#technically 3 but round 1 was specifically For Him

[autistme]

We are meant to change, in the wind and rain, make me new again vids from @shardsofapril :3

[mists-dark-zone]

Hi!

So.. i read you kinktober stuff and boi.. my mind is running like..

i have some thoughts, like Creator doing 1, 12, 23 to Zhongli, mainly cuz i have a love and hate relationship with him. That is the result of my friend making me hate him that bad, but that is another story.

Though, back to my thoughts on Zhongli being a sub, like ugh, I love me some sub men that are powerful. Zhongli crying and begging for release due to over stim? Beautiful.

Zhongli released a soft whine and yet he doesn't want to disappoint you, not after he was given this plant to take care of by you. Yet, he is so humiliated to be at the mercy of the pathetic plant, not fully realizing that he was pulled into the trap that was set up by you. There are times where it just teases him after a long night of endless rounds, but he won't return the plant cuz of what the creator said before handing him the plant, "Surely someone as strong as you can handle the plant i made just for you." - Kaeya anon

Kinktober day "3"

I know it's technically day 7,but this took awhile to write T-T. Days 4,5,6,and 7 will be posted soon,as well as day 8.

This request was very fun to write,thank you for it!

Zhongli

1: Humiliation

12: Expositionalism

23: Tentacles

Content warning: ⚠️This work has dubious consent⚠️

If this bothers you I ask that you leave,for your own wellbeing!!

If these things make you uncomfortable DO NOT INTERACT!! I am not liable for it if you do!

There was a knock at your door.

"Your grace?" The voice of your most loyal servant came through. "May I come in?" He said before politely waiting outside. 'He was definitely the perfect one for this job',you thought to yourself before speaking.

"Yes,please come in." Zhongli walked in,head held high. He gave a deep bow,almost going to kneel at your feet until you stopped him. "That will not be necessary today." He peered at you,confused. "Zhongli,I have a task for you." He had perked up at the word task,straighting himself back up.

You move gracefully across the room,mentioning for him to follow. You smiled to yourself as you picked up a plant in a pot. Leaves of deep purple,with...tentacle like stems and leaves. It was a type of vine,you supposed. Gingerly picking up the plant,you turned to Zhongli.

"This plant here is one I made specifically for you,my most loyal follower. I ask that you please take care of it." You held it out to him,and Zhongli nodded. His stoic face betrayed the way he was feeling inside,the bubbling pride and excitement making it's way through his body.

Zhongli bowed deeply. "I am honored to have such a privilege,your grace." You nodded,a similar excitement bubbling inside of you,but for reasons very different than what Zhongli could guess. You carefully placed the pot into his waiting hands. You waved a dissmissal, and he bowed deeply once again,turning to leave. Just as he opened the door,you called out to him,making him turn around.

"It's a special plant Zhongli,so make sure to give it extra special care." You said with a wink before going back to your work. Zhongli briskly left the room,scurrying through your giant palace domain. He had his own place,but decided to go to the room assigned to him as an acolyte instead,saving some time. He quickened his pace,wanting to get there as soon as he possibly could. He couldn't understand why,but he felt he needed the space his room gave for something,although he was unsure why this thought came to mind.

He finally made it to his room. It was a barren yet large place. He had his bed pushed to the left side, which at the foot the door to his in room bathroom was. That door was closed however,so after a minute of looking around,Zhongli placed the plant on his desk,which was the direct opposite of his bed.

He stared at the plant for a moment. It looked...odd,but all the colors were absolutely beautiful in a way Zhongli wouldn't have seen before. He was studying the plant so intently that he hardly noticed that it had moved a bit.

He snapped out of it only when he realized that it would be best if he watered the plant. Fresh water would be best,he thought to himself. So,he walked to the door,ready to walk out. That was,until he was grabbed.

Something hard and thick wrapped around his waist,pulling him up into the air in the middle of the room. He let out a yelp,trying desperately to push the thing off of him. He looked down at it,trying to see what exactly was holding him captive. It looked to be a vine of sorts,and he wondered if he could maybe slash it with his polearm...

...That was,until a sweet smell began secreting from the plant,causing him to go limp and his thoughts to cloud up. He continued to fight,squirming around in a pathetic attempt to escape,but there was no strength behind his actions. It was like all the power he had was drained. Or maybe it was just the fact that thinking about escaping was getting harder..

Something hard pushed its way into his mouth,and he desperately tried to spit it out. It was relentless however,so it simply continued to venture deeper into his mouth. Zhongli gagged when it hit the back of his throat,tears springing up in he eyes. The thing didn't care for his discomfort,and soon the former archon felt a cool,thick,slimy substance slide down his throat.

All too quick,his body felt as if it was in searing heat. Sweat formed on his forehead as he panted. He hardly noticed that his cocks had become fully erect,straining his pants. It came to the forefront ot his mind as it became increasingly uncomfortable. Two thin vines came and pulled off his jacket,letting it fall to a heap on the floor below. They then began work on his suit,finishing much quicker than Zhongli anticipated. It joined his jacket on the floor.

The very second his chest was bare and exposed,more thin vines came,rubbing his stomach with light touches that made him shiver. They trailed up his body,tracing his arolea and flicking over his nipples,causing him to let out a quite embarrassing moan. He was trying hard to escape,but the fire hot pleasure he was feeling was making him so weak...

There was a pressure in his backside,and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as a thick vine pushed into his hole. A wanton moan escaped hid lips. The soft,malleable thorns of the vine tickled his walls on a way that made him gyrate his hips and whine with tears in his eyes. When it hit his prostate,he fell limp as he came hard.

The vines continued even after he came,fucking him hard and fast. He moaned and cried,squirming desperately as he desperately tried to get away from the overstimulation.

Another vine came to touch the head of his sensitive cock,and he yelped as tears once again gathered in his eyes. He couldn't decide whether to buck into it or buck away from it as another splash of white hot pleasure-pain rocketed through him,causing him to orgasm once again.

He squeezed around the vine,just as he felt a thick,warm substance empty from the vine into his hole. He whined as it slipped out,and the other vines let him slump gently to the floor. He watched through blearly,half lidded eyes as the plant returned to normal,as if like magic.

When he awoke,the first he thought to do was get rid of the wretched plant. But the words of his God came back to him. "This plant here is one I made specifically for you,my most loyal follower. I ask that you please take care of it." His God had made it for him specifically. It would be blasphemous to throw it away. So he let it stay. Let it have it's way with him every night.

Little did he know,that that was just what you wanted,as you watched from the shadows every night.

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

Hello! As someone with an newfound interest in Ren'Py and the way it works, I'm going to be dissecting the code of Our Life to explain (roughly) how the game adjusts Cove's look based on your actions. We'll be looking specifically at the transition between Step 1 and Step 2 Cove since that's the very first one that players will experience (I might detail Step 3's changes and Step 4's changes if people want that).

According to GB Patch themselves in response to asks, the way Cove changes his appearance is relatively simple:

His appearance is based on your choices and not random, but it’s taste/aesthetic-based choices rather than the usual conversation type options. So, being nervous or outgoing or what have you will influence Cove’s personality, while choosing the things you like will impact the way Cove looks.

Technically, this is accurate, but not entirely in terms of some decisions you can make that determine Cove's appearance.

Coding-wise, changing Cove's appearance is a simple True/False (yes/no) variable, not a point system. After one decision, Cove might change from the natural evolution of his Step 1 hair (Hair1) to the fluffier hair (Hair2) and it doesn't matter how many times you pick options that would cause that hair: if the last decision is for the hair with the middle part, that's what you'll end up getting.

The TL;DR of it is that, for the most part, things that the MC notices/picks up/favors/focuses on will influence Cove's appearance, but there are a couple that aren't like that and will change him anyway. If you're doing a repeat playthrough and are intentionally trying to get a different Cove, then picking different taste/aesthetic choices is the way to go, but be aware that it's not a guarantee; some options will lead to the same outcome you chose before.

If you want to see what options specifically change his look, then feel free to continue reading\~

The first chance that the player has is when they meet Cove on poppy hill during the prologue. They're given choices on what to "notice first" (according to the game's internal code) and the options lead to different appearance changes:

Green hair. [takes off Cove's glasses and puts on his left pink beaded bracelet]

Wavy eyebrows. [takes off Cove's glasses]

Huge glasses. [sets Cove's glasses to the rounded brown ones]

Pink casts. [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]

Sad frowns. [sets Cove's glasses to the rectangular blue ones and puts on his left pink beaded bracelet]

The last chance is during the ending of Step 1 where you have the option to either go home or stay with Cove, completely unrelated to taste/aesthetic altogether.

