#However I do believe when they finally meet in the anime it plays both of their themes and it sounds sick as fuck but my point still stands

[local-hyena]

Allright allright, I think I'm ready now...

TF2 COMIC 7

Saying "I loved it" would be an understatement. It was PERFECT, the perfect ending we deserved. It's been seven goddamn years, I honestly didn't think this issue would ever be released. I started getting into tf2 only recently, about a year ago I think. I hope everyone who've been there from the beginning are happy.

This last issue gave us SO MANY THINGS ! A TIME SKIP WITH THE MERC'S FUTURE ! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY ALL GOT THE "THEY GOT HOME AND BUILT FAMILIES AND REUNITE FOR CHRISTMAS" TYPE OF FUTURE THAT LITERALLY ALL FANFICS ARE ABOUT. SINGLE DAD SCOUT IS THE GREATEST CHARACTER DEVELOPPEMENT POSSIBLE.

WE ALSO GOT LITERALLY EVERYTHING WE WERE HOPING FOR. WE GOT UNMASKED SPY, WE GOT PAULING'S FIRST NAME, WE GOT SCOUT'S LAST NAME, SCOUT WITH AN UGLY HAIRCUT, WE EVEN GOT PYRO'S DOG AND MEDIC'S BABOON, TOM JONES IS BACK. ALSO HEAVY HAS A BEARD NOW, AND SOLDIER AND ZHANNA HAVE CHILDREN !!

there are of course still unanswered things. However, the fact that the Administrator forgot why she wanted revenge on Mann really adds to her character and the overall story. Also, it seems that Scout still odesn't know that Spy is his father, since he introduces himelf to Scout's children as Scout's coworker... Scout's ma is also noticably absent, I do not want to think about it too much, since Demo's mother is still alive, there is no reason she wouldn't be as well. We're gonna say that she's spending Christmas with another son, since she doesn't really take an important rôle in the comic... Also, as a Medic main, THERE WAS NO MEDIC CONTENT. LIKE, I KNOW THAT THE LAST COMIC WAS VERY MEDIC AND HEAVY FOCUSED, BUT STILL. I always need more Medic content 😭😭 glad to see that Archimedes is here also !

Also, Merasmus why are you so ripped 😂😂 he looks ugly as ever.

I am so very happy that Hale and Olivia both got fired from MannCo. They are finally happy now, with Hale going back with Mags fighting animals and going on other dangerous adventures.

There is ONE lats thing I need to point out. No, two things. First, I wonder what Valve will do now. Now that Team Fortress 2's story has come to an end. What will happen ? Is the game going to stop updating ? Or on the contrary will they go back to working on it ? Is there going to be a Team Fortress 3 ? Or is Team Fortress simply going to end on this perfect note ?

Finally, the ending. It took me a while to understand that the last dinner scene was adressing directly to us, the reader, the player. When I understood that, it hit le right in the heart. I cannot say that tf2 has been à huge part of my life. Like I said, I only got interested last year or so. I don't even oike the game itself that much, online multiplayer competitive FPSs are not my preferred genre. But the story, the characters and what the community makes (yes, the funny GMod machinimas and SFM movies. The memes and the serious stuff, both of them) made me learn to enjoy this universe. I must confess something. For some time, I played Fortnight with my brother. He made me try because I kept saying that I didn't like it, but I hadnd't poayed the game. After my first game, I said that I had some fun, in the end. So, he kinda forced le to play. For... idk, a few years. I do nlt remember the dates but I started the season with the Nomad skin as the ultimate reward, and stopped when there were hoverboards, or whatever they were. I didn't enjoy it because he insisted on being super competitive and was raging 90% of the time. So yeah, I hated every second of it and I vowed to not play competitive online multiplier games anymore. Which is why I absolutly refuse to play Overwatch and League of Legends. I wouldn't say that Team Fortress 2 reconciled me woth these type of games, but after watching all the Meet the Mercs and learning more about the story, I tried playing. I was a bit intimidated as to which class to choose, but after trying out several (and being very influenced by Meet the Medic), I found out that I had the most fun while playing Medic. I do nlt have a very good aim and I tend to die immediatly when I try to shoot at people. I also discovered that, playing an online multiplayer game doesn't have to be competitive. I have 9h30 in tf2, I play very casually. I do not get mad when I die or my team loses, because in the end, I just want to have fun in my own way. So, this ending hit me right in the heart

I... I almost want to print that last panel and hang it on my wall... I know, there's nothing stopping me, but I don't want my family to question it.

Anyways. That was tf2 comic issue 7. I cannot wait to see what the future will bring for our mercs !

[illdothehotvoice]

ouuugh thinking about the Death Note OST again

[sister-of-hitoshi]

The guy in trench-coat

Word count: 707 ; Genre: Fluff

Anime: Mr villain's day off

Character: Warumono-san/Mr villain

Note: This is my first time writing, finishing and posting a fanfic...please be kind about my mistakes TvT (Btw you can imagine yourself in the little girl's place (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)<3)

"Panda-san!! Hereee!!!! Look here!!!"

You were again swarmed by a throng of little devils.

It was a hot sultry day in mid-June. And every passing minute felt hotter than the last. Especially if you were wearing a thick armour of impenetrable material, ready to go to war against the little devils of humanity with the cuteness of the armour being your only weapon. But hey, the pay for participating as the solo warrior of cuteness was pretty reasonable, and despite the challenging conditions, you just couldn't find it in yourself to be angry at your cutsy panda costume.... curse it's cuteness! Nobody till date seemed to understand the extent of your love for these adorable begins, not even when they saw your humble abode festooned with an overbearing amount of panda merch.

With your head in the clouds and over-exaggerated gestures towards the kids, you had almost forgotten your purpose of deliberately loosing each game of stone-paper-scissors so that they could stop bothering you- you mean- win prizes. However, never did you expect a handsome, full grown man in a trench coat to appear in front of you to play the game as well. This snapped you back to reality as you gaped at him for a few seconds straight, not quite believing this handsome aloof looking dude has willingly come into the kid's play area without an ounce of embarrassment. You immediately understood the gesture though, you immediately figured that he likes pandas as much as you do, and finding a person of similar interest after such a long time had made your day a lot better; it made you extremely happy. So much happy that even during your break you had gone looking for him inside that heavy armour of cuteness. So so happy that you missed him after your work had ended for the day. It was evening now, and there were less and less people in the zoo now. You finally opened the headpiece of your costume and sat on a nearby bench, gazing at the orange sky. Tired and drenched with sweat you had exclaimed to yourself out loud that you missed him, and that "the guy in trench coat seemed very nice", when suddenly there was a shadow looming over you, with a napkin in hand, the shadow of the very person you had thought of all day. The very person you had wanted to meet again. Gaping at him you took the handkerchief, suddenly feeling very embarassed about your sweat drenched face.

"Thank you. The work you do must be tiring."

"Why are you thanking me? I should be the one thanking you" You turned to him, offering a gentle smile and some space as he sat beside you.

"You said that I am nice."

Oh-

"Haha, I feel so." You blushed in embarrassment

He had heard me-

"You must love pandas?" You tried to continue the conversation, for some reason you didn't want to let this opportunity go.

"I do." He said, offering a smile in return.

You looked at him and weighed your options, finally going with: "I have some free panda merch with me, which I wouldn't mind sharing with someone who seems to share my interests...would you be alright with it?" You fished inside your costume pockets and found a panda keychain, immediately taking his hand in yours and placing it on his palm.

Met with silence you looked at him and offered a sincere smile, cheeks tinged red due to both the internal and external heat.

His speechlessness was broken by him suddenly holding your hands and offering you a sincere 'thank you'. "I'll cherish it" he replied in return as well, letting go of your hands and standing up. Not wanting it to end, you immediately stood up as well, and blurted out "M-My name is Y/N, and I'll be still here for week so you can come whenever you like...umm please let's meet again! We can discuss so much about pandas!!" You had basically said the first thing that had come to your mind without much thought, and as soon as you started doubting everything you had said so far, you heard a "Sure thing" and saw him smile.

You were sure of it. You had found the one.

[goingbuggy]

I loved your idea for film blue & reading your response reminded me of a theory I have about the shuggy dynamic & since I love your meta I'd love your take.

Do you think Oda is trying to imply that the Shuggy fallout is not only a personal loss, but a loss for the world as a whole? There's a lot of talk lately about Shanks' personal failings with interpersonal skills & coincidentally that's where Buggy's strength lies.

In fact the Shuggy dynamic is sort of written in a way where they make up for what the others lack so I wonder if the miscommunication with them is also supposed to make us believe the world would've been better had they stuck together?

Buggy was the first of the two to recognize the danger with Blackbeard and it's when he isn't in Shanks life anymore that Blackbeard was able to hurt him. Buggy didn't rise up in the world until way later in life despite his charisma, but Shanks did fairly quickly. We can see how Buggy being a warlord/emperor is setting into motion big events at a seemingly quicker pace than Shanks ever did (intentional or not). Imagine if they had set out as co leaders way back when? Would Shanks be as passive or would Buggy's ambition & anxiety push him to be more proactive in whatever it is he's supposed to do on behalf of Roger.

With the anime finally animating the loguetown breakup/fallout and to be reminded of Buggy being pushed to reclaim his dreams because Shanks is also heading for the One Piece I'm starting to think Oda is writing them as a delayed destiny type of thing. That they were always supposed to carry on Roger's will together & the biggest mistake of the past is anyone thinking only one of Roger's apprentices was supposed to be his heir so to speak. They were supposed to be a team not rivals.

Last thing I want to bring up is how Luffy keeps being put in Shanks' shoes when it comes to his crew except where Shanks failed Luffy didn't. The Usopp conflict in Water 7/Eneis Lobby especially plays like a 2nd Shanks & Buggy fall out to me.

Not only are Buggy & Usopp both extremely insecure in their own power, but they too interpreted their friends words/actions as a slap to the face. However Luffy was able & willing to do the work to close the distance between his Nakama & resolve the miscommunication while Shanks just...gave up essentially. Being not only an example of how Luffy can do what Shanks never could, but also the new generation succeeding where the last one failed. I can't help but think when we learn Shanks & Buggy's history Oda intends for us to think about this parallel and view it as mistake.

So I wouldn't be surprised if we got at least one more reunion between Shuggy & when we do they come to this realization that they have a chance to correct the mistakes of the past and team up for something significant in terms of plot. That their destiny's lie with eachother not against.

thoughts?

I think this is the first time someone has sent me an ask that's not anonymous. This made me really happy, so thank you, and hi!

Is "I agree and disagree" a proper answer? I don't know. I think you're right in that the "evolved" (emotionally mature, post character-growth) versions of Shanks and Buggy could have accomplished a lot together. But that's just it -- in order to evolve, you have to start somewhere. It's like expecting Luffy to still be able to protect his crew the way he does now without going through the tragedy at Sabaody and Marineford. Shanks and Buggy were always fated to part, because they needed to grow separately to meet back up again as true and equal counterparts. To change, you've got to experience things that make you realize you need to change.

I think there is a world where Buggy would've followed Shanks and been on his crew, but in that world, he also would've never addressed the root of his problem: his own insecurity. He needed to go out on his own to find himself. "Would Shanks be as passive?" "Would Buggy's ambition and anxiety push him to be more proactive in whatever it is he's supposed to do on behalf of Roger?" The questions you're asking are insightful and fun thought experiments, but in my opinion, a narrative impossibility. Loguetown Buggy would never follow a Shanks that fell back on Laughtale, and Loguetown Shanks will always prioritize his idea of the "greater good." So when you say the world would be better "had they stuck together," I half-disagree, because I don't think this hypothetical world could ever exist. (Also, from an author's standpoint, it feels like cheating your way to the end without earning it -- bypassing all the juicy stuff about character writing, like the internal and external conflicts which push characters to change.)

However, the idea that they're destined to carry on Roger's legacy together is such a great idea -- I love that! It warms my heart. I've always viewed Roger's will as something split between Buggy and Luffy, but what you proposed is something I can totally get behind. And I could 100% see Oda going in that direction.

[fanfictions-loveavatar]

Why always her?

Pairings: Neteyam x f!omatikaya reader (Neteyam is 19 and reader is 17 and Lo’ak is 18)

Warning: non-smut, angst, fluff with Lo’ak. Neteyam

Summary: With Lo’ak being your best friend you are considered a Sully however you could never look at Neteyam the same way you look at all the Sully’s. However Neteyam sees someone else the same way you see him and for your destress it’s the one person you hate most, your sister and Lo’ak helps you through the hurt.

Word count: 2781

Y/N POV:

If I knew this was going to happen I would have stayed at the village. I was currently standing in front of a Thanator, correction a very pissed Thanator. I have to thank Lo’ak later for messing with the baby thanators and pissing off their mother. The said idiot currently standing next to me, his knife in his hand ready to defend us against the creature. Kiri and Spider were above us in the trees thinking of ways to help.

Suddenly I see an arrow flying through the air landing next to the thanator’s leg. Causing the creature slowly turning around and running away. Me and Lo’ak finally breathing again.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” we both turned around to meet the person who saved us and yelled at us.

