#I say it’s so good because it’s legitimately extremely fun! it may not look very different to many players

[howtofightwrite]

Professional Monster Removal

So, you've been hired to clear out a monster (or monsters) infesting a building in (or around) a modern city. What do you do?

The first problem is that you can't trust what your client tells you. Not in the sense that you think they're intentionally lying to you, but rather, they don't know what they're talking about.

If they tell you it's a vampire, that's basically meaningless. As myths go, vampires are more of a catch all for a staggering number of monsters from folklore, and while you wouldn't want to deal with most of those critters, your options for disposing of them (or even identifying where they are in the building, and assessing how dangerous they are) are far more picky. It's a bit like working as a normal exterminator and when you ask what the client needs removed they only offer, “it's furry.” Yeah, that's not helping anyone, buddy.

Werewolves aren't much better. The modern bipedal wolf monster is basically a Hollywood invention, dating back to the mid-20th century. There's absolutely no folklore support for it. That doesn't mean that in your world that flavor of nine-foot tall snarling deathbeast isn't a reality, but it's going to be hard to research. More often, werewolves were humans who took the form of a wolf, usually through some form of magical ritual. Knowing what that ritual is would be critical to identifying and eliminating them. Of course, this does come with the problem of leaving behind a very human looking body (in some cases), and that could be an entirely different problem, depending on exactly how well job is.

If they tell you it's a demon, that's almost more worthless than telling you it's a vampire. First off, there is no way to know that they've actually got a demon, and not just some random spirit. If they do have a demon, I hope you've brushed up on your advanced theology, because this is going to get extraordinarily messy. And, there's a very real danger that whatever you've run into has the capacity for completely unmaking small parts of reality. Or it could just be an unusually malicious house cat. Really, demon is even more of a catch all term for, “something we don't understand, but we're pretty sure it scares us.”

If it's fairies? Run. Just run. You're not getting paid enough for this, they can have their deposit back. It'll be fine. They're smarter than they look, and way more malicious and vindictive than you realize.

Just walking away is also pretty good advice for any esoteric, “list of rules,” you may get handed. Sometimes, this is pretty obvious safety considerations, like don't wander around in darkened rooms while the critter is loose, but when you start seeing things like keeping to a schedule, that's a very good sign that, either, whatever you're dealing with is sophisticated enough that some simple rituals and a catch pole will not get the job done. Or, alternately, someone (probably your client) is using you as bait,  or planning to feed you to the critter. This overlaps pretty strongly with the warning about fairies above, the Venn diagram isn't a perfect circle, but there's a lot of overlap.

Now, this doesn't mean you should ignore your client, but it does mean, you're going to need to do a lot of footwork after they hire you. This is not the fun kind of research. If they say vampires, you're going to need to be conversant in the many, many, vampire myths throughout human history. Sometimes you can shoot them. Sometimes you need silver and garlic. Amusing, on the cliché of, “forget all you know about vampires...” there is one element of folklore that actually doesn't exist; vampires don't need your permission to enter a dwelling. Now, a lot of vampires are extremely obsessive compulsive (yeah, this is the hilarious moment where you realize Sesame Street's Count has a legitimate grounding in folklore), so, they may want that invitation for psychological reasons, but it's not a mystical barrier that will protect you. Get them angry enough and they will forget themselves, cross the threshold, and rip you to pieces. (Though, in some cases, churches and temples may repel them. It goes with the holy symbols thing in general.)

That said, the holy symbols isn't specifically a vampiric vulnerability, more just a general ward against monsters, when it pops up. So, this is one to be very cautious of, but it can be useful in a lot of situations if you're receptive to that.

When you're doing your initial walk through, of the residence, keep an eye out for certain tells. You'll pick this up with practice. The direct signs of the critter are always nice, but finding secondary evidence of regarding the site's residents shouldn't be ignored. Keep an eye out for large amounts of esoterica, evidence of objects having been recently removed from the site (or recently added to it), evidence of ritualistic practices (often these will originate from the human residents themselves, rather than the critter, but, obviously, that's not always the case), and other anomalies. You're not just looking for tufts of fur, or forensic evidence, you also need to know why the critter is there.

So, you've identified your pest, hopefully. Under the best possible circumstances, you should now have a roadmap for dealing with these things. Here's the bad news, in some cases, that won't actually give you any tools to deal with it. A distressing amount of folklore will tell you how to avoid dealing with the critter in the first place but then washes its hands of what to do after the critter has been provoked.

Worse, and more frustratingly, folklore will sometimes give you bad information. Yeah, the biggest problem with folklore is, the more dangerous the critter, the less reliable your information will be. If someone offers you to clear out a nest of crawlers, my advice would be to not do it alone, and don't get too attached to the people you work with. There is no reliable folklore on those things, and 99% of the, “lore,” that does exist is internet fiction, written by people trying to spook each other out. As for sifting out that last one-in-a-hundred? Good luck.

