#very very niche setup

[ranvwoop]

I've had a super intense MC hyperfixation for probably a year (it's always been a spin but now I'm like . I'm ill. minecraft thoughts all day every day) especially modelling + skinmaking... my partner (very cool) (respective of my time) is like Hmm this would be a neat idea ^-^ And I'm like Can I do it. Can i do this project for you. I will kill someone for the ability to do this project please throw this enrichment in my enclosure Please

[the-moon-files]

YESSSSS I BEG GET INTO THE CULTURAL DIDFERENCES BETWEEN HYLIANS AND HUMANS 🙏🙏

...now ur just sweet talking me 🥰 /lh

Not years, well maybe 1 year-

but i have wanted to ramble desperately to smone, even the tumblr void if i had to, abt humans vs. hylians so much, esp with a guide reader or male reader bc whatdya know im into niche stuff that only u and like 2 other ppl like lmao ¯\(ツ)/¯

Anyway im so shocked, since ur like the third person to be interested in this and wanna hear abt it 🥺 🤲💌 here u go!! Hope u like it <333 👉👈

Sun: Masc!Reader (he/him)

Orbit: Humans are Not Hylians/Humans are Space Orcs AU, Headcanons-ish, long overall but each section is kinda short

Stars: Mostly worldbuilding! you've been warned, don't get mad me for not talking abt the boys too much✌️

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: mild cursing, mentions of private area/joke in the clothing headcanons, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

☆

just some quick headcanons bc tbh i haven't given it too much thought, and i feel like I've been able to somewhat get into it in other posts? or maybe im thinking of stuff i have in my drafts idk-

Imma make another list, so buckle up for the short ride lol

Courting periods/dating/marriage

individual/small groups society-based hylians v. large personal groups/large community society-based humans

simpler foods hylians v. complex food humans

clothing modesty/style/relationships with fashion

fighting styles/strategies

entertainment complexity/differences

and language

☆

1st one, not much yet, im also making a separate post bc someone else asked me to talk abt that more 🥺

(tysm for all the enthusiastic asks guys <33)

anyway, basically hylian courting is a lot shorter, think “lesbians with the uhaul” type of energy, like sort of the classical medieval “does thee wish to pursue marriage with this one?” ← how hylians ask u out for the first time lmao

if it helps, they do tend to get to know one another well, talking about morals/kids/life goals/preferred lifestyle/house/etc. pretty clearly and quickly, then using the in between time to sort of stew on that information

id say the total time is sort of something like 6 months? maybe 3/4 if they're really compatible

(so bc i love interpreting video game logic for real world building, I actually blame this on how fast Zelda/link get together in games despite having sometimes never met before that moment lol)

like i said, ill be posting about this later

2nd one!!

pretty basic, just saying we don't really see hylians in big groups, despite the organizations they form, like kingdoms/knights or on a more personal level, towns/families/etc.

(once again, in-game appearances/video game logic translated to real life to draw these conclusions)

like not only are family units pretty small, like nuclear family setup, with like 2 parents and 2 kids, or single parent 1 kid type of situation, but the towns or collections of these families arent very big either

hylians kind of use their government the way it was intended lmao?

like the villages and towns matter more for everyday decisions than the kingdom/royalty, like Zelda would esstientally just be the mayor of Castle Town for those constant decisions,

while occasionally is called on to make decisions like for several towns or like is a natural disaster happens

meanwhile humans are, in comparison, in Way Bigger groups, both on an organization scale, and a personal scale

like u have all these specific branches of government, whereas im sure the population difference doesn't help,

and on a personal level, humans can easily have like multiple parents, lots of siblings, and once u combine that with each parent having family too, and those families like to meet up? All together??

yeah, itd look insane to any hylians (who’s smaller extended family may just make up their own village and that's it)

3. I've touched on this

like the use of spices, syrups, seasonings, etc

but also the complexity of dishes too, like chilling cream and mixing it for awhile to make ice cream, or even just getting ordering a pizza,

that's a lot of processing, like making the dough from flour and other ingredients, to letting it rise, to making the tomato paste, making cheese, then combining those things with any other toppings, all into one dish??

i like to think that hylians have only just started to touch on actual complicated cooking processes (as in BOTW, where they sell flour and salt, so people besides Link/Wild must know what to do with it)

this has the advantage of impressing any hylian with what a “creative genius” you are lol

4. look im just a fan of medieval time periods Links

so i think its funny if the hylians are used to like 4/3 layers and ur over here like, “wym, if i take off my shirt there's nothing underneath?”

one of them gets bold enough to ask, “d-do you not. do you not have undergarments??”

you “just my boxers? like just to cover my di-”

also this makes its easy to seduce people here? LMAO

clothes are def higher quality, after all there's not as many artificial processes or materials interfering,

plus u usually get some sick embroidery on it too!!

5. so like i get it, Link is the main fighter in games

but like, the few times there is a war/army in loz games, there's rlly not a lot of strategy, beyond just finding the enemy and fighting

tho im partial to that hylians/most inhabitants of Hyrule abide by the “lets meet up either literally by inviting each other or just between our territories to fight”

with occasional guerilla warfare (by any means necessary/stealth/ambush attacks/strategy) that's only rlly used either by Demise/Ganon, or by the wilder individuals/races in games

or maybe even the more civilized fighters in an emergency

and so that means by this logic that all of the Chain use kind of wild techniques compared to their race/kingdom lmao

id imagine its not too surprising to also see “every fight is a bar fight if its for my life” from individual travelers, so im sure they're not viewed too crazy (esp when ppl know their the hero that constantly has to deal with guerilla warfare from Ganon)

but its be hilarious to watch the reactions of both the Links realizing they’re in a bigger group that should be using “proper” fighting strategies and seeing the general publics reaction to this absolutely feral, armed to the teeth, trained hylians with their equally wild human lol

LMAO everyone thinks ur the reason they started using the more brutal fighting methods bc ur human, ur a bad influence lol

(humans would use it primarily, esp after we converted to use that method in warfare a couple hundred years ago i think?)

changing course a bit, hylians tend to use weapons (to compensate for difference in strength compared to humans, and since they don't experience/get a lesser version of adrenaline)

while humans tend to equally rely on weapons and our body as a weapon (marital arts/basic self-defense)

6. this is mostly bc the hylians only rlly seem to have the basics of music, books/stories, theater, and art

i have, surprise surprise, another post abt how i think this came to be,

mostly based on how human curiosity is indomitable and insatiable and the endless force that has not yet met its immovable object.

or at least an immovable object they haven't at least poked a little, out of curiosity lol

like we went to space for that reason, we reach the most dangerous corners of our planet (deep underwater/volcanoes) out of sheer curiousity/for the sake of simple knowledge of the thing

so needless to say, curiosity can absolutely drive any field to its limits, including the arts, which is why we can have stained glass, or movies/tv shows, hell, the marvel that is Hatsune Miku lmao

(fully for entertainment, a projection of light and sound, what is essentially magical illusions but u did it hte hard way, to the hylians)

on a different entertainment related note, i don't know if the hylians would be super into sports, or not really at all? mostly bc they have to use their fighting/training against real threats, not the sort of “fake” threats that sports are

but on the other hand i could see people like knights wanting to use their abilities for something other than violence and fighting bc their life or their villages lives depended on it

bet the Links would enjoy it for those reasons especially, what with at least sumo wrestling being a sport or activity for them at some point in history, and practically beg u for any new games to play, or to ref their games, bc whewwww

im sure they could get pretty competitive lol

7. obviously, their mostly influenced by the Japanese language

id almost like to imagine a sort of, if not outright Japanese (like with earlier heroes like Sky) then a sort of English-Japanese hybrid further along the line

sort of like how English has German/Greek/Latin roots and therefore u can see what words or structure comes from where, or even how u can understand a fair amount of basic words when other languages share the same roots (english, pants = spanish, pantalones)

would make for some funny miscommunications

or even better, most hylians liking ur unique accent or the Links love to hear u talk bc of it lol

☆

well the fever has broken, i am now free of the sickness that made me hack this up geez

i hope u got some enjoyment out of these my beloved anon!! esp since u were so nice as to ask abt it <33

hope u guys have a great weekend, look out for some more posts, bc its been great to get some more asks in lately and very motivating,

not to mention i actually have time to write now that my siblings graduated/we’ve moved several states over 💀

so i have reliable internet now too! sheesh :’)

Peace out,

🌙

[snakes-and-fluff]

Milgram drought be hitting hard... Anyway I was thinking what an anime of each prisoner's personal story might look like (assuming all isolated from each other and Milgram as a facility does not exist) ((also assume each 12 episodes long)) also assuming they're psychological dramas because. Milgram

Haruka: The main appeal is the artstyle, drawn like animated child's drawings for most of the time but a few scenes an episode is instead depicted in starkly realistic illustrations (not animated). It's told from the perspective of Haruka who keeps insisting he has a good life even as all the facts point otherwise, finally culminating in the murder late in the show, at which point the artstyle changes to be a strange mix of the previous two

Yuno: What first presents itself as a peppy slice-of-slice soon devolves into a painfully raw story of a teen girl. The winner of many awards but not that popular with most people who claim to find it too dry and boring

Fuuta: The murder happens towards the end of episode two but it isn't revealed to the audience exactly what happens until much later. Fuuta's behaviour clearly changes after that point and he keeps getting harassed by people who were previously friendly with him, but the actual flashback reveal is only in ep 8. The show leans very heavily into the "is he a bad person?" question and the fandom is known for starting debates about it in the comments of completely unrelated posts

Muu: It was a dark setup from the start but not many people expected a murder in episode 7. The anime switches POV between Muu and Rei until Rei dies, then it switches between Muu and a student counsellor (who doesn't know about the murder and is just trying to solve the bullying but the tension comes from the fact that the audience and Muu keep being worried about her potentially learning about the murder)

Shidou: The most niche of the bunch, some people weren't a fan of how medically accurate it was while others rejoiced in that fact. The whole thing is a flashback as it's established that Shidou has left the medical industry in the first episode but it is slowly revealed why and the circumstances behind his family's deaths as it goes on

