#I can see this and incorporate that into various things in my thoughts regardless

[ellasent]

Thinking about how they didn't have to do this and yet they did.

I'm so hecking happy about it.

[xxcrystalinerose]

Next up in the Sabzerus designs: Tighnari and Cyno!

I know this is unrendered, but I already committed to not rendering these two until I finish Haitham and Kaveh's designs which, in hindsight, is difficult atm because I have more ideas about Collei's design over them. With the recent release of Sethos, it seems that it would have to wait until I finish his and Collei's designs when I get to them. I'm writing a fic now lol so it the wait is probably quite long.

Tighnari's is relatively easy and I'm so pleased with the results! He finally looks put together and not... odd, palette-wise (to put it mildly). His clothing is based on the traditional dress of the Kabyle people, an Amazigh ethnic group from northern Algeria, with some modernized touches (I used references from modern-day photos of Kabyle dress!). The highlight is the burnous (hooded cloak), originally a symbol of resistance in the Algerian War of Independence and now a garment worn in special occasions such as religious festivals. I think it would be appropriate of Tighnari to wear one for his Sabzerus dress.

Cyno is so far the most difficult one to design. I have 0 references outside of speculative fashion plates and museum pictures of jewelry. I struggled so much with the outfit components, but I persevered and this is the result. His clothing is based on what Ancient Egyptian high priests of the New Kingdom wear. The long shendyt (kilt) and shawl are made from linen, which in higher social classes are woven so finely they appear as though transparent. Not just luxurious, but also airy for comfort against the desert heat.

Previously on: Nahida + Wanderer | Nilou

As usual, close-ups and some more thoughts under the cut:

Tighnari's canon design is incredibly confusing to me, because unlike some other Sumeru characters I have absolutely no idea which part of Algerian (or Arab, but that's a very wide ballpark) dress it's supposed to be based on. Where is that white fabric wrap even from? However, when I looked at his hoodie, I realized that it's probably supposed to be a "modernized equivalent" of a burnous. Probably.

The belt accessory is actually an article I always see on women's robe kabyle, but never men's. I think they look neat and Tighnari wears belt accessories, so I incorporated them. (If any of you seeing this are Kabyle or Amazigh, do tell me more of the nuances. Are they exclusively feminine accessories? I also read that Kabyle women tie their sashes differently depending on marital status, but does this only apply to sashes or does it also apply to these cord belts?)

It's not very obvious, but the burnous has a split back, so Tighnari's tail can poke out comfortably. It's also pretty fun to try and incorporate elements of his official design, such as the paw-print gloves, the boots, and the turtleneck. To me, Tighnari without a turtleneck is unimaginable for some reason.

I've been tentatively calling Cyno's design "the one time Cyno puts some effort into doing his hair". The little braids aside, his hair is actually in a half-up bun. I really should draw these refs from more angles... and this is unimportant in the grand scope of things, but I gave him some beef. My guy deserves more beef (and I apologize for covering his chest regardless).

The wesekh (wide collar) is made from gold and various precious gems/minerals. This one has gold, carnelian, and turquoise. The narrow golden beads on the outermost layer represents beetles, which in turn symbolize resurrection (i.e. Hermanubis' indwelling within Cyno).

I've always been baffled at the fact that Cyno wears mostly black, but would prefer for my design to contain elements from his actual design, so I kept the sash and helmet black. However, I do know that too much dyed linen (and animal fibers) are inappropriate to wear in temples. Unless you are a funeral priest, where you wear a leopard skin as a part of the rites. Then again, Cyno's biggest inspiration is Anubis, so perhaps he could get some leeway here...

To continue with the flower theming, I chose the Sumeru Rose for Cyno and Tighnari wears the yellow flower on his canon clothes once again. It's never mentioned in game, but I'd like to think the Sumeru Rose is among the national flowers of Sumeru along with the Padisarah, so it's appropriate for the General Mahamatra to wear it.

Lastly, I gave them matching double piercings. Tighnari wears them on his right ear (as per his canon design), and Cyno on his left. Another matching set :)

[pentition]

As usual, SPOILERS AHEAD.

Been thinking about some things as I lurk on the My Time/Sandrock Discords and subreddits. It's a blast seeing other Pen fans out in the wild. Actually, it's super comforting. I'm so used to liking niche titles or characters that don't get the love or introspection they deserve, regardless of where they fall on the morality spectrum.

I'm usually lurking. Liking comments or posts because I'm a shy creature on the social front, mixed with low energy all around. But one thing I always appreciate is seeing peoples perspectives and taking time to consider them. It doesn't matter how much or how little I agree/disagree - in the end, my brain incorporates what it views as right. And what it disagrees with, I further want to know about - but also won't be bothered if ideas I have don't match others. Echo chambers are boring. I want to see people take ideas that don't match mine and see if they make them work.

That all being said, I've had something on my mind regarding Pen for a number of weeks now. Between Reddit and Discord, there have been such interesting perspectives on people who want Pen to come back but then get split on him being romanceable in the future.

I've expressed in previous musings on here that I think the Sandrock Builder and Pen's history is something I love, and it wouldn't be the same with another character. But I also kind of failed to elaborate on that. After having some cool exchanges and hearing perspectives from various sides, I think I've settled more on where I am. Not that it matters to anyone but me, but it's a fun thought exercise to write out in regards to Pen's character.

I still believe Pen and the Sandrock Builder's relationship is like, my golden child for three main reasons:

1.) It has conflicting emotions both positive and negative. You get a full range of emotions. It's vague enough to allow people to speculate which also giving enough for people to know there was something serious there. I say serious because even if it was a ruse, it meant something to Pen based on how farewell and what he left behind if you romanced him. While I believe in the symbolism of what was left behind in the chest, I'm also try to take into account on the what-if that it doesn't matter to the devs the way it matters to us.

2.) Imagination is important. When you have a character like Pen, who is so himself but still shrouded in mystery, your mind tries to fill in the blanks and make sense of things. There's what we get, what we perceive and what is mixed up in the middle. Whether it's making things more toxic to making them more sincere, there's so much possibility with a character like Pen. It's appealing and an endless chew toy for my brain.

3.) The potential. This mixes the prior two. But it really comes down to it, the history they have and that potential of what could be is why I adore them. All relationships will encounter bad periods, it's what you do during those bad periods that define the outcome. Potential is always a defining aspect in anything, it's not something that has a moral compass - it just is what it is. Which means it's versatile. Potential is important to me, personally, so when I see a character like Pen who has so much of it... it's hard not to pay attention. And in instances like this where so much plot can exist, it's hard not to get invested.

Because I am not a big brain person and sleep deprived, here's the sentence that shittily segways into the next talking point that'll eventually circle back on the prior.

The diamond ring. What if it wasn't for the Sandrock Builder, but for whatever Builder (or other role) the player will have in a future game? Maybe the reason it dropped for everyone (and not a bug) was a two-fold reason. If the Sandrock Builder romanced Pen, it could be intended for them. If they didn't romance Pen, maybe it was a set up for a future game where Pen is romanceable again.

So, future romance possibilities with Pen. That's the talking point here. I said that the Sandrock Builder and Pen are my ideal because of the reasons above. Interesting history, imaginative with its positives and negatives, so much potential. Of course, I can only be biased because I don't know and haven't yet experienced the possibility of what it's like for Pen to be with another player character.

That being said, and despite my preference, I'd still be okay if Pathea had Pen in a future installment as a romanceable character for another character. Characters should be allowed to develop as characters that don't hinge on the player. And given people don't always play the games in order, it would be kind of sucky/selfish to deprive anyone of a Pentacular (sobad) romance route.

I've run a character and story editor job online since I was fifteen, I've done a lot of work in this area with clients and with my own work. And I've also been a DM/GM for about ten to fifteen years now. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that characters aren't great because of the writers - but because of who they are and can become as characters themselves. Just look at the differences between the Chinese and English versions of Pen. Yet despite the differences all Pen fans have found that same foundation that breaches language barriers and different writing directions. That is incredible core character foundation and it's that potential that has made me so invested in his character.

My ideal is probably so dumb sounding of a compromise. But it would be cool to reintroduce Pen in a future game with a romance rival option like Portia had. As in, if you want to romance Pen then you can. But if you don't, he automatically will seek out the Sandrock Builder. I don't mean up and leave asap, but whenever he is done having a role in that game he'd head out to find them. If Evershine is going to allow the Sandrock Builder to possibly appear, then why not do the same there? Only problem is it would be tricky to do a reunion that way when people have different perspectives of how it would go. Especially depending on how long it has been. It's easy to say, 'just let the player take control!' but the thing is, if players haven't played the previous games before (as in, they are a new player to the series) it wouldn't at all make any sense to do.

And selfishly, I'd totally want to have a game right after that returns to the Sandrock Builder for a Pen return. But then, that's only based on if the Builder was close or romanced Pen. For people who didn't care or go that route, it also wouldn't make sense to do.

So for a Pen and Sandrock Builder reunion that matters, we'd have to play as that Builder again in a future game. Maybe that means the Builder has to leave Sandrock for whatever reason. But it would have to be a reason that makes sense for people who didn't romance or care about Pen, too. It's all just tricky.

Which is why I thought a lot about a Pen romance without the Sandrock Builder. Of course there's potential there. It's not the same, as much as I'd love to explore my duo having a reunion. But it's not terrible either, to me, at least. In any case, Pen needs some time to figure his shit out as a person. If that means he grows and lets go of the past romance, that's okay. If it means he wants to try and see if he can salvage things after his betrayal, that's also okay. I just hope the devs come around to taking their audience seriously, because so far their players that like other characters (like Miguel, Burgess, even Ernest or Venti) aren't treated very respectfully for the characters they/their builder likes.

This is mostly be just airing out thoughts in my head since I wasn't too happy that a prior post or two didn't elaborate that I'd be okay if Pen moved on - even if I really want to see things work out between him and the Sandrock Builder. Both have strong narrative possibilities, but I like the ups and downs of the latter and the potential of it more at this time. Maybe that'll change in the future, whenever that game comes out. Who knows. ^^

[skelletors]

MCYT as D&D Characters 6 - Scar

Well. The ending of Secret Life sure was something, huh?

Hello one and all and welcome to this very strange series where I turn various MCYTs into playable D&D characters! This was originally going to be someone else, but in light of recent events I decided, hey, I should dedicate this to the S-Tier player himself, GoodTimesWithScar.

A few ground rules for this thing:

This will not be balanced and the builds may not be very good. This isn’t for the minmaxers (not that there's anything wrong with that), this is purely based on either stories these people have participated in or their overall persona on the internet

These characters will go up to level 20, but in no way do you have to play them to the max level to get all the mechanics that make up the character

There will be little to no homebrew in these builds, just for my own ease of use.

I will be using standard array for all of these characters (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) when determining the stats for these characters, also for my own ease of use.

Character Traits to Emulate

Conman extraordinaire

Jellie

Somehow always a wizard???

No thoughts head empty

Race, Class, Background and Stats

Race: Half-Elf (There were a couple options for Scar, but I decided on half-elf as a sort of compromise between his depictions as an elf and the fact that Scar has the most “just a guy” energy.

Ability Score Increase: +2 to Charisma, +1 to two other stats (We’ll go Dexterity and Constitution)

Darkvision: You can see in the dark! Not super important for the character, but pretty useful

Fey Ancestry: Advantage against being charmed and you can’t be put magically to sleep

Skill Versatility: You can have proficiency in any two skills. (It doesn’t matter what you pick, but I’ll chose Persuasion and Intimidation)

Background: Charlatan (In nearly every server Scar has appeared on, he has been a liar or a con man or a salesman. This is perfect for him!)

Proficiencies: Deception, Sleight of Hand, Disguise kit, Forgery kit

Class: Bard 20 (I debated on Ranger or Bard, but I decided on Bard because Scar is not wise. I’m sorry, he is the least perceptive, least insightful man I’ve ever seen. Obviously said with love.)

Stats:

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 12 + 1 = 13

Constitution: 14 + 1 = 15

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 8

Charisma: 15 + 2 = 17

An important note: Considering that Scar is a disabled content creator and has shown positivity towards his disability being incorporated into fanart, I find it very important to add that this build works in tandem with the Combat Wheelchair by Sara Thomson. While I don’t normally go into homebrew, mostly for my own sanity, this is a well-made piece of homebrew and as such, I feel it’s important to link here while making a D&D character based off of a wheelchair user. I won’t be touching on this further, as any upgrades that can be made to the wheelchair are based on how much money a party has, rather than level.

