#old friends are encouraged to interact haha

[colourstreakgryffin]

hey there honey! i'm here to request deerest alastor meeting a blitzo-like gn! reader fic if that's alright with you;) ( by that I mean either the reader with blitzo's story/persona/both if you wish. )

the genre? fluff, angst- anything, really. i kinda just wanna see how one would think they'd interact !

basically, i'm fine with anything, i do love a good surprise haha . it's rather more interesting;)

on a sidenote; i actually got this idea after watching some snippets of our boy and by recalling our conversation earlier. so i was hoping to see what's in store for our beloved if al were to ever cross paths with someone like him.

for an afterthought- man, i must say that i absolutely cherish this emo guy now.

( this could be platonic, or romantic; whatever you think fits for this shot/anything that is to your liking! )

hopefully this ask wasn't too confusing, and that you're fine with it. thank you, have a great day<3

Y E S! I love Blitzø from Helluva Boss so this duo will be so interesting! Alastor will have quite the difficulty to deal with a Blitzø! Leitora but yet, he will like them!

Alastor- Chaotic I.M.P

General

Alastor has such the passive-aggressive, crude, snarky, prickly Imp to handle. He doesn’t do that well but he also doesn’t shut said Imp out for the way they are… it’s just rough

Alastor’s patience is both worn out and stretched over further with you, the head of I.M.P and the royalty of being so immature and blood-thirsty. A assassin that’s trigger happy, and he isn’t sure how long he can stay calm with you

Alastor finds you interesting. Your mouth is vulgar but you’re actually very intelligent in your work and you rile up your little employee group very well. How fascinating, he considers studying you to figure out how native demons like yourself act

Alastor likes teasing you about your much shorter height and tugging you on your long tail. Both are methods to piss you off and maybe methods to make you pay attention to him as well

Most HCs of platonic can also apply to romantic then a few HCs of romantic can apply to platonic!

Platonic

Alastor doesn’t know how to react to the fact you’re constantly stalking him and following him around. You envy his relaxed, happy self and craves exactly what he has so you regularly watch him. All the times he’s caught you filming him… too many times

Alastor finds you hilarious. Your violent, dark sense of humour actually makes him chuckle and he encourages you to feel confident in what makes you laugh. It makes him laugh so it’s simply perfect

Alastor likes to tease you even more than he already does. Annoy you, piss you off, squeeze your face inbetween fingers to lead you on. It’s all so amusing and the way you bark out with rage at this has his day fixed instantly

Alastor does speak honestly about his own issues with you. He trusts you, you’re like the other friends he has, he may have known them specifically longer but he feels like he can be himself around you. You’re not that bad after all

Alastor finds it pretty cute that you have your own Hellhound child. You have a 22 year old Hellhound son/daughter/child and you’re so loving and affectionate to that Hellhound. He just watches it from the sideline, smiling widely and planning how to use this against you to mess with you

Alastor invites you out to hangouts regularly. To clubs, to drinking bars. Anywhere where it’s just you and him, and you two can just let loose by having drinking contests that end in Alastor slamming alcohol like a sailor and struggling to keep up with you on the dancefloor

Alastor will let you touch him with it seems fit but he does need breaks from you randomly touching him. He likes you, you’re a wonderful snarky little Imp so he can excuse any type of touch, but he needs space

Alastor’s smile and personality is more natural around his Imp friend and he treats all his friends equally so when you’re around, he’s smiling, giddy and sweet just like he is with other friends like Rosie, Mimzy

Alastor is the type of ‘I’ll do something for you at the right price’ friend. Give him what he wants and he’ll do a favour for you, he may like you as a friend but he wants to establish that you’re just like his other friends and you’re not that special at all

“Ah. My dear, this Hotel and my home is for everybody, including yourself. Feel free to get comfortable and we can chat more later”

Romantic

Alastor knows of your intimacy and commitment problems, and since he really likes this cute small gun-wielding badass imp more than he could suspect, he is willing to wait for you to get more comfortable with and trusting of him. Hence what actually fires up the relationship you two share

Alastor is extremely protective over you: you’re a mortal demon, he’s immortal. You can die, he already died and now immune to fatal blows. And the fact you’re an assassin that takes care of humans as well. You have the Radio Demon on your beck-and-call, and goddamn, how glad you are that you’re dating Al. You have a loving, doting but also scolding and cautious boyfriend right there to save your flank

Alastor expresses his loyalty, love and respect through that way he acts around you, giving you whatever you want free of charge, gifting you all kinds of presents, constantly writing you name on random pieces of paper or even the Hotel walls, being smitten of you around the Hotel staff. He can’t get you out of his head

Alastor loves carrying you around. You’re so small but you’re so squishy and cuddly, day or night. He loves hugging you to his chest and carrying you around, you’re smaller than Niffty and he’s living for it! You can be asleep and he’ll keep wondering around with you in his arms bridal style

Alastor is half for I.M.P, half not. The reason he isn’t is because he doesn’t want this psycho humans laying their hands on you and the reason he is is because he loves seeing you happy and he wants you to express your passions so he tries his best to be as supportive as he can

Alastor may or may not be the one taking care of you. You let loose sometimes after bad situations and he is the one reassuring you he’ll always be there, he won’t let you die alone and he’ll always be with you. He loves you and he wants you happy and healthy

Alastor’s ideas of a romantic date is to a nice restaurant, all dressed-up and bonding over simple conversation. Yeah, he isn’t the most ‘interesting’ date-planner but his vanilla tastes are so much better than anybody could ever suspect. You bond with Alastor very well with every date

Alastor enjoys bragging about you. He brags about you on his radio show and even promotes your business, I.M.P. He is going to show who you belong to and he’ll even mark you more… physically, if he must. You’re his and he won’t let any chance that somebody will try to steal you away

Alastor is an affectionate boyfriend and when I mean affectionate, I mean lovey-dovey, complimentary and touchy. He loves giving you kisses, holding you in his lap, giving you hugs, holding your hand all the time. He loves holding you, you’re so sweet and cute

“Darling. You should be a lot more careful… I wouldn’t do well without you, so please. Do both of us a favour and do not charge into battle recklessly… please? For this poor lovestruck little deer?”

Alastor also might just try figure out how to make you immortal so you’ll stay with him for all of Hell’s time

[niko-jpeg]

MOOT APPRECIATION

@vessel-posts-stuff I know you haven't been on that account in years, but I still wanted to include you. Thank you for introducing me to Tumblr and allowing me to make such wonderful friends. I think of you quite often <3

@v1vz-arttt We're moots on your old account, and while you didn't refollow me (?), I still love you!!!!!! Thank you for everything my good friend :)

@adorablemew Mew!!! Oh my god hi we haven't talked in forever. How did I get someone so cool to be my moot? Your art is incredible, your creations are wonderful, and thank you so much for putting up with me back in my previous Undertale fixation. You inspired me greatly.

@psycho-chair BITES YOU. You have been an inspiration for me forever at this point and I thank you for being just!!! YOU!!!! We need to chat more fr fr. You helped me through a rough time, no matter if you were aware of it or not. Also good to see another Crepic shipper here on the front lines. Sorta unrelated but I'm so glad my secret little otp has gotten a little more traction. You keep being you buddy grrrhshjfskjdhfdkjjksjkh <33333

@glitchysquidd Another instance of HOLY hell how did I get such a cool art moot???? You're really cool. I go feral over your art, whether youre aware of it or not. I love your vibe, your aesthetic, your everthing. Its so cool. You're so cool. A.

@thosegoodbois We don't interact much these days, but I still think of our conversations often. I like how unabashedly you you are. Its refreshing and fun and I still enjoy scrolling through your posts and seeing you on my dash. Tee hee.

@skyedancer2006 Hi hi!!!! We met because of a Secret Santa, and I'm happy we're moots. I love seeing you guys on my dash, and I love seeing the positivity yall bring to it all. Keep it up, and if I referred to you incorrectly, I am so sorry ack.

@bean-with-a-knife grabs your shoulders and shakes you. You are so. the most ever. We've been besties forever, and I'm so happy to have you as a friend. You keep me going, and encourage me when I'm not so sure, and you put up with my bullshit, and I absolutely love you big ol platonic kiss for you. Thank you for everything you've done for me.

@naaru304 HI!!!!!! You're so cool. I know we don't really talk but I really really like seeing you on my dash and you reblog all of the best stuff. YOUR ART IS SO EDIBLE ACK. Its so round and clean and just. Stuffs in my mouth and shakes it around and giggles cutely. I love it.

@p3-mochishira HI!!!!! Vamp you are such a moot. I love your edits and I love your ocs and I love your whole vibe. You light up my day and I'm so happy that we're moots. Big ol hug sent your way!!!

@queen-ofsunflowers oh my god you are such a cool author. And we're moot what. WHAT. AAAA!!!!! I really look up to you, and MnM is such a treasure I hold close to my heart. I look forward to whatever is in the future, and I wish you nothing but the absolute best in this coming year.

@mmmn-thirsty-for-vinegar Yet another cool incredible mutual I don't know how I landed with. Your art? incredible. The posing and lighting is immaculate. I love all of your art so much, and you're a big old inspiration foundtain haha. <3

@yoshikass HI!!!!!!!! I love your reblogs. I love the variety. I love everything. Your blog's vibe is also so much fun. You keep being you <33

@dollar-store-emo-413 Your brain is fascinating. Congrats on your freedom from our hell, and I wish you luck on your future /lh!! (for context we went to the same school)

@snowdoesthings Man. It's been forever and a half huh. I'm happy we're still moots, and I'm happy that we still kind of brush shoulders sometimes. I'm sorry you had to deal with 2020 me haha. Love you <3

@dexxeal Im in the walls of the Miku chruch btw can you come let me out I'm stuck.

@mhafanlol2000 Happy new year and I wish I'd see you around on HKRP more often ahah! See you in the new year :)

@cordycepsbian You're so cool. Like wow. I love everything about what you post. Your humor is so on point and your art is so skrunkly I'm obsessed.

@vivasharme Its so nice to see you again!!! I missed you a lot while you were away. I hope you're feeling better, and I can't wait to get back to talking soon. I'm gonna blow up your dms hee hee >:) /j

@someguyiguess23 Your art!!!!! Its so awesome I'm eating it and framing it and just. Nom. I hold the art you did of Nago dear to my heart. Your art is so shape!!!!

@christiankirbo Poyo

@mantis-on-a-table I adore your art so much. I have so many cool art moots but I especially love what you've got going on. Its so high quality and tickles my brain in such a wonderful way!!! Happy New Year!!

@extreme-exe water (you're a really great friend, never forget that!)

@wintar0 Hi!!!! We dont talk much but you're a wonderful moot. Best of wishes for the new year, and I can't wait to see more of you and your creations!!!