Neteyam didn’t look impress as he and his Ikran landed next to us. Kiri and Spider also coming down looking relieved.

“What are you all doing here? It’s pass the boundaries that we are allowed.” Neteyam’ s gaze moved from me to Lo’ak.

“Chill bro we were just exploring.” Lo’ak met his brother’s gaze, he knew he was wrong all of us knew but he still had to talk about to his brother.

“Ye exploring the ways to die.” Neteyam took deep breaths to calm himself down, I like to believe he has gotten used to his brother’ s behaviour.

“Well, we didn’t die, me and Y/N were handling it.” Lo’ak put his arm around me.

“Yeah exactly.” I said proud.

Both me and Lo’ak were way too stubborn to ever admit that we fucked up. Neteyam glared at me.

“Seriously, why do you always follow through with him?”

“Because he is my best friend, if something happens to him it happens to me.” Lo’ak smiled at me and I returned his smile.

“Love birds.” Everyone looked at Spider, him immediately running back into the forest back to the village with Lo’ak chasing after him and Neteyam just shook his head, his braids moving from side to side, his hair had a mind of its own, following the two boys back.

“Boys…so immature.” Kiri said as we also started walking behind the boys.

“Tell me about it.” We both giggled.

 Later

Thankfully we avoided a lecture from Jake since Neteyam didn’t tell on us, knowing full well he will also get scolded for not looking over us in the first place.

It was now after eclipse, everyone (the Sully’s) was gathered around the fire.

My parents were gone, my dad was a Na’vi, and my mom was a sky person, a good friend of Jake her name was Trudy. Their love was forbidden but like Neytiri and Jake that didn’t stop them. But unlike Jake and Neytiri my parents didn’t live a happy ever after. My mom died while giving birth to me and my dad died on the battlefield while fighting among side Jake. After my parents’ death Jake and Neytiri took me in as their own, they were my family.

“Y/N, Lo’ak.” Jake looked at us. We both looked at him.

“You guys are adults now, have you started thinking about choosing a mate?” Me and Lo’ak exchanged looks, we haven’t discussed it yet.

“I haven’t thought about it yet.” Lo’ak said.

“Same.” I said after. Jake nodded ending the conversation and returning to his food.

I have always had someone in mind, someone who was currently eating his food, someone who always saves me when me and his brother get in trouble, someone who is tall, muscular, amazing warrior and handsome. Neteyam was someone I knew saw as a brother but as so much more.

The Next Day

Me, Kiri, Spider, Tuk, Lo’ak and Neteyam were sitting next to a waterfall not too far away from the village. Tuk was playing with the nature around us, or with the small animals that would fly around us. The boys were in the water splashing each other. It was rare for all of us to get a free day and it was even more rare for Neteyam to join and actually have fun instead of standing at the side being protective. Kiri and I were sitting on a rock next to the water.

“So have you really not thought of a potential mate yet?” Kiri’s question caught me off guard.

“No not yet, there is time though I am only 18 after all.”

Lo’ak emerged from the water sitting down next to me.

“Same here, what if we mated.” He said it so casually like he was saying the weather was nice. I played along though because why not, we always joked around.

“Sure, imagen what our lives would be, should we do it before Eywa or find somewhere else.” I wiggled my eyebrows ( a trade me, Lo’ak and Kiri shared along our 5 fingers.) Both of us laughing when Kiri rolled her eyes not taking us seriously, while Neteyam looked flabbergasted.

“What are you two insane?” Neteyam asked taking us seriously.

“Nope, completely sane and also Y/N, would you like to swim?” Lo’ak turned to me with a devilish smirk on his face.

“Oh no, don’t you da- Lo’ak!” Before I could even finish Lo’ak picked me up in his arms (bridal style) and jumped in the water with me.

“You crazy bastard!” I splashed him with water when I emerged from the water. Lo’ak laughed along with Spider while Neteyam and Kiri covering their laughs. I started chasing Lo’ak around the water and when I caught up to him, I grabbed his head and pushed it under water. Before I could continue, strong arms wrapped around my waist pulling me away from him and towards the shore. Neteyam put me down next to Kiri before smiling at me saying “Please don’t kill my brother I know it’s hard not to sometimes.” His smile was so beautiful I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Soon we had to go back to the village, through the way back me and Neteyam were at the back talking.

“You know Y/N you are so beautiful when you smile.” I couldn’t believe my ear, did Neteyam just flirt with me. His hand patted me on the head lovingly. Maybe he did see me as more then family as well.

Later

It was dinner again; everyone was around the fire eating. Neytiri suddenly started talking.

“So Neteyam, how is your mate search going.” My food got trapped in my throat and I started coughing at the sudden question. Everyone looked at me questionably but I just apologised and drank some water.

“Actually, yes mother I have.” Neteyam responded with a smile and my stomach turned. Everyone looked at Neteyam.

“Who is it?” Neytiri asked clearly excited for her son.

“It’s Eyra.” As soon as the name fell off Neteyam’ s lips it took everything in me not to vomit.

Eyra, the person I hated most on Pandora, of course, of course it had to be her. Eyra is my older sister. My parents had her 2 years before me, she blames me for mom’s death. Growing up she made my life hell. At first my dad’s relatives adopted us both, they were my grandma and grandpa but Eyra kept on turning them against me, ripping a basket and blaming it on me saying that she saw me, bullying me outside the tent, calling me a 5 fingered freak. She got her friends to beat me up and call me names too and would get one of her friends to hit her so she could tell grandma that I hit her, and she was defending herself and grandma believed her, always her. One day Lo’ak found me all beaten up and took me into his family that understood that my living situation had to change and since then I have lived with them. And now Neteyam wanted to mate with her. But I am not surprised it was always here it will always be her.

At night

Everyone was asleep, everyone except me. I couldn’t sleep not after feeling betrayed by Neteyam. He knew how much my sister hurt me yet he still wants to choose her as his mate, it really hurt.

I needed fresh air; I tip toed through the sleeping bodies and went outside going next to the end of the mountain where the village was located on. I sat down my feet dangling off the edge of the mountain. I started thinking about my past about how hard I tried to get Eyra to love me.

Lo’ak POV: I woke up feeling like something wasn’t right. I looked around and saw that Y/N was missing. I noticed that there were footsteps leading outside, I followed them and found Y/N sitting at the end of the mountain. I walked towards her and once I got close, I heard her little sobs. When at her side I quietly sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug, my arm around her and her head resting on my shoulder her tears rolling down her cheeks. We sat like that in silence for a while.

“It’s not fair Lo’ak.” She finally spoke. I knew what she was talking about I knew the moment her face looked like a ghost when she heard my brother saying her sister’s name, someone else might have missed it the way her face changed but I knew her better then anyone else and I especially knew how much she was hurt by her sister after all I was the one who found her, bleeding and bruised.

“I know flower I know.” I moved my hand up and down her shoulder.

“Why does it always have to be her? First getting to meet our mom and experience her love, then being grandmas and grandpas favourite, not getting the “curse” of the 5 fingers and now getting the guy I love.” I couldn’t help but grab her face making her face me.

“Hey listen, you might not have experienced your mom’s love but you have experienced so much other love, my mom loves you like you are hers and so does my dad, your sister doesn’t have family that loves her just because of her they love her because she manipulates them to, but you are loved for who you are for your personality. And I know that having 5 fingers is known as a curse but what if we aren’t cursed just unique.”

Y/N POV:

Lo’ak’ s words really touched me. He was right I have a loving family and maybe I am not a freak just unique. I need to know my worth.

“Thank you so much Lo’ak I really needed this.” I smiled at him.

“Always, you are my sister.” He smiled back at me. We hugged.

After sitting down for a little bit more we stood up and went back to the tent. I went to sleep smiling.

Waking up the next day I decided to not let Neteyam’ s choice ruin our relationship. However… after waking up and not finding him anywhere I went out to look for him and found him near the forest. Right as I was about to go and talk to him I saw that someone was with him… Eyra. They were looking at each other, not noticing me not far from them, I hid behind a tent and when I peeked to look at them I saw them kissing. At that time I knew me and Neteyam’ s relationship would never be the same, it was too painful.

A week later

It has been a week since I saw Neteyam and Eyra kiss and I have been avoiding him like the plague. Whenever he would try to talk to me I would turn the other way completely ignoring him. At dinner when he would pass me something I would take it without sparing him a glance. I spend most of my time with Lo’ak who understood why I kept my distance with his brother. Kiri also found out why fairly soon I couldn’t keep it from her. She understood me as well.

It was a day where me, Lo’ak and Neteyam join Jake and Neytiri on their attacks against the sky people’s weapons. We were supposed to be in the air but I really wanted to go and see the weapons. I lower to the battlefield and Lo’ak and Neteyam followed. Just as I got handed a gun a big explosion sounded that send all of us flying. Me and Lo’ak were okay, but Neteyam was bleeding.

 Jake found us and immediately got us to safety. Me and Lo’ak got on our ikrans while Jake took Neteyam with him.

When we reached the village me and Lo’ak got a massive scolding from Jake. Afterwards, I went to help Neteyam. Yes, I was still hurt by him but he got hurt because of me.

It was only us two in the healer’s tent. I took a towel to clean away the blood from Neteyam’ s wounds.

“Why have you been ignoring me?” Neteyam suddenly asked. I didn’t respond but just kept cleaning his wounds.

“Y/N.” He said in a serious tone. I stopped cleaning his wound instead I stood up in front of him.

“Why do you think Neteyam you want to mate with my sister. When you know full well what she did to me. How could you?” I raised my voice at the end. Neteyam looked shocked for a second before getting annoyed.

“Come on Y/N that was a long time ago, she wants to make it right with you.” He stated like it was the most simple thing ever. Now I was angry how dare he make it sound like I am being the one in the wrong.

“Right with me? Don’t make me laugh she is a snake that is manipulating you to hurt me because she knows that I care about you.” Now Neteyam also stood up.

“Care about me? You have been ignoring me for a week, what is wrong with you?” Neteyam was annoyed. He was annoyed at me when he didn’t have any right to.

“You! You are what’s wrong with me Neteyam! I love you or more like I loved you I always have and you choose my sister. Why is it always her that gets what she wants?” I couldn’t help the tears that escaped me as I continued to talk.

“Y/N…” He looked at me with pity.

“No don’t Y/N me, you didn’t care for my feelings when you kissed her either, I saw you kissing!” He tried to grab my arm, but I moved back whipping the tears off my face.

3rd person POV:

Neteyam tried to hug Y/N, but she pushed him off feeling stupid for even saying anything.

“Y/N I am sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Neteyam felt awful he didn’t realise how hurt Y/N actually was by her sister.

“You know what it’s fine Neteyam I know my worth and I am not going to wait around and wait until you see it I deserve someone who sees me.” With that Y/N walked out of the tent, leaving Neteyam devasted.

Just as he exited the tent to go after Y/N, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning around he saw his brother who looked angry at him.

“Don’t follow her bro, she needs her time.” Lo’ak was angry at his brother for making Y/N feel that way but he also knew his brother. Kiri and him have been talking about how Neteyam has changed ever since Y/N stopped talking to him and they knew their brother. They knew he liked Y/N even if he wouldn’t admit it or even realise it.

“Also, you might want to look over there.” Lo’ak pointed towards Eyra who was kissing another boy not too far from the brothers. Right then is when Neteyam realised how big of a mistake he has made.

He realised it when he didn’t feel a tiny bit sad that Eyra was kissing another boy but he felt devasted when Y/N started ignoring him.

He really screwed up…he had to fix it.

 Writer’s note: I hope you guys liked it. I have an idea for part 2 tell me if you want to see it?

