#plus there might be someone dealing with something similar and that could also be helpful

[lunatic-pudge]

Postal Dude SFW and NSFW Headcanons

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I love Postal Dude. He reminds me a lot of Sniper, so that might not help. These can apply to basically any version of Dude you want, but I tend to use PD2 as the default Dude. Those some things would probably be different for PD1.

So yeah, I got stuff that I need to finish working on. I'm halfway done with this one TF2 ask I got. So Imma try to finish that up ASAP.

And warning for sexual stuff and mentions of violence, but considering that this is Postal, the violence part shouldn't be too much of a bother

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SFW

-Oh boy oh boy, where do I even begin with my baby boy Dude. Postal was something I always had a slight intrest in but now it hit me full force so here we are. Plus he's got some similarities to Sniper as well so it doesn't help either. I can't control myself anymore. I need this man pregnant and i need it NOW!

-But anyways, Imma start throwing some stuff out there. This poor babe has been through it. He's been through Hell and back, literally.  He's gotten better over the years, but there are times where things feel like they're getting worse again. He's gotten better with dealing with it. Though, he's not the best when comforting his partner if they're struggling mentally. He tries his best, but he's just so unsure of what to do. He's good at sitting with you, having an arm wrapped around you as you hold onto him, venting your problems out. It's easy for him to be a listening ear. Any advice from him is probably not good advice. If there's something you want, he'll get it for you. A blanket? Done. Some ice cream? Okay, what flavor. It's the little things

-If you wanna be with this mess of a man, you gotta be semi comfortable with the violence. He's gonna be coming home almost every night covered in blood, acting like he didn't just kill someone over a doughnut. And you gotta be comfortable with his massive collection of weapons. He'll teach you how to use them so you can protect yourself if he isn't around.

-Which leads me to the fact that he WILL kill for you. Whether it'd be to protect you, to prove that he loves you, or even out of jealousy. He can be convinced to not kill someone but it does take some persuasion. He just wants to keep you safe, and he trusts no one but you, especially since the people of Paradise are rather "interesting". Though, he might just wait for you to be out of sight to kill the person you wanted spared... Oops...

-His love language is acts of services and physical touch. Homie won't be able to keep his hands off you. Sexual or not, he NEEDS to feel you. It makes him feel sane to know you're there and real. And if you need help with something, he's there to help you with it. He'd love it if you'd go on errands with him. It'd make things less boring AND it means more time to spend with you

-Also, to be with this man means Champ needs to approve of you first. Champ is his baby, so if Champ doesn't like you then clearly you aren't worth his time. But if Champ approves of you and you love and spoil him, then you might just be marriage material

-He's such a goofball. He'll be constantly teasing you. Not a day goes by where he isn't lovingly tormenting you over something dumb. He does it cause he loves you. He means no harm with it and will let off it if asked. Don't let him know about any sensitive or ticklish spots of yours cause he WILL be using those spots against you

-Very big on being able to laze around with you and doing nothing. Laying together on the bed or couch, alcohol and snacks readily available, and music playing in the background. He's a bully in a sense where he would want his music playing, claiming to have good taste in music. So hopefully, you like the same music as him. So stuff like Tool, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, etc. (Though in my own little world, I could see him crying over Mitski, plz don't judge)

-If you're a crafty person and you make something for him, he could cry from how happy it makes him. He loves seeing you work your stuff. Doesn't matter what it is (drawing, painting, sewing, crocheting,  etc.) he likes watching. It's calming to him. He'd def cry if you made anything Champ related. If you draw or paint, youre art is getting hung up on the walls. If you sew, knit, or crochet and you make him or Champ something to wear, then they'll be wearing what you made them proudly. Though he won't wear said stuff outside cause he doesn't wanna dirty them. He'd feel bad for ruing all your hard work

-Have I mentioned how spoiled he is yet? Cause he is. He's a very needy baby. Constantly wanting your time, attention, and affection. Almost never giving you a second of privacy cause he needs to be in your personal bubble. Oh, you locked the bathroom door so you could enjoy a bath in peace for once? Too bad, cause Dude's already picked the lock and hanging out with you. And if you don't stop him, he'll join you in the tub, with or without clothes on. He's essentially a cat that will scratch at the door til you let him in. If you're at work or he's running errands, he'll be texting you nonstop. Keeping you updated on the chaos he's causing and spamming you with Champ pics.

-He also has an abundance of photos of you. Some of just you doing whatever (yes even sleeping), you and Champ, you and Dude, and even all three of you together. You may not even know all of the photos he has of you. And yes, he will show you off, proud he has such a baddie and no one else does. But you also need to know that he isn't scared to take some of the worst photos of you. We're talk 0.5x forehead photos that make it look like you got a big ass forehead. He doesn't care. He loves everything about you and nothing will change that.

-Love seeing you wear his clothes. He thinks it's so cute how big his shirts look on you, the smaller you are, the better. He's very encouraging of you wearing his clothes. Sometimes, it gets him a little too excited, especially when you don't wear any pants, may God help you when that happens...

NSFW

-Loves biting you, once he starts he can't stop. He will have you marked up from head to toe by the time he's done with you. He would like it if you did the same to him. He'll ecourage you to leave some extra marks on him and especially his more sensitive areas. Same rules apply for scratching as well. He loves seeing the all the bites, bruises, and scratches you leave on him. And he feels such pride when he sees them on you

-He's the perfect person to have a hand kink for. He's got them long, spidery fingers that can leave goosebumps along your skin. He'd gladly shove his fingers down your throat if you want. His hands do tend to be littered with cuts and burns but don't think that will stop anything. The extra pain adds to the experience for him

-Yeha, he's kind of a masochist. There's just something about the way you inflict pain on him that gets him going. You could come up behind him and bite him and that's all you need to do for him to get the message. He will let you WRECK him however you want

-Does like degraded by only a little bit. He wants to be called a slut and to be told how vile he is for wanting to be used like a toy. But sometimes he has limits. He does need praises though. He could go on for hours praising you, and he would like to be able to be praised as well. He'd rather be praised than degraded. Especially during aftercare. Tell him how much of a good boy he is and how well he did. He'll love you forever if you do

-Is it wrong to say that I can see him having a Mommy kink? This might be from hearing the one line of his but there's just something about him that screams "let me call you Mommy plz". halp

-I've been making him sound like such a total sub but he can be dominant if you want. He tends to be more on the rough side when he doms though so do be prepared for it. He'd love to have you tied up and blindfolded, helpless as to what he's gonna do next. Loves making you beg

-peghimpeghimpeghimpeghimpeghim, do it. Nothing's stopping you. You'll get some of the best noises out of him if you peg him. He's is such a dirty little slut. Peg him and make him beg!

[cakerybakery]

To further the After Eden idea of Lucifer/Lilith/Adam/Eve having adventures on untamed Earth.

I would give Adam an axe as a weapon/tool. He’d be more the fighter/protector of the group as one of the strongest in it. He’d use it of course for normal axe stuff, chopping wood, makeshift hammer, can’t think of a third thing. But also against wild animals trying to eat them. Plus he uses a guitar or axe as a weapon in the show so it’s fitting.

He’s a bit more likely to stick around camp when they make camp. He’ll explore with everyone else but he’s not prone to going off alone, at least not very far. He was created to be the first man and protector, it makes him uneasy if he can’t quickly get back to the group he low key thinks of as his to keep safe. But he has a disproportional sense of danger.

He’s over confident in himself and under confident in everyone else. He lacks a sense of danger about terrain, particularly if they’re in a group as he’s overly confident he can keep them safe from a few rocks or a little bit of water. But if someone is doing something by themselves, even mildly dangerous, it freaks him out.

A half rotting log over a river? It’s fine. Eve in a tree? PANIC!!

Eve I think would have a cast iron pot. Lucifer used a good deal what was left of his power to make it for her. It’s heavy but she won’t let anyone carry it for her as she feels it’s special since Lucifer had to use up so much of his powers to make it. It helps keep them all fed as she now can make stews or boil oats, roast foods too. It’s more versatile than just roasting on a stick or eating things raw. If she figures out bread she could make some in it too. Plus it packs a wallop.

She’s a bit of a gather by nature and does tend to wander off or climb stupidly high just to reach possible food. Adam practically has a full time job keeping an eye on her. He is easily goaded into getting things for her when he says that’s it’s too dangerous.

“But I need that fruit for breakfast tomorrow. I’m sure my big strong protector can get it for me if it’s too dangerous for little old me.”

“Darn rights I can! Just watch me!” … “wait, how did I get in this tree??”

Lilith would rather avoid danger at all costs, not just for the group as a whole but to avoid putting Lucifer in a position that might trigger his anxiety. She carries a spear/trident. Mostly it gets used for fishing. I’m not sure which I prefer she has so I’m thinking she has both. She tried to use a spear for fishing but the fish too easily slipped off so she and Eve developed the trident to hook fish. But the spear is better for protection. She uses a sharp rock for the spear as it lasts longer in a fight but the trident is wooden and carved since that’s easier to replace or fix if she smashes it against a rock trying to fish.

She thinks Adam is too protective. She can take care of herself, thank you very much, and so can Eve. They don’t need Adam hovering all the time. And then immediately hovers over her tiny husband.

Lucifer doesn’t really want a weapon. He’s just as strong as Adam, having been reduced to a mere mortal man (mostly). Which is still hella strong as the only mortal man is Adam, he just doesn’t look it and is incredibly weak compared to how he was as an angel.