Level 1: Bard

Bardic Inspiration! You can inspire your allies and give them an extra die a number of times equal to your Charisma Modifier

Spellcasting! I’m not really going to focus on this, but at the end I’ll list some key spells for Scar. If I remember lmao

Level 2:

Bardic Inspiration! You can inspire your allies and give them an extra die a number of times equal to your Charisma Modifier

Spellcasting! I’m not really going to focus on this, but at the end I’ll list some key spells for Wilbur

Level 3:

Subclass time! Potentially the best time. Or at least a good time. Regardless of the quality of the time, one thing that is undeniable is that it’s time for Scar’s subclass. The subclass, of course, being…

College of Glamour! Coming straight at you from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, College of Glamour bards focus on deceiving and trickery and are as flamboyant as the Feywild, where they often originate. Sounds very much like Scar, and in previous characters, Grian did also originate from the Feywild…

Mantle of Inspiration - As a bonus action, you can use one of your Bardic Inspiration die to give a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier within 60ft who can see you 5 temporary hit points. They can also use their reaction to move without taking opportunity attacks.

Enthralling Performance - If you are able to perform for at least one minute (singing, performing a poem, dancing, etc) you can select a number of creatures equal to your Charisma Modifier within 60ft of you who paid attention to your performance. They make a Wisdom saving throw, and on a failed throw they are charmed by you after an hour. The creature is not aware of being charmed or you attempting to charm them.

Expertise! You get double proficiency with skills you are already proficient in. We’ll go with Deception and Persuasion

Level 4: Bard

Ability Score Improvement. Let’s add a +2 to Charisma, for hopefully obvious reasons, bringing Scar’s Charisma score up to 19

Level 5: Bard

Bardic Inspiration Improvement. The die you use is now a d8

Font of Inspiration: You regain all expended Bardic Inspiration after a short rest

Level 6: Bard

Countercharm: You can play a tune to give any allies within 30ft advantage against charm effects

Mantle of Majesty - As a bonus action, you can cast Command without expelling a spell slot and take on the appearance of someone beautiful for one minute or until concentration on your spell ends. A creature charmed by you automatically fails it’s saving throw against the spell and once you use this feature, you can’t use it until you finish a long rest.

Level 7: Bard

Nothing happens here, just more spell slots

Level 8: Bard

Ability Score Increase! We’re taking a Feat now, we’re gonna go with Fey Touched. This gives you a +1 to your Charisma, Wisdom or Intelligence, we’re going with Charisma bringing you to 20. You also learn Misty Step and another 1st level enchantment or divination spell.

Level 9: Bard

Song of Rest buff! It’s now a d8

Level 10: Bard

Bardic Inspiration buff! It’s now a d10

Expertise: You can get expertise in two more skills! I’m not sure what would be fitting, maybe Arcana and Sleight of Hand

Magical Secrets: Hey. Hey you. Sad that Bard doesn’t have Counterspell naturally? Now you can have it! You can choose two spells from any spellcaster. These spells count towards your known spell and have to be within your spell level, but aside from that, the world is your oyster! You could also get Find Familiar and get your very own Jellie familiar!

Level 11: Bard

Again, nothing happens here other than more spell slots. But who’s complaining about more spell slots?

Level 12: Bard

ASI Time babyyyyyyyy. We’re gonna grab another feat, this time the Actor feat. This gives you a +1 to Charisma as well as giving you advantage whenever you’re pretending to be someone you’re not. Like maybe a certain pirate on a certain pirate server. Also, your Charisma is now 21. Amazing.

Level 13: Bard

Song of Rest is now a d10!

Level 14: Bard

Remember what I said about Magical Secrets above? Yeah, do that again.

Unbreakable Majesty - Your appearance permanently gains an otherworldly appearance, like that of the fey. Along with this, as a bonus action, whenever a creature tries to attack you for the first time on a turn, they must make a Charisma saving throw vs your spell save DC. On a failed save, they cannot attack you and must attack someone else. On a successful save, it can attack you but has disadvantage on any saving throw against your spell next turn. This lasts for a minute and you can only use it once per long or short rest.

Level 15: Bard

Bardic Inspiration buff! It’s now the big, beefy d12. Oooooo. Ahhhhhh.

Level 16: Bard

ASI Time baby! We’re taking yet another feat, and this time it’s the Lucky feat! It’s undeniable that Scar is a very lucky person, and this feat gives you three free rerolls every long rest, either a roll you make or an attack made against you. I’m pretty sure since death saving throws are saving throws, this effectively gives you free rerolls to not perma-die. Pretty useful, considering how prone to death Scar tends to be.

Level 17: Bard

Song of Rest is now a d12

Level 18: Bard

Magical Secrets. See above Magical Secrets.

Level 19: Bard

Here we are, the final ability score improvement. We’re taking one last feat, and that’s the Shadow Touched feat. You can add a +1 to Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom, obviously we’re going for Charisma. You also learn invisibility and another 1st level illusion or necromancy spell, and there are some fun ones out there. Even at higher levels, upcasting 1st level spells can be powerful. This also bring’s Scar’s Charisma to a monstrous 22. That’s a base +5 to every Charisma check you make, not factoring in proficiencies and expertise.

Level 20: Bard

Superior Inspiration: Whenever you roll initiative and you have no more Bardic Inspiration die, you regain one use. I still think this is a lame capstone ability, but whatever. The rest of this has been insane, we can be a bit lame.

Key Spells:

Cantrips

Vicious Mockery

Friends

1st Level

Disguise Self

Silvery Barbs

Speak With Animals

Find Familiar

Charm Person

2nd Level

Crown of Madness

Gift of Gab

3rd Level

Counterspell

Hypnotic Pattern

4th Level

Charm Monster

5th Level

Seeming

Modify Memory

Dominate Person

6th Level

Mass Suggestion

7th Level

Project Image

Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion

8th Level

Mind Blank

Dominate Monster

9th Level

Wish

And with that, we conclude yet another one of these! Feel free to request more CCs to D&D-ify, and I truly hope that you enjoyed this. I put quite a bit of thought into this, and I got to look into both a subclass and a gamestyle that I don’t normally go for.

[taruchinator]

🎉 General Audiences

🎉 1.9k Words

🎉 For the @twewysecretsanta event!

Shibuya was hosting its very first Pride Parade, and it was doing so in style!

With his feelings affirmed and orientation determined thanks to his sister, Beat had decided to join the group today on a personal mission.

Finding out if Neku was interested in guys.

A little something I forgot to post for my giftee Eddie on the @twewysecretsanta spring edition!

I decided to incorporate the theme of Pride for obvious reasons, plus I thought the prompt was vague enough to have enough wiggle room for something like this. Also love giving my HCs for character's sexualities!

Hope you all like it! 💗

“Damn, dawg. They really went all out on this, huh?”

“You can say that again.”

The duo of legendary players stared in awe at the display around them, taking in their surroundings as they walked side by side down the street.

Everything seemed to have been passed over a giant paintbrush, bringing out all colors of the rainbow in various forms— posters and banners on lamp posts, food stalls by the usual restaurants now serving strangely colorful samples, not to mention the large groups of people wearing clothing that sported all sorts of logos that Beat had only recently learned the names of.

Shibuya was hosting its very first Pride Parade, and it was doing so in style.

Some months after saving the city and returning to their regular lives in the RG, the Reaper's Game survivors had been hanging out as often as they could, catching up on the time that'd been lost. This also included their new friend group of The Wicked Twisters, which brought a new meaning of chaos to their everyday life whenever they spent time together.

And on one such occasion, Fret had almost instantly jumped out of his seat in excitement as he waved his phone around for everyone to see. It was an advertisement for the Pride Parade that was planned to be hosted the first weekend of June, and the brunet was quick to try and convince his friends to have them all go together.

It didn't take long for most people to agree.

Including none other than Beat himself.

As part of getting back into the rhythm of things, the blond started going through different aspects of his life that he'd never considered before. School, self-care and even relationships, with this last one being of particular interest.

Beat had never dated before. Not because he didn't find people attractive, but mostly because at the time of his teenage years he was more focused on taking care of Rhyme. And later, fell into the death game that consumed him for the following three years.

It wasn't until recently that he started contemplating his love life. Or rather, lack thereof.

“So, Rindo says that Fret and Shoka wanted to check a shop by Spain Hill on their way over…” Neku slows his pace as he looks at the group message on his phone. He then turns to Beat with a soft smile and nods ahead of them. “I say it's safe to say we can start without them. It might be a while.”

The blond could feel a flush going through his cheeks at the expression. He hated how that smile rendered him speechless. “F-Fo' sho! Can get some food fo' the others while we at it!”

With a nod of agreement from the redhead, the duo resumed their walking through the streets, and Beat could only sigh to himself with sweaty palms against his pants.

His crush on Neku had come to a surprise to him, and was something he'd only accepted about a month ago.

In preparation for attending the parade, Rhyme explained to him the meaning behind the different flags of gender identities and sexualities that he wasn't aware of. Of course they couldn't cover everything since there were just so many, but there was a particular one that stuck with him while scrolling through the website his sister and him were at.

Pansexual— the attraction towards all people regardless of their gender identity.

Beat felt like this definition encompassed him the best, since he truly didn't care for things such as gender and simply found people to be either attractive or not. But most of all, he came to the realization that he cared mostly for someone's personality and traits rather than anything else.

And his mind instantly drifted towards the boy he'd been searching for so long in the UG.

The skater boy would've never considered Neku as a potential romantic partner in the past— he was selfish, arrogant, closed off from the world, and overall only cared about himself. If anything, who would even want to date someone like that?

But that was before he got to know the real Neku Sakuraba. The guy who was loyal to the bitter end. The guy who would never give up on you even if you gave up on yourself. The guy who was now probably the nicest person Beat had ever met in his life.

And so with his feelings affirmed and orientation determined, Beat had decided to join the group today on a personal mission.

Finding out if Neku was interested in guys.

If the redhead was anything like him, he probably never stopped to consider his sexuality before. For all Beat knew, the other could be as straight as a ruler. He did care an awful lot for Shiki during their time in the game and wanted to do everything in his power to save her. Anyone on the outside looking in would rightfully assume that the two were an item.

Of course, their friends knew this wasn't the case. But that didn't stop the possibility from being there.

This parade was the perfect way to ease into the conversation without it coming out of nowhere. He'd hoped he could slide the question in while they were all looking at the stands with the rest of the group, but now with it just being the two of them, his previous confidence was starting to dwindle.

“How do ya even ask this sorta stuff, man?” Beat began fiddling with the hem of his hoodie while trying to come up with a new plan. He couldn't just outright ask, since Neku would definitely find it suspicious. But with no one there to support him, he wasn't sure where to begin.

He was never a ‘touchy feely’ kind of guy to begin with.

“Hey Beat! Check it out!” Neku's voice resonated against his ears bringing him back to reality, only to find that they'd somehow walked all the way to O-East without him even noticing.

His companion was standing over a particular stall filled to the brim with what appeared to be pins. The salesperson behind the counter merely smiled. “Welcome! Please, feel free to take a look! We also offer discounts the more you buy!”

Beat walked over to take a closer look, and was pleasantly surprised at what was staring back at him.

These were indeed pins, but nothing like the ones they were used to back in the Reaper's Game. They seemed more like badges that one could place on their clothing or backpacks. And each one featured a different flag, along with its iconic set of colors and different puns or phrases that had the blond chuckling before he could stop himself.

“Figured we could snag a couple of these for the others as a gift. They aren't that expensive anyway.” Neku started sifting through the pile and set a couple to the side. Bisexual; for Rindo and Shoka. Lesbian; for Shiki. Aromantic and Asexual; for Rhyme and Nagi respectively. And gay; for Fret.

Starting to look into his own pile, Beat was pleased to find the now familiar set of pink, yellow and blue on a particular pin. He snickered at the phrase printed on it.

‘Pansexual Pirate: Likes all kinds of booty!’

Turning to his friend after hearing the laugh, Neku chuckled alongside him while reading the comical inscription. “That sounds like you alright.”

Beat was about to retort with fake indignation, only to find Neku roaming through his pockets, most definitely ready to pay for the pins they'd selected. But the blond could only count seven, including his own. Which meant Neku was missing. “Yo, Phones! Ain't chu gonna get one, man?”

The redhead stopped midway through pulling out his wallet, and proceeded to give him a sheepish grin in return. “It's fine, I don't really need one. Besides, I didn't bring that much cash with me, so I'd rather spend it on the other stores with everyone else!”