[horse-girl-anthy]

essay on NGE (and RGU) under the cut

if I really wanted to oversimplify, I could say that NGE and RGU are essentially the same story. both are about whether it's worth it to go on living, to come to life, or if it's better to die, to stay half-living. they use their respective characters, genres, and symbolic systems in order to investigate this issue.

to approach the shows that way would of course be flattening, since they explore the themes they share in different ways. I find myself in a loop when I try to compare them: first, I'll think of a way they're similar, but the second I write down the commonality, I think of an exception. when I try to write about how they're different, I end up realizing they're the same.

rather than try to parse all of that out, I'd like to talk about what NGE and RGU have given me, respectively. I first watched the shows back to back when I was 16. RGU has occupied a lot of my headspace since I rewatched it in 2020, while NGE was more of a teenage interest. however, NGE is still important to me, because it does things for me that RGU doesn't (just as RGU does things for me that NGE doesn't). the two works compliment each other well, in my opinion.

in the 90s, Ikuhara and Anno were fairly close, and did a string of interviews together to promote Evangelion. the below quote is from an interview with Newtype which was conducted during NGE's production:

Kunihiko Ikuhara: Hmm, what I'm hoping for from Evangelion is that it will be a drama that shows us an embodiment, a concrete way to be happy. --Our Happiness: The Happiness Depicted by "Evangelion"

did Ikuhara get what he wanted out of Evangelion? "a concrete way to be happy"? I don't know. perhaps Ikuhara went on to make RGU because he didn't see what he wanted in Evangelion. RGU--all Ikuhara works--have some kind of relief in them. a moment of revelation, change, reconcilliation, transcendence. Evangelion points in similar directions, but it never truly resolves; it never relents.

but Ikuhara goes on to say:

Kunihiko Ikuhara: There are many young people who think that they will be happy if their current situation changes. They think that because the situation is bad, they can't be happy or do well. That's not true. What makes us happy is our ability to materialize - to give shape to our happiness.

this was something that the final episode of NGE communicated to me quite powerfully when I was a kid. first, the animation style changes, and the show depicts how material reality restrains freedom, but how total freedom would mean total disconnection, the inability to interact with the world. later, Shinji has visions of a sitcom version of Eva, where the story plays out like a bad anime. somehow, this is what leads into the revelation he has at the last moment of the episode. I couldn't have explained it at the time, but this ending worked very well for me. I think I've finally put my finger on why.

the voices of all the people Shinji knows give him a lecture, dispensing advice which could feel insulting or could be hard to take. I was struck by him being told, "you're the only one who can understand yourself, so take care of yourself." like many young people, I had the fantasy that I would meet someone who truly understood me, and that it would somehow free me from all bonds. I wanted to be helped and saved, and here was this show, telling me to my face, "it's actually your responsibility to do that for yourself." I didn't want to believe it, especially not that I would never be understood the way I wanted to be... but I couldn't ignore it either.

there's also a part where Shinji is told that "on rainy days, you feel glum, but on sunny days, you feel happy. but that's only a matter of your perception." this sounds like something a bad therapist would tell you: that you can just willpower your way out of suffering by changing how you look at a situation. but I think it's not quite that.

this goes back to the sitcom sequence. Shinji witnessed a different version of himself, one with normal problems, and he realized that the world is actually indifferent to him, the way that the world is indifferent to whether there's rain or sunshine. the whole show, he's been afraid of indifference, and he's been afraid that he's looked down on by others. he's judged himself, felt like absolute scum. but at the same time that he's forced to realize that he will never receive perfect acceptance and understanding from someone else, he also realizes that indifference is a great gift, because it means whether he is the "rainy" or "sunny" version of Shinji, he is still allowed to exist. he is a part of his world, a mirror of it, and so there's no reason to hate himself for his failings. it's a realization that he has a place in the world, and he's congratulated for it.

but Evangelion didn't stop there. I rejected End of Eva the first time I watched it, in part because I really disliked the live action shots (which I thought were pretentious) but also because the story was so depressing, especially after the relatively uplifting ending of the show.

the film does have moments of transcendence, but they're all of an existential, apocalyptic, and ecstatic-through-suffering kind. Yui tells Shinji, "as long as the sun, moon, and earth exist, everything will be alright," taking the idea that circumstances don't dictate happiness to the extreme. she becomes a monument to humanity, sacrificing herself and allowing the apocalypse in order to do so. is it beautiful, or horrible? are humans so afraid to be annihilated that we annihilate ourselves?

more unsettling, our main characters get what I'd like to call "anti-resolutions." Ritsuko fails to even get revenge on Gendo, betrayed by her mother til the end. Misato may be right that she's learned with every mistake she's made, but she dies the same person she always was, crying out to Kaji for reassurance. our young protagonists all have moments of self-actualization, but they are immediately cancelled, rendered void. Asuka regains her desire to live, only to be killed. Rei makes a choice--a crucial choice--but she hands the final decision over to Shinji, losing her individuality in the process (when she's always longed to be a discrete individual). then Shinji makes what seems to be the right choice, but is not rewarded for it.

I've always found it fascinating that people can watch NGE and come to the conclusion that Third Impact was a good thing and humans should have stayed tang. it's certainly the more peaceful option. everything would just be... over. no more strife caused by the fact that we cannot understand each other, that we cannot cross the divide of being and experience each others' experience.

in a triumphant moment, Shinji decides against living as fluid. he knows his feelings were real, and could only ever be real, in that other world, where people are separate, because not having any boundaries is the same as not existing.

the logic of fiction tells us that, since Shinji "did the right thing," there should be a good outcome as a result. but no, there isn't. when he's back in his body, the world is worse than it's ever been, and only Asuka is by his side. he has the ability to hurt people again. yes he can be caressed, but he can also be scorned, hated--and people can have good reasons to scorn and hate him.

this was an entirely new gift that End of Eva gave me, and it's stuck with me ever since. it was an acknowledgment of suffering that promised no respite or happy ending. if we are not to kill ourselves, we have to face the fact that life may offer no rewards. we may never get what we want, and there will certainly be pain along the way. relationships can fall apart, and we can let ourselves down.

although Ikuhara has said that he created RGU in the hope that it would help kids see an option other than suicide, I would say that NGE has done more for helping me live than RGU, for the reasons I outlined above. it was my sense as a teen that there was no way out of the pit. maybe it's true that people can't understand each other, but through the power of art, I felt understood by NGE. that went a long way.

RGU was something very different; it had a different gift to give, and I had to mature in order to accept it. I don't think RGU offered a "concrete way to be happy" either, but it did make concrete the process of liberation. RGU is about freedom, freedom from just about everything: illusions, dependence, time, the self, you name it. by dramatizing the process by which a community is turned inside out and changed irrevocably, the show proves that liberation is possible. Anthy comes to stand in for the repressed part of all women, and so her revolution is the revolution of womanhood. most affectingly, the show involves the audience in the story using a variety of means. by forcing the audience to see themselves as part of the narrative, getting them to examine their own perceptions and identify with the characters, RGU operates as a direct challenge to the viewer, asking them to revolutionize their own world as soon as possible.

to wrap this up, I see NGE and RGU as stories which I needed at different times in my life. I imagine I'll return to them for years to come, but it makes sense to me that NGE came first. I don't think I could have tried for freedom before I internalized the ideas that NGE offered me. in the long run, RGU has had more impact on my thinking and personality, but NGE paved the way for it, kindly playing the role of John the Baptist for me. it is the gospel for the new century after all.

[aito-mation]

over the hedge (2006) could very easily have been another middling 00's cg disaster w an all-star cast, forgettable and kinda phoned-in like open season or happily n'ever after (which came out the same year) but i think its actually a thoughtful adaptation w a lot of really good qualities. its about deprivation and want, found family and stepping on others to get ahead, and (sub)urbanization encroaching on nature, and it has an emotional core n im deadass !!

its based on a newspaper comic that centers on rj the raccoon and verne the box turtle, who live in the woods behind a ritzy suburb and menace n befriend its inhabitants. the comic is usu 4-5 panels per comic, and story arcs can stretch across multiple comics. there r a lot of characters that come and go, both human and animal, tho the core group usually stays at three characters-rj, verne, and someone else relevant to the current arc. so it couldve been questionable to extend that core group of characters from three to eleven (11!) in the movie, but i think it really works out. they position rj as the main character, and the other characters have an existing connection with verne, so act as an extension of him and his character arc. hammy is based on a character from the comics, but altered a bit, and stella, penny lou and the kids, and ozzie and heather are all original for the movie. and they all get equal time with rj, at no point in the movie do u forget about any of them-the exact opposite actually, we learn things abt them every time theyre on screen. its a really great use of screen time and dialogue.

and the character arcs! in the comics, verne is the more philosophical, searching one, and hes more often than not the loser at the end of things, often the butt of jokes, contrasting rj, who is more cynical, an indulgent slacker who only puts effort into slacking, often making the aforementioned jokes. they have a charming and humorous relationship, tho it is very much established. the movie however, reads as a sort of prequel to that relationship-rj and verne meet for the first time abt 15 mins in. it also makes some changes to their characters-verne is the cautious, tactless psuedo-patriarch of a cross-species family while rj is a lonely starving scavenger who has to scheme for the things he needs. the inciting incident, a broken vending machine convincing rj to steal food from a hibernating bear acquaintance of his, which is then all destroyed, leading to him making a deal with the bear to get it all back in just one week, could lead u to believe his motivation is greed-hes a little raccoon, and he didnt need to take all that food. but the rest of the movie reveals his motivation is longing, and loneliness.

the opening credits are layered over a sequence of rj scrounging in the garbage for something to eat. when he meets verne and his family of foragers, they r frightened by a new hedge in their forest, which surrounds a new 54-acre housing development, and wondering how theyre going to find enough food to hibernate the following year. rj sees this as an opportunity to trick them into helping him collect the food he needs for the bear from the suburb. their first disastrous encounter with a human initially throws a wrench in that, prompting rj to lie about losing his own family to gain sympathy and trust from them. but over time, he begins to actually care for them-he's shown playing video games with the baby porcupines, listening to music with heather, encouraging ozzie in his acting, even checking up on hammy when one of rj's plans gets him hurt; in their final heist, he changes the way everyone sees stella, showing her that she's more than just her smell. but the very real danger of being eaten by a bear remains rj's motivation until the final act, and we r shown up to that point that rj does not think he can get anything simply by asking.

which is a great contrast to verne, whose initial motivation is altruistic-he's worried abt the safety and survival of his family, whom he's responsible for. they already had barely enough to survive, and now almost the entire forest is gone around them. verne feels threatened by rj's charisma and seeming capability, and intimidated by the unknown world of the suburb, which turns into jealousy, as the rest of the family warms up to rj and his ideas and change. in an attempt to get things back to normal after a pest exterminator comes to their suburb, verne inadvertently destroys all the food his family had collected earlier in a sick montage, leading to an argument where verne says some insulting and hurtful things. sort of expelled from the family, feeling chastised, verne reflects on his feelings and behavior, and comes to rj to apologize. at the same time, rj is realizing that he's kinda fucked-he doesn't have the food he needs, and he's torn apart a family in the process. he's about to come clean and tell verne the truth, when, in a parallel of the beginning of the movie, he sees the opportunity to have everything he wants-the food and the family. so they put together one final plan, to get everything in one night, and it works, until it doesnt, and the truth comes out and rj abandons them, allowing verne and his family to be caged by the exterminator while he takes the food to give to vincent (the bear). but faced with the reality of that decision, watching the family he always wanted be carted away to be killed, rj changes his mind, taking the food from vincent's hands to go back and save his friends.

their reunion is intense and funny and immensely satisfying. you're glad rj made the right decision, that verne apologized and was forgiven, and the mad-dash escape from vincent and the exterminator culminates in an impossible plan that works out bc its an anthro kids movie, of course it would have a happy ending. after the antagonists r defeated, there's a scene where verne formally invites rj into their family, and tells him that if he'd been honest with them, told them he needed the food to pay back an angry bear, they would've helped him. bc that's what families do. and rj says "i've never had anything like that," correcting his lie from earlier. and the but ive always wanted it goes unsaid, bc he has it now, and he knows that.

[ecargmura]

Pandora Hearts Volume 6 Review

Reading through this chapter got me happy because both my favorite character and my second favorite character make their debut! Yes, my faves are Leo and Elliot! I think this is where the story starts picking up, not because of my bias, but because Oz finally gets the character development albeit slow.

Chapter 23 is basically where the last chapter of the fifth volume left off. To summarize, it’s basically Break’s death flags waving at him. Also, it’s nice to see Reim and Break’s friendship and what Sharon means to Break. Oz was a little sh*t to Break, being surprised that he got friends. Haha, continue being one, Oz. So, yes, Sharon is now saved.

Chapters 24, 25 and 26 all revolve around the Lutwidge Academy. I love how Chapter 23 was all Break and his death flags and suddenly, Chapter 24 is just Oscar going “LET’S GO VISIT ADA! HERE, WEAR THESE DISGUISES AND TAKE THIS UNDERGROUND PASSAGE WITHOUT THINKING TOO MUCH ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES!” And then they suffer the consequences hilariously as Oscar also wears a school uniform but does a terrible job of not being conspicuous.

These three chapters are also important for Oz’s character development in a sense. He already had a a bit of a self-sacrificing, “I don’t care about myself” sort of personality and it got worse once Jack took over his body, developing an even greater inferiority complex and even an identity crisis. That was why he avoided Ada, despite wanting to see her again, because he believes that she doesn’t remember him all too well and that he still looks the same while she got older. Fortunately, Alice was one of the factors that allowed him to realize his worth. He once told Alice that she’s fine the way she is, and Alice repeats that to him.

I think the biggest factor that allowed Oz to stop thinking that he’s worthless is his encounter with Elliot and Leo. Before, he wanted to meet them because they were playing a four-handed piece that sounded just like the music box melody. Then, Oz and Elliot meet with terrible first impressions as Elliot did the unthinkable: spoil Holy Knight, Oz’s favorite book series with the reveal that his favorite character Edgar dies. Elliot hates people like Edgar who are self-sacrificing and care little about the people around them as he believes people like him are selfish. That’s Elliot’s impression of Oz before he finally got through to him and helped Oz realize that he has worth and that people love him for who he is and not because he’s Jack.

