#yeah a really random and niche thing

[personinthepalace]

Loid Forger adjusting his clothes compilation - Spy x Family Musical

he does it a lot 😆

[kyouka-supremacy]

( •_• )

[the-breloominati]

we need a bowerbird operator I think. maybe some kind of supporter or a pseudosummoner….

[pinktom]

i was smeared on twitter! xD

This morning, I was delighted with a series of fascinating screenshots.

I'm being smeared on Twitter! By someone I don't know, who hasn't even read Lover's Spit, because I do not want to spoil aspects of my own fic.

And it didn't stop there, friends!

Obviously you can tell by the "18 Likes" there were at least 19 people outing themselves as haters. 😔

Let's be clear: if you're twiggered 👉👈 by seeing Tom Riddle bottom, block me and move on

Not because I'm out here publishing smut left and right (I'm not even a smut writer), but because there is absolutely no way you could possibly enjoy my content if you're a fixed shipper.

Is it about who tops and who bottoms? I don't know. Really, at least half of the time, I prefer top!Tom. My enjoyment of a fic is not contingent on whether one character or the other gets dicked down. Of my top favorite fanfics that I can think of offhand, Tom doesn't even bottom in any of them.

That said—I am drawn to stories where Tom Riddle is in a central role, and nobody fixated on bottom!Harry could ever possibly deliver. So yeah please go ahead and block me. ಠ_ಠ

Also, the accusation that I "want engagement" is goofy

If I was driven by engagement, the fic would be straightforwardly on the Top Tom tag, feature a lot of smut, and probably have twice as many hits.

I don't write for engagement; of the 6 fics I have published, 2 are rated G and only half of them even have ship tags at all.

And regarding Lover's Spit specifically, it would absolutely spoil the story if I went on Tumblr rambling about how they're going to fuck. I have more respect for the lovely people who read the story as it is than random potential readers who feel they cannot engage with a story on the off chance their t/b preferences aren't met after 150K of non-smut content.

Yes, fixed shipping preferences can be sexist and homophobic

If your preferences are informed by your belief that Tom Riddle is "too powerful" to ever bottom (!!!) and "submit" to Harry, you're embarrassing and regressive.

You're tacitly admitting that women—that people without penises—are fixed in a state of submission; and you're also insinuating the same of gay men who prefer to bottom.

Sex is a lot of things - not just a power exchange. Sex, as I see it, is about intimacy, vulnerability, and expressing love. That is how I write it, and why I do not want to share "spoilers" about how sex will play out in my fic.

Ultimately this slander is just the product of entitlement

Though Lover's Spit has a lovely, inspiring, and engaged bevy of readers, it is by no means a popular fic. It's a wee little niche fic.

I can see no reason why someone would bother publicly slandering me except that they're just deeply entitled and butt-hurt that I'm not complying to their whims, even though I am a teensy weensy small-time fic writer with no following whatsoever. It's so batshit.

If fixed shipping matters to you, block writers who don't tag. Simple as that.

Anything you'd like to add my dear @k3uuu?

[i4oba]

nct dream’s ideal types / MARK version! ✿..

[aka who i think would suit the members :D]

i feel like, since mark is pretty laid back most of the time, someone a little more.. adventurous? would suit him a lot, just to get him out of the comfort zone

i’m not talking literally, you don’t have to be indiana jones or something, just someone who’s open to try many many new things ? constantly seeking some type of rush from everything New (if that makes sense)

i can totally envision him with someone who’s like… it may sound weird, but doesn’t view themself as “pretty” or “attractive” yk… i’m not talking about the usual lack of confidence tho

it’s just that they never really prioritize their looks and all. i mean, of course they would CARE but wouldn’t think it’s that important

i also think that someone, who’s always deemed as “weird” and “unusual” would TOTALLY be something mark would go for

not only because of the doses of something extraordinary but because he’s interested. you can pique his interest if you say something so outta pocket that would normally cause a few harsh replies

i feel like mark is the type that doesn’t want to be limited, who knows he has limitless potential, not just talent wise but overall, as in… he knows he’s got greater purposes on this world

hence why i said a partner who’s curious enough to bring that out of him—sometimes he can get caught up on work and stuff so he needs Relax time, but not like the laying down and not doing anything kind

the type where you go round and round, finding the deeper meaning of things, such as talking about philosophical questions etcetera

that’s why i partly feel like he would be into someone who’s really really smart. he would love the constant feeling of fascination whenever his partner would say some random, niche fact on a topic he’s never heard of

he’s the type of guy, in my eyes, who loves to absorb knowledge and always tries to do so, which makes place for a partner who’s able to kind of stimulate him in that way?

if you know what i mean LMFAO

i feel like opening up fully for mark, would take a bit longer…? and he would absolutely stay in this “bro zone” kind of situation as well, so someone chill has to be the one he finds

he’s all about keeping it lowkey and if you’re impatient… well, your loss

and it’s not because he’s ashamed of you or something, it’s just that it’s more comfortable for him? in a way? feelings can be a little bit scary sometimes so you gotta leave him to handle it himself

so the keyword here is Patience

you cannot rush things!!!!!!!

especially since i genuinely believe that he… wouldn’t necessary look for love, you know

i can totally envision him just befriending someone and then comes all the cliché, him falling in love blah blah

he’s SO friends to lovers in my eyes, what can i say… falling for the bros is NOT on the list LMFAO and then here we go

but you know, it’s easier like that, and he works sooo hard, he never really focuses on finding a partner, not dating that actively because he’s busy

(i can totally see him panicking when he first realizes that he’s in love with one of his closest friends… he would be Shocked AHAH)

so yeah, developing feelings for him would definitely not take that much of time?? in my opinion?? it’s just him accepting it kinda, you know

being chill and pretty cool is something he would definitely find attractive, especially because, i think??? he doesn’t care about looks that much

he’s the type of guy who’s all about what’s on the inside :) so he needs someone who’s got the same mindset????