If you choose to go home, Cove's hair is set to the fluffy hair, but if you stay, nothing will be set until you get to talk to Cove about his feelings on Sunset Bird.

"Do you hate it here?" [sets Cove's hair to the middle-parted one]

"This can be your home." [sets Cove's hair to the fluffy one]

"It'll be alright." [no change]

This means that you will never get anything on Cove's right wrist (his right, not our right) if you choose not to play any of the moments (or somehow skipped to Step 2 without playing Step 1, because Cove - by default - doesn't wear bracelets). His pajamas and jacket (the one he dons during Step 2's Road Trip) will likewise remain at their defaults.

This includes if you choose to only play Step 1's Library specifically. It's the singular moment that doesn't contain any chances to change Cove's appearance.

As for the other moments...

Shopping

Your chance is when you see the four keychains at the shopping street with Cove.

You picked up the dolphin. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt and the light blue pajama shirt]

You picked up the shark. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt and the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]

You picked up the crab. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt and the light blue pajama shirt]

You picked up the turtle. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt and the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]

Grown Up

Cove's pants change (that sounds weird but I'm not taking it back) depending on if you tell your moms what happened between Cove and Lizzie or not.

You told the truth. [gives Cove the pants with the belt]

You lied. [gives Cove the pants with the stripes]

Long Day

Changing Cove's pajamas (and only his pajamas, unlike in Shopping) is done when the MC decides which dessert they're craving.

A popsicle. [gives Cove the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]

An ice cream cone. [gives Cove the light blue pajama shirt]

An ice cream sandwich. [gives Cove the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]

Then you change his casual shirt when you're watching the clouds with Cove, depending on what you see.

You saw a dolphin. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt]

You saw a car. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt]

You saw an alpaca. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt]

You saw a smiley face. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt]

You saw cloud shapes. [no change]

Sandcastle

This time, it's the type of sandcastle you make that varies Cove's hair specifically.

A house. [sets Cove's hair to the fluffy one]

A castle. [sets Cove's hair to the middle-parted one]

A mansion. [sets Cove's hair to the fluffy one]

Then, his pants change based on what you top the sandcastle with.

Red bottlecap. [gives Cove the pants with the belt]

Blue seashell. [gives Cove the pants with the stripes]

Green piece of seaglass. [no change]

Fireflies

Cove will wear (or not wear) the beaded necklace from how you respond to your Mom prompting you on your excitedness to see/catch the fireflies.

"Yeah!" [no change]

You started eating faster. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]

You looked over at your moms. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]

You pushed your food around your plate. [no change]

Ghost

You get another chance to put on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet regardless of whether you choose to talk to your moms or go outside.

If you went to talk to your moms, the bracelet may or may not be put on depending on what topping you ask for on your toast.

"Jam." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]

"Peanut butter." [no change]

"Honey." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]

"Just butter." [no change]

"Extra butter." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]

If you chose to go outside instead, the kind of genre you choose for the story you say you and Cove are in decides it.

"It's a horror story." [no change]

"It's an action story." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]

"It's a fantasy story." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]

"It's a documentary." [no change]

Barbecue

Cove's right wristwear changes if you choose to sneak a snack when no one's watching.

A baby tomato. [puts on Cove's right shark tooth wrap bracelet]

A small carrot. [puts on Cove's right wristband]

A cocktail sausage. [puts on Cove's right wristband]

A rolled piece of ham. [puts on Cove's right wristband]

A potato chip. [puts on Cove's right wristband]

A tortilla chip. [puts on Cove's right shark tooth wrap bracelet]

Cove may also get the beaded necklace if you pick certain drink options from the cooler.

Soda. [no change]

Water. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]

Juice. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]

Milk. [no change]

Runaway

This moment only gives you a chance to change Cove's look if you go along with him; specifically, his glasses depending on which snack you ask from him.

"Chips." [sets Cove's glasses to the rounded brown ones]

"A muffin." [takes off Cove's glasses]

"A banana." [sets Cove's glasses to the rectangular blue ones]

"Candy." -> "Fruity candy." [takes off Cove's glasses]

"Candy." -> "Chocolate." [sets Cove's glasses to the rounded brown ones]

"Nothing. I'm not hungry." [sets Cove's glasses to the rectangular blue ones]

Sleepover

If you've been following so far and been wondering when your chance to finally change Cove's jacket is, this is it! It's from how you describe the storybook that Cove picks up.

"I love the main character 'cause the squire's really brave and funny." [gives Cove the white and bright pink jacket]

"It has cool pictures. Some of them even take up the whole page." [gives Cove the gray and black jacket]

"Mommy reads it to me. She uses different voices for every character." [gives Cove the white and bright pink jacket]

"There's a dragon in it and crazy things happen." [gives Cove the gray and black jacket]

So, just in case you're the type of player who doesn't like using the Cove Creator but still wants a little more control (either by picking different options or changing the order of moments so your last choices land on what you want), now you can engineer things to your liking because you know how it works!

And if you were just here for the data, then I hope you enjoyed anyway~

[ivyial]

okay time for some delulu gojohime analysis that's a bit of a reach.

so earlier today, i was rewatching a compilation of gojo and utahime's scenes from season 1 and it rang a bell (also, i just want to say, mappa gotta have gojohime shippers on the team cause some of the s2 gjhm elements weren't in the manga). ANYWAY.

so in episode 14 (the beginning of the tokyo-kyoto goodwill event arc), utahime is introduced (and i'm not gonna say that her literal second sentence onscreen ever is inquiring after gojo, but i am going to say that). then gojo comes in with gifts for the kyoto students - some charms from a tribe. this is how the panel goes in the manga:

nothing specific about those charms/souvenirs. gojo also explicitly mentions that they're for the kyoto kids - nothing for the staff.

now here's how it goes in the anime:

unfortunately i don't have the japanese script for this scene or the exact intended meaning, so i'll have to use the english translation :')

in the anime, there are two changes to gojo's dialogue:

the tribal charms are specifically protective. whether they work or not, they were made with the intention of protecting the user in mind

"the kyoto kids" becomes "everyone from kyoto" (including staff, technically)

now assuming that these changes are correct, it makes the scene way more relevant to gojohime.

as we know, gojo thinks utahime is weak. he says it to her multiple times and it's pretty much his go-to insult for her. we also know that gojo is loaded with cash, so spending a few more bucks isn't an issue. and yet... he didn't get her one of those. this is one amazing opportunity for gojo to make fun of utahime, by giving her one of those charms and implying that she needs it because she can't defend herself. but for some reason, he didn't take it.

there are a few ways to interpret that:

gojo is a decent enough guy to not embarrass her in public in front of other people. although, this isn't true, since he does do it in front of other people all the time: see season 2, episode 1, when he calls her weak in front of mei mei and geto. so maybe he just doesn't want to embarrass her in front of her students. again, not exactly true, since he puts her on the spot later in the goodwill event arc:

pretty 'eh' to ask her to give a speech unprepared in front of all of the students, especially since she ends up performing very poorly. maybe he draws the line at calling her weak in front of her students, because he understands that they look up to her.

2. gojo didn't give her a protective charm because despite calling her weak all the time, he doesn't fully believe that and he knows she can defend herself. it is vaguely reminiscent of their recent shared scene in the manga, in which *spoilers for the current arc* utahime's cursed technique is revealed and she acts as an amplifier for gojo's. he definitely trusts her enough to team up with her, just like he did to find the traitor at the kyoto school.

3. utahime doesn't need protection, because he is there. for this interpretation, i'm drawing a parallel between this scene and this post explaining how utahime is metaphorically always under gojo's eye. even without that detail, there's his whole spiel in 2x01 where he dramatically announces "i'm here to save you, utahime". it's worth noting that he pretty much came round to help her out because he knew she was in danger (i think? someone correct me if i'm wrong please).

one thing's for sure though, it's that gojo doesn't truly believe that utahime is too weak to be a sorcerer. is she weaker than him? sure, but that doesn't make her incompetent. and if she needs to be protected, he's more than happy to do it for her.

[we-do-bones-bracket]

Round 5 Match 1

Propaganda:

Brook

He's bone for this poll!! Brook is a skeleton man who constantly makes SKULL JOKES!

