#I genuinely didn't think I'd be so upset by it lol

[yoinkschief]

Dog Teeth Mock Propoganda Posters

These aren't canonincal in world,,, but also,,, aren't NON-CANONICAL, if that makes sense ?

I kinda want them in the world, especially because I put a good amount of thought into most of this piece, besides the poses and we're ignoring how I couldn't find a blue that didn't blur into Tom's coloring, but these were fun to make

I think I've made enough mock posters to suggest I enjoy doing it lol, I enjoy war time propaganda - I mean I enjoy the process of it, not the fear mongering and way it's supposed to divide people and brainwash you into joining a specific side

[jichanxo]

how it started:

how it's going:

[therainscene]

Gonna be a bit of a buzzkill here, but: I think what annoys me about Ted's been casually assuming that Mike was dating Will this whole time theories is that they always tend to treat it as a fun outcome.

Like, I get it: Ted's the useless one-dimensional suburban dad who makes bland observations he thinks are insightful quips, and he hasn't had much of a character arc beyond getting dragged along for the ride his more three-dimensional wife is on -- so what is there for him to do, really, other than to delight us with one final, genuinely insightful joke that subverts our expectations but makes perfect sense in hindsight?

But I feel like this would essentially make him one of those "allies" whose egos are more important to them than actually being supportive, and so they make smug jokes about how accepting they are at the expense of their kids' fear of rejection:

"I hate my gay son! Oh, not because he's gay, he's just an asshole." 🤭 "Why are you telling me you're gay? I figured that out years ago. Stop crying and go help your mother with the dishes." 🙄 etc.

It wouldn't be out of character for Ted to do this. I can totally see him doing it! But it's out of character for the show to make light of queer struggles, so I'd expect it to be critical of Ted for doing this.

Often, parents like the ones described above really do mean well, but they just don't know what they're supposed to do other than try to keep treating their kid the same as if they were straight. Lots of parents struggle with that; I'd argue even Joyce does in S3:

Will's clearly experiencing a specifically queer difficulty here -- boys like him aren't allowed to fall in love and he's upset about having to watch straight people openly enjoy things he thinks he'll never have -- and that apparently sails over Joyce's head. She just smiles at her Silly Immature Boy Who Doesn't Get The Appeal Of Sex Yet and drops the topic.

[Edit: To be clear, Joyce knows he's gay and is explicitly showing support for gay love here. She just has a blind spot when it comes to the gay teen experience.]

It's a disappointing change in her approach from the first two seasons, in which she fought her ass off to understand and advocate for his needs, even when communication seemed nigh impossible.

But then, maybe S3 is about granting Will his S2 wish to not be coddled by his mom anymore.

The Jonwill heart-to-heart at the end of S4 is my favourite scene in the whole show, because it's a pitch-perfect demonstration of how to balance closeted queer kids' need for support against their need to handle things on their own terms, all without embarrassing them by showing your hand of Already Knowing.

Maybe you're thinking: didn't Karen do exactly this with Mike all the way back in S1?

[Literally hiding his future beard in his closet during this convo lol 10/10 queer-coding]

Well, no. The point I made in my previous Wheeler analysis still applies: Karen, as of S1, is too prone to trusting dangerous authorities over her own kids -- and so her words ring hollow. She means well, but deep down she's prioritizing her need to feel like a good mother over putting any real effort into figuring out what Mike needs: reassurance that he and his flock of outcast friends will be safe if he's open with her.

The key thing Jonathan gets right is to understand his brother well enough to directly address the underlying fear that's been preventing Will from opening up:

So if Ted's sole contribution to Mike's queer arc ends up being a reveal that he's always known and been too cool to blab to anyone, but also that he did nothing about it other than to smugly wait for Mike to come out...?

...I just think that would feel more tragic than funny.

[usoppshoneydew]

Do y'all ever think that Bucky canonically( all our romantic head cannons aside) likes Sam so much, simply because he treats him like the human he is???

Like One: he doesn't look at him and see all the way he's different from who he used to be like Steve undoubtedly had to have. Sam literally didn't know Bucky before Hydra got to him, so there's no way for him to mourn over the differences. The Bucky he is now is the one Sam knows and the one he's close to(and likes).

Another way is how he doesn't treat him like he's fragile?? And by fragile I mean despite the fact that Bucky's mental health wasn't 100%( is anybody's??) even after wakanda and his therapy sessions, Sam still interacts with and treats him like he would anybody else. He makes jokes, even some that other people would be too scared to make, and teases him. When he's upset with him, he argues with him. He doesn't hold back and holds him accountable if he feels he has to. He's honest with him, even if the truth might not be what he wants to hear. Bottom line is, he doesn't coddle, or baby Bucky like at all.

And I think the huge thing that must make Bucky fold( ahem, platonically of course, of course) is the way that Sam is not in the slightest bit, afraid of him. Despite having personal, and probably traumatic, encounters with the Winter soldier, like having his car dismantled in the middle of the highway or being tossed around by him, he never once acts as if he's scared Bucky will revert back into the Winter Soldier. So much so, that he actually approached him in the middle of a hostile bar, while Bucky was currently imitating the Winter soldier, and even put his hand on him to check to see if he was ok( in the middle of a mission too lol Sam really said fuck appearances)

And you can argue that he was worried when Bucky suggested talking to Zemo alone, but that seemed more for Bucky's sake than his own. He trusts this man so much that he was down with him staying around his family and his community with no questions asked, encouraged him to spend the NIGHT in the same space as his sister and nephews. Would a person that's scared of what he used to be or thinks he's one nightmare away from a setback let him do that? No way. Would someone who's weary of him confront him about the situation with Isaiah ,or genuinely tell him how he feels about the way Steve and Bucky gave him the shield? Sam doesn't hold back with this man at all, and the trust that takes has to be alluring to a man like Bucky who couldn't even trust himself until recently .

Sam just treats Bucky so wholly, completely, and thoroughly human. After decades of being treated anything but that? I'd fold too.