that’s a big thing for him anyways.. he wants to feel secure? like he’s not alone!

don’t leave him alone!!!!!!! he’s a cutie patootie, he needs love!!!!!!! even if he doesn’t show it!!!!!!!! he Does need it!!!!!

have so much love for him, be easy going and open minded and honestly, you’ve goz mark lee on his knees :,)

FEEL FREE TO DISAGREE THOUGH!!! this is only my perception of him! :)

& for some visual representation — STYLEBOARDS! :) <3

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Blurbs: More Than A Woman

————————————————————————-

Summary: You’re back with more antics and poor Joe is on the receiving end of yet another Tiktok trend. This time it's asking him to name a random woman’s name out of nowhere to see what he'll say…

Warnings: slight angst, unserious/funny

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

————————————————————————-

*No specific date for this fic!*

(y/n’s pov)

Joe and I were sitting on the couch watching The Office while we waited for Ja’marr, TB, and Tee to arrive for dinner.

I knew Joe would tone down the coupley stuff when “his boys” arrived, so I was currently savoring the feel of my boyfriend's body against mine.

When I walked into the living room earlier to find him comfy on the couch, I immediately crawled on top of him and laid my head on his chest.

Joe grabbed a blanket and put it on top of us before he slipped his hand under my sweatshirt to rub my back.

Now and then he'd kiss my head or comment on something in the show since the episode currently playing was quite the doozy.

If you know anything about The Office… you probably feel some type of way about the words “Casual Day”.

The episode was messy nonetheless and pretty unforgettable. We had seen it so many times but it still made Joe laugh so many different times.

Since we had seen it so many times, I was increasingly getting bored.

Time to do a little trend with Joe.

I went through my mental folder of different things I could do with him without getting up from my comfortable place in his arms. That's when the idea hit me.

“Hey, baby.” - you

“Mhm?” - Joe

“Name a woman.” - you

“Name a woman?” - Joe

“Yup.” - you

What’s he going to say? I thought.

“Uhm… I don't know, uh… Meredith.” - Joe

“Meredith?” - you busted out laughing

“Yeah.” - Joe nodded

“Like the one in the show? The one’s who's boobies you just saw? Jeez, now I know where your mind is at…” - you

“What?! It's not like that, she was just the first woman that popped into my head. They were blurred out too! I don't need to see some rando’s boobs when I can see yours anytime I want! I swear I wasn't being creepy…” - Joe

The entire time he was seriously trying to defend himself, I was holding in my laugh. I was just teasing him but I'm guessing he didn't pick up on that.

“Joe, I was just playing around.” - you laughed

“Good. I thought you were being for real for a second and I was worried I was going to be put on the couch tonight.” - Joe chuckled

Mmm, Imma mess with him.

“Who said you aren't being put on the couch tonight? I'm kinda disappointed you didn't name… I don't know… me!” - you

“Aye! That's not fair, you don't count.” - Joe

“Joe, why wouldn't I count? I'm a woman, aren't I? That was the criteria.” - you

“You’re more than just a woman though… you're my gorgeous, smart, sexy, kind, and amazing girlfriend.” - Joe smiled

Joe leaned forward to press his lips onto mine in a sweet and thorough kiss, but when he pulled away with a sly smirk on his face I decided he wasn't getting away with it that easy.

“Stop trying to butter me up, boy. You're still sleeping on the couch.” - you grinned

“Damn it!” - Joe grumbled

I giggled as I spread kisses all over his cheeks before finally planting one on his lips.

“I'm just kidding.” - you

Joe opened his mouth to talk but the sound of the doorbell cut him off.

“The guys are here.” - you went to crawl off of Joe but he stopped you

“Come in!” - Joe

The front door opened and in walked the wide receiver trio. I gave Joe a skeptical look but he just kissed my cheek and pushed my head back onto his chest.

He was really not trying to sleep on the couch tonight.

————————————————————————-

Authors note: kind of a niche blurb… iykyk.

Request for this fix;

Hope you enjoyed! 💕

[tapwater118]

Has anyone ever heard of “Battle for Dream Island” (1990) before? Really obscure NES game, doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page (or hell, even a mention in one).

From what little I can find about it on the internet, Battle for Dream Island was an NES game released on January 1st, 1990, apparently made entirely by a pair of independent American developers. Never made all that many sales, but eventually it garnered a rather niche following on an obscure gaming forum, though it had long since dissipated. Unfortunately, seemingly nothing from the forum threads was archived, so all I have to go on are a few vague threads titles from a navigation page.

I, rather cliched like, bought this BfDI cartridge from a sleazy old guy at a flea market (along with Puzznic and Wario’s Woods for a bargain deal). I dumped the ROM and booted it up on an emulator to take some screencaps.

Upon pressing start, you are prompted to “Choose Contestant,” and have a choice between any of 20 playable characters (who are all everyday objects, for some reason). Each contestant has their own stats, and while you can feel the difference while playing, the overall impact of character choice is pretty negligible. (Also some of these guys don’t even have arms?? Weird design choice but okay.)

Two screencaps of the character select screen. I went with Pin for my first playthrough cause idk she seemed kinda cute. I’m almost sure the stats are “Strength,” “Speed,” “Jump,” and “Skill.”

(Continued under cut)

While touting itself as a game show, BfDI is essentially a glorified minigame collection. The gameplay loop is as follows: You and the 19 other contestants play a minigame (referred to as “challenges”) to earn points based on how well you do (though I’m fairly certain the computer contestants just get a random amount of points for each challenge). Most of the challenges are various platforming segments, though some others fall more into puzzle game territory.

