye shape or face shape does. like. a long sharp narrow nose in a bony face? a round, slightly flat nose on a face full of smile lines? an upturned, softly rounded nose with freckles and no bridge? a long hooked nose with a curved tip? a crooked, broken nose? a bulbous, reddened nose? noses can imply strength, weakness, innocence, experience, childishness, wisdom, suffering, whatever you want to get out of a character design. don't neglect the nose!!!!

and like. obviously depending on how stylised the art is there's going to be information lost, but that's the thing - there's a real upper limit on how much variation you can put in eyes or mouths or face shape in simpler styles without making it overly realistic, but you can go really nuts on nose shapes! even with just one or two lines or one simple shape you can imply so many different noses by changing little things!

and yet really often I look at people who are trying to broaden variety on faces and they mix up everything except the noses, which stay like a circle or a triangle or a line or whatever their standard noise is, and as a result there's still this sameness to all the faces.

bc eyes and mouths and jawlines are all very well but noses are, in my opinion, the most varied part of the face. I can't think of any two people I know who have the same shape of nose except maybe me and my identical twin.

(and I'm not talking big Vs small, or hooked vs snub vs straight vs flat. really look at people's noses in real life cause there are so many variables)

(some leading questions under the cut)

how big is it? how long from the front? how far away from the face does it sit in profile?

does it have a rounded tip? how round? some people's noses have a profile that's basically a triangle point, some people's are basically a round tip with no visible cartilage above it, and everything in between.

What's going on at the bridge? in profile, is there a clear dip in between the brow and the bridge of the nose, or does the brow come straight down to meet it (or, if you have a kind of striking profile like Hangman Adam Page who looks like an early 2000s DreamWorks character, is your profile one line from brow to the top of your nose)? from the front, is there a clearly defined edge to the bridge of your nose or does it curve out? how much of the space between your eye sockets is nose, on a range from 100% to 0%?

What shape is the top of the nose in profile? Is it a straight line from bridge to tip? does it curve down? does it curve up like a ski slope? does it come to a sharp stop and angle out into a round tip?

does it have sharp edges? does it look bony, with a pronounced ridge? or is it all soft lines? Does it meet the cheek at an angle or at a curve?

does the tip come to a sharp point, or to a curve? does it angle up (so you can see the nostrils from the front), or down (so you can only see the line of the nose)?

how big is the base of the nose compared to the bridge? from the front, does it flare wide across the face at the bottom, or is it almost a straight line down? is it broader higher up the nose?

what are the nostrils doing? how big are they? are they round, or slit-shaped? do they sit behind the tip, with the noise all contained in a single pyramid shape, or do they sit to the sides? do they sit along the face, point forward towards the tip, or point up higher than the tip?

how does the nose interact with the other features? does it dominate the face? is it a tiny wee thing? does it sit over a very long upper lip with a pronounced philtrum, or is it almost touching the mouth? How much of the space between the eyes is taken up by the bridge of the nose? do the eyebrows curve towards the nose, or meet them at a hard angle? if they wear glasses, where on the nose do they sit?

colouration - is it all the same colour, or pinker at the tip or over the bridge? are the insides of the nostrils visible, and are they pale or dark pink? does the top of the nose get more sun - is it darker?

surface details - are there creases at the bridge or around the nostrils and cheeks? are they from scowling (vertical) or laughing (horizontal)? does their nose scrunch up when they smile, or flare when they're angry? is there hair? freckles? piercings? scars or breaks?

like the nose, jaw and brow are the structure around which the rest of the face is built. if you get to a place in your art style where you're comfortable playing around with that then you immediately add so much more diversity and life and verisimilitude to your characters!

also noses are just great. like they're so fun to draw and there are so many different gorgeous noses! I'm so into noses that usually the way I find how I want a character to look is to draw the eyes, draw the nose, then redraw the eyes and build the whole face around the nose.

(this advice is coming from the fact that the most common compliment I get on my art is the diversity and believability of characters and I would say that's like 50-60% in the nose/brow)

[b4tasquad]

CRYING: AJ SHABEEL

Authors note: here is the fic I’ve been talking about for the past 3 days😭 I hope it reached your expectations and wasn’t a let down!

Warnings: toxic boyfriend, smut, literally pure filth ( 18+) minors dni

…

There was no way this was happening right now. How you and your boyfriend had gone from loving each other to absolutely despising the other in less than 30 minutes was a mystery to you. You were having such a great time, and Aj had to ruin it. Fucking bitch.

It all started the second you walked out of the house. Hand in hand, you and your boyfriend were making your way to the car parked a little distance away. Aj was telling you some out-of-pocket joke and you were laughing your ass off, always finding the guy so fucking funny.

That was till your neighbor, Noah called for your attention. You had with a wide grin freed your hand from Aj’s and walked up to the blonde, hugging him swiftly. A conversation between the two of you was then brought up, and for a solid 10 minutes, you just talked. Aj didn’t look too pleased with it. Actually, he looked as if Noah had snatched his food from his grasp, leaving him starving and with bare hands.

The look being thrown from the curly-haired boy was piercing, and at some point, you were wondering why Noah wasn’t 6 feet under. You tried your best to include your boyfriend, saying stuff like “Oh Aj likes doing that too.” or “Did you know my boyfriend-“ but every time, he would dodge the outreached hand and look away. With quick nods and small words, he managed to exclude himself from the conversation for the most part.

You were a little thrown off guard, but since your boyfriend was awkward around new people you thought it was just that. But now you realised that wasn’t the case.

“And he was looking at you!”

“We were having a conversation, of course, he was looking at me.”

“And then you guys just ignored me”

“You refused to contribute to the conversation, Aj. How the fuck did we ignore you?”

The car ride had gone like that. The second you bid your friend goodbye and got in the car, Aj had given you a piece of his mind. At first, you tried to remain calm and just explain the situation to him. Nothing was going on with you and your neighbor, and the two of you were simply friends.

Aj didn’t get it, too green with jealousy to be logical. You hated when he got like this, it made him unnaturally cold and neglecting, something you hated coming from him of all people.

His hands are tight around the steering wheel, and you’re sure he’s doing that to stop himself from speeding. No matter how mad he was, Aj would never put you in harm's way.

“Why are you so close to him? Hugging him and shit.” He shoots a quick look your way but tries to not divert his attention too much away from the road before he’s reached your destination. Pretty last minute, the guys had decided to host a birthday gathering for Kenny, one of your friends. His birthday was coming up, and with the big party that had been thrown for Niko a few weeks ago, it was only fair.

Since Kenny was such a party person, and loved a good time, it was decided that Filly, who was very much like him in that sense, decided the place. Of course, had he chosen his own home.

There was no such place as Filly’s.

What you usually saw as a short drive had doubled and time was moving slowly. Either that or Aj had decided to drive slower so he could argue more before getting there.

“Because we’re friends.” You answer his question, huffing a breath of annoyance. The last thing you wanted to do looking this fucking good was argue with your jealous boyfriend. “Im sure you hug your girlfriends all the time.”

“False, I don’t have girlfriends.” And as much as you hated to admit it, Aj was right. You had told him early in the relationship that you didn’t care if he had friends of the opposite gender: you were confident in both yourself and your relationship and therefore didn’t feel bothered by it. For some reason tho, he had refused, claiming he didn’t need anyone else than you.

“Don’t need them, you’re my best friend and girlfriend.” He had told you simply.

At your silence, Aj continues. “And the way he was talking about his mum and sister? We don’t fucking care what they’re doing for spring break in us.” You didn’t know if he was talking to you or simply ranting to himself, but you let him get it off his chest. “Why does he feel so comfortable talking to you like he’s over for dinner every weekend.”

Now things are bound to turn even more awkward. Slowly, you look away from him, inching closer to the window and further from him. Aj’s brows furrow in confusion at your actions, till it finally clicks. “You invited him over?!”

“Aj listen.” God help you now because there was no way he would like anything you told him after ‘yes’ you could tell him Noah had been in the apartment for no more than 2 seconds, and Aj would still be as mad. The best approach was probably just being truthful. “He’s been over once for coffee.”

“Coffe, huh.” Your boyfriend chuckles. His hand that would usually be placed on your thigh shakes with anger around the steering wheel, and he shifts in his seat multiple times. “Just a cover-up for fucking.”

“What?” Aj must’ve gone mad to even suggest something like that. How could he even think that, let alone say it out loud? “What the fuck is wrong with you!”

“What the fuck is wrong with me- what the fuck is wrong with you? Inviting hoes over.”

“Hoes.” You imitate his chuckle from a minute ago. “Are you even listening to yourself? He’s my neighbor, we talked.”

As he pulls up to Filly’s place, Aj just rolls his eyes, disregarding your words completely. “Talked, yeah sure.”

“You’re being so fucking unreasonable right now.” You tried to be understanding at first, knowing he got jealous fast, but now? Fuck being understanding, you had a right to be furious. “It’s like you want us to fight.”

I don’t was what a part of him wanted to reply with. The part of him that had sense to him and saw the fact that he might’ve been overreacting. But Aj Shabeel was a stubborn motherfucker, and he would rather drink bleach than be soft for a second.

“We wouldn’t be fighting if your boy wasn’t making mad moves.” Your hope to resolve this and walk into the party together was long gone, and now you turned away from him, arms crossed. At your lack of response, your boyfriend continued. “And the way he complimented your outfit?”

Just before you had said goodbye and right before Aj had dragged you to the car, Noah had uttered 4 words that made Aj lose his mind completely. You look so good. It had been said with a faint smirk and a look across your body, but you were oblivious to it.

