#//answer time//with scrawlers--

[kcscribbler]

ST Ask: 6, 11, 49!

Disclaimer: I'll freely admit my answers will be biased in favor of TOS/possibly AOS, with occasional TAS, TNG, VOY additions. Haven't seen any of the rest other than the odd episode of DS9 and the 3rd season of Picard.

Full Ask Link for reference

Answers under the cut!

6. Character you feel a show (movie) could have done without? Ooh, interesting.

I want to avoid any appearance of sexism here, because my answer has nothing to do with gender: so don't crucify me before I'm finished. But AOS Uhura I could have done without, in the initial movie.

NOT because she's a bad character (in either TOS or AOS), or because she's played by a bad actress, because neither is anywhere close to true.

But because she was sidelined to very little purpose other than a love interest at the start, and this is not the way. I dislike when a movie or show is trying so hard to scream THESE TWO DUDES AREN'T GAY OKAY YOU CAN LET YOUR PRECIOUS CHILDREN WATCH THE MOVIE that there's inevitable collateral damage to really good, typically female, characters, in the form of poor writing. (Looking at you, Loki writing room.)

Powerful women can be powerful on their own merit, thank you very much. And if you can replace the character with one by any other name, and have it not affect the storyline that much? It's a writing problem, not an acting problem.

TLDR: Shoehorning her in as a substitute for McCoy in a totally!platonic!distortion of the TOS-era Triumvirate was not a good move, either to bring in old-school fans or to develop new ones. She deserved better, and so did we.

I like STID-era Uhura, and I adore Beyond-era Uhura. But before that, it's a toss-up for me.

/rant

11. Top 3 OTPs? I'll assume it's cheating to just give the 3 possible pairing permutations of the TOS Triumvirate, lol.

I'm definitely in the camp of "other people write sex, and much better than I would, so I'll happily stay in my little gray/gen/labels-are-overrated niche," but in that niche, my favorite relationships are:

TOS Kirk & Spock TOS McCoy & Spock Purely platonic: AOS Jim + Uhura, particularly post-STID Special mention: I have a lil soft spot for late-life relationships, so I'm going to throw movie-era Scotty/Uhura in there, just for fun.

49. A favorite ST fic? I don't tend to read much fanfiction anymore, because I have very little free time, and I try to stay well out of it (outside of specific recs by trusted people) while actively writing for a fandom, to avoid any subconscious idea-stealing.

But Loyal Unto Slaughter by Swiss Army Knife has always been a favorite of mine from the old-school ff.net days. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the five-and-one format and Shakespeare quotes.

For a longer story, The Dragons of Veyga by Closet Scrawler has always been one of my favorites. I love fics that take throwaway lines from the series and build beautiful stories from them.

This was fun, thank you for asking!

[evilsilence]

The Emergency! Fandom Intro Meme

Rules: Not much to say here! Copy-paste this into a new post (and feel free to link back to this one if you’d like) and answer the questions as you see fit if you’d like to tell the rest of the fandom a bit more about yourself. This meme is generally tag-free and open to everyone who wants to do it (but feel free to informally tag people you’d like to know more about). You can tag your reply as “#E! intro meme” if you’d like.

How’d you find this show and the fandom? How long have you been here? Yeah, so funny story, I’d known about the show as far back as 2014 or 2015. My parents used to watch it a lot when it was on MeTV but I figured it was just another cheesy old show, so I didn’t pay any attention to it. By late 2016 I decided to finally pay attention. At first I sorta just laughed at the aforementioned 70′s TV cheesiness, but after awhile I realized it wasn’t all that bad and I wanted to dig in deeper. Unfortunately, Netflix was removing E in January of 2017 which only left me around a month to watch whatever I could binge during that time, so I found an E! board and asked for episode recs. That was my first true fandom experience, and honestly, at the time I thought it was amazing that board still existed and was semi active. I figured that beyond that board there was probably no active fandom. During my month of binging those recs, I also decided to see if there happened to be any old fanfiction for the show left, of course not really expecting anything, and was shocked to see FFN wasn’t dead at all. This led to reading a ton of E fanfics before I even had a solid grasp on who the characters even were, which idk, that probably wasn’t the best idea but it WAS fun so whatever. So technically I suppose I was “in” the fandom in late 2016, but I didn’t really actively search out the fandom, beyond that board, until late 2017 (which led to a not so great experience on a certain bird app).

What made you stick around? The fanfiction, mainly. I noticed right away how this fandom loves whump, especially Johnny whump, and that really interested me (I’ve always had a thing for whump). Otherwise, besides a few bad apples, there are a lot of really great people in this fandom and I want to be part of that.

Who’s your favorite character? 1000% Johnny. He’s the sole reason I started paying attention to the show to begin with because holy shit how is he so cute???

Are you a shipping kind of person? If yes, what are your favorite ships? I LOVE shipping. Definitely Johnny x Roy and Brackett x Dixie, but I also ship Dixie x the administrator from “Foreign Trade”.

Favorite moment/scene/quote? Yes, you can pick more than one. I’d have to say my all time favorite scene / quote is in the pilot movie when Johnny tells Brackett “To hell with the orders” and shuts off the biophone. I love sassy Johnny. I also really love the scene at the end of “Rip-Off” where Johnny still thinks he hears a rattling noise coming from the squad and Roy says “Maybe it’s the loose seeds in your gourd”. Those two have a lot of great comedic moments, but that one sticks out to me for some reason.

Do you have a favorite episode? Feel free to pick one per season if you can’t decide. My absolute favorite episodes are the major Johnny whump ones. But I also love “Frequency”, because it shows Johnny all emotionally hurt and vulnerable and questioning his own mortality and ugh so good. I also like the episode “The Exam” because of the scene where Johnny admits that he doesn’t wanna have to go back to the engine if he fails the paramedic re-certification exam. I love those small moments of vulnerability from Johnny because it’s a side of him that we don’t see much. “Isolation” is also a great episode imo, just because the scenery change is nice. And “Details”, because it’s just typical Johnny to try to rush into something without all the information.

Most underrated character, either among the fandom or one the writers never utilized to their full potential? Morton, Stoker, and Marco.

One thing you’d have liked to see more (or less) of in the show? As others have said, it would’ve been nice to have seen more of Student Nurse Sharon and Nurse Carol. It also would’ve been nice to have seen more of Morton as he grew as a doctor.

Do you have a fanwork recommendation for us? Fic, art, video, whatever? @johnnys-green-pen, @hitchcock-winter, @madilayn, and @thebeatlesqueenie1212 all write greats fics. @andtheywerelegends makes good vids. Otherwise, I’ve been enjoying “Hunted” by mta797 and “Off Road” by Closet Scrawler on FFN recently.

Any fanworks you’d like to see? I know it’s definitely going to be an unpopular opinion, but I’d like to see more fics that explore darker themes. Not every story needs a happy ending or a miraculous recovery. Sometimes bad things happen, things don’t go as expected and there’s no miracle at the end of the day. I want to read more about that.

Any favorite headcanons you’d like to tell us about? Johnny being neurodivergent is probably my favorite. And definitely that Johnny and Roy have not so secret feelings for each other. I also heard a headcanon ages ago that Johnny is probaaably a virgin and I can totally see that, given the way he constantly strikes out.

Free space! Anything else you’d like to mention? I owe this show the revival of my interest in writing. Prior to 2017, when I started my first E fic, I hadn’t seriously written anything since 2010. Writing is so incredibly therapeutic for me and always has been, even when I was a kid writing dumb stories with my friends that made absolutely no sense. Back then, writing was such a big part of who I was. And to find that missing piece of myself has been everything.

[twinkledadwa]

Twinkledad’s: The “I Got Ghosted” Episode

Today, my CoStar daily alert read like this:

“When you feel an impulse to control another person, use it as a prompt to remember that you can’t.”

Believing in the stars is kind of stupid. Rooting back in my high school naivety, though, I do believe everything happens for a reason. And if you believe in that, then what happens makes sense.

If you read this blog, I made it known there was supposed to be a Twinkledad’s interview. 

If you’re reading this now, you’ll know it fell through.

Reddit PMs are not an efficient way to book plans, first of all. Doing it two months in advanced of a tour they announced morning of is boneheaded too. I recognized how ballsy of an idea it was, given the complete lack of professionalism. I have no professional experience, and honestly, there was no real reason to do the interview. Any money or “clout” ventures are stupid. It was just to have done it.

Yesterday, we agreed to do the interview after the show (through actual DMs). I went to buy merch, and during the interaction, told the initial point of contact who I was. From what I heard (I, a single perspective), the response was:

                                            “Oh...good for you”.

And we exchanged names, which was kinda jarring. I had no idea where to build from, and ultimately didn’t. A friend and I waited until everything was shut off, gear packed, then left. We ate In N’ Out. During the time spent waiting, we delved into conversation that was in the moment. No talks of the future, only discussion that could have existed then.

I couldn’t have had a better finish to the night.

The common response is to fling shit at the walls when your favorite DIY twinkle-emo band doesn’t give you attention, and try to move forces against them. This situation feels inline to being ghosted by/ghosting a romantic interest. 

 I could have handled what led up to it much better. Perspectives differ. They’re a touring band, they don’t owe anything to me as just a fan. Anybody’s selfish, specifically mine in this case, shouldn’t matter to any other but yourself. Not even that statement right there. The night became less of holding onto that sliver of hope and more enjoying where I was at. 

I discovered this band through a person whom my opinion of shouldn’t affect them, and vice versa. It’s nice to know how it has come full circle, ending with a 10 inch, a fleeting experience, and a shirt I’m still going to wear to brunch tomorrow. (EDIT: i also just remembered he didn’t give me my change back for the merch, which i was okay with at the time, but yeah that is kind of dodgy)

However, questions were sent in, and they don’t deserve to be ignored. Here are my answers, and you can imagine some quirky banter if everything went differently.

Dear Twinkledad,

Given everything I just said above, what music recommendations would you give?

Anonymous.

“So I’m leaving...

  voooOOiiiiCCeeeemaaaiiiiiillllsssss”

Cloud District - Hamster Camp

Bug Bath - Unique Experience

Jawbreaker - Boxcar

Algae Bloom - Thornes

Kississippi - Cut Yr Teeth

Dear Twinkledad,

Things recently ended with a person I had been seeing. I hurt them, didn’t communicate my feelings properly, and I feel like garbage for it. I leave the continent for 5 months in a few weeks, and I want to reach out before I leave, but I also want to give her space? Should I wait and see if she reaches out? I’m a dumb stupid idiot.