@drallion No, not for Drallion, for his creator! You've been such a delight in HKRP, I'm so happy I get to know you. <3333

@rentavoider Hi hi hi have fun on your trip to Italy and see you next year!!!

@crownne-prince !!!! HI!!!!Thank you for being such an incredible and encouraging moot. You really cheer me up and I love seeing your posts on my dash. Akechi is in your walls fun fact.

@lemmykirby Your art is so cool. I love the style and I love how its executed and bottom line I just. runs away with your art tee hee

@jayjar100 YOU!!! YOU ARE SO COOL NEVER FORGET THAT!!!!!!! I loved drawing your baby forever ago, and I think about them constantly. In fact I have some extra doodles laying around that I probably should post haha.

@kotoneshiomiofficial You are so right. About everything. All of the time. You are correct and are the coolest trans fox girl I have ever met and I think you're awesome. Big ol heart for you <33333333

@finleyforevermore Hi Finnley. Thank you so much for everything. You are such a light, and a huge encouragement, and thank you for enjoying my HPII content (theres more cooking up trust me). You're a precious moot of mine, and I don't think I can ever describe how much I like your posts. And the fandoms we have in common? Incredible. UMTV, RTC, HPII, Sonic, etc. Like wow. I love it !!!!!! <3333

@i-do-not-exist-hun I LOVE YOU AND YOUR EVERYTHING ILL PROBABLY GO INSANE IN YOUR DMS LATER TELLING YOU EVERYTHING THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU AND YOUR WORK THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR ME BIG HUG

and finally @box-o. My darling partner in crime and girlfriend. I love you so much, and cannot wait to spend another year with you. Your art is so cartoony and fun, and thank you for passing the Sonic (no, not the metal) virus on to me. Heres to another year <3

[cacodaemonia]

You seem to know a lot about AO3, do you know how to engage more of your readers? I’ve been trying to get comments on my fics but all I get is kudos. I just want to know if people are enjoying my writing

Hi there! I definitely wouldn't say I'm an expert when it comes to AO3, but I find the fandom culture around AO3 to be really interesting, so I do talk about it a lot, haha. I've only been posting works there since 2019, though, and I'm sure folks who have been doing so for longer or have volunteered as tag wranglers or on the policy & abuse committee, for example, would know a lot more than I do. <3

But I'm really sorry to hear that you only get kudos and no comments on your fics! That really sucks. :( Like you said, you have no idea what those people actually think about what you made—just that they consumed it.

Honestly, I'm not sure I'm a good person to ask about getting readers to interact because I post both fanart and fanfics, which isn't super common, at least among people I know. I'm pretty sure that most of the folks who comment on my works followed me from Tumblr to AO3 back when I used to post art here. If I wanted to share nsfw images, I could only post cropped versions of them on Tumblr, so I would sometimes do that and link to the full image over on AO3. I suspect that's a big reason why I even have subscribers on AO3, haha. My writing certainly isn't better than that of plenty of people who also write for very niche ships and don't get as many kind comments as I do.

I also started out in my current fandom making art and writing about more popular characters until I quickly shifted focus when I found some that I like much more 😂 But I'm sure that quite a few people found my stuff because of those old works, and some of them probably stuck around.

Speaking of popular... This isn't something I do because I'm only motivated to make things that I like, but of course, there's always the 'write stuff for popular ships/characters' option. :/ Even now, when I happen to include fan favorites in my fics or art, all kinds of people come out of the woodwork to comment on them. And because I'm a contrary ass, that then makes me not want to create works featuring those ships or characters XD;;; But anyway, that is one option, haha.

A friend recently told me that they started asking little questions in the notes of each chapter of their fics, and that seemed to encourage readers to respond in the comments, so maybe that would be a good thing to try? I haven't tested it, so I can't say.

One thing I have tried that I think has made a difference is adding a blurb in the end notes of my works that I got from @longlivefeedback! They have a great template that you can customize and try out if you like (just make sure to read the bug fix part about curly/smart quotes versus straight quotes, since the curly quotes will kill your html).

One tried and true method to get more people commenting on your fics, of course, is to get to know people who also like the fandom/characters/ships you write about. Read some of their stuff or comment on their art or just chat about headcanons etc. And maybe they'll check out what you wrote.

(My caveat to this would be: do not do this with the sole purpose of getting someone to comment on your fics. I've had plenty of people do this to me, and it was so transparent that they had no interest in me as a person, but just wanted me to draw their OCs or scenes from their fic, or reblog their art, etc. Trying to manipulate someone like that just for your own gain is such gross behavior, and of course, I'm not saying you would do it, but it's common enough that I wanted to mention it 😓)

Okay, unsurprisingly, this got very long and rambling, haha. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but I hope you get more folks interested in your writing!

I'd be curious to know if other people have advice for @sonofhighrock! :)

[redge]

【OSHI NO KO】 Season 2 Episode 18

(I am writing this while Episode 20 is already airing haha)

I will never stop wishing that this character keeps on smiling and finds happiness when this manga ends. Everyone deserves to be happy but I want this character to be happy even more. Please, Akasaka-sensei I beg you. 🙏

"actors who've been at it their whole lives" There's sadness in those lines. Arima Kana really clings to this harsh world of the entertainment industry. 💭

I will miss this Shinjuku faction when the Tokyo Blade ends (which is today's episode I think [episode20])

Look at these two watching each other's acts! They won't admit that the other is better than themselves but you know deep down they both acknowledge each other's talent for acting. (this is further proven after the Tokyo Blade play, I hope it will be animated in today's episode)

The voice acting in this script was spot on!

Tokyo Blade theme is so beautiful! I loved reading this arc but the music just really adds angst to the play. Even that Sayahime music was so good (Tumblr says I am only allowed to post one video so go watch the episode if you're curious haha) I hope they release these tracks officially 😁

"What is it she doesn't like about me so much?"

HAHAHAHA oh my gosh I don't remember Netflix having this sub but I remember so many accounts who don't like Kana to the extent of unhealthily hating on her like where are you all coming from what did she do to you 😅

I will never understand how some fans of Akane hate Kana when in fact in the manga, and now in this episode, it was so clear that Akane started her footing as an actress because of Kana. It was not the best experience but from that encounter, Akane started to study the psychology of other people which we see as a huge part of her personality. The actress that she is now is due to her hard work and talent but she wouldn't have even started if she hadn't seen Kana act. If her parents had not encouraged her to try acting, even persuaded her with "you might even become friends with Kana-chan.", we wouldn't have seen the actress that she is right now. In the OnK universe, Akane does not even hate Kana. I mean, do you actually hear an ounce of hate on the way Akane calls Kana "Kana-chan"? Because I don't. 🤷‍♀️ (It's because of hating on characters that I don't really enjoy interacting with people in this fandom. Some Akane fans hate Kana. Some Kana fans hate Akane and it's making the series less enjoyable. 💭)

Young Akane is so adorable! It was narratively satisfying to see the effect of the Bell Pepper Exercises on other kids, from a different perspective than Kana. Kana hated bell peppers but she was able to convince Akane to eat them. If that's not good acting, then I don't know what is. 😹

How can anyone hate these two when they're the characters who understand each other so well?! Remember how in season 1 episode 8, Kana talks about Akane saying "She thoroughly prepares for roles, displaying deep consideration and insight into the parts she's given. Her natural talent allows her to assume those roles with perfection. Though her personality might not be suited for reality shows, as an actress, she can only be called a genius.".

And this season, we get this from Akane. They both acknowledge each other's talent so really I don't get where the hate energy comes from. Maybe I'm too old for fan wars that I don't get them anymore. 😅

I just noticed that the hand guard of Sayahime's sword is crescent moons assembled together. Interesting detail.

These frames were so good! The symbolism of Sayahime turning into young Akane as she is inviting Kana to act with all she's got because that's what young Akane loved about little Kana-chan: her acting that devours everyone. What an adaptation. I hope Akasaka-sensei and Mengo-sensei feel the same as Kichijouji-sensei when they saw Melt's acting improvement, or as Abiko-sensei when she's watching this play. I hope they both feel the satisfaction of the anime adaptation of their manga because it's been really doing a great job this season. ♥

The way Kana sees herself is so pale in comparison to Aqua's "She shines brightest when her face screams "Look at me!". 😭 And it's so curious that most of those frames are just from normal conversations he's had with Kana and then the anime goes extra as to include frames from the Full Moon music video 😂 Even more curious that that first encounter as a child actor also comes to mind when Aqua remembers how he wanted to kill the arrogant child actor Kana 😂 Anime prod why are you doing this to me I love Kana enough no need to show these frames to me, please. Ah. I just want Kana Arima to be happy. T_T

The way these two believe in Kana while Kana does not even think of herself as someone who deserves anything. The relationship of Kana, Aqua, and Akane is so interesting. I don't hate anybody in this universe. 😁(except Himekawa Airi sorry Taiki)

This post got longer than expected 😂

[cherrylng]

Headline - Bright Eyes+Muse interviews [ROCKIN'ON (March 2000)]

The year 2000 starts here! Is the impatience that can only be tolerated by a dazzling youth the birth of the Year Zero generation? Rockin'On fully supports Bright Eyes and Muse, the two passions that run around while showing off the physique of young boys, and offers tickets to support their visit to Japan!

Interview: Mariko SAKAMOTO Photography: JIM NEWBERRY (Bright Eyes) Interpretation: Erika YAMASHITA (Muse)

The noisy days of Y2K! and the bubble era have returned to normal, and the onslaught of millennium visits to Japan has come to an end, but is it time to breathe a sigh of relief? Has anything started to happen? Year 2000 = Year Zero. It's only a matter of time, but we'd like to introduce two newcomers who make you feel that the year 2000 is just around the corner. Bright Eyes is a band centred on Conor Oberst, a home recording poet from Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Their interactions with the Athens scene are also a hot topic, but technically they can't be called newcomers, having released a compilation even before their debut full-length album was released last year. However, the self-denial and (literally) exploding shouts heard on their latest EP 'Every Day and Every Night' show an awakening of the core of expression in a style that has tended to veer towards experimental pop. Already waiting for their second release, it is a unique singing voice that cradles bottomless sadness in their clear eyes. In contrast, Muse are a three-piece from Devon, UK. They first attracted the attention of an American record company and were signed to Maverick. Although there was a feeling that the band was ahead of its time, their single ‘Muscle Museum’ broke through on the UK indie charts last year. The drama is sharply played by a blue, straightforward guitar sound that has been compared to early Radiohead. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is reminded of Jeff Buckley, with vocalist Matt Bellamy's rich expressiveness underpinning the high level of perfection of their debut. Both have very different sounds, but their straightforward voices are tugging at your heartstrings. The voice that started it all was always so vivid. With that voice, the clock starts ticking again.

"Writing songs was like smashing a windowpane."