He is a skeleton. He ate the revive revive fruit, and got revived after he died, but it took so long for his soul to find his body only bones were left. He is also a famous rockstar know as Soul King

He's my favorite Straw Hat Pirate. He's a 90-year-old musician pirate who died 52 years ago, revived, and spent the next 45 years floating aimlessly all alone as a skeleton surrounded by the corpses of his former crew on a broken ship with no rudder. Then he got his shadow stolen and was set adrift again. Then 2 years ago he met Luffy and and became a Straw Hat for, like, a week before they got separated. Then Brook got captured and imprisoned, then became a famous rock star and rejoined the Straw Hats 2 years later. His life sucks but he always perseveres for the sake of his friends and promises made to them. 50 years alone has made him a bit crazy, but he copes by making constant skeleton jokes and playing music. He's a master of fencing and has bardic superpowers to influence people with music, as well as channel the chill of the underworld through his sword to freeze things.

He's literally bones animated by his Soul powers. He loves to make bone joke, has a funny laugh and plays multiple instruments- he even became famous for it in the timeskip and used to belong to a crew of musician pirates before he died and came back as an undead skeleton.

1.) A literal walking, talking skeleton 2.) Makes a bunch of jokes about being a skeleton/not having a specific body part 3.) Banger musician. May not be technically relevant, but I needed you to know.

Leonard "Bones" McCoy

His name is bones and he is a doctor

ALL HE HAS LEFT FROM HIS DIVORCE ARE HIS BONES. The man lost his house, job and daughter. He's a doctor in a space ship and he fucking hates space

his name is LITERALLY bones. he's an old sawbones. his wife took the planet in the divorce - all he's got left are his bones. life regularly bones him.

he has the energy of an old man yelling on his porch and I love him dearly. he cares about people's bones as well as the rest of him. we never get an explanation in the original series for his nickname but I choose to believe there's a very entertaining story behind it involving kirk trying (and failing) to perform hamlet

[fullmoonfireball]

PIKMIN TREASURES TOURNAMENT, ROUND 5, MATCH 1

(Notes: This is specifically the music box that plays the Pikmin 3 theme, as shown in the video below.)

Propaganda:

Mechanical Harp (Memory Song)

“I just really love that they play music while you carry them.”

“The implications, though. It’s like when splatoon had the image of a skeleton plaing splatoon in one of the sunken scrolls.”

“directly references the third game and one of the best songs in the series (said objectively). its existence messes up the timeline even worse once olimar starts talking about it. beautiful whimsical thing. I go onto the treasure catalogue so often JUST for this specific harp and it makes me do this”

"this is such a beautiful rendition of the song"

"PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE"

King of Bugs

“Louie betraying you and then you collecting him as a treasure is really great.”

“he [is] technically classed as a treasure lol”

“Giving his life a monetary value of 10 is SAVAGE”

“Isn’t the greatest treasure the friends we made along the way?”

“it’s just Louie and I think that’s hilarious”

“tfw you are worth as much as a leaf”

“my fav title for Louie is food thief. he is worth 10 poko. truly a terrible thang”

“The real treasure was my wife all along”

“HE IS WORTH SOSO SO MUCH MORE THAN TEN POKOS. PLEAS. PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME HES GONE THRU SO MUCH IDGAF”

“we need battle of the L’s. L Wars. cmon folks.”

“my son who is worth 10 pokos”

"guy worth 10 pokos"

"louie being worth 10 dollars is objectively fucking hilarious"

"cash that bug man in boys we got enough pokos to buy a soda"

[mlmshipbracket]

ROUND 1: POLL #12

ROUND 1 POLLS [HERE]

PROPAGANDA BELOW

Loki Laufeyson/Mobius M. Mobius:

I think this technically will count as having SPOILERS but nothing too big or specific.

For most of the Marvel movies Loki was obsessed with ruling, but in Loki after he meets Mobius that slowly starts to change. He considers what he really wants and starts to become a better person. There is also a parallel to what happened to his brother Thor. Thor went to earth and met a human who helped him change for the better which Loki made fun of him for only to have the same thing happen to him.

Levi Schmitt/Nico Kim:

Gays <3

[regularme12]

Fairly Odd Parents Tickle asks

I'm so sad there really isn't much tickle content out there for this show, so I'm making some.

1. Who's the most ticklish character?

I gotta say Cosmo. I mean, look at him. He's so cute, bubbly, dorky, ticklish!! Canonly too. Ofc he's gotta be the most ticklish, he basically asks people to tickle him because he enjoys it all too much.

2. Who’s the character that most people would assume is ticklish, but actually isn’t?

Wanda. She's powerful, and strong, but isn't ticklish. She's always the ler to, Poof, Cosmo, and Timmy, never the lee. Which they all hate, well, minus Cosmo, he doesn't really care unless he gets his fair share of tickles.

3. Who’s the character that everyone gangs up on and tickles?

Timmy, between him Cosmo and Wanda, he's just a kid, and have the best reactions, not like Cosmo don't. So them two likes gaining up on him, esp when he makes them do hard wishes exhausting them later on, and when they calm down, they strike. Timmy hates being tickled, and he's canonly ticklish too, so anyways he hates when ppl tickle him.

4. Who’s the character that somehow knows everyone else’s tickle spots and reveals them to others?

I was gonna say Mr. Crocker because he's so observant, so he would observ other people and tell others about it, but who's he gonna tell? The dude's a loner. So it's gotta be Vicky, she always tickles Timmy, not out of the kindness of her heart, she knows he absolutly hates it. So she would tickle him till he does something embarrassing, like, snorting or pissing, or passing out, no idea. She does this infront of his parents too which is way more ebarrassing since it's his parents for the love of God. Also when his friends come over, she takes it out of her way to tickle him to death in front of them, and when she has enough, she'll leave causing Timmy to have another round of tickle torture between A.J and Chester, because they find his reactions adorable.

5. Who’s the character with one specific tickle spot that only one other person knows about?

I know how I said Wanda isn't ticklish, that's bc no one but Cosmo knows that if u tickle at this one specific spot behind her ear, u'll get her laughing hard. So technically she isn't ticklish to other ppl but Cosmo. Still, Cosmo is way more ticklish than his wife.

6. Who’s the most likely to win gang tickle wars?

Between A.J., Chester, and Timmy? Gotta be A.J, he's really not ticklish but one spot, which is his sides, still, he's not bad there just a couple of giggles. But, between Cosmo, Wanda, and Timmy? Defo Wanda, again, not really ticklish, even if Cosmo does tickle that specific spot, she'll just go for under the arms. And he don't go for that spot unless it's just a tickle fight between them two, minus Timmy.

7. Which character has a kink for tickling?

None, I'd like to keep this cartoon rated PG, lol, sorry😭

8. Which character didn’t even know they were ticklish until another character tickled them?

Tie between Chester and Wanda. Again, Wanda. Her and Cosmo was kissing, and he brought his hand up to pull her hair back behind her ear, until he hit a sweet spot right behind them, making her squeal back holding the attacked spot. Cosmo was grinning ear to ear now, "Huh, I thought you weren't ticklish. Guess we know new things." And Wanda just retaliated by, "I swear, tell anyone or tickle me there at any time, I'll tickle you to death, and I mean it. I'll be writing your obituary." Cosmo eventually agreed. Now, Chester. He was too busy tickling Timmy, and sometimes A.J. just to hear giggles here and there, if Timmy's not there to "play", then they got fed up with his relentless attacks, so they teamed up and tickled him to peices, realizing he may be a lil more less ticklish than Cosmo, so like the second most ticklish. It's so cute. So A.J and Timmy tickles him all the time. And he does NOT like it, one bit.

9. Which two characters have tickle fights all the time?

Cosmo and Timmy, and ofc Cosmo always loses, bc he wants to and he's just so ticklish.

10. Which character only let's one specific character tickle them?

Timmy only let's Trixie tickle him, and he's not talking about reducing him to hysterics, that's just too embarrassing, he means like a couple of squeezes and pokes. Since she told him she likes his little giggles and laughs, he let's her more often now. Even go as far as to provoke her into giving him a few pokes.

[vashsscoreboardofpain]

WELCOME BACK SPORTS FANS ;D

Welcome to the last volume of Trimax. After so many months our journey through the manga ends here. Trimax Vash is ready to give his all one more time, and we are ready to witness how many pain points this guy can gather.

Welcome everyone, to volume 14:

Chap 1:

-1 "bad event" point for being shown livio being tortured. fun, thank you legato, we are setting up the bar tonight

-the contestant resists, thinks about, tries to reach another way...

-1 "traumatic event" point for, after so much emotional torture and the wolfwood flashback, being forced to kill another human. he shots legato in the face, making him an official killer.

Chap 2:

-1 "action" point for that reflex thing with his arm. he has been fighting for so many hours that the moment he felt someone's presence he pulled out his gun.