Dumb, Stupid Idiot.

Dumb, Stupid Idiot,

This is tough. Even through a small paragraph, I could sense a lot of regret. And usually, waiting until they, as the offended party, responds is a smart move, but the continental move complicates it.

If you have genuine sorrow, please reach out as soon as what’s reasonable. The time you’ll be gone will impact how she approaches it, and five months is a lot of time to sit on a negative feeling like that. If you’re in the position of having hurt someone, extending that hand once your heart feels the need to is important. Also, inferring the situation, you’re probably the one who would need to apologize (not a bad thing! we all are in this spot, one way or another!)

Hopefully this helped. I truly do wish you the best.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Nashville Parthenon

Stars Hollow - As You Were Before.

Frail Body - Old Friends

Hightide Hotel - A Soft Subtle Sound

Dear Twinkledad,

how do I find interesting things to do for my last semester of high school? everything feels like too much work to start and everyone else seems too busy to hangout.

Anonymous.

Anonymous,

I was in a similar position Senior year. When you get into college, those troubles will get infinitely better. It’s practically a boiling pot for activity.

For the time being, try relying on your impulses. Stupid, yes, but if you want to experience youth to its fullest, this is how. Interesting things to do lies within the “schizophrenia” (spacy, uneven rhythm in life) of what surrounds you. There is no purpose to try too hard for something. Let it happen, only focus on how your heart beats, and not an ideal nature your mind is trying to create.

Vandalism, finger painting, walks, kratom, anything and everything.

Cow tipping?

Yes.

It sounds like you’re left to nothing but to fuck around for the time you have left. Make it worth it. Hopefully that helped!

Laura Stevenson - Master of Art

Total Downer - Everything Is Gonna Be Alright

For Your Health - Second Aid Kit

Sleep Kit - Je Ne Sais Pas, Aue

Dear Twinkledad,

I am interested in a girl but I'm unsure we are compatible. I always run into her at skramz shows so I know we at least some musical taste overlap but the only other thing I know about her is that she works a blue collar job while I am a white collar professional. I am unsure if it's worth pursuing further knowing that I would rather be with someone that has a similar lifestyle to me. How should I proceed?  

-Business Casual at the Skramz Gig.

Business Casual at the Skramz Gig,

I feel like the point of a crush (opposed to having actual feelings for someone) is to know someone better. It straddles the line between romantic interest and want of general companionship. Our human want is to interact with other humans, and arguably, become more human in the process. Even if she doesn’t check the boxes to your “goals”, there’s a wealth of opportunity there to get to know someone possibly rad. 

Go for it! Skramz is a good starting point. You can’t be an NPC forever. I wish you good luck!

Dianacrawls - Rollercoasting Simulation

Senza - Sentience

Portrayal of Guilt - Among Friends

Shin Guard - Cross Country

Dear Twinkledad,

ask the emo bands how to get gamer girls to step on my face

Anonymous.

Anonymous,

this question makes everything your fault.

Wellspring - Quiver

ORTHODOXXER - IBLOCKEDHIMFROMMYFINSTAINAFITOFRAGE (TIK TOK ANTHEM)

oswald;octopus - montreal is where guys wear nail polish but not condoms (never meant pt. 2 i’m going to beat the fucking shit out of mike kinsella)

SCRAWLERS - 7/11

POSED OUT - THRASHACHUSETTS

friends from home - casket made of stone

god bless gilgamesh - i look for feathers in the rains from heaven, i find mostly piss

Clairo - Bags

[cantfakethecake]

scrawlers replied to your post: Current reasons I’m hype to get my own place:...

Is Jersey okay with cats? Or would you not take him with you? (Also please let nothing have happened to Jersey.)

Jersey’s okay! <3 Sorry for causing concern - I’m trying stay vague and cut back on sharing in-depth life details these days because of what I do for a living (and also because Healthy Social Media Boundaries. Those are nice). I think talking about my dog/living situation is probably chill, though? More details (and dog pics) behind the cut!

Don’t be tricked by the happy face. He was mid-tantrum because my dad was cooking something with beef and he was SO offended that, 1. He hadn’t been given any, and 2. I had the NERVE to try to play with him during a very dramatic barking session.

(Also, ignore the awful pic quality. After 4 years my phone’s starting to give out on me.)

Short answer: We’re all good here! :)

Long answer: Jersey just turned 14 1/2, and I’m staying with my parents for as long as he’s around. We all know it’s a temporary thing, but for the moment his quality of life is pretty decent for his age! His only real heath issue is that he’s had arthritis for ages, which was exacerbated last year after he tore his ACL. He was on restricted movement for 10 weeks post-op, which reduced the muscle tone in his hips pretty dramatically. He has the ability to build it back up, but he’s also stubborn af and refuses to walk more than 2-3 yards when we take him out (or the same distance at the park) unless he’s bribed with a high-value treat.

I do try to work with him, but at the end of the day? He’s a nosy old man who loves to sit in the front yard and watch our neighbors walk by. It’s a frustrating balance to walk between, “It’ll be easier for you to move in the future if you exercise a little bit now,” and “I don’t know how long you’re going to be around to enjoy moving around, so how about we just enjoy this specific moment and laze around in the yard together?” I’m not sure if I’ll ever know that I’m hitting that balance just right, but I hope we can get through the last weeks-or-months-or-years of his life with plenty of joy and minimal regrets.

In the meanwhile, we’re making tweaks to make his life easier (runners on the wood floors as he has a hard time pulling himself into a sitting/standing position without traction, dog bed downstairs because he struggles with the stairs these days). He’s also spoiled beyond belief, because he’s old and wonderful and how could you NOT?

Also? Getting a bike trailer’s helped! We have an actual dog bike trailer on the way right now, but I picked one up for kids on the cheap to be sure he would actually like it before I sunk Bougie Dog Gear money into it! I take him to a park he likes and he eventually gets pissed that he’s not getting to explore it himself. Sniffs around a bit, walks a while, and gets put back in the trailer when he’s done.He likes walking SO much more when it’s his choice! ;)

Moving out with him is out of the question because he’s my parents’ dog as much as he is mine, and he’s never lived anywhere but here. At his age, and knowing he’s anxious by default, it just wouldn’t be kind to move out with him. (Also, my parents love him to death and would never go for it in a million years!) We have a good set-up and division of responsibilities between the three of us, much more than I could manage on my own. (Also-also, he gets stressed and barky as heck when any of us are away for more than a few days. I’m sad to report that he’s an extrovert like me, and gets anxious if he spends too long with just one of us. :P)

I’m starting to look at apartments with the thought that if he’s still doing well several months out, I might at least get my own place and split some time between here and there. Without sharing too many details, there’s an apartment I’m looking at that’s still several months out from being ready, but I’d know my neighbors very well (always a perk) and it’s something I’m planning/budgeting for. And at the end of the day? I’m 28, and I don’t know how comfortable I am with putting living independently on hold for another few years if he’s ends up being some unicorn spaniel that lives to 16+. I know he’s well-cared for at home, and that he’s okay with spending evenings after work with just my parents.

A cat is very much on the “eventually someday” list for after I get an apartment, settle in, and spend a little time adjusting to keeping myself alive while living solo. It’s also fun to daydream about right now, because Future Apartment is a great escapist fantasy when I’m going stir crazy living and working in close quarters with my parents. For now? It’s all Jersey, all the time, for as long as he’s happy and comfortable and okay with that!

[yume-x-hanabi]

A, B, L, W, Z any fandoms, first off the top of your head? And if you've already answered some of these, maybe add onto them? like the 5 characters one, just do 5 more? haha

A - Your current OTP

Need this even be asked? XD GaiWin of course!

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

Talked about it in the past, but @scrawlers really got me on board Jumilla. And Keitor, too, tbh, even though I’m not in Voltron fandom. Aaaand Yuugi/Jounouchi while we’re at it. … Scrawlers pls stop influencing my shipping jk pls keep doing it

Also I now very much ship @trs-linitaa‘s OC and look forward to new drawings of them :3

And lastly, you’ve converted me to Jude/Milla/Alvin, at least in the context of your fics XD

L - Your favorite fanartist/author gives you one request, what do you ask for

Taurus-time Gaius/Wingul. I love that time period so much because there’s a lot you can do with it.

Otherwise, any kind of Chimeriad fluff, really. I love them and want to see more of them.

W - 5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms

Tales: Gaius

NatsuYuu: Natsume

Gunshi Kanbee: Kanbee

Bad Thief Good Thief: So-joo

San-X: Jinbei-san

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go

I’m loving all the fandom activities currently being planned, like Tales of Femslash Week and the Big Bang. They’re perfect occasions to get back into creative stuff, and I love to see people doing stuff for the fandom. I’d like to run such an event for Xillia one day…

(Ask meme)

[severalbakuras]

survey thing           

i think this is under a cut, the edit post function isn’t giving me any indication that it is though. so sorry if this post is super long.

edit it’s not aaaaaa

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to get to know.

Tagged by @scrawlers

Relationship Status:

single af

Favorite Color:

you want me to pick one wtf? all reds, all purples, warm browns

Lipstick or Chapstick:

chapstick

Last Song:

that sia song from the MLP movie it’s p. good.