(BRIGHT EYES/Conor Oberst) ● You started writing songs when you were about 11 years old, what was it like when you ‘discovered’ guitars and four-track recording equipment? 「Yeah, it was like, “I'm glad I found something to do”. It's like keeping a diary. It's a way of expressing your feelings in a more proper way. …… Compared to when I was a smaller kid. It's like writing a song on a four-track or throwing something at a window and smashing it, they're both the same thing.」

● Were there other kids around your age when you started writing songs who were making songs with four-tracks and guitars? 「Not quite the same age, but I had older friends who were writing songs. They were about five or six years older than me. They all encouraged me to write songs too. I'm still hanging out with them and making music with them.」

● I see. So you prefer sitting alone in a dark basement and recording than going out and playing with friends or skateboarding or anything like that? 「Haha (laughs). No, there are two sides to me, I guess. I like having fun too. I like to have fun, I like to throw parties, but…… But I always end up going home and spending time alone (laughs).」

● Yes, yes (laughs)…… Well, I believe you're 19 (20 this year), you're attending university, aren't you? 「Yeah…… Um, I'm actually going to take a leave of absence from next semester. I'm thinking of doing a lot of touring and stuff.」

● So you're planning to concentrate on your music? 「Yeah, hopefully. I'm going to take this semester off, and if it goes well, then I can continue with music. So I'm putting off my studies for a while (bursts out laughing). No, it's not that I don't like university, but I don't know exactly what I want to do……」

● That's unreliable. I have the impression that you write and record songs almost every day, but when do you feel the strongest urge to write songs? 「Well…… It's a bit of a strange feeling. Sometimes songs come out of a depressed mood. In that case, I just run to the guitar and play it straight away. But if I try to force myself to sit down and say, "Come on, I've got to write", I feel like it's never going to work. So I guess you have to wait for the ‘moment’ to come. And those moments are when I don't feel very good, like when I'm sad. That's why my songs sound like that. But I'm thinking that I need to get out of that. I want to write happier songs. Because …… I don't want to just make the listener sad all the time.」

● I see. And your debut album as an original, "Letting Off the Happiness", seemed a bit scattered. It was more like a collection of songs rather than an album. 「No, it was meant to be a single album. But because of the way we recorded it, the result was kind of…… It's a bit of a jagged, cut-and-paste, patched-together kind of sound. Because the album was recorded partly in my parents' basement, partly at a friend's house, and partly at Ascend in a completely different environment, so it's got that kind of disjointed sound. It ended up being a kind of collage of different sound qualities. In terms of the songs, I think thematically it's like an album, but maybe in terms of the way it sounds, there's a lot of ebb and flow to it.」

● Are you satisfied with the results? I got the impression that you weren't really interested in the cohesion of an album. 「No, not at all. I've just finished a new album, and it's more…… smooth and unified. I'm trying to work in that direction now, but when I was making ‘Letting~’…… I wasn't so concerned about cohesion (laughs). What can I say, I just…… I wanted it to sound intuitive, like I was reacting to something. I didn't want it to be a nice, well-proportioned piece of work.」

● Is that so? So, when I listen to your EP ‘Everyday and Every Night’, I feel that your songwriting is becoming more straightforward. 「Yeah, I think that's right. I always hope I'm growing as a writer (laughs). But you can't tell if you're growing or not, can you? But I feel like I'm more in control of what I'm doing than I used to be. It's not like I'm just waiting for something to happen. I'm starting to understand what I'm doing. I used to be, how should I put it…… I was trying to feel something in the darkness, or rather, I was searching for what to do in the darkness. I think cool sounds and cool songs came out of that. But now…… Everything is much more direct and well intentioned.」

● I love the song ‘Perfect Sonnet’ on that EP. Especially the part where your voice shakes and turns inside out and explodes into a shout - I've never heard such an intense expression of emotion. 「Oh…… I try not to rely too much on that kind of singing…… No, I think that a tiny whisper, for example, can convey just as much emotion as a loud, broken shout can. There are definitely some shouting on this album, but I think emotions are a very broad thing, and I think that up until now I've only been able to capture very, very extreme emotions. I've been able to shake off a lot of extreme emotions, such as despair, burnout, joy, and so on. But there are a lot of emotions in between. You can be perfectly depressed or insanely happy, and there are days when you don't feel either. People's emotions are more subtle, and that's what we're aiming for with the new songs we're writing. Of course, I like the feeling of being able to scream and let all the emotions out. But I want to be able to do more than that. I don't want to be able to express only one emotion. …… I want to be able to convey all sorts of grey emotions, not simply black and white.」

● Yeah, yeah. I think your songs express a strong longing for perfect love, happiness and joy, but at the same time, I feel like there is a fear of losing such joy and happiness. 「Ah…… You know, you're exactly right! That's the problem I have with myself, or…… That's a great description of the problems that come from my depression. I see things. I notice that there's something beautiful, and already at that moment I'm like, that beauty is going away, it's gone, it's turned into something ugly! That's how I feel. When I see something wonderful, the moment I see it, I think about the end. Everything seems like that…… I can't help thinking that, all my favourite friends, they're all lovely, but one day they're going to get old. I know that's the fate of all things, but everything changes…… But that's a great insight to realise that!」

● No…… (chuckles). 「Even though I've never met them (laughs).」

● Certainly (laughs). The words ‘Bright Eyes’ appear several times in your songs. What do these words symbolise? 「Yeah. Well, I can't remember the name…… Um, I used to watch an old film channel at my parents' house. It was a very long time ago, way before the first CD came out. Yeah, I really don't even remember the title of the film, but it was an old film with, like, Humphrey Bogart in it or something. And the main character calls out to a pretty girl, ‘Bright Eyes’. "Don't worry, pretty girl. You'll be on time for the train" or something like that. And I thought that was a nice way of expressing my fondness for the girl. So I wrote a song about it. I think it was the second song on an early compilation…… I wrote a couple of other songs using the words ‘Bright Eyes’ before I decided on the band name. I think that word has everything I love in it, like beauty, youth and…… When you look into someone's eyes, they are full of life…… I think that's the image. I think it's the most wonderful thing in the world. I think that's where it comes from.」

"I think everyone is thinking, I want to leave my mark on something."

(MUSE/Matt Bellamy)

● What impact did your first encounter with music have on your life? 「I started playing piano when I was 8 or 9. I liked Ray Charles and that kind of boogie-woogie piano. I didn't learn at first, I just listened to records and imitated what I heard. Then, when I was 12 or 13, I started playing guitar. I was influenced by British indie bands like Sonic Youth and stuff like that. But until I was 16 or 17, I couldn't make up my mind whether I was going to be serious about being in a band or going to university. So I spent four or five months travelling around Europe with my acoustic guitar and I learnt a lot of different guitar playing techniques. Flamenco, traditional Italian, and Greek guitar. It was totally different from what I had been playing. So when I came back from the trip, I had a lot of new ideas. So I think that was probably my biggest musical encounter.」

● I see. This is reflected in the variety of songs on this album. You say that Nirvana's 'Nevermind' and Radiohead's 'The Bends' are your favourite albums, but you must have been 13 or 14 when you listened to those two albums. 「Yeah, that one. Well, I just wanted to say that those two albums are two classics of the 90s. And we're an extension of the succession of bands like that. They were the successors of bands like the [Sex] Pistols and the Smiths and Echo Bunny [aka Echo & the Bunnymen], and even further back, the Beatles and [Elvis] Presley. In R&R [rock n' roll], everything is inherited and evolves, and we are the new generation in that. We're just ten years younger than Nirvana and Radiohead.」

● You can feel the change in the generation. The album was produced by John Leckie. Did working with him bring new inspiration to Muse's music? 「He helped us a lot with setting up the environment and where to record. It's about creating the right atmosphere for each song. He didn't have any input into the songwriting. I think the biggest thing he's given me is the Radiohead comparisons (laughs).」

● (laughs) It's an unavoidable part of the process. What do you yourself think about that comparison? 「Um…… It's fine, isn't it? Hahaha. Because, as I said before, everything originates from somewhere and can be traced all the way back. In the end, I think it all starts from the moment a musician wants to communicate their feelings and their situation. In that sense, we have something in common with Radiohead and the other bands I mentioned earlier. We want to express what we feel as people born and raised in this era.」

● I see. So, the town you grew up in, Teignmouth, seems to be a beautiful seaside town that attracts people in the summer as a resort. Was it ‘dead’ so to speak? 「No, it's not that bad, but it's just a bit boring. There's not much to do. But I'm sure there are many, many, many other towns like that. I'm sure lots of people live a similar life. But when we moved to that town, we were 13 or 14, and of course we looked around for something interesting to do, but there was nothing, except watching TV. That's when we started playing music, and we formed a band and started rehearsing and so on. We're a bit fed up with the town because every time we go into town we get into fights. There were people who didn't like us. All I remember is violence, and I don't like it. At first glance, it looks like a peaceful town, but whenever I go out at night, I get the stink eye.」

● Is it because you're a young guy who thinks he's an artist playing in a band? 「Hahahaha! That's exactly right.」

● (laughs) Muse's music has an excessive amount of emotion and passion. What is it that drives you to create such intense music? 「I think everyone wants to express what they feel, to be understood or misunderstood by others, and in any case to leave some kind of mark. That we are here, and that we are feeling this way. I think it's part of human evolution. Whether it's art, science, or contributing to the maintenance of the system by raising children. So I think what we are doing is talking about the system and how it affects us, for better or for worse. There is a significant element of the absence of religion. Our generation is one that has grown up without a specific religion, and everyone implicitly accepts the media and television as a way of connecting with others. Part of the album is about whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, and whether technological advances are destroying us or liberating us. It's something I myself don't know the answer to.」

● I see. And you have a beautiful falsetto voice— 「Uhuhuhuhu……….」

● You don't have to be so shy (laughs). Despite this, the words you sing are harsh and sometimes even challenging. 「Yeah, yeah.」

● By releasing the darker, self-destructive side of yourself into your music— 「Eheheheheh.」

● (laughs) Do you feel like you're sort of redeemed by letting go? 「Yeah, I think the first album was definitely like that. You go deep into yourself and look at the dark side and the good side and express that. But if you succeed by expressing yourself openly like that, there's a danger. You think that if you don't do that all the time, you won't be able to go on. And then the next work goes deeper and darker. But I don't want to do that. I think it's important to know other people's emotions, not just your own, and sometimes you need to become someone else's character and express yourself from their point of view. It's dangerous to be too focused on yourself, I think it's important to look outside the cocoon that is you.」

● Yes, that's very perceptive. I'm really looking forward to the gig in March, as the live show is highly acclaimed. So, do you have a message for Japanese listeners? 「What message? Oh, hahaha… Well, the album alone is only half of us. The other half is our live shows. So if you see us live, you'll get the whole picture. I would also like to say that the message itself is all in the music.」

☆ The weeping acolytes Bright Eyes and the rising star Muse, who twist and turn on the opposite emotions. The magazine's acclaimed Hope are all coming to Japan! Bright Eyes is an in-store gig. It's a free event, so please feel free to attend. Muse's Japan show is a ticket-purchase event! We will be inviting 10 groups of 20 people, so please apply using the enclosed postcard (must arrive no later than Wednesday 16 February). This is your chance to experience first-hand their sound, which marks a moment in time that will never come again. Don't miss it!!!