Mahiru: Yuno's might have been a bit misleading at first but everyone who saw the promo material knew what was going down. Mahiru's managed to keep the dark twists under wraps, genuinely being sold as a cute love story though there were hints from the start. It's unclear when exactly the death happened because as it goes on it starts timeskipping and flashbacking without warning and it's clear that Mahiru isn't quite sure herself of what is actually happening

Kazui: Hinako is dead before the series even starts and it is actually told from the perspective of someone who works with Kazui slowly uncovering what happened out of morbid curiousity. Kazui is the very definition of unreliable narrator and nobody knows what to make of whatever information comes directly from him. Some fans don't like the way the show never seemed to decide on a single answer as to what happened while others praise it for it

Amane: The fandom is small but loud (though it is always recommended as "this one will tear your heart out"); the tale of a child embroiled in an awful home life, using a unique visual style of poppy colours and thick outlines to sharply contrast the horrible things being portrayed. The murder happens at the end of the last episode, giving the closest thing to a "happy ending" they could achieve for Amane, though it is left ambiguous what would happen to her next

Mikoto: Told in a non-chronological style, the reveal of the murder is towards the end (around episode 10) leaving the rest of the time as wrapup as Mikoto finally comes to accept the truth of the situation. There are still arguments in the fandom years after it ended if the murder was metaphorical or not

Kotoko: She's presented as a really cool vigilante at first but then it slowly unravels as she reveals more of her violent side and that her kill count is a LOT higher than previously thought. Her personality is divisive among fans but everyone can agree that the opening is a banger

DISCLAIMER: I just realised that some of these can be read as me throwing shade on the fans of a particular character; I promise 100% that isn't the case this was just a fun thought experiment!

[hometoursandotherstuff]

WTH House. This is the most bizarre conversion I've ever seen. It's a 1910 former school that was later used as a Levi jeans factory in the 60s. The current owners turned it into a home in New Market, Alabama. 6bds, 4ba, $915K. You gotta see this one.

The entry hall still looks like a long school house layout.

And, this is the sitting room

Pay special attention to the fireplaces. The firebox on this one looks like the entrance to another dimension. Where did they get such fancy carved mantels?

The dining room. With the checkered floors, it kind of gives Alice in Wonderland vibes.

Somebody had a vision when converting this house. Total elegance.

Look at the mural in the kitchen. It looks like they spent a lot of money on this conversion. The exhaust hood is so high and open. I wouldn't want to climb up there and reach inside for the filter.

The marble floors in this home. Here's another sitting room with niches for life size statues, stained glass windows, a tray ceiling painted with clouds and an ornately carved fireplace.

I've never seen fireplaces with high hearths and an opening in the middle like this.

Interesting bathroom. What is that tarnished bowl on the floor?

The halls are definitely long school halls.

This room is like an office.

Is that a fish tank in the fireplace? I don't understand the loose stones scattered on the floor.

Large marble shower with a vintage corner china cabinet.

Interesting bedroom setup.

Looks like the primary bedroom.

I thought that this was a guest house.

But, it's just one big room.

This is just weird.

Very large porch with Greek columns, and a path to a round patio with an elaborate fountain.

Statuary and murky water dot the property.

A lacy gazebo.

More statuary.

There's a lot of land- the lot is 5 acres.

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

i am obSESSSSED with how you write coop 🫶 but i have to ask.. do you have any thoughts about maximus? 👀 my boy needs some loving..

General Maximus Headcanons

(NSFW under the cut)

SFW:

It was so nice to get to see this cutie pie experience a little bit of pampering when he and Lucy were staying in Vault 4. Here are some other mundane pleasures that I think he's never experienced but would greatly enjoy: the concept of a DVR, playing literally any video game on a nice PC setup, one of those solid four-poster beds, Mongolian barbecue, a full body massage at a legit massage parlor (that is, if he could be trusted to not sin all over the place in the middle of it a la that virgin guy Luanne almost married in that one episode of King of the Hill).

Zero ability to gauge friendliness. If you're nice to him, he's suspicious that you want something from him/are trying to manipulate him (or that you wanna fuck him once someone explains the concept of proper flirting to him). Struggles to make friends that feel genuine. Yearns for a type of companionship he's never had before just like he yearns for a safe home he's never really known.

Seeing him watch TV in Vault 4 made me think about what sort of things he'd like to watch, and I think he seems like he'd really like slice-of-life/laugh track type sitcoms. Something comforting and nice where people's problems are less "life and death" and more about showing that they love one another. This man would love, like, Ted Lasso.

He's real touchy about his brand scar (the whole Titus thing in general, actually). Best not to ask too many questions about it and keep quiet if he brings it up.

Much like Cooper, this man is such a sucker for inside jokes. He wants to be included so badly that feeling like he's in on a bit will make him SO happy. He'll run the joke into the ground in his excitement, but that's okay.

NSFW:

We've seen that he obviously lacks comprehensive sex education, and I think that would be a breeding ground for the guy to have a bunch of very niche kinks.

All sorts of things you do get him worked up for reasons he absolutely doesn't understand, and half the time he doesn't even really realize that what he's feeling is arousal/sexual frustration, so you may find that, early on, he gets annoyed and instead asks you to stop doing those things in front of him because they "bother him". These include: pulling your hair up away from your neck/face, licking your fingers when you eat, resting your head in his lap when he's sitting down.

Doesn't jerk off and as a result has insane nocturnal emissions about once a week. Well, he thinks they're nocturnal emissions, once someone explains to him what that is. He's actually humping his mattress to completion most of the times it happens. He assumes this happens to literally everyone.

I think he would love mutual masturbation as a low-stakes way to share some intimacy with you without having to worry about touching or being touched "right". Plus, it would be a good opportunity to study the way you like to be stimulated without feeling like a creep.

MASSIVE mommy kink. It just makes too much sense. He so deeply desires that sense of safety and unconditional acceptance that comes with having a proper 'home' that I think if you babied him a little, he'd be yours forever. Absolutely just wants to bury his face into your breasts and comfort suckle while you jerk him off. This man calls you "mama" when he cums.

[theterribletenno]

Aight I'm about to do something.

I'm going to define the generations of Warframe based on broad design principles and trends and I bet a bunch of people are gonna get their panties in a bunch over minutiae. I guess to prevent unnecessary "um actually"-ism in the notes I'll preface with

A. This is based on personal opinion and is not meant to be interpreted as provable or disprovable fact. B. There will be outliers in every generation that buck trends and you don't need to point them all out.

G1 the Classic warframes. Being functionally prototypes of an un-finished and un-proven game the first generation of warframes had a lot to prove and not a lot to lean on. Generation one has rather limited mechanics and setups (some of which have been remedied post-release with reworks). Most generation one frames were very formulaic and laid the foundation for future warframe design;

First ability: Basic damage "bolt" attack. Second ability: An escalation of the basic bolt, usually with higher damage and wider range. (May be replaced by a second special tactics ability) Third ability: Special tactics ability, often for defense or support, has the most variety of functions. Fourth ability: Global nuke (or exalted weapon if you're fancy).

G1.5 the Iteration warframes. Generation 1.5 was more varied than the originals, with some frames being continuations of the original formula but almost all of them adding novel mechanics to the game.

G2 the Exploration warframes. More consistent and bolder exploration of new mechanics and playstyles than the previous frames, going beyond iterating on formula and incorporating novel elements to more than just one or two abilities, the first generation of true experimentation.

G3 the Complete warframes. What sets this era of warframe design apart form others is the "completeness" of their kits, by which I mean no skill is divisible from the whole, they all work in conjunction to create a wholly unique playstyle. These interconnected and self-contained ability sets make these warframes exceptional in both the short and long term. Excalibur Umbra is something of an outlier in this generation and sort of belongs in his own category separate from both original and prime frames.

G4 the Style warframes. These warframes were mechanically a step backwards from the third generation, due to having overall shallower and less interconnected abilities. This is not to say that these warframes are bad or insufficient. While some of these frames prioritized aesthetic over performance they are overall successful and some manage to incorporate new novel mechanics and tools which were either not previously conceived or otherwise possible with old architecture.

G5 the Saturation warframes. This most recent generation is rather perplexing, seeming to run hot and cold. Lessons from all previous generations seem to be present, although not all are equally successful. With members that imitate the classics, dabble in iteration and experimentation, and attempt to capture both completeness and style in their visual and mechanical design. What can be said about this generation, unfortunately, is that while it attempts to tread new ground most of its members cannot avoid being compared to older warframes occupying the same niche and may be ultimately redundant. This may be in part due to the game's age and not necessarily a condemnation of the new frames' design.

[soleilenchaine]

Limbus Sinner Chess Headcanons

yes, that's right. chess hcs

they need to play some boardgames to pass the time so here we goooo

Yi Sang

has the stockfish calculator in his brain. each time a sinner makes a stupid move it just goes into the red and it confuses the hell out of him. constantly muses to himself and to others if they are listening when the pieces are not in their ideal positions

Faust

either at IM or possibly GM rating. is extremely good at decimating almost any opponent and will be extremely smug about it. she is constantly giving the side-eye to anyone who plays badly when she spectates

Don Quixote

i know we joke about her eating the pieces but i just think she keeps asking Yi Sang for help. she also constantly calls the knights Rocinante. if there is any chance for her Rocinantes to claim an opponents piece she will announce it in the most DonDon way possible

"ONWARD, ROCINANTE! WE SHALL EMERGE VICTORIOUS"

Ryoshu

plays chess like shogi.

no really. she just thinks shogi allows for more artistic expression in the endgame. also because she keep yelling at the opponent when she claims an opponent's piece with the pawn by moving it forwards rather than diagonally and the opponent says that's an illegal move.

but if she was forced to play by the rules (and she will threaten to C.Y.U), she would make the most bizarre plays by claiming as many pieces as possible to create the most elaborate endgame

Meursault

his poker face gives him the advantage in almost any match. each time he leaves a piece hanging the opponent gets increasingly more nervous because what if he left that piece to psyche them out.

