#//I'd share scs but its a lot

[falseapostle]

{The way Abe always seems to immediately dominate and command the conversations he has in chat. I just cannot get over this man.}

{I hate him (affectionate).}

[radfemnotfemme]

Hi! I see you're a radblr and a lesbian, which is great, because I'm trying to understand something but I feel like I'm biased (I'm hetero) and can't see the lesbian perspective properly. I'd like to ask this to my irl lesbian friend but I'm too afraid of sounding rude. I hope you can help me understand better!

So. Let's forget about personality (which is the most important thing for sure) for a second and let's talk about physical attraction only. Lesbians like women. Lesbians do not like men. So it's reasonable to assume they are attracted to the female body characteristics which differ from the male body (like breasts, large hips, female genitals, etc) just like hetero men are. Ideally, the more feminine the trait, the more attractive it should be, right?

So, why are many lesbians attracted to the 'butch' type? From my (biased) perspective, butches are like tomboys, so they seem to want to appear less traditionally feminine (example: short hair - not a male characteristic per se, but it is associated to men because most men have short hair; we could discuss this theoretically, but the social bias is undeniable and no one can escape it). Butches share many characteristics (like style, mannerism, etc) with men, to which lesbians should not attracted. But this is disproven by evidence, since many lesbians like butches! Help. I'm terribly confused.

Hi there, thanks for the question! You mentioned that you understand that lesbians are attracted to female body characteristics (such as breasts, wider hips, female genitals.) A woman has these female characteristics regardless if they’re butch or femme. Butch women may be masculine on the outside appearance or through personality, but at the end of the day they have female sex traits that those who are only attracted to males would not find attractive in any capacity. Butches may try to “hide” these bodily female characteristics, but when in a romantic or sexual relationship with someone you’re going to see what their body actually looks like. Short answer is: butches are females, men are males. It’s entirely possible to be attracted to masculinity but find male sex traits (such as no breasts, deep voice, beards, or penis) revolting or not attractive. Straight women who are attracted to feminine men are not homoSEXuals because of this, just as a lesbian isn’t heteroSEXual for liking butches. Same stuff for masculine gay men who attracted to feminine gay men.

You said “Ideally the more feminine the trait, the more attractive it should be?” which I disagree with. Femininity and female have no correlation at its core, as one is of a biological basis and the other is of a societal basis (though they tend to align, I believe masculinity is the natural state of all people anyways and girls are socialized to be very feminine.) ‘The more female a trait, the more attractive it should be to a lesbian’ is a better phrase, but femaleness comes in all sorts of appearance so it doesn’t really indicate anything or make much sense. You brought up short hair as an example of the similarities between men & butches, which i will agree on, but once again, this doesn’t erase the simple biological difference between a man and a butch. I actually happen to be a butch in a relationship with a femme, so i’m going to offer both my viewpoint, and hers:

As a butch who’s generally only attracted to femmes, I used to not be attracted to masculine women or butches. I still am not for the most part. It took a lot of unpacking internalized homophobia & heteronormative social standards for me to understand why. Everyone is raised to believe that the masculine belongs with the feminine as a child, and gay children are not exceptions to this. I think it’s been ingrained in me since a child that the type of person I should be attracted to is a feminine person. I’ve known since childhood that I was not feminine in the way my female peers were, as I’ve always been pretty masculine. When in elementary and early middle school, the boys I “liked” have all turned out to be feminine gay men (lol.) I never really was attracted to these boys of course, but I was attracted to femininity in females and it was the best I thought I could get. I thought that since I had to be with a boy, I would logically just be with a feminine one. When I understood that being lesbian was an option, I never looked back. It’s hard for me to unpack that me being attracted to a masculine woman isn’t me being attracted to a man, and I know this subconsciously is why I say i’m not attracted to butches much at all. I could possibly be attracted to a butch, but i think socialization has its claws gripped into me (and also just a mix of the fact that femininity is my personal preference in a lady.)

I asked my femme girlfriend her thoughts on this, and this is a summarized version of what she had to say (she thought I was asking about myself):

“[A butch] may be mistaken for a man, or be read as a man at first glance, but when you take a closer look it’s undeniable that you’re a woman. Your eyes are beautiful and feminine, you have a gorgeous feminine body & chest. Your hands are soft, small, & delicate (and no i’m not trying to poke fun at your insecurity i’m being serious) When you smile it’s even more obvious that you’re a woman. I am attracted to your masculinity of course, I love that you have muscles, the way you dress, [redacted personal hobbies], your short hair, how in control/dominant you are. I also love your curves, your soft voice, and smooth skin. & you don’t have the personality of a man, you just pick up hobbies and mannerisms most women are afraid will make them appear “manly.” You actually convinced me to start doing [redacted personal hobby] that i never even considered before because I thought of it as something that boys or men do and now I really enjoy it.”

Sorry if this is a bit of a word vomit or not comprehendible, but i wanted to explain as best as I could lol

[ilovedthestars]

I don’t know how to do this but for your ask game, Mensah?

Hi Bardic!! don't worry, you did a great job!!

(Send me a character ask game)

First impression

The thing with Murderbot fandom is that I saw a lot of fandom stuff before I actually read the books, so my first impressions were largely formed by other people's analysis. So...probably the general fandom consensus that she's competent, caring, and a Favorite Human not only of Murderbot but many readers as well.

Impression now

I love her!! I like all the PresAux humans for different reasons, but if I have to pick a favorite, it's probably Mensah. She's admirable in so many ways, but still has faults--like the assumptions she makes about what Murderbot wants at the end of ASR, which she learns from after it leaves. She feels so human, which is both a sign of excellent character writing and a perfect counterpoint to Murderbot and its blend of humanness and inhumanity.

Favorite moment

Oh, there are so many to choose from. If I have to pick...something from Exit Strategy, which pre-System Collapse was probably my favorite book in the series (and could still give SC a run for its money). I can't decide between that moment of reunion--the ping, the tell me your name, the hug--and that moment in the shuttle when she grabs it by the collar and tells it No. It probably has to be that one--I will never be over the moment when Murderbot realizes she isn't afraid of it, and it doesn't want her to be.

Idea for a story

Besides that animatic I had in the works a while back (i have no idea when I'll get back to it, but I hope to someday)...

