#A. Fixing the problem or B. Accidentally dying. This is a B case

[estellardreams]

Hehe writing idea go brrrr

Red didn't mean to get sent here. The universe just did it because... Something. He had no clue.

Regardless, it had to have been bad enough for him to show up here.

But... The world seemed peaceful.

No king's fortress.

No destruction.

Nothing signaling anyone's death.

Red wandered around the streets, his footing a bit unsteady.

What happened here...? Nothing seems to be wrong, so what's he supposed to fix to return home?

He spotted Pigsy's Noodles up ahead, slipping inside quietly. The shop seemed... Closed. Like no one was there yet.

Wait, how did he even get in? Usually the door was always locked before the shop opened.

Red quickly shook his head, trying not to focus on that. He headed up the stairs to MK's room, not sure if he'd be up there.

He placed his hand on the door, cracking it open.

"Xiaotian...?" he asked softly.

"Go away, Red..." MK softly pleaded, buried under the blankets.

"What? Why?" he pushed the door open, approaching MK on the bed.

Mk turned his head to look at Red, a gleaming ruby fillet over his forehead.

"Oh no! Who put this on you?!" Red exclaimed, immediately trying to find some way to take it off.

Mk quietly sat up, holding still.

Red paused, concerned. "Are you... Okay?"

"I'm... Fine. Just get this off of me, okay?"

"No! It's to keep him safe!" a voice snapped.

Mk froze, backing up a little. Red moved to protect him, only to stop himself once he came face to face with...

Himself.

Red's eyes widened in shock and horror, gripping the blankets tightly.

What...?

But... He did everything right!

He avoided becoming like the king!

He cut his hair, exposed his weaknesses, tore apart his clothes, changed his glasses, indulged in sweets and cutesy things... HOW did this happen?!

"Please... Step away from Xiaotian." the other Red spoke.

"Are you... What year is it here?" Red asked.

"207X. Why?"

Red paused. It had only been two years...

"I'm... Two years from the past." he spoke up.

"Oh, that explains it." Other Red pulled him away from MK.

"Hey! What are you doing to him?!"

"First of all, sit down. Second of all, I'm trying to keep him safe." other Red said.

"By holding him captive?!" Red snapped.

"I'm not holding him captive! I'm trying to protect him!"

"From what? People like you?"

"From him trying to kill himself!"

Red froze, his anger instantly dissipating into horror.

Other Red's eyes began to well up with tears. "I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I can't... I don't..."

He quickly turned away and scooped up MK into his arms.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Red yelped.

"Somewhere safer and not here." other Red said, bringing them both to the window.

"Bye, past me. Good luck dealing with King Red."

"No, WAIT-"

His future self leapt out of the window with MK, setting him down on the ground before leading him away somewhere.

Red bolted down the stairs, trying to follow after them.

"STOP! LET XIAOTIAN GO!"

"It's for his safety! Do you want him to hurt himself all over again cause I'm not here to keep him safe?!" Future Red exclaimed.

"What the hell happened to you?! To me...? To us? What happened to us? What made you like this?" Red pleaded.

Future Red paused, his gaze shifting downwards as he held MK's hand.

"... The pillar of heaven. He... I... I didn't wanna lose him... He did it anyway... And I failed..." he mumbled.

"But... But I won't fail again. Not anymore. I'm gonna keep Xiaotian safe from hurting himself and everyone else, no matter what it takes!"

Red gulped as his future self made off with MK once more.

He was never free to begin with, was he?

He... He's always gonna become the king. No matter what he does.

No matter what he tries to change.

No matter how much introspection, self sabotage, everything...

No matter what he tries, or does... It'll never work.

He'll fall back into his old self.

And this future... This self... Is proof of that.

Red sank to the ground on the barren streets, tears blurring his vision.

Did the universe just hate him?

He could never kill King Red.

He could never protect MK without hurting him.

He never deserved MK's love.

He could never escape being King Red in the future.

No matter what.

And...

That hurt.

The reality of his life hurt.

But... He couldn't just kill himself!

He knew what would've happened if he did, especially in that one timeline. He swore he'd always return to MK in the past ever since that timeline.

But now? He wasn't so sure...

Was it better to spare everyone the horror of any of these futures by getting rid of himself? Or let him stay and potentially ruin everything all over again no matter what he does?

... He needed to talk to his therapist about this.

But for now... He needed to talk some sense into his future self and rescue MK from his fate.

Red pushed back his tears, trying to clear his head. He breathed, standing back up on his feet.

Two bright lights came up and it was instantly darkness.

Red stirred awake, feeling the gentle rocking of the bed. He sat up, groaning a little.

"Oh, welcome back Red!" Sandy greeted.

"Oh, um... Hi, Sandy. What year is it?" Red asked.

"207X."

"... And I'm back in present day, okay." Red got up from the couch, only to immediately grip his chest in agony.

Great sage, why did that hurt?

"Red, go back to the couch. You're hurt."

"I... I see that now. Sorry."

"How did you even get hurt like this, anyway? You suddenly returned but as a crumpled heap in the noodle shop."

"Uh..." Red bit his lip, glancing at his phone.

He quickly opened it up and texted his therapist for a new session.

"I... I can't say, I'm sorry. I just... I need a moment to process all of this before I can tell you." he apologized, putting his phone back down.

"That's alright! As long as you're okay, it's fine by me! Would you like some tea?"

".. Yes, please."

Hello, I'm glad you opened the request box. I'm so interested in the Time Travel au that I thought if Time Travel Red Son was a yandere and wanted to protect MK alone, I'd love to see that drawing.

This is a unique sort of challenge, since Time Travel Red Son is so explicitly afraid of becoming like Demon King Red, who is a super duper Yandere, that it can only mean something has gone terribly wrong in this timeline and TT Red has all but snapped and become just like the king! And so, I figured he’d start where the king himself did in his downward spiral to madness: with the tightening fillet.

[are-my-ocs-ta]

AITA for being a manipulative liar and almost killing a lot of people?

Several months ago, I (16NB) got transported to another universe. I was confused at first, but after meeting a few people there I realized what was going on: I'd been sent to the world of a fantasy TV series I'd just finished pirating watching the last season of a few days before. I've been a lonely recluse painfully aware that everyone around me considers me irritating and/or not worth knowing since I was in kindergarten, so I was obviously overjoyed by this chance to use my metaknowledge to become a genuine hero and befriend my favorite characters. I decided I should conceal both that this world was fictional in my world (not wanting to make anyone have an existential crisis) and what I knew about the future (in case I accidentally set off a butterfly effect that ruined everything). All of the points at which characters died or were badly traumatized were towards the end of the show originally, and I'd started off in an inconvenient location that meant I couldn't do much to set up a better outcome right off the bat, so my plan was to integrate myself into the main cast and keep everything recognizable and "on track" until I was in a position to stop all the deaths and trauma from happening.

My plan started falling apart shortly after I joined up with the main cast. First off, I'd already really liked one of the main characters- I'll refer to her as H (16F)- and been super pissed off about how the writers killed her off for shock value in the finale, and hanging around with her every day, uh... look, let's just say tall, muscular adrenaline junkies like her are my type. I barely made it three days before throwing myself into a supernatural extreme weather event because I thought it'd impress her and figured I could use my metaknowledge to come out unscathed, which I did, but I almost got one of her friends (42M) killed in the process. We managed to fix the situation quickly, H actually was a lot more impressed by me after the fact, and I don't think her friend realized how close he was to dying, but I still felt bad about it, you know? I did make sure to keep the others well out of the way the next times I joined H in running headfirst into obvious danger, don't worry, and both of us survived all of those times (again, used my metaknowledge) and got most of the protagonists' objectives accomplished in probably a quarter of the time it took in canon. Doing that also kind of cut her friends out of the vast majority of the "plot," but hey, they were in a lot less danger that way, plus I got to spend more time with H!

Anyway, the end goal of the original show was getting H and her friends across the continent to an ancient portal-creating machine (the only one in existence) that was the only way for them to return to their home city and be reunited with their families, which was where the second big problem started. The closer we got to it, the more regularly I started having dreams about an entity that kept warning me I had to destroy the machine. This entity, I'll call them B (0?NB?), looked almost exactly like me, just unhealthily thin and gaunt, and told me how inserting myself into the story had broken a lot more things than I realized and that using the machine would open the door for ancient horrors from the spaces between realities to flood into this world. Since no character with B's name or the ability to enter people's dreams existed in the original show, and there certainly weren't any eldritch horrors in it, I brushed it off as a weird recurring nightmare and didn't tell anyone about it.

When we reached the machine, we set up camp for the night with the intent of calibrating and activating it in the morning, and I waited for the others to fall asleep before heading up to the machine. In the show, there was a demon stuck inside the machine that was freed when H activated it and killed her, which I obviously wasn't going to let happen, so my plan was to exploit a canonical loophole in how the machine worked to trap said demon outside of time and space while everyone else was asleep. I'd have saved H's life and she'd never even know that she would've died! It would've gone perfectly if B hadn't started talking to me while I was powering up the machine (the first time they'd appeared outside of my dreams), and when I tried to ignore what I thought was just a sleep-deprivation-induced hallucination they took control of my body. Things got a little hazy after that, but what I know is that B finished the process of trapping the demon, then destroyed the machine while screaming about how they couldn't let this world be destroyed after I'd already "desecrated" it. H and her friends came running and demanded to know what was going on, and surprisingly, B actually explained the situation.

It turns out that in my original world, I'd spent years trying to work out ways to send myself to a different universe where I could have friends and do something meaningful with my life. A few weeks before the events I previously described, I'd figured out a way to access the power of ancient horrors lurking in the spaces between universes (long story, I got desperate enough to steal a bunch of books about the occult and related subjects from my grandparents) to manipulate the "rules" of the multiverse against itself and force it to transport me to whatever universe I wanted. The catch was that this process seriously weakened the "boundaries" of the universe in question and meant openings into it- like the portal the machine would've made- could be used as an entrance for these horrors, but I brushed that off, figuring the machine wouldn't be open long enough for anything from outside to break through. Before I started the ritual to send me to this show's universe, I additionally reworked the ritual to remove my memories of all of that so I could enjoy my new life without any guilt. The only problem was that I hadn't adequately planned around a canonical "glitch" in this world's magic system, which resulted in the creation of a new entity that was an embodiment of the memories I'd cleaved away. That entity was B.

H and her friends refused to believe any of that, so they tied me down, then expelled B from my body and killed them. They were all so relieved to see I was okay, and H finally told me she loved me, but... I'd regained all of those memories when they killed B. I remembered everything I'd done, I knew I was right to feel guilty about it, and I knew I didn't deserve to escape accountability. So I confessed that everything B had said was true, that I'd knowingly put their world at serious risk of being consumed by various cosmic horrors- which would've killed (or worse) everyone on the planet if B hadn't stopped it- as well as inadvertently prevented H and her friends from getting to go home and be reunited with their families, all because I wanted to live out a twisted fantasy of being a beloved hero. I fled without waiting to hear how they'd take that and have been in self-imposed exile for the last month, bitterly wishing I'd just tried to figure out a way to be happy in my own world. Apparently they're still looking for me, but the village I'm currently living in is in an isolated part of the world that nobody would stand a chance of finding me in, and I intend to stay here for the rest of my life. I figure the least I can do is ensure I have to face some kind of punishment for what I've done, and this seems like an adequate way to do it.

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer, but: AITA?

[tombeane-blog]

Life Insurance

September, 2023.

"Hey Vern, Good news.  I no longer fear dying in a highly suspicious 'Household Accident'."

"Why's that, Tom?"

"Well, my wife recently came to me with a problem on her smart phone.  Since I remember the conversation somewhat differently than her, and, in the  interest of fairness, I'll present both sides of the conversation and you can decide what really happened."  

Her version of events.

"I can't access our bank account using my smartphone.  It was working fine yesterday and today it just gives me some message saying something about trying later." "Is yours working OK?"

"I haven't done anything whatsoever to make it not work. I'm doing the same thing I've always done exactly the same way I've always done it.  "I've tried un-installing and re-installing the bank app multiple times.  I've un-installed the app, restarted the phone and re-installed the app multiple times.  I verified that no other apps were interfering.  I went through all of the app's permissions to verify nothing had changed.  My software is the latest version but I updated it anyway.  I checked to make sure none of the system registries were corrupted but I reset them anyway.  I closed all the unused apps, scanned the boot registries and cleared the cache."  "To be very clear, this is not my fault."

My version of the conversation.

"No work!  You fix!"

And so I began the standard husband protocol designed specifically for these types of situations.

Step 1. Ignore the problem until it threatens our marriage.