Elliot and Leo have so much chemistry. They’re always seen together, yet they bounce off of each other so well. Elliot is hot-blooded and isn’t afraid of speaking his mind while Leo is like his handler of sorts, but also scolds Elliot whenever he gets too out of hand. I love their little bickering relationship. While they squabble with each other a lot, Elliot and Leo do care a lot about each other. While Leo is the one who puts Elliot in his place, Elliot is also protective of Leo as he’s seen protecting him from fatal attacks twice. Though, Leo’s status as a competent servant is questionable. Basically, these two are beta Vanitas and Noe.

This is also where the Baskervilles are finally introduced. The members of Baskerville are interesting. Lottie is a baddie. Doug and Fang are interesting too. However, I can see why Lottie is on the cover for this volume. She stood out the most with her eccentric behavior, to her chain and to her being one of the factors of the glaring flaw in Oz’s personality. 

I also remember that this is where the anime starts to diverge from the manga. I remember some scenes in the manga were changed in the anime, though my memory is very vague. I think once I get to around Volumes 7-8, I’ll rewatch the anime. Other than that, I think I did a good job not gushing too much over Leo for this review. I’m not sure when I’ll get to Volume 7 since I’m going to move to a new house with my family, meaning I’m going to have to stop buying manga for a while. Let me know your thoughts about this volume!

[sombersummerskies]

A Champion's Love: Chapter 26

Chapter 26: The Rito Champion Word Count: 4666 CW: Blood, injury, animal death

Want all the chapters? -> Masterlist

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“Wait, really?” you gasp, “what made you change your mind?”

Teba smiles and looks down at his son, fondly patting the little Rito on the head, “you can thank my son. He can be quite persuasive when he wants to be.”

Tulin grins at you.

“As you know, there’s nothing I won’t do for my family,” Teba continues, “that’s why I was so hesitant. If something happened to me, well, I’m sure you understand how difficult that would make things, champion.”

You nod, listening intently to his words.

“But I don’t doubt my skills as a warrior. I do believe that I’m capable,” he explains, “however, I feared what would occur if the mission failed. I must admit, I was doubting the capabilities of yourself and the princess. After speaking with my son, though, he has thoroughly convinced me that I can put my faith in all of you.”

“Of course you can, dad!” Tulin speaks up, “the champion is so cool and strong! So is that prince!”

Teba chuckles, “yes, my son would not stop talking about the two of you when he returned home last night. He’s taken quite a liking to you all.”

You were beaming, both from the praise but also due to the fact that Teba had agreed to the trials. 

“This is great,” you grin, “let me go get Princess Zelda and Prince Sidon, we can plan to find the pedestal and start your quest.”

As fast as your feet will carry you, you bound down the steps of the village and run back to the inn. Lucky for you, the other two that make up your trio are slowly waking up.

“Zelda!” you greet her cheerily. 

The princess blearily smiles at you, rubbing away the sleep in her eyes, “good morning, _____. You’re awfully chipper.”

“Teba has agreed to be a pilot,” you say with a wide smile.

“What?” she and Sidon reply, almost in unison.

You grin at the, “yeah, I know right?”

Sidon stands, adjusting his cravat as he’d been in the middle of putting on all of his adornments, “what caused him to have a change of heart so soon?”

“His son, apparently,” you answer with a small laugh, “after we told him and the other kids all those stories last night, he went home and told his dad about how we’re strong and trustworthy warriors.”

Zelda giggles, “you must have made quite an impression on him.”

“Seems so,” you reply, “I let him know that I’d get the two of you and we’d plan to head over to the pedestal.”

The princess nods, picking up the Sheikah Slate, “well no need to waste anymore daylight. Let’s head out.”

…

As a group Zelda, Sidon, Teba, and yourself reconvene to chart a course to the pedestal. The glowing point on the map shows that it is located on the Cuho Mountain, south of Rito Village. Luckily the trek to get there is not nearly as long as the one to the Gerudo pedestal had been.

It was decided that you’d return to the Rito Stable and ride your horses along the road, then once arriving at the base of the mountain you’d hike upward. Teba would fly alongside you, not needing a steed due to his ability of flight.

With Sidon’s tall height he’s able to easily assist you and the princess in climbing the sheer cliff faces. When you arrive at the final location, you feel his hand linger on your lower back. It makes you somewhat flustered, and you’re glad neither of your other companions noticed.

As you approach the pedestal you’re once again greeted by a familiar face. Kass happily plays his accordion, and the two Rito greet each other. You assume they must be friendly, considering their children like to play together.

“Ah, we meet again!” the blue Rito chuckles happily, bowing his head in respect, “As expected, there’s a pedestal here as well, in Medoh’s shadow. Another monument mentioned in my teacher’s unfinished song. The song my teacher left behind… there’s a verse about the trials that Champion Revali overcame. Allow me to sing it for you.”

His feathers delicately press the buttons of his instrument as he sings his tune, “Wind’s ally soars the land of cloud, Medoh’s Champion, swift and proud. The hero’s power shall grow, seek trials monuments show. One, shoot the flame dragon’s horn. Two, race down a peak rings adorn. Three, shoot four targets to win. Champion, the trials begin!”

“Thank you for your help once again, Kass,” the princess says with a smile once he concludes his song.

Sidon turns to you, perplexed, “shoot the flame dragon’s horn? Is this perhaps a metaphor of some kind?”

You shake your head, “no, it’s probably about Dinraal.”

Teba looks back at you as well, “Dinraal? What’s that?”

“... the flame dragon?” you answer, as if it's obvious.

“You do not mean an actual dragon, do you?” the prince replies.

“No, no, it is an actual dragon,” you say with a laugh, “you guys haven’t seen them before?”

Both the Rito and the Zora shake their heads.

You’d met the dragon before. In fact, you’d met all three of them. Farosh, Naydra, and Dinraal respectively. You’d plucked a scale from each to offer at the springs of the three goddesses.

So you explain this to them, “yeah, there’s three dragons actually, though they tend to stay away from highly populated areas so they go unseen by most people. Dinraal is said to be a spirit of fire who took the form of a dragon, and in old legends would protect the Spring of Power. There’s also Farosh, a spirit of lightning, and Naydra, a spirit of ice.”

The princess interjects, “yes, though it’s interesting that you’ve only ever seen three. In my studies of the old texts of the royal family, it says that there was a fourth.”

You tilt your head to the side curiously, “a fourth?”

“Yes,” she replies with a thoughtful nod, “though there’s no record of it in more recent history. But it was to be a different element, and was referred to as a dragon of light.”

You hum in response, “huh. Interesting. A light dragon.”

“All this discussion of dragons is making me quite eager to see my first,” Sidon says with a laugh, “when shall we go looking for it?”

Teba nods, “yes, champion since you’ve seen these dragons before, do you know of their routes?”

A smile graces your lips, “as a matter of fact, I do. I’ve got a good idea of where we could find Dinraal.”

…

You’d returned to your horses and journeyed east. The closest place you could think of that would give you a close up view of the dragon would be in Tanagar Canyon. Unfortunately, to get there you’d have to momentarily ride through the Tabantha Hills, where the temperatures significantly dropped. 

Fortunately, the prince surprised you by revealing that he’d purchased spicy elixirs at the stable from Beedle. These would have to do until you could get him Snowquill armor.

Once you were in the colder region Teba, who was flying up above, alerted you to the fact that he could see another Rito camped out in the canyon. You leave your horses, tying their reins to some trees, before proceeding to climb down to the nearest lip of rocks.

A Rito guard stood beside a campfire, overlooking the vast abyss that was the canyon. He perks up and turns to look at your group as you approach him.  

“Mazli,” Teba says, “are you waiting for something here?”

Mazli, a brown Rito, nods his head, “yes, there was a sighting last night of something red and fiery here in the canyon. Kaneli sent me to investigate.”

“That sounds like Dinraal, alright,” you mumble, “what time was the sighting at?”

“The Hylian who reported it at the stable said it was around one o’clock,” the guard replies.

You turn your gaze up to the sky. It’s quite early in the evening, the sun is still rather high. You puff out some air and cross your arms, “well. All we can do is wait.”

And wait you do.

You spent the next few hours laying on the ground beside the campfire. As a group you attempt to pass the time with random discussions. Teba and Sidon talk to each other about their careers as warriors and the battles they’ve fought. Zelda tells you about the history of the Hebra region, and how the large hole in the side of Hebra Peak was the result of a misfire when Revali was first training to be the champion.

“I see that some of the Rito warriors wield spears. If you are in the air, in flight, how could one still use a spear to battle?” the prince had curiously asked.

Teba chuckles as he answers, “it sounds funny, but it’s actually with our feet. It’s the same way that I can shoot my bow while flying.”

Sidon nods, “how fascinating.”

You smile as you listen to the two men speak. You’re happy to see the prince so curious. If you could take him all across Hyrule so he can learn, you’d be more than happy to.

At some point in the evening around when the sun was setting both Teba and Mazli had flown back to Rito Village. They returned with dinner for the group to eat, as there were still a few hours to wait. You bite into a nutcake as you sit on the edge of the cliff, gazing down into the canyon.

You hear footsteps beside you and glance up. Sidon gives a bright smile before sitting beside you. Your legs are dangling off of the rock.

“What are you looking at, darling?” he asks curiously.

You respond with a shrug, “nothing really, just the canyon. I assume you’ve never been down there?”

The prince shakes his head.

“I figured,” you say with a smile. You point with your free hand, “really, it’s mostly just rock down there. I think a long, long time ago there was a river that had carved out all the rock, but it’s all dried up by now. If you were to walk along the bottom of the canyon, though, you would actually find an ancient temple northeast of here.”

“Really?” Sidon asks with a gasp, “have you ever been, little one?”

You nod, finishing off your dessert, “I did, once. It was full of guardians, making it a bit of a dangerous venture. At the end of the temple was this absolutely massive goddess statue. I don’t know what the temple was originally used for. Maybe Zelda does, if there’s something about it in the royal archives. It’s an interesting place, but it’s old and unkempt, practically falling apart.”

The prince laughs softly, and leans back. You see his gaze flicker across the sky, admiring the stars that are beginning to shine now that the sun has set.

He speaks softly, “I must admit… I envy you from time to time, my darling.”

Your brow furrows, “why would you envy me?”

“You have seen so much of this land, quite literally you’ve been to all four corners. I have only ever read about these locations on paper, but you have been able to see them with your own eyes. To learn about them. To experience them. And then, to teach me about them,” he explains with a fond expression, “as you know I was never allowed to travel much, especially after the fate that befell my sister. I’m fairly certain the only reason my father encouraged me to leave was because he knew I would be with you, a competent and talented warrior.”

His hand is on the ground beside your own. You inch over and interlock your fingers with his.

“How about this,” you say, looking up at the sky as well, “after we finish all of this business with the trials and have the champion ceremony, why don’t you and I travel for a bit? Just the two of us?”

He turns his head to gaze down at you, “truly?”

You nod, a grin on your face, “mhmm, truly. With the king’s permission, of course. I’ll take you to all my favorite places. The Korok Forest, the jungle in Faron, I can show you the ancient tech laboratories, we can visit each of the goddess springs-”

As you ramble and list off various locations the prince has nothing but adoration in his eyes.

“I look forward to it, little one,” he chuckles softly.

You sit on the edge of the rocks with the prince for some time, but eventually the temperature drops as the moon rises higher. You drag yourself back to the campfire that Teba has been keeping alive. A little ways away Sidon and the princess speak, with Zelda excitedly showing him some notes she had on the Sheikah Slate.

“So,” Teba speaks up, “you and the prince, huh?”

You fluster and laugh, ignoring the blush that dusts your face, “is it that obvious?”

The white Rito chuckles, setting down the poking stick he’d been using to stoke the flames, “I don’t think it could be anymore obvious. It’s in the way you look at each other. How’d that happen, anyway?”

You watch the flames dance as you speak, “I’m not too sure. I suppose it just kind of did. After I woke up in the shrine of resurrection, Zora’s Domain was one of the first places I went to. After that I kept returning, and the two of us kept speaking and writing letters. One thing led to another, and well…”

“That’s sweet. My wife noticed as well, she has an eye for these things,” he says with humor in his voice, “she said that she thinks you make a cute couple.”

A smile plays on your lips, “good to know.”

…

As it got later into the night it was decided that you would all sleep in shifts. You’d retrieved blankets from the horse saddles and handed them out to the group. You volunteered to take the first shift.

You were sitting by the campfire, keeping an eye on the canyon. Behind you your companions rested, bundled up as cold winds blew through the area. You had the Master Sword in your lap and were passing the time by polishing the metal with some spare cloth.

Time had passed, though how much you weren’t sure. You weren’t going to wake Zelda to bother her for the slate. The moon was ever so slowly inching its way across the dark sky. 

You hear a sleepy murmur behind you, “_____?”

You tilt your head to see who it is. Sidon had woken up, leaning on his arms as he looked at you.

“Hello, sleepy head,” you tease him with a smile.