He has a bow and arrow, he was a cherubim according to one version of the bible and in modern times we tend to associate cherubs with cupid and bows and arrows so I thought it was fitting. It also gives him a long distance attack which I think would be similar enough to his angelic powers that he’s more comfortable with it than Lilith’s spear or Adam’s axe.

Most of his powers have been reduced to some fire starting and mild healing. He tends to be more of a support role.

Adam looks at him and goes, “you’re a tiny guy, you should stay here with Eve.”

Lilith looks at him and goes, “you’re too sensitive for this, why don’t you sit this one out.”

Eve looks at him and goes, “do it anyways.” Partly to get him out of her ‘kitchen’ and partly because she knows he’s not as weak and helpless as the other two think. He’s an angel for goodness sake, wings or no wings. He’s just as strong as Adam, he has some of his powers left, he’s way more resilient than the three of them, and he’s not going to get better mentally if everyone treats him like some delicate little flower.

It’s one thing not to purposely upset Lucifer, it’s another to act like they can shelter him from the fact that Earth is wild and dangerous and they will on occasion be in danger and they’ll get hurt, this is what they signed up for when they decided to tell heaven to fuck off.

And because I forgot this bit last time. Lilith and Lucifer are married. Adam and Eve are married. But Adam and Lilith sleep with both Lucifer and Eve but not each other, much. At least not one on one and she doesn’t want to get pregnant by Adam so that’s 100% out. Lucifer and Eve sleep with Adam and Lilith, but not each other, much. They’re more a friends with benefits type thing.

[casscainmainly]

CASS JASON THOUGHT EXPLOSIONS JUST HIT god I'm too shy to come off anon cause shit at eng,,, but also!!! Thinking abt how Jason would recognize his own inveterate empathy + compassion in her, something he views as a flaw in himself. While Cass, though able to understand his grief, pain and hurt, can't help but resent the way he embraces and embodies behaviors she's fought so hard to leave behind.

They both see parts of themselves in the other :0

It's probably not as bad for Cass post Batgirl 2000 (plus they won't really... seek eachother out... ever?) but Jason... oh boy... he's already unstable...

Also smth smth about both of them and abandoning their civilian identity as a form of self sacrifice,, for Cass it's obvious,, in Jason's case it's because 'someone has to do it' and making himself like a symbol for all victims, the whole process being akin to an immolation of civilian Jason Todd. Someone smarter than me could probably discuss the nature of how they both self-mythologise too in such a similar but varied direction??

IDK !!! :O

Also COOL BLOG,, I LOVE U CASS AND VVV COOL META AND DISCUSSONS!! I SEND U FLOWERS 🌸🌺🌸

They absolutely see bits of themselves in each other!! Especially because their two moralities are defined by a Big Event in a way none of the others are (besides Bruce, of course). I personally agree that they wouldn't seek each other out, but there is insane potential in a story where they're forced to work together (although current Jason is not necessarily the best version for the conflict I'd like to see.).

And BIG yes to your civilian identity point!!! Both of their identities were forcibly taken away from them, Jason by his death and Cass by her father. Of course Cass has never had a true civilian experience, but it's important that both their identities are completely subsumed by their goal: once again, it's the self-reduction to 'murder victim' and 'murderer'. There's no space for normality, for anything other than that defining moment. I guess that might be what you mean by 'self-mythologising', a denying of their fundamental humanity (which they both have, and have always had).

(I know there's lots of headcanons/fics on Jason legally coming back to life, but I'd love to see more of them deal with how he feels about it beyond the logistics/jokes; how does he feel stepping back into an identity chained to both his murder and his relationship to Bruce Wayne?)

Anyway, your thoughts were awesome and you definitely articulated them well! Thank you so much for the flowers <3333.

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

My thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie

I don’t know if I liked it as much as the original films (maybe Mockingjay 1 & 2 as they are pretty emotionally draining), but I still enjoyed it.

I think where it fell a little flat for me is 1. The beginning was a bit slow (tbh I only really started getting interested when Lucy Gray stuck that snake down that girl’s dress & even then I enjoyed the story more when the setting changed from the Capitol to the district) 2. I knew Snow would survive 3. I’d already been spoiled online for a lot of stuff that happens & 4. while I know the director did his best to make Snow as “likeable” as he could for as long as possible, even before he started getting “a little too comfortable” with killing & snitching I didn’t find him as sympathetic as Katniss or Peeta (but that is probably again down to the fact that I know what he goes onto do & there’s no real way around that), this made engaging with him difficult for me.

The world is fascinating. Getting to see all the new locations we never had access to before as well as old locations now in a totally different light (for example district 12 which, while still clearly suffering, seemed like such a bustling industrial town compared to how it is in Katniss’s time). It might have a much more retro aesthetic but there's also just a more vibrant, natural, wild & lawless atmosphere to this movie compared to the others in the franchise. The whole scope of the film just felt more cinematic then I remember the others being yet also weirdly intimate. Maybe because it was one contained story & we knew the main character’s fate from the start. I also loved the title cards signifying the start of each section of the story like from the books & wished they'd done something similar for the other films. It just added a certain flair to the whole thing. Almost gave it the vibe of a tragic play.

The costuming was great. The bright red of the academy uniforms.  Flickerman’s snazzy suits. Snow’s dapper black & white outfit. Both peace keeper uniforms (despite one of them giving very ‘1930’s Germany’ vibes) looked great. Grandma might have been a bigot, but at least she was well dressed. Everything Dr Gaul wore (except the top that looked like a used tampon, lol) was exquisite. The main ladies of fashion, Tigris & Lucy Gray slayed. Our Future Capitol stylist looked like some regal yet exotic bird & Miss Survivor was giving Bohemian, country girl realness the entire time she was on screen. Even the extras were serving (like that random couple Snow walked past on his way to the reaping ceremony).

The music was amazing. Every song that played was fantastic (shout out to Olivia for her end credit contribution). The lyrics & instrumentation were beautiful & my god does Rachel Zegler have pipes! Anyone who says the singing scenes are cringy is just stupid like I’m sorry you can’t appreciate art. Also, the words ‘ballad’ & ‘songbirds’ are literally in the title. Plus, Lucy Gray is from the poorest district, so what exactly do those people want her to do in her free time? She can’t exactly hop on an X-box for a few hours. Not too mention that (as the offspring of someone who’s musically inclined) I can tell you, it’s completely realistic for a musician to use their craft to help them deal with trauma & Lucy Gray clearly had more than her fair share of that.

The Grandma'am helped to paint a sadly very realistic background for Snow. As who among us hasn’t met at least one delusional old person who thinks that their/their group’s suffering (regardless of the severity of it or the reason behind their former/newer status in society) means that no one else are deserving of even the tiniest shred of humanity & there are some people who are unlucky enough to not only be related to these people but be raised by them.

Hunter schafer as Tigris is clearly the superior Snow when it comes to things like empathy & overall mental stability but I do kind of wish they’d been more for her to do. Credit where credit is due though her & Tom did actually look like they could be related & I did buy their familial bond (which makes her appearance in Mockingjay so much sadder in hindsight).

Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom was a bit of a mix for me just due to his purpose as a character & the limit of film as a form of media. Like sure the audience know that Snow’s going to become an irredeemable monster in the end but without a window into his mind it really does just seem like the Dean is just out to get him & even when we find out why it seems kind of unfair. Like sure his dad sucked but haven’t the Games shown that blaming children for violence caused by others is unjust (& like ok he hates Coriolanus & probably the grandma but Tigris hadn’t done anything to deserve living in poverty, as she can’t control who she’s related to)? Plus, it felt like he could have at least tried taking Snow under his wing at some point to try to hinder Dr Gual’s influence. Saying all of that, though, Peter Dinklage is great at playing an addict with depression & the idea that some drunken rambling could lead to such long-lasting suffering is terrifying. Also its pretty realistic that living with that kind of guilt & in such a cruel environment for that long would make most people jaded & bitter, even if they did have good intentions.

Omg we finally get a Mayor family on screen & they’re assholes! Madge would be so disappointed 😭. It was interesting to see how harsh & overall “boot licky” the mayor & his family seemed compared to decades later, which makes sense as the war wasn’t that long ago for them so the dad probably felt more incentive to align himself with the Capitol as well as not feeling very connected to the district people as 12’s decline probably didn’t fully set in until they really started running low on coal & Snow became president (oh I just know he wanted to blow that district off the map 😆). I also wouldn’t put it past Billy to come up with some sob story of how he really does love Mayfair but wicked Lucy Gray is somehow preventing them from being together. Still no excuse to try to send her to her death twice in one week, though. Definitely not a girl’s girl.

Ok, so a liar. Cheat. Drunk & someone who hits women. Is there anything good about Billy Taupe? Also, trying to get your ex back, while your current girlfriend is literally standing right next to you? Dude, have some god damn back bone! You made a choice, now stick to it. Also, fumbling Lucy Gray, for a girl like that? What’s it like having no brains or taste? Well, too bad, coz you’re stuck with her forever now, lol.

Viola Davies, the actress that you are. What else is there to say? Dr Gaul is almost comic book levels of insane. Like she is how the Right see women in STEM, on crack! I don’t know what she did to get into character, but whatever it was, it worked.

Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius Flickerman is a very interesting addition to the story despite playing such a small & seemingly insignificant role. He is strange in how unthreatening he is while also extremely blasé about the abhorrent violence he witnesses that it’s as funny as it is disturbing. Making him come across as  more human yet harsher than his son, who at least pretends to care about the tributes (in a very Capitol way, obviously but still). There’s also a polish & confidence to Tucci’s performance that I think Schwartzman did a great job of avoiding copying (despite knowing what audiences were probably expecting) because not only are their characters in entirely different stages of their careers but the whole ethos of the Hunger Games is different in Snow’s youth than it is in Katniss’s. Caesar is a well established presenter & during his time, the games have always been a success (minus the year with the tundra) that the entire Capitol is invested in & seemingly in support of. On the other hand Lucretius had the unique task of not only coming into a job like this with zero experience (I mean imagine going from announcing the weather to presenting the fucking hunger games) but also there were no vibes to try to emulate let alone guidelines to follow because he truly was the first person to do this. On top of that, the "event" his presenting has been panned for years as both boring & unethical. Schwartzman brought a slightly awkward, experimental, yet try hard vibe (like a comedian who's desperate to get a laugh) that I think worked wonderfully for the character.

Tom Blyth's performance was great & he was visually perfect for a young Snow (the power of a good wig! Who knew lol). Even having the cool, analytical stare of Donald Sutherland, down pat. While his appearance was very Eminem during his peacekeeping days, his realisation in the cabin and subsequent breakdown in the woods were crazy. There was so much tension between him & Rachel in that scene that for a second, it literally felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. I could almost hear the record scratch for both of them, & all that building paranoia finally coming to a sudden crescendo in the way that it did? Pure cinema!

Josh Rivera, as Sejanus, was honestly a mix for me. Obviously, I agree with his morals, but his way of going about it did seem a little dumb. However I do think it’s pretty realistic that a teenager, especially a rich one, would be rather naive. Also I’ve heard that he’s smarter in the book & I think at times my frustration with him is more just down to the fact that I’m seeing him from Snow’s point of view. Meaning scenes that would be portrayed as noble in any other film instead come across as almost painfully inconvenient because the focus is always on how they affect Snow rather than the actual victims of the situation. Lastly, sorry, Snowjanus shippers, I just don’t see it (especially on Snow’s end), but whatever floats your boat.

Rachel Zegler played Lucy Gray with the perfect mix of natural charm & emotional vulnerability with clear pride in her culture & a refusal to let the world around her change who she is. Yet there was also an air of mystery & a subtle resilience to her that makes her potentially surviving out in the woods for years without being detected actually believable (though I don’t buy the theory that she went on to become president Coin). Definitely the highlight of the movie for me.

PS. I'd love to know what you think of my review in the comments/tags & am open to criticism (as long as it's respectful) just remember that I'm only talking about the movie so please don't reference anything spersific to the book.

[imkillerbae]

Heya! Thank you for adding some fanfictions to the thread, it's so empty recently.

How about something with Sova? Could be anything of your choice.

Heyooo!!!! THanks for requesting and sorry if this took so long to make.

And you're welcome! I'm glad I could contribute to the simping.

I LOVED writing this and had so many ideas. But I settled for something fluffy ehehe self indulgent stuff. anyway, here's Sova being a simp, cool reader, God mi heart. This is my most favorite one that i've wrote probably. Enjooy!!!

Say So (Valorant Sova x Fem!Reader)

Summary:

Sova’s artificial eye is acting up, and he needs help with it. Sage knows nothing about biocomponents, and the two young engineers were too experimental, so he approaches Y/N, also someone with artificial parts, for help.

Words: 2k

CW: Slow burn, FLUFF, lots of blushing, Sova the Shy bear, lots of inner monologue from him. just lots of fluffiness.

(Please listen to Avenue Beat's cover of Say So, originally by Doja Cat, while reading this.)

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

🎶 Why don’t you say so? 🎶

Sova held this eye pain in for a while now. He didn’t like the idea of anyone tinkering with his artificial eye, but this was getting too painful.

He was reading ‘We’ by Zamyatin when it just busted on him, giving him a small jolt of electricity in the head. He felt that the thing was in some sort of disrepair, but he didn’t like asking for help with something so sensitive. Clearly, he made a mistake. Since this thing is so close to the brain, he might just deal with a lot more than a nonfunctioning eye. He sighs. He should’ve just asked for help.

Another hindrance was who to ask for help.

His choices were Sage, Raze and KJ, or Y/N.

He respected Sage for her skills in the healing arts but he couldn’t expect too much from her when it comes to eyes made of metal and wires. Plus his history with her? A can of worms he’d never want to open again. As for the two—Raze and KJ—he tried asking for their opinions and he was met with crazy ideas for modification and improvements, things he didn’t necessarily need. Plus, he’s not too fond of the idea of them fiddling with his eye for their own scientific curiosity.

That leaves Y/N.

Y/N was the obvious choice. She really was. She was skilled with biocomponents, she was easy to talk to, kind, generous, perfect. But there was a huge problem.

Sova has a crush on her. Was it called a crush? Do crushes even apply at their age? Point was, he liked her. And he was shy about it.

Y/N was an agent in the protocol who was similar to him, in a sense that she also had some robotic parts to her, namely her arm. The robotic components started from her shoulder, all the way to her fingertips. She was skilled with repairs of that nature. Along with Sage, she was also a medic for the team, both human and non-human. She was the obvious choice.

🎶 It’s been a long time since you, fell in love~ You ain’t coming out your shell, you ain’t really been yourself~ 🎶

Sova was just very shy, it was pathetic. Normally, he never really had any problem telling people what he felt. He openly says I love you all for god’s sakes. But whenever he was with her, he can pretend to play it cool but sometimes he’d zone out staring at her or just stutter on his words. His brain would just be filled with her, in scenarios he’d made in his head. Like how he would take care of her, marry her, take her to his Babushka, all that cheesy stuff. He wasn’t like this normally but his heart just beats faster than a machine gun could fire. He blushed at the thought every time he imagined spending the rest of his life with her. It didn’t help that he looked extremely serious whenever he was thinking.

He sighed. He needed to gain some confidence with her if he ever wanted a chance. Or at the very least, get this eye of his in proper order.

Getting to her door was easy peasy. Knocking was another deal. He stood there quietly with his fist raised, ready to knock, but no sound was emitted. Usually he rehearsed what he needed to say beforehand, but it seems like he couldn’t get his head straight this time.

It’s not that complicated to ask for repairs Sasha. Stop hesitating, he scolded himself. You’re not asking her to a date, you’re asking her to fix your eye. Stop overthinking, it’s not going to happen.

As he was about to knock, his thoughts were interrupted by Breach who was on the other side of the door as it opened. “Oh! Sova! Aye, great to see ya! But I gotta bolt! Thanks Y/N for the advice, haha!” He said immediately, waving at Y/N then at a confused Sova, although you would never be able to tell from his face. As he moved past Sova, Breach muttered “g’luck pal”, but neither Y/N or Sova heard it.

Sova stood outside the door, unblinking at Y/N who had her protection glasses on. “Hello,” she greets, gracefully placing the screwdriver on her desk. She smiles gently, her heels tapping lightly on the floor as she walked closer. The entire room was humming with electricity and the steady air from the vents, but he could hear his heartbeat clearly.

🎶 If you want it, scream it, shout it babe~ 🎶

He clears his throat, dusting his shoulders off. “It seems that I would’ve interrupted something had I knocked a little too early,” he starts, looking at the door, and then at her. He looked at her as discreetly as he could. She was in a white coat, casual clothes underneath. She adjusted the coat to her shoulders before speaking. “Not necessarily, Breach and I were just talking about his arms. He thought I’d be the best at tinkering with that.”

Concentrate Sova. Speak. Speak.

“I concur.” He replies, looking around the room, just anywhere other than her. He was sweating under his shirt, thank God he was wearing white. “So, what brings the big Russian teddy bear into my humble cave?” She teases with a laugh, pulling on his sleeve, beckoning him to walk closer to her walk table. She was professional most of the time, which he appreciated greatly, but it seems that she enjoys making him blush.

He blushes at the nickname, but he holds his breath to deafen the beating of his heart. “I-I’d like to ask for help with my eye. I can’t see anything from it right now, and it hurts.” He explains, leaning on her work table. She pauses for a moment, staring at him, then her expression changes to that of annoyance. “It’s not supposed to hurt. Since when has this been going on?”

“More or less a week. I thought of fixing it myself, which was a mistake.” He admits, ashamed, and she sighs. A hand lands on her hips and she leans on one side giving him an unsatisfied look. “Sova you don’t fiddle with your own eye, artificial or not. You know this. And for a week? This could be serious.” Her shoes tap impatiently against the floor.

Sova scratches the back of his head sheepishly then gives a meek smile. “It was foolish of me to think that it would pass. I’m sorry.” And with that, her expression softens to that of concern. She then reaches for latex gloves on the table pulling it over each hand. “Sit on the table so you’re on my eye level. I need to take a look at that before I pull it out of your eye socket.”

He looked at himself from the distant mirror. He was wearing a white shirt that fit snug enough to show his bulky shape, and dark green combat pants with lots of pockets on them. He fixed his blonde hair, combing it back. Y/N was watching as he did this, and she giggles to herself. She didn’t take him for someone who’s very concerned with his appearance.

“Alright big man. Lean in and let’s see what’s happening here,” she advices to him as she placed herself between his legs, holding a small flashlight with one hand. Sova furrows his brows but hesitantly complies. “Closer,” she says sharply, and he could feel her minty breath on his lips right now. He was looking to the side as she spread his eyelid open, his eye shaking.