I had a fic idea a while back, inspired by other fic authors' takes on a similar idea, where Mensah talks to an old associate who works with augments, and arranges a way for Murderbot to have its company logos removed. I second-guessed how to handle various aspects of that a lot, but I did enjoy the Emotions it included. It's on the big pile of Things I May Or May Not Ever Finish Writing, alas (but I'd be willing to dig it up and share some snips if anyone's interested)

Unpopular opinion

I don't think Mensah is that controversial lol? I guess maybe...as much as I like ART, I do wish we got to spend more time with Mensah and Murderbot, on Preservation (or elsewhere). They mean a lot to each other, and I would love to linger with their relationship more. I can hope for her to return in future books, although it seems unlikely she'll appear in the next one. Speaking of which, I wanted a little more closure with her and Murderbot at the end of System Collapse (which is why I ended up writing it myself when given the chance for the gift exchange)

Favorite relationship

Murderbot & Mensah, no question. They are peak platonic love and deep, deep care for each other that mostly goes unspoken but is always, always felt. She was one of the first people to really see it, to know it as a person. It ran away from her and then turned back to save her life yet again. She trusts it with her life. It trusts her with its safety. She's its favorite human. They gave us the phrase "I really like you, not in a weird way" as a way for all us fans to say we love each other like they love each other. They make my little aro heart so happy <3

Favorite headcanon

....I'm drawing a blank on this one, honestly? I have trouble drawing the line between a personal interpretation of canon and a headcanon sometimes. But I can't think of anything specific that I headcanon about Mensah.

Thank you for the ask! <3

[andiv3r]

So. I need to make a whole post about lots of things but I've decided that dermatillomania is one of them. Cw for blood and lots of skin-picking stuff below.

Story time. I remember in eighth grade, my religion teacher pulled me out into the halls to talk to me, and my first thought was, "Oh shit, another one," because the previous religion teacher had put me through hell and back for being queer (which was information I had not even shared with her). I braced to have an awkward conversation about my love life and gender identity for the second time in two years. Instead, she pointed at my arm.

"What's that?" She asked. I glanced down at my arms, covered in scabs, red and radiating heat from where I'd been picking for hours. "Your skin, I mean. Why is it... like that?"

Oh. Right. She was new. She didn't know.

"Genetic skin condition." I replied. "It's not really that bad on its own, but I pick at it whenever I'm nervous or upset or sad or bored or... just kind of whenever." She opened her mouth and I interrupted before she could say it. "I've tried to stop, and I've tried wearing long sleeves, and I've tried medicine, and I keep my nails short, but it doesn't help, so... yeah. Don't worry about it. It's not contagious or anything, it's genetic."

Her face scrunched into a frown, but she didn't say anything else and told me to return to my English class. I did.

Later that day, I had to go to Science class. The worst of them, at least in terms of places I picked at my arms. The teacher was nice enough, but I fucking hated science as a class. So, while everyone else was taking notes, I ran my hand along my arms. They were warm. Wet in some places, from the blood that had pooled around some bumps. But most of all, they were so... bumpy. So easy to just... pinch. Squeeze. Scratch.

I walked out of Science class that day with my left arm covered in bloody spots. Shit. My mom was gonna kill me.

No.

Don't think about her.

Don't do it, or else you'll get nervous, and when you get nervous you-

Too late. The fingers that had been rhythmically tapping my desk in Pre-Algebra were now tracing my jawline, searching for...

Ah. There.

Pinch. Squeeze. Scratch. Move my fingers up a bit to my cheek. Pinch. Squeeze. Scratch. Move. Pinch. Squeeze. Scratch. Move. Pinch. Squeeze. Scratch. Move, pinch, squeeze, scratch, move, pinch, squeeze, sc-

"[deadname], your face is bleeding!" I jerked my hands away from my face and stared down at my fingers, their tips stained crimson. So it was.

"Ah. Yeah. D'you have a kleenex?" I replied to the alarmed blond beside me.

"Uh... yeah." He passed one over with a frown. He knew about my skin-picking, so I'm not sure why he was so surprised. Maybe it was the blood. I licked my fingers, wetting them so that the blood would come off. It didn't.

The bell rang.

I swung my backpack onto my back and felt the fabric rub against my raw and open skin.

Well that fucking hurts, but I did it to myself, so I ignored it. I could've just stopped picking, as my mother so often reminded me. I should've just stopped.

I mean, it's not like I had some mental condition I didn't know about that was fueling this, right?

When my mom picked me up from after hours that day, both of my arms were red, both from blood and inflammation. Scabs littered every place in my skin that I could reach. The first thing she did was pull up my sleeve and her frown turned into a scowl.

"Really, [deadname]? Seriously? After all I told you about how that's horrible for your skin? Do you want to be so ugly no boy will want to date you?"

That did sound pleasant, actually, but I didn't need to tell her that. Besides, that wasn't why I was doing it. To be honest, there wasn't really a why. I didn't even realize I was doing it, usually, until I had. I zoned out as she ranted about how I'd never be able to wear a swimsuit, I would have permanent scars, and as I did, my left hand trailed up my arm, grazing the warm, itchy, painful bumps.

Pinch. Squeeze. Scratch.

[imaginespazzi]

Happy Sunday evening bestie! Hope the weekend has treated you well.

Happy to share! Really it feels like the least I could do in return for your assistance w the spouse thing lol. But really the moments were just too cute and feel good. I dont use the term adorable often but they are 🥰.

Ok little 🏀 results recap then: More notable upsets starting to pile up eh? N. Iowa over Iowa St. Creighton over Neb. IU beat Baylor. I enjoyed watching USF play Louisville, Bulls nearly pulled it off :/. Man HH (bleh) and Miles were good yesterday. ND looked very good in some stretches, but also shaky in some others tbf. Honestly, even w some players still out, the Irish just feel more fully formed early this season to me than Southern Cal. Cant lie, the S. Carolina game is shocking me as we go to the 4th Q. Not to much that UCLA is playing well or winning/ahead by a lot at some point. In fact thats typical of the Burins in Nov it seems. But real surprise is that the Gamecocks came out so flat and arent offering a real response yet.

Now is prob a good time to mention how Im very jealous of the teams & fans currently in the Bahamas 🇧🇸 . Ive actually stayed at Baha Mar before a handful of years ago. Its absolutely sweet and especially looks so cute decorated for the holidays. The climate/beach sounds so good right now! Also theres a shit ton of high end shopping on site and I'd be lying if I said Im not just a little bit worried about Paige's bank account ha.

I get such entertainment from seeing people/blogs discovering the Liz lore! Love that we will always be OGs on that and one of them on Percabeth/Pazzi parallels 🤝

Quick circling back to soccer, I was pretty neutral watching the match but Im so happy to see Marta 🐐and a resurgent Orlando Pride club win it all. Cant help but be thrilled for her to have that moment as the career closes out.

You make good points on the Wings and LA. Im pretty solidified in thinking that it will end up being more positive than not for P. Lets see what Curt can pull off. Btw bet that man has spent the last week just gloating that karmas a bitch ha! (Oh and if Im being transparent about any bias, Im so looking forward to WAGing at games w Azzi 😜)

Have a great night

-☕️

Happy Sunday bestie!