Step 2. Follow standard Navy Technical Repair protocol and f*$%k with it hoping I might accidentally fix it.

Step 3. Get serious and start a more systematic approach. A - un-install the app, B - restart the phone and C - re-install the app.  I did this in 30 or 40 various combinations of these 3 possible sequences.  It turns out there are only 9 combinations.  Didn't know that.

Step 4. I tried various ways of doing the same thing 4 or 5 times in a row just in case.

Step 5. I tried Step 2 and 3 again.

Step 6. I looked in the kitchen drawer where I found my lost keys not too long ago thinking maybe I'd get lucky.

Step 7. Realizing this was only going to be resolved with a bigger hammer, I advanced to the dreaded 'gotta do some sort of serious reset on this piece of crap' phase. But before taking such an irreversible action, I tried step 2 a few more times.

Step 8. So I tried a soft reset, a super soft reset and finally a reset with just a hint of lime.

Step 9. I realized everything short of a factory reset wasn't going to fix this thing.

Step 10. I backed up all settings and data to the micro-sd card which took 30 minutes.  Backed 'em up a second time just in case it didn't work the first time.

Step 11. Closing my eyes I hit 'factory reset' and began that long wait - hoping it wouldn't crash in the middle requiring a trip to my wireless provider.

Step 12. With the phone screen now looking like it did when we bought it long ago, I tentatively went through the restore data process - only opening my eyes when I heard a welcoming  'ding' sound.

Step 13. Voila!  The banking app is now functional.

Proudly handing the phone to my wife, I was expecting to hear something like, "I love you, you wonderful person.  You are definitely not just another manly hunk.  You are also sooo very smart.  Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm gonna cook you your favorite dinner tonight and bake an apple pie - just for you."

Instead after a couple of minutes I get, "I'm trying to log onto Facebook and it's asking me for my password - which I can't remember.  THANKS A LOT!"

Again, there might be a little wiggle room for misinterpretation in the actual conversation.

But now there's a change in our marriage dynamics.

Realizing it might happen again, all of a sudden she may not want me dead after all.

"So I've got that going for me, Vern." 

[sineala]

favorite tony whump moments in canon??

There are a whole lot of really good choices but I think for "largest amount of whump in the shortest amount of time" a case can be made for the miniseries The Iron Age.

Iron Age Alpha features Tony getting into a time-travel accident that also more or less causes the world to end at the same time. So here he is, having been thrown into the past, with a time portal that is closing (so he can't get back to fix this), into an alleyway in the rain. He is currently on fire, so in a very short time he is shirtless in the rain, and he's just going to sit here in this alleyway in the rain and cry because all his friends are dead and it's all his fault.

This is Peak Tony Stark. I think the only way this would become even more Peak Tony Stark is if (a) he were drunk at the time (though he will very shortly meet his very drunk past self so the alcoholism is definitely a part of the plot) or if (b) he also had to remove his pants and were actually naked in the rain. But half-naked and sobbing in the rain about his dead friends is very close to rock bottom.

By the time we get to Iron Age #3, Tony is having a vision of his dead friends in a dream, after he passes out. He briefly thinks they are real and alive again but then they remind him that they are, in fact dead:

In fact, they are dead and he killed them. It was all his fault.

So I think it's pretty hard to imagine a situation that could be worse.

(This is also the miniseries where he accidentally hits on his past self, yes.)

My bonus pick, because I have just reread it (they just put it in a new trade paperback, actually), that hits a lot of similar themes is New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (2007), in which Tony is captured by Skrulls and stripped naked (yes, there is a theme here, and also, yes, he's actually naked this time), which is a problem because he needs his armor to survive:

This issue is actually set right after the Kree-Skrull War so I'm not entirely sure he actually needs his armor to survive at this point in canon (and furthermore he definitely has a secret identity so everyone should be way more surprised about Iron Man being Tony Stark than they actually are) but we will just ignore that for the sake of the whump. These whumpy facts are things that are presented as true in this issue so let us currently take them as fact.

Right. So. Naked and imprisoned and possibly dying from his heart problems, here's Tony.

Anyway, the Skrulls decide that a fun thing to do would be to pretend to be the Avengers and tell him that they've come to rescue him.

Tony sees through their plan and knows they are Skrulls, but the reason he knows this is because HE DOESN'T THINK HIS FRIENDS WOULD REALLY RESCUE HIM.

So it's not really as whumpy as Iron Age (at least, not to the same degree) but it's pretty hard to beat Tony's sincere belief that none of his friends would come save him from Skrulls as, you know, an extremely heartbreaking truth about canon.

[ficforce]

Benimaru Relationship Alphabet

A- Activity (What is their favourite activity to do with Y/N.) Quiet Reader: Benimaru enjoys napping with his head on her lap, Y/N is good with her hands, if he’s lucky she’ll stop whichever craft she’s doing and massage his scalp. There’s a sunny spot on the porch at the back of the Guardhouse with a mat and a soft cushion laid out, She didn’t like him sleeping on the bare wood and Benimaru didn’t like that she got a sore back - once he was asleep she didn’t like to move in case she woke him up. Loud Reader: Sparring with her is always fun, Y/N practices the same discipline as he does but she started much later in life. She offers him enough of a challenge that he really has to think about his next moves. It usually ends up with them rolling around in the dirt kissing, putting out a fire Y/N accidentally started or deciding to go take a nap. B- Beginnings (How do they act in the beginning of a relationship) Quiet Reader: Y/N is a quiet, almost shy woman, she first spoke to Benimaru when he turned up to put out a fire he had started whilst dealing with an Infernal. He would usually let the regular Hikeshi deal with it but he had literally been above it. She hadn’t realised he was there until after she had taken control of the fire and put it out with ease. Benimaru had been impressed and then he had found some amusement in how she panicked just at the sight of him. Y/N had an interesting heat signature and he had been curious to see her use her ability again - she would be too nervous to show him and either not be able to form a flame or burn him by accident. Her flames were the hottest recorded in Asakusa. At first, he was too gentle with her, treating her like a fragile flower that could wilt at any moment but then he witnessed her get angry once and wasn’t as careful: she was strong. Once he was more like himself she liked him more and was told him so. People find it amusing that he can get rowdy and pick fights whilst Y/N watches from the background with a fond smile on her lips. They compliment each other rather well. Loud Reader: They met during a bar fight. Y/N had started it after a drunk got a little too handsy with her. What started off as a one on one fight had turned into a brawl - once it had gotten out of hand she headed outside and that’s where she found Benimaru. He smiled at her, apparently a side effect of sake, and offered her a cup. He had been amused by the trouble her one uppercut had caused. Then not so amused when they ended up arguing and ended up throwing fireballs at each other. Their relationship could be described as passionate, they were quick to become lovers and slower to get to know each other. Every argument brought them closer and they’re not as explosive as they used to be.

C- Communication (Are they good communicators? How do they normally talk about their problems or solve issues)

Quiet Reader: Benimaru doesn’t like to talk about his feelings, he doesn’t like to share his problems with just anyone and even if he’s just complaining he hates when someone tries to fix his problems for him. Y/N is very good at calming him down and getting him to lower his defences enough to talk to her, she always seems to offer him good advice. Y/N is like an open book, if something is worrying her then she can’t hide it, her face always gives her away. Benimaru doesn’t like to see her upset and will ask her outright, she’ll try to tell him not to worry and that it’s not important but he won’t give up. Benimaru’s usual advice is that he can go and punch the problem - This always makes Y/N smile and she’ll figure out what to do as he hears her out. Loud Reader: She isn’t good at sharing a problem, she either tries to punch it or will let it fester inside, at first it won’t be noticeable but then suddenly she’ll burst and Benimaru struggles to calm her down at first. He’ll feel bad that he didn’t see her suffering sooner and hold her until she’s calm enough to speak to him. She just needs to rant sometimes - she’s not the type to hold onto things. Y/N is very similar to the Quiet Reader in that she’ll hear him out. She’s pretty good at reading his micro-expressions and can tell the difference between a frown and a frown. She’ll bug him until he cracks and tells her what’s going on… her advice isn’t always so good. D- Drunk (What are they like when they’re drunk) Quiet Reader: Y/N is quiet and sweet, she barely ever raises her voice but when she drinks more than one cup of sake - she turns into a different person. She will fight you. This includes Benimaru and after last time Konro keeps a count on her drinks. Loud Reader: She’s a happy drunk. Unless someone starts on her or touches her in the wrong way (If Benimaru doesn’t break their fingers first), then she’ll get rowdy. Y/N will find everything funny and likes to cuddle up to someone, if Konro is there she tends to want to cuddle him more as he’s bigger and easier to fall asleep on. Benimaru gets a little jealous. We all know what Benimaru is like when he drinks. E- Emergency (How are they in emergency situations? Y/N gets hurt, they get hurt, someone is dying etc..) Quiet Reader: Y/N can usually keep a calm head on her shoulders, she’ll help out as much as she can and tends to worry about others before herself. She knows that Benimaru puts himself in danger to protect their Town and it makes her worry but he’s so strong… so, he’ll always come back to her, right? Benimaru is used to chaos and emergencies, it’s in his job description. When it comes to Y/N though, he wants to know where she is, he wants to know her exact location so he can keep danger away from her. If anything happened to her… Loud Reader: She’s the first one to get people moving. Although she’s not an official member of Company 7 she helps out where she can, making sure civilians are out of the way and ready to defend them if needed. Y/N likes to keep tabs on Benimaru - he’s not invincible and he does dumb stuff sometimes. He wishes she wouldn’t linger so close. Benimaru knows she can hold her own and he doesn’t need to worry because she’s a strong fighter. He knows she can take a hit or two but he’ll personally incinerate anyone who hurts her. F- Free Spot (I’ll give you any headcanon I come up with) Quiet Reader: Y/N is a very good crafter, writing, drawing, knitting, sewing, felting and much much more. She can’t cook though. It’s a disaster. She set fire to water and the Guardhouse kitchen was out of commission for three days. Loud Reader: Y/N can form animals with her flames. Serpents and dragons are her main focus but when she tries something else it always looks a little odd and everyone makes fun of them. G- Gifts (What kind of gifts do they give? What kind of gifts do they get?) Quiet Reader: She gives him handmade gifts. In the winter she makes him scarves - even though they don’t need them because they’re both walking furnaces. Benimaru likes that she

sews little emblems into the inside of his coat collar, they’re their little secret. Benimaru will often commission skilled people to make the tools that she needs for her hobbies. Loud Reader: She’s not very creative so most often she’ll buy him food from his favourite vendors. Benimaru enjoys long baths and he has a private one at the Guardhouse big enough for two, she’ll often buy him relaxing salts. Benimaru treats her whenever they’re together, he’s not one for grand gestures but she once got mad because he bought her an expensive bracelet. She loves it but thinks its too much… H- Hugs (How do they show affection/cuddle) Quiet Reader: Y/N loves to hold Benimaru’s hand when they’re out walking, they can be found close together most times and he’s not shy about showing his affection with little gestures. Only if Y/N is comfortable with it - He would hate to embarrass her. Loud Reader: She’s usually holding onto his arm and will nuzzle him in public if he’s not paying attention. They’re both pretty open but they keep it light as they don’t need the whole Town knowing their business. I- Irritation (What is something that irritates them? How do they show their irritation?) Quiet Reader: Y/N has a strong sense of justice, she can’t stand it when someone is getting away with victimising another person. She particularly hates bullies and despite her quiet demeanour will always stand up for others. The air around Y/N gets a huge spike of heat and most people know to get out of the way. The easiest way to tell her mood is by temperature and her inability to hide anything. Loud Reader: She doesn’t have a huge amount of patience for idiots. If someone is being stupid - on purpose - she will have no time for them. Also, people who walk too slow drive her mad. There’s a huge street and you are taking up all the room - move!! She’s pretty straight forward in telling people when they’re annoying her. And if Benimaru ‘Tch’s her one more time… J- Jackpot (How would they spend their winnings if they won the lottery?) Quiet Reader: Y/N would use it for the Town, she’s got all she needs and likes a simple life. There’s a roof over her head, food on the table and she has people she loves - maybe she would splash out a little on a new kimono for the festival? Loud Reader: She’s never really had money and where she grew up in Asakusa was a little rougher. It’s a much better place now but she remembers being unhappy when she was small and there was no neighbourhood watch looking out for the Town - Only selfish gangs. She’d want to set up a place in Town for kids to come to if they needed somewhere safe - God help Benimaru if he hits it with one of his matois. Benimaru has everything he needs and doesn’t care about money. K- Kryptonite (What is their ultimate weakness?) Quiet Reader: Her control over her emotions. Y/N can’t control herself if she gets angry, she loses control of her flames and because they’re hotter than most they consume things faster than the Hikeshi can put them out. She’s terrified of causing that kind of damage again and tries to stay calm. Loud Reader: Y/N might seem rough and ready for a fight but she’ll sacrifice herself without hesitation. She would rather get hurt than allow anyone else to and this is dangerous for Benimaru as not only does it make her potential bait but he wouldn’t cope with her getting hurt badly. Benimaru has so much emotional investment in Y/N (both) that if anything happened to either one of them he would be at a loss. If they died… he can’t even bear to think about it. L- Laughter (What makes them laugh?) Quiet Reader: The twins make her laugh when they’re picking on Benimaru or just plotting their next prank within hearing distance. Konro’s facial expressions when Benimaru is being unreasonable amuse her. Benimaru knows that her neck is ticklish, unless they’re being intimate, and likes to try and press kisses there to watch her squirm and try to wriggle away. Loud Reader: If she’s drunk - everything is funny. She usually laughs the most at meal