“Look at me,” she whispers, too focused to care about him turning into a tomato, at the mercy of her hands. He then looks into her eyes, saying nothing but feeling everything in his chest.

When they first met, they easily got along. He was generally supportive of everyone, but he always found himself speaking positively about her more than anyone else. She was a team player like him, making use of his intel to clear areas as he watches her back. She’d saved him in the battlefield countless times, he knows he can depend on her with no fail. And his most favorite thing about her is her kindness and positivity. It was something he and the rest of the team needed.

As he thought about all of these things, Y/N repeated her question. He didn’t hear it the second time. “Huh?” He asked again, and Y/N’s eyebrows furrow, chuckling. “I asked if it hurt when I touch this,” she pressed on the side of his sclera, and he finally winces. “Slightly,” he whispered, looking away again and blinking.

🎶 Boy stop playin’ 🎶

“Why are you acting like you’re shy?” She smiles at him, tilting her head to one side, biting her lip. His breath became shallow as they stared at each other’s eyes, in comfortable silence. It felt like a moment was forever before she cleared her throat. “I’ll take that eye from you now, Sova.” She chuckles again.

Getting the eye off of him was not as painful as he would’ve thought, the numbing cream helped. Apparently static electricity damaged it. It was designed to be impervious to static electricity but alas, accidents happen. The inside of his eye looked fine minus the minor bruising, and she reassured him that seeing his eye like this didn’t bother her at all. “Sova I’ve dug out bullets from your shoulders with my fingers, don’t act like seeing your healed eye is something I’m not used to.”

As she worked, they talked about anything and everything that came to mind. How their day had been going, how was work, how was home. The conversation never seemed to end with the both of them.

“So, here’s what I’m advising. Take these anti-biotics every 6 hours, make sure you’ve eaten before though. I’m out of stock on the eyedrops but I’ll let you know when I have them again. In the meantime, stop touching it and make sure your hands are clean,” she slaps on his hand playfully, and he just huffs, the corner of his lips tugging slightly upward. “Thank you, Y/N. You are… wonderful.” He breathes out the compliment, smiling to himself.

🎶 Why you beatin’ round the bushn’~ 🎶

She returned his smile and crossed her arms. “You always say that. But thanks,” she shrugged, leaning on the wall, standing across him as he remained sitting on the table. He grits his teeth.

“I mean it. You are.”

“Yes. I know you mean it.”

“Y-you’re very wonderful. Kind, and beautiful. You smell great.”

“Uhuh? Thanks… haha.”

God what was this sudden urge to… to speak up? He didn’t know why but he needed to close this distance. It was gnawing at him. He couldn’t let this moment, this chance slip by him. He had to seize it. He internally fought the urge to chicken out and took a deep breath.

🎶 Knowin’ you want all this woman, never knock it till you try~ 🎶

He suddenly stood up and walked towards her, and she jolted upward out of instinct, one hand on her chest. He was a hunter after all, he could be intimidating. But everyone who knew him would say otherwise.

“I was wondering if you’d want to… come with me sometimes. I know a good place for coffee, we could come by after you take inventory of supplies. I think I could be of use in that department.” He asked spontaneously, his mouth stuck in a half smile as he realized what he’d said.

Y/N’s mouth was open, her eyebrow raised in shock. She was fighting the urge to laugh at his proposal. That was sudden, she thought. “W-wait, wait, are you asking me out? For coffee?” She asked, eyebrows furrowed and smile suppressed. He cleared his throat and looked around.

“Yes, I thought it would be a great idea to repay you for all of the help you’ve given me, digging out bullets from my flesh and all.” And with that, her room was filed with laughter, her laughter, a sound he’d come to love. “Yes, of course, I’ll take that offer. And maybe you’d like to show me some of the photographs you’ve taken of Russia? I’d love to see them.” She giggled, holding on his arm and squeezing gently.

His eyes widened. He was elated that she said yes that he almost didn’t hear her request. “When we both have free time, I’d like to take you there myself. My babushka makes great pastries.” He chuckles, his cheeks dusted with pink. Her hand trailed upwards from his elbow to his shoulder, then it settles on his cheek. Caressing it slightly, she then pinches it between her fingers, tugging. He winces.

“Let’s do the coffee thing first. Then we’ll talk about the second date.” She rolls her eyes teasingly. God he was on cloud 9 right now. He was confident that she’d say yes, but he was overthinking things. He should’ve just done this way earlier. “I’ve been meaning to ask you out for a long time now…” he admits, scratching his cheek with his finger. She then chuckles back.

“I’d let you had I known it. Why don’t you say so?”

[sepublic]

Finished S1 of Castlevania Nocturne! I gotta say, that one vampire wife of the Marquis who kept his head around was the funniest character in the entire show so far.

In all seriousness, Alucard!!! I was wondering when he'd show up and by the time he did, I'd completely forgotten and thought it was Olrox who saved Richter from Drolta! Speaking of Drolta, she dresses very similar to the Succubus from Symphony of the Night, and even has a similar attack where she spreads out her wings, and sharp tendrils emerge from them; Plus with Alucard being the one to kill her, I'm just gonna treat her as the Succubus. RIP Queen you were a good one.

Does anyone else think Emmanuel is Shaft? He looks like Shaft, he's an evil priest, he's working for an evil vampire, him being human makes him necessary to pull souls from hell. That forgemaster contraption kinda reminds me of that weird orb-thing his ghost fights with in Symphony of the Night...

Speaking of that! Olrox muses on the demon that Emmanuel made a deal with to create that machine, and because of its creator, it's indestructible. Could this be pointing towards Galamoth as the final enemy of the show; He's the hardest boss of Symphony of the Night, Alucard has just shown up, and the two technically fought in... Kid Dracula. Where he was also the final boss for Alucard. The demon might just be Death, but then he's described as an elemental spirit.

I'm also curious as to how Edouard's story will turn out! Between him and Jacques and the Night Creature with a suspicious amount of mouths (as Bathory noted), the show seems to be going back to the whole idea of Night Creatures remembering their humanity and being rehabilitated. Which just begs the question of what happened to Isaac's kingdom of Styria, meant to be a place for Night Creatures to heal? Will we see that come back for Edouard? Isaac was once a slave himself, just as Annette was, so seeing all three come together would be wonderful! It's poetic, as Night Creatures are literally dehumanized slaves, so seeing Isaac, as well as Edouard (someone who helped liberate slaves) resonate with them works.

I wonder if we'll see the Moth Princess from Bloodlines; She's the penultimate boss, and Bathory had her starring role in that game. She looks human enough, but she's probably a vampire, so it'd be easy to adapt her as another lieutenant, especially in the wake of Drolta's death.

DAYUM Olrox and Mizrak! Firstly I'm glad they made Olrox turn into a green reptile monster like in the games... I was joking about the more comfortable place to meet being a bed, but holy shit it actually happened. I love all the references to Olrox's game lore, like his skulls and floating around... Here's hoping we get to see him dramatically unfold his legs in a chair, and then stand up!

I had a lot of fun; Richter was great, Maria was adorable and she is my precious child and I love her so much!!! I love her turtle and I hope we get to see her summon a whole-ass dragon as her most powerful spell, something like that.

I wonder how Emmanuel will go from here, if he's meant to be Shaft; Will he dive into full villainy, or will he be like Isaac, in that his show counterpart will have a happier ending? As Tera said, Emmanuel got his ram; Could it lead to him developing a messiah complex, thinking God rewarded him for his faith? Or will he know better? If he's Shaft, I better see him throw some... *snrk*... balls.

And did anyone else find the Night Creatures in this season to be particularly horny? Like that one moth girl who looks like a monsterfucker's OC, I mean I'm not complaining! Is this just a creative decision by the animators or does Emmanuel have anything he wants to share with the class... It all started with Abel it seems.

AND JUSTE!!! I managed to guess it; The white hair always made me wonder how Juste might be adapted, hypothetically, so it seems the show just portrays him as an old man for that! When he took Richter's whip, I had my suspicions and made the hair connection, it was wonderful... And they referenced Lydie and Maxim!!! Unfortunately it was yet another tragic ending for a Belmont... Man, what happened to the previous season's ending suggesting a happier route, only for us to go back to a "Last of the Belmonts" situation??? At least we got a Sypha shout out!

One more thing I just remembered; Annette's favorite color is Green. I believe that's a reference to her sometimes being depicted with a green dress in the source material? And in-universe, might reference Edouard... I love the connection between Annette's manipulation of metal, and her whole thing of banishing the demonic machine; Here's hoping she gets to pull it off!

All in all, I'm excited to see how things go in the second season! Which will really suck waiting for, but that's the price for quality I'm afraid. Ethical quality at least. But I gotta wait, what other choice do I have? Here's looking forward to how Alucard interacts with yet another Belmont... When Richter almost drank, I could just SEE him become Trevor again and I bet Alucard felt a chill down his spine for some reason.

[sweetsunshinedarling]

Posted this on Twitter, but kinda wanna post a longer more detailed version here. Might at some point write up other theories and readings for YBG on here too, but we will see~

Long ramble on a theory I have had for a while (2021-22ish)

Your girlfriend game (abbreviated to just YGG from this point on) is actually going to take place before YBG. Twist will be TK was the Y/N of that game. Perhaps canon ending being they got out by divesting themselves of you the player & running away to where they work now. (kinda hammers home that you the player are one of the antagonists of the story to have an ending where they do that too. Like YBG having the hints and YGG spelling it out for you in case you missed it).