Sinclair especially gets very nervous when playing against Meursault and ends up fumbling, but Meursault will explain to the little chicky man what happened and teaches him how to counter but in the most deadpan voice known to man.

Meursault: On move 12 you had compromised the bishop's position by moving your rook from b4 to f4. That was how I was able to claim your bishop. Sinclair: Wait, move 12?! When was that??? Meursault how on earth have you been keeping track?

Meursault: I had merely been observing (:meursault-stare:)

he claims a piece en passant and some of the sinners think he's done an illegal move until Faust (and possibly Yi Sang) corrects them. the guy is very good, will always play with the most efficient openings possible and can hold his own if someone were to pull a surprise move on him.

Hong Lu

he's a very competent player. knows all the fancy openings and endgame setups, and is extremely good at countering. he's also very good at bluffing and ends up stumping his opponents during the endgame

he finds joy spectating other sinners' matches and will ask throughout the match if a move is a special opening or counter that they do in the Backstreets. he needs to know!!

he also pulls an en passant on Heathcliff, but just to rile him up. he secretly finds it funny.

Heathcliff

ahh, Heathcliff. see you would probably think that Heathcliff is bad at chess but on the contrary.

he probably tried to learn it to impress Cathy, and eventually learned certain openings and counters that Cathy was fond of.

but overall his playstyle is simple, direct. no bells and whistles. he gets extra angry at Meursault for pulling an en passant (we need that Brit/French hatred).

any match with Ishmael ends just as how you would expect it to end.

Ishmael

she's pretty good at playing chess. she can play blitz chess against Faust and hold her own (though she always loses because Faust is just far too good)

she has surprisingly good knowledge of the most niche openings and would troll Heathcliff by playing them. but otherwise, she would also play with very few bells and whistles. a straightforward playstyle for the most Normal Sinner(TM) on the bus

Rodion

Rodya constantly played with Sonia back when she was still with the Yurodiviye, so she is at least 1800 rating.

she is extremely good at blitz chess. she thrives in a high stakes, fast paced game and with her constantly chatting with the opponent throughout the match she decimates the opponent purely because she just keeps distracting them with her friendly banter and quips.

she's also really good at adapting her playstyle to match her opponent. that's why Sinclair likes playing with her because she patiently waits for Sinclair to make his moves and she doesn't pull weird fancy openings on him or else he gets very confused.

she is super competitive, but is a very good sport.

Sinclair

my sweet chickadee. he used to compete in chess competitions back in school, and he got pretty good at blitz chess. but he's always dreading LCB tourneys because he will have at least three sinners backseat playing behind him while the opponent just crushes him.

but if he plays with his seatmates, he gets increasingly exasperated at Don with her increasingly chaotic plays while Yi Sang just quietly keeps score.

Outis

her experience commanding her team during the smoke war is reflected in her playstyle. she plays very aggressively and will taunt the opponent if they make a mistake. she is brutal with her openings and will attempt to immediately conquer the chessboard until either the opponent forfeits or is forced into an unwinnable corner.

once you see her set up a Sicilian defense it's basically over for you.

Gregor

our dearest roach man.

if he plays against the rest of the sinners, he takes it easy. he's a chill player and doesn't pull any complex endgame shenanigans unless the opponent tries to pull a fast one on him. he will also happily teach Sinclair and Don some cool openings if they ask him to play a match.

but when he plays against Outis, it's a completely different story. he is surprisingly good at countering even the most aggressive opening, and any match against Outis ends in a stalemate. his easygoing uncle vibe dissipates and you're suddenly reminded that he, too, is a Smoke War veteran. he's also had a lot of experience on the battlefield, so he knows full well what kind of tactics Outis would use during a match.

this is also the only time Outis doesn't taunt the opponent: she's too focused on trying to get out of a stalemate.

he also likes to pull meme openings every once in a while. man just does a bongcloud opening and Faust is at the side giving him the BIGGEST side eye. BUT he actually manages to win with that and Faust has to admit that she is quite impressed.

[luvwich]

✒️ writer interview tag

tagged by @dustdeepsea — tysm, this was great fun! read their answers here and mine, if you like, beneath the cut ✨

When did you start writing?

early 2023 was my first foray into writing actual fiction. prior to that i'd done an embarrassing amount of roleplaying many years ago, which i shall speak on no further, but it did form the basis for a lot of my writing now!

once upon a time, i seriously entertained the idea of an MFA in screenwriting, but went on to pursue something even stupider for grad school 👍

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

honestly everything i enjoy reading gets smuggled into my writing in some form or another!

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

there are like 26 different writers where i wish to take bits and pieces of their style, send it all into a meat grinder, and press the gunk into sausage casings to be dipped in batter and deep fried. ideally i want my writing to hit like wagyu beef that's been corrupted into a county fair corn dog. but no i'm not sure i've ever been compared to another writer! that would fuck my shit up truly (in a good way)

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

typically curled up on my couch, because the ergonomic status of my home office setup is terrible — potentially lethal. sometimes i stay late at my not-home office, hidden away in a dark conference room, but that's usually only if i'm on a self-imposed deadline (i.e. i've started posting a WIP)

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

the spark that gets me to write is usually some kind of Dynamic that i want to explore so i do a lot of noodling upon situations and then figuring out how to get there. and by situations i mean smut

also, writing bits of dialogue, even if i don't know the context yet. it gets a character's voice and mannerisms in my head, and gives me a little grain to start building on

sadly, going on a hike and/or reading a really good book are both very effective and by far the most time consuming

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

longing, isolation, identity, the difference between the person you'd like to be and the person you are, strained/dysfunctional family relationships, wrong person right time, hope, blowjobs, self-deception, california, fucking your way through it, guilt, social class, mommy issues, mono no aware, oral fingering, etc; they don't surprise me anymore but the first time i finished a long fic and took a step back i was like "ohh haha Damn"

What is your reason for writing?

i am horny, sad n silly

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

all forms of feedback are so touching! i think much of what i write is pretty niche, so simply knowing someone has read my stuff gets me pumped. a big essay of a comment is like receiving a love letter, and comments that are just an emoji are like someone's tucked a little note in my lunchbox, and both are incredibly nourishing to me. as far as motivation, though, anything that implies someone is looking forward to reading more is the surest way to light a fire under my people-pleasing ass

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

affable wretch, trickster, wine aunt

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

i'm not sure any one thing stands out: i believe i'm pretty good in a few areas (dialogue, sensory detail, characterization) and notably lacking in others (action, "plot," pacing, not getting high on my own supply)… okay i'll stop being an asshole though and say my strength is in "delivering on a mood," if that is a thing

How do you feel about your own writing?

generally good. for one, i'm proud of myself for ever finishing and posting anything, because following through on shit isn't something i'm renown for. i tend to hate everything i write after i've gotten some distance from it, but i think that's normal? right? i'm new at it and it's all for fun so i try to be gracious with myself, with mixed success, because beneath my goofy exterior i do take everything too seriously

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

mostly for myself; i do abstractly ask "would someone who isn't me enjoy this?" and never quite know the answer. like most humans i crave external validation and connection, but like a cactus i can survive on just a lil rainfall 🌵

tagging w/no pressure (but with my best barbara walters impression) @corpocyborg @ghostoffuturespast @merge-conflict @streetkid-named-desire @writing-for-soup

[fereldanwench]

apropos of nothing and certainly not my tag rant from a few posts back

did you know that out of 150 popular video games released between 1985 and 2022, only 6% of them feature sole female protagonists?

did you know that prior to mass effect 3, female shepard was never used in any promotional material for the series?

(and there's no hard data available on this, but i very distinctly recall a lot of gamerbro outrage when me3 had an optional reversible cover so you could pick between male and fem shep on your personal game)

did you know that only 18% of players chose femshep in any shape or form (default or customized) during the original release?

(anecdotally, i know a few people who didn't even realize you could play a female at all in me1 bc of how the cc is setup)

did you know with the release of the legendary edition in 2021 the percentage of femshep players didn't even double (despite jennifer hale's seemingly enormous popularity amongst the broader playerbase over the past decade) and is reported at 32%?

did you know that dragon age inquisition has the same breakdown between male and female inquisitors (68% to 32% respectively)?

did you know during the playtests for assassin's creed odyssey, it was a 50/50 split between kassandra and alexios, and ubisoft suits actually thought when the game was released, kassandra would be more popular? and yet once again, about 70% of players chose the male protag

did you know evie and aya were both supposed to have a much larger roles in assassin's creed syndicate and origins but were forced into a smaller role bc the ubisoft marketing team didn't think the games would sell well with a female lead?

cdpr hasn't released data on male vs female v, probably because the game handles gender a little differently than just two strict options like many other rpgs, but it was revealed that panam was the most popular romance, sitting at about 68%, which means at least 68% of players chose the male v body. I'm sure some players did not make that choice as a cis male v, but i would also guess that those who didn't are a small minority of this demographic, and if you factor in kerry romancers, this split is probably very similar to other games in the genre

now i realize that a lot of the male v players who are in more transformative fandom spaces (like tumblr) are not the str8 gamer dudebros of reddit angry about pores on a female character's face and whatnot. i realize that a lot of you are also on the outskirts of the perceived norm and also feel under-represented by mainstream male protags and that's incredibly frustrating and alienating and i genuinely feel for you

but female protagonists and female gamers who want to play as female protagonists and who have a few niche spaces to celebrate female protags are not the reason for your lack of representation

and frankly you don't sound a whole lot different from the angry incel gamer boys when you say shit like "fem v gets too much attention"

so maybe try advocating for male protags who don't fit the generic boring gruff white guy mold without throwing women under the bus. we're should be allies in this fight, not rivals

[bihansthot]

Title: Cold Blooded

Rating: Mature (filth, lots of filth, threesome, technical first time)

Pairing: Syzoth & Bi-Han x F!Reader, Syzoth x F!Reader, Bi-Han x Syzoth

Summary: After helping the Lin Kuei the Zaterran realizes he’s grown to have feelings for the Grandmaster and his beloved, luckily for the Saurian they return his feelings and help him feel welcomed in his new home.

