#need to go through an edgy phase as a teen

[verysium]

blu lock top artists on Spotify??? i need your thoughts on it

anon you had me pulling up my spotify playlists and browsing through the entirety of genius.com for three hours straight. i'm going to tweak this prompt a little bit and include specific songs that best represent them since it's easier for me to explain that way.

RIN

the fanon answer for this is chase atlantic. while their songs do encapsulate parts of his personality (mostly the edgy teenager and disillusioned youth persona), i feel like this choice does not do his full character justice.

the canon answer for this is king gnu, more specifically the song "prayer x." i can picture this since rin seems like the type to enjoy alternative rock/indie, but the fact that it's the ending theme to banana fish is what gets to me. like...do you see yourself in ash or something? i hope you don't cus it doesn't end well. that anime had me bawling my eyes out for months, and i still can't think about it without breaking down again.

furthermore, the lyrics and music video to this song are very cryptic and borderline nihilistic. for example, "hiding behind this nonchalant smile" and "my life's spark will wink out of existence." i feel like this speaks volumes about rin's mental health and internal thought process. he obviously does not process his emotions normally and instead represses them. he also struggles with the idea of finding a purpose in what is otherwise a cyclical routine with no end. he's worried and, quite frankly, afraid that if he ever stops pursuing his dream, everything will come crumbling down, and he will have to face all the demons he's avoided for so long. the main theme here is that he cannot face his reality (the fact that sae's dream is not his own.) so he does everything in order to escape this fact even if it ultimately destroys him.

from my own playlists, i'd assign him the following songs/artists:

"beautiful boy" by john lennon

this is a love letter to baby rin. i feel like he would've enjoyed this song as either a lullaby or something he listened to on car rides to the beach during summer vacations. he probably still listens to this when it's raining outside or he's had a bad day. reminds him of his childhood and the good parts of it.

"the love club" by lorde

this is something pre-teen rin listened to. the irony is spot-on, and i feel like the lyrics would be relevant during a time when he was going through his rebellious phase and fully fleshing out his place in society. in this instance, the club would metaphorically be wherever his brother is at, whether that's the guys sae meets in spain or the group of football players considered "top-notch" in japan. everything is about finding a place in this club/clique in an effort to become free and differentiate himself from others. the only problem is that rin ironically loses his freedom because he tries so hard to be among the best. he signs his life away in pursuit of a dream, and it's something that now defines him.

"the only problem i got with the club / is how you're severed from the people / who watched you grow up"

this lyric in particular could apply to either one of the itoshi brothers. it's one of the caveats that comes with fame. you gain everything, but you lose everything before that. both of the itoshis likely experienced some amount of separation from their loved ones, including each other. also lorde's vocals are beautiful as always, so there's no reason not to include this song.

"howlin' 404" by DEAN

the production for this song is on point. the intro has a segment from a 1930s american horror radio program which is fitting because rin canonically watches horror movies. i think this song is something rin might listen to during cold autumns or midnights when he just can't sleep.

lyrically, there is the motif of a time loop which is also present in "prayer x." rin's character itself just has this connection with the raw grittiness of existentialism and this idea of repeating days without purpose. (in fact, he would make a great psychological thriller lead.) rin is also a control freak. if he lets one loose end go, it will unravel the entire thing. that matches up with the idea of "killing me softly." rin would rather prolong his pain than have it ripped from him all at once and leave him with nothing. i find this in a lot of people in real life too. even if your trauma wasn't good for you, it sometimes becomes the only thing you truly own. it's like that one quote from bojack horseman. "if i don't, that means that all the damage i got isn't good damage, it's just damage." rin feels like he has something to prove, and if he fails, all his suffering would've been for nothing.

"moonchild" by RM

i may be a bit biased since i love the mono mixtape, and i've written a rin fic about celestial bodies, but....this song just fits him. there's also a remarkable similarity with the lyrics of the previous songs i've listed. i'm just going to list a few:

"smiling in endless pain / you know / there's no freedom when you say freedom out loud"

one thing i love about RM is that he doesn't shy away from character flaws. he writes songs specifically for those who are always picked last, who aren't remarkable in any way, who feel weighed down by their normality. he gives them their spotlight and due diligence. for example, the entirety of the chorus is a repeat of "moonchild, you shine." i find this interesting since it's usually the sun that shines. but the sun is already sae, and rin is relegated to being the moon. yet even though the moon doesn't have its own light (it merely reflects the sun), it still shines bright in the darkness. rin doesn't know it yet, but he himself is a big role model for others such as isagi, his fans, and people just like him. so yeah....i'd take this song as a message of hope for future rin.

SAE

the fanon answer is lana del rey, and i would agree to a certain extent. under the right circumstances, he could become one of those dreamy, emotionally stunted, and tired men you guys all lust over. if y/n ever wrote a romantic song about him, it would be either "west coast" (for the spanish influences) or "art deco" (for the vibes.)

the headcanon answer is nothing. i don't think he listens to music much. even if he did, it would be probably classical/instrumental or just white noise for his long flights. i imagine him listening to erik satie's "gymnopédie no. 3" on a train ride or something.

from my own playlists, i'm going to give him these songs/artists:

"remind me" by röyksopp

i don't know how to explain this, but this song gives a bittersweet sense of nostalgia. think early 2000s when the TV footage was still grainy and had retro graphics. you're carrying around your mini mp3 player whilst wandering through the airport and wondering how the hell you even ended up there. that's the general ambience of this song.

lyrically, the song also matches well with sae. i'm going to give you a few examples:

"it's only been a week / the rush of being home in rapid fading"

again, this is a tribute to the disconnection sae feels from his home. he goes everywhere, but he belongs nowhere. when he finally returns to japan, he finds himself missing spain. when he's in madrid, he thinks about the ocean back in kamakura. there never is a place that truly fills that gaping hole in his chest. i also feel like sae experiences FOMO on a whole other level. he constantly feels like something is wrong/missing and he's not doing enough.

"brave men tell the truth / the wise man's tools are analogies and puzzles"

the idea here is that though sae is blunt with his words, he is a coward with his intentions/true feelings. he can brutally call out someone without hesitation, but to actually reveal his own truths and motives? he'd rather shrivel up in a hole and die. this is especially applicable to love. to him, a wise man is someone who doesn't open his heart up easily. instead, he hints at his feelings, and whether or not you can figure that out is on you. sae hates it when others play games with him. it's where his hypocrisy lies. he demands straightforward honesty from others, but he himself will unintentionally play games with you if it means he can hide himself behind his walls.

"a woman holds her tongue / knowing silence will speak for her"

this is the closest you guys are ever going to get to sae itoshi's ideal type. he loves people who don't need to say something for him to believe it. they just get it. your silence is automatically enough for him to know that you love him. similarly, you don't even need to speak a word to understand what he's feeling.

"night shift" by lucy dacus

this song is sae if he was that one ex-boyfriend who really fucked you up emotionally, and you never got over him even though you said you did. now that i think about it, the story could be told from either POV. this could be sae trying to erase you from his mind, or it could also be you post-breakup.

"you've got a 9 to 5 / so i'll take the night shift / and i'll never see you again / if i can help it"

i know this one lyric caused controversy all over tiktok, so i'm going to add my own interpretation. at face value, this is exactly what it says it is. sae doesn't want to see you again, nor do you. he's willing to go out of his way just to avoid you, and truthfully he would. when sae finds himself in trouble, he doesn't look for something new to fix him. instead, he cuts everything off and subtracts anything that is deadweight. if you're out of his life, then you're out of his life. he's not coming back for you (or at least that's what he says to convince himself). same thing with rin. he knows he hurt rin, but he's not going to go back and try to make it right. he's going to move on and try to justify his actions every step of the way. one day, rin will move on too, and then sae would have been right all along. (unfortunately, that is not the way things work, but that's a lesson for another time.)

the alternative interpretation is that y/n is the other woman. this could be literal as in sae already has someone else in his life, and he only sees you at night. you're only ever going to be the night shift. it could also be metaphorical as in you're merely a distraction in the grand scheme of things. you're the mistress, but football is his wife if that makes sense. his career will always take precedence.

"you get me so high" by the neighborhood

this song is all the words sae wished he said to rin but never did. it made me cry because everything would have been so different if they had just set aside their pride and truthfully sought each other out.

"hope you don't regret it / i pushed a lot back but i can't forget it"

repressing feelings seems to be a recurring issue with the itoshi brothers. like....maybe if i just push it out of sight, it will also go out of mind. and at its core, this all stems from fear. fear of facing the consequences, the hypotheticals, the terrifying realization that you did something you regret and there really is no turning back from it. but realistically, if you think about it, a lot of this is the byproduct of overthinking. sometimes the situation isn't as complicated as we might make it out to be. sometimes an apology doesn't fix everything, but it's a proposition to be something more, an attempt at a solution. but sae and rin are so blindsided by their own internal turmoil that they cannot see this.