Two of the challenges. The green “Win Tokens” can be collected for bonus points. LEFT: A horizontal platformer level. The grey wall in the middle of the screencap moves up and down. RIGHT: A challenge about climbing ladders while avoiding “acid spitballs.” The game pauses to scroll vertically a la Super Mario Bros. 2.

After each challenge, this speaker thing shows up (pretty sure he’s supposed to be like a game show host?) and tallies up everyone’s score. The contestant with the least score gets “eliminated” and removed from the game.

The results screen. Leafy did rather poor on the last challenge, so she’s out of the game.

The game continues like this until you lose (have the least amount of points) and get booted to the game over screen, or until you are the last one left, in which case you win Dream Island! (Though of course in reality you just get booted back to the title screen. No Dream Island for you.)

The victory screen, with the gates to Dream Island in sight. Feels more like the gates to hell given how Pin’s staring at me.

It’s a fairly easy game for NES standards (I won on my first try). Took me about 80 minutes on my first playthrough, though subsequent ones could take less than an hour as I knew what I was doing. The brevity and the fact it saves your high score gives BfDI a nice sense of replayability (though this is probably best done sporadically, as the challenges tend to get a bit samey after a couple of back-to-back playthroughs).

So yeah, just wanted to share this in case anybody else has heard of it. I’ll probably rip the sprites and upload them sometime later cause it doesn’t look like anybody’s done that yet.

[waitingonher]

h.o.o. characters & their icks

characters: percy jackson, annabeth chase, jason grace, piper mclean, leo valdez, frank zhang, & hazel levesque

content warning: slight cursing

word count: 853

author's note: idk if some of these are necessarily icks? but 😆

percy jackson

percy thinks he’s sooooo cool for growing up in nyc 😒😒

he’d say some new york specific lingo and would be all like “oh hah sorry, i forgot you aren’t from new york.” 

it is not that serious percy. 

somehow he always finds ways to relate things back to new york. you could be talking about a weird homeless person outside a convenience store, and he’d be like “well i’ve seen worse in new york.” 

percy lost his metrocard one time, but you guys needed to take the subway somewhere so he tried to act so nonchalant about hopping over the turnstiles. 

“oh yeah, i do it all the time. i’m basically a pro.” 

then, he went to jump over it only for his foot to get caught. he face planted onto the floor. when percy got up, he tried to act like he didn’t care, but you could see the embarrassment in his eyes. 

not his best moment! 

annabeth chase

in her own way, annabeth lowkey mansplains a lot 😭😭

she doesn’t mean to, but whenever she explains certain concepts or ideas, she comes off as super condescending. 

it could be the most niche subject ever, and she’d be peeved when you don’t know anything about it. i’m sorry i don’t know shit about a random philosopher who died hundreds of years ago 😒 

(i’d let annabeth mansplain to me any day of the year) 

jason grace

if no one orders for him, jason’s go-to are chicken tenders and fries. it’s not that he’s picky, it’s just that he’s so accustomed to ordering it, that he simply forgets he can order other things.

it’s as if his eyes just ignore everything else on the menu and only look for chicken tenders and fries. like, it’s okay to eat something other than that… 😕

when he orders at restaurants, the waiter always gives him the strangest looks. because why is a 6’0 athletic-looking teenager in here ordering chicken tenders off the kids menu. 

speaking of kids menus, jason treats the little activities on them so, so seriously. not to say that the activities aren’t fun, but he’s oddly obsessed over them. he gets genuinely upset when food or drink splatters gets on it because he likes taking them home?? jason please tell us why these little word searches and connect-the-dots matters so much to you. 

piper mclean

piper always claims that animals love her. (they do not) 

whenever she encounters wildlife, she’d start calling it over just for it to run away from her. “oh no, i think you scared it off” is her excuse 90% of the times. 

i know for a fact it wasn’t me. it was definitely you and your bad excuse for a squirrel call. 

she’s also convinced she can charmspeak animals too. last time she tried, the cat ended up smacking her across the face. 

when will piper learn 💔

leo valdez 

to all the leo lovers out there…i’m sorry to say that he’d have that little mustache after he drinks anything. he’s always rocking that milk mustache!!

after a long day of working in bunker 9, you’ll see him walking around camp with a bright red stain above his lip. you won’t even have to ask him to know that he was drinking fruit punch gatorade.

leo even gets that little stache with water?? it’s not as prevalent, but it’s definitely there. if he’s under the right lighting, you can see his top lip just glistening. 

you always have to remind him to wipe his mouth after taking a sip of anything. but it’s just as worse when he wipes his mouth because he uses the back of his hand or his sleeve…

if you go through his closet, there’s a high chance that you’ll find some of his shirts with different colored stains at the bottom of the sleeves. someone get leo some napkins please! 

frank zhang

whenever frank wears flipflops, his toes always hang over the edge of them. the worst part is that he really does not see an issue with it. he thinks it’s fine because “it’s just loungewear.” 

yes it may just be loungewear, but i promise you that no one wants to see your toes hanging out like that.

even if someone buys him a bigger size, he’d still find a way to have his toes over the edge. 

at this point, everyone just thinks that frank finds it comfortable so they don’t say anything anymore.

hazel levesque

hazel’s the type to enter those random instagram giveaways… 

she’d tag you in the comments and would text you asking you if you could follow the account and tag five people too. 

please hazel, you’re not gonna win that $300 amazon giftcard or that new laptop. give it up!! 

somehow she finds so many different giveaways?? you’re always tagged at least once a week. it’s gotten to the point where she’s entered so many giveaways, that people start recognizing her username. they feel genuine pity for her because why is @horselover1217 entering a giveaway for the third time this week.