Chap 3:

-no contestant here! he's preparing for the next chapter

Chap 4:

-mental palace time! (or the after life who knows)

-1 "traumatic event" point for seeing the ghosts of people that died and he feels guilty about, or just straight up hurts

-1 "traumatic event" point for seeing everyone who is alive and he needs to protect because right now hes afraid of something happening to them

-1 "traumatic event" point for rem specifically. because thats his mom. which leads to

-1 "bad event" point thanks to rem fading away before vash could reach to her. fuck

Chap 5:

-now that he is up, 1 "bad event" point for immediately connecting himself to knives and the rest of plants...with a fucking cable in his neck! this man knows no limits

Chap 6:

-the contestant doesnt win any points in this chapter! but the audience is still crying

Chap 7:

-1 "bad event" point for still being forced to fight knives, even when everything is technically over

-1 "bad event" point for getting hit by chronica while protecting knives

Chap 8:

-1 "bad event" point for living in hiding once again for 6 months

-1 "traumatic event" point for the death of his brother. even after everything, he was still important to vash

-1 "bad event" point for getting kicked around for a bit by all the bounty hunters.

THINGS HAVE GONE FULL CIRCLE EVERYONE. THAT IS IT FOR TRIMAX VASH!

THE CONTESTANT LIFTS HIS FIST IN VICTORY, THE AUDIENCE CLAPS AND CRIES, WHAT A FINALE! LOVE AND PEACE!

The points in this round make 13 points, so TRIMAX VASH OFFICIALLY HAS 308 POINTS UNDER HIS BELT! IF STAMPEDE VASH WANTS TO CATCH UP HE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS JOINED US FOR THE BEAUTY OF SPORTS. WE DONT KNOW WHEN THE BROADCAST WILL BE BACK BUT YOU CAN BET WE WILL BE HERE FOR TRIGUN STARGAZE!

UNTIL NEXT TIME SPORTS FANS!

[mxomo]

caring again (3/3) ♡ ︎kuroo tetsurō

Kuroo comforts you after catching you having a teary moment. c/w: haikyuu, female reader, fluff, comfort. a/n: technically part 3 of care(1)(2), but can be read alone. i hope you like! ♡︎

“.. __?”

You whipped your head round at the call of your name, wiping your eyes furiously as you plastered a cheerful smile on your face. Dammit. You were sure all the boys had gone home, and you’d felt overwhelmed all day, so you’d taken the chance to have a little cry in the store room before you locked up the gym to set off home.

It wasn’t a big deal, you thought, because everybody needed a cry every once in a while and you’d been pretty quiet so you were just getting it out of your system, that’s all. Moving was a big deal and it was only normal to feel slightly wobbly all the time.

Leaving Hyōgo had been hard, but you were quite successful in occupying your time so your sadness was limited to 5 minute slots between other commitments during the day or at bedtime. You thought it was best to keep yourself busy, because it was much better feeling slightly stressed all the time than thinking about Atsumu.

He was an idiot and your heart hurt but you also missed him. He was one of your best friends and you’d walked away from him without so much as a goodbye. You didn’t have time to consider whether it was the right choice - you had new places to see, people to befriend, assignments to catch up on.

A new volleyball team, full of rowdy teenage boys that needed wrangling because they liked to tease you and felt especially comfortable doing so, considering your relation to their setter and therefore acquaintanceship with their captain Tetsurō before you took up the mantle of managing their team. Yamamoto had been beside himself with glee when Tetsu introduced you, eyes sparkling as he cheerfully announced they could finally compete with Karasuno and their angel manager, whatever that meant. You’d developed a comfortable acquaintanceship with Kai and Yaku, both of whom were very kind and appreciative when you would look after them. Yamamoto and Inouka had taken to proposing on a regular basis, much to your chagrin. Lev made fun of you for being small, like it was abnormal to be small next to his gargantuan frame. You spent the most time with Fukunaga - who very much enjoyed how much you cackled at his jokes - and Kozume, your cousin, whom you’d grown far closer to than you ever anticipated after discovering a mutual competitiveness and interest in gaming. Your classes actually felt a little easier, you’d befriended a couple of girls who happened to manage other sports teams for Nekoma, and where you lived was nicer than before, if a little smaller. Life really was great. You had every reason to be happy.

“Can I hug you?” Tetsu said after a moment, his ever analytical gaze quickly clocking onto the red tinge on your eyes and cheeks and the damp patches on your sleeve cuffs.

His question confused you. Your first thought was that nobody had actually physically touched you since Atsumu. The thought of being touched sent an odd unnerving shiver down your spine, a hint of anxiety forming at the thought of your bubble being invaded by an outsider. Secondly, was it usual for somebody to ask for permission before a hug? You were quite picky with whom you shared hugs with, and didn’t always enjoy them, but you had been hugged and jostled around at other people’s leisure for a long time. And finally, did you want a hug? You realised within a moment that actually yes, a hug would be quite nice and probably a great remedy for your current heartbreak; this lead to thinking whether you wanted to hug Tetsurô specifically, and you began considering whether he would give good hugs (more than likely yes), or if you just wanted a comfort hug from literally anyone at this point. Everybody knew that when you’re sad, if someone gives you a hug or asks if you’re okay, that’s the global signal for your emotions to break. Did you want to crumble into a teary mess?

“Nothing weird. I can hear your brain spinning from here,” he clarified, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. “You just look sad, and I thought a hug might help.”

“Yeah, I do feel sad,” you said after a few moments. For some reason, Tetsu’s words set off the waterworks again, and tears streamed silently down your face as you avoided looking the taller boy fully in the eye. Your final concern of holding yourself together in the face of a hug was for nought; it seemed the barest of kindness was enough to coax you into meltdown. It made your next statement much easier to say, because you had nothing to lose anyway. “.. Maybe a hug would help.”

One large stride by him and you found yourself buried in his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around you. Your arms instinctively returned the hug, clinging tightly around his waist as your first sob escaped, and all of your pent up emotions crashed through the mediocre dam you’d built to keep it at bay as Tetsu listened quietly, stroking your hair the whole time.

“If I was a meaner person, I’d tell you to wash this shirt for me,” Tetsu smirked, ruffling your hair as he handed you an Potari Sweat and ice lolly. He took the coins you were offering in your hand, nodding his head in thanks before placing them back into the front pocket of your bag. “My treat.”

“Give it to me then,” you said back, truly feeling bad about leaving mascara and wet patches all over his white t-shirt. You tugged at his shirt to insist on your point. “Thank you for this.”

He rolled his eyes, tapping your forehead gently in admonishment as he sat himself down next to you on the bench outside the store that you’d waited at, just to have a moment to yourself. Both of you dug into your snacks quietly.

It was getting dark. The two of you had eventually locked up the gym and wandered to the closest convenience store to grab a snack; an hour of sobbing was enough to exhaust anyone and Tetsu was insistent that you rehydrate after crying enough to flood the Pacific.

It was surprising. You felt embarrassed, having broken down like that in front of him with absolutely no warning, roping the poor boy into your emotions that, for God’s sake, was mostly about your ex. Yet, for some reason, you didn’t feel bad. You didn’t feel uncomfortable or even dislike it when he teased you, even when you felt so awful, and you didn’t feel the need to fill the silence when you were by his side, even though you could and you knew he would listen. It didn’t matter that your makeup was half gone, that your face was swollen and red and that Tetsu had learned how efficiently your body produced snot through your use of all of his tissues. Even though you didn’t feel good, you did feel lighter. Was that because of Tetsu? He’d listened to you in silence as you recounted between sobs the main bulletpoints of who Atsumu was, why you left the way you did, why it made you so sad. Tetsu had nodded at the right parts. Most importantly, he rubbed soothing circles with his big hands on your back the whole time you’d been in a state - any other time and that would’ve sent you into a state of a different kind. He then topped it all off by feeding you and promising to make sure you got home safely. Kuroo Tetsuro did all the right things, and your heart stuttered as your body relaxed and you closed your eyes. A deep, quiet breath later, you rested your head on his shoulder.

You heard a, “I’m going to put my arm around you,” before you were shifted  slightly so his arm was around you, both leaning back on the bench.

“This Atsumu sounds like an idiot,” Tetsu started after a while. Both of you had taken to looking at the sun slowly creeping down below the buildings, simply enjoying the other’s company. “Once the team has confirmation you’re single, there may very well be a bloodbath. I’m being serious!” He gently pushed you off his shoulder when you rolled your eyes and snorted at him, turning to look you straight in the face as he continued. “What’s so funny? You’re smart, funny, you love volleyball, you smell good, you always look after everyone and you’re stunning on top of it all. Why would there not be a bloodbath?”