times because the Hikeshilike to eat together, it’s noisy but she likes that it feels like a huge family. Making Benimaru laugh is what makes her the happiest, he only does it in front of his closest people. M- Morning ( How do they wake up in the morning? Are they a morning person or a morning grouch?) Quiet Reader: She will stay in bed as long as there’s someone to cuddle up to. Benimaru will sometimes lay awake for a while so that she can keep sleeping as she tends to get up once she’s awake. Y/N is a little drowsy first thing and she’s clumsy but after an hour she’s wide awake and busy with getting the twins hair just right. Loud Reader: She’s a monster. Do not wake her up unless you absolutely have to. Y/N stays up too late and always suffers for it the next morning. Give her her morning beverage and stand clear until she speaks to you first. Benimaru gets up first thing, he doesn’t get a full night’s sleep but he takes catnaps during the day. Morning is the best time to pester him because he’s too dazed to get mad. N- Needy (When do they feel particularly needy? How do they show it?) Quiet Reader:  Y/N tries not to be needy, she tries to get by on her own and not be a burden but she often feels vulnerable when she’s caused trouble, accidentally or by losing control.

Sometimes she’s not sure what’s upset her but she’ll go to Benimaru and simply pinch the bottom of his Banten, holding onto it as a little kid would. It’s enough for Benimaru to know she needs him and he’ll drop what he’s doing to comfort her.

She does the same for him so he really doesn’t mind it.

Loud Reader: She’s not used to having someone who will spoil her. She mostly keeps things hidden but when she’s feeling ill - that’s it. She needs attention and will openly ask for it. This can be something as simple as asking Benimaru to stroke her hair or make her tea. When she inevitably makes him ill she’ll return the favour. O- Oasis (Where is their happy place? Where would they go if they didn’t have anything holding them back?) Quiet Reader: There’s a small clearing by the river that Y/N loves, in the summer it’s shaded by a large tree and it’s far enough away from other things that she hopes it never gets hit by Benimaru’s flames. It’s another place Benimaru likes to take a nap with his head on her lap but it’s where he first kissed her. Loud Reader: Y/N has never been outside of Asakusa. One day she would like to see what’s beyond the gates and experience what a City is like. She’s a proto-nationalist so she doesn’t care too much for their views or customs but even if it were to go and see Company 8’s dump - she’d like to go. P- Pain (How do they handle pain? How do they handle when Y/N are in pain?) Quiet Reader: She’s not a person who complains so if she says something hurts then Benimaru knows it’s serious. She slipped in the snow one year and hurt her ankle. At first, she tried to brush it off and limp home but after only a few steps she fell. One of Company 7 had been passing at the time and carried her home, when Benimaru saw her he took her from the other man and pressed a kiss to her temple - he could see she was holding back tears and it broke his heart. Benimaru called a doctor and made sure that she got plenty of rest, he sat her down on his lap and held her until the painkillers made her fall asleep. Loud Reader: Benimaru gets mad at Y/N because she’ll ignore the pain until she physically can’t take it anymore. He’s known her to ignore broken ribs before and it wasn’t until he hugged her that she nearly collapsed in agony. He’s sweet to her once she admits she’s hurting, it’s similar to when she’s sick and needy - she just wants him to fuss over her and stay close. Q- Quote (What’s a quote that fits them and your relationship) Quiet Reader: Just because you took longer than others doesn’t mean you failed. Remember that. - Unknown Loud Reader: I care. I always care. That is my problem. - Unknown R- Reunion (How do they celebrate seeing Y/N after a long time of being apart) Benimaru is going to shower them with affection and take them to bed. The first orgasm is going to be from a slow, intimate love making. After that - well, whatever they like. You will not see either of them until the next day. S- Stress (What stresses them out? How do deal with stress and how do they relieve it?) Quiet Reader: She doesn’t get stressed too easily but if people are getting hurt or if she feels like she is failing at something she gets stressed out. Y/N’s first reaction when she feels like this is to start crying over the dumbest little thing and try to hide somewhere she can try to calm down. Once she’s taken a moment to evaluate everything she puts on her brave face and gets back to it. If Benimaru is around he’ll wait for her outside the room, he doesn’t want to crowd her or make her feel like she can’t cope without him. Loud Reader: Because she lets things build up over time, Y/N can become stressed very quickly and this usually ends up in what seems like a tantrum. She’ll go out to practice her fighting and if she’s lucky Benimaru will join her. Once all that pent up stress is gone she’ll be back to normal… if just a little bit moody. T- Terror (What are they afraid of?) Quiet Reader: As mentioned before, Y/N can’t control her ability if she gets angry. It’s only anger that blinds her with rage and she’s terrified that one day she’ll kill someone by accident. She’s terrified that it’ll be Benimaru because she’s burned him before. Loud Reader: Y/N likes to think that nothing scares her and spent her life trying not to be scared of anything. But sometimes, after an

argument with Benimaru, she’s terrified he might not come back after they’ve walked away from each other. Of course, he always comes back first. U- Unique (What is a quirk that is unique to them?) Quiet Reader: She can only produce blue flames and they’re the hottest recorded. Loud Reader: She can eat six takoyaki balls in under one minute - freshly made. It’s her best party trick. V- Violence (Do they fight a lot? Are they a good fighter? What is their fighting style?) Quiet Reader: Y/N doesn’t like to fight and doesn’t know how. Benimaru and Konro have tried to teach her some basic defence moves but that’s about as much as she’s done. If push ever came to shove she could just superheat the air around her to make it impossible to get close. Loud Reader: She’s not a violent person but she loves to fight. Her style is the same as Benimaru’s but she’s a few years behind so isn’t as good as him yet. Her advantage over him is her strategic mind. Y/N is vulnerable to body blows and once she goes down she struggles to get her advantage back. W- Wow (What does Y/N do that really surprises them? What do they do that Y/N really likes?) Quiet Reader: The first time Y/N stood up to a guy twice her size and demanded he apologise and pay the storekeeper they had just stolen from, Benimaru had been taken aback. The quiet, shy girl he was so careful around had an aura so dangerous that even he had to think about whether he wanted to even approach. The man had laughed at her and made to leave - luckily he had been a third-generation and only his clothes were burnt to a crisp. Benimaru wasn’t so careful with her from then on. Y/N was surprised by how gentle Benimaru was when they were alone. He’s very soft and childlike… unless he’s after something a little more grown-up. Loud Reader: Benimaru hadn’t thought someone as boisterous as Y/N would like children. She adores them, she always has time for kids and gets especially soft around babies. Y/N doesn’t just like them but she’s very good with little kids and he’s surprised how motherly she is. Y/N really likes when Benimaru feels her looking at her and instead of asking what she wants, he gives her a gentle smile. It always makes her feel happy. X- (Explicit headcanon. For all you degenerates) Quiet Reader: Y/N is shy when it comes to sex but she’s not inexperienced. Benimaru was a little too gentle with her the first few times - which was mind-blowing and completely satisfying but she really wanted to see him lose his cool. Y/N got so frustrated that she pushed him onto the futon and ravaged him. After that, Benimaru does what he likes providing it doesn’t hurt her and they both get off on it. Technically Benimaru initiates sex but Y/N will drop some pretty heavy hints that she wants him. Loud Reader: The first few times they were rough with each other and that was enough to keep them coming back to each other. But as they got to know each other Benimaru became a little slower, a little gentler and it really threw her off. Eventually, she told Benimaru that it made her uncomfortable and he found out that her previous boyfriends had been pretty selfish. They didn’t always satisfy her or make her feel loved. It took some effort and patience but now she knows that sex can be good at any pace. Y- Yucky (Is there something that grosses them out so badly that they can’t deal with it?) They’re both pretty good with most things, plenty grosses them out but nothing that they just simply wouldn’t be able to stand. Z- ZZZ’s (What are their sleeping habits? Both with and without Y/N) Quiet Reader: Y/N is usually in bed by midnight, if she’s out at a festival or the bar with Benimaru then two in the morning seems to be her limit - after that, she’ll sleep anywhere. Before bed she likes to take a bath and have something warm to drink, she’ll do a little reading or speak with the others before heading to bed. If Benimaru is home he’ll usually follow her timing or join her an hour later. They spoon. Y/N fits so well against him and they usually fall asleep

whilst talking about little things - always with their fingers entwined. If Benimaru is out patrolling then she’ll steal his pillow to cuddle. Loud Reader: She’ll often be awake until three in the morning, she struggles to sleep normal hours because she sleeps in so late. Y/N has tried to go to sleep earlier but really struggles. She’ll brush her teeth, brush her hair and grab a drink before heading to bed as she prefers to wash in the mornings/whenever she gets up. If Benimaru isn’t home then she’ll keep herself busy until she finally falls asleep, she takes up most of the futon and Benimaru has a hell of a time getting in with her when he gets back. When he is there, he’s usually fallen asleep before her. Benimaru tends to sleep on his side with his arm over her middle and his face nestled into her neck whilst she’s on her back. Sometimes being unable to sleep gives her the rare opportunity to fall in love with Benimaru’s sleeping face. He’s rather beautiful when he’s not sulking.

[chaosintheavenue]

Infinity train au?

Yesss...

It’s still very much in the rough draft stages as an AU, but here’s a basic run-down of where the OCs are at!

The main character is 14 year old Charlie, from an AU where her sister Chel was still alive and Brutus was her best friend at that age. One day, she runs away from home as she frequently does in canon, and hops onto the train as she sees it passing. At this point, she thinks it’s just a standard train that will take her far from all her problems

Brutus and Chel never end up on the train, and so are basically never seen ‘live’ throughout the AU, but they do feature prominently in Charlie’s tapes

Sid is there as a passenger, and as you might expect, his number is huge, covering most of his body. He doesn’t make any real effort to get it down and just wanders through cars trying to keep himself occupied. Charlie pretty much stays away from him, but he’s still relevant because she knew him (or at least, knew of him) before either of them boarded the train. In this AU, it turns out he wasn’t captured by the NCR at Boulder City, but instead saw the train parked in the train station there and got aboard to gather intel about this mysterious new NCR vehicle...

Tibbs is also a passenger. Canon Tibbs has plenty of trouble with trains, so it’s easy to imagine how he ended up boarding this one lol (summary: Infinity Train accidentally does a prison break to pick up a passenger). At the point when Charlie is on the train, he’s been there for a long time. His number wasn’t even particularly high when he boarded, but he’s taken up residence with the denizens of a science lab car and now considers himself one of them, to the point where both he and they sometimes forget that he’s a passenger. Has no intention of ever leaving the train, and tries to hide the fact that he was a passenger from other passengers that pass through ‘his’ car

Sigrid (Charlie’s mother) became a passenger shortly after she got thrown out of Arroyo. Obviously she left the train and carried on with her adventures as the Chosen One long before Charlie entered the picture. Charlie learns about Sigrid having been a passenger whilst she’s on the train herself, and inadvertently discovers the truth about her past at the same time

Natalia the Vault Dweller was most likely also a passenger in her time

Now, onto denizens! Naturally, JJ is here. He’s a statue from an art gallery car originally, but he mostly hangs around in a forest car with the aminals <3

JASPER IS A CORGI. This is very important information

Violet’s a denizen who lives alone in a painted world which she controls with her mind, inside of a literal painting in the art gallery car (inspired partly by Priscilla from Dark Souls). Ashlen and Grace can appear in the painted world, but they’re almost caricatures of themselves as Violet sees them and are being controlled by her, so it’s not really them if ya get me

I’m not sure exactly where they’re going to fit into the plot yet, but Ness is a denizen in a weightless space car

Also no idea how he’s going to become plot-relevant, but Victor Presper is 100% on board as a passenger somewhere, with a number the size of the freaking Milky Way!

Some more spoilery bits- both for this AU and my OC stuffs in general- below the cut!