Last Movie:

some christmas movie about a reindeer that isn’t rudolph. he’s prancer’s estranged son and not used to his mother marrying some other deer and getting a stepbrother and he gets kidnapped by eagles led by a white wolf who hates santa because he killed her brother i think and the main deer teams up with some loner deer to save his brother and also he can casually fly.

i think it’s a sequel to some other movie bc there’s got to be a reason prancer and forgettable mum deer divorced. for how cheap it looked the backgrounds were surprisingly nice.

my baby cousins loved it so what i think of it doesn’t really matter lel

Top 3 Shows:

khhhh i don’t watch many tv shows tbh

revolutionary girl utena (+ movie)

yugioh

voltron legendary defender (subject to change in the future if i get bored)

Top 3 Ships:

i’m shamelessly copying scrawlers here to describe my ships lelel

Top 3 Romantic Ships:

keitor - keith/lotor (VLD) - ok so like this ship murdered me it came the fuck out of nowhere about midway through S3 and at the time i was like ‘welp cracky trash ship for me! there’s always one!!’ but then it suddenly Wasn’t around the time S4 came out and it’s not even close to canon but tbh when has that fucking stopped me see the next ship on this list lmaoo

garrosh/jaina (WoW) - canonically, absolutely fucking not because he’s dead and was incredibly shitty, but in AUs? my god i want all the AUs. give them to me. what happened to that one ‘boar and lioness’ rp blog i need it. the aesthetic of this ship slays me every time and there’s so much POTENTIAL.

tidus and yuna (FFX) - LISTEN. listen. ffx was both my first FF game and my first RPG. it was my third videogame after pokemon and spyro. i had literally never seen this kind of thing before. little eleven year old me was so invested in these two that when they kissed i was sobbing. ‘suteki da ne’ still kicks me in the heart as does pretty much every song on the ost. i will defend every awkward translation or dialogue to the death. (and i will call him ‘teedus’ the day i say ‘jif’) (THE STORY REVOLVES AROUND THE OCEAN AKA CHANGING TIDES AKA TIDE-US FUCK YOU)

Top 3 Familial Ships:

magdeline and biggs (WoW) - ocs are cool right. anyway. both undead. both worgen. magdeline is the literal official deathlord of acherus. biggs is... not. he’s huge but he’s incredibly clumsy. they met when he failed miserably on his assignment during the destruction of the scarlet enclave and magdeline ended up rescuing him. she took him under her wing to save him from razuvious after being inspired by thassarian and koltira and they’ve stuck together ever since. in cata and with the return of gilneas to the alliance (sort of) biggs managed to track down his still living family but was soundly rejected. so did magdeline, who was only able to find her sister. biggs sort of wonders if magdeline would’ve kept him around if mackoire had accepted magdeline. the answer is absolutely. mackoire might be her older sister but biggs is magdeline’s little brother.

kolivan and keith (vld) - kolivan is doing his damn well best to keep keith alive the finale of S4 was not kolivan’s fault. just getting that out of the way. but yeah anyway. i live for keith getting a father figure alongside shiro (like the fact that kolivan is introduced and he and keith can connect before shiro vanishes is one of my favourite things because kolivan isn’t filling a void he’s just helping keith explore a new piece of his identity). and i live for kolivan taking a personal interest in the newest recruit and accompanying him on missions and by god just tell him about his mother if she was a blade already ;;;;;;;;

farkas and the dragonborn ‘diego’ (skyrim) - oc again. i’m pretty sure that farkas is everyone’s bro in skyrim but fuck it he’s diego’s bro the most. she want ballistic when his other brothers and sisters in arms insulted him and brawled them into submission, when they’d barely known each other a day and he wasn’t even in earshot at the time. she cured his lycanthropy without question, securing his soul a place in sovngarde. she trusts him to protect her beloved wife and children and home. he was her first friend in whiterun and she’ll never forget that.

Top 3 Human & Animal Companion (Platonic Soulmate) Ships:

valcia and eleanor (wow) - ocs again lol can’t stop won’t stop. eleanor the white devilsaur is valcia the blood elf’s most trusted companion, from pretty much the beginning. when valcia came of age just prior to the rediscovery of pandaria she made her way down to un’goro crater, surviving one of the fiercest jungles on azeroth as a sort of ‘skip the frying pan let’s jump into the volcano’ thing. there she found eleanor, trapped in a tar pit. initially she considered putting the poor thing out of her misery, but there was something in those bright eyes that made her put the bow away and use what little magic she knew (and rope) to pull the devilsaur free. she expected her to run away or try to attack once the tar had been cleaned off and she recovered her strength, but neither happened. instead, she just followed valcia around the entire crater, not too close but never too far away. one night her sleep was interrupted by vile chittering and silithid carapaces being crushed. when she investigated she found the devilsaur trying to fend them off - the two of them fought at each other’s side until daybreak and all of the bugs were dead. valcia treated the devilsaur’s wounds and after that they were inseparable. she’s loyally battled alongside valcia against gods, demons and everything in between, she’s crossed dimensions, planets, even timelines alongside her with little to ask in return except a chin rub and maybe a nice kodo haunch. it’s eleanor’s judgement of someone that matters most to valcia and she’s the only family valcia needs. i love them i could write more but that’s getting into nitty gritty wow lore lel.

i actually can’t think of any that i’m as emotionally invested in as these two lol so i’ll leave it at that

Tagging anyone who wants to do this lol

[cloudstation]

scrawlers replied to your post: @ anyone who wants to answer this: what was the...

TRAGIC KINGDOM IS SUCH A GOOD ALBUM THO, MY ALL-TIME FAVE NO DOUBT SONG IS ON THAT ONE

what song?? that album has so many good tunes

[mywaywardcupcake]

Have you gotten Jonouchi for the ask meme yet? :3

I have now!!! Yay!!! I need a reason to talk about my boy!

How I feel about this character: He is my son. I will fight for him, protect him, and praise him like crazy lol. No seriously, he is my favorite character of all time. From any fandom I have been in or is currently in. I think he is amazing. He’s funny, he’s strong, he’s protective, he’s someone who I would love to have as a best friend. I could go on and on about him, seriously I mean I HAVE in the past on why I love him (to silly amounts that I had to stop myself because there could’ve been more). So, let’s move on, shall we?

All the people I ship romantically with this character:  Everyone. Well, I mean it is damn near everyone. Off the top of my head of characters I have read fanfiction before with them and Jou are: Kaiba (of course), Yugi (again of course), Mai, Ryou, Honda, Marik, Valon (I’ve also read ones with Anzu, Atem, and Otogi too. I just don’t usually ship those three with him). Also, I forgot who it was, but someone I followed brought up what about Bakura (Dark Bakura or even TKB) and their ideas about them were really good and made me want to ship that too. And then I’ve noticed a rise in Jou with Rex ever since the duel links thing, and that’s kind of cute too. I am very Joucentric, so a lot of my stuff revolves around him. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Honda Hiroto!!!! All the way!!! I love these two together! They have been my Brotp from the beginning. Their bromance is just so beautiful. I also love him with Atem also! I just usually think of Honda first when it comes to Jou. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My unpopular opinion about this character: I heard that Jounouchi has an eight pack. I heard that he is shredded! lol I honestly never know how to answer this question. Like what would be an unpopular opinion of Jou? Lemme Think……well I guess this kinda verges into HC territory but I don’t see Jounouchi being ready for a relationship until he’s in his later 20s? Like its quite obvious in canon that he doesn’t show any type of interest in that sort of thing (Honda had Miho that he really liked, Yugi had Anzu, Anzu had Atem?, etc.). Jounouchi mostly just acted like a pervert but never really showed that he actually cared about anything like that. Sooooooo does this count? Probably not. At least I tried.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: THAT HE FINISHED HIS DUEL AND BEAT MARIK AND WON THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA!!!!! AAAGHH!!! I’m sorry, but this is like the one thing that will drive me crazy forever. Jounouchi WON that duel! He won! That card should’ve been his! Like, they could’ve still had him die momentarily, after he finished the call or something, but that card should’ve been his. Like, I believe it was scrawlers? That had a good idea to get it to still go with Atem facing Marik in the finals (dead men can’t duel) but, they should’ve showed Jounouchi actually finishing that call. 

my OTP: Now that my heart has made up its mind, it is Wishshipping! For awhile there is was tied with Violetshipping. That one had been my OTP since day one (16 years), when I was 10 and had no idea what the hell shipping was but I knew I loved it. I was actually shocked Wishshipping won! I just fell head over heels in love with Wish. Like, its so perfect, to me anyway! I will ship it as platonic too and totally get why people ship it platonically! But, there is just something so good about it. The person you should spend the rest of your life with should be your best friend! A person who would fight for you, that you would fight for, someone you can trust with your whole heart. Someone you can laugh with, cry with, and someone that when you see them its like everything is brighter and clearer because you are so happy to see them! I just really REALLY love this ship.

my cross over ship: I don’t actually have one! I usually never think about crossovers for ships too much! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

a headcanon fact: The wording on this one kinda cracks me up because a headcanon and a fact aren’t usually the same thing lol. But one of my headcanons for Jounouchi is that he can sing. Its not something he does a whole lot, but he used to sing to Shizuka when they were little kids. And sometimes when him and Yugi are alone he’ll sing a little or he’ll sing while cleaning and he thinks he’s alone.

[sage-nebula]

Mystic Messenger - Entry 10

After a brief hiatus, here we are once again with my Mystic Messenger playthrough. Of course, by this point I have finished the game (and then some), but since people seemed to be enjoying these liveblogs, I figured I’d go ahead and continue posting them anyway. Entry Nine is here, and as a quick recap---

Previously on Mystic Messenger:

Everyone is aware that the special security system in Rika’s apartment is a bomb, installed there by Seven on V’s and Rika’s orders.

We had a flashback sequence to the day Rika had Seven install the bomb, which included a lot of emotional abuse and manipulation on her part.

Seven is still ignoring me, and was doing a good job of it until MC decided to look at a book he had brought with him, which contained a floppy disc that he did not want MC to see. This led to an argument (at least in my rewrite of that scene), and so far, relations have not improved.

So with that little recap out of the way . . .

If you’ll remember, everyone is trying to get in touch with V at the moment, because V’s actions and motivations have become highly suspicious ever since the hacker broke into the apartment, the bomb was discovered, and Seven revealed that he installed the bomb on V’s and Rika’s orders. V, if you’ll recall, is off gallivanting who-knows-where, last we heard. Seven has left him messages, Jumin has left him messages, and now Jaehee is waiting for V’s phone call on Jumin’s orders, despite the late hour. As much as it sucks for Jaehee to have to wait for V’s phone call like this, I will say that the amount of trust and faith that Jumin places in her is sweet. He’s being sweet in his own way.

Although, at least she isn’t alone.

Poor Jaehee. Also poor sales department intern, because I’m sure that falling for Han Jumin can’t be easy due to the fact that he is ace af and doesn’t seem to develop romantic feelings for others very easily (if at all). 

Anyway, Jumin obviously turned down Jaehee’s offer, because she’s the only one he trusts to take V’s call. It makes sense, honestly, since none of the other C&R employees are members of the RFA, as Jaehee is. Either way, Elizabeth the 3rd was there with him, much to Jaehee’s dismay since Elizabeth was shedding everywhere, and---

Jumin is a fucking furry, pt. 3.

V did finally end up calling at the end of this VNM segment, much to Jaehee’s relief. And after he finished talking with Jaehee and Jumin, V . . .