Aj wasn’t.

“As he should.”

At your words, Aj genuinely looks at you weirdly, as if he was trying to figure out what the fuck was wrong with you. During the fight, he had mugged, side-eyed, and deadpanned at you, but this was new. Aj was looking at you like he wanted to take you right there and then.

“What?”

He’s heard you. Aj’s asking to see if you back out or not, and even you aren’t sure. You know for a fact that if you take it back the two of you will fight it out and be good in a few minutes, but if you stand by your words on the other hand. It can only go one way.

“As he should.” You repeat, confidence laced with every word. It’s mostly fake because the stare Aj’s giving you makes your skin crawl, and legs close shut. But even with the slight fear of what he’d do to you later, you wanted to bask in the control you had right now. “I do look fucking fine, and I’m glad he thinks so.”

You’re not. You couldn’t give less of a fuck about what Noah thought, but right now, acting like you did was a great way of pissing off your boyfriend and that’s exactly what you wanted.

“Why the fuck would you be glad he thinks so?” The two of you have minutes ago parked and are simply going back and forth in the dark car, the tinted windows luckily giving you some privacy. “And you wonder why I’m jealous? Because you say shit like this, y/n!”

“I’ll give you something to be fucking jealous of.”

Aj hears your words and with frantic eyes watches as you exit the car and walk up to his friend’s front door by yourself. The words don’t fully register till you’re about to enter.

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?!”

The party’s been going on for hours and had long ago turned crazy. Almost everyone was drinking which made the atmosphere a messy one, with people doing everything everywhere. There were a few people who weren’t drinking, some for religious reasons, and you were happy seeing as you could spend time with them instead of the drunk participants. You had never been too big on drinking, and when you got together with Aj who didn’t drink, you respected it seeing as it was really important to him. He never asked you to, but as his girlfriend, you tried to be as supportive as you could.

And he definitely came before any alcoholic beverage could.

Aj hung around his best friend mostly, switching between joking around with all of them. The group tried to do the most for Kenny, singing to him, giving him everything, and the birthday boy genuinely seemed to appreciate it. His smile never faltered, and as his friend you were happy, he was enjoying himself.

You tried to ignore the lust-filled glances that had been thrown in your direction all night. Aj was not subtle in the slightest, and you wondered if he was trying to hide the fact that he wanted you to take him full.

Still mad from his words tho, you completely shrugged off his effort to get your attention. If he wanted you as bad as he looked to do, he would have to do something. He had been doing good and managed to keep himself from you for the most part. It wasn’t until, around 1 am when the party had slightly quieted down, Aj had cracked.

You had been sitting down with a few of your mutual friends, chatting when he had rushed up to you, claiming to need you for something. Acting clueless, you nodded, following him. Sure, you were mad, but not a fucking dumbass.

Rather be mad with his dick down your throat than just being mad?

He leads you through the familiar turns through the house swiftly greeting people he knew. His footsteps were rushed and had he not been gripping so tightly on your hands, you were sure you would have lost him seconds ago.

The moment you reach a room at the far end of the place, Aj almost pushes the two of you in, closing and locking the door behind him. There’s no one in there and once he’s made sure of that, his lips attach to yours in an ardent kiss.

You knew it was coming, yet it felt so surprising to have his tongue swipe over your bottom lip or his lip laying uneven kisses at the corner of your mouth. Even with how unbelievably mad you are at him, your body reacts to him in ways you can’t excuse, and once again have you succumbed to the temptation that is a taste of Aj.

Empty-minded, you move your lips against his, letting him feel across your body with his exploring hands. It isn’t until Aj pushes you against the bed and hovers over your frame you’re suddenly aware of your position.

“Nah.” You shake your head, sneaking out of his grip and leaving him to groan against the bed. “We’re not doing this, Aj.”

The Somali groans once again. “Why not?”

“Why not?” You repeat his question, furiously. “You accused me of cheating not even 3 hours ago, and now you suddenly want to fuck? It doesn’t work like that!”

Your boyfriend rubs his face, probably realizing that he had fucked up massively by suggesting something like that. He did not believe that you could ever cheat on him, but in his angered state words spewed out of his mouth faster than he could choose them in his head.

“Baby.” He calls, sitting up and pulling you to stand in between his open legs. You say nothing as he traces shapes on the exposed part of your body. “I didn’t mean that. I know you would never cheat, trust me I do.”

You just roll your eyes. “Shut up.” You’re annoyed, no question there, but you were also so fucking horny, and your boyfriend looked too good to not have him right now. Instead of waiting till he stops talking, you make him. By pressing a hard kiss against his mouth, and straddling his waist, you successfully silence him.

He takes matters into his own hands, leaving your mouth to trail kisses down your neck and to your cleavage. You can’t help but lean into his touch, head falling back in pleasure. With Aj’s hands on your hip, he grips your body and pulls you closer to him.

“I’ll give you something to be fucking jealous of.” At him repeating the words you had told him earlier you sigh, knowing he wasn’t going to let it go, and your accusation is quickly proven right. He helps you pull off your top, leaving you in your bra before switching positions with you. “I’ll make you pay for those words, baby.”

An involuntary whimper leaves your mouth as he leaves an open-mouthed kiss behind your ear before leaving your skin sensitive in the cold air. You don’t have to miss his touch for long because before you know it, your boyfriend’s kissing a trail down the valley of your breast and further down your stomach.

As he reaches your clothed core, Aj’s fast to pull off any article of clothing, leaving your body vulnerable. The cold air in contrast to your scorching hot body makes you beg for Aj to return and give you some of his warmth. But there was no way he was doing that without some teasing, and you knew that.

“You need me so bad?” It’s not a question, more of a statement he wants you to agree with. And without missing a beat, you do.

“Yeah, I need you Aj, so much.”

He chuckles, and you’re sure his ego is at an all-time high with the way you’re whimpering as his hands roam your naked body. Feeling exposed, you make quick work of unbuttoning his shirt and kissing him like he had done to you minutes earlier. Aj sighs, falling into the pleasure you’re handing him.

“Need your lips-“ he starts to say before a groan of his own interrupts him as your hand meets his hard bulge in his underwear. You palm him, gaining sound after sound. At some point, Aj’s so fucked up he lays down, letting you do the work. Pulling down his pants and underwear, you make him sit up. Getting on your knees on the carpeted floor you give his tip a teasing kitten lick. Instantly, Aj wraps his hand around your hair, forcing you to take all of him at once.

The force of him hitting the back of your throat makes you gag, but Aj doesn’t pay any mind to your struggles. He’s a menace with the way he both thrusts into you but also tugs your hair precisely where he wants you. Aj’s mercilessly face fucking you, and you hate the fact that you love it.

It’s impossible to keep all of him in your mouth at once, so what you can’t your hands will have to do.

Aj’s a groaning mess as you continue to suck his off so beautifully. Tears pickle the corners of your eyes, and once he notices Aj pounds into you even harder than before. He comes undone with quivering legs and a lip between his teeth. You swallow every bit of what he’s shot into your mouth unannounced, knowing it would drive him crazy.

And you’re right. The second Aj sees his cum disappear down your tongue and you swallow it all, he’s on again. Not giving you a second to breathe or collect yourself, he pushes you onto the bed. You’ve just hit the mattress when he slips two long fingers into you, stretching you out like only he could.

“Aj.” You moan, eyes rolling to the back of your head as his speed is impossible to keep up with. He hasn’t even fucked you properly and you’re already on the verge of passing out.

“You’re such a fucking brat.” He says, voice coming out in heavy pants. “Flirting with your neighbor and expecting me to be okay with it? Fuck no.”

His fingers are experienced and with the way your legs are shaking around his hand, you’re surely about to come soon. Aj notices because the second you’re about to utter the words, he presses his lips against yours, drowning out your sounds.

Your breaths are heavy and uneven when Aj pulls his fingers out of you. He hadn’t noticed til then that you had tears streaming down your face, but once he does, oh my fucking God.

There was nothing that could explain the pleasure that coursed through his body and straight to his cock.

“You’re crying.” He groans. “Fuck, I need you.”

You shake your head, the feeling of your first orgasm still being too fresh to move onto the second you knew Aj would provide you with. He nods in encouragement, kissing you deeply once more. “Take it.”

With no time to brace yourself, Aj pounds into you at an illicit pace. The moan that erupts from your throat could be classified as pornographic, and had the music downstairs not been on full blast you were sure everyone would’ve heard how good Aj was doing you.

Usually, he would wait for some sort of signal to continue, but now there’s none of that. He pushes himself deeper and deeper for each thrust and by the time he’s fully into you, more tears are falling down your face. You’re a moaning, shaking, and crying mess under Aj and he seems turned on by it.

With his ruthless actions, you don’t even notice him press a finger to your sensitive clit til it all gets too much and you’ve reached the highest you’ve been all night.

“Fuck” you repeat over and over again, as he works you through your high.

Aj’s groaning at the feeling of you coming undone around him and after a few half thrusts he’s slipping out of you and spilling all over your exposed stomach.

He’s quick to clean you and himself up, knowing he would fall asleep if he didn’t do it right away. After he tiredly lays in the bed beside you, pulling your body into him. You make a move to pull away from his grip, still feeling a little annoyed by your argument earlier. Aj doesn’t care tho.

“Are you really going to act mad after crying because I fucked you so good?” He mockingly whispers into your ear.