"for a long time i took it all for granted / i really thought we had it / but at the time it was more than i could manage"

ah....the "taking for granted" part. i could ramble on about that for hours. i think it really is some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy that we never miss something until it's gone. and in a way, it's not something that we can always control. the value you assign to a person/object when you have it is going to be fundamentally different from the value you assign to it when it's no longer in your grasp. that's how scarcity works. something with a limited supply is always going to be worth more. the vice versa works as well. you might yearn after something but then throw it away the moment you finally have it and grow tired of it. this sort of dilemma that comes with appreciation is so common i really wouldn't blame the itoshi brothers for what they did. it is immensely difficult to know when you're going to lose something or when you need to let it go. and sometimes it's hard to be constantly grateful for what you have because many of us are wired to want something more. tbh that's what makes the itoshis relatable.

"if we can leave it all behind us / and meet in between"

now sae would never say this unless he himself had actually reflected on what happened and fully processed it. but maybe in the future, they could set aside their differences and reach out to each other. (this is how i cope)

"but i just had to let you know / i never meant to hurt you, though / i had all my motives / i didn't know they wouldn't mix with your emotions / i just had to reach my goals / never knew i'd meet you though"

that's the thing with personal ambition. sometimes you get so caught up in yourself, you forget all about others. and this isn't really selfishness, or at least intentional selfishness. it just sort of happened that way. you never meant to hurt them, but you still somehow did.

"we should stick together / you're my best friend / i'll love you forever"

yeah....this line was the one that did it for me. something about the dysfunctional sibling dynamic just eats away at my insides. like....i could've loved you, we could've been so much together, but why aren't we? what we have isn't hate, but it isn't the love i know and crave either.

"we could be the greatest / it doesn't matter if we're never rich or famous"

ok but if rin ever heard this leave sae's lips, i think all of his trauma would just be magically healed. he just wants his brother to see him. like fully see him and love him. but alas, what is blue lock without angst, am i right?

"love in the dark" by adele

now i don't think sae would ever listen to adele, but the lyrics are just too fitting. i was going to write a fic on this, but it's going to have to ferment a bit in the drafts for now. basically this is the entire rin/sae traumatic scene but as a melodramatic torch song with adele's heavenly vocals.

"take your eyes off of me so i can leave / i'm far too ashamed to do it with you watching me"

um...this is literally sae's internal monologue??? i feel like letting go of things is something both the itoshi brothers struggle with. their lives are constantly pulling them in different directions, and eventually they become numb to it all. they don't form any strong attachment to anything besides football because that's the one thing that won't change for them. in a way, this is necessary for their character development (in the sense that they need to discern for themselves what to keep and what to let go), but it also destroys any sense of belonging they might have (hence why they feel lonely.)

"don't try to change my mind / i'm being cruel to be kind"

sae would definitely say this. like word for word. if only he wasn't a vague dumbass with no communication skills.

"i can't love you in the dark / it feels like we're oceans apart"

this is literally their dynamic in one lyric. there is the physical distance, and then there's the emotional distance.

"we're not the only ones, / i don't regret a thing / every word i've said, / you know i'll always mean"

this sort of reminds me when sae said that the world is huge, and there's so many players way better than him out there. i think spain really gave him a reality check, and he grew angry at rin when rin couldn't understand his disillusionment.

"everything changed me / and i don't think you can save me"

adele sort of echoes this softly at the end of the song. i feel like sae would do that too. he wouldn't admit his own insecurities until the very end, and only then does the truth come out.

"i'll sleep when i'm older" by bruno major

this is sae when he's older and fully mature, preferably after he meets you. he finally decides to damn it all and do what he wants.

"conversations with elders and the wisdom they bring ... / the view from an aeroplane at twelve thousand feet"

sae views things that previously annoyed him in a new light. he used to hate his elders, but he visited you and your mother once, and something changed within him. now he calls his parents more often, and his eyes linger on the old couples near the park benches. sometimes, his gaze softens just a bit when he imagines the two of you growing old just like them.

flights used to be a mundane part of his routine, but now he finds himself leaning over your window seat to see the mountains down below. the clouds and sunny weather set him aglow. and you just look so pretty when you fall asleep on his shoulder. he doesn't ever want this change.

"meet god on a mountain top along with the stars / find love somewhere, anywhere / fall deep from the start"

sae used to avoid love, but now he's running at it full-force. people tend to shy away from making sae a romantic because it seems too ooc. however, in the right situation, i think sae could entirely abandon his previous ideals and become someone else entirely. (that's why it's called a character evolution guys.)

"misplace my mind and follow my heart"

again, if you're able to make sae lose all rationality and let his heart guide him instead, then you've really done something. kudos to you for penetrating the walls of the coldest asshole known to mankind.

"i'll be a firework, not a flickering flame / treat life all around me like a one-player game"

this one lyric applies both to younger and older sae. younger sae is someone unafraid of risking it all if it means he can achieve something worthwhile. it doesn't matter how many players he has to defeat, how many people he has to leave behind. in this world, it is just him and the goal he has to accomplish.

however, after he's mellowed out after a few years (i'd say around middle age), he probably reinterprets this as something else. he's not going to constrain himself to his tunnel vision anymore. there's so much more to life than that.

"i'll go to the party and forget all the names / should it climb back to haunt me, / it ends all the same"

sae finally lets himself live the life he never thought he'd have. he does stupid things like get drunk and make a fool of himself. but you're there for him, so he doesn't really care. in fact, he can finally say that for the first time in a long time....he's having fun.

KAISER

the fanon answer is the weeknd. i'm not going to lie, i completely agree with this one. i saw this one edit of him to "party monster," and i can say i have been fully enlightened and converted. however, this is not just about a toxic male manipulator anthem. it's much more than that.

this is about running away from the ugliest parts of yourself, becoming a slave to your vices, knowing you're broken somewhere and you can never fix it. i would say his character is most similar to "starboy" in the fact that he literally flaunts everything he has to hide the fact that deep down inside, he really has nothing else to hold onto. "starboy" is all about the status symbol (money, red lamborghinis, glass table girls turning into ebony table girls lol). but at the end of the day, he doesn't really have anything except an empty heart and a satirical quip for all those who made him famous. the same theme applies to "the morning" and "house of balloons."

in the romantic sense, i think "don't break my heart" would represent kaiser. and no, this is not a justification for him being an f-boy. it's more so an exploration of why people might think he is an f-boy. i do not condone his actions, but i do try to understand them. in particular, i feel like the lyrics of "sacrifice" also fit him well.

"i was born in a city / where the winter nights don't ever sleep / so this life's always with me / the ice inside my veins will never bleed"

i headcanon kaiser as being born in either berlin or munich. and if you don't know anything about those two places, just know that you freeze your ass off during wintertime. i think it's interesting how his past could be intrinsically tied with a place, and he takes a piece of his past self with him wherever he goes. the ice in veins part also made me think about how kaiser would rather freeze up every weakness within himself than let them run free and make him human.

"every time you try to fix me / i know you'll never find that missing piece"

guys...did you hear that? to all you delusional people out there, this is your service announcement. you cannot fix someone who does not want to be fixed. write that down and memorize it. all meaningful change starts with a shift in mindset, and if they themselves are not in the right headspace to recognize that something is wrong and actively want to change, you're not going to get anywhere. so yeah....kaiser is not going to change unless HE starts doing the changing.

"i hold you through the toughest parts / when you feel like it's the end / 'cause life is still worth living"

i think this lyric sort of explores kaiser's dynamic with ness. on one front, he is the one picking ness up from his miserable past and instilling a sense of hope into him (intentionally or not.) but on another front, this could also be a problem. kaiser is almost forcefully optimistic in the way that he believes anything is possible. it has to be possible because there can be no other way. but the thing is.....you have to know your limits sometimes. blind optimism is, ironically, similar to cornering yourself.

"i can break you down and pick you up / and fuck like we are friends / but don't be catching feelings"

this is definitely the type of bullshit kaiser would spew. i could picture a fwb or situationship with him where y/n just constantly receives the short end of the stick. now this may be reaching, but i also feel like this is how kaiser projects his own trauma onto others. he himself clawed his way up to the top and put himself back together every time he fell down. the problem is that he also expects you to be that resilient. he's going to treat you badly because you're supposed to be like him: someone who can overcome everything and strive towards the impossible.

the headcanon answer to his top artist would be keshi. in particular, i think kaiser would fit the vibe of "2 soon" and "drunk." long story short, you finally broke up with him, and he's still reeling from the impact.

within my fics, i envision a dialogue between kaiser and y/n from each one of their perspectives. so based on that, i'm going to assign him the following songs/artists:

"gibson girl" by ethel cain

i know i said earlier that kaiser's character is not solely about toxic manipulation, but you have to understand that all bad habits originate from somewhere. kaiser is innately self-destructive, and he brings you down along with him. this song is about that but from y/n's perspective. there's this idea of trying to find agency in a situation where you have none. i don't have the word count to explain ethel cain lore in all of its naked glory, but all i can say is that this song is a banger and deals with themes like femininity as a performance, finding power in pain, religious motifs, etc.

"glory box" by portishead

this song is y/n's last plea to kaiser before they fully give up on him and leave. i'm also a sucker for anything that involves an exploration of gender dynamics and what it means to be a woman, and this song is riddled with it.