[mourn-and-watch]

in all seriousness, dragon age being almost officially dead to me is, like, whatever. i'm used to hanging out in dead fandoms because i'm usually extremely late to the party so i think i'll manage. i was excited for veilguard but even if it was bad bad for me (which it wasn't. i have my problems with it but they didn't ruin the franchise for me) i would also manage because dragon age to me always was extremely flawed but had an enormous potential for fan content. at some point i started to treat it like my favourite fantasy playground where i can smash pre-existing barbie dolls with the ones i made myself. all my barbie dolls are in place and i still can do whatever i want (and i plan to continue to do so) and, i guess, i shouldn't be upset.

i am upset, however. for all the devs affected by laid-offs, but especially the writers. these people created dragon age as we know it, and it's been a messy series in every aspect, including the writing, it's been insensitive at times, at times dumb and undercooked, but there was always an immense amount of potential that's been inspiring fans for years, and also a feeling that all, or at least the most of it was created with genuine passion. and realizing that there is no one left from the team that made dragon age what it is, every installment of it, is just. genuinely sad. and it's not a theseus ship dilemma, because it's not like they were slowly replaced one by one. they were just fired. this ship is destined to sink, it's falling apart in front of our eyes because neither ea nor bioware cares about writing. not many companies do nowadays, to be honest. and it's kinda devastating. grifters will celebrate that like a "downfall of woke slop", but they'll get only more ai slop instead, lol, because good writing doesn't guarantee good sells. best selling games of 2024 are shooters and sports games. and elden ring which is a nice exception, but an exception nevertheless.

i don't think mass effect will save bioware at this point. even if it's an absolute banger it still has to meet ea's expectations. which are unrealistic, to say the least. also people who wrote characters like mordin, tali, legion, thane, garrus and liara are all gone. either they left themselves or were laid off. like, if you want "old bioware magic" to return, there is none. the same people who wrote your favourite characters and storylines in da/me were also working on veilguard. i may be wrong, but somehow i think they didn't all lose their ability to write here because they went woke or whatever. i think the inconsistent quality of datv writing that can only be described as 'we're so back/it's so over' pic is a consequence of multiple rewrites, constant director changes and shitty decisions, both internal and coming from bioware/ea higher-ups. i also may be wrong, but it wouldn't be such a big problem if writing wasn't at the bottom of priority list.

if i recall correctly, when gaider left willingly, he highlighted that bioware didn't treat its writers seriously at that point. and i'd say that tracks. like, from countless veilguard rewrites and scrapped ideas to lay-offs of every single studio veteran.

idk what else there is to say. i'll cheer for every studio that value its writers and i hope all ex-bioware devs will be able to do something new and exciting. i also doubt bioware is the last studio that will experience such a decline in the years to come. the narrative of this shitshow will also be twisted into 'go woke go broke' and it already slightly draws me insane. fuck ea fuck bioware fuck grifters. also i beg everyone to start appreciating writing as a craft because otherwise it's only going to get worse!

[heavensoutofsight]

just some thoughts...

firstly, i just wanna say that it makes me very happy to see so many black and queer women being spotlighted at the grammys (as a black, queer woman myself). and i am not at all upset at beyonce winning, given that she is the first black woman to win that award since 1999, which is pretty huge.

however. is it still extremely disappointing that billie didn't win anything? absolutely.

i think what makes this whole situation the most upsetting is that billie has said countless times in various interviews how much this album means to her. she's talked numerous times about how this was her most personal album yet and how challenging it was for her to be honest while making it. she's talked about how it's the album she's the most proud of and how it's the album that is undeniably the most "her." an album that means this much not only to billie but to the fans not winning a single category is very saddening and i could understand why many would be angry.

more than anything, though, i just want billie to know one thing: hit me hard and soft may not have won a single grammy, but it did win the hearts of fans and non-fans alike. it is an album that has touched many peoples' hearts, it's an album that people resonate with, it's an album that people feel comforted by. billie has said time and time again that she just wants to be a voice for people who feel like they don't have one and i want her to know that with this album especially, she achieved that. hmhas is an album that so many people, including myself, hold near and dear to their hearts, and i think that is the best reward anyone could ask for. i hope billie truly knows that.

hmhas means so much to me, personally. for practically the entire month of may and the rest of 2024, i recall so many moments when i'd put the album on and sing every lyric like i was at my own little concert at 3 in the morning in my bedroom. if i ever had a shit day, i would put on birds of a feather or lunch if i wanted to smile. if i needed to cry, i'd put on skinny or the greatest or wildflower. this album is genuinely healing, for me, and for so many others. i think that's more important than anything.

billie will never see this (lol) but... love you billie, hmhas has won alllll the awards in my heart and has gone triple platinum in my bedroom!!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Sometimes I wonder how Eric Venue would react when he finds what happened to Vil. His son has overblot, got kidnapped not so long after his overblot, got involved in fighting another overblot, and he got old. How is he going to think about all of this?

Based on what we've seen and heard of Eric, he generally presents as very charismatic and easy to talk to. I'm sure a lot of that comes from his career as a celebrity--he has to have good camera presence and communicate well with those in his industry + fans. However, Vil tells us that while Eric is usually amicable, he can be a very different person when it comes to work and business. We the players never get to view this serious side to Vil's dad; it's only ever alluded to or mentioned in passing. I'd imagine that this is the side of Eric that comes out when he learns that his precious son, the apple of his eye, went through so many grueling experiences.

As a father, Eric must know how hard Vil works for his beauty and his career. I don't see him as the type of person to go and blame others for Vil overblotting; I think he would always have had that worry in the back of his mind. That's why he actively tries to make time for his son, even with both of their busy schedules--because otherwise, Vil might not have those reminders to take time for himself. Learning that those fears have become a reality would have Eric worry even more. Anger and upset would be secondary to that; I genuinely don't see Eric as a belligerent/vengeful person or someone who would blame others for something ultimately Vil (and his spiraling emotions) did. (Yes, Vil is the result of people labeling him as something he's not, but you cannot truly blame a system or reasonably be mad at a vaguely defined group of people/the public.) I feel like he would be more upset that whoever's in power (probably Crowley, lol) didn't take more preventative measures or didn't intervene sooner. Maybe Eric would be sitting in a meeting with Crowley and demanding to know what steps the headmaster intends to take next to keep his son safe. Like, not shouting at Crowley but moreso directing a very cold, stern anger toward him. I don't believe Eric would do something scummy (such as threatening to leak this to the media) in order to make Crowley take action. Such a thing would be disastrous for Vil's reputation, and I believe Eric would want to respect his son's boundaries and not act in overprotective ways that encroach on those boundaries.