“Just shut the fuck up.” You groan lifting your head to lay in the crook of his welcoming neck.

…

Tag list:

@p3drii , @jiusz , @n1kodl , @shuuuuush , @w1shes43 , @alltoowill0w , @slutforpablogavi, @enhacolor , @allygatcr, @romanlawkickingmyassrn , @randomhoex

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if i stole my aunt's cats? (TW for animal neglect)

ok, so basically for a few years now it's been kind of an open secret in my family that my aunt's household Strongly Prefers their dog over their two cats. i didn't think much of it since i don't really see them too often (which is on purpose), but that changed when my mom and i house sat for them for a week. During the week i noticed many things that have indicated to me that this house isn't healthy for these cats:

1. the house is fucking disgusting. my aunt had 4 kids who are all out of college, so she has a Large mcmansion to clean by herself (they're conservative christians so my uncle doesn't contribute). so i get that its a struggle, but most of this house is straight up unsanitary. like i dont think those floors have seen anything near a cleaning supply in years. also, the amount of Stuff lying around made it really difficult to get around the house a lot of the time.

2. their dog has significant behavioral issues. it's a small dog (the crusty white breed but brown) but if you're not giving it attention, either you or whatever you're paying attention to is getting attacked. the problem arises when the thing you're giving attention to is one of the cats. despite the dog's size, it's bigger and stronger than both cats. and while the cats are faster, i feel like it's only a matter of time until one of them gets injured. also, i'm aware that the dog's issues are most definetly also a result of mistreatment. afaik, it's had no training other than knowing not to piss in the house, and is basically treated as a perfect creature that can do no wrong. it literally doesn't know how to go for walks because my aunt and uncle just go out into the yard until it does it's business and then take it back inside.

3. these cats have jack shit. they have a litterbox and food bowls on this crusty ass folding table (so the dog doesn't steal their food) and that's it. no toys, no cat furniture, nothing. everything that's bought is bought for the dog. this basically means that the cats get no enrichment, which is just generally bad. one of them is allowed outside, but that's not a better alternative obviously.

also, i'd ask my aunt if i could just take the cats given that she doesn't even like them, but my realtives are the kind of people who get extremely offended by any implication of failure, so that would just start drama and would encourage them to go after the cats after i take them anyway.

my cousins could take them, but they've all been out of college for a while now and are already well off, so if any of them were going to take them, they would have by now. imo, they've lost their chance.

if i do end up doing this, it's not going to be for a while because i have to settle personal matters. not to mention how i'm going to sort through things like taking stolen cats to the vet.

didnt expect this to get this long lmao. sorry 💀

What are these acronyms?

[keigo-takamis-no-1-simp]

Ｈａｗｋｓ Ｘ Ｒｅａｄｅｒ - Ｌｅａｒｎｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｌｏｖｅ: Ａｉｌｍｅｎｔｓ

TW/CW: Flashbacks, hints of abuse/neglect

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: Hawks x Reader

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: Keigo meets your annoying sister, and you find out the hard way you stayed outside WAY too long... luckily, you have someone to take care of you.

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Angst with comfort

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝:  2162

𝚃𝚊𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝: @marydragneell, @numblytemporary, @rainycloud858

𝙼𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙾𝚗𝚎 / 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚃𝚠𝚘 / 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 / 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛

“What? Can’t I come visit my own sister?” She balks, throwing a hand over her chest in a motion of false offense. “Atsuki told me what happened- I gotta say, it’s about time he dumped your petty ass.” 

She steps in further, a low whistle coming from her lips. “Ah- so you’re trying the whole ‘gold digger’ vibe. Gotta say, I’m not too surprised.” She chuckles, striding towards you. She holds out her left hand, an expensive and familiar looking ring on her finger. 

“I’ll be getting married with him soon- Didn’t think you’d have good taste, but you can definitely be full of surprises! Oh! And Juni says you need to pay this month’s rent and get your shit off the curb.” She has that same grin that you’ve always hated- smug, snobbish, and entitled. 

“Is this your-” Keigo starts, annoyance and confusion visible on his face. 

“God, you haven’t even told him about me!” She scoffs, shaking her head. “I’m her sister. Younger but better. Anyway, I should get back. I’ll send you details for the wedding- can’t wait to see you there!” And with that… she takes her leave. Purposefully brushing past Keigo and giving him one of her flirty grins. 

Though, she suddenly slips, and Keigo steps back, letting her fall. “Oh, damn… I guess I forgot to clean up the water. My bad,” He’s barely hiding a smirk, and you find yourself covering your mouth with your hand to conceal your own. 

You hadn’t smiled in years, and yet you met him… and you’ve smiled two or three times tonight alone. 

She huffs, getting up and storming out. He glances over at you.. And you let out a genuine, hearty laugh. For a brief second, shock flickers over his expression. “Sorry, sorry- I’ve never seen someone treat her like that.” You wheeze, catching your breath. He can’t help but chuckle too, shutting and locking the front door. 

“Well, what can I say? She was annoying, and I don’t do too well with those kinds of people. Just don’t have the patience, I guess?” He gives an overexaggerated sigh, before chuckling with you. “You had to grow up with that?” 

You sigh lightly, the smile slowly sliding off your lips. Back to the more blank slate expression- one you found you easily fell into. “Yeah. She’s always been like that too.” You shrug. His wings bristle slightly as he returns to his spot across from you. 

“Family sucks.” He dips his head in agreement- though there’s a small noise in the back of his throat again. 

“I’ll start looking into jobs tomorrow, and I’ll try to stay out of your way as much as possible. You’re busy, so- I think until I have something down, I can contribute in the sense of, uh- well, cooking and cleaning, if you’re ok with that.” You offer. You don’t want to intrude into his space without giving something in return- that would be selfish. 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that-” He waves a hand lightly, but you tilt your head slightly. 

“... please..? It’s the least I can do as a sort of ‘thank you’,” Your words seem to give him pause- he looks at you with an unreadable, yet neutral expression. After a few moments, he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“Alright, fine. Home-cooked meals are better anyway, and I’m not really picky with what I don’t like.” He gives you that stupid lop-sided smile again. “And.. don’t worry about ‘staying out of my way’. I like having you around.” 

He reminds you of the heartthrob character you see in those damn anime shows you watch. Except- this one is very real, and sitting only a few paces away. 

“You like chicken, that’s for sure,” You tease, your face flushing slightly as you brush past his words- he just smiles a little more, chuckling and shaking his head again. 

“Kid, you’re something else.” He pauses, taking a sip of his tea. “But, you’re my kinda somethin’ else.” His eyes trail to the stovetop. 

“It’s pretty late, and you gotta be exhausted. I’m gonna be up for a bit, finishing some paperwork from… ah- last week? I seriously need to stay on top of that stuff-” This time, an awkward laugh falls from his lips. 

You blink, watching as his blonde locks fall just right to frame his face. He takes another sip. “My office is the room to the right of the kitchen-” he gestures with his cup, and your eyes follow. Not too hard to remember- even though you’re certain you’ll get lost here more than once. 

“- so if you need anything, I’ll be there.” He sets down his cup, before stretching. His wings spread out behind him, flexing in an almost dominant fashion. Your eyes widen- they are huge when fully extended. Pictures don’t do them justice. 

“Thank you, Keigo. For all of this- if there’s anything I can do to help around here, just ask.” You finish your tea, and he carefully takes the empty cup from you. 

For a brief moment, electricity courses across your fingers as they brush against his. It’s not an uncomfortable sensation, but- a new one nonetheless. 

He says nothing about it. It’s possible he didn’t even notice. “Now, go get some sleep.” He chuckles, gesturing with his head to the guest room. 

“Yes sir,” You tease, careful not to jump down off the stool and hurt your feet. As you pad into your temporary bedroom, you miss the soft expression of concern and curiosity that follows your frame. 

You crawl into the massive bed, finding that you were right- the sheets were silk. They were comfortable, for sure. Though… as you began to wind down for the night, a few of those pesky little thoughts began to creep in. 

You’re encroaching on this man’s space. He’s been nothing but kind, but was it genuine? He was definitely the type of person to be kind even if it was inconvenient- but that was a front. You could see through it, and that little interaction with Megumi was all the confirmation you needed. 

So was it out of pity, or something else? You were nothing special, something that could be replaced by just about anything. 

Your body was tainted, your memories spotty at best- you’re a total fucking trainwreck. Yet, he was being kind. There has to be a reason- a motive. What did he want? 

You stare up at the ceiling. There’s no way in hell he could just want you around because of your ‘charming personality’. You didn’t like to be touched, you got random stupid migraines that made no damn sense, you were the human equivalent to a opossum or raccoon- and your emotions are so fucked you rarely laugh or smile and you can’t even cry. 

You’re nothing in comparison to him. In comparison to literally everyone else. 

Your chest feels tight- but you simply sit up, ignoring it. The closest thing you got to crying was the feeling of a lump in your throat, and your face heating up. Maybe you were sick- maybe that’s why no one ever stayed. 

You cough, an unfamiliar itchiness in the back of your throat making itself known. You huff running your hand down your face before resting your elbows on your knees. Of course, you’re probably physically sick too. 

Just another way to burden him. 

You shake your head, pursing your lips. You felt colder than usual, but you literally felt a breeze. The AC was more than likely on. You’re fine- you’re always fine. Just… take what you’re given. 

Don’t ask for more, because you’ll lose everything the second you try.

As your eyes finally start to flutter closed, you wrap yourself in the blankets. Maybe you could actually sleep for once… though, considering this was essentially a strangers house, you somehow doubted it. 