Author Notes: Ok, so I did it, I wrote a threesome with Bi-Han, Syzoth and a F!Reader, how could I not?! Look at him face! Who doesn’t want that adorable little guy?! I know I sure do! I really went ham on this one it’s like 6,500 words… that’s so much more than I usually write, you can definitely tell I enjoyed writing this one. I know it’s kind of a weird, niche pairing but hopefully you lovelies will enjoy it all the same. As always likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated! 💙

“Do you need anything else? I’m sorry it’s so cold here, Arctika must be quite the difference between Zaterra,” you ask, handing your guest a hefty pile of furs and blankets.

“Oh, please don’t worry yourself, I got used to different climates in Outworld, it gets quite cold at night there too. Granted not as cold as it is here, how do you tolerate it?” Syzoth asks shivering slightly as he takes the pile of bedding, grateful for the roaring fire he could build his little nest of blankets next to.

“Years of practice I suppose?” You laugh softly, “the cold is something you have to get used to when you date a cryomancer. If you get too cold though I have a heated blanket in the bedroom. Are you sure you want to sleep on the floor? There are plenty of guest rooms and the barracks, they have beds you know,” you smile as Syzoth starts arranging the blankets into a cozy circle.

“I’d rather be close by in case our enemy tries to approach the Lin Kuei Temple. I’m not much help to you or Sub-Zero if I’m in a different building, not that Sub-Zero can’t take care of himself, it’s just I-I worry about you, both,” he admits softly his cheeks tinged with pink.

You kneel down and press a soft kiss to his cheek, “I know, thank you Sy, I just want to make sure you’re comfortable too, I’d offer the bed, but I’m worried you’d be too cold next to Bi-Han. I do have a heated comforter if you change your mind though.” You stroke his cheek lovingly.

“It’s a very tempting offer, but I think Sub-Zero is still trying to get used to things and I don’t want to rush him, or encroach on his territory,” the reptilian explains leaning into your touch.

“I for one never expected it, but it was hard not to fall for you too, you’ve done so much to help protect us and the clan,” you whisper softly before leaning in to close the distance between you and the Saurian. Your lips meet softly and carefully, unsure of what is and isn’t acceptable and you can feel Syzoth’s uncertainty in his human form, as if he wasn’t familiar with this human custom.

“You still out here qin?” Bi-Han walks into the room, the temperature plummeting in his wake.

Syzoth pulls away quickly and turns invisible with embarrassment, as if Bi-Han didn’t already know he was there and couldn’t sense him regardless of not being able to see him.

“Sy, it’s ok,” Bi-Han walks over and lays a cold hand on the Saurian’s shoulder, “we said we’d figure this out as we went, and affection is ok, though I am a little jealous maybe.”

“I-I’m sorry Sub-Zero, I-I don’t know what to do,” Syzoth stammers, still invisible to the both of you.

“I’m not jealous you kissed her, I’m jealous I didn’t get a kiss too,” Bi-Han laughs, trying to ease the palpable tension in the room. “Also, why are you sleeping out here on the floor?” He asks, utterly perplexed at the setup as a whole.

“I-I uh, well, I,” Syzoth stammers unable to come up with an answer, clearly flustered and uneasy at Sub-Zero’s close proximity.

“He’s nervous Polar Bear, Syzoth isn’t familiar with human intimacy, this is all a lot for him, I mean look at him, he’s been invisible this whole time. You make him nervous, not to mention you’re super cold and he’s a reptile, it’s probably hard for him to be around you physically too,” you explain to Bi-Han, trying your best to read Syzoth’s nonexistent body language.

“I can teach you all about human intimacy, you don’t have to be nervous about that,” Bi-Han smirks at Syzoth, implying something far less innocent than just a simple kiss.

Syzoth makes a soft, embarrassed noise and eventually phases back to his visible form, “I, I just don’t want to come between you two,” he answers honestly and softly finding it very hard to resist Bi-Han’s tempting lips.

“That’s exactly where we want you though,” you purr at Syzoth before running a hand through his hair.

It takes a moment for the Saurian to register what you mean and he exhales quietly and looks up at you with his big, green eyes, “I-I think I’d like that, but I’m not sure what to do, I-I haven’t really,” he hesitates a moment to find the right word, “mated in my human form before.”

You can’t help but smile at his choice of words and his cute demeanor, “I think I know someone who can help.”

Bi-Han turns Syzoth’s head towards his as his icy lips claim the reptilian’s cool lips in a dominant kiss, Bi-Han happily taking the lead in the situation the three of you found yourself in.

You let out a low moan of appreciation watching the two men you cared deeply about sharing a kiss in front of you. You slide closer to the pair and patiently wait for your turn.

Syzoth whines against Bi-Han’s cold mouth as the cryomancer’s talented tongue pries its way inside the Saurian’s mouth, the two cool organs slip and slide against each other. Syzoth tries his best to mimic the movements of Bi-Han’s tongue and keep up with the movements, hesitantly he moves his hand to lay it atop Bi-Han’s well-muscled thigh, appreciating all the hard work the Lin Kuei warrior had put into his body over the years.

You can’t help but exhale loudly, impatiently reminding the pair that you were part of the equation too, “please,” you ask Bi-Han, used to asking the cryomancer for permission for nearly everything, something that was second nature to you after all your years with your dom.

“Aw qin, I didn’t mean to ignore you,” Bi-Han chuckles, his deep voice reverberating in your excited body. He grabs your chin and tilts it to the side before aggressively kissing you, so different from the patient kiss he had shared with Syzoth.

You whimper against his cold mouth, gasping softly as his frigid tongue licks against your lips and slips inside your mouth. You lean closer to the pair and make a pleasured noise as the cryomancer sucks on your tongue before nipping at your bottom lip.

Syzoth looks on in awe, mesmerized at the passion and ease you and Sub-Zero share as feelings of excitement and insecurity start bubbling to the surface and he recoils slightly from the two of you.

You notice the shift in the reptilian and break the kiss with Bi-Han, you’re breathless and pant softly, your breath coming out in condensed little puffs, “what’s wrong Sy?” You don’t let him answer though, instead, your lips are on the Saurian’s, eagerly kissing him, both of your mouths are still chilled from Bi-Han as you share an icy kiss.

Syzoth makes the cutest noises as your tongue dances with his and your lips nip softly at his, he whimpers and whines and the sound is like music to your ears. Hesitantly he cups your cheek, still keeping his other hand on Bi-Han, clearly enjoying the attention he was receiving from the two of you.

You hear rustling as Bi-Han pulls his undershirt off and exposes his flawless body to the chilled night air, you can’t help but moan against the Saurian’s mouth as you sneak a peak at the cryomancer’s chiseled torso.

“You’re both wearing too much,” Bi-Han grumbles and reaches for the ties of Reptile’s tabard making quick work of the familiar garment. He pulls the leather off the Saurian’s body as his cold hands reach for his undershirt and yank it over his head unfortunately ending your kiss abruptly.

“Polar Bear,” you start to whine but as you’re faced with Syzoth’s slightly smaller but still just as impressive body you’re no longer bothered by the cryomancer’s intervention.

Syzoth’s cheeks and shoulders flush red with embarrassment, “I-I’m a freak like this, do-don’t look,” he stammers and looks down unable to look either of you in the eyes.

You make quick word of your own top and bra before throwing your arms around Syzoth, “oh Sy no, you’re beautiful like this, I’m so sorry your own kind made you feel bad about your ability to become human, but to Bi-Han and I this version of you is just perfect.” You reassure him, running your hands comfortingly across his defined shoulders and back.

Bi-Han joins in the reassuring touch running his hands up and down Syzoth’s thighs, “it might be strange to you but it's just right for us,” his cold lips lick and nip at Reptile’s exposed neck as his hand snakes higher up his thigh and brushes against his clothed cock, more than pleased to see that despite his reservations he was hard as can be.

Syzoth lets out a pleasurable gasp as Bi-Han’s hand dips beneath the waistband of his pants and strokes his hard cock. “Ah-ah Sub-Sub-Zero,” he whimpers and involuntarily bucks his hips up into the tantalizing touch.

“Bi-Han,” the cryomancer rumbles against the Saurian’s neck, “call me Bi-Han, it’s weird calling me Sub-Zero.”

You make a face at his words, “you love being called Sub-Zero during sex,” you counter calling the cryomancer out.

“I want him to call me Bi-Han, he’s not my sub, you are,” Bi-Han corrects with a playful smirk. “Besides you only call me Sub-Zero when you’re about to cum, the rest of the time you call me Bi-Han or Polar Bear.”

Syzoth makes a confused noise as Bi-Han continues to stroke him, “Bi-Bi-Han,” he sighs contently still unsure of himself.

“Good boy,” Bi-Han praises and let out an indignant huff as you’re neglected in favor of Bi-Han’s new play toy. “Aw qin don’t get jealous I haven’t forgotten about you,” he abandons Syzoth momentarily to play with you. His cold fingers skim your body, taking a moment to appreciate your full breasts, “you can touch her too Sy, go on give it a try.” Bi-Han encourages.

Syzoth lets out a low breath as his shaking hand moves from your shoulder to cup your breast, he lets the weight sit in his hand a moment before giving it a slight squeeze. His emerald eyes light up at the feeling of your bouncy breast, “it's so soft, is this ok?” He asks squeezing them softly and giving your nipple an experimental pinch.

You sigh contently and give him an encouraging smile, “yes, that’s very much ok.” You lick your lips expectantly as you enjoy the cool feeling of Syzoth’s hand against your warm skin, it's a different sensation than Bi-Han, the confidence is gone and just replaced with wonder and exploration. Syzoth’s hand trails to your other breast and cups it with the same reverence and hesitation he used on your other breast, the Saurian may have had experience with his own kind, but in his human form, everything was strange and wonderful for him.

Syzoth chirps with excitement as he slowly gains confidence as he squeezes your breasts and teases your nipples.