“Is he sayin' that for reals or…?” Beat's mind instantly went to the worst possible outcome. Perhaps his gut feeling was right, and Neku was indeed only interested in girls. A fear that he thought could be true, but he still didn't wanna give up hope, at least until now.

“Actually, young man!” The cheery voice of the salesperson interrupted their conversation, the sweet smile never leaving their face as they gestured towards the stall once again. “Your purchase qualifies you for a free pin! So please, I insist that you take one!”

Both Beat and Neku stared wide eyed for a moment, but the redhead was quick to get back on his feet as he grinned at the salesperson. “Well, thank you. Guess I can't refuse a freebie.”

At that, Neku started sorting through the pile again, but this time Beat's eyes were glued on him the entire time. Could fate be on his side?

It didn't take long for the legendary player to find his desired pin and add it with the rest of them, paying in full and receiving a paper bag with the goodies protected inside. He reached his hand, and pulled out what he was looking for.

Various tones of greens and blues with a singular white stripe in the middle, along with a funny phrase of its own—

‘Come to the gayside! We have rainbows!’

Before he could stop himself, Beat was already shouting in both joy and disbelief. “You into dudes?!”

His face immediately flushed as he realized what he'd said, even after slapping his hand against his mouth as if that could take it back. Neku was startled, but suddenly chuckled and smiled in that way that had Beat's stomach doing backflips. “Um, yeah! I thought everyone knew! Guess I was wrong about that?”

Then suddenly, the smile on the redhead's lips melted into something softer as he looked at his best friend. “Although to be honest, I have a very specific criteria for my perfect guy.”

Letting curiosity get the best of him, the blond lowered the hand that was covering his mouth and tried regaining any dignity he had left with a smirk in the other's direction. “Yeah? And what would that be?”

Seeming pleased that Beat was playing along, Neku started casually placing the pin on his fleece jacket. “Well for starters, the guy has to be funny. I can't be stuck with someone who can't make me laugh. Also these are personal preferences, but I'd say I'm pretty into blond skaters who love their siblings more than anything else…”

The description only quickened the other's heartbeat in anticipation. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give it a shot. “What about dudes who got stuck in a Reaper's Game and maybe became a Reaper once or twice?”

Neku chuckled at that, and reached into the paper bag to pull out Beat's pansexual pin. He approached the taller teen and started fixing it into his skull hoodie, the smile never leaving his lips even when Beat stiffened under his touch. And as quick as lightning and as light as a feather, the redhead's lips brushed against the blond's cheek in a gentle kiss. “Especially those.”

Pink spread across Beat's entire face, yet he could honestly care less as he let the grin on his face take over.

By the time the duo reached their friends, cheers erupted within the group as they saw them hand in hand, smiling and blushing as they tried their best to keep up with everyone's inquiries.

He'd never experienced a Pride Parade before. But if this one was anything to go by, Beat could guarantee that he'd be looking forward to the many more to come, surrounded by the people he cared about most in the whole world.

And in his book, there was nothing better than that.

✧ TWITTER ✧ INSTAGRAM ✧ AO3 ✧

✧ WATTPAD ✧ KO-FI ✧

[mistresslynndramione]

Recap of what I’ve read lately!

I’m long overdue for one of these, so I went back to the WAYR thread on reddit to see what I posted about. I still said I’d do a massive rec of underrated authors and their stories - I’ll pull that together too, but let me just get this out here first because it’s less work.

The Fluffy Gore Fest - I put this fest together with Jana and @lilithshadefanfic. The prompts range from violent and gory to fluffy and romantic. The challenge of the authors was to incorporate both elements into their stories, or to make a twist on the prompt they chose. The results of this fest were fantastic. Genre mashups, unique premises, really cool artwork, hilarious situations, and the best tag I have ever seen in fandom: non-con pseudo cannibalism. I highly recommend trawling through the submissions, there are 26 of varying lengths, genres, and levels of gore. Super fun! But mind the tags. ;)

Seven Minutes in Hell by echoesofmyfootsteps (4.6K, M)

Summary: Hogwarts has inaugurated a fully integrated 8th year class, regardless of previous house or Death Eater status. On the surface, it appears like a bold experiment in harmony. In practice, they’re still just young adults doing young adult things.“ Seven Minutes in Heaven, the Muggles call it. But heaven isn’t my thing.” Pansy paused dramatically and popped her hip. “We’re playing Seven Minutes in Hell—a chance for you to have a real, no-holds-barred, honest-albeit-forced conversation with your greatest enemy in eighth year.” The room went silent.

My thoughts: It's exactly what you want it to be. Funny, snarky, good characterizations of the side characters playing off each other and the mains, and delicious angry making out.The sequel:

Seven Minutes in Hell(ishly Frigid Water)- 3.2K, E.

Summary: That was it. They were going to have to amputate his cock. Farewell, future family of little Malfoys. Adieu, dreams of Eiffel Tower sex. Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger have been dating for a month since their escapades in the broom cupboard, and much to his chagrin, they haven’t yet experienced anything as steamy as that night. So when she casually mentions never having gone skinny dipping, he jumps at the opportunity. If only reality didn’t have the irritating tendency to crush every fantasy. A totally indulgent sexy Dramione skinny-dipping oneshot, happening after the events of “Seven Minutes in Hell.”

My thoughts: Draco's snarky, drama queen-esque POV for this smutty skinny dipping one shot is hilarious.

Granny Smiths by ChaosAndCrumpets (4K, rated T)

Summary: The worst thing, Draco Malfoy thinks, about being the fallen scion of an ancient and noble house banished to the Muggle world for his various misdeeds, is undoubtedly the grocery shopping. At least it helps him to discover an unexpected talent.

My thoughts: This was the most delightful thing I've ever read, with one of the best OCs ever. Meet Edith: an extremely devious, ever-so-naughty geriatric. Did you need to read about snarky, grumpy-ass, tattooed Draco reluctantly helping elderly ladies with their grocery shopping? I'm telling you right now that you absolutely do.

Draco Malfoy's Halfway House for Wayward Hens by Chaos and Crumpets (10K, rated T)

Summary: A story about Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger and 562 ex-battery hens. This is a bit of silliness, inspired by an article I read years ago about a man who felt that rescuing ex-battery hens had saved his life. Sometimes, I like to read it when I've had a few glasses of wine, to remember how nice the world can be.

My thoughts: Draco is accused of illegally raising fire-breathing cockatrice's by his neighbor. Hermione is assigned to investigate. Turns out they're actually chickens. With hilarious names. I really enjoyed the unique premise of this story. I loved the banter, the tentative feeling each other out, the confrontation and resolution. It was all well done, none of it was contrived, none of it cliched. And the kiss at the end was a heck of a kiss. Like everything I've read from CeeCee thus far, it's silly and delightful (I haven't yet read her war fic, it's on my TBR), but this story has a lot of heart to go with it. Also? I'm convinced she needs to write an epistolary fic (please help me enable her in the comments) given the snarky jabs going back and forth by owl in the beginning of the story. Read it when you want to laugh and smile and feel like hugging everyone.

Epilimnion by witchsoup (8K, rated M)

Summary: The tournament was supposed to be safe. Dumbledore was a personal friend of the chieftain, spoke Mermish, commanded the waters of the Black Lake and the movements of the Giant Squid. There was nothing to be afraid of, until the others (the Delacour girl, the Ravenclaw chaser, fucking Weasley) surfaced at the end of the hour. And Granger did not. 

My thoughts: Oh my gosh this was fantastic. It was written for the monsterfucking fest and I'm fairly certain the writer wanted to subvert the entirety of the monsterfucking trope by making it as unsexy as possible. Definitely a ballsy move in a fest dedicated to sexy monsters, and she's got all my respect for doing it. DON'T LET THAT SCARE YOU AWAY THIS WAS SO GOOD. The writing was some of the best I've ever seen in a fic. If not the absolute best. It was gross and brutal, and some of the best body horror you'll ever read. The world building that was crammed into this super short Voldemort wins AU, was phenomenal. The head nods and the parallels to what could have been were expertly done. Highly highly recommend this one (Bek has been raving about it for a long time, I'm slow to catch on). I don't want to say anything else. I'm probably going to go binge the rest of her stuff. She's that good.

Pegged by MisDemeanor1331 (6K, rated E)Summary: They have been planning for months. Their research is complete, the necessary supplies purchased, and the scene’s negotiations finalised. So why does Draco still feel woefully unprepared for the pegging he’s about to receive from his beloved Domme, the Professor? 

My thoughts: MisD is now a proud, card carrying member of The Pegging Agenda. It's the latest installment of her Yes, Professor series, in which Hermione and Draco are both switches, but all entries thus far have been with a Dom!Hermione/Sub!Draco dynamic. It looks like she may switch it up for the next story. As with all her smut, she does a bang up job in relating it to the characters, their state of mind, their growth and their future. Trusting each other is a big theme in her series, but for Draco, trusting himself is even more important.

Time and Tide (M), 30K. from MisDemeanor, this was also discussed in the book club. I'm a big fan, I think she's one of the better writers in fandom, consistently putting out unique, high quality, thought provoking pieces that say more in 30K than other writers manage in 300K, (yours truly included). She's just not as well known because she unabashedly writes horror, MCD, G,T-rated and short stories, which don't get the attention that long behemoth smut fests do. I'm notorious for skimming bits of stories (or entire chapters) in fanfiction, and yet I've never skimmed a sentence she's written. Ever.

Summary: While ferrying a message for the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione Granger is caught by jaded Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. Unlikely and unwilling allies, the pair begin a cross-country journey where their survival depends on learning when to stand strong against the elements’ fury, and when it’s acceptable to erode.

My thoughts: Where to begin? I love war fics, and this one is realistic, makes sense, and is strategic and gritty. So the story itself already ticks my boxes. Hermione as a selkie is already several trope subversions because she's the creature, not Draco, it's a creature that isn't inherently sexy, there's no mate bond, and I've never heard of it before. lol (yes, I did google it)The story reads like a fable where the choice of Selkie really adds to that feeling, starting off by contrasting Hermione's lonely life in her role for the Order - always on the move - with a quiet fishing village where she would like to lay down and rest quietly, but doesn't know if/when that will ever happen. She can't think past her role in the war. The interactions with Draco are efficient and emotionally loaded. He's similarly changed from years at war, but on a different side, unwillingly. There's a lot of trauma experienced by the two in a short time, and they lean on each other, with no pretense, baring it all. The action scenes come out of nowhere (in a good way) and are unrelenting in how brutal they can be. Much like MisD's other stories, I can visualize the scenes in this story so vividly, and they'll stay with me a long time. The fishing village, Hermione baring it all in front of Draco - with no shame - before undergoing her Selkie transformation and diving into the water to get more information, Draco's ancestors literally crying out to him as he rejects his past and runs away towards something new (brilliant, this scene was brilliant), Hermione discovering murdered Order members at a safe house, and some other scenes that I wont' mention because they spoil the plot. The story itself deals with freedom and waning idealism, being worn down by time and life experiences (hence the name and the theme), living life on your own terms, compromising, rejecting one form of freedom for a different kind of happiness. This story has two endings, and if you've read it before, you probably haven't read the alternate ending because it was just published. I don't want to spoil it, but there is a trigger warning on that last chapter. Even though I enjoyed the original ending, I personally, think the alternate ending works better because the story comes full circle and continues with the fable-like feel of Hermione's identify as a Selkie.

Where Is Thy Sting? by Anne Ammons 6K, T, 

Summary: Hermione has a terminal illness, Draco is Death, personified.

My thoughts: This one shot came out of nowhere. It's MCD and HEA. So chew on that. lol Super interesting premise, I adored this story. She had me crying - of course, dealing with death - but it's also a sweet ending. The one shot deals with parental anguish, loneliness, assigned roles and what they mean, detachment from others, inevitability. It had Neil Gaiman vibes, was very romantic and slightly surreal. I loved it, one of those one shots that will stay with me for a long time.

WIPs I'm enjoying:

Sweet Disarray by Pia_Bartolini

Summary: Grief stricken after the trauma of war and failure to return her parent's memories, Hermione Granger immersed herself in a dizzying swirl of distractions. No regrets, no thinking, no pain of loss.Fate had a rather twisted sense of humor.Now she must fight a system of opaque rules and archaic prejudice while surviving NEWTS, impending motherhood, and the weight of her own grief. If only Draco Malfoy didn't keep hovering with biscuits and damnably confusing legal contracts.My thoughts so far: I've called this the unplanned pregnancy fic for those of us that don't like the unplanned pregnancy trope. This story is very personal to Pia and it shows, and that's probably why I enjoy this take on the trope - because it's not a cliche. It's based on some of the struggles and prejudice that she faced as a young mother. Aside from some of the plot twists and surprises that she's got, what I'm enjoying in particular is how she's portraying all the post-war teens in their eighth year. Some are angry, some are resentful, some are taking out their issues at the wrong places, they're all struggling for different reasons, but no one is really bad or evil. Except the people at St. Mungos. My rage knows no bounds.