[joulex]

Because exactly 1 person said they wanted more

Here are some more of my random pjo headcanons:

-silenas favorite subjects were math and physics (and maybe chemistry but mostly the first two). She will make her way trough a math problem easily. I think that she would help annabeth with like the ecuations o smt when she was building a cabin (she did not die what are you talking about). Silena wouldve be like elle woods o lidya martin from teen wolf.

- she also wanted to study medicine, bc i said so

- despite popular tiktok believe, i think annabeth would hate booktok, at least at first. I think she would grow to like it over time once she finds her niche within the community, but yeah she would not like it at first.

- jason LOVES poetry. Not so much writing it (although i think he does from time to time) but reading it. He really likes emily dickinson.

-will is a horror movie fanatic, mostly slashers and not some much the a24 type of stuff. His favorite are scream and a nightmare on elm street. He also points out the innacuraties of yhe wounds in the movie.

"Theres no way hes still alive after losing THAT much blood"

"THATS NOT HOW YOU DO CPR"

- annabeth and hazel would really like sabrina carpenter and boygenius, they get together and have a karaoke night.

- percy is more into like 'rock' (argentinian rock to be specific bc percy is argentinian bc im argentinian and said so) so he likes led zeppelin, soda estereo, AND MANESKIN, big big maneskin fan. BUT he also likes ricky montgomery and the 1975.

- silena and will become friends when silena asks for his help understanding some things and becomes his 'second in comand' in infarmary.

-She also is very vocal about only using makeup that is not animal tested and is very invested is talking about the importance of not testing in animals

- rachel and percy do like drawing afternoons and they just get together and draw and paint differents things and give eachother feedback

- silena love to wear those flowly tops with long sleves that like tie in the front instead of her camp shirt. She refuses to wear something thats an ugly shade of orange (i have a very speficic image of silenas style if someone is interested let me know)

A lot of focus on silena but yeah :)

[rin-and-jade]

Job Roulette.. or Not: A Post about Alter Roles

Roles like Hosts? Protectors?.. maybe a Cleaner? an Academic?.. why is there an alter who comes out only for driving?! What about these other alters who don't really do much--they got to have one right??

--Are probably what you might be thinking when this topic comes up. But, there's something more into it,, it's not all about what job or how the role is assigned to an alter only.

Well, for this post, lets talk EVERYTHING about how roles work, what kinds exist, why it's there?? And especially, why are some more task specific, multi-role, or even... none? Bowl straight to the point, let's roll out. Haha punny

Ok J, spill. What are they?

Hold on. Im pulling out this dictionary definition of it--ah!

"defined positions that are associated with given responsibilities and are usually allocated according to the position or ability of each person."

To put it in system terms, it's how different parts can do something that others couldn't, or, feel a sense of responsibility in one particular aspect. That's making sense right? But oh.. you still want to know why they're there at the first place. Fine, follow me!

Yeah, show me why!

As aforementioned, this disorder boxes up our different parts of selves with amnesia and weaker bonds of connection which really sets us back on easing our 'modes' for different situations.. not only that, a part's moods and state/personality can greatly affect what kinds of jobs they get, it's not so random as you'd thought.

So, thing is, because some alters have a distinguished ability capable in doing something, depending what fragment or pre-existing knowledge/experience it holds, that can become it's very own job task.

They can be hereditary (upon split or formed), gained (fuse or passed traits), or even learnt (by its own commitment, without any prior skills). Roles come from many origins, and none of them are so different.

But, some are more complex..

I get it, some can have more than one, have ultra specific ones, or literally just don't have any. Now it makes you think--if it was from predisposed strengths each alters naturally have, then why are some more niche? or like, anything else? I know why:

Our brains are complex alright. We both can think maybe we can do (even if we don't like it) and not do something, and these are all compartmentalized in each alters, so basically its part feelings, part acceptance of such trait, and part commitment as the formula. Even confidence or the call to action affects this outcome!

This can apply to who can handle more than one jobs, or for those who are more specific or lesser known roles. In fact, roles do not have any limits, they are specifically tailored for your functionality so don't fret if you have an alter who's job is only to sleep, or anything else 'silly' !

What about the ones without.. roles?

Do you think it feels wrong to not have roles? While it is true that roles are needed, they're not actually a required standard for everyone to have a job task. Mainly, ANP's are the one who usually have roles, but EP's can too.

If they do not have a role, they might be disinterested or think they don't have any potential, or sometimes they're only there to hold memories / don't have the qualified skill sets, and thats okay! You can take proactive action in anyhow you'd like, just remember, every parts aren't forced to contribute, you know? It doesn't make them useless, maybe more on passive support/back ups.

I've also seen some systems who don't really have roles because the alters are all well-rounded, as in pick up other's tasks and that they're not assigned/compelled to do a particular job at all times, like being flexible. everyone's different!

Make sense, anything else?

Well, that we are not bound to roles, they do not define us, and that we can lose, or change roles according to our growth. Have anyone ever mentioned that?

Im aware that we tend to put too much emphasis on having jobs and being contributive, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that we all in this together, and to help each other, in a way or another.

Never forget that you're more than your job! Maybe try to enjoy other parts of life, yeah?

--

Thats the end of the post. What will you do if you find a new alter with no impressions of having a role? How do you see roles in your own pov? What's the first thing you'd do if you were to be free from your job task, if any? Feel free to let me know, i hope this has been informative, im willing to add anything if something's missing!