. . . decided to enter the chat at long last. Also, I found it funny how he added an exclamation mark after “you’re here” like he was super excited to see me. Like, are you, V? We’ve spoken a grand total of one (1) time. Are you really that excited to see me?

Someone else is just as eager to see V (and he seems excited to see Seven as well, but . . .), but . . . not quite in the happy way. I also love how Seven was so “!!” about V being in the chat that he typo’d at first. I like to think that he was over in his corner, doing his work and pretending like he wasn’t paying attention to MC (when he totally was), when he noticed her bolt upright on the couch, staring at her phone with wide-eyes as she quickly typed a response. Seeing as her reaction was strange (why would she react that strongly?), Seven decided to log into the chat to see what was going on . . . and then had a similar near heart attack when he saw that V was in the chat. That’s what I like to think happened, anyway.

This cracked me up, honestly. All of this shit is going down, Saeran keeps hacking the RFA chat and broke into the apartment, there is a bomb in the apartment, etc etc, and V just:

V: [walks in 15mins late with Starbucks] “Sorry, I was in the mountains taking photographs. What’d I miss?”

Iconic.

V said that he heard from Jumin that the special security system was hacked, and that he was glad that Seven was able to make it to the apartment on time. Seven was surprised that V heard about this from Jumin, and then got angry that V called Jumin first, demanding to know why V didn’t call him. V explained that---okay, I don’t remember if I mentioned this before, so apologies if I didn’t, but in a conversation that took place before V left on his mysterious trip, Seven talked about how he gave V a new phone that had a bug detector in it. Supposedly, if the call was being tapped, a red light would come on the phone. When Seven demanded to know why V didn’t call him, V explained that the red light kept coming on every single time he tried to call Seven, hence why he chose to contact him via the messenger instead. Seven was mollified . . . though only just.

Anyway, the conversation shifted then. V made it clear that he knew that Seven was staying in the apartment, and warned Seven not to open the drawer to the desk. At that point, Seven got High Key Offended™, demanding to know why V would bring that up out of the blue, if V didn’t trust him. V said that no, that wasn’t the case---the issue was not that he didn’t trust Seven, but rather that he just felt like it should be said. Apparently, according to V, the drawer holds love letters that he had once written to Rika. Hmmm.

Seven’s not having any of that bullshit, either.

I mean, I’m literally fine. I’m not in any more danger than you are, Seven. We’re in the same boat, here. The sooner you realize that, the easier this will be for all of us.

Mmmhm. Mmhm. See, V, that sounds a lot like the backtracking of someone who realizes he fucked up and is now trying to sloppily cover it up. Unfortunately, it won’t work . . .

. . . for me. MC is another story.

This was a part where I got hella frustrated, because I was following the guide to make sure I’d get the Good End, and honestly, it’s a good thing I did, because if I chose the answer choices that I wanted to during this segment, I would have ruined my file hardcore. I wanted to accuse V of being suspicious, and to point out the fact that his backtracking was sloppy. However, that would have led to a Bad End according to the guide I was following. Instead, I had to scold Seven and tell him to listen to V, which I just . . . why? Why is siding with V the correct answer here? WHY DOES THIS GAME MAKE NO SENSE SOMETIMES?!

Anyway, so I had to act like an idiot and side with V throughout this conversation. It’s fine. Whatever.

That aside, Seven was not about to give up. V kept trying to say that Seven was misunderstanding the situation and that he would explain when he returned, but Seven . . . Seven was not about to have that. If you’ll remember, the hacker turned out to be Saeran, who is Seven’s twin brother. Seven was stricken to see Saeran like that, insisting that Rika had said that he was fine, but Saeran views Seven as a traitor. And that . . . that led to this:

(I had to pick that dumbass option for the Good Ending, don’t judge me.)

As you can see, Seven just about has a total meltdown as he demands answers from V about Saeran, and V fakes having bad service so that he can duck out of the conversation. (I mean, he might genuinely have bad service, but let’s be real. He was totally faking it to get out of the confrontation.) I think the most powerful part of this to me was the bit where Seven said, “The filthy hacking jobs that I do, why is that boy, Why is that boy, why is he doing it,” because the repetition really makes it seem as if Seven is nearing hysterics. You can practically hear his hands shaking. People repeat themselves like that when they’re getting hysterical IRL, and while that’s harder to replicate in a chat room, the fact that Cheritz had Seven do it here really emphasized the fact that he is not calm about this, he is losing his shit, this is a very serious situation to him, and V is dodging his questions and making everything worse. 

There was another VNM after that chat in which it’s revealed that, in addition to the robot puppy, Seven also made a robot cat, just as Jumin had suggested before. (Of course this is the one he brought with him. When will the cat bias end? I mean, it’s sweet, but . . .) Whereas the robot puppy was meant for security and breathed fire in order to ward off foes, the robot cat seems to have been made for companionship, and . . .

. . . senses depression.

Of course, Seven is not in the mood to be cheered up by Meowy (which, as it turns out, is the robot cat’s name), so he tells it to shut up and go sit in a corner repeatedly. Meowy refuses to give up, though, until I tell it to be quiet, at which point:

It shut down because Seven programmed it to “absolutely obey” my voice. I’m guessing he must have recorded at least one of our phone conversations to make that happen. It’s kind of sweet. I’m touched.

Anyway, once Meowy quieted itself and goes to sit in the corner as requested, Seven said that he knew it was weird to say this after he told me to ignore him, but that I should absolutely not trust V under any circumstances. Like a decent person I asked if there was anything I could do to help, and he just

Tbh, Seven, I’m never going to stop worrying about you, and it’s clearly not “nothing”, so you really should just cut the nonsense, js.

Seven went on to say that he didn’t even know why he was blabbering, and that he feels “like [he] should shut down instead of that robot.” Seven, you’re a human, not a machine; don’t talk about yourself that way. He told me not to worry about the drawer, and because I was forced to in order to get the Good Ending, I had to say that I really think there might be love letters in there, even though the contents of that drawer are very clearly not love letters, but rather are materials that no doubt prove that Rika has been the Big Bad this entire time, just as I’ve known she is. Saying that the drawer was suspicious, though, leads to a Bad End, so . . . I was forced to act like an idiot. I was forced to be a dumbass. I hate this. I hate it so much.

I especially hate it because Seven responded by calling me “innocent and naive.” Specifically:

SEVEN: “Scrawlers, you’re very innocent and naive. In this situation, I only think that you’ll be very easy for others to manipulate and exploit.”

mfw:

I may be a lot of things, but “innocent and naive” and “easily manipulated and exploited” are not labels that apply. I mean, I know it seems that way because I was forced to pick the dumbass ditz answer choice for MC to get the Good Ending, but . . . asdghdsaghdsgdsdas. I can’t help but feel that the reason why you have to pick the dumbass answer is because Generic Shoujo Heroines are supposed to be naive and innocent, because that is moe~ and cute~, but god damn, do I hate it with a passion.

And unfortunately, things didn’t get better from there. Seven went on to say that MC should forget about the RFA and everything associated with it, including The Party™.

At that point, I was given two choices:

On the plus side, that terrible first choice led to a Bad End, so I didn’t have to pick it. But in all honesty, the second choice isn’t that much better. Seven did not order MC to leave the RFA; he asked her to. He asked her to please leave as soon as the situation was stabilized, and yes, look---he used the word please. He even emphasizes that this is a choice in the next set of dialogue, albeit in a mildly insulting way at the start:

I say “mildly insulting” because while “I know much more than you” is insulting, at the same time it’s kind of true in this situation. Seven does know more about Rika and V than MC does at this point. He has known them since he was a child, and has been used and manipulated by them for just as long (though he’s only just now starting to realize that). He has also been involved with the RFA since its creation. MC, by comparison, has only been involved for a couple of days. She doesn’t have nearly the same scope of information that he does. So he’s right---he does know more than she does---but he’s still being a bit insulting with how he says that, particularly since he’s not actually giving her the chance to learn what he knows, and thus make a more informed decision on her own.

But the rest of what he says isn’t out of line. Though he is a bit insulting at first, he goes on to say that of course he can’t make decisions for her, that it’s her choice whether she wants to stay or not. However, if she chooses to stay because she wants a relationship with him, that’s off the table. That is in his power to decide, and he has decided “no.” He is giving her a hard no. He still feels that what he does is too dangerous for MC to be involved in. And you know what? That is his choice to make. He’s not doing anything wrong here. He’s giving her advice on what he thinks she should do, he’s acknowledging that he can’t make her choices for her, but he’s also saying that he does not want a relationship with her, will not consent to one, that they’ll talk through the messenger from now on and that he wants to return to his work undisturbed. Yeah, it hurts to be rejected yet again, but he’s within his rights to say no. He has every right to say no. No one is obligated to give themselves to someone else. No one is entitled to another person’s time or company.

Unfortunately . . .

LITERALLY WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THESE ANSWER CHOICES?!

Good god, they’re BOTH horrible!! The second is the most obviously awful, for the most obvious reasons---seriously, what the fuck? What the actual---cheating is never acceptable, never. Granted, it wouldn’t really be cheating in this case given that Seven has said that we are not in a relationship, therefore it isn’t possible to cheat on him---but still. But still. Cheating is never, ever okay. If you want to be with someone else while you’re in a relationship, then break up with the person you’re with. End the relationship, but don’t ever cheat. The fact that “can I cheat on you” was even an answer choice is downright revolting.

But that said, the other answer choice isn’t much better. It’s whiny, entitled, and selfish. “What do I do about my feelings for you” --- bitch, that’s your own goddamn problem, not his! It’s not Seven’s fault if you have feelings for him, any more than it would be your fault if he had feelings for you that you didn’t reciprocate! And yes, Seven does reciprocate the feelings---but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because to him, the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to pursuing a relationship at this point in time. Trying to guilt trip him into changing his mind, accusing him of being “too one-sided” as if he’s obligated to be in a relationship just because you want it, is downright wrong. If someone says “I don’t want to be in a relationship with you”, they are not being “too one-sided.” They are doing what is best for their own comfort and feelings. It doesn’t matter how much the other person wants to be with them; both people have to equally consent to be in a relationship. Only one person needs to decide to end (or not begin) it. Acting as if Seven doesn’t have that right, or as if he’s in the wrong for saying “no” just because he’s a boy / the love interest, is fucking disgusting. I was so disgusted at this that I almost threw my phone.