This brushes against a related topic, you cannot trust research you pull off the internet. Obviously, things are a little different when you're digging through well documented myths, but when you start getting into more esoteric topics, the signal to noise ratio hops off a cliff. This doesn't mean the internet is useless, it can be useful for a brief overview (if you have the time to sort things out), and of course it's amazing for communicating with your colleagues. However, expect that when you need to dig into local folklore, you're going to need to spend time in the city's libraries, digging through books no one cares enough to scan and post online. For the most part, newspapers have been saved and uploaded, though if you're in the middle of nowhere, you might run into a small town paper that hasn't kept up to date.

So, what do you need to do? Remember that your job is to remove the errant critter from the site, not necessarily kill it. (Try to avoid those stipulations when you can. It can result in really unfortunate situations when you're dealing with something that literally cannot die.) Prioritize elimination in cases where the creature cannot be moved, or will return to the site regardless what you do, but remember you're getting paid to remove it, not to play hero, and you're certainly not getting paid enough to die over a spelling error in someone's circle of protection.

This brushes against a (hopefully) rare problem; amateurs. Yeah, it doesn't matter how much research you do, if your perfectly baited trap gets trampled by some bumpkins who broke in with shotguns and flashlights because they heard some monster was on the loose. Mercifully, these guys are a self-solving problem more often than not. If the critter kills them, then they're not your problem. In some rare cases, amateurs can even be useful, either as bait, or as a new vessel to get the critter off the site and make it a problem for someone else. If that sounds callous, remember that between their poor trigger discipline, misplaced hero complex, and unpredictability, they're more dangerous to you than the monster you're trying to evict. Sure, a century old specter that preys on hope is going to be harder to kill, but these guys are just dumb enough to shoot you in the head if you startle them. Or if they get it in their heads, somehow, that you're the one responsible for the infestation in the first place.

If you're, “lucky,” enough to get repeat business, that's probably a bad thing and the client is not going to be happy about it. In these specific cases, (assuming it's actually a new critter, and not a case where the original one wandered home after being released somewhere distant), your priority changes to identifying what brought the creature back here. Some critters are extremely territorial, and will return home no matter what you do (these are times when you really do need to find a way to permanently eliminate it.) However, if various critters of the same variety found the place appealing, presumably independently of one another, then you need to identify why. Again, this going to take some research, and you might even need to bring in a specialist (if you have access to one.) These kinds of situations can be really frustrating because the client is likely to be pissed with you over the new infestation, and believe its due to your incompetence, not because they didn't disclose critical information the first time round.

Checking city records regarding the place, even land claims and the history of a place become significantly more important on a return visit. (Now, if you're being thorough, you should have checked this the first time, and sometimes you'll even have time to, but if we're being honest, that stuff is rarely relevant, and you won't often have the time to dig through city records.) On the bright side, in the 21st century, a lot of those kinds of records are now available online, and free, so the days of wandering around in some sub-basement of city hall are (mostly) a thing of the past.

This is just napkin math, but figure that about one in four infestations can be traced back to a human cause. Either someone moved into the critter's territory and it's trying to drive them out, someone did something “very bad” and now they have a critter focused on them, or (worst of all), someone deliberately brought the critter here, lost control of it, and now wants you to remove it. The first two can result in repeat business if you simply remove (or even eliminate) the infestation, first time around. The third can also result in repeat business as well, but with a critical tell, the client's going to be fine with bringing you back. This isn't necessarily a red flag, but it is something to be cautious of.

Note that, in cases where the critter is focused on hunting down a specific individual, it may be in your best interest to simply stay out of its way. Actively helping the creature is a major liability risk, as you'll now be implicated in their death, but again, your job was to remove the creature from the site, and if that's accomplished, you can point to your contract and move on with your day. Similarly, getting in the  critter's way can be a very bad idea. That said, there's no guarantee the critter will voluntarily leave after it's managed to satisfy whatever's driving it. So, this becomes just one more consideration you need to weigh.

So, what do you do? Pay attention to the details, identify the critter, use that information to formulate a plan, and never forget that you're not getting paid to die on the job.

-Starke

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[itsfuntobeavampiree]

♡ ~Beautiful boy~ ♡

Brahms heelshire x gn!reader

Gif not mine!

Fluff? Goes into a little make out session but that's it.

Maybe a bit angsty because brahms gets all touchy feely

Plot- you had just bathed brahms as you were sick of his stench and now you two are in bed happily until brahms takes him mask off unasked.

Brahms had snuggled himself into your side as you flicked through a magazine. The smell of the shampoo you had used on his hair intoxicated your nose in a rather good way.you were glad to finally have a clean boyfriend next to you.