Can you believe I'm actually answering your ask on the day you sent it? Pat on the back for me lmaoooo

WCBB is finally WCBB-ing because I fear the opening weeks were just a little boring. BUT TRUST NOTHING'S BORING ANYMORE. The ISU loss was actually so questionable?? Like what was going on there? I'm very intrigued for our game vs them now. Louisville are not good I fear and I was stuck between rooting for USF but also needed Louisville to stay ranked but I could see Colorado upsetting them next game. ND-USC was an upset by all technicalities but it didn't feel like it because I think everyone sort of expected it.

But tonight was the real upset because I genuinely don't think I spoke to anyone who thought UCLA was gonna win, especially like. Everyone said they might keep it close but it's SC who couldn't keep it close at all.

Ugh what I wouldn't do to be in the Bahamas right now away from this dreary dark and cold winter that's spreading siiiiigh.

I'm not super into WOSO beyond like world cups but it really was such a well-deserved win for Marta and her legacy.

OMG YOU AND AZZI LEADING THE WAGS CLUB I LOVE IT!! Yeah I definitely think we'll look back and think what happened, happened for the best and Curt's deserved gloating makes me think he'll make sure she has what she deserves.

[cupcraft]

I think why it's important to support victims too is the reality of being a victim is that not everyone is going to have collected the evidence that ppl always ask for (and even then people always say the evidence is fake/not good enough).

Like I wont get too personal on details bc im not comfortable with that, but I want to use myself as example for my point because I don't want to speak for other people's experiences.

I was a victim of emotional abuse from a friend group for years that i only very recently went no contact with 1 year ago just about (2 ppl in the group specifically the most). And I didn't collect screenshots. I didn't collect video/recording (and even if i planned to thats illegal in my state without their consent). And for a lot of that relationship though I suffered and was in a bad place I never really quite realized it was abuse until I got out and had someone some else give me a wakeup call. And I currently still have no plans to report it or go through legal trouble with it personally (for reasons not important to this post's point.

And why I say this is because when I share my story with people I'm close to all I have is my word. My word of the things they did to me. My word on how the abuse was subtle, how I knew from a tone of voice if I'd get in trouble with them. How they'd belittle me under the guise of jokes and "game lobby culture". Etc.

And so when you think all victims need to come with you with a mountain of evidence you're really saying you won't believe people at their word which is my reality and many other people's realities for any type of abuse and harm. At the end of the day you're going to trust me or not if you're someone I'm comfortable enough telling my story to. At the end of the day you're going to see the post and decide if I'm making shit up or not.

Of course I wish I had scs of things for many reasons, but even then a lot of my experiences were verbally related with no recording (some of which is subtle anyway ill get into that in a second) The angry comments on Instagram I got were quickly changed while I was too panicked to sc them at the time. A lot of my texts were over kik of which never saved the history.

Sometimes people's words are going to have to be enough for people because that's all you're going to have. Because when you say evidence is important you're really saying that I expect every person in a situation to: know they're a victim, and once knowing theyre a victim collect evidence (even if that evidence collection could harm the victim/or isnt possible) and to somehow make sure that evidence is enough for people, plus be able to have evidence for abuse that is publicly subtle.

And on another point this expectation doesn't really cover how abuse can sometimes be so fucking subtle. You know? How can you explain to people how a tone of voice is a part of the abuse? How can you explain something that could be a joke between friends wasnt a joke in that situation and a part of the torment? How canyou explain to someone when they say something normal its the smile that tells you its belittling/anger? Like even if I had a believable recording of the interaction for the smile example, like it may not be noticeable to you because thats the pt in why its so fucking subtle! you're just gonna have to trust ppl when they know something is sinister or not idk how to explain this. How do we collect evidence for the things that are so subtle and innocuous and meant to fly under the radar in public?

So when people tell you to check your victim blaming rhetoric this is part of the reason why.

You may reblog this btw and you free to rb with additions of your own too this is an important and open conversation. And before it's said this is not specifically about any one situation it's something I've wanted to write about for a while based on both fandom experiences, irl experiences, and just witnessing how abuse victims are treated in various situations. So it's not a vague.

[sniperct]

So one of the (many) things making star citizen take so long is that they're actually developing two games simultaneously.

Star Citizen, a shared universe space-based sandbox MMO Squadron 42, a spiritual successor to Wing Commander while also adding FPS missions and gameplay, meant to be a heavily story focused cinematic experience.

But their convention this year is on fire. Great changes coming to FPS combat, flight model updates, massive improvements to physics (particularly water, cloth and hair), an amazing new chargen…

Now the exciting thing for me is that last bit. The chargen is specifically for the single player game. And that kind of update and improvement on chargen typically comes later in the development process. Additionally, all these new and updated gameplay elements are polished AF and all the exact sort of thing you'd see in a dev preview of an upcoming single player game. (its also exciting because all these things will be ported into the MMO, making the game that much better. Also the dynamic server meshing demonstration yesterday was EXCITING. Its one of the holy grails of making Star Citizen actually be what they want it to be.)

But a single player game doesn't need that server stuff.

So a couple of years ago they retasked a lot of the team, putting way more focus on Squadron 42 then on the MMO. While there have been a lot of great backend improvements and a clear progress in SC(the video yesterday does highlight a lot of the things the game is capable of), its less obvious on the content front. (although a whole slew of new missions and the entire city of orison is nothing to shake a stick at, among other things)

But if SQ42 is as far along as I feel they've been hinting at, that's exciting both because I REALLY want to play Squadron 42, but also because of what if means for the persistant universe. Features and gameplay element have been coming on slowly but steadily and we have much better persistance than we used to.

Anyway I'm cautiously excited and can't wait for the game to reach a state where I'd recommend it to most people lmao

[melonadem-personal]

I thought this'd be an interesting walk through the world of music royalties and whatnot.

Recently I've had a payment from my distributor for music on Spotify, Apple Music, etc - this was across two years or so of streams (almost exactly, too - I remember setting this up ABOUT two years ago, give or take). It was a paltry sum of $5.37 (£4.18).

Now, it is worth noting I never really pushed these heavily - not that spamming links everywhere makes that much of a difference I found, but I've just put download links to those landing pages that directs you to where said song is on all platforms. On top of this, my discography on these platforms is extremely limited, compared to what I've got on my Bandcamp, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Still, it prompted me to do a bit of research onto where most of my streaming revenue comes from, and it's... interesting.

This is actual data that I've pulled and converted to one currency - it isn't 100% accurate, but I don't need that as I'm just looking for a quick comparison.