The To-Do List by emilyinwonderland

Summary: Is that what frustrated her the most? That all of her other peers seemed to be in the know of something big and not-very-secret. All of them had that knowledge. For once, Hermione Granger did not have the correct answer. Hermione capped her quill, laying everything down to peer at the social experiment that would take up the next few months of her time. The parchment read: The To-Do List

Snogging

Breast fondling

Dry Humping

Fingering

Handjob

Blowjob

Receive Oral Sex

Intercourse

My thoughts so far: Kris is really coming into her own as a writer. She excels at this whole 'awkward teenage exploratory sex' thing and I shrieked at the last chapter I read, I kid you not. Looks like I'm reading mostly teen-focused stuff right now with what the rest of my post looks like lol. But while this very much has the feel of a teen movie, (there's a fun truth or dare game) it's got an awful lot of heart. Honest, sincere moments between the characters, which really elevate the story over something that could easily be cliched and tropey. Also, the hand job scene with Draco was hot and a huge cliff hanger. I'm so nervous about the blow job chapter, which I haven't gotten to yet...

Lapsarian by hellvwng

Summary: Two enemies strike a deal to turn the tide of a war and save what they each value most. The temptation of salvation draws Hermione Granger deeper and deeper into damnation, her own fall from grace, at a heavy price.

My thoughts: A Manacled AU, she's setting the stage in the beginning chapters, readers that enjoyed the Manacled 'verse will appreciate the point in time where she picks up. And although the setting is familiar, she has her own unique take on the characters, their motivations, and how they interact with others. Looking forward to reading more as the plot picks up!

[theroyaltutornews]

Interview

Higasa-sensei got an interview from Animate Times !! Here, I bring you the translation :)

Commemorating the release of the final volume of the manga "The Royal Tutor"! Interview with the original author, Higasa Akai | A compilation of past work experiences.

Commemorating the release of the final volume of the manga "The Royal Tutor"! Interview with the original author, Higasa Akai | A compilation of past work experiences.

 What is the scene before the final episode that I drew while crying?

The 17th volume (final volume) of the "Royal Teacher Heine" comic drawn by Higasa Akai was released on August 27, 2021 (Friday). This work is a royal comedy in which Heine Wittgenstein, who was invited to the Kingdom of Grantsreich as an exclusive tutor to educate the prince, struggles to raise the four brothers and princes with all the musicians to become good candidates for the next king. Serialization started in 2013 in "Monthly G Fantasy" (Square Enix), and in 2017, TV animation was broadcast, and it was developed in various media mixes such as musicals and theatrical versions. This time, Animate Times conducted an email interview with the original author, Higasa Akai, to commemorate the release of the final volume of "Royal Teacher Heine". It is a must-see for valuable stories that can be heard only because it has reached the end, such as the current candid feelings and secret stories of production!

 ——The serialization of “The Royal Tutor” started in 2013, but now that it has been completed, please tell us your frank feelings.

 It seemed to be long and it was quick. I'm relieved that I was able to draw without any major illness or injury, and I was able to do my best, so I'm not as lonely as I had imagined. I'm really grateful that I was able to draw the story until the end, so I'm full of gratitude!

  ——In the final volume, Volume 17, the next king was decided, and the future of the princes that Heine had educated was also drawn. Did you envision that future from the beginning? Or did it change in the middle of drawing the work?

 From the beginning I had decided who would be the king. However, while carefully picking up Ains' past, I thought that it was different and unnatural that I could not become a king with this, so I made a big change in the development. If Ains's personality isn't serious and self-punishing, I'm glad he ended up becoming king. But I feel that who the king will be is the most important thing in this story ... As the serialization period became longer and I was able to write each lesson carefully, I became more wondering, "Is it really the ultimate goal of the princes to become a king?" In the first place, Heine himself needs to learn from the lives of the princes regardless of succession to the throne. In conclusion, I draw the nomination of the king, but overall, I think that the princes talked about finding their dreams for the future.

 Heine, who became a royal teacher, and the four princes, such as scenes that make you laugh involuntarily and scenes that are touched by Heine's words. Please tell us what you were most conscious of and worried about when drawing the interaction between Heine and the princes.

Since the characters talk freely in their brains, it was fun to relax and write! What I was most conscious of was that in the scene where Heine reminded the princes, I always tried to put in my own feelings. Since I have no experience as a real teacher, I decided before the series started to try not to lie to the readers by using words that I thought of properly. I wrote it by incorporating what my parents said, what I was impressed by someone saying, what I was happy and hard, and what I should have done more, so I would be happy if there was anything that could be conveyed. is.

 If you know Japanese, please feel free to correct any mistakes in this article. Below, in “Sources” I leave you the original page.

Twitter update: “Supplement To correct, I say Licht is the youngest, but I didn't have enough words among the princes of Heine's students”.

Sources: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1629794981

https://www.etranslator.ro/japanese-english-online-translator.php

[agentnico]

Squid Game - Season 1 (2021) Review

Yeah yeah, I finally watched Squid Game. What you gonna do about it, shoot me??

Plot: A story of people who fail at life for various reasons, but suddenly receive a mysterious invitation to participate in a survival game to win more than 38 million US dollars. The game takes place at an isolated island and the participants are locked up until there is a final winner. The story will incorporate popular children's games from the 1970s and 1980s of Korea, such as squid game, literal translation of its Korean name, which is a type of tag where offense and defence use a squid-shaped board drawn in the dirt.

Squid Game has been an unrivalled phenomenon for Netflix, and let’s be honest, not even Netflix themselves expected Squid Game to turn out as successful as it has. I mean it’s only their most watched show of all time, nothing major. Personally I always feel weary of watching films and shows that are too popular, as I always worry that the piece of media at hand would be overrated and that audiences are getting excited at something that’s probably not that big of a deal. However after countless recommendations from various people me and my fiancée finally sat down and watched the first episode of Squid Game.....and then we didn’t watch the rest of it for an entire month. Look, the first episode was decent and that “red light, green light” doll was so creepy that her voice is still ringing in my head, but generally speaking the show didn’t click with us at first. Also my fiancée managed to suck me into the addictive drama of reality TV and the whole will they won’t they antics of Married at First Sight, so we’ve been too busy laughing at the emotional torture of others instead of watching physical torture of Squid Game. However a month has passed and we finally gave episode two a go, and then we ended up watching the rest of the series within a couple of days. Yep, okay, Squid Game is a good show, hard to deny that. Is it overrated? Probably. Though isn’t technically any popular piece of media overrated? Heck, even Lord of the Rings for all its greatness is at the end of the day overrated. Actually scrap that, Lord of the Rings is absolutely unarguably amazing and I want to smack myself immediately for even daring to assume it may be overrated! The romantic journey of Frodo and Sam is nothing short of a masterpiece and I’ll hear nothing else of it!! Regardless, Squid Game is undeniably a very well made series, so here are my thoughts on it...

Honestly when I first began watching Squid Game and I saw the promotional images, for some reason I thought I was going to end up watching the Korean version of Human Centipede. Gladly that was not the case. Don’t get me wrong, there is some hyper-violent and gruesome imagery on this show, but nothing that skin-crawlingly horrifying as putting a tube through one’s anus and out their mouths.... Okay, I’m just gonna go and flat out say it: f*** the Human Centipede!! I don’t care if any kids are reading this, I said f*** the Human Centipede!! In any case, why would kids be reading this? Squid Game might feature games for children but is very far from a suitable family watching experience.  You'll see hundreds die, heads explode and tons of blood! So parents, be like parents and skedaddle away with your kids, this show ain’t for you. This is the Korean response to Battle Royale and The Hunger Games, only unlike those movies the characters of Squid Game are aware of what they’ve come into after the first round and are willing to stay, as such their deaths and demises are due to their greed or financial situation in life. Yes, at the end of the day it all boils down to money. It’s always about money. Humans can do crazy things for money. So as such as Squid Game is a work of fiction, its an interesting social commentary in that if something like this did exist, people would probably actually participate. Folks want that dollar dollar bill yo! And in that lies Squid Game’s genius. It’s a simple premise featuring various interesting characters and providing enough social commentary to think about whilst telling this in a very visually unique and entertaining way. That’s one of Squid Game’s major appeals - its general look and aesthetic. From the production design and the sets you can see that a lot of thought and creativity was put into them (a particularly memorable set being a colourful staircase going in various directions that was very reminiscent of M.C. Escher’s famous illusionist surreal lithograph art-piece ‘Relativity’) as well as the costumes of the workers of Squid Game. Their pink outfits with the black masks that feature either a circle, square or triangle to define the individuals rank, though very simplistic in nature, works to great effect. Also needed to be mentioned is the use of classical music mixed in with the creepy notes of the music score and the use of the flute, that really amped up the peculiar yet horrifying nature of what was happening on screen. It’s the more impressive that the show was made on a fairly low budget of about $20 million, so the fact it looks and sounds so good is the more commendable. 

For all it’s violence and shocking gore though Squid Game manages to also pack a strong emotional punch with moment of true heartbreak. Within its 9 episodes it manages to make you care for so many of these characters, whilst also successfully getting you to hate others. And the entire cast plays their roles really well. You like who you gotta like and you hate who you gotta hate. Bingo! Truly the one negative that stood out to me in this show is that even though the majority of the cast does truly great work, there are these bunch of people in this show called the VIPs. And let me tell ya. Let me come out clean and put it all on the table. Let me not sugar-coat it no more. The actors who portrayed the VIP people CANNOT ACT!!! I cringed everytime they said a line. It felt like they were just reading them. Even the intonation was off. It was like when we were kids and had to read a play in class and we exaggerated the intonation. Luckily these VIP characters wear masks through most of their scenes as it seems the director too realised these actors aren’t great but it was too late to recast as these guys signed their contracts.

So back to the question that started it all - is Squid Game overrated? I mean, I’d participate!! I volunteer as tribute! Again, shoot me!

Overall score: 8/10

[fantastic-rambles]

Sk8 Character Thoughts

Yeah, so y’all have to deal with me venting my latest obsession, lol. Sorry to everyone who followed me for other stuff, I will get back to it eventually. ^^;

I was gonna write out individual walls of text for everyone to be fair, but I decided that’s too much work and I’d go crazy before I finished (plus I’m feeling guilty for neglecting my fanfiction writing), so I’m just gonna bullet point some of the random things I think about various skaters (opinions and theories).

The order is the approximate order of which I like characters, though it’s not a strict ranking. I like most of the characters in the show to some extent.

Adam (Shindo Ainosuke)

I’ve already said a lot about him, you can check it out here and here. I’ll probably end up saying more about him before the show ends, too. xD

Yes, he is an absolutely awful person, but that’s what makes him amazing.

I will say that he needs a better costume designer. He looks like a clown. It looks like something that he designed when he was, like, five years old.

The mask is great though. <3

Cherry Blossom (Sakurayashiki Kaoru)

I love the super analytical types, but I also feel like Carla is a crutch for him. He’s a great skater, but if he didn’t have Carla, I don’t think he’d be able to compete at the level of the other top skaters. But all the more props to him for finding a way that he could compete at that level.

He totally had a thing for Adam before. But I think that even then, Adam was too fucked up to be able to have a romantic relationship, so nothing came of it. Because if Adam did actually learn what real love was like rather than confusing abuse for love, I don’t think he would have turned out the way he did.

It’s pretty clear that until he gets smacked by Adam, he’s still looking up to Adam and clinging to what they had before. And it bleeds into his non-skating life as well: when he did his calligraphy demonstration, I think that he hoped Adam would see it, which was why he picked that specific phrase and explained it--to let Adam know that it wasn’t too late to make amends (not that Adam would have given a fuck even if he did see it).

I love his character design as a teen, and I’m sad that he’s become more respectable-looking (though still hot af) as an adult. I’m a sucker for guys with long hair in anime/manga.

He is absolutely a weeb. He’s made an AI assistant who he calls Carla, which creeps out Joe (in a cute, lovable way, not in an Adam way), and he incorporates her into almost all aspects of his life. Like, he just happens to have an AI-augmented wheelchair handy, why?