Everything that happens to Vil in book 6 would still cause Eric to worry, but I think this time there would be a more positive spin on the events. Yeah, he is still very concerned about Vil being kidnapped, fighting an OB, and then losing his youth in the process. However, I do think that Eric would be less upset about the kidnapping since no harm really came of it and Vil did consent to being studied. Ultimately, Eric would be proud of his son for surviving those ordeals and especially for being so heroic that he was willing to throw himself into literal Tartarus to save a classmate. I just see Eric smiling from ear to ear as he embraces his son, welcoming Vil back and telling him that he truly is the fairest of them all, both inside and out.

[wayward-weigh-in]

✨️Monaca's fate Yappatron session time✨️

Subject of the Day: The reasoning of "She got annoyed by Nagito into quitting is bullshit"

Man I want to accept that it is, like it's funny. Annoying a villain into straight up quitting is funny. However, not only do I find it not satisfying to Monaca's story, it doesn't make sense as she doesn't seem THAT weak minded to just tilt out of annoyance. To be honest I think they just didn't feel like expanding on her which, yeah while only a small minority of the fanbase gives a shit about the udg kids I do feel like there's a missed opportunity.

They gave the woh a cameo, mentions that they are helping with capturing Monaca. But that's kind of it???? I wish they instead made the WOH have a confrontation and be the ones to defeat Monaca, none of this "I'm bored. Lol" reasoning. (‼️OH btw I'm not saying they have to "KILL" Monaca, if you're here because you wanted to read about wanting Monaca's demise get out, this is a mostly sympathising with Monaca household‼️).

Anyways, if we do avoid Monaca quitting without a "beatdown" I think there could've been ways for her to quit without the "I'm fucking bored lol". For instance her launching herself to space to be lonely despite the fact she dislikes being lonely is sad, but I feel like that part can be further expanded on. She was already lonely by that point aside from having Servant by her side. She pushed the few people alive that genuinely did love her, all this for Junko. Her reason for continuing was because of Junko. For her idol's vision of despair, and yet at some point she made the realisation that despair wouldn't really win in the end. But they could've had a moment of her being upset about it. In UDG she was literally begging her brother to kill her because her big sis Junko wouldn't want to end it like this. So she pushed people away, tried being THE Junko 2.0 as a homage to her late big sis, but in the end when she realized it was all for nothing, shouldn't she have a stronger reaction over it?

This is why I want a WOH confrontation to happen, they could defeat the bots n stuff then point it out to her (even if she does already know). I am unsure of what her aftermath fate is at the hands of them to be honest, but I guess I just wanted something much more than just "WE'RE GOING TO SPACE‼️‼️‼️" it leaves alot to be desired.

I'd make a fanfic for the woh confrontation but like, I can't write it cuz I'm biased and will probably downplay how hurt the woh are, and I can't just pass it off to some other person cuz with the way most people talk about Monaca they'd over exaggerate their reactions. I'm unsure about Masaru, but the woh does still love her to some extent (Jataro literally stayed loyal even if Monaca didn't give him much he'd probably still be loyal to her, Nagisa mentions he still considers her as a friend, Kotoko admitted she loved her inspite of what she did tho admittedly she'd probably wouldn't hesitate to hurt Monaca ie. Leaving her to die in the game).

Anyways thank you reader for reading, I hope it's clear. My mind is very blurry and my head aches so I'm unsure how understandable this post is.

[jazeswhbhaven]

Not the same anon

I love that whb is willing to tackle niche kinks and fetishes. There are so many games out there that deal with less extreme kinks (dom/sub, light bondage, etc). It's nice to finally have a game that's willing to have content meant for the freaks (affectionate) that find eroticism in the taboo. I mean... Glassy openly like necrophilia and his H scene was unbelievably hot. I don't get why, when the freaks (again, affectionate), finally get a game that openly admits what it is and openly states that it is catering to them, people act shocked and appalled at the content that they were told is in it.

Like, people got really upset at the Christmas cards for the angels because it was non/dubcon, and angry at Satan's tortured card for the same reasons. Some of us hide that shit hot/sexy. Sorry. But, like, the game doesn't hide that it will have dark content. The entire game itself is dubcon if you stop to think about the fact that Ra-on has no choice but to have sex with the devils and drink their best friend's jizz in order to remain in hell. And that's just one example that I see people talking about the most often.

I don't know. I wish whb was allowed to just be a freak game for the freaks without people being weird about the fact that it has kinks that some people like and don't get a lot of mainstream content for. I know that everyone has their boundaries, but no one is forcing anyone to play this game if it touches on a topic someone doesn't like. I have friends that stopped playing because of certain content and they have lived. There are so many other games out there that cater to standard kinks and fetishes if this one isn't for them. I want whb to remain just the way it is.

(In fact, compared to some of the shit I know, whb is still on the mild side. Until you get genuine monsterfucking, egg laying/oviposition, and/or guro, this game is still mild compared to the freaks I know and love)

There's a lot of points here that I agree with anon.

As a certified freak of the week with boundaries, this game is considered mild for me! I've dove into much heavier topics, that including egg laying, guro, the LI dismembering the MC so they don't ever leave (if you know you know where this is from). The way I process these themes are "yeah that's fucking horrible/weird/concerning but I'd like to see where this goes".

This is how I am with WHB.

Now, there are some gripes, and it's mostly with how one writes said theme. Satan's Torture card...sorry y'all for bringing it up again, I didn't care for it because I was expecting something entirely different and they made Satan seem like an idiot for getting caught in the first place the way he did so I was like...really? Lol But at the end of the day it's an opinion, and I just didn't care for it.

Just like how there's some H-scenes and some card stories that were 'boring' for me or lacking substance. It felt more like "we're pushing out content just because there's nothing else and we forgot our own lore and details"

But that's beside the point here.

The themes in WHB, I touched on this before but I did figure they would go into heavier things we normally don't see in a gacha game made for originally anyway women audiences. This is stuff I usually see in BL's.