Translator's Note: Was it necessary for me to translate the Bright Eyes interview? Not really. But since the article was covering both bands and I've already scanned and extracted the texts, I thought I might as well just do it anyways. It gives a nice compare and contrast about Conor and Matt.

[lavenderr-starrs]

God I love Solomon Muto so freaking much man, the ideas this event is giving me in Duel Links, of just, him going through gate to gate wanting to see all these Wonderful and unique cards and how he’s interacting with the DM gang treating them ALL as if they were his grandkids not just Yugi. They even call him grandpa which is something I just love about it in the show, because he’s not just yugis grandpa he’s a grandpa to ALL DUELISTS, Haha!

Makes me wonder over him interacting with other characters from other series because he’s just in AWE over all these cards and new summoning method, and being SUCH a grandpa for some of these kids.

Especially my fav little fucked up ones!!

He goes to learn Synchro summoning and meets Yusei and team 5ds, and them just going “Whoa! 😯 It’s the King of games Grandfather!!” , I wanna see him be all sweet with akiza, my girl needs it, and with how kind and wise he is? Girl probably gonna hold back a few tears Haha!! How he encouraged Tea/Anzu and Jou to follow their dreams in the event, is encouraging her to follow hers as well with that warm grandfather charm and support!!

Akiza: 🥹🥹🥹

Would absolutely ADORE Leo and Luna, Leo wants to show off SO badly and wants to be the one to teach him synchro summoning and Solomon is just giggling and smiling warmly at the boys antics!

Oh yeah he’s telling them embarrassing stories about Yugi, maybe pull up baby pictures, he seems like he would—

He meets Yuma and astral and Astral just adores card game grandpa, I’m just imagining him huddled up close to Solomon as he talks about old duel monster strats and old stories of his younger days and Yuma just wants to get outta there but he can’t cause Astral for some reason is so invested!!

Yuma shows off his Xyz summoning and is happily jumping all over the places by all of Solomon’s “Oohs” and “Ahhs” and his compliments to Yuma and his Dueling skills, oh wait nope, here comes bronk here to tease Yuma to Duel Grandpa about the 50 times Yuma lost to him.

But duel grandpa just gives his little hearty chuckle and gives his grandpa wisdom about how Yuma not staying down after every loss after loss just proves how strong of duelist he is or smth.

Yuma: 🥹🥹🥹

Haha! Or just him meeting shark, with him getting all grouchy and being, well, shark, tries to shoo Solomon away but he tries to get him to duel him after he learns how to Xyz summon, grandpa— as old and frail as he’s played off to be—is challenging shark, heck maybe even teasingly calling him chicken (or guppy, HA!!’) and sharks not having it, what? Kite got to throw hands with middle schoolers! So he’s allowed to throw hands with the elderly!

Whether he wins or loses Shark eventually comes to respect the old man! (Also Rio WILL be gossiping with Solomon and she WILL talk shit about shark to the Dueling grandpa)

I feel like if he met Cathy he’d be confused but supportive, “Well whatever makes you happy! Hoho! Children should be able to have fun in their own way!” Or smth like that. It needs to be said he is giving ALL of Yuma and friends old games he’d sell in his shop and shows them all how to play it ASTRAL INCLUDED ☝️ and it’s a fun little bonding time for the kiddos! They taught him Xyz Summoning he teaches them the joy of classic games!

He learns about pendulum summoning and action duels and wants to jump in on an action duel immediately!! But unfortunately Dueling grandpa isn’t a PARKOUR dueling grandpa 😔 He got them old bone hips…

But he still wishes to watch them!! Absolutely adores them!!

He meets Yuya and is just in AWE over the fact he invented pendulum summoning and just adores how upbeat and sweet the kid is!

Sylvio is just absorbing every compliments and praise from him! He wants him to watch every action duel, turbo duel, tag duel, or WHATEVER duel he performs, he wants all of his compliments and praise!!!(Listen man, old people have got to be putting SOMETHING in their compliments!! I get all giddy when someone’s grandparent compliments me bro, best feeling ever, I held the door open for this lovely grandmother this one time and she goes “Oh thank you sweetie such a lovely and kind girl you are!” I F*CKING ASCENDED MAN 😭)

Sora is indifferent to Solomon, unless he’s got that good old people candy, or just has any kind of candy in his game shop gives him +100 of his respect, especially if Solomon gives it to him for free ✊ free candy is ALWAYS sweeter.

The Vrains casts, OOOOH, my fav little fucked up bbys oh how I adore thee (and thine angsts)

Someone save the grandpa the modern meta and link summoning are gonna give him a heart attack bigger then the one Seto gave him oh god!!—

Watches one of blue angels shows and is buying merchandise and just gushing over her dueling skills and her monsters, would probably show Tea/Anzu too he definitely wants to ask Blue Angel if she’d want to sponsor his game shop XDD

He finds out about the Avatar function and IMMEDIATELY makes an Avatar of his younger days, buuuut it takes him a few hours (and yugis help) to figure out how HAHA!!

If he encounters playmaker he is so CONFUSED over Ai at first, but instantly adores him and joins him on his jokes and gags, treats Ai respectfully and as a person too.

Ai would call him Grandpap’s or some funny lil nickname for Mr. Muto, Adores how Solomon will take his side! And he’ll just go “Yeah you heard him! Respect your elders!” HAHA, he’s just behind Solomon’s shoulder with the SMUGEST face his little creature face can pull.

I’m imagining if He witnesses one of Playmaker and Ais classic banters I could see him going “Now, Now son, that’s no way to talk to your partner!”

“Huh?- i- uh-“

“YEAH PLAYMAKER, That’s no way to talk to your partner >:3” <- I can HEAR the smug tone in this LMAO

Soulburner is very respectful to Solomon, and Solomon will talk about his grandson and his friends to him telling him how he reminds him of some of yugis friends. I could definitely see Soulburner respectfully try to help him learn how to ride a duel board, Sol tech has got to have made easy beginner areas for speed dueling. right?

Tell him about the lost incident and he is going on an adoption speedrun 💕

No joke, I want to witness Solomon Muto VERBALLY BERATE Dr. Kogami’s bitch ass 💕💗😘 He is kicking his ass in the after life (JUMP HIS ASS GRANDPA GET HIS SHOES ☝️🗣️🗣️🗣️)

Speaking of which, I want him to give Ryoken a FULL ASS GRANDPARENT LECTURE. Ryoken is reluctantly forced to be lectured and have this impromptu therapy session with someone’s grandparent and it’s working, because it’s Solomon Muto people where did you think Yugi got his kindness and wisdom from? He finna shape this boy with kindness the same way Yugi shaped Yami/Atem with kindness! 😤

And once again he still wants to learn about all these new cards and what not and im just adoring the fact that if he ever were to meet spectre and learn about his Sunavalons and if spectre were to bring up his mother tree and his attachment to his Cards/Momster (hehe get it-)

Solomon would not judge, he’d completely understand, he would talk to spectre about his Blue eyes card how much it meant to him, (and of course about the heart of the cards! )He knows his connection and attachment to his beloved blue eyes card isn’t the same as his attachment to his sunavalon tree’s but he understands where spectre is coming from and how he feels and he also shares that same feeling he’d felt when his sunavalon tree would be destroyed just like how when Seto ripped up his bwd.

Spectre:🥹🥹🥹

HAHA, had to lol-

Anyways that’s just my little word ramble and thoughts~ does it make sense? No. Does it have proper grammar? No. Did I just wanna ramble about a grandpa in a card game Whos literally just an old guy princess peach? Yes. I like Solomon Muto 👍 HAHA, anyway back to murdering people with trickstars to duel the grandpa teehee~ 💕

[dezimaton]

musing to myself "ah, it's nice I can interact with some other artists for once during artfight for the month of july"

then I realized, it doesn't need to be just july

I could try to add more interactive activities to my art blog

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it dawned upon me that my current mode of posting is pretty un-interactive. I just draw what i like, then post it into the abyss that is the internet. sometimes I get some really sweet tags(and oh how I wish to vigorously shake the hand of some users that consistently brighten my day), but ultimately they're one-way messages: me to them and them to me

I would like to encourage more of a back-and-forth, a dialogue, since that's what I miss the most from the old internet before the current state of social media: I miss talking with people! exchanging goodies! appreciating ocs and sharing my own!

I don't think I'll be able to recreate that environment, but I can at least try my best to cultivate the energy

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so I brainstormed

art trades + compliments

freeform + meme commissions

oc asks + doodle responses

(open to suggestions if anyone has ideas!)

there are reasons why I don't do these presently, but I think perhaps in a limited capacity they are worth trying to see how it feels

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to elaborate-

art trades & commissions: I love drawing for other people! I love seeing everyone's varied ocs and their unique lore! and I love seeing people smile when they're handed a little art treat

artist-request-fatigue permitting, I could, would, and have spent my free time drawing for others for a good couple of years

The downside is that I end up neglecting my own characters. So sometime on my art journey I decided to distance myself from trades and comms to allow space for personal work

This decision freed me up to fall into an obscure fandom and end up STILL only sparsely drawing my own ocs. (oops!) But I don't regret the time I spent hellswording. I met a lot of good people and made a number close friends that I still talk to

So I'm thinking at a low frequency of once a month, I could try to do a little art trading/comms while retaining the rest of my free time for my own art (and life things that aren't drawing haha!)

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oc asks + responses: this one is a two pronged 'why not'

first one is, admittedly, that writing and characterization are a major weak point of mines

For the longest time my characters were design-only. I could assign them a profession and vaguely imagine a world they exist in, but I could not wrap my head around what personality they'd have and how they'd react to things- their likes and dislikes- how they'd interact with others (such vital stuff!)