“Would you like to switch so you can rest?” he asks, sitting up.

You shake your head, “no, I’m alright, I’m wide awake actually.”

Despite your insistence he still walks over to you, taking a seat beside you. 

“You’re shivering,” he points out.

You hadn’t realized, but he was right. Your tunic and armor weren’t enough to keep you warm, even with the fire in front of you. The prince wraps an arm around you and drapes the blanket over your shoulders.

“Thank you,” you mumble, “but now you don’t have a blanket.”

“I’ll be fine,” he replies, “how long have you been up?”

“Not a clue,” you laugh.

Suddenly there’s a shift in the temperature. The wind is still blowing, but it’s hot. You stand quickly and walk to the edge of the cliff.

A red glow emanates from the canyon. A grin is in your face when you see the source. Dinraal, the fire spirit, gracefully flies between the cliffs. His scales resemble embers of fire, the light fading in and out similarly to burning coals. Along his back are bright red and orange spikes that match the curved horns atop his head. Balls of fire drift around him, dancing in the wind that he creates.

You run back to the campfire and rouse your companions from their sleep. “Teba, here’s your first trial.”

The white Rito is alert and up fast, grabbing his Swallow Bow and walking to the cliff edge. Everyone marvels at the sight of the dragon.

“This thing is huge,” Teba gasps, “is it dangerous?”

“No, not at all, it doesn’t attack. The fire balls hurt, of course, you just have to avoid those. Even after you shoot its horn it won’t attack,” you explain.

“It is absolutely breathtaking,” Sidon says in awe, “and you said that there’s two more?”

You smile as you nod.

“Its horns seem to be glowing even brighter now,” Zelda interjects, “Teba, I think this is your chance.”

“On it,” he replies before spreading his wings and taking off.

You watch as the Rito skillfully soars over the dragon. He dodges between the fire that radiates off of Dinraal, his wings easily catching the currents of the wind and using it to his advantage. With his talons he grasps the Swallow Bow, lodging the arrow in the wood. He does so effortlessly, showing his years of practice and training.

He hesitates as he aims, before taking a breath and letting the arrow loose. 

It strikes the horn of the dragon. Dinraal lets out a gentle cry as a shard of his horn breaks off and falls down into the canyon. Teba flies backward, avoiding the body of the fire spirit as it begins to soar higher and higher into the sky. You watch as it ascends into the heavens.

“Will it be alright?” Sidon asks.

You nod, “yes, it doesn’t do them actual harm. They’re protected by the goddesses. Some say that they’re immortal.”

After retrieving the shard of Dinraal’s horn, Teba returns. He holds the fragment in his wings. It radiates a soft red glow. “It’s warm to the touch.”

“That wasn’t there before…” the princess speaks up, pointing across the canyon.

You follow her gaze and realize that to the south a shrine had appeared. To get there would require crossing the canyon. “It must have risen up after you shot the horn,” you say to Teba.

After some discussion you decide on a plan. You’ll borrow the Sheikah Slate from Zelda and use your paraglider to get to the other side of the canyon while Teba flies. Zelda and Sidon will return to Rito Village with the horses and you’ll meet them there after retrieving the token.

“See you soon,” you whisper to the prince before he leaves.

He quickly leans down to press a kiss to your cheek, “I eagerly await your return, my darling.”

When you turn to look back at Teba he has an amused look on his face.

“Not a word out of you,” you say to him in jest, “c’mon, let’s go do that shrine.”

…

The next two trials go smoothly. Your only complaints are the chilly weather of the Hebra Region.

The next day your group traveled towards Hebra Peak, stocked with plenty of spicy elixirs and warm meals. After a few hours of travels you came across a glowing blue ring, similar to the ones Sidon and Riju had encountered. Teba had been able to swiftly fly through each of the rings, racing down the mountain. You followed closely behind, using your shield as a sled to surf down the snowy slopes. After the shrine Teba had received his second token.

The third trial takes place at the Flight Range north of Rito Village where you’d first met Teba. Luckily, the Rito already knows the details of this trial. He had explained that it was a feat Revali was infamous for among Rito warriors, his ability to strike multiple targets within a matter of seconds without losing any altitude.

At the range Teba once again displayed his mastery with the bow, easily striking each of the glowing blue targets. He was rewarded with the final shrine appearing at the bottom of the range. After going through it with him, the third token was acquired.

Currently, it is evening. You were waiting outside of Teba’s home. The sun was setting in the distance and the sky was a soft orange. He was speaking with his wife and son, explaining what the circumstances of the next few hours would be. It almost made you feel like an undertaker. As if you were sending a man to his demise.

You’d have to climb to the very top of the spire that held the village, up to where the Divine Beast was perched. Your eyes were upturned towards Medoh as you waited.

“What might you be pondering now, little one?” a voice asks.

When you turn your head to the side you see Sidon walking up the stairs.

You shrug your shoulders as you lean against the fence. You lift your hand and flex your fingers as you reply, “dunno. Just nervous.”

“You have nothing to worry about. Teba is skilled, and you can heal any wounds he receives,” the prince replies.

You frown, “what happens if someday I lose Mipha’s Grace? If I can’t access that power anymore?”

“Then we have other ways of healing. Elixirs and medicines,” he retorts, “you already have so much on your shoulders, do not think that you must bear the weight of keeping everyone healthy as well.”

Just as he finishes speaking, Teba steps outside. The Rito has a stern look on his face. He nods his head at you, “I’m ready whenever you are, champion.”

“Then let’s head up,” you reply.

It was agreed that since you’d have to scale such a tall height that Zelda and Sidon would remain behind. You already had the Sheikah Slate with you, hooked securely to your belt. You bid the prince a quick goodbye, and then you scale the rock.

You use a mix of climbing and Revali’s gale to ascend higher. By the time you reach the summit Teba is already standing there, waiting for you.

“Not everyone has the gift of wings, y’know,” you sarcastically toss out as you climb up over the edge.

Before he can respond to your jab, a voice speaks.

“To the one who approaches this Divine Beast… in the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial. In exchange for Medoh’s Emblems… you will be granted the chance to tread through the realm of memories.”

Teba holds out the three tokens in his wing, the glow brightly before disappearing out of his grasp.

“Those who lack determination will find this trial unforgiving. Do not take this place lightly, nor dismiss it as merely a world within your mind. The truth is much deeper than you know.”

The white Rito looks over his shoulder towards you. You give him a nod of assurance.

Like the two pilots before him, he’s surrounded by a glowing ball of light. The light grows smaller and smaller before fluttering away towards the Divine Beast. Now you get to play the waiting game.

You pace back and forth on the rock. You don’t bother approaching Medoh, whenever the final trial is occuring there’s some kind of force that stops anyone from going near. Hours pass, the moon and stars continuing their never ending march across the sky. At some point you’re so bored that you attempt to count the stars- this endeavor quickly fails.

In the village beneath you everyone is asleep. The lights are off, save for two buildings. The inn and Teba’s home. You know Saki is awaiting her husband’s return, and Tulin is probably wide awake as well. You can imagine Sidon and Zelda are likely awake and waiting for you to return too.

Your stomach rumbles as you pace. You’d skipped dinner, not having had an appetite because of how anxious you were. You were regretting not having eaten.

It isn’t until the sun begins to rise that Teba returns.

The golden light returns and floats down to the ground. When it fades it deposits the Rito onto the stone. He stumbles over his feet, clutching his wing to his abdomen. You can see blood soaking through his armor.

“Teba!” you gasp, running to be by his side, “stay with me, you made it.”

He sharply intakes a breath of air as you guide him to sit down. His yellow eyes frantically look around as his chest heaves, still running on adrenaline.

You examine his wounds as quickly as possible. It’s clear he’s been shot in the side, likely by the blight’s beam, as not only is blood seeping out of the wound but all of the skin and fabric around it is burnt and singed. Bile rises in your throat from the smell.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry you had to do that,” you whisper, holding your palm over his side. You don’t care if the blood coats your fingers.

You squeeze your eyes shut as you focus, heart pounding as you will your powers to flow forth. You feel warmth in your palm and let out a shaky sigh as you look down, the blue light of Mipha’s Grace emanating from you. 

It quickly works to seal his wounds. The gash in his side closes and the skin heals, his feathers returning to their usual position. 

Once you make sure he’s completely healed you sit back and breathe in deeply. The sun is bright as it peeks over the horizon. You bask in its warmth.

Teba coughs as he sits up, still sore from the battle. “... I ran out of arrows,” he mutters once he’s ready to speak, “I had to fend for myself with only a feathered dagger.”

Your brow furrows, “I’m sorry, truly. I… I understand if you change your mind about-”

He shakes his head, quickly silencing you, “don’t apologize. All us champions have to face these hardships.”

You smile. He had said ‘us’. 

“Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to go see my wife and son,” he says, laughing through another cough.

…

“Do you reallyyyy have to go already?”

“Yes, I’m sorry kids,” you laugh.

Currently you were surrounded by the Rito children who looked up at you, Sidon, and Zelda with big pleading eyes. You’d packed all your belongings and were ready to say your goodbyes to the town, with Death Mountain as your next destination.

Clearly, the kids weren’t ready for you to leave.

“I’ll come back someday soon, I promise,” you say, slowly walking backwards to the town entrance.

You’re met by a chorus of cries and complaints.

“We have business of the utmost importance,” Sidon says to the children, “it is highly important warrior business. You wouldn’t want to stop us from being warriors, would you all?”

The kids shake their little feathered heads.

“Then we must be leaving, and you must all promise to be on your best behavior in our stead. Promise?” he replies.

The children nod excitedly.

After saying your goodbyes your trio walks across the suspended bridges and returns to the Rito Stable. Persephone happily greets you as you approach the stalls. You guide her by the reins out to the front of the building, where you see an interesting sight.

A messenger bird has just landed on Sidon’s arm. You don’t recognize it, it’s not Archimedo, but it wears the same silver adornments of the other birds that belong to Zora’s Domain.

You walk up to the prince as he retrieves the letter. You pet the bird's feathers, which are a silky white color, and it chirps happily in response.

Sidon’s eyes skim over the paper. You from when you see the way his eyes widen.

“What happened?” you ask.

The prince blinks as he looks toward you. He stammers before answering.