Another game, though made for all genders, DOL (degrees of lewdity) also has some things in there where anyone who is having an issue with WHB would definitely have an issue in this game too.

I think players should be critical of the media they consume. However no one should force themselves to play something they don't like or try and rally others to agree with them just so they don't feel alone.

Everyone has their different tastes and their own thing. Granted some of those 'things' may or may not warrant a certain response and that's to be expected. As I've grown though, I've realized that life is far too short to be yellin' at folks for liking dubcon or noncon (in example). There's block buttons, unfollow, mute, tools to help you get rid of those 'icks'.

[stupidlittlespirit]

Can you give me more examples of Alex disliking Ford? I’ve always kinda felt it, but I never really had much of a real grasp on it.

Okay so this is the part where I look crazy because I can't give you specific examples LMAO but I'll try to explain what I mean. It's more in what he doesn't say than what he does.

Alex doesn't ever come right out and state 'I hate Ford', but he implies his distaste for him through his treatment of him. The way he hasn't gone harder/more explicit on drawing lines about Ford's abuse, or talking about how Ford suffered terribly during the time he was alone, for example. The way he blames Ford inherently for a lot of stuff that Ford, while not blameless, isn't fully at fault for. It's little things, and I'll detail them below.

TW below: Abuse, discussions of victimhood and irl consequences.

He extends more sympathy to other characters whereas Ford is sort of an afterthought. I don't actually think Alex has fleshed Ford out very well in his own head. Remember when he said that he didn't even know that Bill was going to be the main villain? They were flying by the seat of their pants for a lot of the series and it's quite clear in some elements. Obviously, the series is wonderful, I love it, it's one of my favourite shows of all time and Alex is a true talent, but it's obvious which characters are more important to him. He favours Bill a lot, too, so when his disliking of Ford/being ambivalent about him meets his enjoyment of Bill, only one of those dogs is coming out of the fight alive and it ain't Ford.

I think Alex is a genuine talent, I admire his work and his writing. He seems lovely. But I do also think he lacks in skill when it comes to complex abuse depictions.

I see a running theme that he isn't very good at portraying it specifically via 'unlikeable' characters. I mentioned on a previous post that he did this with Pacifica until people expressed empathy with her, and then he decided to round her out. He stated that himself during an old interview; I can't source it but I remember it vividly because it flagged red in my head that he couldn't see she was just a product of her environment. She's a twelve year old girl, for god's sake, she isn't 'just a horrible person', it makes a person sound like Bill when they beef with kids like that lol.

Another thing is in TBoB, there's a really horrendous page where Ford is tortured. It is visceral and awful, and tbh I wish I'd have been able to ask Alex what his top 5 horror movies were when I saw his talk because the scene is very reminiscent of a lot of my fav horrors.

But anyway, it is literal torture and it is also communicating about how helpless Ford is. He's a victim and a 'weak one' at that. Nothing he can do will stop Bill's abuse, he's stupid for trying, he's pathetic, he deserves it.

Now, that is a take I see with Ford a lot. He deserves it. He's asking for it. And it's a really upsetting one. It's also a common narrative told by people who blame victims for the abuse they suffered.

Not once have I ever seen Alex defend Ford. Not once have I ever heard him say 'Ford didn't deserve this', 'Ford suffered as much as Stan'. Not once.

Considering that he said he took 'inspiration' from his friend's 'toxic' relationships (I also think this is a strange and slightly perverse thing to do btw), I would have thought he might feel more strongly about pushing away this narrative about victims deserving their treatment.

I, obviously, also don't know for sure that he did take inspo from friends; he could well be describing his own experiences and just not feel comfortable saying so because men do suffer a different kind of stigma around being abused. That's fine, he doesn't have to out himself or anything, that would be horrible. That's something else entirely and not something for me to speak on.

There are many types of abuse. Ford's experience is familial, relationship-wise (platonic, because nothing about his relationship with Bill is romantic in the most basic sense of the term, if anything you can liken that side of things to sexual abuse) and personal. Ford then abuses himself as a reaction to outside abuse. Not his fault, again, but it does happen and it's a common thing for victims to do. I did.

Ford does nothing but suffer.

I truly don't believe that if you loved and cared for your character, you would be willing to watch your audience tear them apart like that after they had already been through so much and were not actually a villain themselves.

Especially if you had, or knew other people who had, experience with that kind of abuse. He doesn't let it happen to Stan, he came down hard on people when they did it to Dipper, and to Mabel, too.

It would kill me to let my OCs be bastardised like that by an audience and I'd be damned if I did a disservice to victims everywhere over something like this.

I think his lack of care is displayed in his treatment of Ford, as opposed to him outright saying he doesn't like him.

I also understand that this analysis also comes from a deeply personal point of view and my own experience with this topic, too.

This is a TV show, it isn't real and I don't need to take it so seriously, but what I do take seriously is seeing the real world reactions of other people. That does hurt. It hurts to see someone who is (very inelegantly and heavy-handedly, btw) depicted as a victim of abuse be laughed at and made into a joke, or flipped on their head and made to be romanticised with their abuser just to make a ship happen.

Fiction doesn't need to be taken seriously except when the lines begin to blur over into real life. We know people are cruel to irl victims and we can see where these lines blur quite obviously.

I think abuse and uncomfortable topics should be depicted, but I also think that as a creator, if you use them, you have a HUGE responsibility to teach and guide your audience into understanding why these things are bad/what makes them so. You shouldn't make jokes about the topic or encourage other people to go off the rails with it.

You can't control people, of course you can't, but you can hold their hand a bit and show them towards the light. If they choose not to follow it then they're probably not bright enough to pick up what you're putting down and that's on them, but you have to try.

Maybe if I hadn't (and my friends and other victims hadn't) been subjected to exactly the same reaction, we wouldn't feel so strongly about this, but it really does feel like a kick in the teeth to see a large number of people behave so grotesquely about abuse.

And just as an aside: I am a victim, I have been/am an unlikeable one, but it does not mean that I deserved what I got and that goes the same for every other 'unlikeable' victim out there.

*deep breath* but other than that I'm totally normal about Ford and not at all mentally ill :)

[yanderes-galore]

I absolutely love ratchet so may I request yandere ratchet with a human prompt 53

I love Ratchet too :) I'd love to give you a small story about him and a human! I assumed you meant my prompts.