Plot twist A: JJ is not actually a statue from the art gallery car at all. He was once a passenger, who ended up dying on the train (this is JJ we’re talking about, of course he’s going to die hgdsgh) and was reincarnated in a ‘faded’ form in which his entire body is grey and his number no longer changes. He lost most of his memories, and now believes he’s a statue simply because he looks a lot like the real statue denizens from that car (he thinks he’s a statue of a passenger because of the fixed number on his hand, btw)

Plot twist B: Tibbs now has a daughter, who’s a denizen. She desperately wants to leave the unpredictability of the train and see the ‘real world’ that she’s heard about from him... but she can’t

Credit goes to @mitsybubbles for a) introducing me to the series in the first place, and b) suggesting some of the plot ideas!

Oh, and by the way, I wrote this with the assumption that the asker has knowledge of the basic principles of the show already, but if that isn’t the case, or just if anyone else is curious, feel free to hit me up and I can give more details :)

[muffintonic]

My fanfic trope tier list! (I saw @fanfic-inator795 do this the other day and thought it looked fun, haha.) Make your own here!

Placement reasoning under the cut.

S

Friends to Lovers: excellent, very natural that your lover would also be your friend.

Slow Burn: I like getting absorbed in a story, and the speed that I read at means I need longer ones so i’m not like, “Aww, man, that was it?” Also, the slow burns usually allow for progression at a more realistic pace as well as character development/analysis.

Mutual Pining: two people who love each other and eventually get together....Nice.

Missing Scenes: I am very nosey about characters i’m invested in, and sometimes I feel like whole other episodes and such could have been based off of what isn’t shown in between scenes.

A

Sharing a Bed: I like seeing the different ways that people contrive the bed-sharing to happen, haha. Also, there’s usually a lot of funny moments when getting to see the characters’ panicked thoughts. (The Kico WIP i’ve been sporadically working on since 2015 involves this, haha.)

Established Relationship: we don’t usually get to see this in media, so it’s refreshing!

Fluff: usually goes hand-in-hand with the above, and sometimes it’s nice to just know there’s nothing but happytimes happening.

Huddle for Warmth: similar to the bed sharing one, it’s all about the setting....with a side of either fluff or panicking, haha.

Fairytale AU: i’m a sucker for fantasy, and it’s fun to see which fairytales people use and their personal takes on them.

Magic AU: see above.

B

Fix it Fic: i’m not usually dissatisfied with how canon handles things, so this type of fic is, like, solely reserved for BOTW, bwaha. I’ve been really into BOTW since I got it/finished it last summer, though, so i’ve been reading a lot of The Champions Survive/Get Resurrected stuff and the ones i’ve read have had excellent worldbuilding and such.

Hurt Comfort: the intimacy of patching someone up/the thought behind it....Nice.

Fake Relationship: I am again a sucker for contrived coincidences, panicking, and realizations (another trope in my Kico WIP, though it only appears a little and is fake married). These sometimes come with angst though, which is why it’s not higher.

Gen Fic: I don’t often see these, but I...like the idea of them (I have an eternal WIP of my own for WBB that’s combined with Missing Scenes)? Also, sometimes the world isn’t built quite enough or we don’t get to see it utilized to its full extent in canon.

Humor: I wasn’t sure if this meant, like, fics written solely for comedic purposes or something, but I took it to mean having funny moments in them?? I love comedy above all else (which is why most of the A tier tropes are A tier--the inherent funniness of the situations to me).

In Vino Veritas: having what’s hidden in a character’s heart be exposed in a way that usually results in later panic....Nice (as evidenced by my own take in that one Perryshmirtz fic I did, haha). However, i’m not a big fan of alcohol for numerous reasons, which is why it’s not higher.

Soulmate AU: I don’t often find versions of these that I like, but when I do they’re pretty good. Worldbuilding and slow burn is a must for these.

Coffee Shop AU: I never really liked these before I got into BOTW....hmmm. Maybe it’s because I don’t really like characters from, like, slice-of-life/normal universes being changed into something even MORE mundane/too much like real life?? It’s fine if it’s an adventure story being calmed down, haha (but, like, ONLY adventure--I don’t like the idea of fantasy stories like Strange Magic getting dulled down to that extent).

C 

*most of the tropes here are only not a D because I reserved D for the ones I hate/am most apathetic towards

Arranged Marriage: I don’t usually see these done well (bad characterization/not enough worldbuilding), and arranged marriage is still a thing that happens nowadays in real life so it’s kind of.....

Body Swap: I’ve only found a few renditions of this that I like, namely the funny ones where they’re all like “Wow so this is how it feels like to be a teeny tiny--” *gets punched.* Unfortunately, most of the ones for this trope are, like, either somehow super angsty or have consent problems.

Canon Divergence: another one that rarely has good characterization/logical divergence/follows the established rules already set in canon while being a take on “But what if THIS had accidentally happened instead.”

Historical AU: as someone who minored in History in undergrad, boy howdy is history a touchy thing to make fanfic about. I think there’s only been one AU of this that i’ve liked, and it was for a movie that already had its own version of history/the original canon wasn’t based on our world at all.

Time Loop: kind of a scary thing to think about.

Royalty AU: being a good leader is hard, which means there’s usually not a lot of time for gallivanting. Despite this, there tends to be a lot of that (and poor worldbuilding) in these types of fics.

Amnesia Fic: I don’t like it when someone forgets their loved ones.

First Kiss: I think first kisses are over romanticized. First kiss with the person who is now your lover? Good. First kiss overall? No.

Angst: reality (and sometimes the canon) is dark enough, thanks. Light angst with a happy ending is fine, but I seriously hate characters being subjected to one painful thing after another (I once read an entire published book where that was the case and I was just....so infuriated by the end).

Enemies to Lovers: rarely done to my taste. The two people have to be relatively on the same moral spectrum otherwise this DOESN’T WORK as a good/functioning relationship. Like, you can’t pair off someone who, say, killed their dad, spearheaded a war against innocents, and tortured the other person with the other person. Even when it’s someone who, for example, tried to destroy the entire universe, continually emotionally abused their only friend, laid siege to innocents despite knowing that it was wrong, killed the parent of that other person’s best friend, and physically/emotionally abused that other person, it’d be extremely short-sighted to pair them with that other person without AT LEAST them acknowledging how completely toxic they’ve been and spending a good amount of time (roughly equal or greater to how long they’ve been horrible) establishing that they have indeed changed and are making progress towards reparations and even betterment. Perryshmirtz? Good. Butterfly Bog? Also good. Those are the only two good examples I can think of.

College AU: pretty much in the same boat as the Coffee Shop AU, but sometimes I disagree with what majors get picked for the characters, haha. Good choice for characters around that age, but for some reason I don’t like it when characters get de-aged to make this work. I have yet to see one for older characters that keeps them that age--older people go to college! There was, like, a mom in my Abnormal Psychology class in undergrad!

D

ABO: horribly graphic, mostly non/dubcon, and reduces people to their biology.

Crossover: the media i’m invested in are usually so vastly different from one another that my brain just refuses to have them mix.

Dark Fic: like Angst, but worse. No thanks.

Major Character Death: I read the fix-it-fics to AVOID this, bwahaha!

High School AU: similar to College AU where I dislike characters being de-aged for this, which is unfortunately common. Also, Your Experiences Are Not Universal.

Crack Fic: I am generally a stickler for canon. Boo, absurdity!

Miscommunication: JUST FREAKING OPEN YOUR PIE-HOLE AND TALK TO EACH OTHER.

Pregnancy Fic: not a big fan of the idea of pregnancy in general (the squishing of the organs, mood swings and whatever, that thing where your blood pressure can get super high randomly, dying in childbirth, postpartum depression, etc).

Love Triangle: these can usually be solved by either 1) poly relationship 2) maybe DON’T choose the “bad boy” that disrespects you and is emotionally distant?????

Unhappy Ending: WHY would I want this??????? See: Angst

Unrequited Love: similar to the above.

PWP: maybe it’s my aceness talking, but to quote Doof: “Backstory, backstory, backstory!”

Sex Pollen: too much like PWP, but with more consent problems

Bang or Die: see above

Baby Fic: similar to Pregnancy + I....can’t really imagine a lot of my favorite ships with kids?? Like, Butterfly Bog/Potionless and Panlie, sure. Doof already has Vanessa/Norm and Perry is an uncle......maybe Po and Tigress if they adopt?? I feel like they could also just be teachers together and their students would be their “kids.” Meh.

[tren-fraszka]

Past Imperfect 2019 Letter

Dear creator,

Thank you for taking your time to check my requests. I know my requests can sound a bit tricky, but please don’t be discouraged. I wish you will have good time writing first and foremost!

My AO3 is Tren, if you wish to check it out.

Likes: comedy, casefics, canon compliants, AUs, time loops, bodyswaps, roleswaps, “being hoisted by your own petard” plotlines, snark, pettiness, rivals, enemies to friends to lovers, violence, friendships and character bonding,

DNW: explicit sex, A/B/O, mpreg, rape depicted as positive (so no “it’s okay, because the other person enjoyed it/it was what they truly wanted”), trans headcanons, soulmate AUs, stories ending with surrender to fate/destiny, fourth wall breaking in canons where that doesn’t occur, character has cancer or other real life terminal disease AU, word “queerplatonic”.

Also, I included what ships I’m okay with in each fandom. Please do not include any ships that aren’t canon and I have not allowed in those sections (if you feel really strongly about a ship I haven’t mentioned, you can always ask through mods just in case).

Additionally, while I almost never request fanart as possible medium, because I prefer my main gift to be fic, I would be very okay with receiving fanart treats. On another note, feel free to use my old letters if you get your hands on them. I never stop being interested in fandoms, and if I requested something once I will still want it in the future.

                                               REQUESTS

A general note on time travel: feel free to get bloody if you want. Aside from Revue Starlight which isn’t a violent show by nature, I don’t mind characters dying and getting hurt during the attempts to change the timeline. I also don’t mind characters not succeeding in their attempted goals, as long as the fic doesn’t have a complete downer ending. I’d rather the heroes won at the end of the day, but I don’t mind if you make it a bitter victory. Good endings are, of course, fine too. I also love the trope where the attempt to change the events through time travel results in the canon timeline.

TALES OF SYMPHONIA 

Lloyd Irving, Lloyd Irving & Kratos Aurion

This party gets so many things wrong on their journey to save the world that almost half of it is in ruins when they are done saving it. Needlessly to say I think there is a whole lot that our party may want to fix using time travel.

I'm partial to the idea of time traveller Lloyd because he would be so terrible at it. He's just so earnest he would accidentally reveal he has a whole lot of knowledge he shouldn't possess. Give me future Lloyd who returns to the body of his younger self who has only just started on his journey of regeneration and who keeps struggling not to call Kratos dad. Or future Lloyd returning to the past with his own body, who is desperately trying to stay incognito and fix the timeline rather than accidentally breaking it even more (bonus points if future Genis and Yuan have some sort of magical connection with him and are constantly screaming at him about what he should and shouldn't do). I would also love future Lloyd pretending before the party that he is just a mysterious swordsman by emulating Kratos.

I'm also fine with other characters travelling in time, I just don't have concrete prompts for them. But you are free to have fun with them. I'd rather the Kharlan Heroes weren't the ones time travelling since their charm is in the fact that they are absolute dumbasses who keep failing to account for the consequences of their actions (aside from Kratos who spends way too much time being apathetic, only to regret absolutely everything when he does manage to pull himself out of his depression), but if you have some good ideas for how they can fail even more by time travelling I won't mind (maybe they can accidentally get into way of some other time travelling characters). I just want them to keep being ancient disasters. If they suddenly became competent enough to fix the timeline it would feel weird. Unless it's Martel who somehow time traveled into the future and proceeds to fix everything by slapping all other Kharlan Heroes and telling them they are idiots.

As for how much the timeline is fixed, I would prefer for Yggdrassil to get defeated and the worlds to be merged at the end, but if the characters' efforts don't amount much to actually making things better than the original timeline, I won't mind. You are even free to make them fail even more. Honestly, stopping Kratos from gallivanting into space is the only fix-it that actually matters to me and I would love if it gets included into the story. 

Also, you are free to go for some darker moments with Lloyd time travelling back to when his mom died and trying to save her, but failing to do so.

As for the ships, I'm fine with: Lloyd/Genis, Genis/Presea, Lloyd/Genis/Presea, Zelos/Colette, Colette/Sheena, Zelos/Colette/Sheena, Anna/Kratos, Yuan/Martel, Kratos/Yuan (as "useless widowers who only have each other left" ship). Please don't include any ships not listed here, even if they are 2/3 of a threesome.