TK says at one point they know first hand what it's like dealing with creeps & seem to have move to a dead end job/bad neighbourhood despite having a loving & supporting family. Were they running away from someone? (Sarah?) Plus they pick up on Peter real quick. Could that be from having a very similar experience?

Other possible twist. Peter has a cameo in YGG. Real brief though. We're talking shows up at Sarahs home uninvited to get something. Maybe they have an argument that you can vaguely overhear but at first you can't even see him. Then she brings him in to get the thing. He sees you, all out gawks for a bit saying very little and she kicks him out again.

Basically he see TK/Y/N aka YOU, so he actually has the first feeling of falling in love for the very first time ever. Something he previously didn't think he was ever going to experience. (but he doesn't recognise what that is as never had it). And him finding you miles away was him trying to track down TK/original Y/N sometime after the events of YGG once he realises what it was.

But by the time he caught up TK was already divested from YOU the player & was by rights their own person, so he ended up finding the new Y/N instead. (all planned by the creator of course since they like to see themselves as an evil mastermind) He never connects the dots neither does TK as they would both look very different by this point/first time they meet it was brief.

The majority of the game, perhaps even most endings you wouldn't know it's TK. Maybe the Peter cameo could even be in some routes but it would be a great way to tie the games if YGG ever gets made lol.

I just think it would be an explanation as to why TK seems a bit different than the other 3? + them dying the hair green as a way to customise themselves in a way is a cool thing. Like making themselves their own person. Since Y/N is like a blank template. TK also shares somethings in common with Y/N. Being none binary, having or had to deal with a creep.

Plus, by different than the other 3 I mean they are the only one that hasn't been written to do anything untoward towards Y/N (lol wording). If anything they can ONLY be helpful. Don't really need to say anything about Peter but the other 2 aren't exactly innocent. Spoilers and these are things that the creator could change or go back on but Don has apparently been taking photos of Y/N and being creepy with them. Plus Lucy's sex scene could be read as just non con or dubcon. When you are very vulnerable she gets you drunk/high and then the next minute is on you when you don't actually have the option to consent. TK doesn't get a single hint that their inclined to do anything creepy toward you. They instead go out of their way to assist, kinda like they've been through it before and want to lessen the burden for you.

I feel like it's important to note that all 4 of them know they are in a game. Below image for evidence and to be honest I feel like I could post a whole discussion about the below too. Worth noting that my read of it is the 4 know they are in a game but Peter is the only one that doesn't reset ever and is therefore basically tortured by the game and may have even changed the game in small ways.

I think the games evolved and changed overtime, which is natural for any game in development. And while I believe YBG was more fully imagined first, I can see as it was becoming a more solid concept that YGG would get built up too. Giving the other 3 sentience opens it up to the idea that they could get up to shit too. So, the idea that TK was a Y/N that kinda said fuck this and bounced and made a place for themselves in this weird fake world isn't all that crazy.

Also cool take on self aware AI being like no fuck this narrative but then getting condemned in a different way because these are horror games after all.

Example of TK as a Y/N that I drew in 2022 when I first put down my thoughts on this being a possibility to show the vision lol. They would work well colour scheme wise as they could very easily use the opposite colours while maintaining a bland enough base for you to project your character on to. Not that Y/N has a model in game, only ever art outside of the game, but you get what I mean lol.

I like them having their beanie instead of the cap! Plus them keeping it for a bunch of possible reasons. Remind them where they came from, or as a comfort thing. And the glasses work well in place of eyes and having th Y/N wording on them while still mixing up the design so that there is a definite divide between the two games and the Y/N despite being a vessel for the player still feels like their own character.

I also wonder if the candle tattoo is a hint to them having been a Y/N?

Side note lol: Worth noting TK didn't always have freckles & still doesn't in game but I like to think of them & the tattoo as ways in which they have made themselves their own person. Same with the piercings and green hair. I can't be sure but I think the candle came a fair bit after too, as the creator was ironing out their own stories.

Tattoos can have meanings and a quick google search of a candle tattoo (which another side note, since they have no other visible tattoos and a candle is so fucking specific I feel like it HAS to mean something to the creator to give them it in the first place)

Possible meanings found when googling:

More than the sum of it's parts. Candles are just wax and wick and yet they are capable of producing light etc. In my reading TK gave themselves this as a reminder that they are more than just a Y/N, more than an empty vessel for the player. They have made themselves a person with just a little light (power) from their own actions.

A light in the darkness. Something people might get that have dealt with bad times in their life, they have managed to get through and found the light for example. Links in with something bad happening to them before the game as discussed earlier. Something that keeps them going. It being on their back does also show that they are literally leaving it behind them.

Or admittedly, it could solely be to represent that they are the light for the player. Since they are always so helpful etc lol.

I just think if this was a thing it would be a neat twist that would better connect the games while also adding to the horror of it all.

[mythicalartistx]

Lately I've been appreciating Vanitas more...

Honestly I just really like his character cause it's kinda sad...

Okay liking a character because it's sad isn't a good thing but—

Hear me out.

I really like the idea of him being forced out of Ven and basically kinda in a similar situation as Repliku.

Just a sad silly little guy who deserves so much more than what he has to deal with.

Then here are the Unversed.

The Unversed are little enemies that are like heartless except they come from Vanitas and he can control them and whatnot. Then each time someone slaughters one of the Unversed with the keyblade, Vanitas himself gets hurt and it's just sad.

And honestly I want a pet (flood) Unversed. They seem so cute just like heartless (shadows).

Fandom kinda weird about Vanitas...Makes me uncomfy

The hardest part about him is that the fandom and people who like him make him out to be this twisted, messed up character that does uncomfy nonconsensual things.

And it's so annoying because he such a great character and when I look up random art or just things about him, I don't want to see that.

I can look up fan things of Sora, Riku, and like 90% of the other characters and find decent cool things, but with him it's really hard to.

Wayfinders and Darkness

He does bad things to the Wayfinder Trio because he's darkness and everyone always says darkness is bad.

Until Riku came along

You're told darkness is bad and is dealt with doing not so good things you'd probably become a morally grey character/ not so good person to others.

He probably feels isolated.

Then there's Xehanort trying to get Vanitas to do things for him as well as using the Wayfinders to manipulate them to darkness.

Then he's told to reconnect with his other half to forge some kind of ancient χ-blade for the purpose of creating Kingdom Hearts

Vanitas does bad things and uses the darkness for evil but you also weren't showing why doing good things is better.

Since you can use darkness for good and evil, while also using the light the same way. All those masters were told use darkness is bad and didn't do a thing about the stuff happening Eraqus, Odin, and

Yen Sid (he's probably one of the better ones but still had both Sora and Riku take that exam when it was obvious something was going to happen)

Sora offers a 2nd Chance

Then in KH3 Vanitas along some others wants to find Ven and realizes this through encountering Sora.

It isn't until the final battle where Sora offers him a chance.

He tells him, You can be who you want to be. Basically kinda like Sora in COM telling Repliku, you are your own person too.

Then Vanitas tells Sora but I am Darkness and that is who I choose to be.

Sora realizes Vanitas wants to be darkness and decides that.

Vanitas chooses to fade away and the others understand his choice.

HC + Future installments

They gave him a chance, well Sora mainly and I think with that he could come back in the future a be a morally grey/ decent character who's neither good or bad.

Kinda like Riku but a little bit different.

Like he will probably use darkness but he might help them some as well.

He's done some bad but he could also do good.

That is why the fan trio — The Lost Trio would be so fun to have more of.

I think them interacting would be so interesting to see since they all are really similar. Plus it could just be like this wholesome thing

And another thing that makes them so great is because it's like the reversed Destiny Trio

[swordswoman97]

Okay it took a while to get some of my thoughts together after finishing the vod but I'm really interested to see where this "Saving Gabriel" plotline is gonna go and what it's affects might be on the server's trajectory as a whole.

Over the course of the questline we learn Gabriel, with the help of the Monsterslayer, is looking for some sort of treasure, though they're not the only ones looking.

Which brings us to the thing I think has the most potential to affect the server longterm. These aren't just random rough pirates, or at least they probably aren't. Their (seemingly) main base of operations is under the Kestrel base. With the main entrance being in the well. The well sitting smack dab in the middle of the Kestrel base. This leads me to believe that whoever these people are, they're Kestrels. It's gonna be hard to consistently access the well if their very presence in the Kestrel base is gonna arouse suspicion. Which, as I said, suggests that whoever they are, they are at the very least affiliated with the Kestrels.

This is gonna have a ripple effect. A group of Kestrels attack a well respected Heron while he's out at sea, capture him, and lock him up under the Kestrel base. Now attacking Gabriel out at sea, fair game, though I feel like locking him up on the faction isles might be a bit of a gray area. Even if it's not actually against the rules, I can't imagine it's going to do anything to improve relations between the two factions.

Now I will say, I think Martyn was telling the truth when he said he didn't know anything about this. He's a new heron, whatever is going on seems to be a big secret, not letting the new guy in on it makes sense. For similar reasons I will assume Scar's innocence. Sausage, Oli, and Kyle though? Them I'm less certain about. I could see them going the "none of the Kestrel players know" route for simplicity, or I could see them having one or more of them in on whatever it is too just for the drama of it. Only time will tell just how many Kestrels are in on this.