He also dresses up like a ninja when he’s skating, goes around in a kimono in his daily life, etc. etc. Okay, maybe the kimono can be excused since he’s a calligrapher (though I’m pretty sure that’s not the norm regardless, except for maybe if the artist is at some sort of exhibition?), but people’s costumes seem to show off who they really are beneath the mask they put on for society. So Cherry secretly wants to be a ninja. xD

I’m not on any specific ship, but if I had to pick one to board, it would be Matchablossom.

Can we please have a spinoff that’s just about Adam, Cherry, and Joe when they’re teenagers?

Snow (Hasegawa Langa)

Frankly, Langa’s only up this high because I love his dynamic/rivalry with Adam. If Adam didn’t exist, he’d be below Joe, maybe below Tadashi.

Not that I don’t like Langa, but he’s just an oblivious skating nerd. He’s skilled and passionate, but I don’t really feel that he really stands out as a standalone character. He’s more of a foil for other characters (mostly Adam and Reki).

I guess what stands out the most to me is his ability to improvise when he’s falling behind, since his skill level is understandably lower than most of the other people he skates against. Like finding alternative pathways to the finish line versus Shadow and Miya, or using Joe’s strength to propel him forward. Or just, like, flying off the edge of a cliff to take a shortcut. That too. xD

His snow motif is pretty cool. (No pun intended.)

And I won’t deny that he’s cute. He’s actually the reason I started watching, because I saw some fanart of him and got curious. Came for the Langa, stayed for the Adam. <3

I feel bad for him for having a jealous jerk as basically his only friend though.

Joe (Nanjo Kojiro)

He’s such a teddy bear. <3

Joe’s the heart to Cherry’s brain, and I adore the way they balance each other out. I love Vitriolic Best Buds.

What surprised me, though, is that Joe seems to have a better understanding of Adam’s current character than Cherry does, since Cherry is so precise and analytical. Though the flashback clarified that some since it’s pretty obvious that Cherry is/was biased where Adam is concerned. Sure, Joe was also friends with Adam back then, but it seems that Cherry was the one most star-struck by Adam.

But Joe obviously knows and accepts that Adam’s changed, unlike Cherry, though he probably doesn’t know the reason why. He seemed to be expecting something to happen during the race, so it didn’t surprise him when it did, though he was sad/disappointed by it. It seemed like he was concerned and wanted to warn Cherry before his race (which is super cute), and when everyone else was flinching from seeing the assault on Cherry, Joe didn’t look away. I don’t think he knew exactly what Adam was going to do (I don’t think anyone did, lol), but he knew Adam was going to do something.

I don’t think he was serious when he said the reason Adam is avoiding their beefs is because he’s afraid he’ll lose, though. Yeah, he wants to race Adam, and he wants to win, but I think he’s more grounded when it comes to Adam, so he probably knows that Adam would beat him if it came down to it. Whereas Cherry legitimately thought he could win if Adam held back.

Also, his skateboard wheels are ridiculous. How do they even work?

Snake (Kikuchi Tadashi)

He got an ask post, yay, so not going to rehash it here.

I really hope that Adam realizes at some point that Tadashi is the only person who really knows and understands him, and comes to appreciate everything that Tadashi’s done for him.

Miya (Chinen Miya)

Such a brat, omg.

I get that he’s a kid, and kids are brats, and so it’s a fairly realistic depiction. I just hate kids. >.>

Pretty much the only time I’ll really like a child character is when they’re precocious as fuck and not child-like at all, which I get defeats the purpose, but that’s me.

Brattiness aside, he is skilled and appreciates Reki standing up to Adam on his behalf, so much so that he’s willing to spend his time training a “slime” just so Reki doesn’t get completely crushed by Adam. And he’s also willing to work with Langa to teach him the most difficult trick in skating (the Caspar Slide) for the same reason.

Ultimately, he’s a good kid, but he’s had some bad experiences that make it harder for him to trust people since he’s afraid they’ll leave him. He’s still willing to try, though, if people will give him a chance.

Also, the one ep when they go on vacation and Miya pretends Joe is his daddy (and Cherry is his mommy, rofl--hi Matchablossom!) to drive away the women Joe’s hitting on... hilarious.

Kyan Reki 

An even bigger brat.

Again, yeah, he’s a teenager and teens are “just like that,” but I hate those kinds of characters.

Just because his friend is a skating genius, he gets all pissy and stops being friends with him? Showing up to cheer Langa on and then completely running away doesn’t redeem him in my eyes. I get that he’s disappointed that he’s not capable of skating at the level of the top skaters and frustrated that Langa surpassed him so easily, but that’s no excuse to take it out on Langa (or anyone else).

And everyone complains about Adam being possessive, but they just gloss over the fact that Reki repeatedly tries to force Langa to promise to not skate against Adam, even roping in their manager, when he knows that Langa likes accepting challenges and has fun doing them. He just wants to keep Langa to himself, and he’s jealous as fuck that Langa is obsessed with skating against Adam.

Langa even explicitly tells him that he’s not racing Adam just because he’s upset about what Adam did to Reki, but because he wants to do it. Which is the exact same fucking reason Reki gives for not listening to Joe and Miya, and Langa supports his decision then. Why can’t Reki do the same?

Yes, he’s traumatized because his friend who introduced him to skating was seriously injured and had to quit skating, and he got hurt skating against Adam, but just like for Adam: YOUR TRAUMA/BACKSTORY DOES NOT JUSTIFY YOUR BEHAVIOR.

Plus, the whole “we’ll never disappear from your sight” that he told Miya? Psych!

Like, seriously. He knows the kid has abandonment issues because people leave him because he’s too good at what he does, and then he just goes ahead and poofs, putting both Miya and Langa through the same exact fucking thing.

Though I’m sure that the power of friendship will give him a miraculous recovery and he’ll build a new board for Langa so Langa can beat Adam before Adam gets hauled off to jail. It’ll probably be a cheesy make-up where Langa says something about how he can only use Reki’s boards, so it’s like they’re skating together when he races or whatever.

I do respect his ability to observe other skaters and make boards that are perfectly suited to them, though. And he knows that he’d be good in that support role. But he wants to be the hero, so he’s suffering from eighth grader syndrome and lashing out because reality doesn’t conform to his wishes.

Shadow (Higa Hiromi)

Just fucking die already, ‘kay?

I don’t even know what to say. He’s all caught up in his “antihero” complex or whatever (I don’t even remember if that’s the right term, and I don’t give a fuck), and he’s got a nasty personality. Like burning Reki’s board or threatening to have a guy tattoo “Dumpster Slut” above his girlfriend’s name.

You really expect me to believe that he’d treat his manager respectfully if they started dating when he does something like that? His polite florist persona is such a sham.

And he’s a shit skater. How the hell is he in the top 8? If they can throw in a random guy we’ve never seen before (Harry), then they could have just as well put in some other trash mob instead of Shadow, who only didn’t get knocked out in the quarterfinal round because he was racing a nobody.

Imo, all of his “cute” little tricks like throwing fireworks at his opponent or shining a laser into their eyes is worse than what Adam does. Once he does that, he relinquishes all control over the situation, so anything could happen, such as his opponent crashing into a wall or falling off a cliff, which could result in serious injuries or even death. On the other hand, Adam always remains in control when he’s trying to throw off his opponent by forcing them to dance with him and freaking them the fuck out by pushing their limits. Even when he’s holding Reki’s head about an inch above the ground, he won’t let Reki brain himself on a rock or something. And even when he smacks Cherry with his skateboard, his attack leaves Cherry conscious and so lightly injured (relative to what could have been) that he doesn’t even need to stay in the hospital. (I don’t think he actually needs a wheelchair, other than probably being a bit woozy from a concussion, maybe. And maybe not even that if Joe isn’t concerned enough to wake him up/keep him from being unconscious.) Yeah, Adam fucks with his opponents, but if they can get over it, they can get back on a board. There’s a good chance that won’t happen if they get in an accident caused by Shadow, other than for anime logic.

“What about Adam’s Love Hugs??” What about them? Yes, he’s not holding on to his opponents to control their falls, but the point of it is to make them flinch and fall backwards, against the line of motion. That naturally will decrease the severity of their physical injuries, unlike when Reki and Harry fall off the course at full speed versus Shadow.

The only reason he doesn’t have a higher body count than Adam (or even a literal body count) is plot convenience, since he’s not the villain.

[dmsden]

News from Afar - Creating verisimilitude through rumors, stories, and a timeline

Hullo, Gentle Readers. In our Campaign Basics series, we’ve looked at a home base, some ideas for adventures, a major villain, rewards, and possible allies and enemies. So our main storyline is pretty much on track. Now, how do we make the world seem to come alive for our players? One way I like to create the illusion of a living world is to give the players opportunities to hear news of other places...stories of events that have nothing to do with them and their quest...at least not yet.

Despite the common misconception to the contrary, most people in the Medieval period were free to travel. Merchants traveled to deliver goods. Ordinary people traveled to visit friends and family. The religiously minded traveled on pilgrimages to visit shrines and other holy sites. Nobles traveled throughout their domains to take stock of their holdings. And people from all walks of life traveled to go to war.

These travelers picked up news, stories, songs, and other tidbits of entertainment from their travels, and they brought them home, becoming much sought after by those who longed to know what was happening outside the confines of their villages. There’s no reason to think that this wouldn’t happen in the fantasy worlds of D&D as well. Whether there are a network of bards who travel and spread news, or whether there’s a full-blown newspaper (such as in Eberron), these sources are useful tools for you to spread things you want your players to hear about.

In my current campaign, my players knew about the war with the orcs long before they decided to become involved with it. They met a recruiter in their home village who was looking for able-bodied folks who might be willing to take the coin and go soldiering. Then they met a band of mercenaries on the road, one of whom asked for the party cleric’s blessing as they headed to war. They heard about people in the towns they were passing through who’d headed south to take part in it. Then they heard rumors of how things were going. By the time they decided to head south themselves to kick some orc butt, they were well aware of this happening. I wasn’t going to railroad them into it, but, if they’d traveled in the south and hadn’t become involved, I would’ve made sure it affected the flavor of play. They would’ve found villages much more on the defensive, encountered the returning wounded or people mourning for lost loved ones, and even possibly encountered occasional roaming bands of orc marauders who’d snuck through the lines to plunder.

For all its many flaws, the original Oriental Adventures handbook had something I loved in it: tables for things happening in various distant lands. There could be auspicious births, wars, astronomical events, plagues, bountiful harvests, and the like. Using similar tables, or just your own storytelling, you could certainly come up with all kinds of things happening in the world around the players, and then either let the players experience it if they happened to visit those lands, or else let them hear rumors about them from travelers that they meet.

I find that, if you want to take this approach, developing a yearly timeline for your campaign is a good idea. If you have a calendar or timeline that you can refer to, then you can, at appropriate times, introduce information from it to your players. It may be that they will never directly interact with the elements you create, but it will be something that changes your world in some way, and it will create the illusion that your world is a real, living place where things happen, regardless of whether the players are there to see it or not.

For example, maybe you decide that the Kingdom of Xalia is experiencing an outbreak of plague. At first, maybe the players only hear about it. Then perhaps messengers come Xalia to beg aid of the churches of the kingdom the PCs live in. Then Xalian refugees come through, and the locals react with a combination of pity (”poor things...how can we help them?”), resignation (”it must be a punishment from the gods”), or hostility (”don’t let those plague-bearers stay here!”) How your players react to these things may propel your players into new stories or just give them good role-playing opportunities.

It’s worth thinking about the timeline idea for your main plot, because it’s also an excellent way to propel your villains and their minions. By giving them specific steps to take, and knowing when they will take those steps, you make them more real as well. They’re not just waiting around for your players to come and thwart them. Tying your villains’ planned actions to dates means that the players can learn their timetable and know how much time they have to try and stop them.

In my campaign, the Tarrasque is rampaging across the continent. The players have found that it’s tracking various ruins created by the mysterious race called the Old Ones. Using this info, they’ve worked out a timeline as to when it’s likely to hit different locations, so they know how much time they have before, for example, moving to help the inhabitants of a city they know it’s headed for, as well as how much time they have before it lays waste to their home town.

I hope these ideas are giving you your own thoughts on how you can incorporate similar events into your own campaigns. Next month, I’ll develop these ideas for a year’s time in the Angel of Chaos plotline, to give an idea of how they could be used.

[whileyoursleeping]

Hi! *shoves her way into your previous ask box about Twitter trolls without being invited*.