You definitely wouldn’t bother him with something as petty as the temperature. You curl up on your side under the blankets, ignoring just how much you’re shivering as best you can. 

After god knows how long- you fall into an uneasy slumber.

Keigo, on the other hand, was having a hard time focusing on the documents in front of him. You were such a kind soul, but you’d clearly been through hell and back. No one despised touch that much and didn’t have some sort of trauma associated with it. 

On top of that- your emotions were hardly present on your face. It was all in your eyes. A smile tugged at his lips. Though- he’d gotten a small smile out of you, and even made you laugh. Both were heavenly. 

He exhales softly, messing with his hair a bit as he thinks. Leaning away from the documents, his mind trails back to that date from earlier… and how different your demeanor was when you showed up on his front door. You seemed more… put together, in a sense, before he left. 

Her boyfriend broke up with her, on their anniversary. How shitty is that? Yet, she hadn’t cried. It reminds him of a girl he met when he was younger, but- there’s no way it could be the same person. 

She’d been proclaimed dead by the officials at the age of 8. 

He groans, shoving himself away from the desk. Yeah- he isn’t gonna get jack shit done tonight at this rate. His wings involuntarily flap in annoyance. 

Stepping out of his office- a new scent slams into him like a semi into a deer on a highway. 

Cortisol- and something else. His brows furrow and he frowns, slowly creeping towards the guest bedroom where you slept. It only got stronger the closer he got… what was going on? Were you hurt somewhere else? Were you afraid of something?

His mind starts to race with possibilities- and when your scratchy voice breaks through the silence, it clicks together. That sickly sweet smell- it was literal. You were sick- that explains the odd scratchiness in your voice earlier. 

You’re pressing your face into the silk pillow, shifting every so often. Soft mumbles fall from your lips, but with his enhanced hearing, he’s able to make out bits and pieces. 

“... ‘s ok, ‘m ok… ‘m used to it…” His brows furrow more, concern washing over his body in a wave of pure ice. Used… to what..?

“... ‘ll be good-” You jerk a little, before your eyes flutter open. You don’t seem to realize he’s in the room- instead, you simply curl up, making yourself as small as possible. He can’t keep the stupid trilling noise from coming out- it’s an involuntary trait. 

You twitch, eyes shooting open. “Juni…” You mumble, backing up into the bed. Do… do you think he’s your ex? 

“No, Dove…” He finds the nickname tumbling off of his lips before he can even think about it. “... it’s Keigo.” 

You take a moment, before relaxing a bit. “... Kei…go…” You murmur, letting your body relax back into the pillows. “... ‘s cold..?” It comes out as more of a question than anything, and he blinks. It’s 75 in here- how are you cold? 

He slowly approaches, ensuring you can see where he is at all times- never making a sudden move. He doesn’t want to make you panic. It almost feels similar to dealing with a wild animal, oddly enough. One wrong move- and it could go to shit. 

“I need to know if you have a temp, Angel- can I touch your forehead?” He murmurs, sitting on your bedside. You don’t answer for a few moments, before shaking your head. 

“... n-no… no touching… please…” There’s a sense of panic to your words that has him gently shushing you. 

“Alright, it’s ok, pretty girl- no touching. I promise. Can I get a thermometer?” He needs to do something to help- he can’t just stand by and do nothing. You nod a little this time, and he exhales in relief. 

Using one of his feathers, he quickly retrieves one from his medicine cabinet. As soon as it’s in his hand, he gently holds it up to your mouth. “Open, sweetheart,” He murmurs, and you obey. You were… honestly so damn sweet. How could anyone want to hurt you like your ex so obviously did?

It beeps, and… unsurprisingly, you’re running a rather high fever. He purses his lips, and he’s pulling out his phone when you speak again. 

“... ‘m sorry… ‘s a lot, an’... thank you for checking on me…” You murmur, head shifting once more. You’re burning up, he doesn’t even need to touch you to be able to tell. 

“It’s ok… I’m just glad you’re here and not in some hotel room. We’ll getcha taken care of, yeah?” He coos softly, resisting the urge to brush your hair from your face. Thankfully, he knows someone that can help. He pulls out his phone, quickly dialing a familiar number.

“Hey, Shouta..? I got a favor to ask..”

[reesegotnopieces]

something i think we as an art community need to get into the habit of doing

gonna be real here.

share artists work. especially work of smaller artists you come across. it helps, you don't understand. 

Interact with them. 

share their ocs with others

if they take requests/allow asks, ask and contribute something. come back every so often and give ideas

invest in their characters, or their artwork, their stories

retweet their art. 

share their art in discord servers, 

share thier art with your friends

comment on their work

draw fanart of their ocs

join their discord servers, talk a bit.

join their dtiys

share their commissions

i'm personally getting a little tired of seeing comments of people wishing they could do more, when there are always alternatives when you can support someone. I really feel like nowadays people forget that there are many many many different ways you can support someone that does not involve money. 

I'm also personally more inclined to think that, if somebody is getting recommended from someone else, other people are willing to listen rather than the source sharing it themselves. Think about it, it's like finding a funny meme video. a show, a food you find it enjoyable, so you want to share it with others - so why not do the same with art you come across? It's the same sentiment. You're helping the person get out there, and get more eyes on their work, and if it's good enough to share to other people, other people [in my opinion] would be more likely to pay attention to it.

Simply sharing work so it allows more people to see it, can make the smallest of differences. 

Leaving a comment on my work can mean the world, it shows how much you appreciate the art.

Not all compliments have to be something deep, you don't have to hyper analyze art to leave a nice, heartfelt comment.

All of these things are free, and I'm pretty sure on at least 90% of websites that allow you to share things, you have the ability to delete them, so it's not even permanent on your profile. You can always delete it later if you choose, but I really feel like people in general should get into the habit of sharing work that they like, talk about it more. There's so many different artists on this platform as well as many others that don't get the opportunity to be seen because people are not taking the initiative.

Because social media have all seemingly gone in the garbage lately, I really think that people should get into the habit of doing these things. Doing more than simply liking the post and continuing to scroll. If something catches your eye, I really think that you should be sharing it. If that character is pretty, considered drawing them something, a random change in pace wish somebody who may never ever receive fanart of any kind, getting something can make a difference.

---

tldr. i think people should get into the habit more of trying to support artists in ways that aren't monetary, especially smaller artistss they come across. I really feel like a lot of opportunities are not given to these small artists (giggles, me!) because people are not taking the initiative to share their work as opposed to popular artists. You can support people in ways that are not monetary, but I genuinely feel like a lot of these things on this list are often neglected or even forgot about because it's not something I tend to see normalized unless the artist is already well known.

[bloo-the-dragon]

British dragon steals a couple of weird fish twins more at- yeah ok that jokes getting old.

SO ANYWAY! Here’s my contribution for mermay hjdkfg brain went big brrr on this one lol