YT Ads - These are just your standard partner ads that I run on my music on YouTube. There's a threshold of, I think about £60 or £70 before it makes it to my bank account. On average, this earns me £10/mo.

Bandcamp - These are the most interesting ones - sometimes, people just buy your music unprompted if either your name is large enough to pop up on the front page (or however that algorithm works), or when you release some new music. Whatever money is also immediately available for payout (though PayPal usually takes a tiny amount of whatever they pay me out as tax, which is a paltry amount anyway so I don't really care). On average, this earns me about £7.60/mo.

SC Repost - This is who distributes my music to Spotify, Apple Music, etc. I pay £10/mo for this and SC Premier combined, so I really made a loss if we're just considering this domain on its own. On average, this is £0.17/mo.

SC Premier - This is just SoundCloud monetization, basically SC's version of YT Ad revenue. On a complete flipside to Repost, this basically pays for itself. On average, I earn £13.06 from this, but if you consider the fee I have to pay in order to get it, it's more like £3.06.

In total, If I create about 2 releases and 1 re-release every 2 years, I'd probably earn a total of £21.10/mo.

It's interesting to note, however, that the spikes are a direct correlation to me just putting the music out on platforms. Notably Bandcamp, as people have to pay to download for it usually - normally a small amount, but having an option to purchase the entire discography or having people want to add more on top of what they have to pay does do wonders. If I'm not putting music out actively, then ad revenue from YT or SoundCloud actually pays okay for the amount of effort I put into it (next to none). Ad stuff have less transientary moments, where it's just a spike with nothing afterwards, as I imagine people have to come back to the platform to listen to the music (whereas on BC, people download it and stream it offline)

No conclusion for this from my part, but I thought it was interesting to share. You can draw your own conclusion (and tag me about it or something) if you'd like!

Something to note about all this - I'm not exactly struggling for money, I have a full time job that I'm grateful I can work, and the way it is set up still gives me some time to work on music, which is about to become a lot more important (hopefully) next month as I'm planning to heavily push my music work again. However, in the meantime, I can definitely work on putting some music out on BandCamp and provide a far more complete discography on all platforms, which has been my goal anyway.

I hope that was an interesting read for you!

[chvlrjrnleri]

log<<u:AMouve>>ENTRY|4

21XX.09.20 [1424] Designation: 61-409 Unit: JF-06 'Fritzy'

The grit gets everywhere.

They'd sent me out on patrol to sector 4.4.47𝛷 after the mission at Nerota. Colonel called it a "restful patrol". Islands, calm, thousands of miles away from the front. Warm sun, crashing waves, yellow-white sand.

I kept waiting to get the call back to the front; what had I done wrong to get sent out here? Why were they punishing me for a successful mission? Did they think I was a coward for not engaging Jackknife? Did the SCS logs say I hesitated before taking the shot in the courtyard?

I keep asking them what I did wrong, and their voices grow soft. "Just try and rest for a bit," they'll say over the radio, and its so patronizing my SCS ups my cortisol to keep me from vomiting.

Each day when I come back from pointlessly patrolling the world's most beautiful jail cell, I take my evening meal back to Fritzy and review the other CHVLR logs. The war's not going well. When they first rushed me through training, there were thirty of us. Now, we were down to eighteen. And the reports didn't say anything about new recruits coming.

It was the fifteenth day of patrol when I snapped. Fuck these mission parameters. If they're not going to respect me, respect Fritzy, and give us something to do, then I won't respect their OpSec. I parked Fritzy on an atoll, nine clicks from the resort-base, and popped shell.

Riding the ladder down to the beach, I felt my senses slowly wake up from the SCS synctrance, and I realized that nearly anyone else would weep to see the sight. The water was such a brilliant blue, azure, with waves that crested white with foam. Even through the pilot suit, I could feel the radiant heat the sand beneath me had drunk from the sun above. I reached down to run my fingers through it, and winced to see the grit stick to my suit.

I looked up, saw the blank blue of the sky. It's so strange, really, how a cloudless sky changes hues. A natural vignette, darkening at the horizon. A dome of near-monotone.

Something flashed briefly in the sky above. Then another three; near-white, but with twinges of orange and pink. Then, suddenly, a daytime star shone out. Bright, growing brighter, and moving.

I sat on the beach and watched it for a while, until the gnawing in my gut grew too wretched to bear. With a sigh, I climbed back to my feet and climbed back into Fritzy.

All units, return to base. Priority Zero. All units, return to base.

Well, fuck.

It wasn't until the next morning that we got official confirmation, but infosec was so light at the resort that I'd heard the news on commschat when taking Fritzy into dock.

The rebels had strapped a half-dozen thrusters onto the hull of the Drenthe-6 industrial orbital and run a four minute counter-burn. Timed just as Drenthe-6 was reaching it's perigee, the station's orbit was terminal. Best case scenario, we could keep her aloft for another ten days.

About 45 minutes after hearing the news shared officially, Fritzy and I got our marching orders. Drenthe-6 was projected to make landfall in the central Atlantic. Everything coastal would be obliterated by the coming waves.

Fritzy and I are being sent to Forward Operating Base Sirocco to oversee what evacuations could be managed.

There won't be a lot of rest time after this. All the best; I'm more comfortable in the cockpit now.

Lexi Mouve, signing off. [[admin_only:stk7_d6=4_di3diKcl7(n)cl6(n)||ftk7]]

[fadebolt]

Personal room rankings:

1 - Outskirts: A53 (9/10) 2 - Arena Metropolis: Roof (8/10) 3 - Windswept Spires: B03 (7/10) 4 - Silent Construct: OVERHEAD (7/10) 5 - The Exterior: D07 (7/10) 6 - Metropolis: towerCLIMB (6/10) 7 - Challenge #25 Gourmand (6/10) 8 - Five Pebbles: LAB9 (6/10) 9 - Outer Expanse: RUIN10 (5/10) 10 - Sky Islands: A08x (4/10)

Extra comment: Unseen Lands. Really hits you in the feels, doesn't it? To be fair, I wouldn't vote for the room if it wouldn't have a good design, but this thing absolutely does. There's some nice and fun beginner friendly platforming/climbing going on. But the thing that makes the room so effective is that it's not just the first outdoor room you'll ever see, but it's also one with a lot of room connections. It feels like you have infinite freedom in a big beautiful open world that's just waiting to be explored, and you just wouldn't get that if Unseen Lands were to play in a room like A25 (the one that you usually enter A53 from).

Most of the other rooms from this poll are just alright. I don't have strong feelings about most of these, except that I sort of like some, and I'm sort of annoyed by others. Regardless, I have 3 requests, so cover them, I shall.