“Archimedo was found on the steps of the Great Zora Bridge… but he was found dead.”

~~~ <> ~~~

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

[gunsli-01]

I want to ask some questions because I've only been riding this train for 5 days.

Why was Haruka voted Innocent in the first place? I would have honestly voted Guilty both times, his crime (particularly the animal m*rder) is just unforgivable, no way to slice that.

Where are you voting with Mu? I'm likely voting Guilty because the outlook she's developing shouldn't be endorsed.

Is there anyone in particular that you believe is hiding too much to make a proper judgement? I feel that way with Mahiru and Kazui, especially the latter.

Mikoto and Kotoko both despise each other and are the biggest threats to Es. Would it be reasonable to use one of them to neutralize the other (1 is Innocent, the other Guilty)?

Well, I feel like a broken record at this point but when I got into Milgram @apatchworkstar introduced me to it and gave me a rundown on how the fan base was responding to the prisoners at that time. So, before answering question one I must implore you to look for opinions regarding that time and decision outside of just mine because what I think could be skewed and is only one side of the story. But luckily, I can answer one and two together.

Haruka Sakurai

1. To my knowledge Haruka was voted innocent because he had been heavily coded as having a learning disability/neurodivergent. The most common speculation being that he had autism. The lyrics in his song combined with his character, description on the Milgram website (you can vote here but you need a twitter or line to do so), and his mannerisms within the portal timeline seem to directly support this interpretation.

His Description as it appears on the website-

2. Though I brought it up in question one but I like to keep things orderly. For anyone interested in voting, it can be done on the Milgram website specifically at https://milgram.jp/judge . Fun fact there's also a QR code in Futa's second trial song that leads directly to the voting page. It crashed the page upon its release.

A young and quiet prisoner who tends to keep his gaze towards the ground. In the beginning he only replied to Es' questioning with very few words and confusion stating that he was unable to answer or understand what was being asked. Through continued communication via their meetings the number of words Haruka understood gradually increased. When solid communication is finally accomplished his personality will become more apparent. He has a gentle temperament and does not show any dissatisfaction towards being in Milgram. He attempts to talk to Es and the other prisoners, but since there's a gap in communication between them, they don't get along too well.

3. I don't think we have enough information about Amane, Kazui, Mahiru, and Futa's crimes at this point. Since their videos have not shown them directly commit them. Yuno also falls into that category. However, in her first trial song Umblical some of the gifts on the staircase have inverted colors which could be alluding to her killing the clients connected to said gifts which is more than these other four have. So, we at least have an inkling she killed someone.

Plus, it's weird that Futa says at a point "The one who spread it wasn't even me anyway." but he continues to focus on the outcome of the doxing in both songs as if he's clinging to the results of that to justify something else, he may have done. Like yeah, he feels guilty about being involved in it, but I don't think that's all he did in the slightest. I think the quicker we get past the smokescreen the faster we'll figure out what he actually did. There's even a line where he asks why we're focusing on that. Sooo.... Kazui is just being vague but I'm pretty sure he did something messed up but I'm bias in his favor so hell if I'll figure out what it is I'm sorry i'm weak to strong shoulders.

Though I suspect he might just be playing house (hah ha get it cause his song is performed like a play where he's the led actor) and never been in a relationship at all but just wanted to be with someone to that extent. I think Mahiru might have poisoned someone given she's a florist, discusses herbal remedies in her interrogation, and the focus on cocktails in this is how to be in love with you.

With Amane all I know for sure is she bludgeoned someone with a metal pipe like Mikoto did with his bat. Because we see her wielding it in Undercover.

Look at them go. If they spent more time together Mikoto could really help her with that swing of hers. Kids truly need proper guidance.

So, it's a bit too vague for me to come to a decision on all of them. Because well they're the best liars here. Like the only thing stopping Yuno from being up there is she wants to be caught. She wants us to figure out what she did and is annoyed that we're turning a blind eye to it when she put that shit on easy mode.

4. Oh, that's a tough one Mikoto has really grown on me, and I enjoy the idea of keeping him as a wild card of sorts. So, I personally would lean more towards voting him Innocent and Kotoko guilty this round. Kotoko states in Harrow that she doesn't care if people attempt to make amends/apologize she'll go after them anyway. That and she's shown to have gone after people who'd already stood trial and were given a slap on the wrist.

So, I'm uncertain if she'll stop attacking people who were voted Guilty last round just because they're voted Innocent this round. It feels like her whole I held back to give you a chance to decide if this is really what you want to do thing is bull and she's just testing Es' resolve if anything. She's already shown disdain at Es' decisions stating they didn't vote enough people guilty for her liking.

This is a case of who's working for who here at that point and at least both Mikoto's respect Es' authority as long as what he's doing isn't detrimental to them. So, even from an objective standpoint I'd rather deal with the guy who has told me how to avoid having issues with him than someone plotting to usurp me as soon as I don't fit their needs. Mikoto will mind his business if we let him, but Kotoko is minding ours and I feel that's overstepping. This is something she's been doing since Mikoto's interrogation.

She broke into the interrogation room, briefly watched Es get folded like laundry, brokered a deal with us afterwards. I bet if we said no and both her and Mikoto got voted Guilty she would've teamed up with him. Because it's not about us agreeing with her it's about her being able to do what she wants. Which literally Yuno tells us that Kotoko is the type to form an opinion all on her then act on it.

That in my opinion is more dangerous to Es and us since Es is our proxy. But when it comes to using one of them to neutralize the other I think we don't have to vote for that to happen. Given Mikoto tried to wish her happy birthday last year to which she responded and I'm paraphrasing here that something like him didn't deserve to exist he definitely would never be voted innocent and once he was voted guilty again she would finish him off. Something, she's incapable of doing while he is unrestrained because he was the only one to successfully push her back when she attacked.

This means Kotoko is banking on him being voted guilty so he will finally be restrained and unable to defend himself. So, she can kill him. Cause she's a coward who likes jumping people who are already defenseless with multiple weapons like a police baton, steel toed boots, and iron knuckles. So, honestly if you want to go that course and pick a side...

Well, I really hope it's Mikoto's because I don't know... I still hate police brutality even when it's done by women. I might be crazy but maybe more people in 2023 should too. Instead of going oh yeah girlboss moment maybe more people should go oh whoa hold on that's a narc. That's the person who disobeys authority until they become the authority at which point, they can never be wrong.

Like the shit she's doing and saying right now is fucked up regardless of how you feel about the other characters this is disproportionate punishment. Given the fact the fact that there is already a punishment system in Milgram and she's blatantly trying to replace it with her own form of punishment. That's a coup, that's disrespect, she's already stepped into our jurisdiction and she's just waiting to see if we roll over and say it's okay. After which she's going to kill someone and then say we told her to if she's voted innocent like fuck that I'm not about to be an accomplice. The other Mikoto that jumps us just wants us to stop stressing him out, something that we have direct control over, so I really don't understand why we just don't stop doing things that cause him to show up. Though I'm also an asshole with characters I like so people could be nice or make his ass worse either way I'd still be eating good.

However, Kotoko is a problem for everyone in Milgram and it'd probably be great for her to be told no by someone who can actually enforce that decision for once in her life. Especially given this line of hers, "From the beginning, I never asked for your understanding! My actions, one by one, are bringing the earth closer to peace. Useless weaklings should just shut up and let me protect them!" When you girlboss so hard you become a girldictator.

Sorry, if this is a long answer but there's just so many interesting variables. Given Mikoto's personality it seems like if he is voted innocent he wouldn't really go on the offensive unless Kotoko attacked him. Which she just might do anyhow since she seems to fucking hate him. However, I wouldn't want anyone here to die to her of all people...so it's really hard to give a definitive answer on.

I just feel it'd be easier and safer to vote Kotoko Guilty given she's already attempted to take Es' job multiple times. Plus, we can't guarantee where the writer will go with the verdicts especially given other innocent parties can and will probably intervene. Best course of action in my opinion is to vote Mikoto and Kazui the two people capable of handling her innocent and her Guilty. If you're concerned about Es' safety and ability to do their job. But like Jackalope said we could also just vote them all guilty but then we might have a prison riot.

[mysteriawrites]

Hi! Could I get a matchup for Attack on titan, Twisted Wonderland and My hero academia, please? -Pronouns: Any -Sexuality: Bisexual -Zodiac/MBTI: Scorpio, INFP -Appearance: I have short and curly dark brown hair, the eyes of the same colour, pale skin, hooked nose and I'm tall 5'8". I'm overweight. -Personality: I am very shy, I always try to be nice to everyone, and I am very reserved at first. Once you get to know me I become a great joker, with a great sense of dark humor. I always try to take care of my loved ones, although I have a hard time telling them how much I care about them. -Likes and Dislikes: I really like romance books and likewise horror books. I like flowers, cats and pretty things. I also have a passion for gothic. I don't like arrogant people, cheaters and people who tease others. I hate wasps and any insect that causes pain when it stings. -Hobbies: Writing, reading, cooking, reading tarot, watching anime and playing videogames. Thank you in advance!

Hello thx for the request! If possible can you send me separate asks for your other fandoms it makes things easier on me thank you (gonna do twisted wonderland cause i haven’t gotten a twst one yet). Anyway DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

SILVER!!!

I think you and Silver would be good together. You guys may not have a lot of hobbies in common, but you two have a nice understanding of each other where you can just enjoy each other’s company in silence.

When you fell into twisted wonderland you made a lot of new friends. Of course, you had the first-year trio, you were friends with the dorm leaders, and you had your faithful companion grim. However, you were the closest with one particularly sleepy student.

You and Silver became best friends over your similar personality and likes such as romance, flowers, and animals (he reminds you of a sleepy cat).

Sometimes you’ll give tarot readings to your friends as a past time. One day you decided to do a reading for Silver. (I'm sorry ik nothing about tarot but let’s pretend twst tarot works a bit differently).

As you read his fortune you notice something quite interesting. In your reading you discovered the identity of his future lover. The person was a beautiful and kindhearted royal from a faraway land who would come and sweep him off his feet. Sadly, that person was not you...

Despite being devastated, you wanted to be a good friend and support Silver, so you plastered on the best smile you could and told him your findings. His expression was unreadable, but he thanked you nonetheless.

Since then, your feelings for him have grown stronger day by day. The longing, the jealousy, and the sorrow for a love out of your reach became ever consuming. You began to distance yourself from him to for you believed it was the best way to support him without your feelings clouding your judgement.

Weeks pass and the distance between you two grew ever greater. You missed him dearly and he missed you too, but he decided it was best to let you have your space and just be there for you when you were ready.

Fortunately for both of you, a certain bat dad was not going to let this silence last any longer.

You got a note in your locker (do they have lockers at Night Raven College?) from Lillia, saying he had an urgent matter to discuss with you after school. So, you went to meet up with him in his dorm room as planned only to come face to face with Silver. If that wasn't confusing and awkward enough, as soon as you stepped fully into the room the door closed and locked shut behind you.

It seems that Lillia had decided to take his own spin on the 7 minuets in heaven idea by magically locking you and Silver in a room together to force you to talk. A very cheeky idea as expected of Lillia.

So, after a long period of silence, you two finally started to talk. After the tension in the air was cleared you finally revealed you reasoning for breaking away from him. How you only wanted what was best for him.

After you reveal he takes you hand in yours. He tells you that he appreciates you wanting what's best for him, but only he gets to decide that. And that he has decided that you are the only person for him. You were the most beautiful and kindhearted royal he had ever met. That was when the answer finally fell into place.

You were indeed the beautiful kindhearted royal in the reading. With the revelation you gave him a big, deep, heartfelt kiss on the lips. Suddenly you two were free from the dorm and in a ballroom wearing the finest clothes and danced the night away (because Disney magic and stuff).

[kaythefloppa]

Binga Redesign [Sloth Bear] + Rewrite/HC:

My first artwork that ever is posted on Tumblr. It's garbage and disproportionate, but it's something!! [to be clear, this isn't the only Lion King/Guard-based artwork that I've made, this is the first of many that I'll be uploading here].

I've been high off of my Lion Guard hyper fixation for the past few weeks, mainly in how demotivation and disappointing S3 was and how I should write my post-canon fic/have the events after the finale play out in my verse [which I will illustrate with some art-pieces - I'll do this here, Deviantart and on the Lion King subreddit, my user is KrattBoy2006].

However, one thing really ground my gears to a halt and made me immediately clap my hands and say "Fuck this" was fucking Binga. I refuse to accept this abominable incontinent MLP-OC-reject-pukeskin-gender-bendered little Chippette. She's 10x more annoying than Bunga is [even with Season 3's character assassination of the poor dude], her existence, personality, design, and by extension, her relationship with Bunga relies on really outdated, sexist, and overall boring hetero-romance tropes. You could cut her from the story and nothing of substance would be changed [don't believe me? Fiona Riley recorded more lines for the one episode Shabaha appears in, than for the 3 episodes Binga appears in. Take that however you will]

Out of everything in TLG S3 that I've had to tolerate or write around when it comes to my headcanons, AUs, and fics, Binga is the one thing that I flat-out choose to ignore altogether. If not because of how much cringe I endure, it's because.... she's boring lmao.

And rather than just taking the easy way out and pretending she doesn't exist [not like that's not a good option either] or by having Bunga dump this chick [again, am not entirely opposed to], I eventually just said “screw canon” and came up with my own version of her, more fleshed out than in the show itself [I’m definitely not a fan of her name since that’s another cisbend of Bunga, but until I find a good substitute, I'll go with Sloth!Binga].