After my stint in addhell, reading a great deal of fanfiction (and scuffily writing baby's first fics), I only recently started to grasp how to imagine an interaction and setup a scene

I'm still weak in this area which makes me hesitate, unsure I'd be able to answer oc asks definitively, but I think the /trying/ is part of the process of figuring them out

It's kind of silly, but I have this worry of answering one way then later deciding it's no longer accurate. Slowly trying to accept the idea that my word need not be law forever. I am not a company trying to maintain a consistent depiction. My ocs are allowed to grow with me and I am permitted to change my mind (because doing so too- is discovery in a way)

-

The second wrench in the gears is that most of my ocs are positively ancient! dating back to 2013 (holy shit, the time really does pass) I still love them dearly, but their designs and stories are, as one would expect, outdated

I have not revisited their lore because while they have potential, they're so scattered (1-2 per verse...) and so bare bones I'd need to invest a lot of energy to flesh them out. the ideas will remain at the back of my mind, but I don't plan to work on them anytime soon. As such, they aren't well suited for oc asks since I don't have much depth to scratch at

Of the new guys, I have Tive! my cute lil sona! pngtuber for streams! and overall representative stand-in for socials. I don't intend to do anything with him other than draw him for fun, so he is free to meme! He has a little story packed with visuals I like, so I'd be happy to share more about him

The other 5 characters that I really want to share but haven't are for bhg. This is a little rpghorror game I want to make! Because they're involved in a story I want to tell (but try not spoil), as well as the project being very slow moving with just me working on it- I feel there is a low risk to sharing them at this stage

I've been working on them for the past year or so. My goal was to design them as a group so they complement each other in look, theming, and personality (trying to cook up fun interactions). It was a lot of effort going back n forth between characters, making multiple revisions, but I think I'm finally at 90% complete! I have a well balanced looking cast that I feel rather proud of

Lately I've turned my attention back to trying to assemble the slew of potential themes/scenes together into a reasonable timeline. Once again, writing is not my strong suit so boy am I feeling The Difficulty

pros

answering oc asks may help me figure their personalities better & iron out kinks in the visual designs as i doodle them

its a half-baked storytelling method, but not without merit- if i end up never finishing the game (I want to believe in myself though)

it'll be fun!

cons

answering asks may detract energy from development (but I'm not always motivated so this might not be so bad if i do it during muse downtime)

risk of AI datascraping/idea respinning before I can finish my vision

So- I think I can answer asks for Tive for sure! It feels a little lonely for him to be the only character up for questions, so I'll stew over some more whether I want to introduce and include bhg crew. I do want to try at least once though!

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If you've made it this far down this long ramble, wow. thank you for listening to me rave like a madman haha

After this year's artfight comes to a close on Aug3 (it was extended), I hope you'll consider chattering with me once I write up how the trades/comms will work. I've thought out an easygoing system that i hope will be fun and low stress ✨

[raveninchains]

"Please," she said, "it's hardly a bother..."

Hello there, little crow. You will call me Victor or nothing at all. I'm trying to find others with the same.. interests... as myself.

You need not know of my personal life, but it wouldn't hurt to tell you all a little about me.

I'm 28 years old and have a Master Degree in Creative Writing. I read frequently as it's the most mentally stimulating thing I can do.

I'm mostly into poetry due to it's free nature and lack of rules. I don't like being held down by frivolous things. I do enjoy a good movie too, I suppose, but it's rare I interact with such media.

I will speak to you if spoken to but do not expect much out of myself first. I'm quite fine in my little corner, thank you.

Feel free to talk or ask me about... whatever the youth does these days. I've not explored out for a while and don't quite understand everything that's new. I will listen. Or I won't. You won't know either way.

"The company's quite nice on crimson nights like these."

OOC IS UNDER HERE!

hello everyone, haha this is my first time doing a rp blog! i am rooster, my main account is @tessriss and i hope you guys like my son victor :)

dont be afraid to be gross and gory and bloody with me, i love that kind of stuff and definitely encourage it with victor, he doesnt mind it. you can also flirt with victor if you want (please limit it to if you're 18+ please, i'm an adult. no in-depth sexual stuff)! PLEASE keep in mind that any interactions i do that are negative/mean are just victor as he is very rude... i will put an ooc tag if i actually mean anything i promise!

um to be honest with you all, ive never really watched any of the big saw movies but i watched saw 0.5 and the scott tibb's documentary with my friend dew... i understand the traps and stuff but he will be there to guide me if you guys want to be more in-detail

ps: i might add some more stuff here like his trap or ref it depends on how i feel... this is all very stressful haha

i should probably make some tags...

#🐦‍⬛- mod talk = just me, rooster, talkin

#🐦‍⬛ - crow queries = answers to asks

#🐦‍⬛ - victor's dealings = victor talking to other people

#🐦‍⬛ - murder squabbles = just him talking by himself

[melodic-haze]

PERSONAL INFORMATION...

☆ Name: Skye or Haze, idm!!!

☆ Biometrics: 18 years old, 15th June

☆ Identity: Girlflux lesbian, she/they

☆ Extras: colourblind :'), musician, intp, born 🇵🇭 and raised 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 HAHAHA, my faves are Miko and Robin 🫶🫶, I fear I cannot start a convo to save my LIFE

PROHIBITED ENTRIES...

☆ Basic DNI criteria (homophobic, sexist, racist, etc.) in a serious context

☆ Don't expect me to be/want to be involved in anything political 🫶

☆ Other than that, I don't really care! If you're a weirdo or I don't like you then like bye, simple as that

☆ I trust that the people who read/interact my NSFW works are at least mature enough to handle mature content. Not saying you have to be 18+ but like. Please be sensible 😞

BEFORE YOU GO...

☆ I cuss a lot that it's actually atrocious lol

☆ Please be aware that I am verbally hypersexual on this blog, and a lot of my chatter posts may frequently talk of its related subjects (and are untagged). If you are uncomfortable with any direct interactions with you (eg. flirting) then please say so, though I prefer not to start anything until the other person does

☆ I love dark humour!! And I do joke threats a lot, especially to friends/moots/anons HAHA so if you don't like it when aimed at you (esp the second one) then please do tell me to tone it down :3 I don't wanna scare you lot away :(

☆ I yap a lot. You might see me repeating things like more than twice and it could get very annoying 💀 or I'll be talking about my thirst thoughts idk

☆ I can be VERY sarcastic and/or dry, and it doesn't help that I don't really use tone tags on the daily so PLEASE don't take what I say seriously unless I say otherwise bc I promise it's not that deep

I HOPE WE CAN GET ALONG!!! Please don't be afraid to interact with me and everything! If anything, I encourage it 🙏🙏🙏

No seriously I'm bored as hell and I like to yap please let me yap 😞

[nymphrasis]

Decided to answer a few asks at once, instead of one for today ;;w;;

Also part of me wishes that I could have these fellas introduced ( Not in ask-abomination. Just moreso their own stories mayhaps? ). Since Ive had the ideas of them for a very long time now but have not done anything with it yet ;;w;;. I remember wanting to make emotes of them at some point. I think I have made a blog of them but never really started on it yet because haha I got nervous >w<""".

It is these four ( Artist credit below ): Akika Sasaki ( Lopunny / Hatterene / Blissey )

Zarathos Zyllar ( Lucario / Zoroark / Bisharp / Zamazenta )

Li Jing ( Gardevoir / Swanna / Primarina / Alolan Ninetales )

Kusunoki Nishimura ( Mawile / Roserade )

( Although I still debate if I replace Kusunoki with Jinkuro or just make it a 5 member party instead of 4. This is Jinkuro btw! No last name has been planned, as ideas are poo ;w;! Grimmsnarl x Doublade x Alolan Marowak )

( Artist credits btw for 1,2,3, and 5 are https://www.deviantart.com/collywobblies and 4 is https://toyhou.se/BlueNoelle )

I had ideas for them and they were intended to be my practice for writing and story building ;;w;;! There was even going to be an introduction to the power of megas and dynamaxing! I even made this back in 2022, as a way where there is a discussion of immerse uncontrollable power to have when two items are combined!

( Be it I did adjusted the ideas since then x3 )

There are ideas of guilds! Inspiration are moreso from animes I've watched xd! These five are part of one! I haven't have full character rosters yet for the guild they are in, because these particular characters I keep bouncing between this and of another story ( But I dont feel like they belong to said other story. I feel like they belong to this one, but I've never fully established it because its been on and off ;;w;; )! The following are here:

Tartarus ( Gallade / Aegislash / Darkrai / Corviknight by https://www.deviantart.com/collywobblies )

Zaros ( Darkrai / Yveltal / Hisuian Zoroark https://toyhou.se/Kyatra )

Athena ( Gardevoir / Guzzlord. Not meant to be part of the guild btw! She is one of the antagonists! By https://toyhou.se/RaccoonSaloon )

Imelda ( Lucario / Marowak. By @sphaeramjourney )

Zakeal ( Morgrem. By https://toyhou.se/MiranKaza )

Kaitlyn ( Incineroar / Blissey / Machamp. By https://www.deviantart.com/bluescienceisbest )

Ezekiel ( Gallade / Volbeat. By https://toyhou.se/MiranKaza )

Damoclios ( Armarouge x Ceruledge )

Why am I suddenly bringing this up? Well... A friend recently dm'd me, asking of these characters and said how they miss hearing how happy I talk of these particular ocs, how I've always wanted to make a practice writing-base ask blog of them, and want to send these stinkers to others ask boxes just to faun over how my ocs interact with theirs ( and they meant these in particular because, uh... Well... I admittedly talk to this friend of how I'd imagine how others ocs interact with my ocs base on the asks I imagined -/////-. Can you tell that I obsess about this community but feel too shy about it? ) because this was brought back to me and even encouraged to try to give this idea another go ( This time not feel afraid ), I have just been overall debating about it ;;w;; If I do try it, I will at least need to fill up the main guild missing roles. Like... I don't have a guild leader to this story yet xd. I have yet to decide on species. Ofc the blog will focus on bipedal and anthros pwp. No ferals this time around! ( This does not mean ferals dont exist in my world for this! They do, but are very rare! Even rarer if it is a non-hybrid feral! ) I will have to replan an intro because uh... I've forgotten the old one xd. I didnt had it saved anywhere. But this does mean pausing the Kuruna blog, just to not overwhelm myself pwp

Part of me worries about whether this would even have any interests ;;w;;. Like yeah I will have fun and writing practice, that is priority! Just unsure if anyone would like this too ;;w;;

aaaaaa Also hope y'all didnt mind my little oc talk! I do miss brain rotting about my ocs but not sure if any is interested to hear ;;w;;

[danpuff-ao3]

Ending Mutuals March on a very special note. PI, @perverse-idyll, my longtime writing crush, and now my friend.

It was love at first sight when The White Road was first posted. I can't remember when I first read it, but it was around the time it was posted for sure. And I've read that fic every year since. At least once a year, if not more. By the time I read When the Rose and the Fire Are One I knew it was true love!

PI's stories have been deeply meaningful to me for a long time. And I have always admired her skill. Prose? Gorgeous, stunning, perfect. With great knowledge and great passion she strings words into gorgeous treasures. Raw stones left to their rough glory, or shaped and shined as needed. Not only a gifted wordsmith, but a wise and empathetic person who understands the human condition, and the complexities of emotion. Someone with great love for beloved characters, but also great understanding. Love born of understanding, which is everything I long for!

We love the same characters, and the same OTP. She does such justice to these characters, and their dynamic. She's always written Snarry exactly how I needed it. I have treasured her works for many years, and they have been my favorites for many years. Of course, in those earlier days I was much too shy to let her know just what her works meant to me.