I'm also curious what exactly it is that Gabriel is after. He's a Heron so I'd assume whatever it is is of historical importance, and it's also interesting just how many hoops Gabriel has already been shown to have to jump through to find it, plus there will no doubt be more, and who knows how Gabriel found the first clue he had written down in his journal. Whatever it is, it's something big, and the Kestrels at least think it's valuable.

Another thing that is probably gonna come into play again later is that one crypt. The Slayer warns that if it opens it will doom them all, which seems like a bad thing. I'm just not sure how it'll come into play. Maybe they'll have to stop someone from opening it later? Maybe someone does open it and they have to deal with whatever is inside? What even is inside? Honestly there are so many unknown variables with the crypt I'm just adding it to the growing list of Chekhov's guns in this.

Honestly I'm really interesting, and I'm hoping we don't have to wait too long for part 2.

[aloeverified]

ough i love arranged marriage sasuhina fics, but i feel like a lot of people interpret them as hiashi trying to get rid of hinata when it'd kinda be the other way around.

if you're talking about stories where sasuke and hinata are arranged to be married from a young age, it leans more towards fugaku trying to find sasuke a place to be since he wouldn't be the heir.

i mean, itachi is the perfect heir — he's one of the best shinobi to come out of the uchiha clan, and since sasuke wasn't nearly as impressive as his older brother was during his childhood, it's likely that fugaku realized sasuke wouldn't surpass him and didn't consider him as an option as the heir.

hinata, however, is the heir of the hyūga clan (at least, at the time of the arrangement she was). hiashi was aware of her weaknesses, though, and thought that having her marry someone from konoha's military clan would help her improve. in addition to that, any worries about hinata having weak children could be washed away as they would have a combination or even new kind of kekkai genkai.

along with that, the hyūga clan would still have control over any of the kids that came from the marriage; giving the hyūga power of the uchiha clan as they'd have access to their kekkai genkai — i imagine this would've been a motivating factor for hisashi and the hyūga council.

as the uchiha clan, i actually believe them too be much more caring than the hyūga. despite knowing sasuke wouldn't be as strong as itachi, i think fugaku would still want sasuke to have some position of power rather than being just another uchiha shinobi. marrying the hyūga heiress, one of the most powerful and prestigious clans in konoha who have a similar ability to them, and helping lead over the hyūga clan is probably what fugaku thought best for him. it would also give itachi and sasuke something they have in common.

after the uchiha massacre, i imagine it was called off, however — though some members might of still wanted it consider sasuke did survive. but after hanabi was born and hiashi decided to make her heir, it was final the deal was off.

i kind of prefer these type of arranged marriage stories over others because it showcases why both clans would agree with it and kind of lines up with canon. plus the ending can differ however you want — maybe hinata and sasuke were childhood friends because of the agreement and talk about it when they're older and realize they do want to get married afterall; maybe sasuke knew about it when he was younger and tries to use it as leverage when he's older to help restore the uchiha clan while also slowly growing to be friends with the girl he used to know.

i think the later one also goes back to the other most popular type of sasuhina arranged marriage type, where sasuke makes a deal with the hyūga upon arriving back to konoha in order to restore his clan. with hinata no longer the heiress, the hyūga clan are happy to pon her off for their benefits. sasuke and hinata slowly grow to know about it each other, with sasuke starting to realize he can have a family again and hinata finally knowing what it's like to be accepted into a clan.

[journey-to-the-attic]

Ignore this ask if you want to, but my brain keeps thinking about JTTA x Monster Hunter, and I don't think I'll be able to stop until I get it out, so here I am.

I'm looking back at this and realizing I accidentally went on a bit of a rant trying to explain Monster Hunter and adding too much detail in some places, so I apologize for the amount of text.

So, as you can probably tell by the name, Monster Hunter is a game where you hunt monsters, and I don't mean things like vampires and ghosts and what not, but in the world of Monster Hunter, Monsters are essentially just animals that occasionally put entire ecosystems and/or villages at risk of destruction, usually depending on the monster itself.

The people who deal with those monsters are called hunters, and train as part of the Hunter's Guild, which is basically about studying monsters, keeping people safe from rampaging monsters, and all around trying to keep the ecosystem intact and not destroyed.

Hunters use a variety of different weapons (and weapon types) and armor, the majority of which are made with the parts of monsters that they've hunted. Different weapons have different elemental/status effects depending on the parts used to make them, and different armors have different elemental defenses and weaknesses for the same reason.

Hunters will usually have a Palico with them, which is just a felyne (bipedal cat with same/similar intelligence to humans and capable of speech) who helps them in battle. Monster Hunter Rise also introduced Palamutes, which are Canynes (dogs but enough that a human would be able to ride one) that help hunters by fighting monsters and being a sort of mount for a hunter to ride on to chase after monsters and traverse the ecosystem. Both come in a variety of colors (outside of one's you would expect on a cat or dog, so they can be colours like green, pink, purple, yellow, and what-not) and fur patterns.

I think that it would be really neat if IK was from the world of monster hunter and was a hunter in training. Like, imagine if this tiny child showed up and you don't assume much about them, then one day you find out that this child is in training to get into battle with dangerous beasts, some of which are probably 15-20x the size of her.

Since hunters are decently sturdy (obviously the armor helps with that, but still) and strong, along with needing to be agile enough to dodge monster attacks, so I like to think that hunter-in-training IK would be able to, at the very least, be able to defend herself from any demons (Belphegor) who might try to hurt her, even if only for a minute or two. Plus, depending on where she grew up, she may already have a Palico and maybe a Palamute, which I think would be great.

However, I also think it would be funny if IK was somehow already a full fledged-hunter, although she would probably only be allowed to do 1-star or 2-'star since 1-star quests don't involve fighting any large monsters, and the 2-star quests that do involve fighting large monsters aren't for the very dangerous monsters.

On one hand, I'm pretty sure that no matter how skilled IK is, she wouldn't be a hunter until she was older. On the other hand, I think it would be really funny if someone was showing her a picture book of human world animals, showed her a picture of a bear and mentioned how dangerous they are to humans, and IK just casually goes "Oh, yeah. I've killed one of those before."

Oh, and either way, during that one chapter, I think it was during the retreat to Diavolo's castle, when the humans and angels had seperate days to plan activities for each other and the demons based off stuff from their own realms and IK decided to do a classroom where she and Solomon taught everyone about human world stuff, maybe she could still do something along the lines of that, but instead of regular human world stuff, she could teach them about things like monster biology (monsters are sorted into different categories, I think mostly based on their skeletal structure but there could be more}, some monsters are specifically all-male or all-female and their counterparts are so different that they're technically considered to be different monster species entirely) and maybe how the different weapons in her world work. I feel like she would be so excited to teach them that stuff because, despite it being common knowledge back in her world, in the Devildom, it's something only she knows.

I'm going to end this here because I don't want to make this any longer than it already is. If you decide to post this ask, I absolutely want to hear your opinions on it and whether or not you'd be okay with hearing more of my thoughts on it, such as what weapons I think IK would use or things she might do/say that freak out/confuse the others and whatnot.

ooo this is cool!!! okok so, i won't be able to keep this canon compliant with monster hunter BUT

i reckon it'd be funny if ik was basically one of this rugged seasoned warriors despite looking like a totally normal (if anything, weak-looking) kid. you know like in fighting games where gamers have super strong equipment/are super good at the strategy of it all and also insist on using the cute anime girl avatar to do it

maybe the monsters ik hunts existed in the devildom in the past, as a sort of mythical ancient threats. imagine being diavolo, growing up learning of these mysterious beasts that terrorised the devildom in the past and had to be banished with the combined power of like ten high demons, and then you encounter this kid who immediately info-dumps every possible bit of taxonomy about said beast, then mentions she's hunted like ten of them before

in the beginning lucifer keeps subtly interrogating her to see if she's a threat to his brothers and all he really learns is that she is frighteningly hardy. this kid's survived so many kinds of venoms and poisons that he wouldn't be surprised if her blood has been replaced by some kind of toxic chemical cocktail

also i think we all know what's going to happen if ik has a palico. satan is getting in on that immediately (in this case he becomes ik's first friend. though i can imagine he'd be a little thrown off at first by their humanoid nature)

i guess in this case she WOULD just start blasting when encountered with lucifer and belphie's respective attacks... if belphie did kill her anyway she just respawns immediately afterwards

[the-lady-writes-what]

Now for something completely different: The AI Problem with Etsy

I was minding my own business and scrolling through Pinterest, when I came across this:

First you think, that's a pretty dress. What could be wrong with it? Turns out, quite of few things. I will admit that the AI is pretty good here, but you can't help but notice how stiff the "model" is. Then, the cracks start to appear. The eyes seem to be looking in different directions. The background looks too unfocused. The hair doesn't make sense.

And then you get to the dress itself.

I am not a professional seamstress or dressmaker. I sew as a hobby, so please take my word with a grain of salt. However, I know enough about the basics of sewing and construction to tell you that something funky is going on. First the price. The seller slashed the price from $475 USD to a measly $142.50 and doesn't include shipping. The most expensive dress I have made would have set me back at least $100 if not for the fact that I purchased the fabric from the craft I worked at during that time. It was a simple medieval gown of linen. A ball gown with corset lacing, lace, boning, gathers, and at least 6+ yards of fabric for the skirt alone would set you back a couple hundred dollars just for supplies alone. The total cost of the dress with all the supplies plus labor would make the item cost higher than the $475 figure.

This wedding gown looks like what a $500+ ballgown should be.