My least favorite of those 3 is probably RUIN10. In most regions, this sort of design would be fine-ish, but by Outer Expanse's high standards, it's really not that great. You could say that it's a testament for the incredible-ness of the rest of OE, and you wouldn't be wrong. Because this room is not ugly, but it's also not as gorgeous or visually unique as the other rooms. It's not unfair, but it is less fair than the others. It is not boring, but it is less fun and interesting than the others. And so on, and so forth. Whatever you might like about this room, there's a bunch of others that do it better. And I'd say that is actually kind of a good thing, and a major contributor to this region becoming such a fan favorite.

Next up is OVERHEAD, which is that one bridge you'll reach after going through the GW-SC citadel gate, except brighter, more snowy, and utilized in a trailer to show off a blizzard. (Which was actually one of my favorite clips there, btw. The atmosphere felt incredible, and as a frequent visitor of the Shaded Citadel, I could instantly tell that this room didn't exist, so I was really excited to see where this thing would end up being placed) But despite that little tangent above, my feelings aren't 100% positive, because sure, the layout is great, and Saint's tongue is incredibly useful in that little left-side area, buuuuuut I think in terms of visuals, the room worked better when it was darker. Sure, it might start looking real menacing once the blizzard starts, but being out here in the storm is something you ideally would want to avoid, so I'm rating the base version, which does have the lil visual disadvantage (so that gets equalized with the gameplay advantage, causing both the past and future versions to be a 7/10).

And lastly, there's B03, a room that I'm also seeing a dumb looking face in (actually, I'm seeing 2 xd), thanks to the weirdness of my dumb human brain. Outside of that, it's a fine design. Grappling is something you often don't really have to use in this one, but it can be nice and convenient at times (honestly, reaching the upper exit would probably be faster if one would use it over the pipes). It's not the most complex or interesting of the rooms, but it has its quirks, and it doesn't do anything wrong with them. Sure, I might not be excited to see this place, but that doesn't it bad, especially when you consider that it connects to 3 really awesome and unique rooms that I absolutely am excited to see. It all just means that the room isn't one I would vote for, a sentiment that seems to be shared by most others here.

Pick Your Favorite Rain World Room, Day 249 R2

This is not single elimination! Every room with at least 15.0% vote will move on to the next round.

There is a hidden slugcat in one of the rooms (they can be in any color). If u can see it comment or reblog with where they are and if u are first, u get a cookie!

Credit for game screenshots goes to: Rain World Interactive Map, Rain World Wiki and me

Congratulations for day 248 winners!

[erenaeoth]

I love reading your thoughts (and fanfics) about Tekken. And currently I’m starving for JinHwoa…could you please share any thoughts you have about what we might see in T8 regarding those two? Or perhaps what you specifically would like to see happen with them in T8?

sat down to write a short reply and now its nearly 2,000 words...

I've spoken a little before about Tekken 8 and Jin and Kazuya but I decided to speak a bit more here about hopes for Jin. Please be assured my hopes for Kazuya can fill a library but the library would be 70% angst and despair.

Jin, Redemption, & Hwoarang

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy my fics and rambles :)

My expectations for Tekken 8 aren't particularly high, and I'm mostly hoping for a chapter of the story that reflects the entire series so far, and gives us some satisfactory arcs for the protagonists, namely, at this point, Jin and Kazuya. I would love to see a redemption arc for Jin that lets us really see him break down with regret. He's very good at noticing who he hurts and just closing down. He'd rather wallow in self-hatred and martyr himself than deal with the real consequences of his actions. So I'd like to see him have to live and work through all the sticky reality of his actions. To do this, he'd have to notice that despite hurting Hwoarang and Xiaoyu (especially Hwoarang), they both still see Jin as someone beyond just the monster he's become. Xiaoyu never stops believing in Jin, and Hwoarang, despite having suffered at Devil's hands, still says to Devil that it's weak, and not the opponent he's interested in. Devil is a monster to him, and it’s Jin that Hwoarang wants, not this warped thing eating the better man he knew.

Both Xiaoyu and Hwoarang have faith that there is a Jin beyond Devil that is retrievable, and right now in the Tekken saga, I think this is the biggest difference between Jin and Kazuya. Jin’s utilising Devil and the Mishima Zaibatsu to bring about his vision for how the world ought to look, is very similar to Kazuya’s motivations. Jin has always warred against and despised his Devil, but the more he utilises it and falls prey to its way of thinking, the more his actions resemble Kazuya’s. It’s hard to know the tonal direction that Tekken 6 and Tekken 7 have taken without having another chapter in this story as a frame of reference, but we’ve seen a few instances (at the end of Tekken 6 and 7) that imply it’s become more easy for Jin to slip into his Devil form at will, something that importantly only Kazuya could do and control previously.

My interpretation of the end of Tekken 7 is that Jin has rounded a corner from trying to ‘correct’ things to simply trying to destroy the Mishima and Devil, and that he sees this as his last responsibility. We’ve seen his self-destructive inclinations since Tekken 4 (and the extremities in his judgement from earlier, since his sole focus in Tekken 3 is Ogre’s destruction), and in my opinion, Jin intends to be a weapon launched at Kazuya, and has little intention to live beyond that encounter. If the end result of this encounter isn’t to be mutual destruction, then I think Xiaoyu and Hwoarang have to play an important role in essentially helping Jin to see the hope that they see.

Jin believes that Xiaoyu is naive to believe in him, and whilst he cares for her, and that care is powerful enough to even give Devil pause (TK6 SC; Pachislot 4) I think Hwoarang can offer something different. He’s the only person we know ever to have survived being mauled by Devil. He’s fought Jin’s Devil twice, and has seen and knows that monstrous side to Jin. And I think it’s important that Jin was partially still in Devil form when Hwoarang saved him and took a grenade for him. Hwoarang can look Devil in the eyes and still want to see Jin. I think that kind of honesty will be a lot harder for Jin to turn away from than his school friend who has always maintained an innocence to him that Jin himself doesn’t believe he has. In Hwoarang, there is an opportunity for Jin to accept that he’s done terrible things and to see himself as being able to become something better than that.

So I would like to see Jin really think about what it means to have someone he’s severely hurt look at him with that kind of determination and belief. Personally, I’d like him to break the cycle of Mishima violence and refuse to meet Kazuya on his own grounds. I don’t know if he still has the strength of character to do that, or if the storytelling of a future game could be up to the task of telling in a satisfying way that Jin has become a villain but that this doesn’t remove him from the possibility of hope.