Time Loop/Groundhog Day

Time Travel Fix-It

Mental Time Travel to Past - Replacing Past Self

Mental Time Travel to Past - Sharing Body With Past Self

Time Travel Fix-It - Time Traveler Fixes Things By Accident

Uncontrollable Spontaneous Time Travel

Time Travel to Fix Problems Caused By Previous Time Travel

Multiple Travelers - Get In Each Other’s Way While Trying To Achieve Different Goals

SHOUJO KAGEKI REVUE STARLIGHT (ANIME)

Yes, I really am okay with any characters from this show. I love all girls in this theater school, so I'd rather you focused on the ones you enjoy the most, dear author. I admit I just want more shenanigans around Banana's time loop. Give me all more or less successful attempts to break out of it. Maybe Maya becomes aware of the time loop and starts to view Nana as a rival much to Claudine's frustration. Or Kaoruko's increasing frustration with the fact that she's the only one who remembers time loops other than Nana finally spurs her to put effort into bettering herself. Or maybe Giraffee's POV as it gets increasingly frustrated with the repeating performances and tries different indirect approaches in hopes of stopping Nana. Feel free to use any other idea you have, I'm just interested to see your ideas!

I'm playing Re-live game so you are free to borrow characters and ideas from it. Maybe rather than Hikari it's some other stage girl that comes to Seisho and gets caught in the time loop? Or one of the characters travels into the future and they end up having three days to learn for their role, because they don't share memories with their future self. 

You are free to ship any girls from the anime as you like. My only request would be that if you decide to borrow Michiru from Re-Live that she will not be shipped with anyone.

Breaking a canonical time loop

Canonical Time Loops

Time Loop/Groundhog Day

Multiple Travelers - Accidentally Get In Each Other’s Way While Trying To Achieve The Same Goal

Multiple Travelers - Get In Each Other’s Way While Trying To Achieve Different Goals

Time Loop - Unexpectedly Living With The Consequences Of Actions During Final Loop

Time Travel For Pranks And Petty Mischief

Trying to not break a canonical time loop

5 Minute Long Time Loop

Outsider POV Of Strange Events Caused By Time Travel

LORD EL-MELLOI CASE FILES

I’ve watched anime and read the first volume of the novel. I also know way too many other Fate properties if you want to use them or the characters from them.

Waver Velvet, Gray

This canon is perfect for all sorts of magic induced time travel shenanigans be it time loops or time travels. I would love for Waver and others to stumble into some sort of time distortion and have to figure out how to escape out of it.

I requested Waver and Gray, because I feel like they would be the most interesting characters to be involved in time travel shenanigans, but if you want, I also wouldn't be opposed to Flat, Reines or Callum in that role. You may make the situation as serious or as mundane as you wish. This fandom is great for all kinds of stories. Whether it be Gray caught up in a time loop that always ends up with Waver ending miserable and trying to change that, or Waver having to watch death of people important to him. 

The loop could be caused by magical accident or be a ploy aimed to Reines faction. Or maybe Flat created a time loop because he couldn't finish his homework on time. Or someone from Waver's class brought a cursed artifact to the class and now they need to figure out who it was. The possibilities are endless. I also think that a character from the future using magecraft to communicate with those in the past could work really well here. 

If you know Zero, then I would also be very much up for Gray travelling back in time to see the fourth Holy Grail war. Whether she changes anything, or if she remains a bystander by accident or choice isn't really important to me. I'm fine with both. Though I think it would be really sweet if she got to comfort Waver after Iskander's death.

I love this fandom for all the gen relationships, so I would love if you went in that direction. When it comes to pairings I would be okay with Waver/Melvin or Reines/Gray, but don't feel forced to write them in.

Time Loop/Groundhog Day

Time Loop - Unexpectedly Living With The Consequences Of Actions During Final Loop

Time Loop - Only looping character is aware of the loop

Time Travel For Pranks And Petty Mischief

Unusual Ways To Communicate Through Time

Accidentally Built A Time Machine

Uncontrollable Spontaneous Time Travel

5 Minute Long Time Loop

Meeting your hero in the past

Multiple Travelers - Accidentally Get In Each Other’s Way While Trying To Achieve The Same Goal

Parallel Universes

Outsider POV Of Strange Events Caused By Time Travel

MY HERO ACADEMIA 

I'm reading the chapters as they come out, you are free to incorporate any new developments.

Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Uraraka Ochako, Tokoyami Fumikage

Unlike other canons I requested, for this one I have a very strong preference for one of the characters I requested to be the time traveller. I love most of the cast, but this is one time I'm gonna play favourites.

This canon is great for characters going back in time to fix stuff with everybody having heroic motivations. How well their attempts go is up to you. Feel free to put the characters through some hell if you want. 

Since I would enjoy similar scenarios for all characters I feel like it would be more helpful if I focused on the reason why I chose this specific characters:

- Uraraka - one of her biggest strengths is her ability to read and influence others. It would be interesting to see her change the events using her talents. She's not very powerful and charismatic compared to some of her classmates, but she has plenty of tricks of her own to use instead. Also, she has determination to spare.

- Tokoyami - I love him and Dark Shadow. It would be very interesting to see how the loyal and hard working Fumikage deals with suddenly being thrown into the past. He would surely want to help his friends, but at the same time he seems to believe in fate to some extent. How would he be able to reconcile those two drives?

- Aizawa - on the one hand as a teacher he can do much more, but on the other one now he has to save his thirty students from all the dangers lurking before them. Needlessly to say, it's no easy task to keep all the problem children of class 1A safe. He's an experienced hero, so it would be interesting to see how he uses his knowledge and skills to overcome the obstacles in his way.

For the pairings I enjoy Bakugou/Uraraka, Todoroki/Deku and Aizawa/Hizashi. I don't have strong shipping preference for Tokoyami, but I would be okay with shipping him with Deku. Feel free to ask through mods if you feel strongly about shipping him with someone. As far as Uraraka's feelings for Deku are concerned I'm okay with her crush being mentioned, but I'd rather it wasn't the focus and definitely not an endgame. I like the idea of the two of them dating for some time, but realizing it isn't working for them and staying friends instead or a scenario where Uraraka never conveys her feelings and they sizzle out through years.

Character Receives Letters from Their Future Self

Character's Health Worsens the More They Time Travel

Time Loop/Groundhog Day

Character Meets Their Own Earlier/Later Incarnation

Time Loop - Looping character trying to save another character's life

Uncontrollable Spontaneous Time Travel

5 Minute Long Time Loop

Alternate Universe - Canon Character Is Secretly A Time Traveler From The Future

Multiple Travelers - Accidentally Get In Each Other’s Way While Trying To Achieve The Same Goal

Mental Time Travel to Past - Sharing Body With Past Self

Mental Time Travel to Past - Replacing Past Self

Mental Time Travel to Past - Merging With Past Self

[allaboutwannaone-blog]

enemies to lovers!sungwoon 

genre: fluff word count: 2.0k summary: would you listen to your heart, or your mind in the face of love? author’s note: first scenario up, sorry if its too cringey (´・ω・`)  /edits are mine!/

• well *claps three times sassily*

• iTs hA sAeng uN tiMe

• sungwoon was,,, really just like any other classmate (who sits behind you)

• aside from his obnoxiously stupid loud voice (which you’ll grow to love shh)

• and his stupid round glasses that dEfiNiteLy dIdN’T sUiT hIm aT aLL???!! (inserts overly used spongebob meme)

• and his stupid lips that look like clouds (and probably tastes like them too) 

• and his stupidly sparkly eyes and his stupidly cute height and jUst uGh

• come to think of it he was never really a normal person and you were just a wee bit attracted to him JUST A WEE BIT A WEE BIT 

• but ever since this argument you had in front of the entire class,, the wee feelings you thought you had for him disappeared (did it really??) because boi he is annoying  눈_눈 

• it was literature class and your teacher!jisung was asking a question about whether you should follow your heart or your mind when making a choice 

• jisung: “so…y/n, what do you think?”

• you: “actually, i personally think that thinking with your mind is a better option because it will lead you to making a more rational choice, since your heart may make risky decisions based on your emotions. following your heart will not work well in situations that are pressurising.”

• jisung: “brilliant, any other opinions, class?”

• sungwoon: “well, actually, i personally think that your argument is flawed because your mind is logical and logic follows the conventional way of thinking. you’ll never get to go out of your comfort zone! you’ll never take any risk! that’s why you have to think with your heart. think, think!”

• oH HO aH HA *rubs hands in glee* D RA M A

• you: “but taking risks will get you into trouble!”

• sungwoon: “well that’s because you’re a goody-two-shoes!”

• you: “says the one who hasn’t skipped school before.”

• him: “says the one who never fails to hand up your homework on time.”

• you both: “sAYS THE ONE-“

• jisung, exasperatedly: “ALRIGHT CLASS, LET’S SETTLE DOWN, NO FIGHTING BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE UNDERAGE.” 

• ok but he’s secretly shipping you guys together because oo you both noticed each other’s habits in school mHmMmMmMmm!m

• anyway

• that was the beginning of the hatred between the two of you,, you were like bij what the feck 

• queueing for food in the cafeteria? sungwoon secretly slips in front of you when you're distracted,, talking to your friends

• you confront him about it - but he acts like he doesn't know anything even though the small smirk on his face tells you otherwise,, and that infuriated you to no end

• having lessons? you turn behind and ‘accidentally’ knock over his pencil case to pass him papers teachers give out 

• you feel bad whenever he has to pick everything back up but your pride ain't gonna let you stoop that low to help the enemy so you just kind of just signal to your lab partner baejin to help him and he's always ʘ‿ʘ because he knows something’s up but only for a moment as he remembers you have the video of him headbanging on top of a table once because he didn't hear you entering his dorm room,,,bUT THATS A STORY FOR ANOTHER TIME

• however,, one day when you were going home after long gruelling hours in prison (jk school), you decided to take a detour to a convenience store since you are a thirstin’ and hungry hoe 

• after spending eons deciding on which snack to buy (you ended up buying one of each of the five types you painstakingly shortlisted), you finally decided to go and pay

• bUT GUESS WHO YOU SAW ????? (cues the ‘no shit, sherlock’s)

• yes it is,,, HA SUNGWOON1!1!1!!1!1!1!!

• but he wasn't alone

• was he with a girlfriend????? boyfriend????

• NO!!

• he was with an old lady

• and well, being the nosy person you are, you crept closer forward to figure out what they're saying in front of a pissed off cashier while pretending to look at the drinks

• old lady: “i’m sorry, i do not have enough money to pay for everything. are you sure there's no discount for the elderly? i have the card with me-”

• cashier, rudely cuts in: “this is the second time you're asking me that, and the answer is. still. no. fix your hearing, will you?”

• sungwoon: “fix you manners, will you? i’ll pay for her as well so shut the hell up and start being polite, will you?”

• the mildly stunned cashier decided to shut the hell up and started being polite; scanning their items and even bowed to them after they left.

• however, all you noticed was the blinding smile sungwoon gave to the lady.

• it made you feel things

• good things

• something sort of like…butterflies in your stomach

• your mind tells you to sTOP THINKING OF FRATERNISING WITH YOUR ENEMY THAT’S A BIG NO-NO

• …but your heart speaks otherwise

• you decided to leave the store after purchasing your goods (not without giving the cashier a stink eye) not long after ,, and surprise, surprise!

• you knocked your forehead against the chin of someone (that someone has an unbelievably sharp chin and it probably left a dent in your skull) coming into the store

• and it was,,, sungwoon?? again??

• him: “wait, you…were in there the whole time?”

• you: *blinks* *nods dazedly*

• him: “oh…um, i, um forgot to buy my milk and you’re, um, blocking the entrance?”

• you: “oh.” *doesn’t budge*

• you, 10 seconds later: “youdidwellbacktheregoodjobokbye” *runs away*

• you realised that that was actually your first conversation with him that didn't include any fighting…and you screwed it up 

• but why do you even care about that?? like, who cares if you talk to him??

• “you do.” your smol beating heart whispers.

• and that was the day you started falling for him.

• you started noticing how he always seemed to pick up your pen whenever you try some cool tricks which often resulted in it flying backwards (and hitting him once but you swear it was an accident)

• how he never fails to try his best and give you constructive feedback whenever the teacher told you guys to switch papers to mark (even though he’ll always add in some snarky remarks like “hah betcha didn't listen in class”)

• how he defends his friends when they get laughed at for not knowing how to answer questions at times 

• how his lips look so full and cloud-like 

• but what about him, then? does he feel the same?