- j

[its-the-sa]

Different anon. God just boiling down the slugcats to 'animals' angers me in a way I didn't think I could be angry. Yes, they are animals, but by all means they are cognitive and understand complex emotions, communicate with a supposedly complex language, are able to be taught to do things. Why else would the iterators use them as messengers constantly? It's not like they're messenger pigeons where it's just going from point A to point B, they understand exact instructions. If this was just some random animal, making groans and grunts, they wouldn't be able to understand what Five Pebbles even meant when he was explaining how to ascend. Even with the mark, could you imagine if he told a lizard this? Artificer, arguably, is a prime example of this. Just an animal would get over their fallen children, sure they'd grieve but in the end they'd just make more. Arti not only is so enraged by their death, that she is physically incapable of ascension, but also swears vengeance upon a whole other species. This isn't just some animal who lost her children, this is a mother who is enraged at her children's murder. Sure, they aren't on the same level as humans are. Like obviously. But I'd argue it makes sense that a scavenger and a slugcat could fall down the path of enemies to lovers. Especially when you consider the fact that death isn't permanent in Rain World's universe. That would definitely change one's perspective on it. I dunno if I make sense, I'm juggling like three things at once, but I had to say what I needed to say. Wording bad, slugcat smort.

tbh it took me a minute to figure out what this was even referring to, because honestly I don't think that anon meant to use the word 'animal' to dehumanize arti in the first place. it sounded to me like they were just using it as a non-human equivalent for 'person', like "why would anyone fall for a person who committed hate crimes against them?" which is a valid question. it never even occurred to me that they could have meant it in the sense of calling her an inferior creature.

that said... you ARE 100% right and you should say it, lmao.

I very nearly got into this exact argument once, bc i saw some comments from a guy scoffing at the idea of arti showing mercy to baby scavs. because by his logic, 'she is just an animal, so she isn't bound by human morality. in the wild, animals kill any young that don't belong to them without hesitation'. and it just pissed me off so much, because not only was it such an edgy "mercy is for the WEAK!" alpha-male bullshit take, it was also just factually wrong. many animals can and do adopt the young of other animals, even other species, especially when they've just lost their own. and like you said, they can grieve, but then they move on. they keep surviving, and making more babies. they don't dwell on injustice, or let rage consume them to the point that it becomes a hindrance to their own survival. they don't go on single-minded revenge quests. they dont try to justify their own violence by demonizing entire species, and they dont end up plagued by guilt in their sleep. those are very, very human things.

and yeah, i see a lot of people theorize that it's the mark of communication that grants the slugcats higher intelligence, but I don't really buy that either. i think the mark just lets them understand the iterator's language. they must've already had the capacity to understand it, or else it wouldn't work at all. it'd be like trying to install windows on a calculator. also, even without the mark, slugcats are obviously shown to communicate with each other. they have their own culture, they tell stories and make art, and they're apparently able to understand karma and the nature of the cycle at least enough to be able to ascend. so like... any creature thats capable of spiritual enlightenment must at least be sapient, right??

it seems like in the absence of the ancients, both slugcats and scavs are beginning to move in to their niche in the ecosystem

[gren-arlio]

So. Let me tell y'all about a guy named Camus. And a girl named Lala. And other folk. Welcome to Episode 14 of Waku Puyo Extras.

(Ah, back at it again writing these things.)

Hey guys, Gren here, and welcome to Episode 14 of Waku Puyo Extras, a series where I cover basically random stuff about Puyo and Madou as a whole. The Waku part is just because my brand is a single game I translate.

As my free time gets smaller and smaller, the drive to show off cool stuff remains about the same. Thank goodness school is over soon. I'm still alive, don't worry.

Finals and AP Exams are very much happening, so I'm spending that time studying. I'm hoping I pass.

Now, you would expect me to write about PPPP (P⁴ as I call it, Puzzle Pop in other locations) since it released and has a ton of stuff, notably well written characters. But alas:

I'm an Android user. Can't play it.

Frankly, at the moment, I'm not too interested in it right now.

So, the last episode was about Draco, that famous lass. What about this time? Well, since 80% of my work here is Madou related, why not give a showcase of some of the lesser known characters as a whole? Manga and novel stuff included.

With that, hope you enjoy. Also I said a bigger post is coming soon and drop it a literal month later. Damn.

So, Who ARE These Guys?

If you're not familiar with these characters, I honestly don't blame you. These guys are considered kinda niche in the franchise, but are more well known than some guys. I could mention Hanzo and no one besides people who played the game he's from or read the wiki would know him. Oh, or maybe Skeleton-D if we wanted to.

For now, I'll just cover the people have at the very least some stuff about them.

We'll begin with Camus, easily the most recognizable one that we'll be covering today. I swear if he was in Puyo now, he'd be so damn popular.

(From the manual of the Mega Drive release of Madou 1. Notable for being one of the very few times Camus is drawn with the teenage Arle and Lala, both 16, making Camus 18 in this.)

The man, or rather boy, in that photo is the fabled Camus of the Sable Ord- I mean Madou Monogatari 1, both on the SEGA Mega Drive and Game Gear. Since this is a game where Arle is in kindergarten, Camus is her senior. Yeah, senior is the word for this one. He's notable for being the only person to get a perfect score on his exams, that lucky bastard.

Oh yeah he's also like 8 years old for the record in that

In the game, he's both helps you and hinders you for different reasons. Sometimes he's very nice and teaches you things, and other times he's taking stuff from you for playing the game for longer than three hours.

However, at the end of the game (Where he also might help you depending on some stuff), it turns out he was an illusion all along, which is always...fun, you know? That one guy who's been helping you out turns out to not even be real, least in the Game Gear version of things.

Honestly? He's a pretty interesting guy in the game. Arle holds him with some respect, and Lala quite literally has a massive crush on the guy that she's willing to show. Unfortunately.

(Things are really serious in the Kindergarten Exam Fandom...)

He can come off as rude but at the very least he means well. And my goodness, his theme in the game is good.

Underrated gem.