"suffocation" by crystal castles

this is kaiser post-isagi defeat (cue that one scene where he was trying to choke himself.) similar to sae, it's all or nothing with him. he suffers from this feeling of inferiority. everyone made him out to be this great figure of impossible dreams and legends, but look at him now. he's nothing. aren't you disappointed? he had you fooled, but he also fooled himself. so yeah....kaiser is definitely the most self-deprecating out of all of the boys at blue lock.

ISAGI

the fanon answer is laufey, and i also agree. he's so sweet, and laufey's music just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. he would also be that one love that came creeping up on you when you least expected it. "valentine" would be the song for that. i picture a reader who's had a series of unfortunate breakups and is right on the edge of giving up entirely. but then isagi comes along, and it's just so easy to love him. as easy as breathing. and then you think maybe it wasn't so bad after all. you just never found the right one until he came into your life. furthermore, isagi is a jazz pop princess, and you can't convince me otherwise.

the headcanon answer is IU. more specifically, i would say "troll" from her lilac album. i feel like even if you and isagi broke up, it would still be like you two never broke up at all. you're both on good terms, and even though you know it's counterproductive to keep cycling back to each other, you do it anyways. and it's okay because you're both still in love.

from my own playlists, i would assign the following songs/artists:

"winter bear" by v

this is my comfort song. it feels like those big sherpa blankets you tuck yourself under when you're lying next to the heater in winter. isagi would kiss your forehead and nuzzle your nose before you two drifted off to sleep.

"a boy named pluto" by hailey knox

this one is so romantic lol. i also like the dynamic where one party is afraid to love, but the other person loves them unconditionally. that would be isagi. he'd respect your decision and wait for you as long as you need it. but if you're ever ready to give him a chance, just know that he's going to treasure all of you.

"put your records on" by ritt momney

the inspiring thing about isagi is that he never lets anyone put him down. he takes rejection as redirection, failure as room for improvement. and in that way, i think this song encapsulates his resilience. he'd be such a good boyfriend not just romantically but in the way that he would literally pick you back up to your feet, dust you off, and make sure everything was alright.

"fairy of shampoo" by dosii

i picture isagi as someone who falls first and falls harder. he just loves you so much, and he doesn't even need a reason why. i saw somewhere that sometimes you don't love someone because they're your soulmate/twin flame/supernaturally fated other. you love them because you consciously made the decision to. isagi is like that. he loves you on purpose.

helppp why does this sound like an academic paper...i'm sorry anon. i got carried away with this, but i hope u like it.

[slayfics]

You send a letter to Kai.

Warnings: NSFW

700 words

“All right Kai, it’s mail day,” the Tartarus guard grumbled. Kai sat unamused across the table from the guard.

Despite being an inmate, Kai was able to receive letters and did so often. First, the letters had to be opened and inspected for contraband and secret communications. After, they were read to him by his designated guard.

Occasional letters came from those who heard his story in the media and condemned him. Cussing him out for all the things he put Eri through. Then there was the fan mail of those who took an interest in him. Usually, innocent young adults and teens in their rebellious phase that thought it was edgy to write to a villain.

Then, came yours.

Yours was different.

“Uh- this one came with a gift,” the guard shifted uncomfortably. "Warden said you can't keep it but uh- we're obligated to show it to you so here it is," the guard spoke lifting a pair of white lace panties. They hung on the tip of his finger, showcasing the glistening stain that soaked the fabric.

"Alright then, let's get this over with," the guard said tossing the panties on the table, and opening your letter. Kai's pupils dilated as he gazed at the panties, the most erotic sight he'd seen since being locked up.

The guard began to read your letter, the uneasiness clear in his voice.

Kai, Are they taking care of you in there? Your mug shot was released to the public. I've been looking at it every day. Especially at night, when I think of you the most. I've been fucking myself to thoughts of you every night. Your gold eyes are so tempting, I imagine them watching me while my fingers disappear into my eager hole. Legs spread open on display for you. The way my clit still throbs for you keeps me up all night. I don't think it will be enough until I have you again. Did they show you my present? I wanted to show you the proof of what you do to me. Just the thought of you has me making such a mess. I'm practically dripping while writing this. The things I still long to do to you, for you. What's been making me cum fastest is imagining you in my mouth. The way I'd suck you up so clean. Taking you all in till your tip hits the back of my throat. What do you think it feels like? Can you imagine it now? Slick and warm, my tongue doing circles around your tip. I want to hear your soft moans for me. I know how you like it so I promise not to make a mess, only gagging so you can feel me clench around you. Squeezing you till you're at your peak. Do you think I can take it all, till your balls press against my lips? I want you to thrust it in. I want it all. Soaking in my throat till you're shooting hot white ropes for me. Or do you want to cum in my pussy instead? The way you stretched me out last time was sinful. No one has ever been so deep. I could swear you were in my stomach. I’m so wet for you, you could slide right in. I promise to stay nice and tight for you. God the thought of taking your dick again has me whimpering. Begging you for more, I never want it to stop. I want you to use me, abuse me. I can’t take it as long as you can. Do you still think about me too? I don't know how to stop Kai, and I just need to know- Am I still your good girl?

The guard shifts again with an uncomfortable cough, trying to mask his own arousal, but the flush on his face gives him away. "So, any idea who this is?" he asks.

"No," Kai lies. But- of course, he knows exactly who this is. Remembering the feel of your walls stretched against his girthy cock had him squirming in his chair, teeth clenching. He’d commit your letter to memory for the days to come.

Such a naughty girl sending your soiled panties and a raunchy letter to him in prison. You're going to get yourself in trouble he thought. But most of all, yes, yes you are still his good girl.

sinners: @mintsbubbletea @lalachanya @unofficialmuilover @starieq @that-one-fangirl69 @pinkpurpledreams

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Glad to see Satan's edgy teen phase 👍

He's still going through his edgy teen phase he's just got better at covering it up now

Okay but seriously I love how they handled Satan in Nightbringer

Like of course he's like that

He just properly came into existence a year ago, the only thing he really knows how to be is angry, that's literally what created him, he doesn't know who he is as a person, he doesn't know what he is because there's no other being demon, angel or human like him, he doesn't belong anywhere because even his brothers didn't initially want him and only took him in because the Demon King asked them to and so he feels like he can't fit in properly with them or trust them

He's got to navigate this all on his own while trying to figure out who he is and how he can be a person seperate from Lucifer which is something he struggles with in the present as well since he still believes he needs to justify his existence and to do so he;

a.) needs to be different from Lucifer

b ) needs to provide something useful (knowledge)

both things he explicitly talks about in the og game.

It gives more context as to why he needs to justify his place in the family even in the present (because he wasn't initially accepted by them)

And it makes sense that this tightly knit traumatised family who had fought a war together and just lost a sibling wouldn't suddenly accept some newcomer as their new sibling.

It makes sense that it takes them a year to start accepting him and it makes sense that they still don't know how to handle him because no one's met anyone like Satan before.

It makes sense that Satan's marginally more open to MC, since;

1.) They're also a newcomer being forced to find a place in this family (which is easier for them than for him because they've already had a place in this family for years whether the othwrs know it or not)

2.) They're competent and knowledgeable and continuously prove their usefulness to the family which is something he understands

3.) They're literally the only being in existence who knows Satan, who knows who he is as a person, what he likes and what he'll become and who knows how to treat him in a way he'll appreciate

Also love how they show him with a cat for the first time;

• How he appreciates their independence and sees something of himself in them

• How it explains why, in the present, Satan calms down around cats- he was so angry and destructive for so long and then there's this little creature that fascinates him and if he ever wants to properly interact with it he'll need to learn to be patient and calm and gentle (which I spoke about before in a post but I really love that Nightbringer makes it more explicit)

I also really love how they show that, from all the brothers, Asmo is the one who starts reaching out to Satan and accepting despite how much Satan tries to fight it, because in the present they're really close and it's nice to see how that begins

+ Satan protesting while Asmo paints his nails for the first time and not realising that's Asmo's way of bringing him into the fold? 💯

Also love how Satan gets on so well with the angels. Love how the first demon Luke feels comfortable and friendly with is Satan. Love how Simeon is so kind and caring and accepting towards Satan

Related Posts:

Where Satan's anger stems from

Knowledge and Satan's sense of self worth

Satan's Feelings

[fuzzydreamin]

Random Headcanons for: X6-88

☾ Is a child. A murderous child. That one bratty edgy gothic pre-teen in the family and it's totally not a phase mum. He doesn't truly understand much about the world, or anything outside of killing. Jokes go over his head and his sense of humour is pretty warped.

☾ Major sweet tooth. Lives up to the 'all synths love fancy lads snack cakes' thing. He will hoard boxes of them to eat at his leisure. Does not want to share with the class.

☾ Great artist, but only does realism. Will scoff at cartoons and doesn't usually understand abstract works. Likes to paint scenery. Prefers not to paint humans, or people in general. He also enjoys drawing precise schematics.

☾ Part of being a synth and his courser training is being able to withstand pretty harsh weather, but he still really hates being too hot or too cold. He's used to the never fluctuating temperatures inside the Institute.