“.. I smell good?” Your ears were tingling and you were sure you were blushing harder than you ever had in your life. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been complimented so directly, let alone with so many nice things, and Tetsu said it in a way that sounded so completely obvious that you found yourself unable to doubt his sincerity.

“Huh?” he snorted. “That’s what you picked up on?”

“Sorry. I don’t know what to say or do.” You, in a contradictory moment of shyness and boldness, hid your face in his shoulder as your cheeks continued to burn. You tried to ignore the stutter in your heartbeat as he squished you tighter against him.

“Okay. Well, I’m going to shoot my shot before everyone else does, so let’s go watch a movie this weekend.”

Oh. What? You were sure that your ears were decieving you, because who in their right mind would ask you out whilst you were in this state? You wanted to question his sanity, opening your mouth to do so, but what came out was very different. “What makes you think I want to watch a movie with you?” Internally, you facepalmed. That wasn’t even remotely close to what you meant, but your instinct to tease him took over whilst craftily buying time to gather your thoughts.

“Well, I don’t want to be too cocky, but I’ve seen the way you look at me when I wear shorts. I don’t think you could resist this booty.” He couldn’t hold back his laugh as you yelped in shock, arm flying out to slap him upside the head. He grabbed your hand in return, planting a kiss on your knuckle in an effort to soothe (but giving you a heart attack instead). You were reminded that stupid boys were stupid as you wished desperately to crawl under a rock, because you knew he wasn’t wrong and that you found his backside positively delicious to admire - not that you would ever, ever admit it.

“Enjoying the merchandise is not the same as having an uncontrollable thirst,” you sniped defensively, crossing your arms as you pouted. “But I’ll watch a movie with you. My place is free this weekend.”

“Perfect.” His smile was beaming as he untangled your arms, taking your hands in his and placing another kiss on your knuckles. “I look forward to the opportunity of wooing milady.”

You wanted to stay grumpy with him. You wanted to pout, because who was he to move your arms about as he pleased? How rude of him, making you so flustered, because he absolutely was doing it on purpose. Your body was betraying you as your heart continued to flutter gently at his attentions. You found yourslef returning a smile as you enjoyed the joy radiating from him at your agreement to spend time with him. Was it worth addressing the seed of doubt you had about everything now, when he was being so kind and understanidng about everything? Would he continue being so comforting and soothing, even if you were voicing your insecurities? You were hesitant to speak as the nasty side of your brain tried to convince you that Tetsu would stop being so lovely if you burdened him with more negativity, considering that you’d presented a front of confidence and calm in front of him until today.

But, when you moved to Tokyo, you resolved to doing new things and starting afresh. Everything he was making you feel felt new, and exciting, and you decided that you would just ask him what was on your mind now, and if he had the wrong reaction then you could simply cut bait.  Your experience was telling you that he wouldn’t want to hear it, but your gut was telling you he would. The rational side of your brain knew there was no reason to not trust him so far, but the instinct to keep things close to the chest ran deep. More importantly, you were scared that, with how you were feeling, that he would eventually resent you whilst you struggle to move forward. You didn’t want to be unfair to him, because as good as he was making you feel now, you hadn’t ever considered a relationship with Tetsu until today, and the thought brought up a lot of feelings.  “Are you sure you want to woo someone you’ve just watched crying about their ex?”

“I’m a patient man,” he responded cheerfully, taking your hand in his as he grinned at you. “Seeing you happy is worth the effort.”

You didn’t have anything to say, choosing to squeeze his hand instead as you turned a flaming shade of tomato red. You stared at the floor, brain churning as you considered the new feeling of warmth blossoming in your chest. With Atsumu, he really had given you butterflies like in the romance novels, and when you’d lost that, you couldn’t help wondering whether that was the start of the end for you both. With Tetsu, you didn’t have butterflies - instead, it felt like you were floating, a soothing calm that filled you to your fingertips as comfort filled you to the core. It felt different.

It felt good, and you felt better.

masterlist - part one • part two • part three

[felonytaxevasion]

For the record here are my other Undersider drunken karaoke night picks I think about this situation a normal amount (lie)

Round 1 - No One Has Added Underage Drinking To Their Daily Crime Journal Yet

Lisa - Lisa starts everyone off with California Girls because she is, in her heart, A California Girl She's Undeniable Daisy Dukes Bikinis on Top. Lisa is probably the closest thing the Undersiders have to a good singer but she's totally hamming it up here to break the ice in hopes Taylor will participate

Aisha - Every single Rihanna album has gone platinum in Aisha Laborn's bedroom and she will take any opportunity to make this fact known. I think she would pick Only Girl In The World because Aisha really feels like Rihanna made that one just for her specifically. Not a singer with technical expertise but she brings the most passion and joy to her performances

Brian - As stated in an earlier post he picks Bruno Mars Beautiful Girls All Over The World, possibly Just The Way You Are. He did not pick them to serenade Taylor specifically but at one point he does make eye contact with Taylor during the chorus and it embarrasses them both. Aisha pretends to vomit.

Alec - picks the exact same song as Brian and does it worse in every way. Intentionally makes eye contact with each of the Undersiders making sure to really draw out Brian's turn

Taylor - Peer pressured enough to participate but not enough to choose a song she actually likes and listens to in fear of being judged. She performs Fireflies by Owl City with real fireflies and it's equal parts charming and horrifying. Lisa cheers too loudly and Alec hides behind Brian and Rachel from the bugs. Taylor vows to never perform at karaoke again

Rachel - refuses to participate

Round 2 - Everyone is Slightly Tipsy

Lisa - Lisa performs Girls Just Want To Have Fun and gets really into it. She only hits half of the high notes but she tries really hard to hit all of them. It's the closest thing to an impressive performance any of them achieve all night

Brian - cuts in front of Aisha to perform Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Performs all nine minutes even while Aisha boos him and also sings the guitar solos. Experiences joy and whimsy for the first time in months

Aisha - Don't Trust Me by 3OH3. While singing the line "I'm a vegetarian and I ain't fucking scared of him" she gets too excited and flings a bracelet off knocking a glass off a table and shattering it. This does not slow her performance for even a second

Alec - Friday by Rebecca Black. Very pleased with the negative reaction this inspires. Aisha tries to chase him off the stage and the latter half of the song is just them wrestling for the microphone

Taylor and Rachel decline to participate and instead sit in the corner and whisper gay things the whole round

Round 3 - Completely Lost In The Sauce Wasted

Lisa - Incredibly Solemn and Serious rendition of Video Games by Lana Del Rey. Alec dims the lights and everyone sans Rachel wave their cellphone flashlights for her

Alec - Alec has spent the entire night lying and telling Aisha he can sing all the words to Rap God by Eminem. He messes up the words in the first verse immediately. Laughs through the rest of the performance and accidentally makes up a new word that becomes he and Aisha's new terrible "inside joke" they insist on saying every five minutes for the next month

Brian - Low by Flo Rida. Does a whole dance routine to go along with it. Everyone except Aisha has a GREAT time

Aisha - Super Bass by Nicki Minaj. High off the excitement of his last performance Brian performs along and completely steals the show. This leads to the first bout of drunken crying (Aisha. Immediately followed by Brian) followed by drunken declarations of love and affirmation

Eventually the affirmations lead to Taylor agreeing to singing one more song so long as every Undersider individually promises her they won't make fun of her. She picks This Is War by Thirty Seconds to Mars because she is a terrible angsty teenager in 2011 and she sings it very badly. Everyone stills cheers for her though and it is a very good finale

On the way home they get Rachel to agree to do the barks if the rest of them sing Who Let The Dogs Out acapella. This footage is captured by street cams and the footage of the teenage warlords walking down the street barking is presented as a "twisted intimidation tactic" by the PRT for the next three years

[ummick]

Mick Schumacher Fully Lives His Adventure At the 24 Hours of Le Mans With Alpine

Mick Schumacher is preparing to make his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For this 92nd edition of the Le Mans classic, he is driving the Alpine A424 #36 from Alpine Endurance Team entered in the Hypercar category. He shares his impressions at the start of this great adventure.