I find it tragically ironic that we're finding out mean Twitter people are being rude about Kitty!Buck at the same time you update that marvelous work of fiction with a chapter in which Buck tells Eddie Twitter is toxic. Given your reply to that ask, and how on the nose you are about literally everything else of import, I can only assume people like this in general are why you brought it up. Imagine these people calling themselves out like that. Like... if you're going to complain about an extremely well written piece of fiction on the basis of being different, what else are you out there being an unsolicited tool about?

Anyway - regardless of how totally wrong they are, it sucks to know it's even happening. That doesn't feel good. So, as another random internet stranger, I'm here to tell you that I've been surfing fanfiction for various fandoms for nearly 15 years and you are easily among the Top 5 Writers I have ever encountered. I have reread many of your works multiple times (including Kitty!Buck). The quality of your writing and the creativity of your mind and how you express it encourages me to get out of my own fiction comfort zone and read different things, and your work has ALWAYS rewarded me for doing that. You entertain me and your fiction is both comfort food and food for thought, and I cannot express enough how impressive that is.

It absolutely breaks my heart hearing about excellent authors being dragged by anyone, let alone individuals who likely don't have even an ounce of the talent you have in your pinky toe. Thank you for sharing your art with this fandom ❤

(I also REALLY hope you still have all your toes, otherwise I feel like an asshole so, sorry about that).

firstly, i recognise your username! welcome to the discourse, friend! <3

look, my first week on fandom twitter i watched a bunch of 20 year olds gang up on a 15 year old and tell her to kill herself. so. poor introduction in general. i saw doxxing. i saw (and continue to see) CONSTANT harassment of the cast of 9-1-1. i do not know how oliver put up with it so long. yes, i do tend to incorporate things into my fics that bother me IRL - namely, how truly horrible people can be to each other under the face of anonymity and with a little fake internet power. and we aren't even talking bagging fics here, we're talking a larger scope of parasocial relationships and faux-power. at the end of the day (and i just made a post about this) they have the right to discuss work once it's published and out in the open. they have the right to not like it - and they didn't come here or to my fic to spew hate about it. so, like, kudos on that front?

and thank you so much for your kind words - i actually might've teared up a lil but i'm having a total shitshow of a week lol. i want people to get something from my work. to me, my favourite works of fiction are like coming home and finding catharsis, and that's what i'm ultimately trying to achieve in my writing. contemporary fiction is often overlooked or even described as "predicting the future" when a lot of the time, no matter what the medium is, it's a reflection of what's going on in the world. kitty buck is (ridiculous concept and excuse for shameless fluff aside) my interpretation of what i've seen the last two years - mindless and truly unmitigated hatred towards all groups that aren't white and cisgender, but at the same time, finding those few members of your A-team who always have your back. (someone should stop me because i WILL prattle about fiction writing as a historical benchmark forever if left unchecked)

they can go ahead and drag me. it's not going to stop me from writing. might give me fuel for thought, but it will absolutely not stop me from writing.

i do have all my toes. and fingers, for that matter. i did have to check because its 12:53am and i am TIRED lol

[thechildofstark]

Fuck John Walker (and also some other stuff): A Response To Episode Four

WARNING: some bad language, death mentions, violence mentions, blood mentions, racism, spoilers for for ep 4 of tfatws 

DISCLAMER: I have some Opinions about various characters. These do not extend to the actors, who I’m sure are lovely and should be treated with the dignity, privacy and respect that they deserve. 

“Fuck John Walker” was originally meant to be the subtitle. I decided on it when he screwed up the op for Sam. It got ungraded during the final scene, because nothing else could possibly compare as a necessary title to this post. 

Essentially, some (out of order) thoughts on episode 4:

~*Sam and Bucky, working together*~ (pretend this is a musical jingle)

The contrasting ways that they interacted with the displaced

While the incredibly valid argument can be made that Sam is the least privileged of the group (I’ve made it) it is obvious that he has had the most structured civilian life: approaching the people he comes across openly. Yes, he is polite and calm, but the closest thing to this he has personally come across in the past (that we know of) would be the war vets he worked with and the critical difference is that they wanted to be there. From what I remember of Sam’s groups they didn’t seem to be a sort of mandatory requirement: you came because you chose to. Or at least, you came prepared for the situation. Here, Sam is an outsider and an unwelcome threat. These people are not going to open up to him. 

Bucky is quieter, but still quite straight forward in the way he presents himself. I think he may show a little more care for the environment he is in than Sam but that isn’t saying much. Yes, he has experienced much worse things than Sam but we still see his unfamiliarity with this sort of situation paired with some less than stellar social skills really not working in his favor. 

Look, I love both these 2 to death. But this is not what they know. 

Zemo on the other hand quite likely lived in a place similar to this after his family was murdered. He shows an understanding of how this sort of situation would work, going to children who:

a) wont necessarily peg him as an outsider

b) are bribable

also I think he was genuinely super glad to give those kids that candy and money. He would have been such a good dad. now I have Zemo feels. somebody help me.

The inclusion of the Dora Milaje was incredibly awesome, and not just because I simp for powerful women. Narratively, this was the perfect place for them to join the party and assert their right to apprehend Zemo. 

Bucky speaking Xhosa (i think it was?) is very cool

 I would like to take this moment to formally state that Caption John Walker is a motherfucking asshole. 

It was also really nice to see Sam’s therapist skills, that worked against him earlier really help him here. 

I liked seeing that more human side of Karli, and having her interact with the “enemy” and have serious conversation about what everyone is doing.

Until Captain Insecurity has to destroy the op because he doesn’t trust the people he chose to work with, no one has comms or anything I guess?

Also Walker deferring to Bucky for team decisions over Sam, talking over Sam and acting like he knows better than Sam?

I smell racism in this Chili’s tonight

It was also really interesting to get a more in-depth look at how Zemo views supersoldiers. Nearly all the ones that he has either heard of or interacted with (destroyed) had either volunteered for the serum or were so brainwashed that it didn’t make a difference. These people are a dangerous enemy to be eliminated, alongside people like Dr. Nagel. His entire worldview is focused on their destruction that the idea that one of them could be a normal person is impossible to him. The only exceptions acknowledged are Steve (paragon of saintly virtue) and Bucky. 

And the fact that after his family died and his country devastated he would most likely have fixated on both the Avengers and the “concept” of a superhuman being as something to blame for his loss. His refusal to concede his position to Sam isn’t just arrogance, although that seems to be a part of it, but the fact that he has spent so much time and energy in destroying both the Winter Soldier program and most likely other similar operations, along with the Avengers that this hatred and belief in the danger has most likely become one of his core beliefs. To change this would be to question his vendetta against the Avengers, to question his actions against the Winter Soldier program which he knows was a horrible thing, and to question why he has spent the past seven years in maximum security prison. This isn’t something he is ready to do yet.  

The fact that Bucky is a noted exception is something that stands out to me. Zemo knows that Bucky is a good person, regardless of the serum. 

Bucky is also the only main character (that I can think of) that was injected with the serum against his will. The fact that he didn’t seek it out could quite likely be part of the reason that Zemo doesn’t look down on him for it - it is framed that the sort of person that seeks out that sort of strength/power would be a “supremacist”, someone who would use their abilities to harm and subjugate others.

And while we are at the apartment may I say how funny it is to see Zemo just. Literally being Sam and Bucky’s sugar daddy. He transports them and houses them and makes them fancy tea. It’s possible he’s providing them with clothes. Either way, love it. Cannot wait for the boys to work it out.

Sam and Lemar’s responses to being offered the serum are an interesting juxtaposition to how they view the concept of supersoldiers. They have both experienced hardship and survived war but Sam is the one that has gone up against Gods and monsters and he wants none of that, thank you. 

And Lemar is so comfortable with saying yes because it isn’t actually being offered to him. Walker expresses some hesitation in their discussion because for him, it isn’t hypothetical. This is something real that can and will effect him for the rest of his life and he wants to make the “right decision”.

The return of Erskine’s belief that the serum not only effect the physical but the mental, emotional and (possibly?) spiritual. This isn’t something that’s really been touched on outside of The First Avenger and I liked that it turned up here. But the fact that it was the reason Walker felt comfortable taking the serum? Eww

The Dora Milaje kicking names and taking ass is super awesome. They are so incredibly skilled and have such amazing teamwork and are also super beautiful I love them 

Sam and Bucky just. Watching. Enjoying the show. Absolute kings. 

Zemo being the sneaky little sneak that he is :)

One one hand, Bucky losing his arm in the fight was very awesome. One the other hand, he has a long history of complicated bodily autonomy in relation to that arm so........  Neutral opinion it is then 

Karli, honey, I really want to like you but can you please keep the mans family out of it. Okay?

And another thing that this show made me think about: kids left to fend for themselves after the Blip (uuuurrrggh it hate calling it that. stupid canonical name). I think it’s good that at least some people took it on themselves to take these children in, to give them good lives and families.

The way that Sam has incorporated his wings into his combat style is very cool

Okie dokie can’t avoid it forever lets get this over with. 

LEMAR MY BEAUTIFUL SON NOOOO

those fuckers (the writers i mean)

Side note: did they really have to make the first main character death of the series a Black “sidekick” character? No. No they did not. 

Side side note: I understand that this is a perfectly valid way (ew) to “advance the plot” but I can and will be annoyed about it

And now we really get into the shit. But...........................

As much as I absolutely unequivocally hate John Walker I actually like the thematic parallels of how they did this. All throughout The First Avenger Steve is adamant on how he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, he just wants to stand up to the bullies. It’s only after Bucky dies that he says he wants to kill all the Nazis and really get into the horror of it all. The fact that John, who has absolutely been on the edge for the entire episode if not longer, only loses it after Lemar dies?

Because Lemar is arguably meant to be that stand-in for Bucky in the eyes of the public, and they are obviously close friends..........

Just - 

I feel I may have accidentally been slightly nicer than I planned to Walker in this post. I’m not sure how I feel about that. 

But C****** J*** W****** is NOT Captain America. Up until now I’ve been calling him “Fake Cap” in my head and to my family, but he doesn’t even deserve that honor. 

And the blood on the Shield. Dear god that was horrible. 

And the fact that, as it was pointed out in this very episode, this man fully represents everything that is Captain America, to the world. He isn’t only tarnishing his own legacy, he is also destroying Steve’s. And to some extent, Bucky’s. The whole reason that Bucky Barnes is considered a “Superhero” is because, at least in America he is known as “Cap’s Best Friend”. He was marketed that way for over half a century, and after the whole “Winter Solder” thing, goodwill or no, brainwashing or no, this could end very ugly for him. Not to mention that Steve Rogers is most likely to be forgotten to history in favor of this freak. 

And on that note, where the fuck is Steve? This is set only 6 months after Endgame, if he had died we would know. So what the hell is he doing? Because I know he got perpetual brainrot going back in time to be str8 and boring but dear god if the show tries to tell me that he’s just chilling in some senior’s center in Alaska I will actually call bullshit. Steve Rogers would never. Okay this is a whole separate post on my thought on Steve. Watch this space I guess. 

And while we’re all here, Bucky Barnes needs a goddamn boyfriend. I’ve done some thinking, and here is a compiled shortlist: 

Sam

Zemo

De-aged Steve (he would be higher but I’m still mad at him for the whole “vanishing without a word to relive Jim Crow and the Lavender Scare. :/ )

IN THAT ORDER. 

That’s all folks. 

Feel free to send me asks if you want clarification or extra details on anything. 

And finally - 

the thing we all came to see:

FUCK

JOHN 

WALKER

fin

[radioactivereactions]

How it is to kiss the FO4 Companions??? Like the thing you wrote for how it is to hug them! I love that ask sm ;;;;;

There will be 2 categories on the majority of them (platonic and romanced), both because I love them all and to make up for the lack of content :^)

Cait

Platonic; Cait isn't a huge fan of kissing unless it's a bridge into much steamier situations, especially with people she isn't romantically interested in. In fact she has a bit of a distaste in them all around, rolling her eyes whenever she sees a couple kiss or make out around the wasteland and punching any snarky asshole who dares to ask for one. That form of intimacy just makes her feel queezy.

Romanced; Kisses still aren't Caits strong suit even when in a relationship with Sole, finding them awkward to initiate and even more awkward to receive since she's not used to them in a traditional sense. She does attempt to incorporate them into her relationship, as long as Sole doesn't make a big deal about it. The only time she feels as if kissing is needed, if not required, is during sex. Though she does try to use them more, mostly to get out of verbally expressing her admiration for them.