☾ Always moves silently. He will sneak up on people without meaning to sneak up on them. Lot of people around Sanctuary having mini heart attacks.

☾ Not really into relaxing but when he does you better not disturb him without good reason.

☾ Not a dog person. Says he doesn't like any animals, which is mostly true, but cats grow on him. He's okay with crows too, because they are from the Institute.

☾ Doesn't just wear sunglasses because it's cool. His eyes are a little sensitive to light. Most current coursers are, because they've been altered to have some sense of nightvision. If he walked around in daylight without his glasses for a few hours he would get a headache. It's better indoors, but bright lights are still a no-go.

☾ Doesn't care about gendered clothing. Will wear silky black dresses, long skirts, and nightgowns. He generally finds longer clothes comfortable. Their thickness is based on weather and temperature.

☾ Not into dancing, but if he does it will be gothic club dancing (lots of arm movements and flowyness).

☾ Minimal body hair. The sensation bothers him, like an itchy tag on clothing. Let some facial hair grow on his chin once. Hated it.

☾ Is a little under a decade old. He's gone through several procedures over the years to keep up to date on courser tech and remains one of their best despite being considered an older courser.

☾ Has worked closely with Father for most of his years, more so than most coursers or synths in general. His closeness to Father was why he was chosen to work with Sole, and helps with him staying updated on new tech.

☾ Always held the starry-eyed view of Father that the Institute generally promotes, and though he knew he shouldn't he always hoped that Father cared for him in return, even a little. Really viewed the man as a father to him. It's heartbreaking to him when he finally has to force himself to accept that Father views him as nothing more than a valuable but ultimately replaceable tool, and that he does deserve better than that.

☾ After the destruction of the Institute he sort of replaces Sole as Father to him, viewing them as his parental authority because to be without that at all is too scary. He may even get clingy, in his own way, for a bit. He'll work through it at a slow pace but he needs to hang onto something to ground him. Going from all that to nothing is too terrifying.

☾ If there are any remnants of the Institute left over, scientists who were pulled out during the attack and allowed to live in the wastes, he will avoid them religiously. If there is a town set up for them and Sole has to go there he will break from his clinginess to await their return at a 'safe' distance, at which point he will return to their side and pretend nothing unusual happened.

☾ Was also closer to synth Shaun and Kellogg than most others, since he was the main go-between for them and the rest of the Institute. His and Kellogg's relationship was strictly cold professionalism, but he did sort of like the kid.

☾ There was also a small amount of jealousy there, when he saw Father with little Shaun. Like an older child seeing their parent doting on a new favourite. He didn't blame Shaun for it any, in fact he blamed himself for feeling emotions, and did his best to logic his way through it and banish the faulty emotions.

☾ While he doesn't think his name needs to be shortened in any way he understands that people have a fondness for using nicknames, so will tell people that he's fine with being called X6 or even just X. Deacon only ever calls him 88. He's not sure why this bothers him so much but it does.

☾ Always knew he could feel emotions, synths are designed to mimic humans so closely after all, but still put them down to being nothing more than mimcry that could and should be muted and controlled. Only ever used for the Institute's benefit. Small amounts of expression wasn't a crime, but it was wrong if it was too strong, interfered with duty, and especially if it made a synth question their place.

☾ Fears include heights, deep water, romantic affection, and anything to do with the human body that isn't related to brutally destroying it in combat. Also anything to do with small children, babies, pregnancy, or the making of seriously freaks him out. How is that not a horror story?! If an AFAB!Sole describes their pregnancy and birthing of Shaun he will be mortified and find an excuse to flee.

☾ Aro and sex repulsed Ace.

[alicebnnuy]

OK I'M JUST GONNA RANT A LITTLE BIT BARE WITH ME

So TLDR, I miss the old Hot Topic, and I want to open a store like it. As I said, bare with me because this post is about to get LOOOONG! And it's also gonna be a lot of ADHD rambling so like, I'm sorry if this get confusing!

I'm from the province of Quebec, Canada, so we never had Hot Topics in my town. (I think due to some whatever Law 101 about French and stuff, dunno).

But we did have HMV at my local mall, and for a few, it was similar to hot topics. By that I mean, it was a store my cousin loved going to with her scene kid friends, but I was too scared to even approach as I was my parents' "little good kid" (and preferred EB Games)

Now of course, we've all seen the memes of scene kids and Hot Topic, it's easy to make fun of them because everyone and their mom does it!

But that's exactly what I miss!

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a scene kid. I asked my best friend to tell me if I ever become one so I can stop myself. If anything, I'm an emo kid. I prefer saying I'm goth punk, yami kawaii, etc etc. I'm also an adult so...

We may not have had any Hot Topic in Quebec, but I did visit their website recently, and I was shocked to see almost none of the things that everyone makes fun of. It's now filled with trendy pop culture stuff. Which I mean, it makes sense, that's what they wanted to be from the start.

But imagine my disappointment as I go into this expecting to find a lot of goth, emo, scene kid, dark stuff!

And I find only... Stuff that I can find at any other pop music inspired stores?!

Ok side note. I am transgender. I never felt like I ever passed through puberty (of course, I did, everyone does) and the "It's not a phase mom!" phase. As of November 29th 2022, I will have been on HRT for a whole year, and I feel like I'm barely starting true puberty, like my emotions are all over the place, I feel less scared to make mistakes, I have lots of terrible ideas and want to do them even if I know they're bad ideas, etc.

So after I came out as trans, I thought "well I have to be a girl now. I have to wear dresses and makeup and be pretty, etc." And yes, I do want to be pretty and all that still, but I also wanna be cool, dark, edgy, etc. I want to be what my cousin was when she was a teen. I am 22 but feel like I'm 13.

So I saw this tweet the other day...

And this awakened something in me. This tweet is 100% who I was as a kid. I would be terrified to go in there as a child. But imagining being friends with a scene kid and them asking me to come in with them and holding hands because I'm too scared, THIS! This is what's been missing in my life ALL OF MY LIFE!

I spent my entire life being too scared of everything, trying my best to make my parents proud, please as many people as I can, etc. But I now hate my father, and I like my mother less then I did as a kid because she always excuses his actions. I needed what Hot Topic was, but I never had it, nor did I have any emo/scene kid/goth friends to help me break out of this pressuring mold that I had made myself.

So I thought the other day "I wonder if I could open a Hot Topic in my town?", but that was before I realized that Hot Topic isn't what it used to be. And while, yes I would visit it nowadays still, knowing what it once was, I would be sad everytime.

Now, why would me, a 22 years old trans girl artist who doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, be talking about Hot Topic in a long rant post on Tumblr in the year of our lord 2022?

Because I want the old Hot Topic back! Well, I don't want them to change back to what they were, it's a corporation and they'll do what's best for benefits no matter what the peoplr say.

What I truly want is a store that's just like what Hot Topic used to be! A haven for all the scene kids, emo teens, goth kids to shop and feel at home even for just a few minutes. Some place dark that parents will warn their children about but has a very cool atmosphere once you enter that world!

I looked quickly, and I'm not sure I was able to find any store that is exactly what Hot Topic used to be. So my next thought was:

Make your own!

It seems so obvious now! If you can't find the store you want, do it yourself!

I work at a grocery store as just a simple cashier, but when I got there, we were so understaffed that we were missing even a manager. So while we were going through new managers after new managers, many of them wouldn't do all the work they were supposed to do, so I became a "supervisor", although not officially. The boss never asked me to, but I just started doing part of the work of one one day and now other cashiers come to me with questions they would usually ask supervisors, I take care of writing everyone's break whenever the break sheet is empty, etc. I realized that I also enjoy doing that? Paperwork is fun to me somehow.

I also have infographic experience since I an going to school for cinema/televisual preprod, prod and post-prod, and infographics are a huge part of it.

That plus, I also am an artist, and I love listening to people.

So I already have lots of skills that would help woth running a small store, and as I always wanted to leave my mark on a small demographic, I feel like this would be perfect for me!

The main problem is that opening a store is very hard unless you are already rich, or sponsored. Sure you can get a loan, but those are crippling for years.

Another problem is well... Everything else. I have no idea how to run an actual store, how to get items to sell, how to get a location, etc. etc.

So yeah, that's just me ranting. If you wanna join me and have skills and/or money, hmu! /hj

For real tho, my brain is just a mess lol

[risu5waffles]

Not like we're TEN days late

i know, i know. Look, last night was busy. But here we are again. Together. In the soup.

This level is so nifty! i loved all the little mechanical bits and interactions. Also that you kind of criss-cross through it, being able to see some later sections from early on in the level. Me, i just eat that right up. It feels a little rude to make this one a race, just figuring out how to progress can be a bit of a timesink, tho' i can see that adding into replay value. Like, you play a couple times just to learn what the level expects from you, and then you start making real stabs at a good score. It's weird, because on one hand, that really is good level design, and indicates a certain amount of confidence in what you've made that you believe players will give it that kind of time. On the other, well, it's not really a the other hand, i just think most players won't.