You do your best to let him explore and pet you at his own pace but you can’t help but feel yourself growing impatient with arousal as you urge him along, “Sy, I need more, please I can’t wait any longer.”

“M-more,” he asks, green eyes sparkling with excitement, “how, what do I do? I want to make you feel good.”

“Here, I’ll show you,” Bi-Han interrupts as he gestures for you to lay flat against the pile of blankets. He makes quick work of pulling off your pants and underwear in one fluid motion as he presses an icy kiss right on the center of your mound, “human women are very sensitive here,” he pushes your legs apart as Reptile blinks and looks on with fascination. “They like this,” Bi-Han licks an icy strip along your hot, soaking-wet folds and you think your brain will short-circuit.

“Ah! Fuck, Bi-Han!” You cry out unable to control yourself as his icy tongue feels so good against your liquid heat. He repeats the action and you can feel his smirk against your lips, one thing the cryomancer enjoyed immensely and took great pride in was how well he was able to pleasure you.

“C-can I try?” Syzoth asks, the excitement and anticipation clear on his handsome face.

“In a second, let me enjoy myself a bit,” Bi-Han answers giving Syzoth a half-assed swat away. His frigid tongue returns to your aching cunt as he laves it happily, the cryomancer groans as his tongue is coated in your want as he plunges the slippery organ into your tight hole.

The action causes you to arch your back in pleasure and you cry out his name loudly, your hands tangle in Bi-Han’s ebony locks as you greedily roll your hips against his handsome face. You could never get sick of the sensation of the cryomancer’s skilled tongue fucking your tight hole, your whole body is humming with pleasure as you pant and squeeze around the invading organ.

Bi-Han nips at your lower lips a bit before sucking on your clit, the sensation pulling a high-pitched whine from you as you feel like you’re melting into the pleasure the cryomancer is bringing you, he looks up at you, icy blue eyes darkened with lust as he keeps sucking. His eyes flick up towards Reptile, who is completely invested in the show before him, Bi-Han groans at the taste of you as he reluctantly lifts his mouth from your pussy to let the Saurian have a turn too. “Were you paying attention? Did you see what I was doing? You want to use your tongue as much as possible, and see that little button looking thing? That’s what you want to focus on, it’s what makes a human woman feel really good.” Bi-Han instructs as he nudges Syzoth towards your prone body.

Tentatively his long tongue flicks out against your folds as he takes Bi-Han’s place in between your thighs. His emerald eyes light up, “it's sweet but kind of salty!” Syzoth exclaims brightly before repeating the action.

Bi-Han latches on to the back of Syzoth’s neck before mumbling, “she tastes good doesn’t she?”

Your face flushes bright red at Bi-Han’s praise and you’re forced to cry out again as Syzoth’s long tongue laves your mound again. You cant your hips up as you enjoy his slow, long, experimental strokes, the temperature difference between Syzoth is noticeable and exciting, he’s cool, but not cold like Bi-Han is. You sigh happily and give him a bit of encouragement, “that’s it, baby, you’re doing such a good job, making me feel so good like this.”

Syzoth’s eyes light up again before darkening with lust at your words of praise and he decides to mimic Bi-Han’s demonstration more. He enthusiastically laps at your wet cunt, making happy chirps as he went and you’re left to wonder who was enjoying this more, you or the Saurian.

You cry out both their names as you feel Bi-Han’s cold fingers push their way inside your tight entrance as Syzoth sucks contently on your clit. It seems the cryomancer is capable of multitasking as his other hand was busy jacking the Saurian off, you’re a little surprised but pleased that Bi-Han took to Syzoth as quickly as he did. “Oh, oh Sy, Bi-Han, I-I’m going to cum if you both keep this up.”

“That’s the point qin, let Syzoth see that pretty face you make when you cum so prettily for me,” the cryomancer purrs, and his deep voice and honeyed words shoot straight to your core. He pumps his fingers in and out of your hot canal as he jacks Reptile in time, “I want to see both of you cum prettily for me tonight, I’m going to make such a mess out of both of you.

Both you and Syzoth moan in unison at the cyromancer’s promise, your breathing becomes labored and you whimper with desire as Syzoth’s long tongue dances over your folds, lapping up all the liquid Bi-Han’s questing fingers force from your aching cunt. You’re so close your whole body feels like a tightly coiled rubber band ready to snap, you cry loudly as all it takes is one more swipe of Syzoth’s surprisingly talented tongue. “Oh fuck! I’m going to cum! Oh!” You squeal as the Saurian and cryomancer force you to your peak, you squeeze your eyes shut as they roll back into your head, you can’t control it as your head lolls back and your toes curl as wave after wave of delicious pleasure floods your body. You shake violently under both warrior’s attention and ministrations, you can’t control your volume as you keep crying out as Syzoth’s tongue refuses to relinquish his delicious snack.

Bi-Han finally has mercy on you and guides Syzoth’s head from your dripping cunt to his waiting lips. Bi-Han groans against Reptile’s lips and makes a show of cleaning the Saurian off as he devours the other in a heated kiss.

All you can do is just lay there and try and get your breathing back under control as the pair continues to make out in front of you. Within moments the Saurian is on his back laying next to you and you can’t help but lean over and stroke his clothed thighs, annoyed that the Saurian still had clothes on.

As if Bi-Han could read your mind he shimmies out of his pants, his long, hard cock standing proudly against his gorgeous torso and you notice a shift in the cute little whimpers and chirps coming from Syzoth as his emerald eyes crack open as he peeks at Bi-Han with intrigue. He makes almost a distressed hissing sound as Bi-Han tugs the Saurian’s pants down, cold lips never leaving the reptilian’s.

Syzoth breaks the kiss, saliva clinging to his lips as his eyes go wide with panic and he does his best to cover his erection, “don’t look! It-it’s too small… I didn’t know they were supposed to be like, like that.” He lets out a dismayed, high-pitched, animalistic cry as Bi-Han forcibly pries his hands away.

You’re met with the very pleasant sight of his perfectly normal, just right cock, you’re a little fascinated that Syzoth appeared cut and you were a bit surprised he would know the difference. “What are you talking about Sy, it’s fine. You’re perfectly big enough, Bi-Han’s just massive, most guys aren’t this big,” you chime in trying to reassure the panicked Saurian.

“They-they aren’t?” He asks, his big green eyes looking at you hopefully but with some degree of reservation.

“No,” Bi-Han laughs, “most guys are smaller than you are Sy, you look just right. The perfect size, not too big that you’ll hurt qin but just big enough to make her feel good.” Bi-Han continues to hover over the smaller man before dipping his head down to lick a cold stripe up Reptile’s cock, causing it to twitch involuntarily.

“Oh!” Syzoth cries out with surprise, “oh that feels good, but you’re so cold.”

“Sorry,” Bi-Han mumbles, “its part of being a cryomancer, I can’t really control it. Here I have an idea. Come here,” Bi-Han sits back on his heels and pulls Syzoth to his knees, “god you’re dripping, that must be painful, you need to cum don’t you baby?”

Syzoth whines softly as Bi-Han’s cold finger traces the length of his cock, “yes, that would feel good, I, I think? Do you think it feels different as a human?”

“Does it feel good in your natural form?” You ask chiming in on the conversation now that you’re finally recovering from the orgasm the pair gave you.

“It does,” the Saurian replies, his cheeks coloring with red again and he bites his bottom lip as the cryomancer’s fist closes around his cock as Bi-Han lazily strokes Syzoth. “Un, Bi-Han, you’re going to make me cum,” he whimpers.

“Don’t cum yet Sy, fuck me first, please?” You ask beckoning to him enticingly, spreading your legs wide.

“Is, is that ok?” The Saurian asks, his breath coming out in little pants as he tries to hold himself back.

“She’d be very cross with you if you don’t,” Bi-Han purrs in his ear and finally releases his grip on the Saurian’s leaking cock.

“What about you?” Syzoth asks genuinely concerned.

“Oh I have plans for you too, don’t worry, but if it gets too much for you let me know, I know this is all a lot to take in in your human form,” Bi-Han reassures the Saurian pressing a chaste kiss to his forehead.

“Please Sy, don’t make me wait any longer,” you whine and wiggle your legs impatiently as you wait for the Saurian to make his decision. You sigh contently as you feel the cool tip of his cock rubs against your wet slit, gathering up more moisture before he slowly presses inside you. You arch your back and lean your head to the side as the Saurian’s cock opens you up, he feels so good inside you, there was no stretch and burn that often accompanied Bi-Han, it was just beautiful fullness. Your breath hitches as he’s fully seated inside you and it feels so good, he’s just the right size and girth, just enough to fill every inch but not enough to be unpleasant. The sounds Reptile makes are music to your ears as the Saurian whimpers and chirps with desire, clearly enjoying his first time as a human.

“Is it ok if I move?” He asks, breath slightly labored as his hand cups your cheek and he gazes deeply in your eyes.

You rock your hips against his in a sweet invitation, “please do, oh Sy you feel so good.” You gasp as he pulls out and waits a moment to push back in, clearly savoring your body and the warmth it provided, the whole sensation being completely new for both of you. He was so different from Sub-Zero, you wouldn’t say he was cold, but there was definitely a slight chill to the reptilian’s body despite the close proximity to the fireplace and you suspected the cryomancer was largely to blame for it. Not that you would ever fault Bi-Han for being cold, it was his birthright after all and he had no control over being a cryomancer anymore than Syzoth did being a Zatteran. You wrap your arms around Syzoth’s shoulders and pull him down for a kiss as he thrusts into you with a curious, explorative rhythm almost as though he was trying to please you as much as he was trying to please himself. Suddenly he freezes in place and makes a loud yelping sound.

“Syzoth? What’s wrong?” You ask with concern as the reptilian shakes in place inside your tight, velveteen heat.

“Something cold and wet!” He exclaims eyes darting around with confusion.

“Just relax, it’ll feel good, I promise,” Bi-Han calmly explains as his tongue lazily slides over the puckered muscle again causing Reptile to tremble.