Then, in recent years, I had my first interaction with PI. On Reddit, of places. I recced one of her fics and she responded to it which blew my mind a bit, since her Reddit name isn't perverse_idyll, lol! So...I tried to be chill, which if you know me, you know how hard that is! Me, but an overenthusiastic fangirl trying not to scare off her faves, haha! If I remember correctly, I finally set about drafting a comment on The White Road not long after that. Long overdue that one!

Then...time went on. During a very rough period with an old fandom group, I turned to PI's works for comfort. And in November 2021, the same month I left that old fandom group, PI's episode on @fanficmaverickpodcast (Ep. 25 interview) was released!

I was over the moon excited to listen to it! But the sort of excited that meant I couldn't dive in right away. I had to run around and squeal a bit and settle myself down in order to listen. It is a long episode, two and a half hours long, but well worth it! The host, ChaosBlue, is a dear friend of mine now, and a very professional and charming host. And perverse_idyll was a fantastic guest, with so much insight and enthusiasm for fandom and for writing. 10/10 recommend it. I ran around and shared the episode everywhere I could.

And then...Reddit. PI shared the episode on Reddit, with encouragement for others to reach out to ChaosBlue to do their own episode. And...I did! God, that's a whole other post in of itself and how amazing ChaosBlue is, but basically...I felt pretty audacious! I had to work myself up quite a bit to reach out. And as hard as it was to reach out, I don't think I'd have found the courage to even think about it without PI's little note. It both inspired and comforted me. And doing my own interview for the podcast was such a great (and terrifying!) experience that I'm glad I did. (See: ep. 32 Interview)

From there...it came over time. PI was so kind and supportive about my interview. I found the bravery to reach out to her directly at some point. And though she is quite the busy lady, she is always so giving of her time and energy in responding when she can! PI is such an encouraging, generous, compassionate, supportive spirit. One I feel very blessed to know. She has so much clear respect and admiration for other creators. So much love and dedication to fandom, however busy or wild life may be.

Other fandom experiences reminded me of why they say to never meet your heroes. But PI spared me from being too wary of folk. PI is an excellent reminder that, sometimes, the creators we admire are even better humans.

PI's works were so meaningful to me for so long. And PI as a person has just as much impact! Thank you for being my friend, PI. Thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for all that you give to fandom; for all that you create, and all the support you give. And thank you most of all for being there for me. And showing such kindness and gentleness in times I needed it most, whether you knew it or not.

Here's to you, my friend. Time for me to wipe my eyes and drop some recs! Maybe by the end we'll have forgotten what an emotional mess I am LOL.

The Afterlight

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Work in progress. Background case. Mutual pining. Friends with benefits. Denial of feelings. Angst. Hurt/comfort. Eventual happy ending.

Y'all cannot know how thrilled I was when PI posted a new fic. This one! And though it's only just begun, I already feel in my bones it will be a new favorite! PI as ever provides Snarry exactly the way I love it!

After surviving the Battle of Hogwarts, a long convalescence, and a short trial, Snape walks free and promptly vanishes from Wizarding society. Six years pass before he shows his face again. A lot can change in six years, and a romantically disillusioned and inebriated Harry hits Snape up for a friends-with-benefits arrangement. After all, they share an experience most people have never had: they both know what it's like to be dead. Their liaison works surprisingly well until Harry's reckless behaviour as an Auror leads to unethical practices and personal calamities, and things start to fall apart.

Candles Lit Against the Dark

Minerva/Wilhelmina. Minor Harry/Severus. Rated: G. Words: 13,585. Old friends. Postwar. Heavy drinking. Fond bickering. Snapecase 2023.

Many feelings. Very realistic and bittersweet. With all of the realism of life, for all of its rough edges, uneven paths, and the love found along the way.

It's been a few months since Minerva's retirement, and she'd promised Wil a dinner out. Before she knows it, friends start turning up on her doorstep and then at the pub, not least among them a certain spy who came in from the cold.

In Infinite Remorse of Soul | And Mine the Gall

Albus/Severus. Harry/Severus. Revenge. Obsession. D/s undertones. Afterlife. Incest (ish.) Dub-con. Twisted love.

I am obsessed. This is dark and fucky and weird and wonderful and gorgeous. The sequel, And Mine the Gall, features one of the lines that has most haunted out of every fic I've read. Love it love it love it!

Albus Dumbledore never makes the same mistake twice. Certainly not in love.

No Room for the Weak

Eileen POV. Rated: T. Words: 10,444. Dysfunctional family. Mindfuck. Pre-Snarry.

Love love love love love this. Some Snape family history. Eileen is great. Very fascinating look at the woman who bore and raised Severus.

There's a Boy Who Lived and a boy who didn't, and even a mother can't always tell them apart.

The Son

Regulus POV. Rated: T. Words: 5,422. Unhappy families.

First there were two sons. Then there was one.

Warm

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 11,323. PWP. Fluff & smut.

PWP feels wrong for this. So much sensuality and tenderness and good god the LOVE here. Also, I'm sorry, but Harry and Severus existing as themselves basically is plot, but I digress....PI says it's PWP so it's PWP. I'm not going to argue with her!

Severus still suffers the after-effects of Nagini's venom, especially in winter. Harry knows just how to warm him up.

When the Rose and the Fire Are One

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 81.619. Confinement. Dysfunctional Relationships. Spinner's End. Dubious consent. Sex magic.

Cool magic stuff. The best OC I've ever met (Odile, my beloved.) Ideas of Spinner's End and Eileen Snape that have lived in my head ever since. Big angst and fuckery. Great characters. Great relationship development. Everything is just...A+, chef's kiss, amazing.

Harry's haunted by guilt. Snape's warded by roses. Each must free the other in order to free himself.

The White Road

Lily POV. Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 47,877. Afterlife. Romance. Redemption. Voyeurism. Incestuous vibes.

Longtime favorite. One of the first fics that fully blew me away. I read this and thought "this does not belong on the internet, this belongs on a bookshelf."

One day, comfortably set up in the afterlife, Lily Evans Potter switches on the telly and gets hooked on the Harry Potter show.

for an explanation about Mutuals March, or to figure out why i wrote you a thing, please check out this post.

[masschase]

Here's my OTP playlist again with full explanations of each song.

Bitch with a Keyboard, Asshole With a Gun: Matt and Casey's Journey

There is mention of nsfw stuff but I've kept it pretty vague tbh.

Wicked Game (Chris Isaak): I used the original of this because I already have a HIM song on this playlist. Still considering switching to the Stone Sour version. I know it's probably a cliché choice. But I felt like I needed a starter if this was going to be a cohesive journey. From Matt's side this reflects the fact Casey both spared his life and saved him from the simulation first. For Casey it represents that moment a couple of weeks into being on the ship when they've just had sex and they're just joking around together. She looks into his eyes and as I've said before, she sees a dangerous potential there and realises they just can't do this again. She has important world-saving shit to do and she can't just go falling in love with anyone. So she rambles out the rule about not sleeping with anyone on the ship more than once, and she sticks to it when more of her friends come aboard. Thing is, once those months have passed, everyone's like oh yeah, we all had that one time with the Boss, and doesn't think much of it. Matt is probably the only one who still thinks about that rule a lot, for obvious reasons. He has no idea he's the reason it exists.

Secretly (Skunk Anansie): This is really representative of the kind of mid-portion of their friendship before romantic feelings develop. When Matt in particular is trying his best *not* to be attracted to her (by the way the scene with him and Johnny regarding this is one of my favourite things ever ever ever I love their bond) but Casey keeps absent-mindedly telling him shit about how much she'd like to be pinned to the bed by a dirty talking Austen hero type and that sort of thing. 😅 Also kind of works from the opposite perspective. Matt wants to be with Asha so really he should be steering clear of Casey but he just... doesn't manage to. Honestly when I said a while ago I worry I portray Matt as a bit of a dick, it's this sort of thing I mean 😅

Dreaming Of You (The Coral): This could be an innocent enough song but thanks to Scrubs I associate it heavily with sex, plus with the kind of tempo it has... I tie it together with the feverish results of the interactions I mentioned in connection with the previous song. I don't know what the correct term is for "a captain and lieutenant listening to each other erm.... enjoying themselves through a wall and getting encouraged by each others noises" other than "inappropriate".

Right Here In My Arms (HIM): I really associate HIM with Matt; I feel like he has a bigass heartagram belt buckle hidden somewhere in his old flat, haha. Anyway, this is their friendship a little later on. "So hard she's trying, But her heart won't turn to stone" is very very Casey and this whole song is representative of the way she keeps returning to him despite the fact it's inadvertently leading to her falling for him.

Surrender (Billy Talent): I've said before how much the second verse reminds me of them "Even though I know what I'm looking for, She's got a brick wall behind her door, I'd travel time and confess to her, But I'm afraid she'd shoot the messenger.". It's very representative of both when Matt gets to the pining, unrequited (ok not really) love stage with Casey as well as the whole time travel plot and how that plays out. Also I just want to talk about the line "She wonders why I'm always in a good mood" because like... I constantly think about Casey thinking "Matt's secretly such a sweet funny guy, I wonder why not everyone sees it?" and it's like... he's comfortable around you my dude. He's happy and can be himself. His socially awkward has stopped socially awkwarding and that's why he doesn't need that egotistical facade.

Gunslinger (Avenged Sevenfold): for that period of time they are really missing each other during my fic. It was playing when they were bonding in Camden a year previously and Pierce complains that Casey starts listening to it over and over when Matt is gone. The bit that captures her is "I won't question why so many have died, My prayers have made it through yeah, 'Cause with all these things we do, It don't matter when I'm coming home to you."

Demolition Lovers (My Chemical Romance): This could really be placed higher or lower but it mostly makes me think of if Matt and the younger Casey really did go and do some "Bonnie and Clyde sorta shit" or really did run away together after the party. But it also makes me think of any situation of them running off and dying together. Which happens more often than you'd think.

Gone Too Soon (Simple Plan): Pretty much this whole album (Get Your Heart On) reminds me of the thing between 2022 Matt and 2016 Casey, and the band has links to both of their teen years in my hc. But this is the song they dance to and it has heavy foreshadowing for the next couple of chapters.

Last Dance (The Cure): It plays right after the previous song but they don't get to dance to it in 2016. That's really supposed to symbolise that this is not the end for them. But it sums up so much of the way I see Casey waiting nervously the night they finally get together, and they dance to it that night too. I've said this before but a lot of The Cure songs remind me of them.

Undisclosed Desires (Muse): This to me is very representative of their sexual relationship but also of the fact that even before they are together Matt begins to see more to Casey than the typical perception of her.