Rant Aside: On with my Rewrite version of Binga. Here, she’s a sloth bear: Why that? Because A) I want to take more advantage of the Asia setting, B) because sloth bears are termite predators like honey badgers so it does fit, C) because sloth bears, much like honey badgers are incredibly fierce when they need to be, D) I’m a sucker for height difference in relationships, and E) I think them being an interspecies couple makes it very interesting, funny, and wholesome, and be a neat mirror to Timon & Pumbaa's relationship. [And before y'all say anything about how they can't have babies, note that the ability to reproduce in a relationship should not solely determine if two characters should and shouldn't get together]:

I originally wanted to have her be a honey guide [since they do also live in India]. But then I read that the whole "Honey badger/honey guide symbiotic relationship" thing was an outdated myth so I went with the next available bug-eating, Indian-native animal.

In my AU, Binga is the polar opposite of Bunga. She lived in fear and isolation as a result of immense trauma from the loss of her parents [in the same tragedy that took Sãhasí and Ãnanda and left young Rani with a scar, I'll get to that point in my verse soon]. The Night Pride adopts her out of pity and she grows up as a sister to Rani and Baliyo until she leaves on her own: Meeting Bunga inspires her to be braver, but at the same time, she is able to help Bunga become mature and level-headed, and which inspires him to eventually reconcile with Kion and apologize to him for his emotional negligence.

Bunga and Sloth!Binga have an on-off relationship. Both of them are new to the concept of actually being with someone, especially with one of them having such a coveted and busy title as the Night Pride's Bravest. They go through some ups and downs and travel around lands with each other before eventually deciding that they would rather spend the rest of their lives with each other.

I have 2 existing possible outcomes for their future:

Scenario 1:

Bunga and Binga follow Kion to the Pridelands after him and Rani's relationship falls apart, and during their time there, Bunga and Binga stay at Timon & Pumbaa's old home. When Kion returns to rebuild his alliance with the Night Pride, Bunga, and Binga opt to stay in the Pridelands, and they help advise the next Bravest of the Lion Guard .

Scenario 2:

Same as Scenario 1, except when Kion returns to the Tree of Life, Bunga and Binga return alongside him and become the surrogate aunt and uncle to Kion and Rani's kids.

In either outcome, they do end up adopting children, orphaned from both the Pridelands and the Tree of Life, much to the excitement of Grandpa Timon & Pumbaa.

For Binga's design, I tried to incorporate the sloth bear look and blend it with Binga's design. The freckles were my own design choice. Overall it doesn't look as awful as it could've been.

[simschallengesfor3and4]

Sims 4 - Soulmate Challenge

Soulmates who believe in them, well you do. That’s why you spend your first life looking for the one, and when you met them, it was like life finally gained color and everything fell into place, but would you find them in every life you would have. Is your question now.

This is a rebirth challenge/Legacy challenge, you will need the life and death pack for this challenge but I will also write a base game friendly way to play, you will start with your first life and gen one

Note before the challenge: to all who play the challenge, please do remember the point of my challenge is to have fun, is there a rule you don’t like to ignore, make it fun for you. I hope you enjoyed the challenge

Gen 1/First Life Cas Rules:

Must start with a family your sim will be an infant, you may have one or two parents

Parents and infant may have whatever trait you want

May look however you desire 

Gen 1/First Life World Rules:

You must have your soulmate made, or pick a family for your soulmate, you’re soulmate may only be at most one life stage apart, so infant and toddler or infant and infant

You may play with both families, you may switch between them and you may play with only one family

May play on any lifespan, so short, normal or long

Gen 1/First Life Rules: As a child you were creative, dreaming away, as a teen you started to dream of true love, a soulmate, someone you would find and be with in every life. As a young adult you marry that person, and begin your family.

As a Infant you must grow up well, and get at least 3 milestones

As a Toddler you must max 1 skills, on short lifespan, 3 skills on normal and all 5 skills on long

As a Toddler you must get 3 milestones

As a Child you must have the creative trait

As a Child you must complete the Artistic Prodigy, Slumber Party Animal or Creative Genius aspiration, if you play short lifespan just one must be completed, on normal you may do 2 or just stick to 1, on long you must do 2 or all 3

Must earn a good grade either B or A in school as child and teen

As a Teen you must complete Goal Oriented, Painter Extraordinaire or Romantic Explorer aspiration, if you play short lifespan just one must be completed, on normal you may do 2 or just stick to 1, on long you must do 2 or all 3

Must marry your soulmate as a young adult 

As a young adult and adult you must have creative and family oriented trait  

As a Young adult and adult you must complete Soulmate, after you may do Successful Lineage, Big Happy Family, Super Parent, Renaissance Sim, and any of the teen aspirations other than Goal Oriented

Must have at least one child

Must be reborn as the child’s child, so you will be your own grandchild

You must be reborn as an Infant

Partner must be reborn into the family they were from as a infant

Gen 2/Second Life Rules: You don’t remember your first life, but youre romantic spirit stuck to this life. As a child you were playful and full of energy as a teen, romance would spark whenever it could, until you met them. Something stopped you in your tracks, this person, there was something about them. You felt something for them somehow, even though you had never met them before. The two of you fall in love, and travel the world.

As a Infant you must have either Intense, Wiggly or Sunny trait

As a Infant you must grow up well, and get at least 3 milestones

As a Toddler you must have either Independent, Inquisitive, Silly or Wild trait

Must get 5 - 10 milestones as a toddler

As a Child you must have Cheerful or Goofball trait

As a Child you must earn an A in school

As a Teen you must get the Lovebug or Romantic trait

As a Teen you must never get higher than a B in school

As a Teen you must complete Drama Llama, Live Fast, Leader of the Pack, Party Animal, Paragon Partner, Romantic Explorer or Serial Romantic aspiration, on short lifespan must complete one, on normale must complete one or 2, on long lifespan must complete 2 or 3

Must meet your soulmate, the person that was reborn and was your partner in your first life when you have 3 days left as a teen. May not romance them while you’re a teen

As a young adult, start romancing your soulmate

Must go on 5 vacations as a young adult, may travel to any world

As a young adult you must move every 7 days, may move to any world

As an adult must settle on a warm world and live there till they die, the worlds are Sulani, San Sequoia, Oasis Springs, Del Sol Valley or Tartosa 

Must have 5 children, must get pregnant on every vacation

Must first get married as an adult 

Must be reborn as one of the children's child, so you will be your own grandchild

You must be reborn as an Infant

Partner must be reborn into the family they were from as a infant or toddler

Gen 3/Third Life Rules: Books and stories could there be truth to the fables, fairytale love and soulmates, and not to mention supernatural beings, ghosts and more. You were a shy and quiet growing up, head in your books if you weren't writing your own stories.

As a Infant must have the Cautious, Sensitive or Calm trait

As a Infant you must grow up well, and get at least 5 milestones

As a Toddler must have the Angelic or Clingy trait

Must complete all 5 skills as a Toddler on all lifespans

Must be read a story once a day as a Toddler

As a Child must have either Bookworm or Clumsy trait

As a Child must earn and keep an A in school

As a Child must read 1 book all week days, and on weekends 2 book

As a Child must max 2 skills in all lifespans

As a Child befriend your soulmate 

As a Teen must have Bookworm or loner as a trait

As a Teen must earn and keep an A in school

As a Teen become best friends with soulmate, no romance yet

As a Teen must complete Goal Oriented, Spellcraft & Sorcery, Nerd Brain or Renaissance Sim aspiration

As a Teen must write at least one book

As a Teen must read 1 book all weekdays, all weekends 2 books

As a Teen or Young adult must become a supernatural being, ghost count too

As a Young adult must start relationship with soulmate and marry soulmate

May not have a career may only live off writing book, as young adult and adult

Must have twins, if you don’t succeed have the extra child as quickly you can age them up as soon as you can and have them age up the same time as the first child

May remove whatever supernatural curse you got

Must become a ghost and get the burning trait, before being reborn

Must be reborn as one of the children's child, so you will be your own grandchild

You must be reborn as an Infant or toddler, and normal human sim, not supernatural

Partner must not be reborn, but must be kept as a ghost, may stay in your family or may be moved to his original family

Gen 4/Furth life Rules: Life felt empty, you knew why, you had some knowledge of your past life, you knew someone was missing, there was a hole in your heart, forever empty in this life.

As a Infant must have Cautious or Sensitive

As a Infant get 5 milestones and grow up well

As a Toddler must have Inquisitive, Independent, Clingy, Charmer or Angelic trait

As a Toddler may only be friends with family

As a Toddler must max 3 skills, in all lifespans

As a Toddler may only play alone

As a Child must have Gloomy, Music Lover, Macabre, Loner or Loyal trait

As a Child may only have 1 friend

As a Child must master 1 instrument skill on short lifespan, on normal 2, on long 2 unless you have city living then you must learn singing too, and if you have vampires then you must learn the pipe organ too, so all 4 if you have those packs 

As a Child must complete the Artistic Prodigy, Whiz Kid, Slumber Party Animal or Creative Genius aspiration, 1 on short lifespan, 2 or 1 on normal, and 2 or 3 on long

As a Teen must have Loner trait

As a Teen must still only have one friend

As a Teen must play and instrument every weekend twice

As a Teen must earn and keep an A in school

As a Teen must never start a romantic relationship or do any romance

As a young adult and adult must have the loner trait

As a young adult and adult must never start a romantic relationship or do any romance

Must work in a entertainment career or sell music or work as a undertaker, the careers are Entertainer Musician Branch, Critic Arts Critic Branch, Actor or Undertaker Career funeral director Branch Mortician Branch

Must live in Ravenwood, Moonwood Mill, Copperdale or Forgotten Hollow, if you only have base game you may live in Willow Creek

Must only adopt children, may adopt as many as you want, and any ages

Must be reborn as one of you’re adopted children's child, as an infant

Now you rebirth you’re soulmate too, into his original family, He must be reborn as a toddler and not infant

Gen 5/Fifth Life Rules: You've been reborn again, and you don’t feel that emptiness anymore, you know they are out there, your soulmate, You seek to find them, you spend the days outside, befriend one person after the other, in a search for them. And when you finally did, happiness fills your life.

As a Infant must grow up well

As a Toddler must max 3 skills, all lifespans

As a Child Must make 5 friends

As a Child must not earn lower than a B in school

Must have 1 playdate a week on normal and long lifespan, on short must have 2 playdates as they age up in 7 days

As a Child must complete Rambunctious Scamp, Social Butterfly, Slumber Party Animal, Mind and Body or Playtime Captain Aspiration, on short lifespan only 1 has to be completed, on normal 1-2, on long 2-3

As a Teen must make 8 friends

As a Teen must hang out with friends once every week, on all lifespans

As a Teen must complete Admired Icon, Leader of the Pack, Friend of the World or Party Animal aspiration, 1 on short, 1-2 on normal, 2-3 on long

Must not get lower than a B in school as a Teen

As a Young adult must start, romancing and marry your soulmate

Must have 2 date nights a week, until you die

Must adopt 2 children and must give birth to at least one child, may adopt any ages

Must be reborn as one of the children's child, so you will be your own grandchild

You must be reborn as an Infant

Partner must be reborn into the family they were from as a infant or toddler

Gen 6/Sixth Life Rules: How could you hate your soulmate you didn’t know but they were your enemy, you hated them, till you didn’t what changed, you didn’t know but the hate was gone. And all that was left between you now was love.

No rules for infant

As a toddler you must have playdates with your soulmate, on short lifespan you will have one, on normal you will have 2, on long 3. on all playdates you may not get along with your soulmate

Parents must be friends with soulmates parents

As a Child you still have playdates with your soulmate, but must still not get along, on short lifespan you will have 3, on normal you will have 2 a week, on long 3 a week

May make 3 friends as a Child and Teen

As a Teen you have to hang out with your soulmate everytime his family is over. His family will be invited over 3 times a week on all lifespans

As a teen when you have 7 days left you must start befriending your soulmate

As a young adult must become best friends with soulmate before romancing them

May not get pregnant while young adult

Must get married while young adult 

Must have family over once a week

Once adult, may have a child or two or may adopt

Must be reborn as one of the children's child, so you will be your own grandchild

You must be reborn as an Infant

Partner must be reborn into the family they were from as a infant or toddler

Gen 7/Seventh Life Rules: You desired to be alone, you didn’t want love, and yet you did, you were a hopeless romantic. But you wanted to be alone, you told yourself that, you believed it, so why was it one person snuck into your life and stayed there.

No rules for infants or toddlers

As a Child may only befriend soulmate 

As a Teen must have loner trait

As a Teen may only be friends with soulmate and parents

As a Teen must cook 3 days a week, all lifespans

As a Teen must start a garden no more than 8 plants

As a Teen must earn and keep a, A in school

As a young adult must, have romantic or Romantically Reserved trait and loner 

As a young adult, must have a greenhouse with plants for food

Must only be friends with soulmate and family

May only work with food or sell food through a food stand, the careers are Culinary Culinary - Chef Branch, Critic - Food Critic Branch, Barista, Fast Food Employee

Must first start a romantic relationship when you have 7 days left as a young adult

Must first get married as an adult

Must first have a children as an adult

Must be reborn as one of the children's child, so you will be your own grandchild

You must be reborn as an Infant

Partner must be reborn into the family they were from as a infant or toddler

Gen 8/Eight Life Rules: You couldn’t find them for a long time, your soulmate, they seemed far away. You decided to settle for someone, there was no real love, but you cared about him, as a friend and he would treat you right, you got married prepared for your life when you met him, your soulmate. Your husband understood and the two of you ended the marriage, however the care never disappeared and he stayed a close friend for you. 

As a Infant you must grow up well

As a Infant you must get 3 milestones on short lifespan, on normal 5, on long 10

As a Toddler you must max 1 skill on short, 2 on normal, all 4 on long

As a Toddler you must get 5 milestones

As a Child must make 5 friends, you will end up marrying one of them

As a Child must have 3 playdates a week

As a Teen must keep 3 of the 5 friends, you will still marry one of them later

As a Teen must earn and keep a A in school

As a young adult marry the friend

Finally meet soulmate once married, become friends, the divorce husband

Stay/Fix relationship with ex husband so you are friends

Marry soulmate

Have two children, one may be from the first husband

Family night once a week until you die

Date night once a week until you die

You must be reborn as an Infant

Partner must be reborn into the family they were from as a infant or toddler