This is one of those levels that's really cool in concept, but pretty rough in execution. Not really through any fault of the level itself, it's just heavily, heavily reliant on physics, and when things work, it's super nifty, and when they don't, the level just breaks. i had to play three times just to get the duck to land right in that early on bit, and that's nothing i had any real control over, just a watch and hope kind of thing. Also, if i'm being honest, the level does feel just a touch overlong, and i was pretty ready to give up all pretense of getting a good score by around the halfway mark. Still, i super appreciate the ambition, and all the work that must have gone into making it run.

Gods, i honestly kind of love these attempts to make something scary in early LBP. Maybe because this was previous to the style getting subsumed in meme/copypasta formats. i just like "this is my spoopy ghost hospital wiv guh-guh-ghosts" a lot more than "jumpscare wiv slenderman or evil Sanic." But look at me here speaking from almost 45. i lay you dimes to donuts if i'd been in my young teens around the spoopy-pasta boom in LBP(2? Was that really a big thing in 1?), i'd have been right there for all of it. i was not wivout my edgy pre-teen phase, if you can imagine (and i'm sure you can).

Exactly what it says on the tin, and a bit more or less. Still, i mean, it's not not cute, you know?

This is, no lie, an extremely impressive bit of kit for LBP1. Like, it is a solidly designed platformer, wiv a clear design and character aesthetic, that delivers on that promise in a very satisfying way. The biggest issue i had wiv it turned out to be a totally on my end thing. That midboss fight, the one that seems to go on forever? So, some of you might know that my hearing is pretty shoddy. Not, perhaps, needing hearing aids levels, but it's still pretty bad. Rewatching the footage and i finally noticed there's a "damage taken" sound effect from the paintinator kit that plays when you hit those buttons. i didn't catch that at all when playing, so, going purely off the visual cues, i thought you needed to hit the left and right side buttons once to move it to the next cycle? So, like, it pops up, you hit both the buttons, it goes down, repeat three times kind of thing. Really, i could have hit either of the buttons repeatedly to just kill the thing. That kinda sucked. Yo, that final boss, tho'? Beautiful design on that one.

We talked about Princess Tofu last week. i stand by my takeaway that it is charming and confusing in about equal measure.

The LBP1 vibes are off the chart wiv this one. It's actually a pretty decent level, all nostalgia aside, tho'. Nothing in here is really too challenging, but there is a lot of it, and it's mostly enjoyable throughout. i love the creator just randomly wrapping up the level wiv a roller coaster, 'cause that was a whole thing for a hot minute. Like tying an onion to your belt.

This one is super cute, and i definitely appreciated the bright and cheery vibe; but it just goes on for what feels like forever? Also, even tho' there's no risk beyond just losing progress, i kinda hated that bounce pad staircase thing. Just thinking i'd have to do the whole dang thing again if i screwed up, you know?

i felt salty wiv this one, not gonna lie. The title page claimed it would be a long level. That it would be challenging. It turned out to be a two minute walk through a cave. That wasn't. Even. Cardboard. That's just lying. They lied to me. Rude.

i feel kind of bad for the creator here. Up on the title page there's a note, like, "this used to be copyable, but it turns out the LBP community is a bunch of thieving shits" (paraphrased). Which, you know, is definitely a mood. It's a real shame making levels copyable so you could share and teach turned into people just repubbing the level wiv their name on it. We really are a bunch of thieving shits. This level's pretty neat tho'. It's a good collection of some relatively simple puzzles and obstacles, and i had a good time throughout. It is fairly drab, seeing as there's a complete lack of decoration, but i can understand that; if the intent was for players to copy this and see how it was put together to make their own versions), the creator wouldn't have wanted too much crufting that might hide how things fit together.

---------------------------------------------------------

So that's that set of ten down. The series has been going for almost a full six months (if you include my backlog, which i absolutely am) on a daily upload schedule, and that's kinda wow? Maybe? i don't know, i have a hard time judging these things, but i'm going to go wiv "a little proud" on this one.

Had a bit of a night out wiv two of my coworkers, and that went mostly well. Honestly far better than i could have expected. Was, i think, the first time i've been to an izakaya since honeybunny and i split back in '18. Definitely since covid has been a thing. It was mostly empty, which, like, honestly, that's for the best what wiv the plague, but also very not an izakaya mood, and kinda extremely lonely. But i had a nice time talking to the two gals, and eating shitty izakaya food, and surprisingly not drinking (the surprising was the enjoying not drinking, not the not drinking itself; it helped only one of us drank, so there was none of that social pressure to have a beer or anything).

The biggest fly in the ointment was, holy shit and no joke, i was fucking exhausted. i'd been dead-tired and beat since i woke up that morning, and the workshift did not help. i ended up having to skedaddle round about 7.30p, and i felt like a bit of a shit, like they might worry i didn't enjoy their company when i actually rather did. But like, when i say tired, i mean like "i am so fucking tired i can't even focus enough to have dysphoria over my stubble" tired. i mean, that sounds nice, the not having dysphoria, but, like, also, not being able to feel my fingertips sometimes and constant yawning, and that's its own socially awkward, and also "if i pass out, people will panic, then how will i get home" legitimate concern.

[satellite-blossom]

Old art but this :

This was such a cool design idea. Granted I'd give them different clothes today but this design already rocked.

Now if only I knew what to do of them... Yet another victim of my shitty writing of old, back when I had no idea how DID worked. Kinda ironic since. Y'know. System. But yeah. That's what a Creepypasta phase does to a young edgy teen.

So the concept was that basically two twin sisters lived in the same body (through a bunch of different backstories). One was named Katie and she was a shy girl who didn't like when things weren't following her plans, and the other was Sophia, a bubbly girl who was going with the flow slightly more easily. And then it got very messy because depending on whatever I had in mind that day Katia was either both sisters at once just pretending to be a single person, or actually another person formed out of the twins gem fusion style. In any case if something overwhelmed one of the sisters too much she wouldn't be active for a moment so the body would fully assume the style of the currently active sister, on Mobius at least. Since, y'know, this whole mechanic about Earthlings having the body of their choice on Mobius...

Anyway I need to salvage them, somehow, but I don't even know where to start.

Not sure

[a-tale-of-legends]

Thinking about Flannery and Siebold in my au....I'm really liking the idea of them being friends :)

A silly idea I had was then when they were still young teens, and Siebold was in a semi edgy phase ( tbh he was a more of a wet cat than anything but I digress), Flannery and him decided to sneak in a pack of cigarettes and try smoking. Whose idea it was, I'm not sure, but I can see Flannery wanting to appear more adult and mature and what's more mature than smoking! Or something by that logic. Though she's probably hSiebold went a long bc again, edgy phase.

They obviously got caught lol. Mainly bc they ended up coughing so loud for the smoke ( especially Siebold), and where scolded by Glacia and Flannery's grandfather. That's when Flannery started bawling her eyes out ( she disappointed her grandpa :( ), and when Flannery started crying, Siebold was trying so hard not to as well ( not bc of the smoking, but I think at that point in his life he needed a good cry that he hasn't really allowed himself to do and Flannery crying kinda hit him hard).

The crying honestly made the punishment easier on them ( Glacia was gonna have Siebold go through her old fashion training...), but they were still grounded and had to do extra chores lol. I dunno if this is appropriate for the crime, but I think it's funny lol.

[byte-the-bullet]

Wild and Irresponsible

(page 1:prologue)

Warning, this is going to be an especially fucked up story and I don’t want to trigger anyone so I’m limiting access; the TWs are as such: Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual Assault, Drug and alcohol abuse, Mental Illness, physical illness.

And remember…

This wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s all wrong. All of it. This was supposed to be a simple robbery, get in, get out. But no. But. No.

“Kid, you up?”

An adult man with a teenage boy tied up in the backseat. Anyone would look at this situation and scream. 

“I’m awake, why-need me to take the wheel?”

But this situation was different, very different.

“No, just making sure you’re all good back there.”

This was no kidnapping, or maybe it was-but whatever the case, this kid was the one who started it.

“How much longer?”

The kid had seen him break in, and strolled right up to him with one simple request-“Get me out of this hell.”

“About two hours.”

And now the two strangers had a plot, and a promise. “I want out. We can make it look like a kidnapping, charge ransom like in the movies- I don’t care what you do to me, or if you kill me, just please… I want out.”

“Alright.”