Unfortunately, MC has to be a selfish bint here either way, and the “what about my feelings for you” is the one that leads to the Good End (I mean, I would hope to god that “can I cheat on you” doesn’t lead anywhere good, but this is honestly a “lesser of two evils” situation), and as such, MC got the chewing out that she tbh rightly deserved:

mfw:

I’ve seen a lot of people come down on Seven for this, saying how much it hurts to have him say “I don’t care about your feelings”, among other things. And yeah, that’s harsh. However, I maintain that Seven was not in the wrong here. He was perfectly polite with MC up to this point. He told her how he felt, he reiterated for the umpteenth time that he does not want a relationship, said he was going back to work and that he didn’t want to be bothered. And what did MC do? She bothered him. Specifically, she tried to guilt him into being in a relationship with her, at which point he snapped. And that’s a justified snap. If you can see that someone doesn’t want to talk to you, and you continue to push them---and, moreover, you push them with a guilt trip, then you deserve it when they snap at you. MC brought this on herself. She was the one who tried to guilt him into being in a relationship with her. This is on her and I am on his side.

(I understand I’m not having the intended reaction here. I don’t care.)

I’ve also seen people call Seven “tsundere” for this, but I disagree with that as well. He’s not being tsuntsun, he’s being genuinely upset that MC won’t respect his boundaries and listen to him when he tells her that he doesn’t want a relationship with her. That’s not tsun, that’s normal and justified.

Of course, it doesn’t end there:

mfw:

Again, I was forced to pick that for the Good End. I don’t remember what the other answer choice was, but I can only assume it wasn’t much better.

I mean, the first half is fine. Seven is very obviously worried and freaking out at the mere idea of something happening to MC, and calling him on it isn’t wrong. But “so don’t avoid me, please?” is just so goddamn whiny, and it isn’t being considerate of his feelings at all. He’s high-key stressed, he’s worried about MC and about his twin brother who is very clearly in a bad place, he’s not sleeping, he’s barely eating . . . Seven is going through a lot right now, and all MC can do is whine about how she feels lonely and sad that he’s not being nice to her. =( What a fucking joke, honestly. It’s disgusting. I’m disgusted by this behavior. I would never treat him like that, not ever. I may not be the best person in the world, but at least I’m considerate enough to see things from the perspective of someone I care about when they’re going through a hard time instead of making it all about Me, Me, Me.

Seven, understandably, doesn’t agree to stop avoiding her.

You deserve everything in the entire world, actually. You especially deserve to be with someone who isn’t an oblivious, selfish bint, but what can we do.

Of course, MC just continues to be Sad™ because he’s insisting that they’ll never see each other again after this, and while it’s totally fair for her to feel put out by that, I find it hard to sympathize given how horribly she’s handled this entire situation. And as you could expect, the conversation doesn’t end on a happy note . . .

. . . but instead ends with Seven leaving the apartment altogether because he can’t take being around MC like this anymore. (Presumably because MC is being sad and he’s feeling guilty about it, particularly because he does have feelings, he’s just repressing them because he feels like he has to.) 

Re-writing this scene so that it’s a bit more in-line with how I imagine MC (and contains less of the “wahhh pay attention to meeee” nonsense) was a bit difficult, but I did manage it, so . . . (reminder: My MC is MC 4, so---short hair, gold eyes, et cetera.)

MC let the hand holding her phone fall to her lap. The empty chat room (empty except for her, anyway) stared up at her, and despite how quiet and still it was, it felt like it echoed. V had---he had fled. Ran away. Avoided all accusations, but in so doing basically admitted to his own guilt. She couldn’t say she was surprised, really, except---except she was. It made sense---if Rika was suspicious, if she had been up to shady things, then it made sense that her boyfriend, V, had been, too. But the one time MC had spoken to V, back when she was first pulled into this whole mess, he had seemed so nice. Appearances could be deceiving, she guessed, especially in an online chat room, but she had just gotten this feeling---

“God Seven! God Seven! I sense you are depressed, meow.”

MC blinked, and pushed herself up on her knees so that she could see over the back of the couch. Seven was still in his corner, his elbows on his knees and his face in hands, his cell phone on the floor beside him. Standing next to the phone on four shiny, white paws was a little cat, whose tail waved slowly back and forth with a faint whirr noise on each wag.

It was a cat, she realized. A little robot cat.

“I automatically turn on when I sense that you are depressed, meow,” the cat went on. Its voice was high despite the obvious computerized tone, and far more emotive than MC would have expected from a robot. Then again, MC supposed she didn’t know very much about them. “The source of God Seven’s depression is bad service, meow. I analyzed, meow.”

Well, MC thought wryly, that’s close enough.

“Shut up,” Seven said. His voice was muffled by the hands he still had over his face. His glasses were pushed up to his hairline so that he could smash his palms into his eyes.

The robot cat was not deterred. “Cheer up, meow! I, Meowy, do not lose service, meow!”

“Be quiet,” Seven said, and he lifted his face at last to turn to the robot cat---Meowy---who gave a whirring purr in response. Seven picked it up with one hand and looked on its underside, scowling as Meowy waved its paws in response to being lifted up from the floor. “How do I turn this off? Damn . . .”

“Need explaining, meow?” Meowy asked.

“I said shut up!” Seven snapped, and dropped Meowy unceremoniously back on the floor.

True to the species it was designed on, Meowy landed on its feet, undeterred by the rough treatment. “Meowy wants to hear master, meow!”

Seven groaned and put his face in his hands again, and MC stood up from the couch. She had a feeling that Seven still wouldn’t want to talk to her (especially now, given what had happened with V), but it wasn’t as if she could be any more aggravating than Meowy was apparently being at the moment. She locked her phone and slipped it into her pocket as she looped around the couch, and when she was near enough, said, “That robot . . . you made it, then.”

Seven took a deep breath---slow inhale, slow exhale. He then dropped his hands back into his lap, his glasses slightly askew on the bridge of his nose, and said quietly, “Don’t worry about it.” He opened his eyes to glare at Meowy, who was still staring at him expectantly. “Hey, robot cat. Go away. I don’t want to talk to you, so just go to a corner.”

Meowy didn’t budge. “I can’t leave once I sense depression, meow! Cheer up, meow!”

Seven gritted his teeth, his hands balling into fists on his lap, and MC---sensing danger---bent down and scooped Meowy up off the floor.

“Meowy,” she said, “let’s stay quiet for now, okay?”

Meowy chirruped, not unlike a cat that had spotted a bird, and then purred again. “That’s a voice I have to absolutely obey due to my programming, meow. Shutting down, meow.”

MC stared at the robot in her arms as the purring whirred down into silence, and its blue eyes went dark. Once it was deactivated, MC looked back at Seven, feeling more than a little bewildered.

“You programmed it to obey my voice?”

It could have been her imagination, or maybe the lighting, or maybe both, but it looked like Seven’s cheeks tinted red. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. He took another deep breath and released it, closing his eyes once more as he leaned his head back against the wall. “At least it’s finally quiet.”

It did matter, MC thought, whether Seven programmed a robot to respond to her voice (and how had he done that, anyway? Had he recorded some of their phone conversations?), but she supposed it wasn’t the most important thing to discuss right then. She sat Meowy on the floor behind the couch before she walked back over to Seven, and sat on the floor near enough so they could talk, but not so close that she’d be invading his space.

“Hey, so . . . that whole thing with V was kind of a mess,” she said. “Things didn’t go well at all. Want to talk about it?”

Seven huffed a humorless laugh, and without looking at her said, “Not really. But . . .”

MC raised her eyebrows. “But?”

Seven looked over at her at last, chewing the inside of his cheek a moment before he said, “I know it’s funny to say all this after I told you to stop paying attention to me, but whatever happens . . . don’t trust what V says.”

“Yeah, I kinda got the feeling that he was dodging stuff back there,” MC said. Seven nodded, and looked back at his laptop monitors. “God only knows why, but . . . anyway, it’s not like I talk to him a whole lot, anyway. I’ve only talked to him, what, once or twice before? So unless something big happens with RFA, it’s not like we’ll be chatting much anyway, probably.”

Seven snorted, and tugged on his headphone wire. “God,” he said. “RFA.” He was quiet a second before he said, “I think you shouldn’t be more involved with RFA.”

That came out of nowhere. “What? Why?”

“What do you mean, why?” Seven asked. He gestured vaguely with his hand. “Look at all of this. Look at the mess you’re in. You look at this, and then you still have to ask that?”

“This is because of Rika---and V, I guess,” MC said. “Jaehee, Jumin---the others have nothing to do with it. And neither do you, really.”

Seven gave her a dumbfounded look. “Have you forgotten who installed the bomb in the first place?”

“No. I also haven’t forgotten who saved me from its detonation,” MC shot back.

Seven shook his head and rolled his eyes, and looked straight ahead again. MC followed his gaze to a desk on the other side of the room.

“V told me not to open the drawer because there’s something in there,” he said. “An alarm will ring if someone like you opens the drawers or one of the cabinets.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“But I can control all the alarms, so if I want to, I can see everything. I’m sure he logged in because he heard that I’m here and got nervous about something.”

“Makes sense,” MC said. “So why don’t we open the drawers and take a look?”

Seven didn’t look at her. He kept his eyes trained on the desk, chewing the inside of his cheek. At length, he said, “I will someday . . . but not right now.”

“Why not?”

“I’m sure there’s something that an RFA member should never see . . . and it’s hard enough for me to keep sane right now given how my trust in V is shattered. I need time.”

“Understandable,” MC said. They were both quiet again, Seven still staring at the desk across the room, and after a moment MC asked quietly, “But, hey . . . are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help? Even if it’s just getting you a drink or something. You look like you could use one.”

Even before she finished speaking, Seven was shaking his head, and he closed his eyes. “It’s nothing,” he said, and that was one of the biggest lies MC thought she had ever heard. “God, I made you worry again . . .”

“Seven, I’ve been consistently worried about you for days now,” MC said. “This doesn’t change that.”

Seven gave her a sharp look. “You shouldn’t be. I’m not worth worrying about.”

“Agree to disagree,” MC said.

Seven gave her a frustrated look for only a moment before he tore his eyes away. Once more, he scrubbed his hands up his face. “God. I feel like I should shut down instead of that cat.”

“Sleep would be good,” MC said. “You really look like you could use it. Want to take the bed?”

“No. It’s late. You’ll need to go to sleep soon. You should probably already be in bed, actually.”

“Look who’s talking,” MC said, and Seven rolled his eyes. “I can sleep on the couch, I don’t mind. Or the bed’s big enough for both of us, if you won’t freak out about sharing.”