“Oh, oh!” You exclaim suddenly aware of what was going on, part of you is a little miffed your sweet and intimate moment with Syzoth had been ruined but the other part was amazed Bi-Han was so open with his desire for the younger Saurian. “It’s ok baby, focus on me,” you squeeze your tight pussy around his tantalizing cock as Bi-Han licks his pucker again, clearly overloading the Saurian with pleasure.

“I-I can’t hold back anymore,” he whimpers as Bi-Han’s tongue works itself inside the tight muscle. He cries out loudly as his body goes taut as he grabs your hips to ground himself and you can feel his cock twitching wildly inside your hot cunt.

“So don’t, you can do what you want now Sy, you’re free with us,” you coo encouragingly albeit disappointed you didn’t get to finish.

“I-I’m going to, I’m gonna, ah, ah!” He lets out a shrill chirping sound as he stills inside your before his body heaves with exertion and you feel the cool, viscous fluid filling your hot cunt. The Saurian’s orgasm doesn’t detour Bi-Han’s actions though as his tongue continues to fuck Reptile’s ass, the noises pouring out of Syzoth’s mouth are unlike anything you’ve ever heard and just hearing him enjoying himself so immensely has you soaked with desire.

“You’re still hard,” you exhale breathily amazed at his ability to maintain an erection despite having just cum.

“L-lizard thing? Maybe? I don’t know is that not normal?” He huffs out in between his pants as Bi-Han slowly works a slicked finger into the Saurian’s tight ass. “Hnnn Bi-Han, that feels funny,” he hisses softly.

“I know, but I promise it will feel good soon,” Bi-Han patiently explains as he crooks his finger looking for the Saurian’s prostate before belatedly realizing he may not have one. His concerns are short-lived however as his finger stumbles upon the fleshy bundle and he’s rewarded with a choked-off cry of pleasure from the Saurian. He plays with the bundle of nerves for a few moments before he adds a second slick finger to join the first, Bi-Han massages the Saurian’s prostate as he lets out impatient huffs. He spreads his fingers wide to stretch open Syzoth’s virginal hole, “you’re so tight Sy, I don’t know if I’m going to fit.”

“What, what’s going to fit?” He asks in between moans, his voice sounding almost drunk with pleasure as the cryomancer rubs and teases his prostate with each motion.

“My cock, I’m going to fuck you senseless,” Bi-Han groans against the reptilian’s ear before sliding a third finger inside the incredibly tight passage.

Syzoth’s moan catches in his throat and comes out as a broken little whine, “no, no way! you won’t fit, that won’t fit in anyone!” Syzoth makes a panicked noise as he tries to move away from the cryomancer.

“Relax Sy, it’ll fit, I can handle him, you’ll be able to, you’re such a good boy, you can do it,” you praise him knowing the Saurian was just as weak to praise as you were, it felt a little awkward being the one to give the praise instead of receive it but it was nice at the same time. You can feel the Saurian’s cock swelling at the praise and leaking with desire inside your tight cunt and it’s driving you insane, but you’re trying your best not to rush either man.

“You’ll do such a good job, just relax and let me take care of things baby, I’m going to put it in now, don’t worry, I’ll use plenty of lube,” Bi-Han promises.

Suddenly Reptile is left feeling empty and unfulfilled, he begins to protest since he had been enjoying Bi-Han’s fingers when the cryomancer’s cock starts to sink inside the smaller Saurian. He lets out a shaky cry and tenses up instinctually, unsure what to do since Zaterrans did not engage in his behavior usually, or at least he had never done it in his natural form.

“Shhh, relax baby, let me make you feel good,” Bi-Han reassures the Saurian as he presses forward slowly, groaning as he watched inch after inch of his huge cock disappearing into the tight Zaterran’s ass. Bi-Han decides to wait until he’s about halfway in to allow Syzoth time to adjust to his cock opening him up.

“Is-is it in,” the Saurian queries, cheeks flushing and breath coming out in condensed puffs from the close proximity of the cryomancer.

You can feel Syzoth’s body shaking and trembling but you aren’t sure whether it’s from the cold or his arousal, you decide you can no long be patient and wait as you buck your hips against the Saurian. You suck your breath in as you rock yourself against his cock, enjoying the sensation of his now hot cock buried inside you, it was endlessly fascinating to you that the Saurian’s body temperature could rise and fall so drastically depending on his partner.

“Ah oh, you feel so good sunshine,” Syzoth lets out a deep moan as Bi-Han pulls out slowly and pushes back in, the sensation rocking the Saurian’s cock deeper inside you pulling a soft gasp from your parted lips.

“Oh fuck you’re tight,” Bi-Han groans as he nips at Reptile’s neck as he repeats the action, marveling as he was able to slide more of his cock inside the tight hole. The cryomancer isn’t confident he can fit his entire length inside the Saurian, not on the first time at least so he tries to best to control how much pressure he applies as he starts to slowly fuck the Saurian.

You let out a high-pitched cry as Bi-Han’s thrusting moves the Saurian’s cock in and out of your body and it feels good after having to wait so long to experience it. “Oh Sy, Sy, you feel so good, fuck Bi-Han, keep it up please,” you beg the two of them.

Slowly but surely the Zaterran begins to find his way in between the two of you as he presses his ass back into Bi-Han’s cock and pulls his cock out of your dripping pussy as he snaps his hips forward to drive his dick deep inside you.

You gasp with pleasure and pride as you see the look of confidence starting to shine on the Zaterran’s handsome face. You roll your hips in time with his thrusts as you really start to get into it, everything about the pair turning you on immensely, you’re so wet as the Saurian fucks into you, the squelching sound of skin on skin echoing in the stone chamber that was the Grandmaster’s quarters. You once again feel arousal pooling in your stomach as the Saurian changes angles slightly and his cock brushes against that bundle of nerves inside you that has you seeing stars, you gasp his name, “oh Sy, right there, on that’s so good, just like that please baby, please.” You gasp and plead.

Bi-Han lets out a deep pleasured sigh as he starts fucking the Zaterran harder deciding he had given Syzoth enough time to adjust to his cock. He’s almost content to just let the Zaterran do all the work now since he seemed to find his own rhythm now as he thrust into you with renewed vigor the action driving the cryomancer’s cock deeper and deeper inside his tight ass.

Syzoth is whimpering and chirping like mad as he fucks you and is fucked by Bi-Han, “oh this is so much better than regular mating,” he groans and drives his cock deeply inside you.

“Yes, oh fuck just like that,�� you encourage as his cock fucks you harder with each thrust, you squeal as Syzoth is quick to change tempo as he begins thrusting into your tight cunt with earnest, your hands slide lower onto his well-muscled shoulders as your nails dig and bite into his toned flesh. You continue to moan and whine as your voice rises higher in octave and volume as you start to roll your hips aggressively into Reptile’s powerful thrusts. You’re no longer embarrassed by your seemingly one-sided confession earlier as his thick cock makes it impossible to think about anything but the blissed-out sensation dominating and rapidly overwhelming your senses. You bite your lip in an attempt to quiet yourself as each thrust of the Saurian’s hot cock fills you completely and the obscene slap of skin on skin echoes off the stone walls. You’re reduced to a sobbing mess as tears cascade down your cheeks again every time Syzoth moves his hips with precision, the thick head of his cock hits your sweet spot dead on, sending shivers of pleasure down your spine. “Reptile please,” you beg knowing how much Bi-Han enjoys hearing you call him by his code name, wondering if Syzoth shared the same kink.

The Zaterran lets out a high-pitched cry as your walls clamp down around him and Bi-Han’s cock assaults his prostrate, “I-I’m not going to last much longer, you two are going to be the death of me.” He laments not wanting the pleasurable sensation to end so quickly.

You feel your body shaking and trembling with pleasure as each one of the Saurian’s thrusts push you closer and closer to your peak, “just a little more, please Reptile, just a little more, I’m so close.”

He lets out a choked-off sob as he keeps thrusting into your fluttering heat, the sensation was indescribable to him having never been with a human woman before, your pussy was so slick and wet and tight. “I can’t, I can’t,” he pants and heaves as he fucks you harder and harder at your insistence.

“I’m gonna cum, oh fuck, I’m going to, I, I’m cumming!” You cry out loudly not caring if you wake the entirety of the Lin Kuei with your pleasured cries. Your nails break Syzoth’s soft skin as his name falls from your lips like a litany, your whole body goes rigid briefly before you shake and shudder uncontrollably. Your vision blurs as jolt after jolt of pleasure shoots through your body, you can’t breathe other than shallow useless pants and your body feels boneless as you continue to cling to Reptile. Your walls flutter around his cock as your cunt greedily tries to suck the Saurian’s dick in deeper as you continue to ride out your orgasm until your head finally lulls backward and darkness and unconsciousness briefly take you.

The shrill chirps seem erratic and almost panicked now as Syzoth fucks into you with reckless abandon, it doesn’t take long before his grip on your hips grows painful and his hips still. Another inhumane cry echos against the stone walls as the Saurian cums hard inside your tight pussy, your cunt pulsating and fluttering tiredly as you try and suck up every drop of the Saurian’s hot cum. The high-pitched noises don’t stop though, they continue and rise higher in octave as Bi-Han fucks Syzoth through his orgasm, finally free to chase his own ending

“Fuck me,” Bi-Han breathes out low in the back of his throat, “look at the two of you, so pretty so perfect for me, such a good girl, such a good boy.” He praises as ice begins to form on the Saurian’s hips and his rhythm begins to falter.

Both of you moan in unison as you’re praised by the cryomancer and you lay there completely spent just appreciating the spectacle before you. You had never seen Bi-Han fuck anyone else, he had been loyal to you and you alone over the years, but seeing him with Syzoth did things to you that you never imagined you could feel. It was hot, erotic, mesmerizing, you weren’t sure you could describe it if you tried but whatever it was you were so glad to be a part of it.

“I’m going to fill you up now Syzoth, I’m going to fill you with all my cum because you’ve been such a good boy for me and done such a good job taking my cock,” Bi-Han traces the Saurian’s ear with his tongue before running the organ down his neck and biting down in an animalistic display of dominance, claiming the Zaterran as his own. The action pulls a weak, tired cry from the Saurian as his limp body is held up solely by Bi-Han’s might, “fuck, that’s it,” the cryomancer groans against his neck before biting down again. A few more erratic thrusts were all it took before the cryomancer was spilling his cold load inside the Saurian’s nubile body.