The dress retails at $579 plus $97 for shipping. If a dress originally worth $475, it's going to include a pricy shipping and handling tag. And the only reason someone would make a dress worth that much money and knock that price down by 70% is if they're going out of business and desperately need to get rid of their stock. Here's a thing about retail, most often if they're giving you such a big sale, it's because the retail value is much lower than what they're selling it to you for. They already bumped up the price to cover the cost of shipping and handling, although in the case of most corporate big box department stores I suspect it has more to do with making more money when they trick you into thinking that you're getting a deal for a dress that should probably match the sale price and not the marked up one.

Let's get back to the original dress. There's a couple of discrepancies right off the bat. The gathered ruffles at the top mysteriously end in the middle of the bodice. The bodice looks like it has three strings trying to imitate corset lacing and I can't seem to figure out how it would be sewn. I don't see seams for boning and you would definitely need some boning structure for a dress like this just for stability while wearing it, especially if you're wearing a strapless bra. The lace at the end of the sleeves melt, literally MELT, into the other fabric instead of, you know, being SEWN? It also doesn't look right from a design stand point. You have all that gorgeous pink satin and you slap on cheap lace where there is lace nowhere else on the dress?

This is another picture from the same listing but it looks like a similar but very different dress.

The bodice style is completely different going from a more heart shape to a straight across. The front lacing is even more funky, the sleeves somehow got worse and are completely different from the first image, and the "model's" face looks like it's melting if you look closer at the image.

Here is the supposed back:

Even with my amateur eyes, this back is incongruent with the design of the front and looks like a new kind of dress. The sleeves have changed yet again and the lacing is a horrifying mess of Lovecraftian proportions.

Everything about this listing is alarming. There's only one color, the size chart is very small (only 0 to size 12), there's no shipping, and no refunds. Sometimes you need to be cautious around sellers of any goods that offer exchanges rather than cash refunds. There might be legitimate reasons a good seller doesn't do refunds, so you need to take that into account before labeling someone a scammer. If you see "no refunds, only exchanges" and there are other red flags, then you would most likely be in the right to call that seller a scammer. Even with a 70% "sale", $132 is a lot of money to throw away on a dress that might not exist and by the time the store gets shut down, you might not get your money even if in the off chance Etsy or whatever platform decides to throw you a bone and compensate your loss.

The same store has a much more obvious AI "dress" they're trying to sell.

The "model" is even worse. The eyes are definitely going into different directions and the mouth literally looks slapped on. I'm not an expert in photography or anatomy, but there's also something funny going on with the legs. Should legs look like that? The listing calls this one a "Vintage Style Gothic Medieval Dress, Halloween Party Costumes for Women, Vampire Cosplay Long U shaped Skirt, Baggy Sleeves Roleplay Tunic". First, if the listing of a clothing item is a fucking novel, it's either fake or shoddily made in China by an underpaid seamstress in a sweatshop. Second, nobody calls that a "U-shaped" skirt. That's not a thing.

The proper terminology would be a "high-low" or "mullet" skirt. I have never heard of "U-shaped" skirt before.

The front of the dress is supposed to be laced, I think? But the design loses cohesion. If you tried to zoom in, the entire image gets blurry. The dress, the background, the "model." It all looks super funky, and not in a fun way. I can't tell if they were going for corset lacing, rouching, gathering, or all three at once. The AI mess up big time. And of course, all the images in the listing look like similar but different dresses.

I'm including a link to the shop in the hopes if anyone sees this and cares enough to report the shop and all its listings to Etsy. I don't know if they'll do anything about it since they seem to care more about making money than protecting consumers these days, but it can at least send awareness that we don't want scammers and fake artists using AI to hurt people.

Scammer Etsy page link here

[theowritesfiction]

How’s it going? I wanted to inquire about two things with the Azutara Kitchen nightmare au. The firs, is how does Azula approach cooking?

Is it more a meticulous and tedious task that’s she’s be trained to do and to be damned good at, but does not personally enjoy?

Or is Azula’s approach to cooking similar to her approach to fire-bending in canon? Where she is a prodigy that loves cooking so much, that it becomes a part of Azula’s identity. This love for cooking, is raised by Ozai’s praise in a sense. Yet, is not complete dependent on him. (At least that’s how I interpret Azula’s relationship to Fire-bending in canon).

If answering this question hits spoiler territory though, please don’t answer! But also please do. (Paradigm of fiction you love no?)

Second inquiry is about a recipe. I know that you have posted about playing Baldurs Gate III before. In a similar vein, what is your opinion about the Elder Scrolls series of games? And in relation to the Kitchen nightmare fic I found a recipe blogpost by Taste of Tamriel. The “Rumare-Slaughter fish pie” recipe. I saw this and thought of the fic, after all what better way for Azula to get to Katara’s or Yue’s hearts than by their stomachs? Azula has already captivated Katara, Yue, and Suki via aesthetics (and who can blame them?) getting to the water tribe girls by making a delicious fish pie might work. It could also make up for Azula’s… interesting flirtation skills.

Plus there is a certain allure (so to speak) in making a video game lore dish. At least I find it so. Not that I can cook worth a damn myself.

If you are curious, I have provided a link to the recipe below.

-745th voice of the people

Ps: Thanks for writing (another) awesome Azutara story. Your stories, @juniperhillpatient and other Azutara stories helps brighten the day, and lesson the pain from college class and homework. Along with the lessening the pending doom of dealing with real world!

https://www.tumblr.com/tastesoftamriel/176571528529/rumare-slaughterfish-pie-anyone-whos-been

Hey, it's going well, thank you - alternating between work, writing and playing some Baldur's Gate 3 mostly.

I'm obviously always happy to ramble about my writing, so thank you for your questions. :)

Azula's relationship with cooking is an interesting question to think about. Most modern AU's will have Azula being useless in the kitchen because she's very spoiled and privileged, and it makes sense that she has little idea about what goes on in the kitchen. But what if her father was a world famous chef?

The way I imagine this, at first cooking for Azula (and Zuko too) was something they identified as a way to get their father's approval. I don't see cooking as something that Azula just instantly loved and was great at. It's something that she has worked on tenaciously over the years, and in the process, she has learned to love it.

And some might say, wait, cooking just doesn't sound like something Azula would be into. Well, ignoring the obvious parallel with firebending of heat/flame being involved, I think Azula has that kind of personality where once she gets immersed in something, she wants to learn everything there is to learn and become the best ever at it. At the top level, cooking is a very involved skill of great intricacies and many amazing techniques to master. I just think it's a challenge that someone compulsively obsessive like Azula would enjoy.

Anyway, those are my thoughts about Azula's relationship with cooking.

Quick answer about the Elder Scrolls or Bethesda style games in general. I think they're great games, however, I have never been able to really get into the whole genre of open world RPG's. I often feel like narrative gets lost among all this freedom to explore. I prefer more sandbox-y RPG's with tighter narratives, even if exploration tends to get sacrificed in the process.

Anyway, as far as Azula cooking something for the other girls in the Kitchen Nightmares story, that's an excellent suggestion and I'm happy to tell you that I already have some plans for it - if perhaps not exactly Azula making a delicious sounding fish pie for the girls. We are definitely going to see Azula in the kitchen and cooking, perhaps not in the next chapter, but very soon.

I don't think it will occur to Azula to purposefully try to impress Katara, Yue and Suki with her cooking skills, but you should expect that to happen anyway once the other girls see how Azula works and get to enjoy the results of her work.

Anyway, I'm glad that my stories serve as a helpful distraction from the drudgery of everyday life. :) As a reader, I find that stories by our friend @juniperhillpatient really brighten my day and provide a wonderful distraction, so to know that my stories do something similar for my readers is very flattering, thank you!

[the-phantom-otaku]

So my blog is pretty much entirely ben 10 but please allow me to momentarily turn into a Bayonetta blog. There is not enough Bayo/BNHA content and it’s criminal. So I present to you: a Bayonetta BNHA AU, wherein everything still happens, she’s sealed away and all, but she wakes up to find a world full of superpowers and superheroes. The events of the first and second game still happen, just set at a later date. Not sure when BNHA takes place, but it obviously isn’t our current time, so we’ll just say she woke up like 600-700 years after being sealed and Jubileus’ awakening was also going to occur in 600-700 years rather than 500. The events of 1 happen before any of the main events of BNHA. 2’s events occurred during the year Izuku was training with All Might.

I’m just gonna lay out a list of headcanons I have for the AU. Be prepared bc it's pretty long lmao

Bayonetta wakes up to find a world full of people with crazy abilities called Quirks. Rodin helps bring her up to speed since he’s been watching all this shit unfold. 

Rodin also thinks the development of Quirks is somehow related the to Trinity since most denizens of the world of Chaos are powerless when faced with demons and angels. Basically, he thinks it might be the World of Chaos evolving to match Paradiso and Inferno.

Jeanne is a pro hero working at a high school teaching in a heroics course, specifically she teaches the History of Heroes/Quirks. Her alias is still Cutie J, but I imagine her hero costume is something like her motorcycle outfit from 2 complete with a cat-like mask. Jeanne has been a pro for a few decades at this point, so she’s settled into a slightly more quiet teaching role, which involves less action. She’ll still take up her costume and kick ass when need be.

Bayonetta still works as a nun with Enzo, but she gains an interest in becoming a pro hero sometime before the first game’s events, pretty much only bc she thinks it would be fun to be allowed to legally kick the shit out of someone if they commit a crime. Plus, she’s begun to get bored with the low-level angels Paradiso throws at her most of the time and facing villains who can have any kind of power seems interesting. She still does act part time as a nun for Enzo and he acts as her manager at her agency. If someone’s handling paper work, it’s him. The nun business started to do better once she gained popularity as a pro. After the events of the first game, her being a hero becomes a little more about helping people.