“I can sleep on the floor,” Seven said. “Right over there by Meowy.”

“If you want to sleep by Meowy so bad, I’ll put him in the bed,” MC said. “Then you two can snuggle and have a great slumber party.”

“Why are you being so difficult?” Seven snapped.

“Why are you?” MC snapped back.

They glared at each other for a few seconds, and only after Seven seemed to realize she wouldn’t back down did he look away, loosing another sigh before he opted to change the subject instead of continuing their argument.

“Whatever. Look, just . . . don’t worry about the drawer. I’ll take care of it.”

“I never had any doubt about that,” MC said. “It’s not the drawer I’m worried about. It’s you.”

Seven shot her a frustrated look. “Don’t worry about me. I already said---”

“I know what you said,” MC interrupted, “and I don’t care. You can control a lot of things, Seven, but how I feel is not one of them. I’m going to care and worry about you whether you like it or not.”

“So you care about me, yet somehow you don’t care when I’m telling you to stop?”

“I don’t care to buy into the lie that everything’s fine and you’re okay when you’re obviously not,” MC said, and Seven tossed up one hand before he let it fall back to his side. “You need help, Seven. I don’t know what kind of help you need, but you need something. I’m beginning to think everyone in RFA does, actually. This is one of the most drama-filled charity organizations I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Not that I’ve been involved with a lot of charity organizations before, but---”

“Why don’t you just forget the RFA?” Seven said. “Forget everything related to RFA. The members, the party---forget it all.”

“Uh, that’s going to be kind of hard considering I’ve been the one coordinating all these e-mails and party invites,” MC said. “Not to mention the fact that I’m pretty sure Yoosung might have a meltdown if I say the show’s over that suddenly, but---why?”

“You’ll only be in danger by staying in some place like this,” Seven said, and this time MC rolled her eyes. The danger again. Of course. “So as soon as the hacker issue is solved, please leave.”

“Believe it or not,” MC said dryly, “this apartment is probably safer than where I was staying before, bomb and all. It’s definitely a lot nicer. It has running water and everything.”

Seven furrowed his brow. “Where were you staying before?”

Fuck was what she wanted to say, because it was honest even if it wouldn’t answer his question. She cared about him---thought she loved him, probably, as much as she had ever loved anyone, anyway. But despite that, or maybe because of it, she still wasn’t ready to divulge her past with him. She still wasn’t ready to tell him where she had been before, or what she had been doing . . . why she had decided to take up residence in Rika’s apartment even though party planning wasn’t one of her life callings.

So instead of answering his question, she said, “Why don’t you tell me, Mr Genius Hacker?” She snorted. “I knew you didn’t really do a background check.”

Seven glared at her. “Don’t be so sure,” he said, and in truth she wasn’t, but she also knew that any background checks he did wouldn’t have turned up much of anything. “I just didn’t want to invade your privacy. I told you, I was only looking into you before to make sure you were safe, on V’s orders.”

“Well, no worries about that. I’m perfectly safe. Totally legit. On the up-and-up.” MC touched two fingers to her heart, and then held them up. “Scout’s honor.”

Seven eyed her for a second before he said, “You’re not a scout.”

“Guilty as charged,” she said, and grinned. His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. “But seriously, this is a definite upgrade from where I was before, even if it’s not permanent. I’m safe enough right where I am, especially since you’re here. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Seven sucked in a breath, and looked down at his laptop again. He was quiet for a long moment, and just when MC thought that he was going to go back to ignoring her (which would be fine, in a sense, especially since this was the longest and most pleasant conversation they had had in the apartment yet), he said, “You’re free to do whatever you want. But my thoughts will not change.”

MC felt her heart pick up speed in her chest, but in the unpleasant way that came right before an unwarranted visit from the police or realizing that someone had just picked her pocket. “Meaning?”

“Meaning that even if you try to get involved with me, I’ll refuse,” he said. “This isn’t something a person like you should be involved in.”

Hearing that he didn’t want to be with her---again---hurt, even if it wasn’t surprising. Rejections worked that way, she guessed. No matter how many times you were rejected, it never took the sting off. But with the sting came a flash of annoyance, particularly since she felt she hadn’t done a single damn thing to warrant the rejection this time.

“If you don’t want to be with me, fine, I get it,” she snapped. “I never even said that I was doing this to be with you, so thanks for assuming. But if you could do me a favor and stop acting like I’m weak and helpless, that’d be great.”

Seven locked his jaw, and didn’t look at her. “I never said you were weak and helpless.”

“That’s how you’re acting,” she said. “‘This isn’t something for a person like you to be involved in’ --- a person like me? What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that you’re pure, and innocent, and naïve, and you don’t understa---”

“I don’t understand? You’re the one making a hell of a lot of assumptions about me with no basis to go on!” MC snapped, and once again they were glaring at each other. MC didn’t care. “Where the hell did you get the idea that I’m pure, innocent, or naïve?”

“You don’t know anything about this situation,” Seven said. “You don’t know the truth about V, or me, or---or any of it. That’s naivete---ignorance.”

“It’s ignorance that isn’t my fault. How am I supposed to know anything if I haven’t been told? And I know,” she said, holding up one hand as he opened his mouth to fire back, “that it’s none of my business, but I don’t think it’s fair for you to hold it against me, either.”

“I’m not holding anything against you,” Seven bit out. “I’m trying to protect---”

“Maybe I don’t need as much protection as you think I do,” MC said. “Maybe I can take care of myself. Maybe I’m not some braindead, helpless child that can’t understand things or handle tough situations. I don’t know a lot about you, Seven. You’re right. But you don’t know a lot about me, either, so maybe stop acting like you do.”

Heavy silence hung between them. She regretted what she said almost as soon as she said it; no doubt he was pissed, or hurt, or maybe rethinking whatever it was he felt about her, and not in a good way. But before she could try to smooth over what she had spat in anger, Seven looked back at his laptop.

“Let’s just stop talking about this,” he said. “From now on, if I have to tell you anything concerning your safety, I’ll do it through the messenger, so . . . that’s that.”

MC was filled with a heavy, hollow sort of defeat, and her shoulders sagged. “Yeah,” she said. “That’s that.”

“I’m going to get back to work,” he said. His voice was still even, but it somehow sounded just as empty as MC felt. “So don’t bother me.”

“Fine.”

Once again silence fell over them, though this time it was broken a few seconds later by the sound of Seven clicking his mouse, and then putting his fingers to the keys. He was a fast typist; he didn’t so much as glance at the keyboard, yet he typed so quickly it was as if his fingers were gliding over the keyboard instead of actually pressing the keys down. The sound of the keys clacking was like raindrops on a windowpane. It felt too awkward to go back to the couch, now, and the weight of what she had said before was still rooted in her gut. This conversation, like so many before it, had ended on a bad note. And that had been the norm for the past couple of days, and she knew that, but she still couldn’t let it go.

So after another couple seconds of silence punctuated only by swift typing, MC said, “Just so you know, this---this doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change how I feel. I still care about you, a lot. Regardless of anything that’s happened, or anything that could happen . . . you still mean a lot, and are still very important to me. I just want you to know that.”

Seven had stopped typing the second she had spoken up, and when she finished, he slammed his hands down at the base of his laptop. Despite herself, MC jumped.

“I told you not to bother me!” Seven snapped, and he looked up to glare fiercely at her. “What part of that didn’t you understand?!”

“I wasn’t---!” MC began, but as he raised his eyebrows, she felt her shoulders sag, giving him the point. “Okay, I’m sorry. I should have left you alone. But I just wanted to let you know how I feel, because---”

“I don’t care about your feelings!” Seven snapped. “And I never asked---”

“Well, I care about yours!” MC snapped back, and that brought him up short. He stared at her, eyes wide, and MC curled her fingers into fists. “You think I don’t get that you don’t care about my feelings, Seven? After how you’ve been the past few days, ever since you got here---after you didn’t so much as look happy even for a second once we finally met in person, you think I haven’t gotten the message that you don’t care yet? ‘Cause trust me, I’ve got it. Loud and clear. You care about my safety, yeah. You care about my body, my life, whether I’m breathing or not. But you don’t care about me.”

He looked stricken. “That’s---that’s not---!”

“And that’s fine,” she said, and she raised her voice a little speak over him. She was shaking so bad she could feel her teeth rattling, but that was the adrenaline. She wouldn’t let it stop her. “It’s fine, I---I don’t care if you don’t care about me, that’s fine, it’s whatever, I can live with it. But that’s not going to stop me from caring about you. I care about you. I---like you, a lot, a---a whole hell of a lot. And whether you like me back or whatever doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change how I feel. So I wanted you to know, not because I want or expect you to do anything about it, but just so you know that there’s someone, however unimportant, who cares about you. There’s a lot of people, actually, I think, given RFA, but---whatever. Point is, I care. And if you need me, I’m here for however long this lasts.”

MC stood up.

“I’m . . . I’m going to go lay down for a bit. Clear my head. That sort of thing,” she said. “But if you need anything, just . . . come get me.”

Seven said nothing. The conversation was over, and MC couldn’t decide whether she was relieved for that or not.

But when she went back to the bedroom, she only just made it inside the door before she heard the sound of shuffling equipment. Quietly, so as not to let him know that she had noticed, MC looked around the doorway to the bedroom in time to see him gathering his laptop and other equipment in his arms. He didn’t so much as glance in her direction, nor was he very careful with the equipment he was moving. Instead, he piled cords and his wireless mouse on top of his laptop keyboard, balanced that on the crook of his arm, and then headed to the front door.

He stepped aside, and let the door shut behind him, without looking back once.

MC sighed heavily, and walked back to the bed, flopping back on it as she had told him she would. She didn’t expect him to go far; whatever she had snapped about him not caring about her (which wasn’t really true, she knew, and she felt bad, but she was hurt and angry and---), she knew he did. Probably he was sitting just outside the door, in the hallway, regretting his choice to go out since the wifi was worse in the hall than it was in the apartment. Then again, maybe he had his laptop rigged to get choice signal wherever he was. It wouldn’t surprise her.

She didn’t know what to do. When this was over---she had figured the party would be pretty basic, and that she’d be let go once it was done. She’d be free to return to that little studio apartment she had been squatting in, provided it wasn’t already taken by some other drifter, or rented out by the landlord. Or maybe RFA would have wanted to keep her as a party coordinator, and maybe she could have found a way to help one of them get her a job and an apartment. Jumin would probably hire her. She didn’t know what she could do, but maybe Elizabeth the 3rd could use a more dedicated pet-sitter. It’d probably make Seven happy, if his girlfriend was cat-sitting Elly. Then again, dating Seven would probably disqualify her.