Now, up until a while ago, I kinda thought that'd be the only games he was in, a grand total of 2 whole games. However, by doing this for...a year now, turns out that there IS one more appearance of Camus, presumably to be 18 in the game because...Well, Arle is a teenager there.

Arle Man'Yuki. Or Arle's Travel Log.

Now if I'll be honest, I STILL dunno all too much about the game, despite doing an entire episode on it. The game is super text-heavy, so I don't know EVERYTHING besides some of the Japanese history involved with it. (Crazy how the Heian Era is now some JJK meme. Time is a fun concept.)

Here, Camus has taken the role of the leader of the Shinsengumi, Kondo Isami. It's a long story, so... I'll just link my own work here. (I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO PUT LINKS IN MY TEXT...)

I never covered Camus extensively in that game due to his admittedly small role in that game, but he's a fairly upstanding guy. Schezo works under him as the vice leader. Ain't that cool?

Check it out if you're curious about that, some basic Japanese history that may be a tad inaccurate, or JUMP HERO.

And err...that's every game he's from. Yeah, he's in a grand total of what, three games? It's not much but it's still something. He's a very cool lad.

-----

Wait, who's Lala?

I'm glad you asked, me. Lalah is a character from Mobile Suit Gundam that works with Char after he...well, this is a Madou blog. If only I could talk to you about Gundam. But alas.

Lala is ACTUALLY a girl who's the same age as Arle, and the girl who's madly in love with Camus...as I've told before. But she does have a little more than just that, don't worry.

In the Game Gear version at least, she sneaks into the tower Arle went into to graduate, upset that she wasn't the one to take the exam, but rather Arle. And yes. She broke a brick wall to get to her.

(A 6 year old is stronger than any of us. LMK if you can run into a brick wall just fine.)

Now if I had to describe her, it'd be "Arrogant but funny as hell". Because she's arrogant but funny as hell. Arle calls Lala her BFF, to which she doesn't take that reply nicely and says they ain't BFF'S, they ain't even friends. Straight hater energy. (She wasn't able to take the exam due to a cold.)

Camus appears to stop her from interfering, and she goes on this tangent about how wonderful he is, and how he always eluded her... and chases him, as shown more above.

Things start to get funky when you get deeper into the tower, as Lala makes a literal trap hole, and Arle falls down. However, Lala is mad that she fell and NOT Camus, leading him to appear in the floor above and basically say "Idiot. I'm not falling for that." and she continues to chase him.

Her reign of terror ends when Camus SEALS HER AWAY for the rest of the game. But she's okay after it all don't worry. Arle summed it up the best way I could. She ends up fine after the end of the game, however.

Lala also appears in Chaotic Final Exam too, now 16, but honestly...it's one of the games where I know next to nothing about it. Apologies. Just know that she's there and not Camus. (Though with the style of how the game looks...probably for the better.)

She's just overall what we call in the industry... a girlfail. She tries her absolute best but fails so, so much that I can't help but laugh at her and pity her at the same time.

-----

I have no cool segway into this section. Introducing... Rasp.

You might've seen them around if you've checked my blog here or there as a front page image for my works.

And you'd be right. Rasp is from the Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Manga, a brand new character just made for the thing. They're basically a minion who mostly impede the way for Schezo and Rulue. I say "they" because, well, Rasp is genderless.

Fun fact: Their salary is unknown, but they apparently get paid more than a Manga artist, so take that as how you will.

Rasp does appear frequently throughout the volumes, and does indeed fight Schezo. While he does lose, at least looked pretty cool while doing so.

-----

Lightning Round:

Now these devilish goofballs are folks I want to show...but don't have much info on them just yet. Or there wasn't that much to begin with.

Septem:

(Creatura...La creature 98...)

Septem is another genderless character from the series, coming from Arle no Bouken, a game I know next to nothing about. All I know from it is them and that they cling to Arle like a sister. I love them.

This is absolutely one character I wish I knew more on, since she's much more developed as a character...I just don't know much about Arle no Bouken.

Dark Witch:

(What is this, a doppelganger bargain sale?)

Now she has a little more to her that I DO know but it's nothing spectacular.

Planned to be in Puyo N but was scrapped due to the idea of her being too serious, which is quite the reason for Puyo, but appears in Comet Summoner anyways as a final boss.

You can even play as her, and fight Witch herself and beat her... and possessing her. Kinda, sorta.

Runelord:

(Dweeb appeared in one game and changed a man)

Runelord is an odd case, because some of his lore is stuck onto True Madou Monogatari, which in of itself...is kinda iffy lore wise. And also really long.

In Madou S? Wants Schezo to be the next successor, he says no, fight happens, Schezo wins but is affected anyways. Apparently he was beaten by Lagnus, but that comes from True Madou, so the accuracy of the Canon can be very much debated. It all depends if you think it's Canon or not.

-----

And honestly, that'll be all for this time around. Apologies this took so long. Life's been quite the journey. Graduation's happening soon, and finals are happening soon. The list goes on. I'm hoping I get by through the school year, but alas, I'm happy you read this.

Adios.

[gaslightgallows]

Please imagine a pithy title about fresh starts here.

(crossposted from Patreon)

Coming into 2024, I had big plans for how I was going to get back on track and get back to posting once a week and yeah, obviously, that hasn’t happened.

But what I have been doing is looking at my Patreon and at my own projects and figuring out some things I need to do differently. Last April, I changed my nom de plume because I wanted a fresh start. Now it’s time to give this entire Patreon project a refresh.

Here’s what’s happened so far:

Deleted my old A.F. Linley website and gave up the domain; the cost for hosting has risen by $200/year and I wasn’t using it as much as I thought I would back in 2018. Also I kept getting spam emails through the contact page.