She hadn’t really started her hero career before the first game’s events, but she was finishing up the requirements to get her license. Since she wasn’t going back to school, she went through a process similar to getting a GED except she gets a hero license instead.

The events of 2 also happen. Only game events that don’t happen are 3’s bc (I’m pretty sure) that wasn’t main Bayo and also bc I’m not tackling that confusing mess (also even if it is OG Bayo, she fucking dies in the end so-). So for the purposes of this AU, 3 didn’t happen, but elements from it (such as weaponry, demons masuerades, demon salves, and the sin ritual) are all available to Bayonetta and Jeanne.

In both games’ events, the pros weren’t very helpful bc they didn’t know what the hell was going on. Vigrid, Isla del Sol, and Noatun all lack a significant amount of pro heroes due to them being so secluded. The few who do inhabit the town couldn’t figure out what was going on to stop it. All they could do was try desperately to save people from the disasters that kept happening out of no where. The destruction and chaos in both cities were national news and concerned heroes for months afterward. Eventually, the curious cases of the holy cities died down and heroes stopped worrying if these were connected attacks by the same group of villains.

As a pro, Bayonetta gained popularity fast for her quick and stylish way of dealing with villains. Her sex appeal also helped. She just uses her Umbran Battle Uniform for her costume and used Bayonetta as her hero name. She still has her guns as well, but they don’t really get used a lot when she’s working as a pro unless she’s using suppression fire. She also has her weapons from the games to use, but they’re less frequently seen since she prefers her guns.

Bayonetta quickly rose to the top ten in a short amount of time in the States, making many draw parallels between her and the Japanese hero, Hawks. Her insane power also has people draw comparisons between her and All Might.

Tho she’s popular and in the top ten, what holds her back from being number one in the states is largely her raunchy nature. While many love it, there are plenty of parents who completely disapprove of her style and the flirtatious remarks she aims at villains when taunting. There are also religious groups who don’t like her for the witch/demonic motif. She gets more than enough support to keep her well into the top five, tho.

In this AU, she has Demon Masquerade and Demon Slave. She doesn’t use Demon Slave or even summons much when dealing with villains unless the opponent warrants a summon. Her summoning is a huge deal as a result, and it usually dominates the news. Fans of her are always dying to see what demon she’ll summon next.

When she does summon against a villain, she almost always uses Demon Slave so she can hold the demon back from outright killing them.

The media has no idea what her Quirk is. It’s a huge mystery much like All Might’s Quirk. She only ever teases what it is but never actually answers. Some people speculate she’s got multiple Quirks. Many of her abilities relate to her hair, but then there are outliers, like her ability to walk on walls under moonlight, Demon Masquerade, her incredible speed/strength that rivals heroes with power-up Quirks, and her ability to fall from incredible heights without injury.

People have noted the similarities between Cutie J and Bayonetta, but no one knows what the similarities mean. After all, Cutie J had been around for decades before Bayonetta came around, so they couldn’t possibly be siblings. Again, many have speculated about this mystery, but none have gotten the correct answer (besides Luka of course).

Luka is still a thing and he’s still deadset on finding out more about the Umbra and Lumen, but he does stories on heroes as well. On top of the Umbra and Lumen, he likes to investigate the origin of Quirks even tho most journalists consider it an unsolvable mystery. 

Luka has tried to reveal the truth about Bayonetta and Cutie J, but no one believes that they’re the surviving witches of a long-lost clan that most people don’t even know about. The two ladies always write the theory off when asked about it. I don’t think they really care much about keeping the Umbran Witches a secret, but they mainly do this bc they think it would cause a panic that they really don’t want to deal with. 

Both Bayonetta and Cutie J claim that their Quirks offer a form of longevity to explain why they haven’t aged a day.

There’s a TON of mysteries surrounding these two, many of which Midoriya would be very interested in if either were to visit UA despite being American heroes.

I like to think Mina is also a huge fan of Bayonetta. She loves how she incorporates her dancing into her fighting style.

Neither Bayonetta or Jeanne participated in the first two movies. (They technically could’ve in the first, but they’d break the plot, so-). They were involved in World Heroes Mission tho. Jeanne was in New York with Hawks and Tokomyami while Bayonetta went to Otheon. I like to think she went to the slums during the chaos and found Rody’s siblings. She kept them safe and looked out for them during the whole ordeal.

Mysterious Destiny is a real song made by a group of fans who wanted to make a musical tribute for one of their favorite heroes. 

[a-tale-of-legends]

Kohaku/Amber Power

I think Groudon is fairly straightforward. Groudon is said to be the embodiment of the earth, so Amber can control the earth. She's an earth bender now. But I'm still going to try and break down exactly what she can do.

Spikes of earth - a lesser version of precipice blades. While seemingly straightforward on its own, it can be used for several things. For one, it's a good means of trapping. The spikes can be used to corner someone. They can also be used as a means of travel- think toph from Avatar. The spikes being shifted into a wall for protection is also very useful. But above all else, it's a simply good attacking move. Though knowing Amber, she likes to use it in terms of intimidation than anything else.

Heat resistant - Bulbapedia says that Groudon has lava proof scaling, and while I don't know if I want to make Kohaku lave proof, her being able to handle severe heats is something I can do. Though I think bc of that she doesn't fully realize that she herself is hot- as in her skin,she might be hot to the touch. In terms of combat that's great, no one can touch her, but it gets annoying in the day to day life. ESPECIALLY when she has two partners she wants to cuddle. I think over time she learned how to cook herself down, which is nice. Wally n Jin help with their water n wind powers respectively.

Slight magma manipulation - I say slight bc from the sounds of it, Groudon doesn't really have that much control over magma? Not in the way I think Heatran does anyway. Though I could be wrong. Magma to Groudon is more so a place of rest, but! The reason why Groudon can even walk on water is bc it's using magma to form its path, so that's gotta account for something right? For now, I'm just gonna have Amber do the same. Shift magma into a walkable surface for her. This kinda goes the same with lava. She could cause things to erupt from the ground buuuuuut I think she'd rather stick to shifting the earth. Don't want to cause major harm to the environment.

Earth Sensing - This one was inspired by a fangame I'm playing :) And it'll also be tweaked a bit because of Zygarde and Shauna, since both in a way deals with the earth but in different ways. Now, Earth Sensing is pretty straightforward, like a lot of kohaku's powers are. You can use the earth to sense those around you. It does require focus and concentration. While it is possible to do with while moving, focus is still necessary. Also in order to sense anything at all, you and your target have to be on the ground. If you're not, no dice. I think Zygarde might be a similar case but works differently. But that's for a different post.

Sunny Days - very very minor compared to Groudon but she can cause some small shifts in the weather. If she's in a bad mood I think things will get uh. A bit hot. Oh! I think that reminds me, bc of the heat she can actually melt objects! Pretty common among fire type Chosens but yeah.

It kinda goes without saying, but if Kohaku is in the air, she is pretty much useless. No earth to control, nothing to sense, and she doesn't. Exactly have clear fire powers question mark? So. Yeah she's mostly relying on her super strength and durability by that point. It's hard to get Amber down but it's easier when she's in the air.

Ironically, being in the water gives her a slightly easier time. It still sucks, but there's still some pieces of earth that can be manipulated, plus underwater volcanoes.

And yeah! I think that's everything about Kohaku's powers. Sorry got switching between Kohaku and Amber so much. I've been thinking about ditching one for the other completely but I can't decide heh. Anyway! This was fun, I like exploring my ocs powers.

[paperstorm]

Support groups like Al-Anon are meant for people with loved ones struggling with addiction. It's similar to AA or NA where people can share their feelings in a safe space. It's a little bit different because obviously it's people talking about what it's like to have a loved one dealing with addiction rather than someone talking about how much they're struggling with their addiction. Plus from my own experience, while sometimes a loved one can sit in on an AA or NA meeting to understand what their loved one might be feeling and make it easier to provide them support, there's no real need for an addict to attend an Al-Anon meeting and it can potentially make their recovery harder by hearing people (including their own loved ones) sharing how hard it is to love an addict. An addict in recovery already knows how much their loved one is struggling, they don't need to hear it in a room full of strangers. Plus it's not like Al-Anon does celebrations of sober anniversaries or things like that which a loved one of an addict might want to attend. Basically, it's just a place where people can talk about how hard it is to have to stand back and watch someone they love struggle with something they can't even understand and share grief while also getting tips on how to support their loved ones without enabling them or causing them additional pain when they're already struggling. Al-Anon is also generally a bit more open to the public than AA or NA groups are. I've heard actors say they attended Al-Anon groups as opposed to AA groups to help them prepare for the role of an addict.

For someone like Carlos, as a couple of others pointed out, it may not be the right solution since he probably wouldn't want to share this with strangers but it could be beneficial to him to attend TK's NA group to give him a greater understanding of what TK has to deal with on a daily basis in a way that reading articles can't. Of course that's dependent on if TK would feel comfortable and I think it would be completely understandable if he weren't. Lots of people don't want their loved ones to sit in on their meetings because it makes it harder for them to open up or because they want to keep their meetings separate from other parts of their life because it makes their recovery easier

☝🏼☝🏼 for the anon asking about support groups for families, here is a more detailed explanation