Running (No Doubt): This song is so them to me. The fact it's No Doubt makes me think of Casey, the fact it sounds like chiptune makes me think of Matt. The fact they do make this agreement that for the sake of their survival they will run instead of fighting when needed. Matt's surprise that she chose him of all people. Casey's fear that she'll fuck this up somehow. But the fact that they have each other through it all. I'd say it's between this and Last Dance for 'their' song, but I feel like this is the one that they'd think of as their song.

Deathbeds (Bring Me The Horizon): OK, admittedly, I have a load of songs on the longer playlist that could go here (I Will Follow You Into The Dark, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out etc.). But I feel like this one is a really good representative of that feeling of "I strongly believe we might end up dying together but I'm still never going to leave you.".

House on the Hill (The Pretty Reckless): It's a little more sombre than it should be for how I picture their future/endgame but nonetheless a lot of it relates. The way it starts with "Somewhere in the end of all this hate" relating to how they first crossed paths. The fact that what Matt manages to pull off more or less allows them to settle down by hiding/fading away, at least for a while. I'll eventually do a long post on what that entails for those who haven't read my fic but suffice to say it links back to themes from the first game of Aisha's name persisting through her music but her fake death protecting her. Nonetheless, the Saints are going to be forever and the next generation will inevitably get dragged in which is where "Until they drink the wine and they will, they will" comes into it.

Always (Killswitch Engage): I just wanted to end on a more optimistic note and sum up that although they are never going to *quite* have a traditional happily ever after, they will always have each other. Their love is eternal.

❤💜💙

[sidesteppostinghours]

also 2 for cyrus, 10 for caine, 14 for cecilia annnnd… 23 for cynthia please 😌

round 2 baby!!! lets go!!

2. What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them?

hmmm,,,, i think people would be surprised to find out how patient he is. his style is grungy and during retribution he purposefully made himself look off-putting/aggressive to discourage people interacting with him, but hes more tolerant of nonsense than he comes across. i mean,, you kind of have to be to be friends with ortega for as long as he has. its just that when he loses his patience, he loses his patience. oh, and i also think people wouldnt initially guess how flirty he is, but hes trained for that stuff! he knows hes pretty, and its an easy way to garner connections. hes the type to casually slip an innuendo into a sentence with a completely straight face and move on to leave the other person wondering if he meant it like That. again, another reason hes managed to live with ortega for so long.

10.What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

my aus for cyrus, ceci, and cynthia: oooo wouldnt it be fun if i changed this or put them in that cute little scenario? haha!

my aus for caine: ok so how else do i psychologically torture this man.

there are. So many aus i have of him where every event is nearly the same up until a singular point that changes the trajectory of the rest of the story. but personally, im partial to the one where ortega doesnt find him in the diner, and instead they get discovered by chen during the dog park. its a Fuck ton of fun because it involves chen and caine building the most awkward camaraderie, chen lying to ortega even more (because you bet your ass caine would be begging him not to tell ortega that hes alive), and probably the worst way to reunite with your dead best friend: finding them walking out of your nemesis layer, getting them caught in a car crash, and having them be kidnapped before you get a chance to have a singular conversation with them. all three of them are having So much fun over there.

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

as both cecilia and lupin, shes always seen as friendly and a little untouchable, and thats exactly how she likes it. it makes it easier to talk to other people while giving herself a modicum of protection from anybody who might think to go against her. not to mention, being feared and loved at the same time is doing Wonders for her ego, and only encourages her to play more into the role that she cultivated for herself.

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

oh definitely anger. on both counts. she was always taught that anger would land her in trouble, that it was too destructive of an emotion. in both the farm and hero work, it was discouraged. she well and truly doesnt know what to do with all the rage shes been given, so she just. represses it. maybe express it in the form of sadness, since that comes easier to her. heartbreak giving her the revenge scar dug up those feelings as a persistent itch, so when the good old fashion repression stops working, she turns the rage inwards. this is what healthy and moral people do, she is sure of it.

questions from here!

[kquil]

🧁 — character shipping !

im in university, and I’m majoring in political science. im very extroverted but don’t like being forced to talk to people, and I’m very stubborn and probably have minor anger issues, but I keep them in control most of the time. im an ESFP and im a virgo, im an avid reader, and i speak seven languages including english.

im a ravenclaw, id like to say im very adventurous and don’t let fear stop me from doing anything scary/cool, and my love language is physical/acts of service. i love to cook, i love spicy ramen, and im a perfectionist who likes keeping everything neat all the time. my aesthetic is probably old academia/preppy princess.

i love love wearing skirts, big fat cardigans, and cozy socks. my makeup style is soft and light, ( no eyeliner, lots of pink/blue eyeshadow and mascara ).

im straight and a cisgender female, and i love going to the library, cafes, and boba shops.

thank you !

goodness, reading about you, i feel like we could become great friends haha! we have so many things in common! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ nevertheless, thank you for celebrating my milestone event with me and im so sorry for taking so long to deliver on it!

i ship you with, Sirius Black 

i. it's funny how you don’t like being forced to talk to other people because that was exactly how you met sirius. As a result, the two of you got off on the wrong foot but because the two of you had mingling friendship groups, you saw each other often and were forced to interact often and eventually…eventually sirius started noticing how fun it was talking to you and how similar the two of you were to each other when it came to doing things spontaneously despite the dangers, in fact, the two of you got closer because you did something together that the rest of your friendship group were too hesitant to do that being playing on a swing that looked to be 100 years old. 

ii. you and sirius often talk together in french (let's pretend that french is one of the languages you speak!) and end up giggling with each other over the inside jokes the two of you have in french. your friends just look on, rolling their eyes but grinning at how adorable you two are together; as much as they hate you two giggling over something they can’t giggle along to as well, they love the fact that you two were having so much fun more.

iii. however, as much as the two of you have your sweet moments together, that can’t be said when you two have an argument because you’re both as stubborn as the other. you quickly got into the routine of walking away from each other to cool down before returning to reconcile later on when you’re both level headed again. when you return to each other, you both feel so guilty and always end up cuddling in silence but comfort as well, sharing a loving kiss every once in a while. the first time you had a major argument, you two had to walk away from each other to calm down after saying some things that didn’t need to be said. and when you finally reconciled the next day, you had taken the time to bake sirius cookies to apologise and he vowed to sort his anger issues from then on, encouraged by the swell of affection in his heart for you.

iv. as a perfectionist, you appreciate sirius for also being neat. you assumed that he would be pretty messy or keep his room relatively disorganised but he was habitually very neat and tidy because of his upbringing. you appreciated his habits but kissed him every time you saw him actively tidying up his space or organising his things in his environment, slowly replacing his bad memories at home and reinforcing his tidy habits with kinder, more loving memories instead. 

v. aesthetics wise, you and sirius appear as exact opposites, sirius with his biker bad boy appearance, clad in black leather, belts, spikes and unconventional accessories. and then there’s you with your old academia and preppy princess fashion. exact opposites. but sirius adores your aesthetics; he thinks you look adorable, elegant and feminine. and his absolute most favourite thing to do, whenever you wear one of your fat cardigans, he likes to reach under it and wrap his arms around your waist and press his face into your neck for cuddles.

vi. and even though you look amazing in your skirts, he’s always extra cautious when there are other guys around and will subtly cover you so you don’t accidentally flash anyone. he wants you to be able to wear whatever you want comfortably without anyone making you feel uncomfortable or violated in any way. you don’t really realise what he’s doing at first but when you do, you can’t help the smile that stretches across your face and you get into the habit of kissing him sweetly every time he does a gesture like that for you. 

vii. another thing sirius loves doing is watching you do your makeup, you look beautiful before and after but watching you elegantly put your makeup on and put so much care into it made him want to stare. and he would stare all while smiling like a complete goofy, heart in his eyes and a dopey air about him. the best thing about it is that whenever you catch him doing that, you would finish up and then pull him into a soft kiss to snap him out of it — you two have become the lovey dovey couple he used to poke fun at hehe~

viii. also! because of you, sirius has discovered spicy ramen and boba and he will be forever grateful for that. whenever you two would go around muggle london together, your first stop would always be your favourite boba tea place before you both stoked up on your favourite spicy ramen. on cold winter nights, where the two of you found it hard to sleep, you would religiously meet in the kitchens, cook some ramen and eat it together. 

1K MILESTONE EVENT : CLOSED | NAVI.

[arysthaeniru]

Hi !! For the ask game, breath of the wild for fandom and zelink for ship 🧐

Breath of the Wild!

Favourite character

I love Riju! I can't help it, I see a child forced to be a leader of her people, left with the burden of the dead on her shoulders and unable to do her task without help, but it too proud to admit it to her people, so she has to rely on an outsider....and I adopt them. It's the same reason Taya and Capella are my faves in Pathologic, haha. But also Riju's remarkably good-spirited about her whole deal, her oracle sand-seal Patricia who only speaks in puns, and a town of adult women who are entirely reliant on her.

Least Favourite Character

Revali. I wish there was a little more going on with this bird to justify his attitude beyond simple jealousy/rivalry, and I've seen some great fanon elaborations on him that I've really enjoyed (esp. regarding his friendship with Zelda, which I've fully accepted into my wheelhouse), but if we're going strictly off canon, he's not got a lot going on, and I wish there was a little more!

OH, but also Purah. Not in terms of her characterization necessarily, but how much she's coded to appeal to the worst types of gamers. First she's my beloathed trope of immortal loli, and then she's THE main fanservice in ToTK as aged up basic sexy girl, and everything about her design and everything squicks me out terribly. She and Robbie are so much fun in Hyrule Warriors, but I hate interacting with her within the BOTW/TOTK timeline, because you always have to deal with all that nonsense.

5 Favourite Ships

This is hard! I don't really ship too many people in Breath of the Wild? I find the world so much more interesting, but like.

Ganon/Link/Zelda - The beating heart of the series and their fascinating/godly destiny/duty ties them altogether, and although BOTW/TOTK outright refuse to give Ganon anything even vaguely resembling a character, I still think it's intriguing! I have so many ideas swirling in my head about how you could only have to tweak a few memories to make Ganon a more justified villain in TOTK that would actually make this compelling.

Cece/Lasli - Fashion lesbians! I think Lasli's practicality would clash interestingly with Cece being a diva, it would be a disaster, but also quite cute, I think! There's of course, the tragedy of Lasli's dead ex inbetween them, that's always fun to explore.

Riju/Yunobo - This is my weird crackship that I really developed while playing the spinoff, Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity. Their relationship to their mentors is very similar, their hangups about leadership and their place in their community is very similar, and they both love zooming across the game map. They are also very similar in age! If you play the games in Japanese, where we don't have the weird surfer dub for Yunobo, Yunobo and Riju are both 13 years old, and they're both very endearing.

Paya/Tauro - I love how genuinely positive and cute they are in ToTK! I'm so glad that Paya moved on from her crush on Link and instantly found somebody who actually validates her scholarly and leadership skills everyday, and encourages her to be her best self. They have a fun banter.