Took down my Smashwords account; the single title I had managed to self-publish, a short story collection called Creeps, Ghouls and Jewels, had some serious formatting issues that it was not going to be worth the time/money to correct. Plus, I’m not happy with the changes that have come since Smashwords merged with Draft2Digital. (I’m considering moving to Payhip for future self-pubbed titles but that’s a discussion for a different post.)

I’m starting the process of taking down my Redbubble shop and....Okay, actually, I might have done that already? I just went to grab a link to the site in case anyone wanted to order a Moonicorns t-shirt before I deactivated but uh, it looks like it might’ve deactivated itself? Anyway, merch isn’t the right direction for me at this time, but I’ve still got all the actual designs and I really do like the “Finishing Things is Hard” logo, so I’m definitely going to hang onto that and slap that onto some stuff at a different print-on-demand site in the future.

Here’s what’s happening next:

New posting schedule: Starting in April, patrons will receive one short non-fiction post every week (500-1k words) and a piece of fiction every month (2-2.5k words). Oddments posts will continue to be free to read, but these take a decent amount of research and will be sporadic, basically happening around patron-only posts.

Revised patron tier perks: Getting rid of physical rewards and adding more digital ones. More details to come.

Current and long-time patrons: Thank you for sticking around while I get my shit together. I say that frequently. I mean it every single time.

Potential new patrons: Hello. I have just met you, and I love you. My name is Ethan, I live in a 200-year-old house and I’m writing a novel called The Lion’s Paw. It’s set in 1925 and is about an immortal queer disaster woman and what happens when 400+ years of terrible decisions catches up with her.

(I will neither confirm nor deny that she was inspired by H.G. Wells from Warehouse 13.) (Yes I will confirm it, she totally was.)

There are séances and ghostly possession and psychics, there is historical romance, and psychological horror, there are haunted houses and artists behaving badly and a lot of ladies making out.

I post about my writing process and all the weird little historical niches that pop up during my research. Frequent topics include: 

Spiritualism

Cryptids

Historical curiosities

Medical quackery

Weird tech

General oddball occurrences and serendipitous intersections of history, folklore, and culture

And sometimes when I’m really bored I write short fiction via random prompts.

If any of that appeals to you, please consider subscribing! I’d love to have you along for this journey and my caffeine habit needs all the support it can get.

=====

Banner photo by Ryan Snaadt on Unsplash.

[kouyou-arc-when]

I only trust you to tell me this. Does Dazai have any type he prefers physically??

From my memory, about 3-4 entries (databooks, interviews, magazines..) insist he doesn't have a type. I always say how funny it is that this is that one part that never changes, regardless of whether he's serious or joking. Guidebooks insist he loves beautiful women, but Kunikida always says the guy chases after any half-pretty lady, so perhaps it's questionable how low or high his standards truly are. That one interview said he's confident he can shape **any** woman to suit his tastes - and if that's true, I can't imagine whatever he wants to be too niche or specific if "any" woman can become it. Personally, I think Dazai sees "women" as just another hobby, a pleasant thing to waste his time on like booze or whatever. The dude doesn't approach this topic all that seriously - so, logically, any type of woman can be fun because she's something new to "explore". But for the joke of it, let me try and remember the women Dazai has expressed attraction for/approached (keep in mind that most no-name side characters are drawn to look very similarly). Higuchi (blonde, short, around his age) Sasaki (brunette, tall, around his age/older) Manga and LN waitress (brunette, stocky, much older) Anime waitress (brunette, his age?) Nurse (dark haired, older?) Murder victim Yamagiwa (brunette/dirty blonde, around his age or older since she was a regular and relatively experienced police officer, and I think you can't become one in Japan before 20, so yeah). Random lady that was walking that dog (brunette, same age?) A bunch of random women from wan/the anthology (purely from memory): -one was blonde, younger -one was a blonde waitress, she had no distinct features -two random older, brunette ladies He most frequently flirted with the waitress (anime and manga) and Higuchi (said she was pretty 3-4 different times). None of these women have anything in common, so it's safe to say he might just like anyone pretty enough. It's, of course, debatable who he's flirting with because he's really interested, and who's a target to use, but imo - he just doesn't have high standards for basic physical appeal. The waitress he flirts with, in the manga and LN, is based on the lady from No Longer Human - an older, married lady he tried to kill himself with, but fails. The main character of NLH, Yozo, says that was the only person he ever truly loved IIRC. That's why some people connect Dazai with "older" women, but was that just a coincidence or an actual preference of his? Who knows. I think it just happened that she was older, what's sure is that he's "open-minded"

[ms-demeanor]

Hey, hey, hey - I gotta ask, because I don't really listen to music on youtube much, it's clunky and I get distracted and end up watching dog sport videos; so like

Have you got a spotify or soundcloud site for PIT?

Or failing that, because I get that Spotify is Eeeevill (capital E for exceptionally evil) (i mostly use spotify to find random as fuck bands in niche genres and then buy their cds but also, Spotify is evil and all that so no hard feelings if you don't)...

Can I buy your EP?? Or your CD?

We've got a bandcamp! Everything should be pay-what-you-want.

(Weird self conscious disclaimer: nearly all of this was recorded as a fairly new band where we fucked up and did the 'hey let's record a demo and then listen to the demo to memorize the songs' thing and so all of the songs kind of sound bad to me at this point because they all improved through playing live and we were juuuuust about to plop down the money to do a live recording session for like nine songs when covid hit and shut down studio spaces and everyone kind of scattered and actually in the summertime is a covid recording with everyone recording on their phones at home so I've never actually played that with the band and then yeah it kind of fell apart but Dani (guitarist/singer/bassist/composer/my best friend for like 20 years and the only other member of TraumFieber) and I are still talking about recording stuff i just am still too concerned about covid to play live at this point because large bastard is immune compromised all of which is to say i'm super glad you like the way the songs sound and i just feel really weird about the songs because my brain is weird but yes they are on bandcamp thank you i'm glad you like them)

[angel-gone-south]

Razorblade Kiss

Incubus! Kyle w/ Reader

°•. ☾ .•°

You hummed along to the music, happily dancing in the crowd of Crimson Dawn fans. They had been your favorite band for years, fitting a niche of Midwest punk-rock you had never known you needed. You’d been lucky enough to be dormmates (and besties) with the guitarist’s ex, Tammy, who he still owed a couple favors.