You can hear Bi-Han’s muffled cry and you’re always upset that he never lets you hear his pleasure but you’re doubly upset he denied Syzoth too considering it was his first time as a human, he deserved the satisfaction of knowing what he caused.

“Hnn, Bi-Han,” Syzoth whimpers as he feels the cold fluid filling his insides, chilling the Saurian to the core, causing him to shiver violently.

Bi-Han frees himself from the Saurian’s neck, “shit, are you ok Syzoth? Are you too cold?” He’s reluctant to free himself from the tight confines of the Zaterran but he decides Syzoth’s well-being is far more important than his own lingering pleasure. The cryomancer pulls his cock free from the Saurian and grabs a discarded blanket to throw around his shoulders.

“I-I’m v-very ok, just a l-little cold,” Syzoth shivers and collapses against your hot body in hopes of warming himself back up.

Your arms tighten around him as you hold him close and Bi-Han pulls the blanket up higher, “here we can move closer to the fire, you just have to pull out first. Polar Bear can you grab the heated blanket from the bedroom please?”

“If I can walk after that, fuck, give me a second,” he complains half-heartedly before standing up to grab the electric blanket, he comes back with the fluffy blanket and pulls the two of you closer to the fire as he plugs the blanket it and wraps it around the Zaterran.

Gradually the heat warms his body and his shivering stops and Reptile affectionately nuzzles against your breasts, “this feels nice, happy, safe.”

Bi-Han stokes his head lovingly, “this is home now Sy, you’re safe here with us, you never have to worry about your old life of being told what to do again.”

“Yes, you’re completely free with us and we love you dearly,” you echo the cryomancer’s sentiment, making sure the Zaterran realizes he’s no longer anyone’s slave.

“I’m so happy, I love you both,” he smiles at you and Bi-Han and you can see hints of unshed tears in his eyes as his head makes itself comfortable on your chest.

“Shall we all just sleep out here tonight then?” You ask running your hands soothingly through the Saurian’s hair.

“Shh, you’ll wake him qin,” Bi-Han hushes you as fluffs some of the bedding up into a more comfortable configuration for him, clearly not needing the blankets themselves.

“Will you be too hot,” you whisper, concerned being this close to the fireplace would make the cryomancer too uncomfortable.

“I shared a room with a furnace for years, I can handle this much,” he replies with a tired grin before snuggling into the soft bedding. “Wo ai ni,” he whispers before closing his eyes.

You sigh softly as your eyes flutter close and you're grateful to have both men in your life, you weren’t sure what you did to deserve both, but you wouldn’t change it for a thing.

[doevademe]

What are the Percy and Nico fandom headcanons you don’t like 👀

Okay. Let me just... prepare.

I'll be honest, I don't know if it's because people haven't read PJO in nearly a decade, or is it because of bad media literacy, but people tend to assign character traits that either aren't there, or the text outright suggests the opposite. I'll just list the big ones for each of my boys to prove my point.

Percy

People have this image of Percy as this social butterfly dude bro who will backtalk anyone and get away with it because he's Percy Jackson. Basically Persassy, but completely unironic about it. If you actually reread PJO, you'll notice that most of Percy's sass is given in narration, not dialogue. He's actually pretty quiet and even able to appear respectful. The weird headcanon that he's obsessed with being everybody's type also falls into this, he's not conceited.

There's also the headcanon that he'd be a party animal in college and... yeah, I don't know about that one. In my mind, Percy would be completely against the idea of getting drunk, what with his past with Gabe.

Finally, the idea that he only survives due to Annabeth. Percy's smart, he's inventive, yet people try to pass all of his successes as him being a cog in Annabeth's machine, and I feel like that reduces him to an idiot that just happens to have the power set Annabeth finds useful so they can be "equal" in the relationship or something like that.

Nico

The most prevalent is Nico the Fixer Upper. People headcanon Nico as this fragile boy that is very flawed and that Saint Love Interest is there so he can better himself and open up (And while Will is a prime offender, I've seen this same setup with Jason and even Percy). It turns the romance into a therapy, like only Nico needs to grow, that any problem that arises in the romance is his fault because he's oh so flawed, and the Love Interest is patient and worthy of Nico because he puts up with it (🤮)

A second that just grinds my gears is Nico the Victim. The headcanon that Nico has known nothing but loneliness and abuse his whole life. This is usually done to make the preferred ship partner seem better in comparison, but it feels out of place because... well, the text shows us Nico used to be a happy-go-lucky kid. He had a loving family, and he doesn't allow himself to become the victim. His biggest moment in OG PJO was sending someone trying to manipulate him to the Underworld, asserting his title as the Ghost King.

Those are the big ones, and the ones I see the most in fandom. There are a few others, but those are either very niche, or very explicitly AU stuff.

[all-doggirls-go-to-heaven-2]

YES ACTUALLY I CAN

( @arquivista )

Analog Hacking or Analog Glitching is the proccess of causing intentional ''damage'' to footage through analog means. Which means a lot of things! It usually produces results like this:

https://youtu.be/GbGswmT04lE

You could argue that crumpling up a VHS tape and recording that again through a vcr is Analog Glitching, but what a lot of enthusiasts mean when they say Analog Hacking or Glitching is to send, distort and compress signal through analog circuits. Since analog video signal is just an electric frequency, a solder iron and a basic knowledge of electronics will take you far.

Imo its a very fun hobby bc it involves a lot of research and planning by yourself, to make something within your means and tastes. It is also infuriating to research bc most crucial pieces of knowledge are within deep forums of experts decrypting tape protection and stuff like that. You can wast weeks simply doing research. And then its a matter of finding old analog gear (I personally had an old vhs-c camera for Infinite loops and a pretty decent recorder vcr with a lot of good stabilizers) because it can get expensive FAST. But its really fun to work these old pieces of tech and seeing it interact with your new diy creations to make pretty colors and movements on the screen.

It's very niche and kinda weird but its a fascination of mine. Here's some pieces of my setup so you can get an idea of what they look like:

This is the beefy boy of my setup, a classic Roland V-4. I use it for time base correcting signals and its also good for live mixing.

This is also kind of a relic, its an RF Toshiba 102 crt. Its 11 inches (I think?) And works really well for screen recordings when I want thst fuzzy crt finish. It only works with PAL signal and needs an RF adapter (which is why I could get it for really cheap)

This is a K.K dirty mixer! Is an open-source project to mix two analog signals and output a single one, mixing them with a potentiometer. Its a really easy build, which is why mine is made out of a margerine container. In the background is my vcr, which luckily works with NTSC and PAL-M, so I have more flexibility to work.

Rn im working on building something called a "Videffektor" which is an open source project to make an analog glitch enchancer.

If you have any more questions please ask I love to talk abt this shit and never have the chance

[seth-whumps]

hello, i'm knight anon from the last ask! thank you so much for your detailed reply, it's really helpful! 🩶 now i know what to think about and consider while figuring out my ocs' story! i didn't realize that my oc can be a blacksmith too. that would be interesting and i'll keep it in mind!

i knew about high and low fantasy but i didn't know there's also high and low magic and they can be combined, so that part was very interesting!

if you'd like to share your medieval prompts, i'd love to read them! 🩶

I'm glad I could help, anon!! And I'm also happy to give you some of my favorite medieval scenarios, too!

--

-> Malicious poisonings towards innocent characters. Think, your whumpee drank from a cup someone else was supposed to get and is now poisoned. The symptoms can be wild, the scenarios desperate and the stakes high--lots of panic and worry to top it all off.

-> Creatures. Wild animal attacks from monsters with terrifying abilities. You can use venomous bites against a whumpee, you can restrain them or suffocate them, impale them or blind them. Basically anything you want, you can justify with "It's part of this new creature's abilities".

-> Weapons! There's so much to explore with all the different kinds of blades and blunts. Particularly the aesthetic of blood on metal reminiscent of rust, whether armor or swords or a silver ring--something about that imagery just hits different.

-> Breaking royal innocence. The horror a noble experiences when they finally witness a terrible thing they've been sheltered from their whole life. A prince can train all they want, but the first time they see a creature tearing open flesh will be a memory they cannot forget.

-> Public punishments. Perhaps niche, but the image of dragging a previously wondrous knight out of the dungeons, chaining them to a post, and commencing a whipping or a public execution is just so deeply rooted in medieval aesthetics for me. All the formality and all of the filth at once.

-> Magic whump. Depending on the setting, hitting a whumpee with a mental attack and giving them a crippling headache and a nosebleed is one of my favorite things to do. On top of that, hypothermia and frostbite while wielding ice magic, burns and heatstroke with fire, lichtenburg scars and temporary blindness and ALL of the side effects...

-> Betrayal, redemption and forgiveness arcs. Perhaps a bit more long-term in setup, but I do love the crushing realization that a close ally cannot be trusted. I love the iron-forged willpower a villain gets when they decide they don't deserve to be forgiven, but they endeavor to be better anyway.

-> Old school medicine! Give me the hands-on approach, the desperate attempts at cleanliness without true sterilization. Herbs and poultice, pastes and numbing plants, self-done stitches and clear stream water on blackened wounds. Wrap the broken ribs and keep marching, soldier. Home's not for a while yet.

--

I hope this isn't too many, anon, but I truly love the chained nobility that comes with the crown. Feel free to request more whenever! I had a blast coming up with these!

[simon-roy]

The idea of logging on a colonized alien planet brings my mind back to the planet Lalonde from Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn books - a world that had very hard wood as its only meaningful export, and was also stuck developing its economy from agriculturalism (due to investment shortages, though).

All this is to say - Hey! What are some foundational inspirations for your sci fi verse? You gotta have some like recommendations of classic or older sci-fi for us, right? What are some of your suggestions of books and authors to read?