After having competed in single-seater championships, first and foremost the Formula 1 World Championship, Mick Schumacher (25 years old) entered endurance and therefore the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The German driver joined Alpine's hypercar program last winter. He pilots the A424 #36 alongside Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere. He approaches the biggest endurance race in the world after showing strong performances in the previous three rounds of the FIA ​​WEC World Endurance Championship. "When we arrive at Le Mans, it's always with the ambition to shine and do the best possible. Being with Alpine, which is a French brand, gives another dimension," recognizes the man who competed in 43 grands prix between 2021 and 2022. Schumacher experienced the previous rounds of the FIA ​​WEC as preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Everything is new to me. What is obvious is that people come here because of their passion for car racing, and that's a real pleasure. On a more personal level, I can't wait to race, to see what it's like to be on the go for 24 hours, because I've never had this experience. There is always something happening here, there is constant traffic, so being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be costly. This is an additional challenge. You have to constantly have a strategy in mind to be sure you can finish your relay."

One of the many special features of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is night driving, a new experience for Schumacher and one that he appreciated last night during the second free practice session. "Frankly, I didn't find the exercise that difficult," he tempers. "During the tests we conducted in Jerez, it seemed much harder to me than here. To be honest, I really liked it. This gives different sensations. My teammates have experience of night driving and I'm going to learn a lot from them. The race is going to be exciting, that’s for sure." He can count on the valuable advice of Nicolas Lapierre, who has sixteen participations. "We spend a lot of time with Mick. With the other drivers, we talk about traffic or slow zones, which can be quite tricky. The point of alertness that I specifically pointed out to him is sunrise. I advised him to stay focused because, seeing the day dawn, you almost have the impression that the race is over, so much so that attention is relaxed and that's when we see a lot of errors occurring," explains the leader of the drivers of the brand with the A arrow.

Given his experience in Formula 1, Mick Schumacher cannot escape the comparison with endurance. He is categorical: "It's not comparable. I strive to separate the two, not to create a bridge in terms of driving style, to be 100% on one side or the other. A hypercar is heavier, but it's still fun to drive. The car is made for Le Mans, so every time I get behind the wheel it's a joy." Schumacher is therefore preparing to add a new string to his bow. Between technical challenges, adaptation to night driving and constant learning, this race promises to be a decisive step in the young pilot's career. Remember that his father, Michael, took part in the Le Mans classic in 1991 at the wheel of a Sauber Mercedes C11 which he shared with Karl Wendlinger and Fritz Kreutzpointner. This unique participation resulted in fifth place in the general classification and the best lap in the race. We bet that Mick would happily sign up for such an assessment next Sunday at 3 p.m.

[appleciderp]

Task Force 141 Age Guesstimates (WITH sources)

TL;DR

Price is the oldest at around 38

Ghost is a close second at around 36

Soap and Gaz are roughly 25-27

↓ All information on how the fuck I got to those numbers below ↓

Ignore the fact that the bio's in-game are absolute trash. For some reason, I cannot access anything past the random cut-offs.

Oh, the info after the in-game screenshot but before the verdict is legit random other info that I found. More specifically actor's age and previous game info if it isn't clear with the current info we have. That you can choose to make your own decisions if you want to ignore my verdicts!

Price: Easy start. His page says 1985.

But his current in-game bio says the exact same info as this Activision link that's from 2019. So I'm assuming they just haven't updated it from 2019, since it would cut 3 years off his age.

Barry Sloane is 41 (1981) No previous canonical birthyear and I didn't go actively searching for much more information

Verdict: Pretty solid 1985 for the dilf.

Gaz: We already have conflicting information; on his page, it says he was born in 1990, yet the timeline says he was born in 1996, neither of which has a proper source. So he would be turning anywhere from 27-33 this year. He joined in 2008 (according to his page and in-game bio shown), needing to be at least 16, so technically the youngest possible is 1992.

But, the same source from Activision that I used for Price says he joined in 2014, if he enlisted at 16, would make him a 1998 baby. Which directly opposes his current bio, which, as said previously, states that he joined in 2008.

I am settling on Activision's ORIGINAL bio being canon, as his in-game bio says he joined in 2008 and at the end of the paragraph says "rounding out a decade in service" which would only bring him to 2018, which would be 4 years prior to the Release of MW2 2022. Whereas 2014 would be near his decade in service next year. It makes more sense to round 1 year under vs 4 years+ over.

Elliot Knight is 32 (1990; probably the cause of his birthyear is listed as 1990) No previous canonical birthyear and I didn't go actively searching for much more information.

Considering Price is only turning 38, I personally prefer scrapping the 1990-1992 date for optimal father-son dynamic.

Verdict: 1996-1998, he'll be turning 25-27 this year.

Soap: This boy's gonna be a doozie.

According to his official page, he was born in 1996 or earlier. It also said that he tried joining the SAS at 16, but was caught that he was too young; which directly contradicts his current in-game bio, which says that he lied about his age and got in.

Considering the information on his page doesn't have any source linking back to it, we will consider he joined the SAS at 16 (which is wild and would have to make him forge a birth certificate) So if we take 2014 (keep in mind I have no clue where they whipped that year out of) minus 16, makes his birth year potentially 1998.

Neil Ellice is clearly ageless as his age isn't listed anywhere online. Previous canonical information hints that he is younger than Gaz, as Gaz had already completed Selection when he joined. According to the old MW timeline, he was born in 1980 (no sources listed) making him 31-36 during the original MW.

Considering the position and name change (all new information is Johnny, not John) I'm just going to discard that information though.

Also, he canonically punched a cop. not important, but I feel like people should know.

Verdict: Legit the only information (even if it's contradicted) we get is <1996 or 1998, so I've gotta go with that. Turning 25-27+ this year. Roughly the same age as Gaz.

more info on why I picked the younger range is in Ghost's info.

Ghost: I struggled with Soap, now onto the one with ~redacted~ information

His current in-game bio cuts off before any actual dates or anything is said. Literally "Ghost lives with a redacted past and an..."

The wiki bio is equally as uneventful, giving us no information about him joining the military or his childhood. At least it wasn't full of information from before the reboot.

Al Mazrah is his first mention in the Reboot timeline, he's not even listed in the section pertaining to Ghobrani's assassination.

So I'm going to be pulling information out of the army straight up. FBI agent watching this, I fucking hate the military IRL <3 If I get one email or text asking to join I'm gonna waste your time asking 2000 questions.

The average age of the UK military is 30 a paid account is required to see the graph, but the information is listed just under it, meaning an officer would probably be above the average.

According to the UK Army, after joining it takes about 20 years to reach Lieutenant. If he joined at 16, he would be ~36y/o, add 2-3 years to go from Lieutenant to Captain, and you've got Price's age.

(~12 years of Service for Sergeants, which makes Soap & Gaz's mid-20s work, especially with them being really fucking good. ~23 years to become a Captain, which again roughly fits with Price being a young Officer)

Samuel Roukin is 42 (1980) this man looks too good for his age omg. The only canonical age-related thing is that he joined the military after 9/11. If we assume he was 16 at joining, it would make him born in 1985. Which fits with the mid-30s right now, but would place him mid-20s in the original timeline.

Verdict: ~1987, making him mid-30s. Younger if you want to make him match the quick rank-ups of the rest of the 141.

[sugoi-and-spice]

I want to hear your director cut on your beach episode (aka the company Pool party)

Ooooh glad you specified since there are technically two beach episodes in this series (so far lmao).

I assume you're talking about Chapter 8: Sink or Float

And what a fun choice!

First little Director's Note, I 100% came up with this chapter concept and wrote it all, forgetting how weather works. And that maybe a waterpark luncheon in NOVEMBER actually was kind of a stupid concept.

This didn't bump me when I was first writing it, because I'm born and raised in Southern California - Amusement Parks and outdoor pools don't close seasonally here. Technically I think the bigger water parks like Hurricane Harbor and Raging Waters close in October through December, but a lot of the smaller local ones stay open year round. And the outdoor pools certainly do too.

(I actually only found out that Amusement Parks close seasonally at all when I tried to go to Coney Island in November about two years ago... Whoops lol)

Shit's a lot colder in Tokyo in the fall though - trust me, I've experienced it.

So I flirted very heavily with the idea of scrapping the episode, which was really devastating since I had a lot of fun with the scenario, and I think the episode has some of the finest Shigaraki/MC banter in the fic.

But then I remembered that there are a lot of indoor amusement parks, and specifically waterparks in Japan, so it worked out!

(You have Ouran High School Host Club to thank for that reminder, lol)

Next Director's note! Back when Play Nice was only going to be about a 10 to 15 chapter fic, this chapter was actually earlier in the lineup - it was originally Chapter 6. I actually wrote it before the current Chapter 7: Getting Steamy, and the current Chapter 6: Struck a Nerve was originally slotted to take place after the water park episode.