Your favorite member by far was Kyle, the bass player. He always had such spunk, it entranced you. You barely even paid attention to the main singer, Stan, much preferring to watch the bassist's ginger curls bounce in his ponytail behind him as he strummed the thick cords of his instrument.

As the song ended, you looked up to see Kyle wiping his sweat-soaked forehead. He glanced your way and you shuddered. His almost electric green eyes pierced you, as if looking into your soul. You calmed down, considering it was probably just him picking a random section near the front. Right?

He smirked as he switched places with Stan, which was unusual. Normally the only one who did that was the drummer, Marjorine. Mostly because she was the only girl, and drums were the only thing Stan could play.

Ah, that made more sense. Everybody had to trade around, Marj taking guitar and Kenny taking the bass so Stan could sit at the drums.

Kyle started to hum as everyone kicked in, and you were utterly entranced by his voice. You felt lucky to hear him vocalize.

“I taste death, in every kiss we share,

Every sundown seems to be the last we have.

Your breath on my skin has the scent of our end,

I’m drunk on your tears, baby can’t you see it’s hurting?”

You started to get queasy. Uncomfortable, even, because this felt directed. The whole song you weren’t dancing, just nervously trying to avoid his gaze when it would sweep over you.

Soon enough their set was over. You’d spent the last few songs utterly uncomfortable, but Tammy still had one surprise left for you.

“Come on! Ken invited us backstage with them.” She grabbed your wrist, tugging you along. You had no time to protest before you stood in front of the dressing room door.

“T-Tammy, I-” Yet again you were cut off, this time by the dusty blonde guitarist opening the door.

“Tammy! You made it! Who’s this?” He beamed, happy to see Tammy. They were still friends, after all.

“My roommate I was telling you about! This is [Name],” You waved, an awkward smile gracing your face as she continued. “They’re your biggest fan.”

“Really? Come on in! I’m sure everyone will be happy to meet you.” You nodded, stepping through the threshold into the suffocating room. You felt a gaze upon you, almost predatory. You looked about, catching the eyes of the man guilty.

Tammy dragged you to sit on the couch next to him, beginning her chat with the other three members as you sat in silence with the ginger. You swallowed thickly, staring at the floor in front of you rather than the man on the opposite end of the couch.

“Boo,” You squeaked when you felt his hot breath hit your ear, cascading down your neck as he chuckled. “Jumpy, are you?”

“Y-Yeah, sorry.” He shook his head, grinning. You noticed his canines were pointy. Some sort of dental cosmetic maybe?

“No need. Kinda cute, if I’m honest,” You took in his face closely for the first time. He took your breath away. “Are you liking what you see?”

His teasing tone snapped you out of your trance, and you turned away with a deep blush. It was then you noticed you and Kyle were alone, now. You wondered where the rest had gone as he spoke again.

“Tammy said I’m your favorite. Is that true?” He leaned ever closer.

“U-Um, yes…” You answered nervously, turning yourself on the couch to more easily face him. He hovered his pale hands above your hips.

“Can I?” You nodded, not trusting your voice to come out as your heart raced. “God, you’re pretty.”

You yelped as he pulled you up to straddle one of his legs, bouncing it slightly and grinning.

“I think you’re the cutest fan we’ve got,” He gave you that same, wolfish grin as he looked your flustered form up and down. “I like how you react to me.”

You whined. Sure, youd had dreams about it before, but you never thought you’d actually get to be in a room with him. His cold hands grazed up your thighs, giving you goosebumps.

“Can I kiss you, sweet thing?” He asked softly, gently pulling you the rest of the way on his lap. You nodded shyly, and he leaned up to lock his lips onto yours.

He tasted of something sweet. You couldn’t put your finger on it. It was like something from a long time ago that you only now remembered, and god, it was good.

You couldn’t describe how kissing him felt. Hot. Passionate, maybe. It all came back to that one word, addictive. You felt like you could do this with him forever, letting his hands slide up your shirt to caress your soft skin while he slipped his tongue gently in your mouth, slowly entangling with yours.

You pulled away for air, panting, a string of saliva and your hands in his curls connecting the two of you. He stared at you, that same cocky look with something behind his eyes. He silently moved his hands again, grabbing softly at your ass, hips and thighs as he buried his face in your neck.

You gasped and mewled, embarrassed as he left marks and kisses across the expanse of your neck and shoulders. You felt dizzy, like something was sapping all of the energy you had left.

He cooed at you as you practically went limp in his arms, moving to lay on the comfortable couch with you on top of him, head on his chest.

You grumbled happily, feeling his warmth and hearing his heartbeat as you drifted off for a quick nap.

°•. ☾ .•°

“D’ya think he’s done yet?” Marj pouted as Kenny reached an arm up the vending machine that stole her dollar.

“Maybe. I’m not gonna be the one to check.” He frowned, grabbing around blindly as his cheek pressed against the glass. Stan laughed and snapped a photo, which even got Tammy giggling.

Kenny made a small noise in triumph as he grabbed a candy bar from one of the slots, but…

“Aw man! I’m fucking stuck!”

°•. ☾ .•°

help i love them.