You gave no specific Ratchet so I just did his Prime appearance.

Note: I've been doing a lot of late night writing so I apologize if this is unorganized. This is essentially me being half asleep and indulging in my favorite character. It's content purely from the heart I guess, lol. I tried to keep up the plot so I hope it came out... coherent :)

Yandere! TFP! Ratchet Prompt 53

"I left you a few voice mails, why didn't you pick up?"

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Paranoia, Overprotective behavior, Cybertronian/Human pair, Manipulation, Implied kidnapping, Dubious relationship, Deception.

Ratchet didn't used to like humans at first. He was already having to deal with three kids causing trouble in the base. When he met you, a young adult human, he wasn't sure what to think.

Turns out... you were tolerable. You genuinely wished to help out and keep the kids in line. Although even they seemed to be a handful for you.

Ratchet was still a bot who was hard to get along with at first due to his stubborn behavior. Despite this... Ratchet had begun to soften towards you over time. He began not to dislike humans all that much with time.

Honestly, it was you and the kids who helped him change his outlook.

When it came to you and Ratchet, you two could be considered partners. While Bulkhead had Miko, Bumblebee had Raf, and Arcee had Jack... Ratchet had you. Ratchet didn't think he'd ever have a human companion, he didn't even think he'd be attached...

Then he found you.

Ratchet had grown close to you because you provided companionship for him at the base. While the others were on a mission and he was meant to prepare Ground Bridges, you sat by his desk. You didn't talk unless he talked first when you were still getting to know each other.

Yet, soon Ratchet began looking forward to hearing your voice and seeing your small organic form. You just... provided him a sense of comfort. Your presence only ever proved useful when Ratchet began to stress himself out over the others.

A comment that was often tossed around was you being his emotional support. When Optimus wasn't around, Ratchet had you. You could say Ratchet cared for you at the very least.

Your companionship was different from the others. While when it came to the kids their respective Autobots acted like guardians... you and Ratchet were different. Your connection was beyond that of a guardian.

Sure, Ratchet was always protective, but it seemed like it was for different reasons. You never really knew how deep his attachment to you went yet it always felt different. You always seemed to ease him when you were around.

It wasn't hard to theorize what Ratchet really felt towards you. His softness around you felt intimate despite the differences between your species. It's some form of love, even if Ratchet never admits it.

This explanation felt the most plausible. It explained why Ratchet felt a yearning to connect with you more. Although such a feat only managed to frustrate him at times...

Your biological/biomechanical differences make it hard for him to display affection. He can only ever do small things. He can hold you, take you on drives, call you, talk to you, and he loves it but...

Intimacy, the thing he craves, is what upsets him at times when he looks at you.

Normally the thought might have repulsed him. The thought of hugging you or showing affection in the more romantic sense towards a human should be seen as foreign. Yet he wants it with you.

Such feelings are what's made Ratchet become more attached to you than a guardian. Based on how you act so positively around him, even when he picks you up... part of him hopes you feel the same. Surely... you won't mind being in a relationship with an old Cybertronian like him, would you?

He promises to himself he'll find a way to make an avatar to communicate with you with in the future.

The issue is, these feelings can also be seen as a weakness. Ratchet often grows distressed when you are away from him for too long. Yes, humans have their own lives to attend to...

He just wishes you'd spend more of your time at the base?

Ratchet didn't often talk about his problems, yet with you he felt it was important to voice his concerns. As a result you had given him a way to contact you when you're in your home. A phone number... one he often contacted.

He really didn't need the childish teasing, Primus he could hear it now. 'Ratchet's got a crush on a human'. He rolls his optics just thinking about it.

Yes, he loves you...yet it's normal. It has to be. He hasn't had a partner in a long time, if at all. Maybe he... wants to try something like that with you.

For now, Ratchet tried to focus on your safety. When he can find a way he'll share his romantic feelings with you. When he can properly convey them....

Gaining a way to talk to you made Ratchet relax a bit more. It gave him comfort whenever you texted him or gave him a call. Some say you can see Ratchet's mood change when you were on the phone. He physically relaxes his stance at the thought of you being safe and sound.

Optimus notices this change in his friend and his thought is he's happy for Ratchet. His friend has managed to find solace in a human like the others. Even if it's in a different way.

Being able to contact you is a double edged sword with Ratchet. While he's calmer with hearing your voice or seeing your texts, he appears snappy if he hasn't heard from you. Ratchet is never far from a way to contact you.

It's obsessive.

Ratchet would look distant when you don't respond right away, often looking at the screen with a frown. He hated being away from you at times. But you're busy with your own life and he is busy with his.

You'd soon learn not picking up when Ratchet calls is a mistake. Take a nap or go to work and Ratchet gets anxious. He expects you to pick up.

It would be so much easier if you were just right next to him...

He hopes he can do that some day once he perfects his hologram avatar technology.

---

"I left you a few voice mails, why didn't you pick up?"

Ratchet's gruff voice echoes through your phone. You had been away from your phone for a few hours and came back to voice mails of worried Ratchet. You originally thought it funny that he never wanted to be away from you for long, now it was concerning.

"I was busy, Ratchet..."

"Busy, huh? You're supposed to have your phone on you."

"What did I even miss? You know I have to have my own life here, right?"

Ratchet's silent on the phone, most likely grumbling to himself.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I have reasons to worry, however."

"Decepticons?"

"Yes. I don't know what I'd do if they got their hands on you."

"Nothing's going to happen, Ratchet!"

"You don't KNOW that...."

There's silence on the phone again before Ratchet speaks again. You swore you heard him sigh deeply.

"I want you back at the base."

"Why?"

"Security reasons. Decepticons in the area."

Something about his voice sounds off. His response is curt, almost rehearsed. You push it aside, thinking he's just irritated.

"Really? Alright...."

"Don't worry too much, I'd never let them touch you. I'm picking you up. Wait there, okay?"

"Ratchet, You never usually leave the base that often. Shouldn't you send one of the oth-"

"They're busy. I'd prefer it if... I brought you here, is that okay with you?"

"Sure, Ratchet. Be careful."