Not that they were dating. They weren’t. They never would, unless Seven’s mind changed, and she doubted that was going to happen any time soon. She rolled over on her side, glaring at the wall.

It was fine, she didn’t care---well, she did care, but she wasn’t---she didn’t need him to like her back. She had been on her own for long enough before this, and she could continue on this way. But everything felt like it was spinning out of control, and she wanted to help. She wanted to be there for him. And though she had always been alone before, it was different now. It wasn’t just that she was alone; it was that she was now aware of a space beside her that should have been filled, but wasn’t, and now that she was aware of the empty space, she couldn’t ignore it.

Her phone beeped. She shifted just enough so that she could pull it free from her pocket, and when she unlocked the screen, she saw that Jaehee and Yoosung were in the chat. No doubt Yoosung would have more than a few words to say about what V had done, and none of them nice. For once, MC didn’t think she could be very annoyed by whatever tantrum she was about to walk into.

She sighed, and tapped her screen to open the chat.

[actuallyredeyes]

Tagged by @you-gi-hoe

Rules: answer the questions in a new post and tag blogs you would like to get to know better

Nickname: Red

Star Sign: Aries

Height: 4′11″

Time right now: 10:22 pm

Last thing i googled: Primarina; I’ve been trying to draw this one

Fave music artist: Kamelot probably?

Song stuck in my head: Skillet’s Battle Cry 

Last movie i watched: Star Wars Rogue One

Last tv show watched: ATLA, as is predictable of me lately

What are you wearing right now: pajamas with anchorman quotes

When did you create your blog: two years ago probably, though I had an older blog i don’t use anymore

What kind of stuff do i post: Yugioh, video games, movie stuff, and commentary

Do i have any other blogs: my old abandoned blog and an ATLA sideblog

Why did i choose my url: Red Eyes tho. My favorite monster (and a dragon) of all time; no further explanation is needed.

Gender: Female

Hogwarts house: Slytherin

Pokemon team: Go Team: Valor; Actual Team: Houndoom (my pure baby who deserves all the love in the world!), Shiny Charizard, Pidgeot, Lycanroc (midday), Umbreon, Suicune (my one legendary the only one i care about)

Favorite color: red

Average hours of sleep: 5-7 

Favorite character(s): YGO: Yugi Mutou, Fire Emblem: Ike, ATLA: Sokka, Gravity Falls: Stan Pines, Dragon Age: Aveline, Mass Effect: Wrex

How many blankets do i sleep with: 2

Dream job: Writing books  

Following: 91

Followers: 452

Tagging: @mediocre-at-bestt, @llttledipper, @tofukitten, @theyugiohtrashcan, @scrawlers, @ginrou, if you want

[yume-x-hanabi]

Tag meme

@scrawlers tagged anyone who wants to do it, and I want to do it :3

Name: Yume

Star Sign: Aquarius

Height: 162cm

Age: 29

Favorite Color(s): PINK PINKER PINKISTOOOO. Also blue (especially cyan, especially for clothes).

Time Right Now: 10:11 AM

Last Thing I Googled: “death note light up the new world”

Favorite Fictional Character: SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM. Let’s go with precious Natsume.

Dream Trip: Japan. Esp Kyushu atm. I’d also like to do a tour of all the places relevant to Kuroda Kanbee. Aaand visit ALL castles.

Dream Job: Pilot. But that’s never gonna happen. Next would be drama/anime translator, which could happen if I actually got down to writing those cover letters. Also I’d love to get at the stage where I’m no longer an newbie teacher and actually know what I’m doing.

What I’m Wearing Right Now: PJ’s

Follower Count: 322

Posts: 4,093

Why Did You Make Your Blog: I was told Tumblr was a good place to post my translations so they would reach more people. Sadly I haven’t translated much in a while, and I’m not on Tumblr as much anymore, but my blog is sort of like my online “home” now.

Do You Get Asks on a Daily Basis: No. I’m also bad at answering in a timely fashion woops.

Why Did You Choose Your URL: That’s a username I’ve been using for a looooong time, it’s like a second name at this point. Comes from this song.

Countries You’ve Lived In: Belgium, Guinea, UK, Japan.

Languages You Speak: French (mother tongue), English (fluent), Japanese (fluent), German (intermediate but I suck at speaking), Dutch (beginner)

Favorite Film: I haven’t watched many movies, as I rarely go to the cinema and watch TV series (usually anime/J-Drama/K-Drama) instead. I really loved Fantastic Beasts tho.

Last Thing I Bought Online: Pizza. I reaaaaaally should stop ordering junk food online.

A Recurring Dream: I sometimes dream about still being in school and needing to pass exams -_-

Phobias/Fears: Heights. Not in every situation - I have no problem as long as I have something stable under my feet (so like those glass floors? no worries). But stuff like the dreaded climbing walls they forced us to climb in PE class? I’ll get stuck one meter above the ground and cry, unable to move. Fuck those things. Also driving. Still haven’t tried to get my license orz

How Would My Friends Describe Me:��idk, how would you describe me?

If I had $$$ to spend what would I buy first: A plane. That way I’ll be able to travel around the world whenever I want x3

I tag: Whoever wants to do it.

[sage-nebula]

Tag Thing!

I was tagged by @kcgane!

RULES:

1. Always post the rules 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. Tag 11 people

1.) Do you have any plushies?

I do! My main one is an arcanine plushie I got from the PokéCenter (the online PokéCenter for U.S. residents, not one of the actual PokéCenters in Japan) that I keep on my bed. She’s a representation of my arcanine in my games, who is named after my platonic soulmate, Shiloh, who was a sheltie when she was still alive.

Aside from the arcanine plush (and any awkwardness you may now feel---sorry about that), I also have a Toothless plush that I made at Build-a-Bear, as well as Classic Sonic and Classic Tails plushes that are . . . somewhere. Oh, and at work I have four kuttari cutie plushes on top of my dual monitors: a sleeping umbreon and sleeping growlithe on the left monitor, and an awake espeon and awake charmander on the other. They’re quite cute!

2.) Have you ever walked out of the cinema before?

I . . . don’t think so? Movie tickets are kind of expensive, even with a student discount, so I don’t think I would ever walk out no matter how bad the movie was. That said, there was a time when I certainly wanted to, and that was when some friends of mine and I went to go see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s objectively a bad film. However, cannibalism makes me extremely squeamish. Like, it’s a major squick. And truth be told, I didn’t even want to go see the movie in the first place because of this. I knew it was going to squick me out. But my best friend at the time really, really, really wanted me to go, and given that I was already pretty in love with her (not that I realized this at the time, I don’t think---I’m pretty sure I was still oblivious to my own feelings), I ended up giving in. That said, I didn’t really watch the film; I tried, but I ended up putting in my headphones (I was still stupidly using earbuds at the time, so at least they were easy to hide) and playing Ace Attorney to distract myself. So while I didn’t walk out, I still pretty much ignored the movie, because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to get through it without vomiting if I didn’t.

3.) If you could have a mascot, what would it be and why?

I . . . don’t know, actually, haha. I think people used to associate me with Shiloh because of how close we were, how much I used to talk about her and the pictures I used to share of her. And I mean, she was my platonic soulmate, so that was a totally fair (and wanted) association to make, but then again, that’s just it: she was my platonic soulmate, not my mascot. I really don’t know that I have an answer to this, though I do know that my two signature pokémon are arcanine and charizard. I know, most people only have one signature pokémon, but I can’t pick just one. I have two. It’s just who I am, Dad.

(That last line is a quote from How to Train Your Dragon, I promise I’m not just being weird.)

4.) What would your theme song be?

Haha, this is another one I don’t really have an answer to, although I won’t lie: Part of me wants to just cheat and say Alan’s leitmotif, haha. Though that said, I will say that I used to very, very heavily associate “Forbidden Friendship” with myself and Shiloh, and after she died it was a year and a half before I was able to listen to it again without breaking down. (Even now it can be hit or miss, truth be told, though since I’ve started projecting it onto one specific fic idea for Alan and Lizardon, it has gotten easier.) Aside from that, hmmm . . . “It’s Raining Somewhere Else” could work, as well as “Don’t Give Up”, which is a song that’s actually pretty important to me given the concept it encompasses.

So yeah, maybe one of those!

5.) Do you have any phrases or sayings you find yourself coming back to often?

Do you mean like verbal tics? 

I used to say “most probably” and “point blank” a lot a few years ago, though not as much anymore. I still say them sometimes, just not nearly as often, especially when it was pointed out to me how much I was using those phrases. (Once you become aware of it . . .) I think I use the word “fantastic” quite a bit whenever I find something that is, well, fantastic, and along a similar vein I started using “aces” whenever I found something cool, though I don’t know how often I use that.

My favorite word, though, is Determination, because of the concept that comes along with it. Determination . . . being determined, staying determined . . . my favorite characters tend to be Determinators because they don’t give up, they refuse to give up, even when every single odd is stacked against them and there seems to be no hope for survival. Sometimes they do die, but then they come right back because they are too determined to live to stay dead. And that’s a pretty powerful and important concept to me, because I’ve been through and faced a lot in my life, yet against all odds and expectations, here I still am. I’m still persisting. And sure, there are a lot of times when I consider quitting . . . but I haven’t yet, and whatever reasons there are for that, I think that the concept of staying determined is still a really important one. It’s important enough that I still plan to get a tattoo on each wrist to remind me of how important it is.

So yeah, Determination is something that’s pretty important to me, so that could count, too.

6.) What’s the nearest object to your right?

My cell phone!

7.) Would you rather live in the big city or out in the middle of nature?

BIG CITY. CITY, CITY, CITY. My god, nature is good to view from a distance, and I guess there are rare occasions when it can be fun to explore (on like, a hike or something), but please don’t strand me out in the middle of nowhere. It’s boring, and there are bugs everywhere, and no internet access (hence how boring it is), and just . . . ughhhhh. I’m with Pidge on this one; I am in no way suited to outdoor living.

(“But Scrawlers, you’re a Taurus---” WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULD STOP STEREOTYPING US AS PLANT LOVERS, FFS.)

8.) Are you working on any creative projects right now? (fic/art/music/photography/etc)

:/

:/

You tell me.

9.) What’s your favourite movie score?