The rest of the car ride was silent, until the two had arrived. Sure-the middle of the woods wasn’t ideal, but it was pretty good-especially for hiding from people “Hey. What’s your name?” The teen asked, not the slightest bit hesitant-despite the man being twice his size and obviously a bit athletic. “Matrïch.” The adult responded in turn, a soft glare hitting the boy’s gray eyes. “Your name is weird.” Observing the scene, the nighttime air cut through the two-a harsh and heated blade coated with a sickly humidity. “You’re a weird kid.” The forest floor was dry this season, scarce of dead leaves but coated in flora, and climbing lichens. “And? So what if I’m weird?” A rusted up truck missing a license plate sat half-sunken in the sopping wet red clay, their getaway vehicle in all it’s decaying, peeling black paint coated glory, had decided to decompose at that moment. “You asked me to kidnap you. What’s with that?” The sounds heard, other than their two voices, were the sounds of small animals and the occasional fox scurrying around. “I hate my family and I want to die. It’s that simple.” The boy continued, and the man displayed a look of surprise-“Seriously? You’re probably 15, it’s just a phase-and you’re willing to risk your life for some stu-“ “I don’t care, you don’t need to know anything about me.” This kid was starting to annoy Matrïch, his easy-to-anger nature on full display now-“Stop trying to act all edgy! You’ve got a nice house and your room was decked out with fancy shit!” He nearly yelled, only to be met with the teen laughing. “You think that was MY room? Wrong. That’s my older brother’s bedroom.” He’d never wanted to hit someone more than in that moment-“So?! What about your life is so damn hard?!” And the kid responded in turn; “You want to hit me, right? Go ahead and find out, come on-it’s not like I care.” So he did. Matrïch’s dirt stained, blister and calus ridden hand made contact with the teen’s soft, pale skin. And the kid didn’t react in the slightest. “You done now? Because if you’re done, I’m going to sleep.” The teen chimed, only serving to confuse Matrïch. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He said, visibly confused and even a little bit disgusted. “That doesn’t matter… Just, thanks for getting me away from there.” The boy began to curl up, his messy black hair falling to his waist before he laid flat on the ground instead. “I’m already regretting asking this, but how old are you?” Matrïch sighed, his sleep deprived eyes reflecting their usual blue-“I’m 19. You?” He wasn’t expecting the kid to be any older than 16, he looked at least 14 though. “I’m 24.” The teen then stood, and approached him-apparently no longer tired, but now looking a bit curious.  

“What were you looking for when you broke in?” He looked over at Matrïch, who didn’t answer at first, but eventually spat out-“I guess I just felt like it.” The teen’s eyes widened, and he stares-“Jeez, just how impulsive are you?” He laughed lightly, but Matrïch didn’t think it was funny. “Shut up.” He barked at the teen, who glared at him. “What now, big guy?” Matrïch stared at him, and dropped to the ground, squatting down in front of the teen. “You pick out a new name and we go to my cabin.” The teen nodded in response, then-“Yuta. I like the name Yuta.” Yuta smiled, and the two started walking off. 

[kingsephir]

My husband comes back in 34 days!!!!

(Pls go fast im suffering)

Honestly I’ve realized that I like the me I am with him better than the me alone.

I remember studying abroad and being left to my own devices and constantly being like, “what the hell @myself????” Like my callousness and heartlessness was the origin of the name thirtyfour. And tbh I am that way at times. Perhaps im too full of myself and like an edgy teen I go through my “creep by radiohead” phase whenever im left to my own devices.

Jamey is so good for me. He calms me down like no one can, he brings me out of that, “im crazy theres no one like me im a horrible person” mindset and he says, “i feel that way too girl chill lets work through it together” I feel safe from myself with him, like if something went wrong he would catch me or stop me or correct me or reassure me. He’s warm and soft and powerful and harsh and caring. He sees right through people, even me. One of the few people in my life that wont take my shit. Will make me think twice, will not be taken or distracted by my usual dance of life. They see right to me. He sees right to me. Like an white hot arrow to the heart.

My beloved, my other half, the yin to my yang. I almost want to go into hiding until he returns but I tried that for a week and it just made me worse. I can make it, I can pull through. Never again do I want to be without him this long. Way too long. I need him, actually.

[beeperis]

I deeply need a part two to your last post 🙈 in fact, 10 more parts would be perfect.

Thank you though fr it’s so cute 🤞

hello! here’s one with michael! i meant for it to be just a short imagine, but it ended up as a small fic so here you go! ^^ -~*~- summary ; your husband’s (william) son michael really dislikes you for some reason. but one night, he comes home covered in injuries from a fight, so you patch him up!  warnings ; brief mentions of parent death, descriptions of nonfatal injuries/bruises pairings ; implied william afton x gn! reader, platonic michael afton & parent! reader notes ; this was so fun to write! i love writing fluff in general, but domestic fluff is my favorite <3 -~*~- Ever since you married William, Michael didn't really like you. He thought you were simply a replacement for his birth mother, whom you later learned had died several years earlier. He was cold, and whereas the other Afton children were quick to see you as a parental figure, it took a long time for him to stand even being in the same room as you. You had made several genuine attempts to get him to warm up to you--but none of them had worked. 

Things like offering to make him breakfast, attempts to make small talk while driving him to school, and simply asking about his music taste were all met with a snarky huff and an eye roll. William reassured you that it was simply because he was just a teenager going through a rebellious phase. "And that's normal, dearest. I love you more than words could ever express," William told you one night, rubbing your shoulders comfortingly. But despite Michael's clear distaste of you, you were determined to befriend him! You just hadn't quite figured out how yet. Any efforts to talk to him often ended with a door being slammed in your face. This kind of thing hurt your feelings, but, like William said, he was just an edgy teen, so you didn't think too much of it.  Tonight was really no different. It was about 8pm, and you were in bed reading a fantasy novel you picked up at the bookstore. William had to work late once more, leaving you alone with the kids. You didn't mind though! Evan was downstairs having a 'movie night' as he called it, where he brought every single one of his stuffed animals to the couch to watch television with him. Lizzie was downstairs as well, scribbling messy doodles of cats and ice cream onto a few sheets of paper. But as for Michael? You had no idea where he was. He said he was going bowling with his friends, but he'd been gone for close to four hours now. You were starting to worry.  As your eyes roamed the pages of the book, frantic and loud knocks at your bedroom door made you snap back into reality. You quickly set the book down, leaving it open on the bed so you wouldn't lose your place. You got up to answer the door as the desperate knocking continued. "Hold on, I'm coming!" You said. Standing at your door was Michael. His bottom lip looked to be busted with how it was swollen, his skin was covered in dark red bruises, his nose was gushing blood, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. "Holy shit, what happened to you?!" You blurted out. You reached out a hand to caress Michael's face. He didn't even smack your hand away, which seemed strangely out-of-character for him.  He sniffled. "I-I got my ass kicked," he whimpered out between sobs. Normally you'd scold him for that kind of language, but now wasn't the right time. Your parental instincts kicked in immediately. "Shhh, it's okay." You wrapped an arm around his waist and led him to the bathroom located in yours and William's shared bedroom. 

Every so often, Michael would bring a hand up to his face to wipe at the tears, still blubbering about the other boys who "beat the shit out of him," as he put it. You helped Michael up onto the bathroom counter as you started to search the cabinets for a rag. You found one, and as you ran the cloth under the sink for a moment or two, you tried asking him what had happened. Michael's tears had finally eased up a bit as he explained that he wasn't comfortable sharing what happened. "S-sorry," he apologized out of nowhere. You turned off the sink, wringing out the cloth. "There's nothing to apologize for, hun. You're the one who just got into a fight! You've done nothing wrong, I promise." You began softly dabbing at the dried blood around his nose. His light blue eyes looked away from you. "No, for like, everything," he mumbled. You tilted your head a bit in confusion. "Everything? What do you mean?" Michael sighed deeply. He wasn't used to apologizing or even regretting his actions. "For being an asshol--" You were quick to cut him off, "Language."  "Right, sorry. For being...Really rude to you for no reason. You seem like a nice person, and my dad's a lot happier whenever you two are together. I guess I never really got over my mom's death and when you came into the picture, I felt like he was just trying to replace her." He paused for a moment. "But that's clearly not the case. He loves you. A lot, actually. He wouldn't shut up about you when he first met you. God, it was all I heard for like, a month." You chuckled lightly, a warmth seeping into your heart at the mention of William being soft for you.

"Thank you, Michael. That means a lot to hear." You smiled. "But promise to try not to get into anymore fights like this, okay?" You said. Michael shrugged his shoulders, a malicious grin painting his features. "No promises."

[ace-ace-in-yo-face]

Can we stop considering all teens who say they're depressed an "attention seeking edgy 12 year olds" cuz for the love of God - my depression actually started around the time I was 13-14 yo, and I got no treatment at all because as my mom (and other people) said "it's just a phase" "u just want attention".

Yes I was awkward about asking for help, in my case it was through jokes about suicide and being all "ugh life sucks I wanna die" etc. Because I was a fucking child who didn't know how to deal with such emotions and struggles cuz nor in school nor at home no one has ever explained to me what depression really was and how to get help and how to deal with such emotions. I got help after 5 years of telling my mother to get me on therapy and guess what? I was diagnosed with severe depression and social anxiety disorder and "in need of long therapy", who would have guessed. I had to be treated in a psychiatric hospital and had multiple suicide attempts but I guess I was just being edgy right?

Yes there are teens who are treating it as something cool, who are seeking attention, who are just trying to be edgy. But for those kids it should be explained what depression really is without putting them down cuz for fucks sake u don't have the right to say who is depressed or not, leave it to professionals.