Buuuut, when I was reading it all together (Chapter 1 to Chapter 6).... ehh, it just didn't feel right. It felt like this playful banter and more friendly, teasing dynamic between the two of them was happening just a little too quick. So I swapped chapter orders, and speed-wrote Getting Steamy in about 3 days so that I could still make my upload schedule (lol, remember when I had a biweekly upload schedule?)

Truthfully, re-reading the series now, I wonder if the shift in their dynamic still happens a little too fast. If I were to do this fic all over again, I'd probably add a couple more chapters between Sink or Float and Chapter 10: Tomurau, extend the exploitation dynamic for longer, and add a few more of the relationship-shifting moments between the two. Buuuut, I also was really freaking excited for Tomurau (which is still one of my favorite chapters), and I also had so much fun writing a friendly/teasing dynamic between the two in Sink or Float, I think I was eager to do more of that, so I get why I made the decision that I did at the time. Oh well! You live and you learn!

Another director's note about this chapter - I changed the ending of it about three different times lol.

There definitely was originally a locker room sex scene, and then in another version, the episode ended with MC storming out on Shigaraki, rather than him storming out on her, but ultimately, I decided that this final version was the best way to keep up the theme of vulnerability that I was building in this chapter, as well as to develop sympathy from MC throughout, that would serve as a better turning point in their relationship, rather than a brief moment of understanding that is ruined by Shigaraki's horniness. When I had that version written, it just felt like it set them back too much in their relationship, realistically. It also would've doubled the chapter length (like that matters now though, hello my new standard of 30 page chapters 😅)

So yeah! Those are my big Director's Notes on Chapter 8: Sink or Float!

This was a lot of fun to write and reflect on, considering this Chapter came out, gosh, coming up on two years ago now. (WTF?!)

So yeah, if this was interesting to y'all, feel free to send me other chapters or fics that you'd like to hear some commentary on! Original prompt is here!

[acourtofthought]

The Starsword aka Gwydion

I kept turning over that angry anon from yesterday.

Was my theory about Gwydion farfetched? Sure, but at this point a lot of CC theories are farfetched to some extent because only SJM knows what's actually going to happen and we're all just doing our best to interpret the clues. There are multiple possible outcomes for every scenario right now.

But I do think there are levels to how likely certain theories are and that's usually based on how much twisting of canon and the characters we're doing to achieve them.

My Gwydion theory is probably one of the more out there ones I've done and as there are many other possible theories surrounding the sword and a lot of confusion in how intertwined these two series are, it makes me hesitant to believe in my theory the way I do say, Elain ending up in Spring.

But is it really any more farfetched than other Starsword theories?

When you break it down there are one of three options.

1) Bryce keeps the Starsword and takes TT back to Midgard with her.

2) Bryce returns to Midgard with the Starsword and Az keeps TT in Prythian.

3) Gwydion is left in Prythian, the land where it was originally forged.

I could see Bryce keeping the Starsword (espcially since the IC has their own made weapons) and Az keeping TT because those weapons are part of their individual backstories.

I see it being less likely that Bryce would take TT from Az, something about that feels odd to me considering Az had TT long before SJM even started drafting CC.

Maybe the prophecy has already been fulfilled. Technically Bryce represents the people on Midgard while Rhys and the gang represent the land where her people originated from, therefore the dagger and sword have already been reunited as well as their people. I think the theories claiming all the inhabitants of Midgard will be reunited with all the people of Prythian because they'll eventually live together are not probable. Or maybe it's still hinting at them joining together in a war of the worlds situation but returning to their own planets after at a later point.

That leaves us with the third option, Gwydion stays in Prythian.

Anyone reading CC and assuming they have Theia and the Starswords history correct is forgetting that Amren was alive / in Prythian before Gwydion and Fionn rose. She did not enter the prison until the time when they were rounding up the last members of their old masters. "The last members of". That should mean that Amren was alive when Gwydion was forged and given to Fionn who then helped defeat the majority of Daglan in battle.

The rough territories were not drawn until after Fionn defeated the Daglan with Gwydion and Fionn's Queen was ruler of one of those territories (possibly Theia?). But it wasn't the Dusk Court yet, just where it would have been.

Amren was in prison during Fionn's murder by his Queen and general so if there is any confusion in ACOTAR history, it could have come from that specific time period. Maybe there's confusion as to who actually murdered him (maybe Theia was fed lies about Fionn by Pelias, maybe she was forced) or how he was murdered. Or the missing piece could simply be who his queen was, that they never had a name for her. But it is mentioned that Fionn's most powerful and prized possessions were stolen and then many disappeared around the same time the Trove disappeared (Gwydion and the horn went to Midgard).

I really don't think any gaps in Prythians history comes from how Gwydion was created or who first wielded it because out of all the characters in all series, Amren was witness to it.

And Aidas snarling that the Starsword belong to Theia's female heirs is someone speaking out as an ex-lover who hates Pelias and hates that Pelias tried to pass the Starsword down to his children. We have no evidence that Aidas knew Theia before the crossing or knew whether the Starsword was hers to begin with.

Yes, the Starsword recognizes Bryce "as kin" but "like calls to like". Gwydion was made when it was dipped into the Cauldron. We have hints that the fae (which would include the orignal Starborn), Illyrian's, etc were "created" by the Daglan. Possibly using the Cauldron?

Even Briallyn was able to search for the Trove because it recognized her "as kin".

Theoretically anyone descended from those original Starborn fae or fae hybrids as well as any recently made could possess the Starsword but we also need to remember that "Made objects tend to not wish to be found by just anyone". Cassian says, "you say that as if the objects have a sentience". And Amren replies, "They do." "They were made in a time when wild magic still roamed the earth." "Made objects tend to gain their own self-awareness and desires" which all means the sword may not choose to respond to just anyone and it could have it's own agenda in reacting to Bryce the way in did.

Did Bryce not return it to the land from which it came? Reuniting it with it's twin? Could part of the whole setup have been Gwydion returning to Prythian and Bryce having a chance to learn about her history?

The Starsword / Gwydion is a made object just like the mask / crown were made so there's not always one super special fae that these objects belong to. If Briallyn could use the crown than someone other than Bryce could use the sword. Ruhn was able to pull it from the stone though it didn't respond to him exactly the same way which Bryce realizes is due to the nuances in their lights. Which could mean any number of things, one being that the sword knew Bryce's light and her being the keeper of the horn were necessary to return it to Prythian. And in CC they haven't seen Theia's light appear since Theia but that doesn't mean there aren't descendants of Starborn fae in ACOTAR who also share a light similar to Theia or another one of their ancestors. Midgard doesn't have many descendants of the original Starborn but that doesn't mean there aren't more still existing in their original world.

There are 7 courts in Prythian though if the crossing had not happened, there would most likely have been 8 and Theia would have been the High Lady of Dusk. I absolutely do not think this means they're now going to form an 8th court with Bryce as the ruler, Bryce belongs in Midgard with her people. But.....we know Rhys is probably Starborn but with a Starborn gift that matches Ruhns. And I'm guessing Helion could also be Starborn based off his reaction to the mask (a Trove item that was made as Gwydion was made) as well as the fact that he has the light of the sun and is the owner of the Pegasus. That could mean his heir might also be Starborn.

Dawn Court glows the brightest of everyone so.....could he not be a descendent of the Starborn?

I'm wondering if all the High Lords are Starborn (and now any of the characters who were "made" by the Cauldron) because of their ancestry. It would make sense given the fact that they are blessed with powers unlike any other. The other fae bloodlines have been diluted over the years but the bloodlines among the High Lords seems to have a stronger connection to the magic.

And if Fionn was the first High King ruling over everyone than it's possible he was Starborn and he's got descendants out there, maybe in Autumn given his connection in mythology to the hounds and forests.

Yes, that means most of our main characters would be Starborn, Bryce, Rhys, Helion, Beron, Tamlin, Nesta, Lucien, Eris etc. but it still doesn't mean they can all pick and choose whatever made weapons they want. We saw in SF that Ataraxia seemed to almost fight against Rhys using it while it responded to Nesta. And we saw the made dagger given to Eris possibly infuse itself with his fire meaning that particular made weapon seems to connect with him.

Depending on who her father is Gwyn could also be descended from a Starborn fae (if she's related to Beron or Eris).

If that third option listed above is a remote possibility than who would get Gwydion?

I don't think Gwydion is more powerful than Narben or Ataraxia or any made object. I think the mask and crown can probably do more damage to their enemies so at this point I really do think Gwydion is more symbolic of the first High King who helped them defeat the Daglan, a symbol of peace. Sure, it's still going to be powerful as any made weapon is but it's no longer one of a kind and is special because of its history. And it makes sense to have it end up with the person who will once again rally everyone together to fight in the battle of all battles.