Some basic lore info and backstory will be under the cut!

~~~

We’ll start with the backstory:

- Sun and Moon were found washed up ashore as lil bby fishies by a circus owner years ago and he rescued them. They stayed with him (not necessarily out of their own choice) and would do performances as part of the circus show.

- They were treated decently enough until the circus owner passed away, and the circus and all its assets were passed down to his son who was not so kind.

- His treatment of Sun and Moon would cause them to greatly distrust humans in the future. One day though he would be found dead, drowned under ‘mysterious circumstances’ in one of the tanks used for performances. Sun and Moon were in another tank however so there was little suspicion they had anything to do with it. (they did)

- The circus was disbanded, and all its assets were sold, including the celestial mer brothers who were bought by an exotics aquarium and put on display.

- At this point though, they had grown tired of being used as attractions. Life at the aquarium wasn’t too bad but they were treated more as animals than intelligent creatures and their distrust of humans had only grown since the incident with their last owner.

And this is where Bloo (my sona) comes in.

Being a non-human creature herself (fairy dragon) she could sense they were in distress and after having an encounter with them during a visit to the aquarium, decided to help them. That help coming in the form of breaking into the highly guarded exotics aquarium, stealing their highly valued sirens (she’s not one for planning ahead lol) and taking them home (and getting them some heckin therapy)

And now for the lore facts:

- They communicate with each other via telepathy (twin thing and all that) and while they can perfectly understand human speech, they can only speak a little of it themselves.

- Being mer/sirens they can sing, and they can sing very well. Moon’s singing can put you to sleep, while Sun’s singing can make you feel energized.

- As for what fish they are based on- i have no idea lol i mostly improvised xD but i did want to add in a mix of koi and shark themes! The ‘wings’ on their backs were inspired by flying fish. Since the robot versions can hook up to cables to ‘fly around’ the pizzaplex i figured the mer versions could have flying fish wings so they could fly and glide like flying fish do when they jump out of the water.

- Their pupils/irises disappeared as a result of neglect and poor care (they’re still there but faded) but they would slowly reappear again over time with enough care and attention (and no small amount of hugs and cuddles)

- After they are released back into the ocean, they’d still be pretty much like domesticated cats by this point though lol so they’d stick around Bloo alot by hanging around the shore near her home.

- They can form legs albeit temporarily, but doing so takes a lot of energy and so they very rarely do it. (Walking is a great struggle for them too so they’d rather crawl if the situation required them moving out of water)

That’s all for now! But i’m not done with it yet lol got more sketches in the works and will have them up and posted when i can. :3

(If you read it this far i giv u a cookie!)

[notknickers]

in the last few days, i have been rotating the big austrian lad in my head relentlessly and, even though i may change my mind about some of these, or have mutually exclusive headcanons cohexist in different renditions of him, i feel like he is starting to take more deifinite shape in my mind. therefore, i want to write a list of my interpretation and share it, both for personal reference, since i'm juggling two different fics, and as modest contribution to fandom. i'll try to keep things coherent, but...

in spite of the misleading banner, which portrays a silly, cartoonish version of tentakönig i had a lot of fun doodling specially to embellish this post, the following is about human!könig, military contractor. that is just to give an idea of how much he has been bouncing in my skull as if my brain were a trampoline.

♛ he is between forty-two and forty-five years of age;

♛ his untreated social anxiety only increased during his military recruitment and gradually exacerbated into full-on PTSD during his career as contractor; he is afflicted by dissociative episodes, panic attacks and night terrors, as a consequence, which he keeps hidden at any and all cost and manages covertly, sometimes through questionable means;

♛ he is very quiet, pensive and observant. as such, he loathes using more words than he needs to and uses as little as he can, trying to avoid long conversations and small talk alike;

♛ his mask is the only remnant of his pre-military life. he clings to it as a reminder of his own humanity, of the person he used, for good or ill, to be and as acknowledgement of how far he has come from the scrawny, fearful lad he was, even when sometimes, he wishes he would have made different choices;

♛ under his mask, the features on his face are slightly uneven, such as one of his ears, which hangs at a slightly different angle than the other and his left cheekbone, still crooked from a past injury that healed poorly. he also has some deeper disfigurement, the scars of which still remain, less and less visible as time passes, and his lips are ruined. these are the consequence of both maltreatment and bullying during his childhood and adolescence, from both callous peers and neglectful parents, and of injuries incurred on the job. ironically, the worst are not from his military career, however. as such, he barely ever removes his mask, chiefly when alone or on leave.

♛ his hair is light in colour, kept cropped very short as it tends to grow quickly and get matted under his mask and helmet, but beyond the slightly receding hairline typical of men his age, he is nowhere near starting to bald; ♛ his eyes are grey. not blue, nor black. grey. sometimes lighter, sometimes darker, sometimes glittery and glassy, but always grey, according to his state and the light conditions;

♛ even though he is barely average in attractiveness and the presence of keloidal scar tissue, which often ranges from being off-putting to instilling repulsion in others, he is noticeable in size. some would find the mass of packed, rounded muscles in more than 2m rather interesting. however, given that very fact, he probably has or will soon start experiencing heart issues as he ages. realistically, he will probably die younger than his peers, in spite of being in top shape;

♛ his approach is practical and detached: if he's on a rescue mission, that's what he will focus on; what happens afterwards is none of his business, as long as his job is done and he gets recognition remuneration for it. if, on the other hand, civilians or competitors are a liability, he will not hesitate to take care of the situation in the most expedient way, the way that will not impair the status of his mission;

♛ this strong preference for detachment and pragmatism is not to say that he does not take pride in his skills, even though his job is nothing more than a means towards an end, or, well, more than one. namely, a paycheque to live comfortably and never fear poverty or food insecurity again; isolation from people or controlled interactions with predictable scripts, when necessary; the rules that apply, which are different from those of society at large, in which he always struggled and still struggles to fit in;

♛ when engaging the enemy, he is not reckless, but he is beastly and brutal. he displays a sort of controlled berserk mode. he has no particular respect for life and under those specific circumstances, allows himself to delight in carnage. he otherwise appears in control of himself, even though he spends as much time as he can alone, so others only know him so much;

♛ he is not beyond torture, even the disfiguring, excruciating kind, the kind that carries long-lasting, when not permanent effects on body and spirit alike. however, he merely sees it as a means towards an end. he is not the type to waste time threatening and warning: he thinks practical demonstrations are more eloquent that any word. as such, his methods tend more towards the crude, than the sophisticated, but they are equally effective in half the time;

♛ when on leave, he lives frugally and anonymously, barely leaving his abode unless necessary; he lives below his means as a matter of habit, a consequence of his childhood poverty, even when he could afford much, much more;

♛ his modest flat is a pigsty and he likes to leave it like that to break out of the stifling rules and expectations of his job. this is also reflected on his shabby sense of fashion: better to be a practical slob than an elegant buffoon who wastes his hard-earned money on impractical peacocking attires;

♛ whilst true that his height, build and scars attract stares in public, he has become very adept at shutting such rudeness down with one of his strategic, whithering looks. out of combat, he is just some bloke and that is all he cares to be until he is called back from leave;

♛ he compartmentalises a lot his civilian persona from his military persona and, even within his military persona, there are more subdivisions to be found (coold-headed, reserved, collected and calculating vs murderous, bloody and savage in conflict.) to be clear, he is not ashamed of what he does for a living, but his profession also requires a lot of discretion on his part, which makes the compartmentalising already so natural to him an external necessity;

♛ he's a smoker and a drinker: as long as he still performs well on the field, he has no interest in denying himself the scant pleasures only vice can offer;

tentakönig rolled and bounced all the way down here to say: "if you do not wish to find out what i'm like sexually and romantically, do yourself a favour and do not read below. proceed at leisure, otherwise."

🗡 perhaps not every single time, but more often than not, he cries when he comes;

🗡 i get submissive vibes, with a dash of unpredictability. for now, let's say that, with his lovers, occasional and less so, he knows how to be both rough and rash or gentle and devoted. sometimes, even within the same session, all depending on mood and circumstances.

🗡 i'm toying with the idea of him having a specific type of mummy kink, the kind expressed by seeking the gentle, comforting touch of a willing-enough woman who he will address as mummy, in german, only to end up weeping on her tits as he greedily sucks on them... i may have already begun writing a fic along this lines... >.> i did and more are coming. this is both a promise and a threat.

🗡 when he gets desperate and/or fuckdrunk during his sexual encounters, he starts muttering nonsense in austrian german, incapable of focussing his brain enough to maintain some coherency; it's very endearing to see him lose control like that. if the sex in question is happening with a very lucky woman (lucky according to whom?!) who he trusts enough to be that vulnerable, besides giving in to his native tongue, he will probably also cry, as mentioned above;

🗡 when on leave, he occasionally pays for sex when he can't (or won't bother to) find anything on his own, or when he has something particular in mind and prefers to put himself in the hands of a professional;

🗡 even though he does not consider himself queer, when mercenary sex isn't in the cards, he frequents local gay clubs. as a tall, athletic, middle-aged and moderately hairy man, it is hardly challenging for him to find a willing man to fuck in the face or the arse, even though he never reciprocates;

🗡 though more or less settled in his reality full of idiosyncrasies and resigned to it, he occasionally allows himself to wander off his established path to seek companionship outside of the above-mentioned methods. he knows he could hardly stand a regular life with wife, children, pets and a less dangerous job. yet, there is a part of him still curious, which would like to discover whether he could get what everyone else allegedly seems to want, what he feels he should want but is not sure he actually does. as such, he occasionally tries and manages to establish a relationship in between deployments, but it often collapses or remains in the early stages. the older he gets, the harder he finds to make them happen, especially when he is very much not everyone's cup of tea;

🗡 nevertheless, i believe he would appreciate to know what it's like to see himself through the eyes of someone genuinely infatuated with him and not see them recoil in disgust or reflect back the image of the mindless killing machine with little depth left he considers himself to have become;