• honestly,, the day you ran away after complimenting was the incident that really got him thinking that hey i’m really am whipped

• yes that's rIGHT

• he liked you even before that incident because you looked cute bickering with him (he thought you resembled a smol angry bird)

• and that day just,, confirmed his suspicions that he really likes you

• but he was scared,,

• that you’ll reject him because in his opinion,, you looked like you hated him a lot

• he had no idea how to rectify that because honestly bothering you was the only way he could keep talking to you 

• bUt hAh jokes on both of you guys because you like each other 

• hOWEVER, THERE WAS A PROBLEM

• none of you are budging to make the first move even though you guys keep staring at each other across the cafeteria 

• small accidental (🤔🤔) brushes of hands when passing down assignments make you feel fuzzy inside 

• shy smiles are now exchanged instead of mock glares anD eveRyoNe around y’all is just like “feck this tension between you guys, i’ll die before y’all even kiss”

• and you're just “…hAhh no he doesn't like me…NOT THAT I LIKE HIM EITHER” (baejin: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

• to make sure that everyone lives to see you guys become an item,, sungwoon’s and your friends decided to hatch a plan to get you guys together (they deadass created a group chat for it called ‘we are gonna make this happen’ what jokes)

• …that's why you find yourself pacing up and down the garden in your school (it's monstrous and no lie you were kinda afraid of it but nvm) because your bestie told you to meet her there after eating lunch and you're just like ?? i thought you had a meeting 

• her: stfu nobody asked for your opinion jUst gO aLonG wiTh tHe fLoW jk i love you

• when you finally heard the crunching of leaves and twigs, you launched into your rant like bRUH I’VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR TWENTY MINUTES WHY ARE-

• unknown: “…sorry?”

• you, a stuttering and blushing mess: “oh-h sor-ry i thought you were my b-best friend because i was supposed to b-be meeting her here.”

• sungwoon, a tad shyly: “wait, what? my friends told me to meet them here too!”

• you: “…oh. guess we have to wait together…then.”

• after five minutes of agonising awkwardness (istg the both of you were dying to speak but it was like there was this invisible barrier), you couldn't take it anymore 

• you: “um, so-”

• sungwoon, at the same time, loudly: “UM, SO-“

• you: “ok you go first”

• him: “no you go first”

• you: “no YOU go first”

• him: “fine”

• you: “fine”

• you: “why aren't you speaking????”

• you, looking over worriedly at the flustered boy: “did you become mute??? are you sick?? your ears are turning red!!!!!”

• him, after a one minute mental pep talk: “okay so you're one of the dumbest persons i've ever met but you're also one of the prettiest too and i've been waiting to say this for the past few months but i really like you a lot but i know that you hate me and want me to be banished to the other side of the world and i'll back off if you don't like me which is a highly possible answer but i like you a lot and fuck why am i rambling”

• you: “wait shut up and let me process what you just said”

• you: *processes for a long time because yOU CANT BELIEVE YOUR CRUSH LIKED YOU BACK*

• him: “…oooookay i’m about to be rejected i should skedaddle away right now”

• and honestly you felt like you could burst but no you can't burst because then you'll never be his girlfriend so you try to keep your guts from exploding 

• but sungwoon was already leaving ,,, you have to takE A C TION 

• so you ran up to him and told him that you actually reciprocate his feelings ,, and you gave him the best hug you could ever give (one that u reserved for only your soft toys and well technically sungwoon is as soft as a soft toy so it makes sense)

• HE WAS SHOCKED, SURPRISED, STUNNED, SHOOK, SURPRISED, SHOCKED (…what else i am not a living thesaurus ffs) 

• his heart was doing that little jump thingy whenever he was around you like “!1!1!!1!????!1!!!!” and he was so happy he wanted to turn around and kiss you but 

• AT THAT MOMENT BEFORE YOU GOT TO TASTE HIS CLOUD LIKE LIPS

• you heard the rustling of leaves and a group of people climbed out of their hiding spots in bushes, behind plants, trees, a random beach chair

• daniel: HEY HEY HEY KEEP IT PG-13 OR THE POLICE WILL COME

• baejin: yEA WE HAVE A BABY HERE *points to daehwi*

• jihoon: and we won't want to scar our eyes lololol no offence to you y/n this is directed to our hyung

• your bestie: i KNEW THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA

• ,,,and that was the end of your fiasco in the garden (not without those bright smiles from your boyfriend that could actually save the world and a few pecks sneaked in) 

• BUT IT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE CUTEST RELATIONSHIP EVER WITH SUNGWOON, AN ANGEL,,

• and you realised that hey you thought with your heart when you confessed to him lmao

[dpargyle]

Holy Shit Kids what a night...

so it’s 4:45 & I’m disgusted with humanity cuz of the whole Virginia thing so I turn the news off, blast Spotify shuffle, and roll over to my microwave to make dinner (i eat early, I know)...

and some idiot wheelchair designer has apparently decided to put the manual disengage breaks at the front of the damn chair (instead of at the back where they logically should go) so I accidentally knock one of them off and the chair won’t let me move cuz half the chair’s motor has been disengaged - so I freak the fuck out cuz my stupid ass left my cellphone on my desk all the way on the other side of the apartment (crying, yelling, screaming) - like just really scared and shaking cuz I live alone and O gods O gods O gods what the actual f am i gonna do (and at that point I just thought my chair might’ve had a major problem and how the f am i gonna b mobile??????)

so I end up coming up with the brilliant idea of shimmying out of my chair onto the floor of my kitchen so i can maybe crawl across my entire apartment to maybe drag my phone down so I can call someone to help...

this plan, as you can guess, went tits up real quick - I shimmied the wrong way and cuz the chair was on half manual, it just swung out from underneath me (which told me what was wrong with it, at least, but scared the crap outta me while it was happening) and I just kinda ended up with my body jammed between my wheelchair and my fridge and somehow my head ended up inside the fridge and I couldn’t move at all and my hip shoulder and neck were in sooooo much pain so I can’t do anything but yell HELP HELP HELP as I lay there for like an hour and a half

and you guys i was praying to all the gods in every pantheon and it was terrible cuz I’d left Spotify shuffle on sooo loud so I didn’t know if my voice was carrying over it and the fridge was crushing my lungs and it was cold cuz my head was in the fridge and I was beginning to have trouble breathing and then Leia’s Theme came on the shuffle and I nonsensically started praying to the spirit of Carrie Fisher hahaha cuz what else was I gonna do

so I just continue yelling HELP HELP HELP o god HELP I’ve fallen outta my wheelchair HELP!  And o my god you guys somebody starting hammering on my apartment door and I nearly ascended to the higher planes my soul was soooooooooo happy and they were like how do we get in and I was like there’s a keypad right by the door (it’s for my helpers to get in and help me get outta bed in the mornings) and they were like what’s the code and I just yelled the code # over and over again cuz I was worried this might be the end…

and then the door opens and two pairs of feet come in and ran over to the open fridge (with yours truly’s head jammed in it) and for a split second I think I’m hallucinating cuz these two beautiful athletic girls are standing over me looking concerned and then I was like wait they’re not angels they’re my neighbors!

And – kids – it’s crazy cuz I’ve been crushing on this blonde girl down the hallway from me for like three months now and cuz I’m super awkward ive only ever waved at her cuz I’m just really shy around women – but it turns out she was one of these girls and I was like holy shit praise be to General Organa this is some crazy shit!

So they’re like how do we help you and I was like I got no clue hahaha but maybe grab my other neighbor down the hallway (he’s helped me out of a couple jams recently) and I worried I was being a little sexist cuz they seemed perfectly capable of lifting me by themselves (though I did worry a bit) but to be honest with you kids I didn’t want her to grab me or something and then have little dbundles…well, you know, rise to the occasion cuz I know this sounds pathetic but I’m a little starved of human contact and I wasn’t sure what’d happen if she touched me and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable (I’ve seen Rory O’Shea Was Here – I’ve seen that movie and I know how it ends lol)

So her really sweet friend (no joke, she shares the name of an angel – literally – could not make this shit up) goes to run and get my other neighbor while blondie stays by my side and I’m like what the hell nearly dying with my head stuck up my own fridge is a good a time as any to finally introduce myself to her and so I did and she introduced herself to me and All this time I’m like well that’s one way of finally learning her name lmao

So they grab my other neighbor and he comes to help lift me so they are lifting me and of course my pants take this opportunity to slip down a bit so of course I end up mooning her (OF COURSE LMAO!)…

Anyway everybody stayed for like 30 minutes to help me fix my chair and make sure I was OK and I asked her and her friend for their numbers (FOR SAFETY IN THE FUTURE LMAO!) and holy shit kids

I think tomorrow I’m gonna bring everyone something special (chocolate, a pie) as a thanks (and also to become friendlier?) but maybe that’s too forward?

In any case – someone – someones are watching over me.  I’ve had my doubts about the supernatural for a long time now – ever since I lost my Christian faith years ago – but I don’t want to…brush off something like this…I cannot argue with weird shit like this.  Sure, maybe all coincidence – but I don’t think so.  Not anymore.

I dunno kids maybe I’m delirious.  Msg me.  Don’t wanna be alone tonight

Maybe the world isn’t all shit and Trump.  Maybe the angels do walk among and above us.  I wanna believe that. 

[gamerszone2019-blog]

The Best Nintendo Switch Controllers We've Tried So Far

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/the-best-nintendo-switch-controllers-weve-tried-so-far/

The Best Nintendo Switch Controllers We've Tried So Far

Since shortly after the Nintendo Switch‘s launch, I’ve been on the hunt for new Switch controllers. It’s a versatile little console, allowing for a wide range of different controller options, from playing with your PS4 and Xbox One controller to pads that resemble the classic controllers of the past. The Switch Pro controller is an obvious and great choice, but it’s also expensive, and in my experience, the D-Pad leaves a lot to be desired.

Thankfully, there are a ton of options from third-party companies like 8Bitdo and PDP that help account for personal preference while also introducing new features not found in first-party Nintendo Switch controllers. They aren’t all winners, but I have tested and identified some solid options worth considering if you need something a little different at a more affordable price.

We’ll keep this article updated as we test new controllers, adapters, and more. In the meantime, read on for an overview of the best Nintendo Switch controllers we’ve tried and can vouch for. Note that all pricing indicated below is subject to change–Amazon slashes the price on these products regularly, so you may see a discount when clicking through that we haven’t listed here.

Quick look: The best Nintendo Switch controllers we’ve tested

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

The best first-party Switch controller

The Good:

The best ergonomics of any controller I’ve used

Buttons are satisfying to press

Features NFC/Amiibo support, HD rumble, and motion controls

The Bad:

D-Pad is prone to incorrect inputs

$70 price tag is a bit steep

First off, we can’t talk about the best Nintendo Switch controllers on the market without talking about Nintendo’s first-party option, the Switch Pro controller. It’s a great pad with very few faults. For me, it has the best ergonomics among Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony’s first-party controllers. It’s the perfect size for my large hands, and the triggers are shaped just right for resting fingers. The face buttons feel good to press; the +, -, Home, and Screenshot buttons click wonderfully; and the analog sticks have a good amount of tension. The one problem I have with the Pro Controller is the D-Pad. It’s prone to incorrect inputs, which is most noticeable when playing puzzle games like Tetris 99 or fighting games like Mortal Kombat 11. This usually happens when you press a direction on the pad, but you’re a little off-center, causing an input in the wrong direction. It’s not something that breaks the experience completely, but when I’m playing a game that relies particularly heavy on the D-Pad, I always opt for a different controller.

The Pro Controller also boasts a lot of features that most third-party controllers rarely include. This includes NFC/Amiibo support, HD rumble, and motion controls. These things aren’t required for the vast majority of games, but every now and then, a certain utilization of them can put a smile on your face–HD rumble is used excellently in Super Mario Odyssey, for example. However, the Pro Controller’s price tag is also $70 USD, which is more expensive than both the DualShock 4 and latest Xbox One controller. There’s no doubt the Pro Controller is an excellent pad, but when there are great options at cheaper prices, it’s hard to justify buying a second, third, and/or fourth for your friends to use.

$70 at Amazon

8Bitdo Wireless Bluetooth Adapter

The best way to use PS4 and Xbox One controllers on the Switch

The Good:

Enables use of a DualShock 4, Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One, Wii U Pro, Wiimote, DualShock 3, and any compatible 8Bitdo controller

Easy to set up

The Bad:

Some games can cause abnormal vibration, which requires firmware updates to fix

Can’t wake up the Switch from Sleep Mode

The first time I plugged the 8Bitdo Bluetooth adapter into my Switch’s dock, it felt like black magic. I was using my DualShock 4 on a Nintendo platform, hitting Circle when it asked for A, Cross when it asked for B. And when it asked for X? You guessed it: Triangle. There was definitely a period of getting used to what buttons I should be pressing for each input the Switch requested, but once this passed, the adapter proved an excellent way to use not just the DualShock 4, but a wide array of Bluetooth-enabled controllers that don’t already connect to the Switch directly.