OK SO - My sci-fi tastes have sort of ended up in some very specific niches. Growing up, I was a Larry Niven +Jerry Pournelle man, in part because my dad amassed a huge collection of their books - then gave 90% of them away before i was old enough to read them. So one of my teenage missions was rebuilding that library, trash and all!

Stuff like Footfall, Ringworld, Gil "The Arm" Hamilton, Protector (yes i attempted to name a comic series similarly, and paid for it) "The Mote in God's Eye"... you name it, I read fuckloads of these books. And while they tend to land on a sort of human chauvinist "mankind will win based on his inherent adaptive human-ness, and the aliens will fail because of their rigid alien-ness", this shit was very foundational to me.

Their more collaborative series, The Man-Kzin Wars and War World, also loom large in my teenage mind. The Man-Kzin wars are super fun - humans meet a race of tiger-men, and go from being NWO peaceniks to roughneck cat-skinners in a generation! PEACE AND LOVE WONT DEFEAT TIGER MEN!

Similarly, war world (like lots of that 70s/80s military sci fi) was a sort of catch-all for western military nerds to play with their favorite factions - it was a planet where all the un-ruleable ethnic groups and nationalities had been deported by the authoritarian earth government, and left to rot... until a race of genetically engineered fascist super men land on the world, and start trying to rule the place. Pretty fun shit.

As I got older, I turned hard into William Gibson, and read the absolute shit out of both the Neuromancer trilogy and the Bridge trilogy, as well as his short stories. Bruce Sterling was part of that wave for me, too, and I religiously sought his old paperbacks out too. In terms of novels, "Distraction" is my favorite coherent Sterling Novel - though the short stories in the "Schismatrix" novel/collection of his remain my absolute favorite space opera pieces.

At this age, too, I found my top-top fave Sterling Stories - "Taklaman" and "Bicycle Repairman", both gritty pseudo-cyberpunk stories of the highest degree, in this collection:

This thousand-plus page collection of short stories and novellas was basically my bible for a few years - i put sticky notes on each story i loved and meant to return to, until the book was so festooned with sticky note bookmarks i abandoned the practice altogether. If you have the chance, just buy this book and chew on it for a few years.

As i got into my 20s, Charles Stross became my lode star - his books like Accelerando and Glasshouse were total game changers for me. They come with their own peculiarities, but I loved his transhuman/posthuman musings (or at least i was obsessed with his stuff for a good few years - the venn diagram of his obvious interests and my own overlapped enough that his books were great fodder for a growing sci-fi loving brain).

But since then, my main literary squeeze has been the great man, JACK VANCE. Working on Prophet, my friend @cmkosemen made a remark about how much the early issues of the series reminded him of a book series called "Planet of Adventure" or "the Tschai Cycle", by Jack Vance. The book has a beautifully simple setup - a man from an entirely undescribed spacefaring human civilization crash-lands onto a weird planet. But on that planet, he finds four separate civilizations, each who possess a population of enslaved humans, culturally and physically molded to the needs of their masters. And each book of this series covers our generic hero's interactions with each bizarre expoitative culture. I was extremely intrigued.

Soon thereafter, I found my current absolute favorite book - "THE DRAGON MASTERS". A book about an isolated medieval world... which gets visited, once every few generations, by a black pyramid starship, flown by a reptilian race known as the Greph. The greph capture humans to (surprise surprise) breed them into hyper specific slaves... who in turn become Greph-like in their thinking and demeanours. But the last time the BLACK PYRAMID landed, a bunch of angry medieval dudes stormed the thing, blew it up, and captured a bunch of greph... who became the breeding stock for a whole new human world of slave labour. By the time we meet this planet, the two rival lords of the human-populated regions have been breeding greph slave warriors, or "dragons", for generations, for combat against one another. But soon, the black pyramid will return...

I love this book I even spent a good few months during covid talking with the Vance Estate and several publishers about developing it into a graphic novel, but nobody could quite agree on how it could get made with old Simon getting a paycheque... so sadly it fell apart. There are concept drawings floating around my patreon and other corners of the internet. But one day I'll use 'em...

My other favorite books of his, to name a couple of the MANY books of his I love:

THE BLUE WORLD: A caste system of humans, descended from a crashed prison ship, live on floating settlements on an ocean planet, paying protection to a giant long-lived intelligent crustacean. But one man is tired of giving up all his crops to this tyrannical megafauna...

THE MIRACLE WORKERS: Rival lords on a planet descended to medieval tech (surprise surprise) fight using armies... and rival SORCERORS who employ the powers of suggestion to voodoo each others' warriors... but when facing non-human intelligences, these sorceror's skills fall short.

But there are heaps more, and I love most (thought not all) of the ones i've read. They're generally short, concise, and full of all sorts of bizarre bullshit.

THere are more books i've read and enjoyed in my life, of course, but these are the core ones that I think of when I think of my career as a sci-fi reader... let me know what your top recs are!

[hecckyeah]

Listen. I know, I KNOW we all have mixed feelings about the finale. Just in the last hour, I’ve read at least five posts on each side, some saying it was the best thing filoni’s ever created, and some literally cursing his guts. As I watched it, I was leaning much more to the how dare you, I waited two years for this and this sucks side, but I had a good night of sleep and some thought, and. I think everyone is overreacting.

Some thoughts.

First, I do think it should have been an animated Rebels season 5. I am partial to live action in general and I’m so glad we got such fantastic casting. But Filoni really shines in the animated world. Live action has limits that animation laughs at, and with all of Dave’s creativity and parallels and callbacks and history in animation, it would have suited this show better. Granted, the viewership might have been worse than it already was, but who’s to say?

Secondly, of course the whole thing was a setup for future movies/shows. It would have been near impossible for this to be a standalone series, with only 8 episodes and so much at stake. I still have absolutely zero idea how this fits in with the s*quels, but I hope it’s all part of the plan to safely extract our (Filoni’s) favorite characters before all hell breaks loose on the narrative.

BUT. Just because it was a setup doesn’t make the story any less meaningful. Dave is the master of arcs within arcs within arcs within arcs. There was the mini arc of Ahsoka and Anakin, reconciling very (very very) complicated feelings and Ahsoka coming to grips with her past as a child soldier and forgiving Anakin for the choices and mistakes he made. There was the mini arc of Hera in the New Republic and how she has to balance her loyalty to the government that she helped to establish with her loyalty to her family (something I don’t think we’ve seen the last of). There was the mini arc of (obviously) finding Ezra!!!! HE’S HOME, YOU GUYS. Sabine did the selfless thing and sent him home after a decade to have a fighting chance to reunite with his family. And to meet Kanan’s son and to see the beauty that Lothal has turned into and to hug his adoptive mom. And she has full faith in him that he will be back to get her, or that she’ll find a way to go back. Because she now has knowledge that he didn’t before, and with Ahsoka’s help and probably Shin and Baylan too, there’s no way they won’t Jedi their way out of this. (*cough* world between worlds *cough*) Also seeing Morai was a HUGE plot twist. I, for one, can’t WAIT to see what’s up with that.

FINALLY. and I think this is something that Star Wars fans (dare I call them fans anymore?) seem to always forget is that Star Wars……. Kinda sucks. It always has. No one in their right mind would say that Star Wars is a literary masterpiece or anything close to that. Star Wars is great because you are literally required to take it all with a grain of salt. Nothing goes at face value. You have to overlook things for the rest to make sense. You cherry pick your favorite parts and ignore the rest. Do I know absolutely anything about mandalore and their political history?? Not one single thing. But could I explain to you the nuances of the aptly-named Disaster Lineage and how generation trauma comes in more ways than by blood?? I could write PAGES. There’s so much history and lore and side characters and branches of story and nuance that no one can ever fit it all together perfectly, no matter how good of a storyteller they are. You have to pick a niche and run with it, and that’s exactly what Dave Filoni is doing. AND that’s what we as fans need to do. If you’re mad that he didn’t address the chiss as a whole or delve into the mysteries of the nightsisters or expand on what happened between Ahsoka and Sabine in depth, then I’m sorry, but you’ve come to the wrong place. Put on a pair of rose colored glasses and cry at Ezra’s reunions with the rest of us.

I’ve stopped expecting perfection from any major franchise (haven’t watched a marvel show or movie since TF&TWS) because the bigger they get, the less they’re going to appeal to the general fan base. And Ahsoka was no different. But it did accomplish one thing: bringing Ezra Bridger home after 10 years, and I think that is all we actually need to worry about for now.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I liked your version of the intended lucky charm! It would lead to a fun characterization of Marinette and a look into her creative (and stressed) mind, and also to funny reactions from other characters as you described. The only downside I could imagine is then there'd probably be a lot of viewers/fans who think Marinette is "stupid" for not creating the most obvious object and wish for her to be a more serious/efficient hero (not meant negatively, but I could very well imagine a kid shouting frustratingly at the screen why she created a spoon instead of a hook XD). With the luck-based lucky charm she now has an excuse for the randomness of the objects (but at the same time, since Reflekdoll, we also know that the Ladybug holder can influence the created object...)

(Post this ask was spawned from)

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! I never know how niche my ideas are. I just know they feel right to me and make me happy. As you said, I think it would enhance Marinette's characterization while also giving a chance for other characters to react in funny ways as this is supposed to be a comedy.

Making the Lucky Charm an object of the holder's choosing would also make room for setups where Marinette gets ideas from her team. I think she should always be the main problem solver and that needing help should be a rare occurrence, but it would be totally fair if there were situations where Marinette couldn't think of a solution or where her proposed solution was missing a key fact. In those setups, someone else can suggest ideas or otherwise help her figure out what they need. You can't really do that with the canon setup as solving the weird puzzles is Marinette's special power. You don't want to give that to anyone else or you risk making Marinette feel less special and - when it comes to story telling - every character should be special in a unique way.

I don't think there'd be much risk of viewers looking down on Marinette for making weird choices. Smart characters having odd ways of thinking is pretty standard across all kinds of genres. They could even use it as a way to highlight the value of neurodiversity, though I'm not sure I'd ever trust canon with sensitive topics like that.