To do such a story justice, I would like to see the same opportunity offered to Kazuya. For various reasons, I’m not sure Kazuya would ever, or even can, take up such an opportunity. This was one of the things I wanted to explore in Chasing Demons, where, even when I took my most optimistic estimate for him, I left ambiguous whether Kazuya would truly give up this power. One the one hand, he’s someone with absolute determination and self-control, and if he decided to let go of Devil, he absolutely would. But on the other, I think a lot of his confidence comes from knowing that he has the power to shape his surroundings, something he’s never done without Devil’s assistance before. The equation of more power and control equalling greater feelings of safety and some degree of contentment has not been proven wrong for him, whilst all things painful to him have happened because he didn’t have sufficient power, or let others close to him who made him doubt the path he was on. So Kazuya is in a very different position to Jin. He’s on his own. He’s built himself to be alone. And things are going well for him. His motivation to let go and change is very small.

By contrast, Jin has hit rock bottom, lost all confidence in his choices and himself and exists for nothing beyond his blinkered approach to martyrdom and ending what he perceives to be a greater evil. There is space narratively for him to not have to condemn himself to oblivion. The Tekken writers are aware of this, in the sense that there’s been a tragic trend of all the ‘justices’ Jin has committed himself to ending up worsening his situation and the lives of those around him. If Tekken 8 goes the way of Blood Vengeance and says ‘Jin has to become almost as bad to defeat Kazuya, then flies off because he can no longer be a part of society’ it would indeed be in keeping with the string of tragedies that comprises his life. I think this would be the more dull option narratively, as it doesn’t really break with anything that’s happened previously, except perhaps that those close to Jin will ‘secretly know’ he is a hero. This would be annoying, because offing your dad isn’t really a particularly heroic move, especially when you’ve got a world war to your name (and said dad doesn’t). So it rings shallow to me. I wouldn’t see such a character as a hero or even an anti-hero, he caused a lot of murder then murdered a guy who’s also not that nice. Does he want a pat on the back?

Fighting games like building up to big fights, so my hopes for Jin attempting a non-violent solution are slim. So, realistically, my best possible hope would be for Jin to be willingly exorcised and to fight Kazuya as a human. Probably also unlikely as the games seem to be building up to some Devil on Devil fight. Maybe Kazuya could finally absorb Jin’s Devil part way through a fight though, so that Jin still has to fight him just with his own strength.

But anyway, a Jin redemption arc handled properly and not tritely gives great potential to a number of other characters’ arcs. It would give Hwoarang and Xiaoyu the reward for their pursuit of who Jin used to be. I would like to see them hold Jin to account, as the people who care most about him as a person. I don’t care for arbitrary systems of justice being meted out on people, but neither do I want stories that dismiss heinous actions just because they’re done by protagonists. So I would like to see Jin have to work to become a better person alongside people who can help him refind hope in himself. Hwoarang and Xiaoyu are integral parts of that story.

The things I want for JinHwoa don’t really fit within my expectations for a Tekken game. I can wax lyrical about ways in which Hwoarang might retain enough significance in a future game for him to have a satisfying arc and for Jin to find some peace, but no mainstream fighting game is going to give me what I actually want. What I actually want is for Hwoarang as the one person who’s seen all these different sides of Jin and who’s still enamoured, intrigued, infuriated, and compelled by the Jin he knows is still underneath, to push Jin to the edge of his comfort zone, and force him to admit he’s afraid to keep living and face the consequences of his actions. I want Jin to see that the Hwoarang’s hope and dedication to him shouldn’t be taken for granted and for him to really think about why it is that someone pursues a ‘rivalry’ that involves fleeing the military and walking into two warzones for him. And why, if it was just about testing strength against strength, did Hwoarang throw himself in the way of grenade for him, permanently disabling himself. Hwoarang will, for pride’s sake, always be the last to admit love, but perhaps Jin could see that, and see to what self-destructive lengths Hwoarang would go for him. I want Jin to finally stop only seeing things from his own perspective, and to think about how much his life, that he seems willing to dispose of, means to others. I would like him to choose to live at first out of a desire to not cause further pain to those who love him, and second because he genuinely wants to become someone worthy of being loved the way that he is. Even if he struggles to find meaning and purpose in his own life, maybe it is enough for him to want to bring some happiness into the lives of others. I think a realisation like that would convey meaning into Jin’s life and give him the foundations to start building himself into a better person.

So I want Hwoarang’s love for him to help Jin see worth in his own existence, and his love in return is to strive to live for Hwoarang, someone who’s always had so little to rely on and who has pinned his hope and identity on someone whom he believes to be worth his time. I want Jin’s redemption to stem from his desire to atone through living, and for his choice to live to come out of love. thanks bye

[warriorsredux]

I've been reading through all your posts and I gotta say, I really admire your work and it's fascinating. Some of your points are things I've thought about but a lot are new and I've been mulling them over. (Some stuff has even showed up in my dreams lol.) So I have a few thoughts that have been bouncing around that I'd like to share. (Apologies if you've already covered them, I'm only up to the beginning of the amendment so far.)

Thinking about your post on StarClan: in my own childhood fanclan stories, my friends and I cut SC out completely. I'm not saying our stories were well thought out or anything but yeah we just gave up entirely on that part. Anyway, I think in the books it would make more sense for SC to have a limited power, like they have very limited or vague ability to see the future? Also if they could only contact cats who are at the moonstone or moonpool; maybe outside that, just SC med cats can contact their former clans med cats. Idk.

My other thought was about Daisy's uselessness. Maybe if her character were given some adjustments so she made more sense... For example, if she had agreed to a clan name and basic training, then she could be a sort of midwife queen in the nursery. She might hunt just near the camp. A big part of her "duties" would be taking care of queens in the nursery (hunting for them, keeping nests clean, etc) and helping with their kitting, helping new mothers and keeping them calm, which I think would be nice in later arcs when the med cat is Jayfeather. I guess most characters would be better with some adjustments and some might be relatively unsalvageable.

Hello to you! Happy to hear you like this stuff. A good deal of it is outdated, however - I've restarted this setting and story on this blog here, if you want to see improved work.

StarClan getting cut out entirely would radically alter a Clan setting, but I can't say I disapprove. Its existence fucks up the canon books quite a bit. They could solve a million problems and they don't, and then they cause a million problems that shouldn't have happened. Of course, StarClan is a staple, so just limiting their powers would probably be best.

For Daisy, the rebooted version of this series has a place for her to serve in a Clan, but she's still more useful there than she is in the books. My main beef with her nowadays is that her absolute refusal to even TRY and learn how to be a proper warrior. Sure, she's helping with raising kits, but it's never been stated a queen can't do that on her own (and in fact almost every queen is solely in charge of her babies, whether or not she's a good mother). In canon itself, Daisy should have been taught to fight and hunt instead of just immediately squatting in the nursery, where there's enough shit going on for her to clutter up. She serves a purpose now, at least, but the lack of respect for her community's way of life bothers me.