Of course, any controller you’ll use with this adapter won’t include features like HD rumble, motion controls, or Amiibo support. These losses are negligible for the vast majority of experiences, especially when using your favorite Bluetooth controller is the trade-off. One downside to this adapter, however, is a rumble issue that crops up with certain games. Most recently, I’ve experienced this with Fire Emblem: Three Houses, where your controller will vibrate abnormally even if you turn off rumble in the Switch’s system settings. This issue has been fixed for games like Splatoon 2 and Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy, though this requires you to plug the adapter into a computer to update the firmware.

$20 at Amazon

8Bitdo SN30 Pro Plus

The best Switch controller for customization

The Good:

Extensive button mapping and macro customization

Adjustable dead-zones for analog sticks and triggers

Customizable rumble functionality

Removable, rechargeable battery

Allows for the use of two AA batteries

Also doubles as an excellent option for classic games

The Bad:

The 8Bitdo SN30 Pro Plus is one of the more exciting Switch controllers. Not only does it feature a design inspired by the SNES, it also features extensive customization for button mapping, analog sticks, trigger inputs, and vibration adjustments. It allows you to swap button inputs, invert the X and Y axis on your analog sticks, and more. You can even create macros of up to 18 inputs. All of this customization must be done on a computer, but 8Bitdo’s customization software is a breeze to use. The one downside is that there are no extra buttons or paddles on the controller, so the remapping is restricted to swapping buttons.

My personal favorite thing about this controller is the fact that it includes a removable, rechargeable battery and also allows for disposable batteries. As someone who is currently sitting next to a box of dead PS3 controllers, I’m happy to know there is a great alternative to the Switch’s Pro controller that I’ll be able to use long after its rechargeable battery dies.

$50 at Amazon

PDP Faceoff Deluxe+ Controller

The best budget Switch controller

The Good:

Great D-pad

Excellent ergonomics

Remappable paddles

Audio port works great for voice chat-enabled games and listening with headphones

The Bad:

Can hit paddles by accident in some cases

Can’t wake the Switch up from Sleep Mode

When I learned the Switch had a Pro controller alternative that included an audio port, boasted remappable paddles, and only cost $25, I didn’t expect much in the way of quality. The PDP Faceoff Deluxe+ wired controller exceeded my expectations and is now one of my favorites to use with the Switch. Holding it, it feels very similar to Nintendo’s Pro controller. I don’t think any of these controllers beat the Pro controller in pure ergonomics, but this PDP pad comes close. The general shape is the same, but the sticks and triggers come up a touch higher. I like the raised height of the triggers, but I feel like they could have been reshaped a bit to better fit the natural curve of your fingers.

Nevertheless, this hardly ruins the experience. The inclusion of remappable paddles is a fantastic addition. You can map any button to these paddles, and I found it incredibly useful for games that assigned sprint to a face button. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I’m able to sprint, jump, and glide, all while controlling the camera with my thumb firmly planted on the right stick. Of course, this can present some problems in certain games. When switching from Breath of the Wild to Super Mario Maker 2, I would instinctively squeeze the paddle while making some jumps. And unfortunately, there’s only one configuration profile and no way to turn the paddles off, so if you don’t want to use them, you’ll have to go through the short process of mapping them to each other–this makes it so there’s no input when pressing them. It’s a minor issue, but an annoying one nonetheless.

Thankfully, the PDP Faceoff Deluxe+ feels good enough to use to deal with the occasional accidental button press. Its analog sticks have a similar tension to the Pro controller’s, and it has a great D-Pad. The 3.5mm audio port is a good option for voice chat in supported games (e.g. Fortnite), though I spent most of my time using the port to listen through my favourite pair of headphones. This works really well, with the ability to control your volume on the controller itself and within the Switch’s menu. And with its wired connection, you don’t have to worry about its battery dying. Because that wired connection powers the Switch, however, you won’t be able to turn the console on from Sleep Mode–you’ll have to hit the Power button on your docked Switch before starting to play. As long as you’re okay these few inconveniences, then I can wholeheartedly recommend the Faceoff Deluxe+.

$25 at Amazon

Hori D-Pad Joy-Con

Best Switch controllers for handheld mode

The Good:

The best, most convenient option for a D-Pad in handheld mode

Very comfortable for games that excel with a D-Pad

The Bad:

Restricted to handheld use only

Incompatible with most cases and grips

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the Switch is the lack of a proper D-Pad on its left Joy-Con. It’s not an automatic dealbreaker, with games like Breath of the Wild and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate not utilizing the D-Pad for anything super demanding, but when the situation calls for it, the Hori D-Pad Joy-Con feels a lot more precise and comfortable when playing in handheld mode.

The D-Pad on Hori’s Joy-Con is softer than what I usually look for, but it’s hard to deny just how pleasant the experience is. I didn’t realize how much I missed a D-Pad until I used this to play games like Mortal Kombat 11, Tetris 99, and Super Mario Maker 2. These games, as well as many others, have since been a lot more enjoyable in handheld mode.

There are a few things that are important to note, however. First off, this Joy-Con can’t be used wirelessly, so you’re restricted to using it in handheld mode. Secondly, it’s incompatible with most cases and grips. This is because the latch button protrudes out further than Nintendo’s official Joy-Cons. I took a pair of scissors and cut out a space for it on my cheap Orzly grip case, but I likely won’t be doing the same to my more expensive accessories.

Zelda Edition: $20 at Amazon Mario Edition: $20 at Amazon Pikachu Edition: $20 at Amazon

8bitdo M30 Bluetooth

The best classic controller on Nintendo Switch

The Good:

Fantastic D-Pad and ergonomics

Connects directly to Nintendo Switch

Also compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and Raspberry Pi

The Bad:

Not suitable for all games

8Bitdo’s M30 controller might just be one of my favorite pads ever. As a Sega Genesis kid, I’ve always held a special place in my heart for the six-button controller, which is what the M30 emulates and improves on. Its ergonomics have been shaped differently to make it more comfortable to hold than the Sega original, and the D-Pad is by far my favorite of any 8Bitdo controller. Classic titles, platformers, and fighting games are the obvious choice for the M30, but I’ve also found myself enjoying Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with it. It’s definitely not going to work with every game, especially those that rely on a second analog stick, but it’s a controller I’ll always go to if it’s possible to do so.

$30 at Amazon

8Bitdo N30 Bluetooth

The best NES controller for Nintendo Switch

The Good:

Better shoulder buttons than the subscription-exclusive NES Joy-Cons

Includes a Home button

Connects directly to Nintendo Switch

Also compatible with retro receivers and USB adapters

The Bad:

Not suitable for all games

The 8Bitdo N30 isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s an NES-style controller that is great for very specific games, like everything in the Switch Online NES library and very few others. I prefer the NES controller’s shape and button layout for that console’s games, but in trying to find other uses for the N30, I was largely unsuccessful. Even modern Tetris games like Tetris 99 and Puyo Puyo Tetris require more than the D-Pad and B and A buttons–the extra two face buttons on the N30 are restricted to Turbo. The N30 includes shoulder buttons for L and R, which does extend the number of games it can be used with (e.g. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), but the options are still limited.

I mostly use my N30 in conjunction with a retro receiver that lets me use it with real NES hardware and RetroUSB’s AVS. It’s my new favorite pad for that console. It’s also an excellent option for the Switch, but it’s not necessary to enjoy any game, NES or not. However, if you are looking for that very specific NES experience, I can wholeheartedly recommend the N30. Nintendo’s own NES Switch controllers are good, but they have inferior shoulder buttons and need to be charged the same way as your Joy-Cons–not to mention, the Nintendo Switch Online subscription that’s required before you can even purchase them. With all this considered, the N30 is perfect for the job.

$30 at Amazon

8Bitdo SN30 Bluetooth

The best SNES controller for Nintendo Switch

The Good:

Connects directly to Nintendo Switch

Comes with a retro receiver for SNES use

Also compatible with USB adapters

The Bad:

Not suitable for select games

The SN30 Pro Plus discussed earlier might be the best Switch controller on this list, and with its SNES-style layout, it’s great for classic games. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more authentic to the SNES experience, then the basic SN30 is your best alternative. Like both the M30 and N30, it doesn’t work with every game, but there are plenty of great options with the Switch’s excellent selection of platformers and fighting games. And if a recent FCC filing indicates anything, we could be seeing SNES games on the Switch in the future.

The SN30 also comes with a retro receiver that can be plugged into a SNES. If you still have a Super Nintendo–or an Analogue Super NT–then this is an awesome option to play classic games on that console. And as a bonus, this retro receiver can also be connected via USB, as long as you have an extra USB-C cable attached.

$40 at Amazon

Source : Gamesport

[firedragon1321]

Hero Training- What it Is and Why It Sucks

This is the sequel to this rant nobody cares about- http://firedragon1321.tumblr.com/post/158868041331/so-it-is-time-for-me-to-rant. I recommend you read that one first, though I will summarize the short version in this rant.

The short version of the above rant will include a definition of Hero Training, which I think is necessary before I start-

“I never liked having my favorites taken down a peg by “awesome” characters who called them weak or whatever- ever since I was young. Is it favoritism? Yes. But also because they didn’t deserve the negative treatment half the time. In a lot of shonen anime, this often leads right into training arcs with painful/impossible/emotionally draining training that makes the character stronger somehow. Often it makes them a bit of a Stu too (since this normally happens to male characters). I call this phenomenon Hero Training.”- Me, 2017, not that anyone gives a crap

Now, the short version of the other rant is “Hero Training is bad, the only good example was in Digimon Adventure with Piximon because it was required for the target character to get his shit together and the half-example in Pokemon’s Battle Frontier (aka- the King of Pokelantis episode) was just piss-poor writing and had no business being there.”

Now that we’re all caught up, it’s time for Rant 2.0. The Uber-Rant. The rant to end them all.

Okay, not really. But it still is a long-ass post, so I hope you’re ready for a read.

Hero Training is the fast and easy way to power up a character, especially when stronger characters are over the horizon. It usually occurs after the main character loses a battle, but it can just pop up whenever it wants. Of course, by “fast and easy”, I mean “every shonen anime does it at least once in some form”, so it’s a stock cliche. Hell, it has a TVtrope. The TVtropes pages even links to sister tropes that make Hero Training what it is (aka- annoying).

So why exactly does this trope grind my gears to the point that I’d write two rants about it? Let’s break it down.

Annoyance 1- Usually, the protagonist did nothing to “trigger” the training (i.e.- new, stronger foes are coming or some other event outside of the protagonist’s control). If they did, it was due to a character flaw they had from Day One. For example, Character XYZ felt like being reckless that day- but he’s always reckless. Not saying that said recklessness can never be grown out of- just that it was always there and a silly reason to “trigger” additional training unless it caused something big (like powers going out of control accidentally destroying a town, but in shonen anime, these are rare cases). Or Character ABC was lacking certain skills that almost no-one else used up until this point (Nen in Hunter x Hunter is an example).

Annoyance 2- So the protagonist loses in battle or encounters some other difficulty due to lacking skill or their character flaws. How does the writer fix this? They either introduce a new character or an existing one fulfills this role (it’s usually the former, but it was sort of the latter in my Marchen Awakens Romance example in the other rant). Sometimes, they even defeated the hero themselves. The problem is, this character is 99.9% of the time an asshole. Okay, maybe they’re just strict. Maybe I’m over-reacting. But come on- it’s ALMOST EVERY TIME.

Annoyance 3- Now that the characters are in place, it’s time for some shaming! Because not having the right knowledge/skill/personality wasn’t bad enough, the new character (let’s just call him “the mentor”) has to list every reason why the hero is weak/stupid/has XYZ character flaw and is therefore weak and stupid. I don’t know about you, but that would make me feel really badly about myself. If the hero wasn’t a flat character from the start, it’s easy to imagine that they’d feel bad about themselves, too. Perhaps this is what leads to...

Annoyance 4- ...the actual Hero Training itself. Low self-confidence combined with a possible looming threat of fifty foot whatevers trying to kill everyone leads the protagonist to accept the mentor’s offer of training. Here’s where shit gets real. The training methods in shonen anime are often extreme and unrealistic. For example (and this is a real one from our friends at TVtropes, from Katekyo Hitman Reborn- “being set on fire...thrown off a cliff with a whirlpool beneath it and made to stand one-legged on a rock in the middle of a mine field”). If any real human tried to copy many of these training regimens, they would die. Sometimes, it’s all too easy to imagine the trainee dying too.