Gen 9/Ninth Life Rules: You’re soulmate found you easily in this life, well it surely helped his parents being friends with yours. As kids you would play together, have slumber parties. As teens you would go to prom together and hang out. One day you take the chance and love blossoms. Later you married and had children, you grew old together like you had grown up together.

As a Infant must have Sunny or Calm trait

As a Infant must have 3 playdates a week with soulmate, all lifespans

As a Infant must get 5 milestones on short lifespan, 10 on normal, 15 on long

As a Toddler must have Charmer, Silly or Wild trait

As a Toddler must have 3 playdates a week with soulmate, all lifespans

As a Toddler must max 3 skills all lifespans

As a Child Must have cheerful trait

As a Child, have 1 playdate a week, 1 slumber party a week. All lifespans

As a Child earn and keep an A in school

As a Teen must go to every prom with soulmate as friends

As a Teen must hang out with soulmate twice a week. All lifespans

As a Teen must make 3 friends other than soulmate

As a Teen must start romancing soulmate when 4 days are left or after a prom, must be one as close to 4 days remaining

As a young adult go on vacation with soulmate every weekend

As a young adult get married, may start having children before marriage

Must have 3 children

You must be reborn as an Infant or toddler

Partner must be reborn into the family they were from as a infant or toddler

Gen 10/Tenth Life Rules: You had 10 lives, all different. And you learned a lot, but your soul and spirit wish to rest now with your soulmates, for eternity. You live life to the fullest, love with all you have.

As a Infant must grow up well

As a Infant must get all 31 milestones on normal and long lifespan, on short get as many as you can

As a Toddler must max all skills, all lifespans

As a Child must max 5 skills all lifespans

As a Child must complete minimum 2 aspirations all lifespans

As a Child must earn and keep an A in school

As a Teen must complete minimum 2 aspirations all lifespans

As a Teen start romancing soulmate

As a Teen max level a after school activity or career

As a Young adult marry soulmate

As a Young adult, max 5 skills

As Young adult or adult max a career, may quit after

Have children as Adult or Young Adult

Have family night once a week

Have date night once a week

When they die you may pick whatever you wish, the challenge is over

[tctteredwings]

[simone ashley, cis woman, she/her, ALONE TOGETHER, MUSE B!  ) – Is that ELLORA ‘ELLE’ CHARI I spotted in new york city? rumour has it they’re 27 born on FEBRUARY 28th and have been in the city for ALL THEIR LIFE! I think I’ve seen them around THE BRONX and working as a KEEPER AT CENTRAL PARK ZOO!  They’re really known for HAIR PULLED INTO A SCRUFFY BUN, DIRTY BOOTS BY THE DOOR, PREFERRING ANIMALS TO HUMANS but that’s for you to judge.   I hope they like the city!

IN A NUTSHELL; preferring animals to humans, hair pulled up into a scruffy bun, an addiction to sour patch kids, dirty boots by the door, a tendency to move toward sarcasm, kind of judgemental, a gentle heart deep down, 80s pop music played real loud.

tw: acephobia

Name: Ellora Chari Nicknames: Elle Age: Twenty-seven DoB: 28th February 1997 Occupation: Keeper at Central Park Zoo Romantic/sexual orientation: Aromantic/asexual Birthplace: Long Island, New York

IMMEDIATE FAMILY.

Parents: Amit & Leela Chari Siblings: One younger sister Children: None Pets: Currently none, but she has plans

ABOUT.

Ellora was born in Long Island to second-generation American-Tamil Indian parents and had a pretty dull upbringing overall. She was never about to lie over that.

Both her and her sister were left to their own devices for the most part, their parents busy with jobs in the medical profession. Elle, however, had other ideas for her own future.

It became apparent quite early on in her life that she didn’t really enjoy being around people all that much. She didn’t have too many friends, her closest companions her younger sister and the family dog.

School went by slowly, awkwardly, it didn’t take her long to realise she wasn’t exactly the same as the other girls her age. While they were talking about boys ( constantly ) she was thinking about anything but. She had no interest, no crushes, not even when it came to celebrities. Her best friend was obsessing over Harry Styles and questioning why she wasn’t doing the same; Elle, meanwhile, was researching what she planned to do after school, considering jobs with animals.

In the end, she went through her entire school life not caring about boys at all. Naturally, she began to question if that meant it was girls instead, which she realised, of course, that it wasn’t… there was just nothing there.

Her first kiss didn’t happen until seventeen and she’d almost wished it hadn’t. She still regrets even allowing it to happen.

Her full attention went to her education after that, training up in various animal care and zoology courses, keeping herself as busy as she could. Animals had to be the way.

By the time she graduated she’d picked up a job at the Central Park Zoo working in the conservation department. She’s moved through various different areas there, but is now the main keeper for the meerkats.

With work being her main concern for most of her young adult life, it wasn’t until her early twenties that she made any kind of attempt to work out her sexuality again, finally landing upon aroace, although that took a long time. Her mother’s very against it, will constantly tell her how it’s a phase and she’ll meet the right person; she refuses to believe at of it. Elle knows she won’t, not in that capacity, yet the older woman continues on.

It makes sense, her not understanding of course, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt Elle deeply every time the conversation comes up. She does her best to ignore it, but it's safe to say it's put a strain on her relationship with the older woman.

[raccoonshinobi]

Simply put - cats do not meet certain people's expectations on how a pet 'should' behave. Folks don't like that cats aren't just cute round fluffy creatures full of unconditional love. They have retractable claws for a reason; they're build to be independent hunters and survivalists.

I wanted to keep this short but there's a lot to it than people think.

Dogs have very obvious body language that show they are affectionate. Cats are far more subtle in that the only way to know for sure if they appreciate and love you is when they approach you at all.

Cats prioritize safety and comfort over everything else - and I say this as a pet-owner that had cared for and looked after more than 5 cats in his lifetime - 2 of them belonging to family friends.

Notably, folks who dislike cats fall under 4 categories: - 1. Folks who have a high social life, most likely extroverts. Dogs are better suited for this sort as they both enjoy going outside, living life on the edge, and staying active. Cats are very cautious, knows that they're vulnerable despite being tiny hunters, and can take quite a while to get used to settings but very much prefer their space and safety as they do so. Some cats certainly don't like 'pet-talk' or sudden loud noises, they'll believe there's something wrong with their habitat - or with you in particular if you happen to be a loud chatty person... It really depends on the cat but by default, they're nervous wrecks.

- 2. Folks who are touchy-feely. Unlike dogs, cats are very touch-sensitive. Lots of people don't know this but cats actually have whiskers on other parts of their bodies, their faces happen to carry most of them. That's why they jump up when something small, strange, or sudden brush against or near their back or legs - it's part of their survival instincts. That said, being constantly hugged/carried/petted takes a toll on them where they get overstimulated and uncomfortable. It's like being tickled all over your body but you can't laugh and it gets irritant and painful after a while; the cat will panic if you don't listen and watch for their cues when they've had enough.

Squeezing cats is an absolute no-no as they have thin bones, it can hurt them, and they just don't like being bound against their will. But giving cat light pats, gentle rubs, and snuggles when they approach you is everything they could ever want outside meals. You just can't pet and hug cats hard like you would a dog.

- 3. Folks who are manipulative, untrustworthy, or casually argumentative. Cats like familiarity so they will pay very close attention to their surroundings, from sights to sounds to scents to someone's behavioral pattern, and will retaliate at any sign of danger even from their owner. People who are two-faced or combative can't get along with cats; once they've shown their true color, a cat's fight-or-flight response is constantly triggered as they no longer feel safe around that person. In this regard, it could take years for a cat to finally relax once they're out of that environment as it could no longer trust humans... Or a matter of weeks when the threat is finally gone for good. Dogs however are far more patient with such owners - more prone to take abuse from them... - 4. Folks who see cats as inherently rebellious. Any animal like humans will have their own set of behavior. Even with instincts, cats have minds of their own. To the typical observer, they're dumb troublemakers because they don't do what is expected of house pets; in reality cats do things people find annoying because they're bored and actually want to have fun, but they don't want to leave their comfort zone - so playing around the house is pretty difficult when your owner demands total compliance and expect it at all times. Though a cat acting out can also be one of their ways of telling you something is wrong and they need medical help.

Dogs tend to just go with the flow of life; cats take life one chill day at a time and when given the chance they'd like for you to wind down with them. Eventually they do take after their caregivers like sitting close by during radio/tv time and that's their way of making company. Also cats do not care for flashy and noisy gifts like dogs do. Cats are very simple; boxes, scratching posts, and/or handcrafted playthings are such a marvel to cats. Especially if you make the toy in front of them.

The truth is cats are introverted little nerds that are very choosy about what friends they want to have and spend time with. Much like people who don't like being forced to socialize or cater to a stranger's sensibility. And like people and even dogs, cats aren't capable of getting along with just anyone. Cats generally have a 'rule' on how to approach them and be approached by them. You follow that 'rule', you have a fluffy friend for life.

tl;dr cats dislikes clingy people, abusers, control freaks, and party animals *but* will buddy up with and trust anyone who remotely make them feel safe and give them space to adapt on their own.

The difference between dog-people-who-don’t-like-cats and cat-people-who-don’t-like-dogs is just so staggering and, quite honestly, disturbing.

Most cat people who don’t like dogs either don’t like dogs out of fear or because they don’t want the big time commitment and responsibility that owning a dog brings with it (-> going on walks, going to dog training school) and that’s that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone do a general character assassination of dogs.

But dog people who don’t like cats will really go on about how cats aren’t… capable of love or some shit? How they don’t want an animal who sets personal boundaries - the most cited thing is always the “and they will just hit you at random” (when that’s not even true; cats hit ‘at random’ either due to trauma/abuse or because they have warned you beforehand to stop whatever behavior they dislike and you didn’t listen).

That’s just so wild to me. Cats have such an awful rep for, what exactly? Having personalities? Setting personal boundaries? Not being fucking stuffed toys?

All I’m hearing when people complain about that is that they want a stuffed toy they can pick up whenever they want and can cuddle however long they want and then put back on the shelf when they don’t want to play with it anymore and I’m sorry but you don’t want a pet at all, you want a stuffed toy.

A dog doesn’t deserve you either?? I may not have personal experience with owning a dog, but I somewhat suspect dogs to have personalities too? To want affection when they want it too, and to want to be left alone when they need downtime too…?

And cats show love. How is it that in the year 2023, when cat videos are not even just on YouTube but also on tiktok and are literally on everyone’s fingertips, that people still have the misconception that cats don’t show love or aren’t capable of love that’s so fucking messed up it’s just so severely fucked up.

[chroniclesincrystal]

Kek's Fluke's: "Chonch!"

Since I started living among other people of different race's, I never realized how closed off we were in my clan. it was becoming a cultural shock to me the more i discovered Eorzea. But many follow the same rules "you hunt, you eat" its not far from here but with different words "you work, you eat" I will admit. I like the later, but it does have its challenges from the simple fact that if you cant find a means to get food you will go to decline on health, stability, comfort etc. While in the opposite if you failed hunting a beast well, your dinner ends' up eating you instead. However what do you do with animals that cant do anything? I remember when was traveling to Ul'dah I found this tiny bird, and curiosity filled my mind with this question, And I didn't see this bird AS FOOD, it was something new to me, as I stared at it perhaps in another time.

I wouldn't have thought twice and I would be eating finally my own catch of food or if I would have taken it to where we rested they would have cut it and roasted it, as I walked closed to it and took a better look it indeed was weak and starving, some clansmen would have put it out of its misery for sure but in my thought I wanted to help it, could this be a reason of what me so different form the rest when I was with them? my way of thought was not accepted but none disregarded me because I was still part of the group.

As I reached for it and held it I didn't have its eyes open or at least it couldn't, it was also extremely dirty and its eyes were covered with some sort of hard residue. I decided to care for it as it was alone maybe it was abandoned? lost? hurt? no idea, but I thought would be a good chance to get distracted. This encouraged me to work even harder to meet the needs of this little creature and to help it grow strong enough to be on its own, time passed rather quickly that we both stayed in Ul'da as i started my new apprenticeship. I noticed...that i MAY....have been overfeeding it...A LOT... its body grew so large that it rolls to move around or makes his whole body jump to get to one spot and another, and it did manage to open its eyes, but it is so fat, its cheek's are pushing up that makes it... squint... I kept calling it "bird" but then I saw a boy call a cat a nickname and it was very obedient on our way for supper at a small eatery. The logic to me was that I do the same, as we sat and rested to look over the menu, the bird had an ENDLESS PIT it even ate the cloth napkins... CLOTH NAPKINS, last time we were kicked out because of it and pulling it out from his stomach was unappetizing for the other customers and usually was extremely slimy, the bird chocked on its food most of the time, and I returned to my thought that maybe it would need a name, its been with me for quite some time and i consider it as a pet now so perhaps its not a bad idea? I began spitting words to see what made it react:

Fatso? no reaction

Roll? no reaction

Pit? no reaction

Chunky? it stopped eating

"Chunky?" i said it again, but it didn't listen to me it just stopped eating, so maybe if i play around that word works?

Chucky? no reaction

Chip? no reaction

chatty? no raction

Choke? it faced me, but it just stared at me...it was creepy...

Choke close? but not as a response i hoped for.

after hours of playing around i gave up and couldn't find a name for it until I heard a deep, broken irritable broken sound "Ch-ch-CHONCH"

i gasped on how nightmarishly it sounded and to believe it said a word A WORD and stared at it...for a good while and it began to wobble its wings and fat belly and wiggled its feet in excitement every time it said "chonch".

As i looked at it, kindly repeated the word and it was extremely happy by it. As much as i was looking for a fine name i forced myself a smile and said to it "chonch is the name then" it fell belly up then started to snore. After I finished supper i paid for our meal and carried Chonch as if he were a plush toy and it wouldn't stop saying its name for the whole time i walked back to our lodgings, i began to think "this was a mistake".