I was just watching a video and in the comments people where bashing those kids and saying things like "they don't have any reason to be depressed" like for God's sake shut up - it pisses me off cuz when u're a kid u sometimes can't tell why u're feeling like this i don't know why I'm feeling like this most of the time now so what am I not depressed? Has my psychiatrist made up my diagnosis? And u know what, when I was a kid and started to consider having depression I'd always put myself down because of people around me saying things like this, people treating me like an attention seeking edgy kid and for some time I thought that was true, that I just convinced myself I was depressed. How horrible is that?

So maybe let's give these kids help they need, let's explain to them what depression is and what to do when they get suicidal thoughts and let's explain to them how treating depression as something cool and romantic or whatever is disrespectful to people who suffer (who these kids might be as well, people deal differently with struggles) instead of putting everything they say in a "edgy teenager" box?

It makes me so mad when people laugh at kids who vent online too, I vent online sometimes and u know why I do that? Because irl I have no people to talk to, no people that care so I seek up any sort of help from strangers - it's sad when u think about it, and maybe these kids that seek attention, seek it for a reason. Sometimes reaching out to these people and having a chat, reassuring them etc. can be incredibly helpful, u don't even know how many times I have cried cuz a stranger on the internet said they cared about me and I cried because the thought that someone spent time to write this to me was more than enough to keep me going.

It's a serious topic and it should be handled with care.

In my country a consultation with a psychologist is free - with that in mind will it hurt so much to just take Ur kid who is certain they're depressed to such professional to discuss it with them? Even if they'll just explain to them that they don't have depression because who knows - it's certainly better for a professional to do so. And the sooner u know the better.

My first visit was because my mother was certain I was making shit up and wanted to prove to me she was right.

Guess what happened.

(and if any of u need support or some nice words or reassurence, please don't hesitate to reach out, my messages are always open :))

[toogayfor2145]

In Cells NOT at Work, we get these two pages depicting the development of RBCs and Neutrophils.

There's some pretty interesting details, but I want to actually point out my interpretation of approximate ages on each chart.

Neutrophil side:

Myeloblast, 0~2 : Kinda helpless, needs a nanny or caretaker. Probably either quiet or the noisiest babblers, no in between.

Promyelocytes, 3~5: Playgroup age? Probably learning to interact with their peers and basic things like sharing before they learn any combat in the next stage.

Myelocytes, 6~12 : Approx Kindergarten through primary school? Most of the foundational education for their jobs start here, they start expressing themselves more, get feisty and all, but their sense of judgement is still developing. Probably look kiddy right through this phase.

Metamyelocytes, 13~16 : Approx highschool age, in their mid-teen edgy phase, gets introspective to finds their identity and motivations, personality is more defined as well. The embodiment of "I'm 14 and this is deep".

Band Cells, 17/18 : About the age where schools send kids for internships tbh? They're mostly out of their edgelord phase and mature enough to make more major decisions. They experiment with outward appearances more since they have more freedom than before.

Mature Neutrophils, 18+ : Working adults. Capable of bacterial murder.

Red Blood Cell side:

Note - the diagram wasn't clear on if the English version's approximation uses American education systems or if it's directly translated from Japanese, so there's some conjecture going on.

Pre-erythroblasts, 0~5 : mostly babysat, but they also start learning interpersonal skills here.

Basophilic Erythroblasts, 6~9 : Learning the basics of their jobs with play pretend, a lot more studying of the map of the body and the general gist of "if germ = true then run away"

Polychromatic Erythroblasts, 10~13 : Probably more studying and tests, grades become more vital to understand the work theory.

Orthochromatic Erythroblasts, 14~18 : Starts to connect with the world around them more, preparing to go out into it.

Reticulocytes, 18 : Internship time of sorts, a lot of exploring the body to familiarize with the actual task rather than solely by book theory.

Erythrocytes, 18+ : Working adults. Capable of running around with heavy things like it's the easiest thing in the world.

[pensoluv]

@leekfl ily <33 /p so imma re type my hcs

Xiao (and a side of Morax) hcs that I rewrote while listening to I’m Baby by Lil Mariko <3

Special thanks to @xyliope for the hug because I needed that to do this <33 /p

Xiao was once stubborn as a mule since he picked that up from Morax. Guizhong made him less so, but passed before she could teach him further.

Xiao used to wolf things down as competitions with his pals, but now, he’d eat it slower to truly taste it. Peace is not as plentiful in his life as it was pre-trauma, so it must be treasured.

Xiao would at least like if not love Xinyan. He was an alt kid and I think he still is, just slightly less edgier. He’d work his ways to stray around without getting noticed, so he would’ve probably witnessed that incident of Chongyun being ultra hyper.

Before knowing her, Xiao used to listen to a ton of emo Liyue musicians, with the traditional emo tragic songs. He thought he resonated with it when he was younger, but he knows that he really didn’t in retrospect.

I think that ancient poem by Xin Qiji is very fitting in description of Xiao in such regard.

The actual poem is 《醜奴兒》：

少年不識愁滋味，
愛上層樓，愛上層樓。
為賦新詞強說愁。

而今識盡愁滋味，
欲說還休，欲說還休。
卻道天涼好個秋。

My translation would be:

The young do not know the taste/feeling of sorrow,

(And so) love to visit high towers, love to visit high towers.

Forcing moods of desolation, just to make up sorrowful poems.

Now that (I) know all about the taste of sadness,

(I strangely) couldn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything.

All I can say is “The weather has turned cold, such a fall / an autumn.”

Basically young Xiao going to high levels to get view of mountains and stunning scenery, just to wax poetry of his edgy emo-ness. Now that he has experienced tragedy, on the opposite pole, he couldn’t speak on anything about the topic.

He is low-key jealous of how Cloud Retainer said Ganyu didn’t have an embarrassing phase like the emo phase he had where he acted like the usual young Liyue scholars. By which I’m referring to who’d go to high mountains and sigh dramatically as if they are going through a collective mid-life crisis. Basically pretentious but in an amusing way when they look back. Xiao probably wouldn’t hesitate to strangle his old self-

Xiao is that one emo yaksha who would be the calm and tired one, while his yaksha buddies bicker about who gets to eat the last piece of tofu. Xiao would sneakily eat it while they mew still fighting, and it’s fair play because they do the same to his secret stash of food. One of his calmer yaksha friends would save up their tofu to give to Xiao, and Xiao would silently do the same with their favourite food. Xiao like Almond Tofu partly because it tastes good even after his trauma, and partly because he’s picking up Zhongli’s habit of reminiscing. He would not admit the second part though.

Bonus Morax ocs to go with a plate of teen Xiao ehe~

Guizhong tried to dissuade Morax from letting the baby Yakshas name themselves, but Xiao had already decided on his emo name before Morax took Guizhong’s advice. Morax had a toxic masculinity phase before Guizhong influenced him in her great ways, and insisted that he wouldn’t let Xiao change his name to a sensible one because “a strong manly man has to take responsibility and have wills as strong and unchanging as stone”. Morax had his emo phases and his most stubborn traditional phases before Guizhong. Blockhead era Morax pissed Guizhong off so much, yet she’s persistent enough to surprisingly change his attitude, at the least. Guizhong our beloved <3 ty ma’am!

When Morax is more alike to Zhongli, he still didn’t revoke his old idea of making Xiao keep his name, but added a new name - Alatus, in case Guizhong pesters him in his good conscious again. It’d be too late and Xiao doesn’t respond as quickly when called as Alatus instead of Xiao.

[partlysmith]

I think we really need to reconsider “edgelord” characters and the kind of people they appeal to.

Sure, you’ve got the emotionless, male power fantasy, guilt free murdery types made by fashy incels. But I’m talking more about the edgelords that appeal to young people.

These characters often have a “trouble past,” keep to themselves, have few -if any- friends, and usually only resort to violence out of necessity and often regret doing so.

Now consider the kind of younger individuals who go through an “edgy” phase. Odds are, they have trouble communicating and making connections with others, are the subject of ridicule from their peers, and often feel vulnerable and powerless.

The reason edgelords appeal to young teens is because they’re the only characters they can identify with. They’re not wise cracking superheroes beloved by all, or carefree goofy shonen protagonists. They’re introverts who are always on the outside looking in, with unresolved emtional trauma, and who are only willing to let a select few get close to them.

Yeah, edgelords are often violent and overpowered, but they are not a power fantasy for those who are already gifted with privilege. They are a power fantasy for the powerless. Their enemies are often morally depraved individuals of higher status, who often have some power over them, figuratively or literally. Be they a corrupt politician or the Demon Dragon Kitsune Lord of Forbidden Hell, these are people who are allowed to flaunt their power and are rewarded for it. Meanwhile, the edgelord is feared and shunned because of their abilities, and are taught by outside forces to feel ashamed of what they are.

I mean for fuck’s sake, just think of how many egdelord’s villains are their own parents. It’s no surprise why a kid with an abusive family would identify with that.

And even the edgiest of edgelords are not defined by their twisted dark side, but by the sliver of good that forms their morals. They won’t kill children. They won’t kill the innocent. Their small circle of friends mean the world to them, even if they don’t show it. All kinds of angsty “really makes you think” tropes. But what matters is that, despite everything, the edgelord does not become consumed by their inner darkness.