Annoyance 5- If the hero doesn’t die from any of the above (and they usually don’t), then there is a high chance of writing’s worst scourge moving in- Gary Stu. It can be Mary Sue, but this rant will use Gary Stu since this trope mostly affects male characters. Let’s go all the way back to Annoyance 1 and our friend Character XYZ. He landed in this pot of hot water (perhaps figuratively, perhaps literally) because he was reckless. Instead of gradually growing out of his recklessness like most characters would, the trait is suddenly erased after training. If that was XYZ’s only personality flaw, well, guess what, buttercup? He now has no flaws at all. I have three rules to detect a Stu or Sue- the world revolves around them, they face no difficulties and (most importantly) they are everything the author/reader wants to be but “more”, which means no character flaws like real humans have. If XYZ now has his single flaw erased, he is a third of the way to being a Stu. The mentor’s training might have strengthened his body, but (from a writing standpoint), his mind is now weak.

These five annoyances are also the five steps of the typical Hero Training method. They might be repeated over and over through the course of long animes like Bleach. If that happens, the hero is bound to fall into the Gary Stu trap eventually. If the first round of training didn’t do it, maybe the second will. Or the third. Granted, the Gary Stu step doesn’t always happen, but this trope still frustrates me beyond belief (come on I wrote two rants about it).

Oh look, here comes another bullet-pointed list, this time on why, exactly, we need to abandon this trope (not counting the risk of Gary Stu-ism).

It’s a cheap way to get character development done: This is probably the biggest one. I’m dragging out Character XYZ again. Perhaps he has more than recklessness as character flaws, but that’s the one that causes the most trouble over the course of the story. Training it away is the easiest way to get rid of it (other than pretending it never existed in the first place, which most readers or watchers will easily notice...). Therefore, Hero Training is sometimes used in place of real character development. 

It introduces unlikable characters, characters that don’t have any use in the plot other than to Hero Train, or both: Of course, not every character has to be likable, but some characters are only in the story to serve as Hero Trainers, then they exit stage right. (This is basically Wing from Hunter x Hunter, who only had small appearances after the Heaven’s Arena arc where he trained Gon and Killua- fortunately, neither Gon or Killua ended up as a Stu). A subversion would be Izumi from Fullmetal Alchemist, who has an actual role in the plot beyond being a Hero Trainer and development of her own.

It makes the protagonist overpowered: This is related to being a Gary Stu, but Stu-ism is not just being overpowered. Being overpowered is a part of Stu-ism. Not all rectangles are squares and all that. The issue with being OP by itself is it makes the story less fun to read. I mean, in a shonen, a character will slowly get stronger in XYZ and beat stronger opponents. That’s kind of the formula. I’m talking about blowing away every single opponent without the slightest of struggles. A character may have average ability at the start, but Hero Training is a quick and dirty way to get them to max power in a few chapters or episodes.

It makes me worried: This is a stupid, selfish point, but I wanted to say it. A lot of the impossible training is harmful physically or mentally to the characters. There comes a point where we stop cheering them on to succeed. At that point, we worry if they’ll even make it out alive. If they do survive- realistically- they have a high chance of being traumatized. Since Hero Training often serves as a shortcut to do other things, however, we never see that trauma- just Gary Stu. Again, Fullmetal Alchemist is the exception as both Ed and Al are afraid to meet with Izumi again. Another subversion is in Boku no Hero Academia, where All Might became concerned when Izuku pushed himself too hard during his training- he was trying to prevent excessive physical and/or mental strain.

I’m not saying protagonists should get the easy road (that leads to Stu-ism also). It is possible to have everyone hate the hero for his or her actions and not deal with Hero Training, such as in the video game Tales of the Abyss. It’s also possible to do Hero Training right like in my Digimon example in the other rant, but that requires a certain type of character and mental state for both the mentor and the trainee.

But Hero Training itself is all too often used as a cheap way to get from Point A to Point B, and it’s the hero themselves who suffers the most.

tl;dr- Hero Training is an over-used plot point that makes me worry for the protagonist’s safety while also serving as a quick and cheap way to develop a character when real, gradual character development is more intriguing to watch and read.

[thestaticghost]

How to Make a Bound

((I’ve mentioned a little while back I was working on developing geists and bound away from their roots - Geists: The Sin-Eaters. I’ve finally fleshed out a direction I want to go in. It is important to note that when interacting with other blogs that have ghosts and the like, I rather go for a hybridization of whatever headcanons are standard on the blog and mine, rather than be all “mine is the correct one”. The only two things I will not bend on are A. geists and everything that makes them and B. Twilight.  The latter being because it is a very large part of D’s lore and has been created to be expansive on purpose, so if another character uses the afterlife or underworld in any way, it can easily be explained as another part of Twilight or alternate reality.

PS. I need a better name than Bound, so if you all have any ideas, please tell me.

PPS. The title was originally different, but I realized I kinda laid out everything needed to understand how to design your own bound so. Maybe one day I’ll make this an adoptable species sort of deal and design different geists and bound for people...that’d be cool.))

Before we get into geists specifically, let’s talk ghosts and spirits. Ghosts are the souls of the deceased. In DN specifically, they’re the natural plasma that occurred in a living creature’s existence. So, a mage would have more plasm than a regular human, but they wouldn’t be as strong as someone who is, say, half-elf. 

When a ghost is first “born”, they can be one of two states. The first is a ghost with full memory of their past. They may or may not be aware that they died and may try to engage with their living compatriots for awhile. These guys tend to degrade pretty quickly to the second (general) type of ghost. The second type of ghost are classified loosely by the fact they’ve begun to have memory loss. Here you find the ghosts that are repetitive in nature, doing things over and over, or have been condensed down to a single emotion, like rage. Wrathful ghosts can be extremely dangerous. Revenants and poltergeists can both fit under here, so these classifications are very loose.

Ghost forms will evolve over time, according to what their plasma dictates. That’s why when I do draw ghosts, I tend to draw animals, like Rikki and Tavi being vaguely ferretish with antlers. The older the ghost, the more twisted their image, typically. 

Spirits are not ghosts. Unlike them, they were never bound to a living body and thus are considered pure plasmic beings. Otherwise, they function similarly to ghosts on the surface but have fewer weaknesses and leave the underworld less often.

Now that ghosts vs spirits are out of the way, let’s talk Twilight. Twilight is, of course, the underworld, a world between worlds that connects all of the different realities with each other. It’s not been discussed much, but Twilight is also host to the various dominions of death. There are “levels” to Twilight, each one utterly unique, and the old dominions are where you can find Hel, Hades, and other gods associated with death and the afterlife. Another major feature are the rivers. They are not of water, like in many realities, but of plasm. These rivers can be highly dangerous unless they are utilized correctly. How does one use it correctly? To shed one’s plasm into it, so that it may one day be reused for some other purpose, up to and including new life. So, reincarnation is a thing, sort of. 

Because plasm is so charged with emotions and memories, when a ghost passes entirely those memories join the others in the plasm rivers. Another important note of Twilight - it’s time-locked. So one can feasibly leave through a door or gate in San Francisco and leave through another door in Tokyo and no time has passed. But it’s up mainly to the will of Twilight. It’s essentially a sentient creature in it’s own right, but I’ll make another post about that later.

Now for, finally, geists. And wraiths a little. They are both creatures created from ghosts but are no longer considered ghosts because of their transformation. The simplest way to differentiate them? Geists are “natural” and wraiths are artificially created by necromancers. Both of them can be hurt in much the same way a ghost can, but both are extremely powerful and nigh on impossible to destroy forever. Wraiths also have fewer limitations than geists, able to fully access their powers immediately, but unless they’ve been untethered from their creator, they’re mostly bound to the necromancer’s will. Doesn’t mean they won’t do creepy shit or try to get free though.

So what are geists? Well, they’re souls that used the plasm rivers of Twilight not to pass on, but for power (or they accidentally fell in whoops). Plasm is the magical energy of all the realities, so it becomes tempting to a creature of pure plasm to add to their personal collection so they might do more. So they try to steal from the rivers. It never turns out well. The rivers are potent and the memories and emotions of all of eternity’s living beings are there, and a snippet of those memories are dumped wholesale into the ghost as it binds to new plasm. The longer they are in the river, the more plasm they get, the more memories are stuffed into their figurative craniums. 

Obviously, even a snipped of eternity is infinite, so overwhelmed between their new raw magical potential (which oftentimes physically deforms the ghost as well) and these memories, a newly made geist goes mad. Typically, they become shadows of their former selves, and without the restraints on their powers, they could easily destroy large swathes of Twilight or any reality they wander into. Fortunately, when they first became a problem, a Law was created by Twilight, binding their powers and limiting their use to essentially party tricks. 

A geist has all this power at their potential, imbued with plasm to the point where they are no longer ghosts but pieces of Twilight as well, but they are considered half a soul now and can no longer access their powers without making a deal with someone on the verge of death. What does the half a soul have to do with anything? It’s an artificial term made to discuss the codependence of geist and bound on each other for survival. If they die and the deal is refused on either end, there is no afterlife for them. They are too volatile, and thus immediately return to plasm.

Geists are also far more likely to be cannibalistc than other types of ghosts, going after their fellow dead and devouring them in hopes that the plasm gained would stabilize their new forms. It doesn’t, but it does increase their hunger and drive them desperate as the hole they feel consuming them grows bigger. A geist without a host will not die necessarily, but the time without feels like the end of their world.

The urge for cannibalization is passed onto the bound the longer they’re alive/the more often they take advantage of the deal. The deal already requires sacrificing a random life to take the bound’s place, but it does not sate the needs of the bound, who are often weakened and confused when brought back to life at the dawn of the next day.

Some interesting powers geists do have while unbound: in addition to their normal ghostly powers such as levitation, invisibility, and intangibility, they find breaching into the world of the living much easier. They also have the ability to pull a dying person’s soul into a pocket dimension - a small piece of Twilight utterly unique to them that they can design however they think will help make a deal. In this small space, they can stop and reverse the symptoms of death and even set the body to heal longterm illnesses and defects if the deal requires. Their limit is based off the strength of the deal and their own willingness to play along. Example: D and Voice’s deal is incredibly strong. Voice has been able to help heal many long-term diseases D had, but he’s refused to cure his asthma and didn’t fix a poorly healed broken hip because he wasn’t in the mood for it. They can recreate a body completely from scratch, but there are some negative consequences of that.

A deal-made body can be visually similar to the original, down to the DNA that makes it up, but it’s an object made of plasm. Not many bound will make the deal when their original body is entirely destroyed as the more often they die, not only do their cannibalistic urges grow, but so do visual signs of their body breaking down. Blackened extremities, slowed or stopped heartbeat, lack of appetite or need for sleep, are all symptoms that grow more obvious with the creation of a plasm body. These bound that take advantage of the deal over and over and over are often considered half-dead or more, having difficulty living a normal life. They also find themselves subject to hearing the memories and emotions of Twilight’s plasm the geist stole, oftentimes leading to misdiagnosis of mental disorders in extreme cases or resulting in self-isolation. Bound who make it to this level typically retreat to Twilight if they are able, slowly deforming more and more until they’re unrecognizable for what they once were.

When a deal is made, a bound is given an unique set of powers based off their affinity for the elements and some school of magic. Popular schools include empathy, illusions, and divination, as well as the classic elemental spells. A bound will have natural access to one school of magic and one element, though they can learn more on their own depending on their magical potential. When a bound has low synergy - when the wills of the person and the geist don’t match up, often leading to a power struggle on who gets to control the body - the geist can access their own powers while in control, but not their host’s. When the host is in control, they cannot access the geist’s powers. Typically, this isn’t too big of a deal because a geist will seek out someone similar in temperament to themselves, leading to a very similar power set. For example, there is an as of yet unseen bound in a story I’m writing - the geist’s name is Slinker. Visually, they look like a blobby, watery cat creature with glowing eyes, and they have control over water and illusions. Their host, Felix, has control over water and empathic abilities. 

Permanent low synergy will lead to the creation of a shell - a body whose soul only mechanically moves it around like a puppet. There is no personality, there is no magic, there is no hunger. They are very similar to ghosts who just move in a pattern and are typically pitied by even necromancers, who have no use for them. The only thing they’re good for is energy in a spell.

When a bound has high synergy, with the combined wills of geist and host acting as one, their magic becomes wholly what was created with the deal. The geist may not physically manifest anymore either, a feature seen at other levels where the consciousness is more split. Not that all geists will manifest. Voice is not unique in the fact that he only manifests if forced to and prefers to be a literal voice in the air. 

There’s a whole lot more, but I’ve been working on this for two weeks so. I’ll make a more streamlined version later