Probably predictable, but How to Train Your Dragon 2! I’m tempted to also say How to Train Your Dragon, but I think the second movie’s OST edges it out with tracks such as “Where No One Goes”, “Flying With Mother”, “Hiccup Confronts Drago”, “Stoick Saves Hiccup”, “Stoick’s Ship”, “Toothless Found”, and “Two New Alphas”. Like, the first OST has some gems as well, but John Powell really outdid himself with the second movie’s score, damn. (Well, “Where No One Goes” is Jonsi rather than Powell (though it incorporates the first movie’s leitmotif, which was Powell’s work), but still.)

10.) I say ‘Vol,’ you say . . . ?

. . . Voltron?

I can’t think of any questions, really, so anyone who wants to do something like this is free to answer these ones!

[sage-nebula]

kuroown replied to your post: MYSTIC MESSENGER: [only gives you about 5 default...

Also Scrawlers! If you have the call card try calling Seven after each chat, he may not always answer but when he does ������ gah I can’t even explain how it feels ��

Oh, yeah, I’ve called him quite a few times, haha (though I don’t have the calling card; I just suck it up and spend the hourglasses). The phone calls were really great and I talk about them in my posts, but now is really, really not the time for that.

[cantfakethecake]

I was tagged by @scrawlers to fill out a quick ask meme. Thank you so much!

Name: Betsy

Nickname: Betsy’s technically a nickname, but you won’t catch me answering to “Elizabeth” anytime soon. Other than that, it’s mostly Bee, Bets or Cake. (That said, @needlessdefiance settled on “Buttsy” and I’ve never loved a nickname more.)

Star Sign: Cancer. Sort of. Leo? It depends on whether you care about NASA’s update a few years back. When it comes to zodiac meme posts, I just pick whichever of the two suits me best.

Sexual Orientation: Demisexual lesbian

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Favorite Color: Anything bright and warm. Orange, red, pink, yellow, and bright blues, mostly.

Favorite Animal: Dogs; no contest. Bonus picture of my actual perfect dog from over 11 years ago, feat. Horrifying Middle School Betsy:

Favorite Fictional Character(s): Oh, god. How about...Vex from Critical Role, Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, Merrill from Dragon Age, Sophie from Saga, and GLaDOS from Portal?

Number of Blankets you Sleep With: Three. A sheet, a duvet (I’m 25 years old and still have to stop myself from calling it a marshmallow blanket), and a quilt. It’s getting close to the point where I narrow it down to just a sheet and quilt for the summer, though.

Favorite Band/Artist: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Dream Job: Something that pays enough to live on, while also not sending me into an ADHD burnout spiral? I’m really trying not to be defeatist about it, but I have a hard time thinking beyond that part.

When was your blog created: September 2012.

Follower Count: 126

Reason for making your blog: A friend told me to give it a try! I had no idea what to do with a blog (I never had a Livejournal), but it ended up being an easy way to keep up with a few long-distance friends outside of Facebook. Then I fell into Bioware Hell, made more friends than I’ve ever had in my life, and kind of fell in love with this shitty blue site.

I’ll tag: @blondepomeranian, @alistairswaifu, @bronwinning, @klickitats, @dragginage, @acequeenking, @truck-shepard, @renagerie, @needlessdefiance and @soleminisanction. No pressure, obviously, but if you’d like to do this then be my guest!

[sage-nebula]

Hey Scrawlers, hope you've been well. I would really like your beyond amazing imagination and thoughts on this little Alain thought I've been going over. If in the anime, Alain did in fact turn out to be Augustine's son 'biologically' (as many appeared to expect o.0), in a major plot twist, how you imagine it to build up and happen? Alain meeting Sycamore? Do either of them know or hint? How would it affect and change Alain? What about Alain's Mother? How would YOU play it out if it did happen?

Hi! I’ve been all right. I hope you’ve been well too, and thank you for the compliments. =)

Honestly, I really don’t think that scenario would work, and I’m honestly a little bit averse to it for a couple of reasons (as much as I do like to point out how much they resemble each other).

First, I don’t think it would work because Alan doesn’t address Sycamore as “father,” but rather, as “Professor.” Japanese culture is quite polite (though there are rude forms of address as well), and in particular, respect given to one’s parents is a very important aspect of their culture. How one addresses their parents is part of this, and I feel like it would be pretty disrespectful for Alan to not address Sycamore as his father if Sycamore was, in fact, supposed to be recognized as his father officially (i.e. biologically or through official adoption). I think that a lot of people thought that there might be a plot twist wherein they were related back when Alan was first shown because of how similar they look, but after seeing that Alan is still calling him “Professor” even by the time the series ends, I’m pretty sure that theory is dead in the water. They’re not biologically related, and insofar as canon goes, Alan isn’t officially adopted (at which point he would change from “Professor” to “Dad,” and personally, if we’re going with Japanese forms of address given the fact that this show was originally produced in Japanese, I have it in my head that the specific word used would be otou-san due to the fact that it’s respectful without being overly formal).

With that said, there could always be a situation wherein they turn out to be biologically related without either of them having realized it, but I personally don’t like this scenario for a couple of reasons:

The first, and most basic, is that I honestly see Sycamore as being gay. There’s a line in Genesis where Fulbert jokes about Alan potentially being the result of an illicit tryst Sycamore had once, and Sycamore replies with, “I’ve never had an illicit tryst with a woman in my life, and you know it.” The joke here, aside from little!Alan then asking very seriously what a “lisit tryst” is, is that Sycamore is specifying that he’s never had an illicit tryst with a woman, i.e., it’s entirely possible he’s had some with men. Sycamore has nothing against women, of course, and in fact some of his best friends are women (e.g. Diantha), but he’s just not romantically or sexually attracted to them. Thus, it’d be pretty impossible for him to conceive a biological child, whether that child is Alan or otherwise. (Well, I guess he could have always donated to a sperm bank, but I can’t really see him doing that—and especially not at age twenty, which is how old he would have been when Alan was born.)

More importantly, and more personal to me, is that I honestly feel like it would cheapen their relationship.The thing is, if there was a “surprise, they’re biologically related!” moment, then it almost feels like it’s saying, oh, that’s why they connected so well, that’s why they love each other so much, that’s why they’re so important to each other. Even if that’s not the intent (and I know you, I’m positive that’s not what you meant by that!), that’s how it comes across. Rather than showing that they connect so well simply because of how they are as people, or that they love each other the way they do because they’ve formed that bond after all these years, it’s almost like it’s expected because they’re biologically related, and that … bothers me, because I personally believe that biological relationships are meaningless. Like, okay—it’s meaningful in the sense that you can probably find an organ donor easier if you know who your biological family is, because your biological relatives are more likely to be a match for you. But otherwise? Blood does not denote family. Family is not who you’re born into, it’s who you form a bond with. Found or adopted families are not lesser than those who have blood ties. It doesn’t matter that Alan is adopted (unofficially or otherwise), because Sycamore loves him just as much as he would if Alan was his biological child, and likewise, Alan loves Sycamore just as much as he would if Sycamore was his biological father. They are father and son not because Alan is biologically related to Sycamore, but rather because Sycamore took him in, Sycamore raised him, and they love each other as family.I admit that I have a lot of complicated, somewhat personal feelings about this, because my biological mother was absolutely horrid to me, whereas my stepmother is the only woman who has ever acted like a good mother to me. (And in honesty? I probably get along better with her on average than I do either of my biological parents.) Most of the family that I see nowadays is not biologically related to me. Rather, they’re step-relatives, but I know them better and have better relationships with them than I do most of the people I’m biologically related to. So for me, the idea that a biological relationship is necessary is … nonsense, and depending on the situation, borderline insulting nonsense (though note: nothing you’ve said has been insulting or offensive, I’m just speaking generally here, so please don’t feel like I’m angry with you, because I promise I’m not!). And I feel like that having a “surprise, they’re biologically related” moment with Sycamore and Alan really would cheapen what they have, and would reduce it to “well of course they’re like this, they’re biologically related after all.” It’s the same thing that completely cheapened and destroyed Sigma and Phi’s bond in Zero Escape. I’m really not a fan of it.

So I’m sorry to give kind of a non-answer to this question, but as fun as it is to point out how much they resemble each other (or the body language they share at times), I’m actually kind of averse to a surprise plot twist where they are biologically related. Not only would it have to be a surprise to both of them (because again, I feel like if they knew, Alan would already be addressing him as “Dad” rather than “Professor” to convey that accurately to the Japanese audience the show was intended for), but because it would be a surprise to both of them I feel like it would cheapen what they have from an audience perspective. They are father and son, absolutely, and not being biologically related doesn’t change that one bit.

As for the rest of it, though: Even if they were biologically related, it wouldn’t change Alan. While I do think some traits are inherent to who we are as individuals, by and large I think we’re more the product of our environments (i.e. it’s both nature and nurture, but nurture has a heavier emphasis than nature), and since Sycamore would have raised him either way, Alan would be more or less the same. So it really wouldn’t matter in that sense, which is yet another reason why they’re perfect the way they are. ♥ (And as for how Alan met Sycamore, well … we have Genesis for that. ;) )

With all of that said, I do have pretty concrete headcanons about Alan’s biological parents, his mother included, and if you’d like to know more about that, I would certainly be happy to answer. =)

(And once again, just to emphasize: Nothing you said upset or offended me, I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings and that makes me rather verbose about it, haha. But I promise I’m not upset in the least, so I’m sorry if any of this came across that way. I really didn’t mean for it to!)

[sage-nebula]

Hey scrawlers if you don't mind me asking could you maybe give a link to your little!Alan headcanons back when he was in the village they were really interesting!

I’d be happy to, but I’m not actually sure which post you’re referring to, because I can’t remember ever typing up a post of headcanons about that. All the information I’ve posted (that I’m aware of) about Alan’s time in Isolé Village is:

Genesis, which is a long fic, and also his origin story.

This post which talks about how they’d react both to the news of him becoming Champion, but also to the news of his Flare affiliation (if that information was ever made available to the general public).

This meme response, which talks a bit about what his childhood was like (before Sycamore found him) under the entry “what is one question they’ve always wanted an answer to,” which was the letter Y.

I can’t think of any other post I had ever written on details about what his life was like in the village prior to Sycamore adopting him. Sorry! But that said, I do have concrete ideas regarding that in mind (of course I do), so if you’d like me to write up some headcanons on it, please feel free to ask. I’d be happy to.