Gwydion was a savior's light that brought about peace so which character matches with that imagery?

Rhys? - They specifically mentioned Rhys as possible High King in SF and he is genuinely concerned with bringing about peace to their lands, he was already willing to die for them in ACOWAR. So maybe?

Feyre? (could she be Starborn if gifted with the powers of all the High Lords?) - Rhys once called her his salvation and she too was willing to die for their people, not to mention she glows with Helions light.

I could see arguments being made for them except for a few things. They are the High Lord and Lady of the Night Court and morally gray at times. Their goal is always to bring about peace but they've lost trust along the way in how they go about that. Not to mention their POVs are over. While I do think they'll still play major roles in the series, I feel it's time for the other characters to shine. Amren also reminds Rhys that "the Cauldron's benevolence will only be extended to him for so long before it is offered to another" which does seem to hint at the torch being passed along.

Gwyn? Gwyn and Gwydion (matching names), Az has TT and the sword and dagger are connected, not to mention she glows. But the play on names is a little too cutesy and in your face and I'm not sure she makes sense as the one to unify the courts and their lands which is what Gwydion represents to their people. Yes, SJM is about female empowerment and Gwyn is absolutely going to be a badass warrior but I don't think she's ready to be a figurehead to their world (even Rhys rallied the troops in ACOWAR though Feyre was the FMC). Not to mention Gwyn has a lot of similarities to the Little Mermaid whose voice is literally a glowing ball of light when she sings just as Gwyn glows when she sings. When used by the Little Mermaid, it's simply enchanting for anyone who hears it but when used by someone evil (like Ursula) it put Eric into an almost trance where he couldn't think clearly.

For the love of any anti's reading this, GWYN IS NOT EVIL. If Gwyn is a siren of sorts, she would NEVER use her voice to deceive or trick someone she loves. However, Gwyn could use her voice against their enemies and I think this also makes Narben the best made weapon for her. If Gwyn is Az's mate, Az who lives in the shadows and has TT which is used to torture people (a pretty bloody history for a weapon), than a sword with darker powers which is lost to the sea and who would not "obey" Amarantha is kind of perfect for a water fae who can possibly call things to her.

Helion? It's not like he'd be a bad candidate except I don't think he's getting a POV. At least not one set in the present.

Elain? I'm not even going here. Elain might be capable of playing the political game in meetings and swaying people to their cause but she's not a warrior and she shouldn't have to be.

Eris or any of the other High Lords? Eris still has a journey coming up but they aren't really the focus of this series, they're all side characters. If Gwydion is going to anyone I imagine it would be one of the main people.

Lucien? If Sarah pays attention at all to names and their meaning, Gwydion has masculine origins and means "born of trees" and in ACOWAR she describes Lucien as being crafted from the forest, that the woods were his by blood and law. Gwydion is also the name of the powerful magician in the Blodeuwedd fairytale, the uncle of Lleu who created a beautiful wife out of flowers for his nephew and we already know SJM connected Elain to that particular fairytale through her Pinterest board.

I won't bore you again with all the bullet points of why Lucien would be good at unifying the courts, the human lands and the continent but the evidence is throughout the series. He's always tried to be a peace maker, never seeks out revenge, is good at talking to people and has friends everywhere. If High King is going to be a thing (at least during the war, the position itself would be disolved after) he would be an excellent candidate. He's building up to being a High Lord but has basically been training for the role his entire life and is a trained fighter.

Also, he is the son of two different courts. Connected to both Autumn (which Fionn may have been based on what we know of the Fionn from mythology and how it connects to the Autumn Court, like the hounds) and Day which means he does have the power of sunlight running through his veins. And Feyre not only reminds us of Lucien's goodness in ACOWAR but repeats that he is a good male in FAS.

As crazy as it initially sounds to connect Lucien to Gwydion and the prophecy, is it all that crazy when you consider that Az is connected to the prophecy?

Elain is getting a book, yes. But SJM has been building up Lucien's story since ACOTAR. He's got a big journey coming too. If CC3 is setting up the future of ACOTAR and part of that future includes prophecy's about weapons and the possibility of Asteri making their way to Prythian, then why would she only connect ONE of her main characters to that future?

I know people love Az and are looking forward to his story but just because Lucien isn't part of the IC (therefore not around much), he is going to be just as important to the future of the series, he has to be. If Gwynriel and Elucien are both getting books than Lucien is just as important as Az and it would actually be a little odd if Lucien wasn't eventually tied into the events of the crossover since he's one of the remaining MMC getting a POV.

I don't think he'll feature in CC3 but he'll need to be brought into the loop at some point as will Elain and the other courts and if Gwydion is left with Rhys than it's possible it could find its way into Lucien's hands from there.

With the prophecy, TT is important to Prythian's history but why? Is it the dagger used to kill Fionn? Fionn having Gwydion and Gwydion being stolen by his Queen and best friend (also general) with the dagger left behind and separated from the sword for thousands of years only to have them reunited is a bit full circle. Again, Az is important but is he truly that much more important to the series than Lucien that SJM would completely leave Lucien out of the entire crossover storyline?

SJM has been building up animosity between Lucien and Az which is going to need to be resolved considering Az is jelaous of Lucien and barely blinks at the though of killing him. There was clearly animosity between Fionn and Pelias that ended in murder and involved the theft of an important and powerful weapon.

One MMC from ACOTAR is part of the prophecy because of his connection to one weapon. Is it really that crazy to bring in a second MMC from ACOTAR as being connected to the other weapon? Especially when you consider the current setup between Az and Lucien?

There's a lot of mystery surrounding what really happened and I could be completely off base but until we get more information, many theories are going to be be flying around. But I think those that don't work within the confines of what we know about the characters (like thinking Bryce will leave her world and her mate to be with Az or Elain ending up as ruler of the Dusk Court with Az) are why some seem more farfetched to me. We also already have a series where the FMC had to correct the mistakes of those from the past (Aelin anyone?) so Bryce correcting the mistakes of Theia and /or Fionn's general by returning Gwydion wouldn't be unheard of.

[letsplaydcttrpg]

Wheel of Destruction pt 21 - Sneaky

Start this module here!

Previous part here!

Links to all posts for this module in the pinned post!

(This is a long one, folks! Y'all picked the option with a bunch of STUFF to do before we get to a decision point! I had to go get my actual manual to look up the surprise rules. Many dice rolls incoming.)

All right, let's see what this mysterious figure is up to!

Try your Thief vs and OV of 7. Add +2 to the attempt, due to darkness. You must make the roll 3 times.

Our Thief skill is at 7, so 7 v 7 means we have to roll an 11, usually. With the bonus from the darkness we need a 9, but we need to roll t 3 times to succeed. Here we go!

We got: 13, 11 and 12! Which would pass anyway, but with that +2 from darkness that's a 15, 13 and 14.

Just under the water, your infra-red flashlight picks up three goons attaching something with wires to the tower. You can attack them underwater using your rebreather. You get surprise for the first round.

SO the stats for the goons are STR 2, DEX 2 and BODY 2. They are not very tough, but they do each have a knife.

If [Nightwing] hits one, he can pull out the goon's air hose, sending him packing. If two of the goons are out of commission, the third will follow.

Having surprise means: they can't do anything this first round and have no Initiative, and their OV is shifted 2 columns to the left (which, considering these guys aren't very strong to begin with, means this fight will probably be quick. We need a 4 or higher to hit them.)

Round one we easily hit one of the three and yank that hose out, so he's out of the fight. Technically it's a new round, but the module didn't give these guys an initiative rating and ours is 22 so even if we roll for it there's no possible way for them to beat us. So round two, immediately attack another guy, get a hit by the skin of our teeth (or our knuckles, I guess), and off he goes as well. Third guy follows suit, per the module.

You can dismantle the explosives. Roll your Combat (Demolition) skill vs. OV/RV of 5/5 for each explosive. There are 3 explosives on this tower.

We don't specifically have a Demolitions skill, so it'll just be our regular Combat skill of 7. With a 7 against an OV of 5 we need a 9 or better to disarm the explosives. More dice rolls! Bomb 1: 9 exactly, success! Bomb 2: 14, success! Bomb 3: 17 success!

You see the eerie glowing lights of the Joker's sub disappearing through the waves. You've foiled his attempt on the bridge, but once again the Joker has escaped.

Mixed success! We did not get murdered by a random goon, nor did we manage to catch Joker, but we did disarm all the bombs like a BOSS and prevent the bridge from blowing up! Good job, everyone!!

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