Favourite spot to kiss; collarbone

Codsworth

Platonic; His lack of a mouth is the downfall of when he wishes to reassure Sole with a peck, resorting to gently tapping one of his eyes against their cheek while making the sound of a kiss. Sole more often than not returns the gesture with a small peck on the mainframe of his body, which fills his little body with a warm sensation which he finds completely unmatched.

Curie

Platonic; Much like hugging, kissing becomes a big part in Curie showing her affections for those she meets. It takes a few moments for her to finally understand the concept that if done in the wrong way, kisses can be seen as highly inappropriate and should be left for those she knows personally or others with similar tendencies. But not many people complain about her affections because it's impossible to get mad at her for long.

Romanced; when reassured she's allowed to kiss Sole whenever and wherever after they begin their relationship, she exploits it, while maintaining a professional-ish standpoint to avoid embarrassing them too much. But who could hold back from showing their lover just how much you love them?! Definitely not Curie. Her kisses are short and sweet, just like her and often taste like sweets, which she has a mild addiction to.

Favourite spot to kiss; cheek

Danse

Platonic; He used to believe kisses to be an activity done strictly between a romantically intimate couple, and is therefore taken aback immensely when he's gifted a kiss on the cheek from Sole as a token of thanks after he assisted them with building up a small hut in sanctuary. He reminisces on it much longer than he'd care to admit, but grows fond of the expression. The only place he's only give Sole a kiss though would be the top of their head, mainly as a reassurance that they did good.

Romanced; Still few and far between. He's a professional and puts a lot of importance in his outward appearance as someone who should be respected, but still be able to be interacted with in a kind and big brotherly manner. This means kisses are reserves for secluded areas only, which he only deems to be their house in sanctuary. But when receiving a kiss from Danse, you have no reason to complain about the gap between, because the man makes sure to make each one count. His lips are surprisingly soft and warm, making Sole melt immediately while their breath is SNATCHED.

Favourite spot to kiss; forehead

Deacon

Platonic; He's never much of a kisser, much more of a hugger. Though he will acquiesce to keep in character whenever on missions for the railroad. Aside from that, he simply finds kissing to be something done mostly for romantic purposes. Though he does joke around with kissing Carrington whenever he (begrudgingly) helps him.

Romanced; As opposed to his platonic nature, the man loves giving and receiving kisses, taking every chance he can to surprise Sole with a peck or two throughout the day. While keeping his mischievous nature by aiming a lot of them on Soles neck and jaw, disappearing as quick as he appeared once he achieved in making them all hot and bothered.

Favourite spot to kiss; neck/jaw

Dogmeat

Loved (because we all love dogmeat and dogmeat loves all); German shepherds aren't the slobber-ist breed of dogs, but don't underestimate dogmeats affection or you will be in a very messy surprise. Kisses can be expected every time you hug him, as well as being his method of waking you up. He also loves receiving kisses just as much! Turning into a giant wiggly worm of excitement whenever Sole even makes the sound of kisses, which never fails to grab his attention.

Favourite spot to kiss; all over the face

Hancock

Platonic; John is a very affectionate person and has no qualms in showing it. Though hugs are his go-toos for any new comers. Once he gains a personal connection, kisses are almost always garaunteed. Most of them land on the cheek and forehead, and often leave the area he kisses warm to the touch. It's also just super convenient for him to kiss because there's no problem with a nose getting in the way.

Romanced; if dating the John Hancock, one must simply be ready for a lot of affection, regardless of the setting. And his biggest show of affection that's deemed suitable for public areas, is of course, kissing, which Sole soon finds out. His lips are textured, as is his tongue, which only works in his favour to make Sole a hot mess by the end of it. Kisses with him also have a small taste of whatever chem or drink he had just had, giving Sole mild effects each time.

Couldn't figure out how to input this in but he'd totally take a huff of jet and blow it into Soles mouth while they kissed.

If Sole was into that.

But who wouldn't be tbh.

Favourite spot to kiss; lips

MacCready

Platonic; Mac is a big kisser! Mostly on the forehead, to signify his approval or a non verbal way of saying "good job" to sole. The only time he'd refrain from it is whenever hes in the presence of a tough looking character, not wanting to come off as someone who should be taken lightly.

Romanced; Once again, he's a softie for kisses. Give him one and he will without fail return the favour. Still being a child t heart and unable to contain his pure joy, he often has spurts of complete admiration and puts a ton of small smooches all over Soles face, especially if they had to leave for a period of time. He's a bit of an amateur to the whole deep make out sessions and is pretty messy when tongues and teeth get involved, but he tries his best!

Favourite spot to kiss; between the eyebrows

Nick

Platonic; He's rather cautious of letting anything get near his face, the missing metal casing on the side of his head being a concern and the risk of accidentally cutting someone causing him to be cautious around any physical contact. To circumvent this whenever he wishes to grant Sole with his approval, he puts a gentle kiss on the top of their head, if they were comfortable with it.

Romanced; ever so the gentleman Nick Valentine is, he asks Soles permission to kiss them whenever he wishes, their answer always being in his favour. His lips are cold to the touch, sending shivers down Soles spine each time. More often than not his hand would cup the side of Soles face to anchor them in, wanting the moment to last as long as it possibility could.

Favourite spot to kiss; back of the hand

Piper

Platonic; As a big sister she loves annoying Nat with big smooches, but aside from her she never physically kisses other people. She does have a huge habit of blowing kisses, usually out of spite to disapproving townspeople and the Mayor. It's also one of her only methods of successfully flirting. But aside from that, she never turns to any shows of affection to get information, and before Sole, she had no interest in dating.

Romanced; Pipers kisses leave an impact, her lipstick marking Sole regardless of how quick she makes them out of hesitation. She gains confidence quickly with her kissing though, her firey passion showing by the way she pulls them by the collar to catch them in a kiss, this confidence only appearing if someone else shows interest in Sole.

Y'all can't change my mind that she is a jealous baby who will go above and beyond to show that Sole is hers >:^(

Favourite spot to kiss; lips

Preston

Platonic; Though raised in a household where there was no shame in giving platonic affection by the means of group hugs and the occasional peck on the cheek (mostly by his mother), Preston has a great respect for people's personal space, so unless initiated by someone else he refrains from hugging or kissing someone regardless of the situation. He refuses mouth to mouth kisses however, uncomfortable with he thought of doing an act such as that with someone he's not romantically interested in. His go-to is the cheek, the forehead for younger individuals.

Romanced; His kisses always taste like coffee, since the man practically lives off of it, making each kiss pack a small punch. He reserves heavier sessions and the more passionate kisses to the solitude of their own quarters, resorting to small kisses in various places on Soles face to 'boost morale' as he calls it.

Favourite spot to kiss; nose (He finds their little nose scrunches adorable)

X6-88

Platonic; absolutely not. While he has little to no comment on if someone were to greet him with a kiss on the cheek, one should not expect anything of he sort to be initiated by him. The only exception is when it is customary, in which he as required to place a kiss on the back of someone's hand, but he has no motivation or reason to do any other form of physical affection.

Romanced;

He grows a fondness to kisses when he begins them with Sole. Though at first unsure on the purpose, mentioning the health risks. But when Sole begins gifting him small pecks, specifically on the mouth, he feels this... fascinating warmth run through his body, quite intoxicating. He quickly begins to return them, seeing Soles reaction bringing a similar warmth.

Favourite spot to kiss; temple

[resinatingbeauty]

Real Talk Time (#RTT) - My Messages to all “Baby” Witches / Anyone Discovering Their Spirituality

•When it comes to magick, if it feels right you’re doing it right. You won’t know if it feels right if you don’t do it. A lot of us fall victim to the obsession that is part of the process, in my opinion, of realizing your potential as a witch/magician/wiccan/magick user of any sort, that is the compulsive consumption of all things magickal or new age/occult related. You begin building this collection of books, accumulating supplies, candles, symbols, accents for your altar-all this time reading and searching for things to perform spells and rituals that you never end up performing because of all the time and energy put into accumulating ..stuff.

The irony being is there is nothing inherently magickal about stuff. Magick is not a tangible thing, it’s a spiritual thing. The reality is you don’t need much stuff at all to manifest your desires and intentions. You don’t need to have the equivalent of the Library of Congress filled with books and texts about magick spells, invocations, rituals, etc. either. Don’t get me wrong, knowledge is a great thing, knowledge is power, but balance is a very important fundamental concept in all new age/occult/pagan traditions and if all you’ve been doing is absorbing and not performing then you’re missing out on what makes magick worth doing- doing it. Just do it *itnsert angry Shia Labeouf motivational meme here*

The problem with the over consumption of knowledge is the lack of experience to go along with it. If you’re moving constantly through various texts, chances are you haven’t taken the time to act on what had been written. Magick is about finding your connection to the universe, finding that perfect balance of confidence, humility, understanding, and inner peace that allows you to be just so in tune with yourself and everything around you that you truly, without a doubt, feel a part of it- not just a little part, but a BIG part- big enough to move mountains. What one author says to do may be contradicted by another even in the same vein of thought, but that’s them. You have to find what works for you. Once you find it, never let it go. Elaborate on it, because you can do no wrong spiritually, so long as you aren’t, you know, committing mass murder or persuading others to do it a la Jamestown.

•Those elaborate and intriguing rituals sound great until you do them (or not). I am admittedly guilty of this, as I truly enjoyed the textbook style of Donald Michael Kraig’s writing on Ceremonial Magick (highly recommend Modern Magick any edition to anyone interested in that kind of thing) and good old Aleister Crowley who could turn a mundane love spell into something out of an HP Lovecraft novel (I’m sure it’s intentional), but the wonderful imagery these texts would form in my mind couldn’t, nay, wouldn’t be manifested into reality because, quite simply, I don’t have the kind of attention span or space for that kind of thing, and I ultimately found that I don’t need all the props and paraphernalia to manifest my magick. This also goes along with my first message about accumulating stuff. While there is more than enough reason behind all the symbols, tools, and objects we utilize as spiritualists, the chalice is just a pretty cup to those who aren’t inclined to use it as such. Rituals obtain power through the repetition, focus, and energy put into them, not the objects used to facilitate this process, though these objects help maintain that focus or visual, they are not sources of magick unto themselves. The talismans I create are not magickal themselves, they were made into talismans through energy transfer and intent, the ritual is in their creation, my own essence flowing into them through my hands as they work. If you aren’t the type of person who regularly goes through these grandiose measures and thrives in the complex and detailed who also has the time to devout to several hour long invocations for regular cleansing, keep it simple. Unless you’re that kind of person, chances are the more complex it is the less likely you are to do it. While you’re researching and visualizing these rituals in your mind’s eye like a movie, ask yourself if that type of thing is something you have the time, space, and attention span for (I know I don’t.) Any magick is better than none.

Now, some rituals are supposed to be complex, intricate workings that are intended to work off around a high level of energy and commitment (think exorcisms / banishing rituals, summonings or invokations etc). Crowley and Peter Carroll (another of my favorites) openly wrote about long, sensual, demanding rituals where trance states induced by drugs, sleep deprivation / sensory deprivation, hypnosis, and other means were incorporated into rituals, but they aren’t exactly a requirement.

In the same breath, anyone who criticizes how you perform a ritual (unless you’re asking for assistance or experiencing adverse affects) is full of shit. If you have channeled the energy and focus toward your intent, you will manifest results. Period. It doesn’t matter if you focus your altar around summoning Lillith, make the necessary offerings, draw the sigil, etc., if you’re actually thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner on March 3rd, you’re probably not doing it right. I don’t know you, however, you may have great success completely detaching yourself from your purpose- whatever works for you.

•Don’t fixate on labels - fixate on bettering yourself and your connection to the universe. There’s a lot of elitist internet witches and what not around, but hear me brothers and sisters, they are nothing but psychic vampires trying to throw you off your game. “My Book of Shadows is bigger than yours” is only relevant if you give a damn. I sure as hell don’t. I’m not impressed with lengthy resumes of spells and rituals performed over the last twenty years. If you choose to keep a Book of Shadows, its primary purpose should be reflection, allowing you to correspond your craft with reality and for you to look back at and troubleshoot or reiterate. It isn’t a badge of honor. The choice of keeping one is also entirely optional- though recommended, some do better performing their piece and setting it aside until the see the results they desire. Unless your spells affect me (or I ask you about your work) , you do you and I’ll do me. The only important thing is that you do so for yourself, you do so because it feels right and natural for you to do so, and you do it for the betterment of yourself and all of us who have to live in the world you have directly influenced. Whether you’re a “baby” witch, a cape wearing pointy hat toting broomstick bombshell, a woods witch, weed witch, green witch, black witch, voodoo priestess, magician, chaote, occultist, necromancer, reiki practitioner, shaman , level 300 Geodude- we are all working toward the same goals, one way or another. Regardless of what you choose to identify yourself with or what system/rules you choose to follow, we need to build each other up, not put each other down. We have the major indoctrinated religions doing that for us.