Koltin/Loone - Another fun little crackship! The girl who's obsessed with leviathans and guardians, and Koltin, THE monster guy. He knows everything about monsters and thinks they're misunderstood! I feel like they would get along. It's a shame we can't hook them up in-game.

Character I find Attractive

Ganondorf. Duh. He's a handsome man.

Character I would Marry

Teba seems like a good husband and dad. Also he's just very cool, haha. Or maybe Purah? I feel like we'd probably get along.

Character I would be Best Friends With

Gosh, probably Sidon! He's very supportive and nice. I feel like I would thrive with that sort of energy in my life. And I could help him be a better leader. Or Purah and/or Robbie, they're very hectic and manic but real dedicated to their work, and I am nothing at heart, if no a workaholic myself, lol.

Unpopular Opinion

I've seen more consensus agree with me lately, as the hype around ToTK has started to fade away, but I'm very frustrated by the Zonai and the way they handled that! It's so frustrating to see Zelda, whose lesson in BoTW was that her Father was wrong, the kingdom and its tenets were wrong, blind faith was wrong and that it was her love for her friends that saved her in he end--then learn the lesson in ToTK that monarchy is fine, everybody should just attempt to emulate the past, and that everything in the past was good.

I think constantly about the fact that Rauru's four sages, the people who swore fealty to him--have no identities. No names, no faces, no real agency or personality beyond their duty to the sacred stone, and their species. There's something very unsettling about that, and something very unsettling coupled with the Depths, this creepy, hollow, empty place that the Zonai mined out and left nothing in return. The Doylist explanation is, of course, that there are no writing credits on ToTK and they just didn't have the time to flesh out the Sages or the Depths, because they had to move on to making the new Zelda game for Switch 2. But the Watsonian explanation could have been really fascinating, it could make the Zonai more morally ambiguous. These aliens who came to Earth to mine the Earth for power and pulled people into their thrall for that power--which they saw as ultimately a tool to progress everybody's society, but also can be seen from Ganondorf's perspective as something horrifying. What is the worth of progress if it comes at the expense of identity?

But that would involve the writers having to grapple with the colonialism inherent to the premise they are creating here. And they want Rauru to be good, Hyrule to be good and Ganondorf to be straightforwardly evil. And that's sad to me, because Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, to an extent, are about the failures of the old rulers and their approaches, and how our heroes have to do better. And the fact Nintendo refused to do that here thematically makes me sad!

Most badass character

Urbosa! I LOVE fighting as her in Hyrule Warriors, and she's also just such a fun design and cool and supportive at the same time.

Pairing I am Not Fond Of

Sidon/Link. Not that I hate it or anything! I can see it, it's a very plausible pairing, but often a lot of people sideline Zelda entirely when they write it, and that's annoying to me. I don't like when yaoi shippers discard the most important women to a man's life to make it gay.

Characters I feel the Writers screwed up

Ganondorf! Evil brown guy is just evil because he's brown. Very annoying to not even try to make that feel more nuanced in the year 2023, but whatever.

Favourite Friendship

Robbie and Purah! I love their dumb banter and bickering in all of the games. Inventor duo, they hate each other and would die for each other, and when they work together, they can make the impossible happen. I love how much they both fight for credit on petty things, but they do always say the other was instrumental to their success. Their fighting style in Hyrule Warriors, where Robbie is the one piloting their mech-suit, while Purah just perches on the shoulder and shows off when they do their special attack--everything to me!

Zelink beneath the readmore!

When I Started Shipping It

Probably as SOON as I got to that memory in BOTW, where they're in the rain, and Zelda asks him if he had a chance to be anything else other than a knight, would he have taken it? And the look he gives her as he turns back, and the way the scene is framed when he's jolted out of the memory...argh, that's when the brainworms really started. But also I really did like that moment where she tries to get him to eat a frog, after complimenting his ability to tame horses. It's just cute, idk! They're the thematic core of the story. It's about the inevitable destiny of it, and how Zelda bucks against their fated destiny, but Link embraces it, because he is a man guided by devotion and courage, and her wisdom means she knows it's a bad idea--but how can she do anything but love it/him? There's something just a bit doomed to all of their interactions, and it makes me go insane!

My Thoughts (Good/Bad)

I find it bad for worldbuilding as a whole, but fascinating for their dynamic, that Skyward Sword makes Zelda the living incarnation of Hylia, because then you're constantly left with the question: is Link simply extending his devotion towards the Goddesses by loving Zelda, or does he love Zelda and the Goddess separately? Is that even possible to separate Zelda from the Goddess? What does it mean for your temple of devotion to be a person? And in BOTW/ToTK where they are haunted by failure and loss, where there's unspoken resentment towards each other they both have to let go of, Zelda in the past, and Link in the present, that infuses their dynamic with such fun tension, even when they do wholeheartedly love each other and do just get along. I find it tragic, and fun, and sweet and sad all at once. I love a good destined lovers, where neither is entirely sure if that's a good idea, or there's a certain exhaustion to it, because it's inevitable anyway...

Things Done in Fanfic That Annoy Me

When in post-botw fics they have kids, rule the restored kingdom of Hyrule together, and don't seem to have any trauma. They're both feral, they're of the Wild now, and if Link actually loved Zelda and Hyrule, he'd never support her remaking Hyrule Kingdom ever again. They're just not capable of having a happy nuclear family in that way, sorry!

People also make Link SO masculine in such a weird way sometimes in fanfic--no??? Even if you don't headcanon him trans, he's like...so distanced from the kind of daddy dom masculinity that so many fanfic writers seem to default onto a lot of sex?? He's very gender-fluid and I just can't ever see him in that kind of aggressive way. It's always very jarring and unpleasant. I also think people really overplay the enemies-to-lovers of pre-canon BOTW, which sometimes leads to fics where they're like...doing petty revenge on each other or like having dramatic blowouts--which always feels a bit unrealistic to me? I'm very picky about the zelinks I like ^^;;;

I also just hate modern AU in general. They don't make sense outside of the feudal system and those external pressures/divine pressures!! Bodyguard/celebrity will NEVER hit in the same way as knight/princess.

Who I'd be Comfortable With Them Ending Up With, if Not Each Other

Link has vibes with a lot of people! Honestly, in Windwaker, I don't ship Link/Tetra at all! Link and Medli is far more compelling to me. And TP, Midna and Zelda are so in love, and Link's just kind of there, he doesn't even know Zelda xD In BOTW, I feel like Impa/Zelda makes a lot of sense, and Link has chemistry with all sorts: Sidon, Paya, Beedle, all the random NPCs that flirt with him. I'm so rarely a single shipper, haha.

My Happily Ever After For Them

Wandering through the world as travelling diplomats/adventurers, with their home in Hateno whenever they're taking a break, and vacationing everywhere, as Zelda slowly writes her scientific 1000 page dissertation about the nature of the world, and Link writes the ultimate cookbook. The Triforce calls them to duty, but they mostly ignore those urges. They're done with divine duty--they only have duty towards each other and the world now.

[ryanribbitys]

Booster Course Pass Wave 4 is dropping tomorrow seemingly and wanted to detail some thoughts here because easier than twitter:

Ninja Hideaway is i think still the standout track from this DLC, it’s the most unique track by far and offers a challenge not present in any other track in the game, I could 100% see this track not being for everyone as it features some pretty harsh turns (the one after the raising platforms is probably the most infamous) but i can really enjoy anything new that feels intentionally difficult instead of accidentally, the track’s biggest weakness is being an early wave track so visually the Tour visual plastic-ness kinda effects the track unfortunately as i imagine it could’ve been an absolutely gorgeous track with 8′s base game art style

Ironically despite what I just said i think on the whole the tracks coming from Tour as originals (The City and Nitro tracks) tend to feel a bit weaker than tracks based on old tracks. New York Minute is the strongest of the city tracks to me having the best blend of the different path gimmicks while having paths that aren’t really awkward and confusing. the mini map not updating upon a lap change genuinely knocks these tracks down a full tier usually. On top of that I tend to just not love the visual direction and atmosphere of these tracks and the fact there’s so many of them (up to 3 per wave) can sometimes feel a bit much, even if I understand why that is, wanting to preserve the Tour courses. Fortunately the City tracks that have yet to be added to 8 Deluxe are among the better ones and i’m looking forward to it!

On the topic of Tour tracks: Sky High Sundae is maybe the worst track in all of Mario Kart 8 and i’m not even joking. It’s the 3rd “perfect oval” track in the game is easily the weakest. Baby Park’s simple circle design is enclosed to heavily push crazy interactions with items and other players creating a chaotic atmosphere and Excitebike has some decent shortcuts and trick ramps on top of a randomized gimmick. Sky High sundae is just boring, the anti-grav gimmick feels really pasted on to have anything on the track but ironically makes it feel a lot slower than it actually should. Finally it’s just kinda ugly? it looks like a roblox world with free models plastered everywhere. On the whole a waste of a fun theme

3DS Toad Circuit sucks too but like in a funny way. Your friends will get mad at you if you pick it in call which is funny

The 3 biggest “downgrades” from the original tracks to me include Maple Treeway, which while is still solid, i think changed a few things and includes a few things from the 7 version i don’t love, the glider section is not as fun and dynamic as the wii version, I also think Wii’s version has the far better palette and atmosphere, but that’s nerd shit only I care about LOL. Wii Coconut Mall feels kinda butchered in general, it looks ugly and makes changes that overall dampen the track, the Cars spin at the end now but the section where they moved back and forth with boosts in front of them was a very intentionally designed challenge where as the current spinning cars feels really uninspired. Finally Sky Garden feels like it lacks the color choices and design of the original and dampens the layout to an overall boring track

GBA Snow Land is the big surprise of the pass to me, It’s deceivingly simple but the layout is incredibly fun and encourages fun short cuts and mushroom usage which is always a lot of fun to interact with, it’s also one of the far better looking tracks in the booster pass

I’ll get flack for this but I think 3DS rainbow road is a bit overrated. maybe that’s not the right word but I think it lacks what i tend to like about rainbow road which is a real sense of challenge. 3DS rainbow road is really. easy? am i the only who feels that way haha. For as much flack as 8′s new rainbow road gets, it’s a track that offers a substantial challenge with lots of tough turns and places to fall off. I also think 8′s version of n64 rainbow road(a track that i think sucks in the original) is a better “easy” rainbow road, looking more visually exciting and feeling intentionally designed to be a victory lap of sorts

final thing, what in the world is up with the grass textures in this DLC, they seem to swap between a grass akin to the base game and this weird ugly plastic bright lime green. Rock Rock Mountain suffers the worst from this. actively looking worse than the 3DS original to me, feeling less like a drive around a mountain side and feeling more like i’m in a playset

overall I think the booster course pass started really really rough and while I think it still hasn’t reached base game’s quality it has gotten way better and wave 4 is looking to be the highest quality wave yet