Ratchet says nothing, but your words affected him greatly. He appreciated the fact you cared for him like he cared for you. He hangs up on you and you cautiously wait for him. Decepticons in the area?

Were you really in that much danger?

---

It felt wrong to lie to you about a Decepticon threat. Yet Ratchet reassured himself that it could happen at any point in time. Just calling you wasn't enough.

As Ratchet drove back to the base with you in the front seat, he thought deeply about what he was doing. How long could he lie before he told you how he really felt? How long until you realize there's no real threat at this time.

Like a Decepticon, Ratchet had lied to you to get what he wants.

It felt dirty. Despite this, Ratchet could only think about you in his front seat. He could tell you were concerned.

He hoped you could forgive him for this. At the base you provide him such comfort. No one else could make him feel such a way. If he kept you there... he wouldn't have to worry. He could think about himself just this time, yeah?

Hopefully his little project would be done soon and he could convince you to stay. He could make you your own little area in the base and interact with you with a little avatar. In his eyes, you'd be a much happier human with his care.

He had his reasons and ways to have you understand him. You can't fully blame him when you learn the truth, could you? Decepticons were a threat, even if they weren't right at this tick.

This was the best way to care for you. He loves you... this would be beneficial to the both of you. You'll be safe and he'll have you.

While it may feel wrong to betray your trust now, it would yield results in the future. Ratchet stops once he rolls into the base and lets you out. After he transforms, Ratchet picks you up in his hands.

He can't hide the grin on his face when he looks at you.

You may not know it yet, but he knows you'll be so much happier beside him rather than alone.

"I'll make sure the Decepticons don't harm a hair on your head... you can relax, I'm here now."

[cheetah-roll]

Sooooo what did you all think of the recent SOS episodes lol

I'm actually in shock that they took out 10 people including themselves with that explosion like what the heck 😭

"Pull the lever kronk!" will always be iconic

Joel's traps finally worked and it wasn't even in the Life Series 💀

Also I had a nickel every time Lizzie LDShadowlady blew up a server, I'd have two nickels, but it's weird it happened twice.

I'm genuinely so upset that they didn't bring Lizzie, Joel, and Jimmy back though. I'm going to miss them ;w;

That's 2/3 (Lizzie and Joel) of my POV's gone. At least I still have Shelby <3

And Oli too ig but that man uploads once a year (I'm hoping we get a trilogy)

But lore wise, THE CANARY CURSE IS BACK

Not only did Jimmy die first, but yet again, he took his sister with him. And not only that, his sisters husband and best friend died as well.

The canary curse is slowly taking everyone at this point.

At the same time though, they all kind of died at their own terms. Sure, they were canary's but it was their choice. Jimmy wanted to go out that way, Lizzie was able to cause some chaos before she went, and one of Joel's traps finally worked.

They also took out Scott Smajor, so that's a win.

Shubble was the only one to go pay her respects to them 🥲

Anyways I'm very sad that sos is ending soon, but hopefully they'll all be back with another SMP soon <3

[dzvelinaskebiyars]

hi i would like to make a request (headcanons or one shot, what do you like more) with baji x fem reader (where he is 14 years old), she is his girlfriend, and also she lives with a neglectful father and has to raise her younger siblings on her own. (maybe if you watched "shameless" you can make the father look like Frank, and the reader like Fiona, if you don't know it's okey but I will make a note that even though Frank was a bad father, Fiona was still his favorite daughter) and how Baji would treat her in this situation, maybe help her with siblings or chores, also please make it so that they know each other since childhood

Hello! Yet another request that I'm doing way too late lol. Thank you so much for requesting tho! And no I haven't watched Shameless but I've seen enough Tiktok of it to get the idea.

You and Baji have known each other since childhood and your families are very close. It wasn't much of a surprise for your family when you two started dating, considering how much time you two have spent together.

Though, starting a relationship was extremely big choice for you and you've been very hesitant in that because of your family's situation. And Baji has been nothing but understanding towards your situation.

He's very aware of what kind of family you have and he's genuinely very understanding and comforting to you because of that.

I feel like he'd take you to amusement parks and etc a lot because he wants you to enjoy your childhood. Since amusement parks are kids' favourite and you just...didn't get to enjoy any of it before.

Yes he'd come over a lot, especially when you need help, and would help you out even if it's with chores.

His home's door is ALWAYS open for you. If you just don't want to stay at your house and need a break from all of it, you're more than welcome to stay at his place.

Genuinely gets so angry when your family, especially your parents, don't appreciate you and your efforts. Yea he wouldn't get too involved since at the end of the day, it's still family business. But he'd say things like "Don't you think you're just being selfish? I mean, if I had a sister who would give up her entire childhood just to raise me well, I'd go as far to kill for her and die for her." or "You're asking her to support you when you have never in your life supported her?" to your siblings after they'd complain about absolutely stupid shit that you didn't do for them.

When you seek any kind of comfort, he'd gladly comfort you. For example cuddle with you and calm you down when you're crying, telling you how he's proud of you and etc.

But seriously, there has been times when he just snapped and told you to pack your things up and live with him because he can't stand to see you suffering.

Just say what you need and he'll do it. He'll help you. Your siblings are being piece of shits? He'll talk sense to them. Your father is drunk asf and starts a fight? He'll take you away to a date or to his place. You need a shoulder to cry on? He's right here, pretty. You need financial support? He'll help you out. You need help with housechores because there's sm to do and you need s hand with it? He's coming over rn to help you out!

He purposely doesn't beat tf outta of your father or siblings because he knows it'll upset you and he doesn't want that. But, trust me, all he wants is to bash your family's heads on the wall and take you far away from those monsters and make you happy.

If your father or any of ur family member gets physical, he'll absolutely lose it. I swear he'll make them regret that forever.

[lxmbr]

Luxiem when you propose first! 💍

cw: suggestive in vox and ike's. not proofread

notes: thank you so much anon!! i'm so nervous to post this so i really hope this is up to your expectations! so sorry it took so long to make but i actually had a lot of fun! 🩷

Vox Akuma -

• Vox is a pretty traditional man so i think he'd be a bit bummed at first

• of course he'd say yes

• would probably still propose to you anyway

• he might even try to "1 up" you lol

• you mightve done it at a resturant but nonono he planned for weeks to get something "better"

• he ended up popping the question to you where he first asked you on a date

• he'd ask the other luxiem members to help set up the area with flower petals and candles/whatever you fancy

• VERY CLICHE.