That is all.

[fallenrepublick]

I've had this idea brewing for a while. So, can I request an x reader with Savage Opress? It would be around d the time when Darth Sidious came to Manadalore and before he had a chance to kill Savage, is when the reader, a former jedi who left the order, actually saves him and drive Sidious away. Reader then disappears. Both brothers want to find her now until she is found in the city late at night. Personally, Maul wishes to thank her (wow) and Savage thinks he has found his perfect mate😇

This was really fun to write, because I like writing pieces that put the reader in the middle of events we’ve seen in the shows. It makes me wonder what sort of stuff could have been changed if someone else was there.

Anyhow, I like to think I did this alright. Ah, and I also did my best to incorporate your other request of the reader having Vitiligo. I’m not sure how well I conveyed that, though, so let me know how I did.

You never really understood Maul’s obsession and fear over his late master, Sidious, and as far as you could tell, neither did Savage. Maul was the only one who had really experienced the full brunt of the Sith’s force, which was what was most likely causing intense brooding and long bouts of staring into the darkness encompassing the throne room. You had only heard so much of the power of Sith Lords from various masters back at the temple, though your unexpected “fall from grace” after your love for a certain honey-skinned Nightbrother determined that the path you took was not the one allotted to you by the Jedi, thus depriving you of knowledge that would have been useful in these trying times.

Such was the way of things now, as you and Savage had a remarkably rare moment of peace before returning to duties that would keep you separated until the late hours of the night. He was sitting on a bench in your room with you seated on his left leg, the height difference between you made abundantly clear. One of your hands rested on his chest while he traced the edges of the pale patches marking your arms and face. You always enjoyed when he did it, as if he were intentionally pulling you back to your favorite early memories of your time together, when he took your huge bottle of concealer that you used to cover what you were told to be “abnormalities due to midichlorian complications” from you, and explained that you didn’t need it.

“Our markings are unique to us,” he had said to you, wiping the make-up from your cheeks and neck. “Each line we have is a testament to who we are. You are no exception. These are what gave me pause, made me find beauty in all you were, because each time I see them, I am reminded of every part of you that makes you the woman I love.”

That was then. Now, as you sat with him, fingers drawing lines on your now uncovered skin, you felt yourself growing increasingly concerned at the prospect of an encounter with a deadly dark side user, making your attempts at reminiscing fall flat.

“Is he going to be okay, you think?” you asked softly, not wanting to break the intimacy you had built up over the past ten minutes. “He must sense something amiss. He isn’t normally this… depressed.”

Savage sighed, continuing his hand’s movements, yet lifting his eyes to match your gaze. “I want to believe he will be fine. But I feel a growing unease within him. Something is coming, and it will be here soon.”

You stood, taking his hands within your own and pressing your foreheads together. “The darkness that follows him will not hesitate to hurt you, too. If it’s enough to affect your brother this much, I don’t believe for a second that I shouldn’t be worrying about it.”

Something burst through your senses, dragging you out and back to reality. You didn’t know what exactly it was, but the presence was deafening to your mind. The only way to describe the sensation was as if you had given yourself brain freeze directly after eating something incredibly hot. You looked back down at Savage, a grim look replacing the relaxation you had given him only moments before. You began to leave the room, deciding that whatever you had been dreading for a while now had finally made its debut, when your lover pulled your wrist back.

“No,” he said, walking in front of you to the doorway. “I will help my brother. You will remain here until I get back.”

You scoffed. “I’m perfectly capable of holding my own, if you hadn’t noticed. This isn’t something to be taken lightly.”

“If this were any other situation, I swear, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring you. But if what my brother says is true, this Sidious will take advantage of what we have and use it to hurt you. I cannot take that risk.”

“So you really do think it’s Sidious?” You crossed your arms, fearing what would happen if he were right.

“I must act as if it is. I trust my brother’s instincts.” With that, he turned and ran from the room, already pulling his saber from his belt. Thanks, that was comforting.

The situation definitely wasn’t ideal. As it stood, controlling Mandalore was shaky to say the least, and any sort of infiltration, personal or otherwise, would prove problematic if it came down to who was in charge. It was one thing to be the invader, but it was another to be invaded. You paced the room, weighing your options, trying to find any workaround for leaving the room and helping. But it all circled back to that one thing. How much worse would it be if you did try to help them? Would it be worse to be discovered?

Logic might have sufficed normally, but you didn't have to use logic to know that the sound of smashing glass from the throne room was something you didn't want to hear. If he finds me out, he finds me out. You dashed out of the room, saber hilt in hand, the rubber soles of your boots nearly giving way as they struggled to keep up with your speed. Every step felt like the beat of your heart, practically screaming at you not to go towards whatever horrific situation you would find. You might have listened to your heart before, but now your life wasn’t the only one you had to worry about. Debris from the walls scattered the floor when you came in, but where they had gone was no mystery. Using the force to propel you up, you leapt through the gaps and came upon the battleground.

It most definitely was Sidious down there, red sabers clashing with those of the two Zabraks, laughing like a maniac as the fighting dragged on below. Each contact sent out bursts of white light amongst the darkness. Each party was certainly skilled, but there was an amusement in Sidious’s demeanor that concerned you the most. Maul and Savage fought through desperation and the urgent need to kill their opponent. Sidious… was playing with his food.

You jumped down silently, staying out of sight as Sidious managed to separate Savage from Maul, who remained on the higher platform. He sensed you and turned around, surprised at your presence. He wanted to berate you, tell you to go back before something happened. But you were already gone. It just took one last leap of faith. One last attempt to make sure your worst fears were never realized.

And then you were between them, a purple lightsaber blade blocking the two that aimed straight for Savage’s chest. You could sense Savage’s panic behind you, but you didn’t dare turn around.

“Ah yes,” Sidious hissed from beneath his hood. “The defective Jedi. I might’ve known.”

You thrust your lightsaber forward, pushing his blades away from you. “At least I’m not a coward who hides his face behind a cloak,” you growled back.

He came at you, blades rushing, aiming to kill, but you dodged, jumping back, deflecting them with your own saber. Savage tried to intervene, bringing his weapons forward and attempting to fight, but you shoved him back with the force.

You made your choice. The next attack he made, you evaded as well, but took a flip, soaring backwards off of the ledge and using the force to pull Sidious down after you, into the darkness below. Come and get me.

-

Maul’s hearts thudded as he ran down to his brother. Savage stood at the edge of the landing, searching out for any sign of you. Regardless if his brother’s shouts of concern, his thoughts dwelled on your well being.

“Savage, answer me, are you all right?” Maul shook his shoulders with increasing concern.

“Do you see her?” Savage asked, panic lacing his voice as he ignored Maul’s questions. “Where is she?”

Maul sighed, taking his hand off of Savage’s shoulder and peering down into the cavern as well. “It’s difficult to tell. And more likely than not, she wouldn’t have stayed in this area. Sidious is not the stationary type.”

Savage’s breathing quickened, his worry and fear taking over the thoughts in his head. “She saved me… I would have been dead, but she came anyway… But now-”

“But now nothing,” Maul interrupted, turning around and beginning his ascent back to the palace. “We will find her. Your lady is a crafty one, so I’ve no doubt she would have found her way to safety. Besides, I must thank her for what she did. After all, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to help you.”

Following his footsteps eagerly, Savage hurried to catch up, possibilities already racing through his head. He tried to imagine you again, all the times you told him not to worry so much, your smile warming him to his core. But all he could think of was your absence now. If you had, in fact, escaped, how would you be? What if Sidious had severed a limb? What if you were badly wounded and needed help right away? What if you were unconscious? Savage would never dare forgive himself if anything happened to you. And what if Maul was wrong? What if Sidious had captured you for insurance? Or worse… if he had killed you? Savage nearly collapsed thinking about it. Of course, you could be fine, but his frequent run-ins with misfortune had Savage believing that suffering was inevitable.

The lights of the city blinked in and out as citizens moved beneath them towards their destinations, blocking out the light of the sky above with its pollution. Everyone looked the same to Savage, blank faces and hollow spirits, all blending together with the same patterns of meaningless existence. Not like you. Your radiance had blinded him from the start, but he gladly held onto it with everything he had, knowing that you would be there to guide him as he stumbled.

He normally hated the city, the crowds and noise of the pandemonium seemed pointless and never ending, the artificial lamps and street lights wiping away any stars that you would have seen in the night sky before. But on that night, as he came upon a clearing in the crowds at the opening of a nearby ally, a single star stood alone amongst the chaos, the surface spread across with the markings of galaxies far from reach and the darkness of a thousand cold suns, a cloak encasing, but failing to completely cover the eminence.

He didn’t know what to do. Just the sight of you froze him in place, washing away any words he could have formed before. He came up behind you and took your wrist, holding you carefully as if you were a hallucination. When you turned, your face quickly went from surprise to relief, a small gasp escaping your lips as you smiled.

“Savage,” you whispered, walking back towards him and placing a hand on his chest. “You’re okay.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said to you, holding your face in his hands. “I was being careless, but if you hadn’t come-”

“I wanted to be there for you, Savage. I knew something would happen, and you know I would never make you face something like that without me. I came for you, because I love you.”

And that thought, that sentence brought him to his reality. That star of his, that light he held that was so much like him, yet so much better, was all he desired. For his hands, the ones that had brought about so much pain and destruction, the ones that belonged to a monster, held perfection.

[ash28blog]

ONLINE LEARNING

As web-based learning turns out to be more known and more data were moved to computerized structure, some have suggested that public libraries are shut and everybody will be given an iPad with a tablet membership in their substitution.

Allies of this thought accept that it would set aside cash for neighborhood legislatures and regions since libraries are costly to run. They additionally trust it will persuade more individuals to peruse since they would presently don't need to go to a library to acquire a book; all things considered, they will actually want to simply tap on what they need to peruse and peruse it from any place they are. They may likewise approach more assets since libraries will presently don't need to buy actual duplicates of books; all things considered, they will actually want to lease however many computerized duplicates as they require.

However, replacing libraries with tablets would be a gigantic mistake. In the first place, contrasted with print assets, computerized books and assets are connected with not so much adapting but rather more issues. An exploration contrasting tablet perusing with book perusing found that individuals read 20-30% slower on tablets, hold 20% less data, and understand 10% less of what they read when contrasted with people who read a similar substance on paper. Moreover, looking at a PC for a drawn-out timeframe has been found to actuate an assortment of wellbeing concerns, including obscured vision, discombobulation, dry eyes, migraines, and eye strain, at a significantly more noteworthy rate than understanding print. Extreme utilization of cell phones and tablets is additionally connected with a higher danger of more huge ailments, for example, fibromyalgia, shoulder and back distress, carpal passage condition, and strong strain. I'm mindful that if I read from my tablet for a lengthy timeframe, my eyes become exhausted and my neck endures. We ought not to worsen these issues by giving more impetus to individuals, especially youngsters, to look at screens.

Second, it is extremely biased to accept that the sole assistance given by libraries is book loaning. Libraries give many advantages, a large number of which are just accessible if the library has an actual presence. A portion of these benefits incorporates filling in as a quiet report room, offering a discussion for people to communicate with their neighbors, facilitating courses on a scope of subjects, making occupations, settling client issues, and keeping the local area connection. Over 33% of individuals in a single area detailed inclination more associated with their local area when a nearby library executed local area exercises, for example, play periods for little children and guardians, vocation fairs for youngsters, and meeting spaces for more established residents. Also, as indicated by a Pew concentrate on done in 2015, more than 66% of American residents accept that killing their nearby library would altogether affect their local area. Individuals see libraries as where they can associate with individuals and find replies to their questions, something tablets can't give so viably or as promptly.

While supplanting libraries with tablets might give off an impression of being a direct reply, it would urge people to invest considerably more energy gazing at advanced showcases, regardless of the various hardships that encompass them. It would likewise wipe out admittance to a considerable lot of the library's benefits on which individuals have developed to depend. Libraries are a particularly necessary component of the local area network in numerous areas that they would never be supplanted by a basic article.