may add more in future. apologies for any potential mistake: it's very late and i don't have time to reread everything. thanks for reading.

[cosmiclion]

An egg in the process of cracking 🥚

A design of younger Grell from my AU (she's about 20 here). I changed almost everything from her backstory since I first came up with this AU, notes (that I've been working on for months lol) under the cut.

(Also yes, I hid the hands behind the body because I didn't wanna draw them, don't mention it ☠️).

-Born in February 17th, 1863 in England, in this universe she's not a reaper but she's still not human.

-She's a werecat (I explored the concept for the first time in this post and I liked it so much that I ended up using it for my main AU). While werebeasts have a human form they are 100% nonhuman as the curse that turns someone into one fully alters their DNA. Adults are immune to the curse, which means if an adult gets bitten and survives they won't turn. However, cases of teenagers and younger surviving an attack aren't enough to properly determine up until which age a person can be affected. A child can also be born a werebeast as the curse can be passed to a fetus if a pregnant person gets bitten. The latter is Grell's case, as her mother got attacked during pregnancy.

-While she didn’t actually transform until her early teens, she did show feline traits from the beginning, such as a desire to hunt and chase small animals and moving objects, climbing trees or other structures, hiding in narrow spaces, etc.

-A homeschooled and pretty sheltered only child, with dead maternal grandparents, a dead father, an emotionally distant mother who eventually bailed on her and paternal grandparents who loved and spoiled her but didn’t really understand her on a deep level, Grell grew up angry and frustrated. She had always felt that something wasn't quite right with her, and when she slowly started to experiment to try to figure herself out she had no one to turn to. As a teenager she decided to just run away from home and leave everything behind. She knew she was leaving her grandparents to die alone but she didn’t care, she had never genuinely loved them anyway.

-She chose her own name AND surname, the first after a nickname her German grandparents often called her and the latter after a character from a book she liked.

-Struggles a lot with internalized misogyny thanks to a mix of her mother’s neglect and eventual abandonment and her grandparents only talking shit about said mother whenever they mentioned her, which greatly contributed to shape her views on motherhood and womanhood in general. Would love to have a child of her own but deep down that’s just because of her dysphoria, in reality she has very little patience for kids and is probably not the best parent material.

-Went through a phase of compulsive heterosexuality both when she thought she was a man and also after she realized she was a woman. Figuring out her orientation wasn’t any easier than figuring out her gender but she’s probably bi with a slight preference for men and masculinity in general.

-I still haven't come up with a story for what she does after leaving her home and before the main events, I only have some ideas. Like she's young when she goes out into the world, she's passionate and adventurous but also full of pent up anger. Also there's the small issue of her being a beast with a huge prey drive, being a trans girl in the middle of self discovery is harder when you're also learning about and trying to gain control of (or at least cope with) your literal wild side ☠️ I know that werebeasts' main driving force is hunger, and the longer they go without eating the more they revert back to a feral state. I'm tempted to make her go the serial killer route but in this case she doesn't have much control of her actions 🫢

-Her werecat form is based on a maine coon. When she first starts showing signs of therianthropy she doesn’t have much control of it, and transforming and becoming that big and rough looking makes her more dysphoric (even more so because “male” maine coons are bigger). Over time she starts accepting it and, as she discovers how powerful it makes her and all the things she can do with it and gains control of it, she fully embraces it as an important part of her.

-The only part of her feline form she cannot hide in human form are the teeth, no matter the form she takes she always has sharp fangs. This is a common trait of all werebeasts, some of them are self conscious about it and avoid smiling or opening their mouth at all while others are proud of it and will take any opportunity to flash their teeth at anyone (guess which one is Grell’s case lmao).

[laurfilijames]

Admit It...

Pairing: Fili x female reader

Words: 2,044

Warnings: Rated E, 18+. Oral sex (female receiving). Masturbation (male). Unprotected intercourse.

Summary: After being away on Royal duties for a fortnight, Fili returns home later than promised to find you busy in the kitchen, and you make up for lost time on a meaningful day.

A/N: Surprise! I did my best to bang out something short for one more contribution for the Deano Bingo, so I hope you enjoy! My final fic will be posted tomorrow evening.

Prompts used were Kitchen Sex and "Admit it, you missed me."

(In this fic Fili and reader live in a small cabin just outside Erebor, cause you know, why not.)

---

Dough and flour coated your hands as you listlessly kneaded the forming pastry on the wooden countertop, your thoughts not at all focused on the favourite dinner you were carefully constructing, but rather on the dwarf you craved who loved it.

Having not clapped hungry eyes or needy hands on Fili in a fortnight now, your heart ached for him, missing him wholly and with every part of you that lived and breathed, and although today was not necessarily a monumental anniversary, you longed for him impossibly more.

A faint smile tugged at your lips as you recalled the day that was not all that long ago; his fingers weaving your hair into a courting braid, each passing of your strands signifying his love and devotion to you, claiming you as his One with the mark of the sigil on his bead that secured it but not more than the way his body proved so time and time again.

Sighing as you wiped your brow to try to erase the flush that was quickly reducing you into an inferno, you glanced out the window to see the quickly approaching darkness, and you wondered if you would get to see Fili at all today as had been intended when he left.

Knowing that discussions of contracts and settling on agreements took time and his royal duties were both grueling at times and chiefly necessary, you took a deep breath and prayed for patience to grace you, aware that he would be eager to return home and never purposefully neglect a day that meant so much to you.

Night soon took over what was left of the day, and after having meticulously cleaned the kitchen and did your best to keep dinner warm with still no sign of your love, hope drained from you as much as the fire had that you worked at stoking, the embers coming to life again slowly to lick at the new logs set upon them.

Wind howled against the walls of your small home, the protection of the Lonely Mountain not able to shield it from the direction it blasted, and you wondered if Fili would be caught sleeping out in the elements for another blustery night.

Heavy footsteps tread hurriedly up to the door, and in an instant his wind-burnt, reddened cheeks and tousled blond hair burst through, his smile warming you despite the cold that followed him in.

"You're late," you chided, the seriousness in your tone dampened by the grin that pulled the corners of your mouth upward, your eyebrow hooking high on your forehead to aid in selling your feigned disappointment.

Fili gave you a playful look of warning, his own eyebrows raising on his head to show his amusement in your audacious greeting. His boots and coat remained on him as he strode through to you, capturing you in a heated kiss that forced your back against the countertop and made you arch into him. Finding your face with his chilled hands, he deepened your kiss, effectively stealing your breath while making your legs feel weak, and in turn you pawed at the layers of leather that hid him from you.

With a low growl he broke the seal of your lips, his eyes dark as he looked at how he had already made your lips swell from his kiss and the roughness of his beard, your body clearly forgetting how to handle him.

"What am I late for?" he asked, squinting at you with exaggerated curiosity.

"Oh, nothing, I suppose," you drawled, shrugging your shoulders as you shifted your eyes to the left where his dinner sat waiting under a towel.

Fili tucked his lip in his teeth as he removed his hands from your face and lifted the covering to reveal what made his mouth instantly water and stomach growl with forgotten hunger.

"You made this for me?"

"I had, yes, but seeing as you were late…"

He gave a hearty laugh that made your heart leap in your chest, the realization of just how much you missed him settling heavily in your bones.

"Would you care to know why I was late?"

His head tipped to the side as he looked at you with a playfulness in his eyes, and you knew even if you were truly upset with him, that feeling would be impossible to hold on to.

Fili reached into the pack that he had carelessly discarded on the floor beside him, retrieving a fair-sized package wrapped in a material you immediately recognized that was sealed with a twine bow.

You took the parcel from him as he held it out for you, not missing the prideful, and partially smug look on his face as you carefully unwrapped it; the sight and scent of your favourite dessert awakening your senses.

"So, am I forgiven?" Fili asked, his pupils dilating as he watched you swipe your finger through the sticky topping and bring it to your mouth where you sucked it clean with an appreciative moan and closed eyes that no doubt mimicked something else.

Opening your eyes, you slowly licked your lips, seeing how your display made Fili's pulse hammer in his neck and blush rise up his chest that was visible where his tunic sat open at the top.

"I'll have to think about it," you quipped, your grin stretching across your face as he shook his head and started to remove his jacket while kicking off his boots.

Wearing just his trousers that he had already opened the laces on, Fili stalked toward you again, his hands bracing on the countertop to cage your body between his, his lips ghosting beside your ear.

"Do I need to remind you how much I love you?" His lips pressed against your neck and made you shudder, your breath hitching and heat rising through you at his proximity, and yet you stayed determined to keep your hands to yourself for now. Nuzzling your soft skin with his nose, he inhaled your scent before continuing in a raspy voice that displayed his vibrant lust for you. "...How much I missed you?"

You squirmed when he rubbed his hardened front against your core, and pulling his head away from you slightly, he peered at you with a look in his eyes you could no longer resist.

Giving him a nod that made him chuckle with amusement, you took the opportunity to soak in the sight of him, feasting your eyes on the hairy chest you could never forget, how his belly rounded out slightly just above where his trousers hung loose, able to see down them now that his cock stretched them out to reveal the hairs that darkened the further south they went.

His dimples flashed beneath his beard before he placed a quick kiss on your lips, doing his best to coax you out of your pretend bitterness.

"Admit it, you missed me," he purred, his eyes flickering over your features, effectively making you crack. You gripped his face and pulled him against you, crashing your mouth onto his where he eagerly matched your fervor, and before long you were naked and lifted up to sit on the counter. Dishes and jars of spices were knocked over as he carelessly swiped them out of the way to make room for you, the one he was truly ravenous for, making a point to kiss, suck and lick at every portion of your body from your mouth down to your center that was spread before him.

Looking up at you with heavy-lidded eyes as he reached your aching core, Fili kissed your bud gently, then slowly pulled it into his hot mouth, his tongue joining in to alternate swirling licks and agonizing sucks that made you fly your hands back to find anything to help ground you.

More items were tossed about as you were forced to lay back on the counter, including the dinner that crashed to the floor, neither you or Fili paying it any mind as he pressed his face into you even more and feasted on your slick flesh appreciatively.