[makiema]

For SNK Positivity Week Day 1 : Character Positivity Day ||

Zeke Jaeger : A Character Sketch

This is going to be a long rant in appreciation of Zeke's amazing character arc. He's not really my favorite character but the reason why I picked him for the character positivity day is because his character is often misunderstood and he gets a lot of unjustified hate. I did that too at one point; tbh I hated him with a passion but I'd grow out of it and even begin to feel for him eventually.

First off, let's run a background check on him. He was obviously neglected as a kid. His eyes speaks volumes here in this panel.

At the age of five, when all a kid looks for is love and care, his parents imposed the responsibility of the whole world on his shoulders. At an age when a child has a hard time spelling correctly, he was expected to infiltrate the government, fight for his brethren, become a double agent and what not. The psychological toll on a child who faces negligence and abuse at home is unimaginable. Paralleling that with stats of recent times, it's seen that bullies often come from abusive families. That's how psychology works. Once you've been victimized, you'll project that on others. That is exactly what happened with Zeke. The reason why he appeared so sadistic was because someone else put through hell before. The reason why he failed to love and empathize was because he himself was denied feelings of warmth and love. A child learns to emulate what he has learned from his parents. Can you really blame him for failing in the beginning?

But then, as the story of his life progressed, a more humane side of his character was developed with the coming of Xaver. Xaver was the first person to show Zeke parental affection. His contribution in shaping up Zeke's fundamental character is noteworthy. Even though he gave Zeke the love that he needed, his influence was not at all something appreciable, something better than before. If Grisha and Dina had wrongly used their son to meet their own selfish needs, Xaver was the shrewder one who showed affection on the surface only to permanently mould Zeke into becoming a pessimistic, merciless individual who had little to no respect for human lives. Zeke already bore the scars of his past; Xaver rather than inspiring him and guiding him decided to gaslight him into somehow believing that his whole life is a mistake and the same goes for all Eldians.

Imagine prevailing upon a teenager, whose personality is just developing, an idea that horrifying. If you sugarcoat the idea of genocide and instill that in a teenager, what do you even expect him to believe in? Drawing from our world, this was a tactic employed largely by Hitler in Germany. The only reason so many young people voluntarily took part in genocide was because they were spoon fed terrible ideas and convinced of false righteousness by their most trusted ones (often members of the family). The people we look up to for guidance are our parents and then comes our instructors. Zeke was unfortunate when it came to both. His instructor was the one who made murderous ideas seem okay to him. He's not at fault; he was only a teenager looking up at an older person for guidance and perspective.

So from there on we see how Zeke actually becomes a double agent serving in the Marleyan army. He has nothing to lose. He wrecks whole towns but deep inside he feels nothing. This lies in direct contrast with Eren who had an upbringing full of love and warmth. Remember how Eren couldn't accept even one soldier's death whatever be the cause? Again, both the character arcs follow the basic lines of human psychology. Environment, circumstances, influence -everything goes in the making of a person. However, this is true only until a certain point. You cannot forever be a product of your surroundings so once pubescence is reached, you're expected to make your own choices. Levi asking Eren to make a choice has a great significance in his life. It makes him responsible for himself. Similarlyen Zeke met Eren, he also made a choice - a choice to love someone. For the first time, he actually learned to love; for the first time he honestly wants someome to believe him and he feels like he understands Eren. Zeke realizes that he shares a common ground with someone and seeks solace in him. He's just a forlorn character seeking love and understanding.

He did love his grandparents before and also loved Xaver, of course, but that was more of being loved and then returning it. When it came to Eren, he made a choice of giving love to his sibling in spite of knowing his true intentions. His victim complex immediately assumed that Eren was also a victim of parental abuse and he chose to take care of him like a big brother. He never once doubted Eren. Even for someone as cold and sadistic as him, even for someone who had just murdered hundreds of SC members without a second thought, love existed; and with this a possibility of redemption; a hope of adopting a new perspective at life - one that is not inspired from hate, abuse, negligence or pessimism. From this point onwards, Zeke's character arc takes an interesting turn.

Ever since he met Eren and got to talk to him, we've seen him trying desperately to protect Eren. He's a product of negligence and he believes Xaver saved him. Therefore, he wants to save someone he loves too. He loves his brother and Eren is the only one who matters to him. He'd go to any extent to protect him. Hence the "Onii-chan is here" in the ending of Chapter 117.

He is adorable and his love for Eren is exemplary sibling love. It can be even compared to the likes of Itachi, Ace, Lelouch and Tanjirou - the famous big brothers in the animanga history. In 118, he knows Colt feels the same way but Xaver took away the feeling of empathy from a young, naive Zeke and so he goes on ahead with the Scream. Is it his fault ? No, not really. He was never accustomed with the meaning of life. He was a child growing up amidst war and devastation who looked up to a wretched cynical figure as his father. How can we expect someone to attach significance to life when all he was made to believe was that he is somehow at fault just for being born?

This directly contrasts how Eren was made to believe that he's special just because he was born in this world. The contrast between the brothers is never so eminent as in here, in this astonishingly different approach towards life.

There is a quote in Banana Fish that goes like: "You cannot be loved unless you love"

Ever since Zeke took it upon himself to save Eren, to shower him with love and affection, he showed us a more humane side of him ; a side I'm sure even he didn't believe he had in him before he came across his brother. He opened a portal to a kinder world when he learned to love. He was a sad, unfortunate creature unloving and unloved for most of his life. But now that he has so much love in his heart, even at the moment of betrayal, he gets to know how being loved feels like.

I cannot even begin to elaborate on the shock and the disillusionment that Zeke had to face when he learned the truth- that Eren was the one who manipulated Grisha and not the other way round. The good thing that came out of this was that Zeke learned that he was genuinely valued by his father and that he trusted him to stop Eren. However, Eren ruins it perfectly when he throws salt on Zeke's open wound.

Of course, years of negligence cannot be forgotten and/ or forgiven at the expense of one tiny moment and Zeke is hesitant to call Grisha 'dad' at times

but at least he knows now that Grisha regrets his wrongs and that he loves him. Isayama had granted Zeke what he was long due, when Grisha confessed to him. Zeke's love for Eren is so pure, so selfless. Even when Eren says he had only used Zeke, even when he is rude and nasty with him, Zeke is convinced that it is all because of Grisha's brainwashing. He is so upset when he learns of Eren's betrayal in this panel.