• he does the cheesy prep talk before he finally pops the question

• "would you, (first and last name) make me, Vox Akuma the luckiest demon on earth and join me in ruling my clan?"

• afterwards he'd totally rizz you up to make you forget he just "beat you" in a fake competetion

• after BOTH proposals you know what happens ;)

• in the end he would happily say yes but be very flustered as he didnt expect you to be the one to do so. 

• the fact that you proposed first was both hot AND sweet

• he'd still want to give his go at a proposal too though :)

Mysta Rias -

• This boy- man would SCREAM

• he'd be hella surprised

• after he asesses the situation i think he'd do that cringy white girl thing 

• "OH EM GEE!! NO YOU DIDN'T! YES IF COURSE I WILL BABE!" while jumping and fanning his face with his hands

• after the jokes he'd say yes genuinely and kiss you happily

• "ah babeeee in so surprised but..im so happy" with his  sheepish giggle

• would give you the BIGGEST HUG ™

• since you asked him he'd treat you to dinner that night

• "its on me loves..gotta treat my future wife don't i?~"

• wouldnt. stop. talking. about. it. all. week.

• he might cry a bit but he would hide it for sure. maybe only a tear or two would come out

• would be soooo clingy the rest of the day/night

• "can we shower together??" 

• in the end he wouldnt mind all that much..hes just sooo excited to get to marry you!!

Luca Kaneshiro -

• you decided that day was THE day...but..so did he..

• oops! you both proposed the same day!

• of course the 3 year anniversary would he perfect!! why wouldnt he think of the possibility that you'd do it?!

• when you get on 1 knee he'd look around with a shocked expression and would give his awkward laugh

• "WHAT?!" 

• after your speech he got down on HIS knee ans then proposed to you..at eye level since you were still kneeling 

• everyone around was shocked. the other luxiem members aw-ing and laughing

• another loud one

• he'd call back home, YOUR mom, the waiters and waitresses, the lucubs...EVERYONE

• would also be clingy af 

• couldnt look you in the face from pure shyness but you caught him staring at you multiple times

• he wouldnt stop praising you for your proposal

• "omg that was so good baby i loved it!!"

• never lets go of you, your arms and hands are ALWAYS intertwined 

• gets jealous and possessive easily

• he'd pull you away from everyone..mainly the other guys

• "excuse you IKE. my FIANCE is BUSY with ME." while dragging you toward him and pouting

• no one is ever letting you guys live this down

Ike Eveland -

• he already was calling you his fiance/wife/husband before any of this

• he panicked

• after your proposal he pulled you into a quieter place frantically without answering 

• everyone thought it went bad and they all were upset

• you finally saw how red he was and he apologized and wanted to yell "YES" in your face..but he didnt

• "y-yes..i'd love to marry you min kärlek." 

• wouldnt let go of your hand

• makes sure YOU put the ring on his hand, not him

• when you guys come back out hes holding your hand timidly, making sure to show off the ring

• "GUYSSSS STAWPPP" when everyone cheers

• takes you to your favorite place afterward for food and then books a 5 star hotel

• "come on darling...pack up your things! <3"

• lets just say...yall had a NIGHT

• tries his best to be romantic all night

• surprisingly can play it cool with you after the initial shock unlike luca

• while he might be internally freaking out he could calm you down and rizz you up so. easily.

• absolute baby boy ™

• so. SO. excited to start planning

• "so we can have half of the venue (your fav color) and the other half blue!! and omg i can have- and you can- and can we please-" 

• basically very surprisee and panicked but once he gets you alone he very quickly gets insanely excited 

Shu Yamino -

• he already knew 

• was very nervous and wary around you often since he didnt know when but he knew you would yk?

• of course he didnt say anything, he didnt wanna ruin it

• actually he didnt even tell you he knew

• was actually caught off gaurd when you did it at first

• the rest of the proposal though he was able to keep it cool

• he actually bought you a ring and flowers in preperation

• "i would..love to marry you" as he grabs your hand and slips on your ring while you slip his on

• "ah..ive been waiting for this..im so happy"

• only tells close people such as family, luxiem, and manager-san

• asks staff-san for a week off that same day for a pre-wedding honeymoon

• gets shy whenever you call him your fiance/husband and vise versa

• he adores you and is clearly SO excited

• you caught him searching for weddingspo one night when he was supposed to be working

• buys new flowers every week until the day of the wedding

• lowkey had a dream about it and it made him giddy all day when he woke up

[catboygirljoker]

only tangentially related but i won't lie the post credits for dark road made me actually a bit upset (in a 'wow, writing!!' good way) like awwwaaahhhh - other moments in it as well were also very good imo (i'll refresh on DR later; it's kh2 time for me atm lol) but blue robe's whole monologue to baby->teen 'nort Got me good. looking forward to whatever missing link and 4 do that'll inevitably destroy my shit

disclaimer that I've only watched that cutscene once a couple months ago but. honestly i love the fact that xehanort is ephemer's descendent. because it didn't matter.

if i can be so tbh with you i am usually bored by family stuff in fandom/media. like, being related to someone is a completely arbitrary connection that has no bearing on who you are or who you can be, and a lot of the time i think "these characters are related" theories/plot developments don't add anything. i'd rather characters be who they are and have the importance they do because of the choices they make--not because they were bred in the Main Character stables like racehorses.

that's something i've loved about kingdom hearts. aside from kairi's grandma and sora's offscreen mother, two characters haven't been canonically related until KHUX (and for the record i do like lauriam and strelitzia being siblings). everyone's relationships develop out of their genuine friendships and organic connections with each other. when i found out that there were gonna be characters who were, like, descendants of other characters, i got pretty antsy--and the series absolutely still has time to disappoint me in this regard LOL--but the biggest "these characters are related!" reveal was deployed in IMO the best way possible.