You rocked your hips against his mouth desperately, your high bubbling up through you wildly due to his talent and the amount of time since you were last given such pleasure.

Fili dove his hand into his pants that were now loosened so much they were being held up only by his stiff member, and taking it out, he let them fall to pool around his feet, a loud groan resounding through you as he pumped himself and smeared the oozing precum over his sensitive head.

With a few more strokes of his expertly working tongue, your orgasm ripped through you, coating his beard with your abundant wetness, causing Fili to cry against you as your release edged him closer to his own, his hand beating his cock furiously but stopping just before he came undone.

He growled ferociously as he emerged from between your legs and licked his lips, his expression feral and unabashed while his chest heaved with panting breaths. Clasping his strong hands under both of your thighs, he dragged you off the counter, your hands sweeping a mug and plate off with you, the sound of ceramic smashing against the wood floor mixing with your laughter.

Your feet carefully landed on the planks between bits of broken items, and you smiled against Fili's lips as he crashed against you in a heated kiss, his arms snaking around your back to hold you as close to his needy body as he could get you.

"Turn around," he whispered roughly, helping to guide you to a spot that was clear of your accidental destruction, his cock bouncing against your bum when he kicked a bowl out of the way with his foot.

He bent to line up with you as you leaned forward to give him better access, his hands spreading your cheeks to make you whine longingly. His cock slammed into you, stretching your tight, temporarily unused walls in one fluid motion, wasting no time in starting a mind-numbing rhythm with his sharp thrusts.

Your breasts bounced and your whole body jostled from his force, the smile on your lips changing into an open gape that allowed your unhinged cries to pour out, the assault he put on your deepest parts building another blissful peak within you.

Fili's hands roamed your body as he bucked into you, smoothing and massaging the parts of you he had missed so much in loving caresses before finding a place on your hips to settle on hanging onto as he set to finish his barrage.

Pulling you back onto him with as much power as he slammed forward into you, he wrecked you both, sending you into screaming bliss at the same time he filled you to the brim with his reserved seed, his unbridled cries muffling against your back as he collapsed forward to cover you with his weight.

He was quick to pull out of you and spin you back to face him, lifting your legs up around his waist to seat you back on his cock that remained hard, and stumbled over to one of the chairs beside the fire.

Collapsing in it with you still encasing him, he buried his face in your neck, peppering you with kisses that spoke his silent words of desperation; the vacancy he had felt in being apart from you for too long replaced by an overwhelming sense of fullness.

"I did miss you," you admitted genuinely, carding your hands across his warm back while placing tender kisses upon his crown.

"I knew it," he chuckled, rubbing his face back and forth against your neck to tickle you until you joined him with your own sated laugh.

You turned your head to glance over at the state of the kitchen and ruined dinner with a wince, and looked back at Fili apologectically.

"I'm sorry!"

He continued to laugh, and placing a kiss on the tip of your nose and then your lips, he hummed. "I think the dessert was spared. I'll be more than happy to share that with you…but it must be in our bed and you must stay naked."

---

Taglist:

Everything: @guardianofrivendell @midearthwritings @cassiabaggins @lilith15000 @trishthedishofreis @linasofia @unbeatablecurlgirl @the-poldarkian @lathalea @enchantzz @blairsanne @legolaslovely @middleearthpixie @i-did-not-mean-to @sketch-and-write-lover @jotink78 @medusas-hairband @feeweeeee @missihart23 @fortheloveofdurin @i-am-still-bb @roobear68 @ichoosechoasandbeingqueer @legolasbadass

Fili: @shethereadinghobbit @ragsweas @faeriefics

[hunter-sylvester]

I know you do character analysis, would you be alright elaborating about Hunter and his relationship with his parents? Everyone says he has mommy issues, but it looks like it could be a mixture of daddy issues as well.

I would fucking love to, Anon.

(Ao3 Character Analysis Series about Hunter)

I do think it’s very clear that he has mommy issues. From the small handful of references there are to her, it’s obvious. While he has clear on-screen issues with his father, he still keeps a picture of him and his dad on his bookshelf. His mother- however, is violently ripped from it. Something that can easily be read as a visual metaphor for how he feels about her absence from his life. Although I personally tend to write her as having been directly abusive which creates a slightly different whirlwind of issues, in either case she abandoned him. And we clearly see him display a fear of abandonment around Kevin. There’s a clear cause and effect there.

But I entirely agree that he also has daddy issues. It’s a noxious cocktail of neither parent being someone that understands him or knows how to make him feel at home. And it’s precisely that cocktail of issues that makes Hunter make so much sense to me as a character.

It’s not exactly my style to give fathers a lot of sympathy, but even without doing so, it's easy to see that everything Alan Sylvester does in canon shows he just has no idea what to do with Hunter. (Most notably when he literally gives up on parenting him in favor of dumping him in rehab).

He completely fumbles any weak attempts he does make at connecting with/parenting him and they all end in screaming matches.

“Sorry you’re just a little late with the whole ‘parenting’ thing” (when I tell you I feel that line)

Growing up with a parent (partially more, since his mother was around until 7th grade) present without anyone actually bothering to parent you, you end up growing crooked.

Can’t go any other way. Even if his parents were never mentioned, we’d know they were shitty parents based purely on Hunter’s issues.

In my mind, they’re both obviously neglectful. Evident both from the aforementioned quote as well as just the way that Hunter acts.

Each in their respective ways. His mother by literally removing herself from his life. His father by neglecting him emotionally, not hugging him, etc. (I'm assuming he never hugs Hunter based on the deeply awkward shoulder tap during the last scene of the film.) Also, this is a bit of a stretch based on vibes alone. But can you picture Alan cooking for Hunter? Can you picture them having dinner together? I can’t. It’s a bit of a headcanon but I personally believe Hunter has been making his own food for years. (note: this does not necessarily imply that he is a good cook)

Let’s also not forget that Hunter is just a seventeen year old boy. He is still a child (in canon). And a fucking troubled one at that.

One that likely grew up with nobody telling him it was ok to be him. No-one telling him he belonged. No-one showing him how to healthily handle his emotions. (This is one I blame heavily on the father.)

He had to figure everything out for himself. Reinvent the wheel at every step. Of course he’s gonna fuck up along the way. He’s just a kid.

Of course he freaks out when he thinks he’s losing Kevin, he’s already been shown that he can be discarded- and by one of the primary people that are supposed to be there for him.

Of course he’s a bit of a bitch about alcohol when he watches his father drink all the time and he would probably rather die than turn out like him.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Alan also contributed to Hunter’s inability to accept his sexuality. At the very lightest he’d be homophobic in that casual way dads are. The “I don’t care what they do behind closed doors” followed by the most homophobic ‘joke’ you can think of twenty minutes, if not seconds, later. But I wouldn't rule out more blatant queerphobia.

In any case, it’s a clear & constant signal that being queer is not something that’s acceptable for a Sylvester. And as much as Hunter fights his father, as much as I think he dreads being like him, he’s the only parent he has left at this point.

He still wants to be loved. He’s a kid. He needs a loving parent. Even if he, realistically, doesn’t really have one that’s worth appeasing.

Consciously, he’ll rebel. Subconsciously, he still looks up at his father and wants to be told he did well. He wants someone to be proud of him, he wants to be enough.

Call me a pessimist but I think at this point, even if Alan tried, the relationship is so laden with barbed wire that nothing is possibly getting through.

Anything would be too little & too fucking late.

Sorry that got a little fucking bleak...it's me, it's what happens lol Thank you for asking, Anon 🤘

[randomfoggytiger]

I Am, Once Again, Advertising touchstoneaf's S9 "Amor Fati" Fic Series

touchstoneaf’s epic Amor Fati (Fated Love)

(Previous post: X-Files Fic That Irons Out the Mytharc… by touchstoneaf)

It's... it's brilliant.

Description

Not one detail from the series is neglected; not one observation is out of joint; not one conjecture or plot thread from the mytharc is left unresolved (and is, in fact, further built upon), and not one moment between all of the characters is off target. Not only that, but it glues together plotholes as effortlessly as if those were the original show writers' intent; and builds and builds and builds the transition from surveillance at home to life on the run with a (psychic) baby.

I confidently say it IS the series: not just the characters' voices or their actions but as if the author captured Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz and all of the writers and actors' vision and-- for lack of a better word-- essence and put it all masterfully on paper. The best way I can describe it is it feels like how S9 would have been, should have been.

Part I is Scully's realization that she can't keep William safe (after his near death in S9) and her slow, cautious attempts-- with TLG's help-- to contact Mulder and slip from her job and her life. Her loved ones are all given their turns for farewell (yes, even Bill); Part II is S8-S9 memories and reunion and bliss and rediscovery and duck-and-dodge and the mytharc creeping back in; Part III is hands-on efforts by Mulder and Scully to save innocents and team up with Gibson and his dispassionate alien allies.

There are so, so many passages that are seared into my mind. If you, like me, want to jump right into the action, I recommend reading Part II's chapters 4 through 9-- the leadup to Scully and William's arrival in a small town, their tense execution of plans, and their reunion with Mulder in motel room 42. The entire series builds to that moment; and continues after, organically placing brick after brick after brick. If you are daunted by long-term commitment, it will, at least, serve as quick taste to either ignite or quench your interest.

And Now, For Quotes

I couldn't possibly select one quote as my favorite (not yet, anyway); and the passages below sadly leave out TLG and Skinner and Doggett and Monica and Maggie and Tara and Bill and excellent minor characters and so, so much more; BUT I can't leave these paragraphs behind, either.

She had once, more than once, had the experience of having to tell a false partner from the real one.  She was one out of two on that scoreboard.  /Have to get it right this time.  If…/

Every sense had to remain engaged, in this moment.  Every single detail…

A waft of warmer air... and it smelled of Mulder....  The barrel of a gun came first, poking shyly through, questing.  Her internal timer counted off the seconds before she would see the arms, and then the head…  There were the arms, familiar arms… then the hair she knew, then the face, the eyes…

Mulder’s eyes; legible to her as they would be to no one else on this Earth.  He could be a shapeshifter.  He could be being used… but she didn’t think so.  Not when he looked at her like that.  Not when she could see the thing in him that matched the thing inside herself.

and--