Of course, Zeke's love for Eren seems to be leading him to nowhere and this is sort of payback for all his crimes but at least, with Chapter 121, it can be said that Zeke Jaeger is no longer a tragic unloved character. He was loved by his father and he more than deserved to know this. His character arc is churned out wonderfully. He began as a villainous character but then Isayama gave us a glimpse of how tragic his story is; from there on Zeke's character evolved and his development reached its peak with his sincere and genuine love for Eren. Gradually his sad arc that made him to be a pitiful unloved creature is resolved with a confession of love from the most desirable person, not to forget that this new found love also came with Grisha's faith that Zeke would be able to stop Eren. He saw how in the impending future Zeke's plan will fail but even so he still has faith that he's going to stop Eren.

-×××-

Wow this became longer than I expected it to be. But I have been getting a lot of feelings for Zeke recently and I felt like I had to highlight him for the character positivity day because he is so misinterpreted in the fandom. I really hope people forgive him because basically nobody is evil by choice, it's the effect arising from cumulative traumatizing experiences as a child.

[awintersrose]

if you have the time and want to, I'd love to hear your thoughts and headcanons on Dan Kato and his relationships, especially with people other than Tsunade (though hc with her are also very welcome!)

Apologies for the delay! This ended up being very long, and to preface the following, my headcanons are those assumed in my Clandestine Joys series, and most of them were developed as my dear friend Kri-Kee and I decided Dan needed more of a personality to truly justify how devoted Tsunade was to his memory. As a Hokage hopeful, he would have had to be near a similar level of talent as the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake, which means he could not simply be the boring “nice guy” he appears to be in canon. 

Most of these ideas were created for a fic in which Dan is not killed, so please bear that in mind.

For all that he is generally affable, easygoing and unassuming while interacting with his peers, he is calculating and ruthless on the battlefield, displaying keen perception and deadly efficiency.

Duality is a common theme to his personality, as he embodies qualities that are often the polar opposites of one another. He is generally good-natured, and radiates a consistently stable sense of calm, but on the rare occasions when he is provoked, he has a temper that flares even hotter than Tsunade’s.

He is two years older than the Sannin and attended the same Chuunin Exams, where he avoided the use of his clan abilities to prevent killing his targets. He managed to advance through the use of strategy and other chakra based skills.

In peacetime, he was a Jounin sensei as well as a history and folklore enthusiast. Dan has been guilty of using reika no jutsu to abandon his body and explore ruins and other historical sites for fun as a youngster.

Due to his soul travelling ability he is known as Konoha’s Ghost, and the appellation follows him throughout his career.

Reika no jutsu is a Kato clan ability, and all of its users have white hair, which is in line with clan legends. Dan’s chakra itself has a calming effect and naturally syncs with others, the literal balm to soothe the troubled soul, a clan trait that makes it easier for him to possess a given target.

He has a summoning contract that he obtained in part due to Sannin peer pressure and a friendship with a retired courier nin: songbirds of all kinds. It did not sound useful until the day he called up a murmuration of starlings under his command, as well as magpies, and sparrows. The birds were given the appellation Songbirds of Death, due to the symbolism of the magpies and sparrows. Songbirds of Death meant Konoha’s Ghost could be anywhere on a battlefield.

Family:

The Kato were a small nomadic clan whose legends affirm that their soul-traveling ability was gifted to them by a deity who was believed by some to be a goddess, and others a demoness. They originally hailed from the coast of the Land of Lightning during the Warring Clans era, in a small settlement where the mountains met the sea. They were forced to flee as their ability made them a target to be hunted, especially so close to Kiri. Like with the Shimenawa (Orochimaru’s clan in the SC verse), they were invited to join with Konoha at its founding, but did not accept the offer until their numbers dwindled, and it was necessary to join with the village for their clan’s survival.

Shizune is the daughter of Dan’s older sister and an unnamed Uchiha who was killed during the second war.Her father’s family never found out about her, though her genes rang true in both appearance and ability. She has possibly awakened the Sharingan in secret and keeps it concealed as a personal choice, as she lived with the stigma of her possible heritage and wanted nothing to do with it. Dan’s intent was always to adopt Shizune once military matters stabilized, but during wartime, he could not do so.

Relationships:

Dan is pansexual and panromantic, as his clan beliefs saw the body as secondary to the soul, affirming that connections between souls exist regardless of gender.

He a true switch in terms of power dynamics, swinging deeply from one extreme to another in terms of dominance and submission. Submission finds him deeply respectful and worshipful towards his partner(s), but when dominant, he is a strict disciplinarian, often harsh, but loving.

Sannin OT4 pairings to be explored in an upcoming work called Like Sunshine After Rain:

Orochimaru/Dan

Unexpectedly, Dan complements Orochimaru right down to a chakric level. Dan’s naturally calming chakra negates Orochimaru’s naturally sharp, abrasive chakra, and to some degree disarms his tendency to guard himself with it. The easy chemistry between them allows Orochimaru to open up to Dan a lot more easily than he anticipated. Dan in turn gives him something he find little of elsewhere - true acceptance of his differences, and a genuine sense of respect for his culture that he has never found in Konoha with anyone else.

(Their clans had history with one another and shared values, as at some point while the Kato were still nomadic in generations past, the Shimenawa aided them during their trek through Rice Paddy country. Both clans held family and children as sacred, part of the reason both groups were hesitant to join with Konoha and the Senju/Uchiha history of child soldiers. The Shimenawa saw the Kato as especially blessed due to their coloring; white snakes with blue eyes were long upheld as a symbol of good fortune. Orochimaru sees Dan as twice-blessed in this respect.)

Jiraiya/Dan

This is a pairing that most closely resembles slowly burning embers eventually flaring bright with the addition of steady dry kindling. Dan and Jiraiya share common interests and are able to bond over the passions Jiraiya rarely lets on as being his own apart from matters of the erotic - literature, history, mythology and sealing. Both have a bit of a goofy sense of humor, with a love of puns and wordplay. Their relationship begins as an attempt at hopeful friendship that very gradually becomes a deep, abiding love over time.

Tsunade/Dan

She is quite literally the realization of Dan’s dreams, his first love, and first lover. They did indeed meet during a jounin assembly in support of a proposal to add medics to every shinobi team, and he did walk her home, but in the end she was the one to ask him out. She insisted on picking him up and not the other way around, and he knew he would be helpless to resist her.

Dan gives her the comfort she needs after Nawaki’s death and in the wake of the complications with her teammates after their ill fated tryst in Ame. The beginnings of their life together serve as one of the most peaceful times in either of their lives up until this point, and their bond slowly becomes unbreakable. He is her rock, her safe place when nothing else makes sense, and she loves him desperately.

Sorry this was so long, but hopefully it was enjoyable! Thanks so much for the ask