xehanort being descended from ephemer didn't matter. it didn't mean he would choose the right path. it didn't mean he would save the world. it had no bearing on who he would become or the decisions he would make. the expectation placed on him to be the "child of destiny" [destined by who? i think it's really important to ask that question!] and to live up to his great great great great great grandpappy's legacy...he *failed* those expectations. he made the wrong choices. THAT was what determined who he was.

like i think it's tragic and devastating and i love it for that reason but absolutely when i first saw that scene i was like YEEEAHHHH SUBVERT THE "FAMILY/BLOOD DETERMINES WHO YOU ARE" NARRATIVE YAAAYAYAYYYYAY

[oodlyenough]

apollo justice: ace attorney thoughts

over the weekend I finished playing AA4 so I wanted to try to put my thoughts in order. much to think about etc

spoilers for the whole game obv, but i haven't played AA5 or AA6 yet so any mention of those are speculation lol

I had heard some pretty mixed reactions to AA4 and I had a lot of reservations going in. It's also probably the AA game I've played that I've been the most spoiled for, which is a shame but probably an unavoidable consequence of waiting for the port while engaging with the fandom. I don't usually like being spoiled but I think knowing the broad strokes of what to expect actually helped here. I can imagine an AU where I blitzed through the first trilogy and onto 4 with no idea of what was coming and being... very upset and disappointed by the direction it took. Having several months to brace for things like Phoenix's disbarment, the 7 year gap, Trucy, etc definitely softened those blows and made me more amenable to them than I would've been otherwise.

Cases

For the most part I thought the puzzle solving was good and the pacing was solid. The puzzles were mostly challenging enough to be satisfying to solve but not so challenging as to be infuriating, and I don't think I needed a walkthrough at all. 4-1 is one of the best tutorial cases in the franchise so far (though I'd give the edge to 3-1) and 4-4 was a really cool finale. The middle two cases tbh I also found fairly charming, and there's usually a least one case in the middle that seems to drag forever, so that was a pleasant surprise. I played Investigations 1 right before this, and I thought both the puzzles and pacing in that game were frankly horrible, so AA4 won a lot of points just with that.

I did think Turnabout Corner and Serenade would be more relevant in the grand scheme of things. The half-spoilers I knew had me expecting a much bigger web of conspriacy than we ended up with -- I expected it to be more than coincidence that Phoenix got hit by a car, more than coincidence that the Borginian egg coccoons are related to poison etc ... like... I fully assumed this was going to tie into the atroquinine plot. But I guess not ... ? Lol

Characters

The new main cast are all very likable, despite my initial reluctance to have a new main cast to begin with. Klavier was an interesting change of pace as prosecutor, in that he wasn't particularly antagonistic outside of the court, nor was he particularly preoccupied with winning, but he was still fun and challenging enough to face off against. Trucy was fun and delightfully bonkers as all assistants should be. Apollo's longsuffering exasperation was hilarious. Ema is the BEST I loved having her as the detective I wish she was there all the time.

I loved Beanix, for the most part. I can see why he rubs some people the wrong way, and tbh I'm glad his last canon outing isn't ... this. But I didn't find him wildly out of character, or at least, when he was feeling "out of character" vs the trilogy it made sense given the intervening events. I also thought it was fun to see him from the outside and see what a galaxybrain 5d chess master he is. I do wish we'd gotten to see more genuine moments of him with Trucy.

Kristoph was fun as a villain, though I have to say fandom led me to believe he was much more of a mastermind puppeteer than he seemed to be in reality. I was expecting a whole decade worth of conspiracies! Instead he fucked up once and struggled to fix it for seven years, lol. I also found the Kristoph/Phoenix relationship a) very fascinating, b) not really what I'd been led to believe by fandom (shocker). I like the canon more though -- I like that instead of being a retread of the Dollie betrayal-from-someone-you-love it was two guys who hate each other being forced to play nice as part of their own schemes.

Criticism

I think it's fairly obvious AA4 was meant to be a soft reboot of the series, to pivot away from the trilogy cast and set up our new heroes in Apollo, Trucy, and I guess Klavier. I think this is probably the entire explanation behind Maya and Edgeworth (and others but lbr those are the big two)'s conspicuous absence... but that doesn't make their absence any less conspicuous. I can squint and forgive neither of them being there when Phoenix is accused of murder, even though I find that insane. I can squint around Maya maybe being off in Kurain during the Enigmar trial, even though I think they could've used a line of dialogue to explain it. But then we started playing past-Phoenix for huge portions of investigation and that started to fall apart for me. Sure, maybe he's pushing his friends away because he's depressed, or maybe he wants to keep Maya out of things because he thinks it's dangerous, or whatever -- you could at least throw in a line or two saying as much. Not mentioning them at all and setting AA4 so closely after AA3, where Phoenix fell through a bridge to save Maya and Edgeworth chartered a private jet, just feels ridiculous.

I also think, at the end of the day, the story here was focused on and pivoting around Phoenix. The core question of the game is "what the hell happened to/is up with Phoenix Wright?" I love Phoenix, so that alone isn't a negative -- except that I think it meant Apollo, Klavier and even Trucy felt underwritten. Trucy and Klavier have such personal stakes in the unfolding events with the Gramaryes and Kristoph, but we only spend a little time and hints on how that might influence Trucy, who mostly falls into the AA weird girl pattern of brushing off major trauma instantly. (Maya got this a lot too in the original trilogy.)

Klavier ... I like Klavier, but they did not do much with him. How did he feel about Kristoph going to jail? He doesn't seem to hold it against Apollo, which is uh, noble, but perhaps not believable. He says he values honesty and truth but do we know why?

Apollo, likable as he was, felt like a passenger in his "own" game, rather than a major character. He doesn't even solve much of the stuff happening in the big overarching mystery -- he is Phoenix's avatar in court, presenting evidence and clues Phoenix left for him. Unlike Trucy and Klavier, who I am pretty sure take a back seat from now on, I guess Apollo still has two more games to try and flesh himself out ... lol but I also know fan reception of those two is not great, so my expectations there are minimal.

Overall

A really solid game that I enjoyed playing, though I can see why it's controversial and not some people's favourite, if they really loved the trilogy. I think it's debatable whether this was the best/only way to continue the series after AA3. And I am excited to read and write a billion 7 year gap fics now.