That Mulder had accepted this solace from her, as he had from no other being, had contributed almost immediately to bringing forth that strange intimacy that they had always had between them; first jocular, almost sibling-like, as he responded to her gentle teasing with startlement and a growing relaxation.  This man who was so used to being abused by others with cruel taunting had been taken aback by her easy reaction to him.  But by doing so, she had aided him in lowering his walls, and so now she would never be fooled by his many self-saving wisecracks.  Neither was she fooled by the protection he had put off at first; his little show of, “Don’t mind me, I’m a harmless crackpot.”  That image, which he had often put off to their superiors and detractors, was countered once you met him in person.  Intelligent; yes.  Without a doubt.  Driven; yes.  Almost wholly so.  Foolish?  Never in a hundred years; though he may have looked that way to others, may have even fostered that impression to aid him in his work.

and--

Mulder tensed, shoulders hunching as he felt her abortive movement.  He shook his head angrily against the memories, but when he spoke his voice was quiet with acceptance… and so plumbed with loss that she felt her own heart break.  “I needed you so badly, Scully,” he finished softly; as if the admission cost him dearly.  “But you weren’t there.  I had pushed you away; and the nightmares kept coming and coming…” 

Unable to stand it anymore, Scully drew close and pressed her body lightly, tentatively to his tense and unyielding backside.  Felt his clammy skin warm automatically with that contact.  He did not soften, at first.  Did not edge away, nor did he lean into her.  Much like that awful night when their office had burnt he simply stood cold with shock and while she supported him; the steadfast fidelity of their bond never questioned in the decade that they had been together.

“I was there,” she murmured into his shoulder.  /I’ll always be here./  He could accept it now.  She was finally able to press her arms about him in the night.  Feel the strong bones beneath unblemished flesh; amazed that he was even alive for her to hold after an ordeal that had indeed taken him from her for so long that she had lost all hope.  She shuddered and cinched her arms tighter; felt his ribs shift beneath the silky envelope of his skin.  They creaked in protest, but he did not move, and she spoke like one driven.  “I was there hurting for you, holding you against the nightmares, even when you couldn't ask me to be there.  I was with you every night until you came back to me.” 

Magnificent.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

[femmefatalevibe]

Hey, I loved this “Your habits and the humans who you keep in your company shape who you're destined to be. Modify accordingly xx” that you said about not changing a flower, but its environment, to help it grow.

Do you by chance have any advice for people that are unable to leave bad environments? My abusers are my care takers. I am disabled and literally can not live elsewhere (aside from being homeless. But I sadly really need the care) I’ve tried everything I can to leave, but it’s really impossible. I know I’m asking a lot, but any tips on growing while in said damaging environment would be much appreciated!

Hi love! This sounds like a difficult position to be in, so I'm sharing much love and sympathy for your situation <3

My best advice for compromising situations like this is: Focus on the aspects of your life you can control. Try your absolute best to accept the rest.

In practice, I would focus on refining these aspects of your life (if they apply to your situation):

Make it a top priority to make your room your sanctuary: Decorate as you please (within whatever budget you have available, of course – small changes can make a huge difference!), light a candle, or use a room spray you love. Keep everything clean and organized to the best of your ability. Play music that you love. Have books, self-care items, journals, coloring books, pens/art supplies, and/or a yoga mat & simple workout equipment within reach to allow yourself to mentally escape at any time.

Carefully curate your media diet: What you watch, read, listen to, and consume online/on TV or Netflix, etc.

Dress and do yourself up in ways you love: Streamline your personal style. Only wear outfits, makeup, hairstyles, nail colors, skincare products, and scents you love. Even if it's just your loungewear or PJs with your favorite lip balm. Every detail makes a difference to help boost your self-confidence.

Engage in online spaces and communities that lift you up: Everyone deserves to feel heard and included when they have zero malicious intentions. Like, comment, and repost content you love. Contribute or start a community-wide discussion. Politely make a first move, and initiate a conversation with a potential new online friend. Whether it's online or IRL, positive social connections can make all of the difference.

Deliberately engage in encouraging self-talk: An underrated aspect of our environment that we often neglect is the stream of consciousness and stories about ourselves that we continuously allow to run in our own minds. Become mindful of the critical or self-defeating narratives you tell yourself on a regular basis or in response to conflicts or generally difficult situations. Consider ways to reframe how you speak to yourself about who you are and your circumstances in a more self-empowering way. Leveling up our inner world is one of the most transformative ways to change how we feel in our environment – even if no changes in the external world seem apparent at first glance.

Hope this helps xx

[lesvegas]

This is long and rambly and unfocused cause I have a lot of barely connected thoughts and my brain is kinda fried but I gotta get the poison out so,

I've gone on and on about food + worldbuilding between Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas and how Bethesda and Obsidian have very different priorities, but I do think working with a whole variety of pre-war food (Fallout 3 assets mostly) had a positive effect not just on FNV but also on Obsidian's later game, The Outer Worlds.

I give The Outer Worlds too much credit for a lot of things, I know, but I really, really like how they handled food and 'food'. Besides the package design being on point in how it suits and even elevates the game's aesthetic, the wide variety of it both falls in line with the game's commentary (or attempt at commentary) and gives the impression that food in towns is plentiful and that even the working class has a decent selection of food products to choose from. On first impression, you're being lied to the same way most of the game's characters are.

The first world we see centres itself around a 'saltuna' (it's more sprats at this point) cannery, and the little town around it that lives to work in it. On this world there's also a commune where food is grown seemingly naturally, but even here it's apparent that the soil isn't good enough for farming without a boost from composting corpses. These are the first major hints that food is scarce and that everyone has no real choice but to get by on the packaged 'food', and that said packaged 'food' is often misleading, recycled, and rarely sourced from a real farm. If you're more clever than me you probably figured out the game's 'twist' long before I did, and maybe you thought it was too on-the-nose (I agree) but I really like how food, something as essential and important to us as food, despite being neglected in other games, is not only treated as important to the world here but literally sets the foundation for most of the game's narrative.

I'm not saying this wouldn't have happened if Obsidian hadn't gotten the chance to work with Fallout 3 assets, but it's fun to think about how different packaged foods have turned out their games. In Fallout 1 and 2, 'a small dusty box of some sort' (a TV dinner) is the only packaged food there is, rare but useless and inedible. Fallout 3 had a decent variety of packaged foods and Obsidian decided to make them work in FNV (with an emphasis on that most people avoid eating them if they can, especially soldiers, in favour of fresh food). Unlike in FNV where the assets were already there to put in fitting locations (and not much else), the packaged food in The Outer Worlds were originally made by Obsidian to contribute to and build upon world, where 'real'/fresh food is scarce, almost an inverse of FNV.

I don't have any proof of any of this, I just have a feeling making even minimal use of those pre-war foods might have helped them see the potential in them as narrative tools beyond what they were in Fallout 1 and 2. It's probably not that deep but I like thinking about it.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Hi! Top 5 NPCs for ffxiv? :>

Joint 5: the bunny girlfriends - Debroye from the bread quest in EW and Lilja from Bozja in Shb :) Debroye is fighting the good fight for flavour and that hardly needs expanding on after the build up Archon Loaf had in the MSQ as worldbuilding for Sharlayan. Lilja is just a badass bimbo nerd who is good enough to work at the Ironworks but cool enough for shiny nail polish and sunglasses in a warzone. They're small characters who you only meet doing side content but they have strong personalities and they get to rep viera girls who are just kinda nerdy and weird. I am disproportionately affectionate to both of them.

4: Gerolt... I think I've just spent too much time doing relic weapons... He's just awful in a really funny way and I wish him all the best and do all I can to ensure he has a better lot in life, and then one expansion later he is once again in deep drinking debt but saying the realest shit while creating incredible artworks. Also he's sort of 1/3rd the parent of the aforementioned child Frog has so I guess I need to at least get child support in the form of the first free weapon of each quest. The AU version of him and Mowen in the relic crafting tools thing actually really moved me and I'm not ashamed to admit it :')

Anyway in terms of "this guy!!" he's so up there and I'm always thrilled to see what Scenario he's in now. Over the long course of the game he's made an impression...

3: Ameliance. I'm certain she's a mob boss controlling everything from the shadows.

But seriously, no. The twins really are favourites but in terms of Top NPCs I'd been wondering about her the whole time since they do make mentions of their family and writing to mother etc and expectations were high, and getting to know her was so utterly wild because the plot demands on her from all directions of her family - her husband, her father in law, her children, the servants she hires who include the hired goons Alisaie brought to the Coils of Bahamut... Like. She is a character who had to be retroactively constructed from everything that has been said in a way that Fourchenault didn't need to be because his template is clear: He's the Son of Louisoix and burdened with cursed knowledge and the weight of history from immediate family and long lineage of being related to founding fathers of his city; he's EASY to write. Now imagine up the woman who MARRIED him, and has stayed married to him. And is going to stay married to him since the twins dealing with divorce doesn't seem like a probable plotline given the emotional directions of the broader story. Okay, now let's imagine a real woman with actual desires and personality who can fit into this puzzle piece.

Fucking Ameliance.

How on earth they convinced me she's real is a feat of writing I am in awe of.

2: Urianger is so important, like. Leave me alone, Il Mheg got me good because ffxiv seems to get everyone eventually, and now I'm nonbinary and he's my nonbinary icon :') SIGH. A Process Has Occurred. I could say more but honestly, I think that sums up that he is important to me.

1: Erenville............. Listen, I own multiple David Attenborough merch people get me because they know it's an easy gift. I had been a kid who sat and poked rockpools and puddles and I put snails in a jar and and of course picked up frogs in the garden. You introduce a character whose job is Animals and especially claims to be an expert in frogs??? He would have been at least with the bunny girlfriends on this list if this was his only contribution to the story. (And I would have enjoyed my feud in peace.)

Instead he's a fascinating guy who stood up for his workers, has leves where he's commissioning presents for gleaners, happily goes against authority to be helpful from the jump.... And NOW we get more content where we get to see him being a grumpy snarky bastard who is the only rational person in Sharlayan AND apparently has been neglecting being the only rational person in Tural too so off we go to see that in action???

I'm marrying him I'm marrying him I'm marrying him...