The happy ending for the edgelord is that they do not let others’ expectations define them. Their path my be more brutal than others’, but their suffering pays off in the end. They escaped whatever torment has shaped them and are finally free to live life on their terms.

It’s easy to look back on edgelords later and life and recognize that they’re actually kind of silly. But to a kid who feels like no one understands them and the whole world is out to get them, they provide entertaining escapism, necessary representation, and hope for the future.

Anyway, give me money for Hot Topic

[3wisellamas]

More Boxbot / Voxman Family Headcanons, Jumbo Bonus Edition!

Because I'm still here, dangit!

-Shannon's holographic "phone" is an actual thing that people in the OK KO universe have, but usually it comes built into a watch rather than their wrist. It's a super-expensive model, that she likes to show off to her siblings who are still stuck with regular smartphones.

-Since Ernesto is hollow, he likes to hide things from his siblings inside himself, and forgets about them. It's not an uncommon occurrence for him to split apart during a plaza fight only for confiscated magazines to spill out, or for the Bodegamen to explode him and have snacks fall out like a robot piñata.

-It's also the best hiding place for his diary. Which the Bodegamen always return to him at Boxmore, after reading it cover to cover (and even writing feedback in the margins) of course.

-ALL of the robots have issues sometimes with thinking out loud, and even blurting out embarrassing things or straight-up Boxmore corporate secrets -- the bigger the hivemind, the more likely this is to happen, with Darrell and Ernesto being the worst offenders. With hundreds of mouths to keep shut, sometimes they just miss one.

-Things the Boxbots are forbidden from eating/drinking, since they can melt, get stuck in their inner workings, or otherwise cause serious malfunctions: Marshmallows, chocolate, peanut butter, all varieties of cheese, WD-40, lit matches, dish soap, gummy worms, live worms (Raymond found this one out the hard way on a dare), live birds (ditto for Mikayla), glue, wet cement, broken glass, water.

-Things the Boxbots will eat/drink anyway, and just reboot themselves right after: All of the above.

-The main exception to this is the peanut butter -- Professor Venomous is allergic to peanuts, just like his son, and Boxman threw out everything in the factory containing them the day he moved in. The bots all miss their peanut butter and (petroleum) jelly sandwiches, but not enough to potentially hurt their stepdaddy!

-(They do still keep one last jar of the stuff hidden in their playroom, however, just in case. And so does Boxman, in his office.)

-Also, Mikayla doesn't care what it does to her, she LOVES chocolate -- it's her catnip.

-Mr Logic likes hip hop, and will actually get up on stage and freestyle sometimes when he and Gar go to open mic nights together. He's surprisingly good at it!

-Since he's just as embarrassed about his human feet as Shannon, if not more so, Darrell's got an extensive collection of cute patterned socks to cover them up, and wears a different pair underneath his boots every day that NO ONE is allowed to see but him. His favorite pair have tiny horses on them.

-The robots all wake up at 6AM, on the dot. They have to, in fact, since it's programmed into them -- they're physically incapable of sleeping in, though they can take short naps in the afternoon. They're also programmed to start feeling sleepy at 10PM, though their bedtime is a couple of hours earlier, and they are able to stay up if needed (for instance, if Boxman decides to do a late-night plaza attack...)

-And that line about having to "recharge every night" was accurate -- glorbs naturally replenish their spent energy when not in use, so the robots need to get a full nights' sleep every night or their glorbs could eventually burn out on them!

-Boxman also gets up at 6, or around there, because he MUST crow at the sunrise, every morning. Raymond sometimes joins him.

-Darrell gets migraines, a side effect of having to convert and process all of his electronic thoughts on an organic brain. There's an entire protocol to swap him out for Shannons and Raymonds on the factory floor so he can shut down his hivemind and rest -- however, it can be tough to get him to admit he's in pain and to stop trying to work through it. (He hates the idea of his family having to go through so much trouble for him...)

-When PV found out, as a fellow migraine sufferer, he and Darrell actually bonded over it, and he got a little less resistant to taking "sick days" with his stepdaddy's encouragement.

-After he was upgraded to a robo-adult, Ernesto started refusing to celebrate his birthday, so that the other three quadruplets could have it all to themselves. However, they'll always throw him a small surprise party of his own a week later.

-For their dad's birthday one year, the bots got him a pet goldfish, since he used to be so into aquatic creatures. Boxman ADORED that fish, even if he claimed otherwise, and gave it the prettiest tank decor and fanciest fishy flakes he could. However, sadly, it didn't last long, with the robots doing the cleaning and water changes for him -- fish and rust don't mix. ;-;

-Though it's INCREDIBLY humiliating for them, you can in fact plug all six of the bots into a wall outlet if there aren't any glorbs available for them to run off of. Except for Mikayla, their AC adaptors are sold separately.

-Fink keeps trying to flush cherry bombs down the Boxmore toilets, Bart Simpson-style. It helps that she can just escape down them into the pipes if she gets caught (though, she's also blown herself up this way once or twice...)

-Leggy Jethro did eventually trust all his siblings enough to let them know he was still around, and they helped hide him from Boxman, reattached his limbs, invited him to their dance parties (the one in The KO Trap was him), and even got him out of there when things started getting bad with Shadowy -- though, since all they did was shove him into a waste pipe during one of their stepdaddy's and stepbrother's rampages, they never were sure if he made it or not until he showed up with Boxman at the Plaza Tournament.

-Post-reset, he's allowed to openly be himself as a member of the family! No labor uprisings or union talk at the dinner table, though.

-This was originally posted by someone else, but I love it so I'm stealing it: "Deathro" from Thank You For Watching the Show is actually just Jethro's edgy robo-teen phase. It lasted only a week before everyone else got sick of it, just like Ernesto's.

-The Boxman family is Corn-tholic (Corn Catholic), though Boxman himself doesn't really practice it too seriously. In fact, he didn't practice at all until the kids came along, and he started going to Corn Church again for them.

-He dragged PV along with the rest of the family one week, but the whole "corn-fessing your sins" aspect didn't go too well for our favorite professor, who already has problems facing and dealing with his checkered past...

-The robots are EXTREMELY multilingual, since they can just switch their language settings. However, Shannon and Raymond did try to legitimately learn French together once, though they eventually gave up. The only thing they can really say is "omelette du fromage."

-Sadly, this does not include sign language for the four original bots, though Raymond and Mikayla were updated to include it, and they'll sign to each other to in order to speak privately or hide things from / trash-talk their older siblings.

-Lord Boxman has no idea where Darrell got the Daddy belt, and it haunts him, as does whether his innocent baby boy knows the full meaning behind it. Darrell actually pulled it out of Boxman's old college stuff -- there may or may not have been a LOT of alcohol consumed the night he procured that belt, and he'd long since forgotten it.

-And Darrell does know exactly what it means. The fact that everyone, especially his dad, expects Darrell to act an innocent baby boy forever due to his personality, and expresses shock whenever he displays knowledge or behavior more appropriate to the teenager/young adult he is, really annoys him sometimes. Not that he'll voice his complaints, especially not to his father, but he does rebel in small ways, like his graffiti habit, and brute-forcing his way past the parental block on the TV to watch the PG-13 movie channels. (He absolutely can say fuck, and in fact has done so in private, he just chooses not to.)

-After he and Boxman reconnected, Mr Logic did eventually start visiting his family at Boxmore again, though only on rare/special occasions. And after a LOT of time and consideration, he agreed to let Boxman perform a few upgrades, and bring his construction more in line with the newer robots.

-Logic refuses to have a hivemind set up, though, or any copies of himself made, not even just as a safety precaution in case he's ever damaged or destroyed.

-Boxman made a copy of Logic anyway, and a backup of his memory during one upgrade, and just never told him about it. It's set to activate if something ever does happen to the original Mr Logic, even long after Boxman retires.

-Shannon LOVES roller blading, but is banned from every skating rink in the Neutral Zone, since she keeps trying to use her saws instead of actual skates.

-There's a villain-oriented equivalent to Sidekick Scouts, for minions-in-training, that PV took Fink to a few times, before she decided her own style of minion-ing was superior.

-She first learned how to blackmail people from their annual cookie drives, and even got a badge for it!

-In addition to robots, Boxman is a HUGE car guy, and can give you engine specs on any make/model from memory, as well as ways to tweak them for maximum horsepower. He originally went to Evil Engineering College for automotive stuff, but switched to robotics instead.

-He's actually trying to pass on his mechanic skills to Darrell, who he trusts to do all his own car's upkeep as well as that of the Boxmore trucks, and Raymond, who...can barely change a tire. (He tries, he really does, but it's just not going well in his case)

-Raymond actually does have his motorcycle from that one mobile game, and enjoys riding around the Danger Zone! However, since he stinks at maintaining it, it's almost always breaking down, and he keeps having to go to either his dad or Darrell to fix it.

-He passes it down to Robbie later on, who thankfully DID get the Mechanic Skills. ;v;

-Ernesto once tried to teach PV how to make a spreadsheet in Excel. He somehow managed to crash the entire factory computer system, including poor Ernesto's hivemind server, while trying to add two cells together.