You felt his body fidget next to you, turning your face to see what the problem was, you noticed his head looking down and no white porcelain mask noticeable on his face. You looked over to the bed side table and notice the mask on there. You raised a brow and placed the magazine down.

"Brahms? Why did you take your mask off?" You asked. No response. This concerned you a little. You opened your mouth to say something but his large hand gripped your wrist. Now you were worried,brahms has never ignored you and now that he's holding a firm grip on you like it's his last moments on earth? Something was totally not right.

"Babe? What's wrong, talk to me please" you pleaded, sitting up as brahms did the opposite and sunk into the bed more, especially hiding his face. Your expression sulked even more and you were petting his hair soothingly trying to get him to talk.

This hurt brahms very much. He was trying to control himself into not pouncing at you and giving you the most loving hug ever. He thought that now was the time to show his face to his lover, wanting to feel more intouch with you, not wanting to hide anything from you but this.this may of been a step too early. He pushed himself up in a curved sitting position. His head still hung low. A gentle hand reached for his face but he pushed it away a bit too harshly.

"Why are you hiding your face from me? Do you think ill make fun of you" You choked out. He shook his head violently. "N-no, it's me. I'm scared of what you'll think because....because I'm ugly." He whimpered. You gasped and tried to hold back your tears as he insulted himself. "Brahms stop it. Your beautiful and I would never find you anything else but that, your my baby boy after all" you knew the last part was going to make him melt. He loved it when you called him any sort of childlike nickname.

He slowly lifted his head letting you take in one bit at a time. You noticed how wrinkled and redish one side of the face was than the other. The bumps and curves interesting you more then anything, you liked the way it toughened him out and made him look extremely handsome. His eye was what caught your interest. The glossy and cloudiness too it wowed you. You held onto his cheek, letting your thumb rub circles.

You let out a chuckle as to think that he was insecure of this gorgeous feature legitimately shocked you. " Oh brahms~ your so silly. Why would you ever think I would be disgusted but this? Your so fucking perfect." You smiled as he looked up at you with the most thrilled expression. " Oh thank you y/n, you have no idea what this means to me" he said as he pecked your lips. Happy to have you kiss his lips than the mask.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your hands planted themselves on brahms muscular chest as you smothered his lips with your own. He groaned underneath you, thrusting himself up into your thigh. You pulled away slowly. " brahms I hope you realise they'll be nothing more then kissing tonight" you smirked when you saw his face. "But y/n~" he whined, swinging his head back giving you a chance to attack his neck with wet kisses. He grabbed your hips rubbing his hands up and down.

His little gasps and moans as you bruised his neck was so arousing to you and you just wanted to take him whole there on the spot but you had to have some self control and not give in to your pleasure. You pulled away admiring the small little circular marks on his neck. Shame that there was no one to show them off too but you still liked the look in his eyes knowing he's all yours.

He flipped you over so you were now underneath and smashed his lips onto yours. Sloppily kissing you all while Trying to contain himself. He slipped his tongue in as soon as your lips weakened and roamed around inside your mouth. You took the opportunity to catch his tongue in between your teeth and hold him there for a second or two before going back to tongueing eachothers throats.

As much as brahms didn't want to let go he parted him self from the kiss looked down at you with a cheesy grin. " God your beautiful", he breathed as he stroked your hair. You let out a giggle and pulled him down into a cuddle. He wrapped his legs around you and hung onto you like a baby koala, nestling his head into the crevasse inbetween your shoulder and neck. You fiddled with his locks as he hummed.

"I love you" you whispered, kissing the top of his head.

"I love you too" he mumbled as he slowly went to sleep.

You followed soon after....

[deckofcookiez]

The Alex Kister Situation

Alright; I've been more of a lurker on here for awhile, but for months now--almost a year--I've been a massive fan of the Mandela Catalogue, and this fandom has been a major form of escapism and safety for me. So, I feel the need to say something about the current situation.

To start, I'm putting a link to the document with all of the information about what happened, as it's important to read it and learn about this whole situation in depth:

With that out of the way, I just wanted to share my own personal opinion; personally, Mandela Catalogue has legitimately become my special interest. I have pretty much obsessed over it ever since I first found it, and everything I've written or drawn since then has been to do with it. It's been very important to me, especially due to the community here on tumblr, as this fandom is probably the most supportive and open places on the internet I've found. I feel a lot more connected because of it, and it made me feel comfortable and safe.

I was in a bad mental space today, and when I found out about this, I had a pretty bad breakdown--some might call it an overreaction, but you don't know just how dependent my mental health had become on this series and fandom. (I will be working on avoiding this habit in the future, as it isn't healthy to depend so heavily on one interest)

After reading through the document, and just seeing so many opinions and contributions from others, I am almost certain that these allegations are true. But I always, always listen to all perspectives before making judgement, so I will not be going full "I hate Alex, he's a despicable person!!" before Alex gives his own point of view.

That being said, I do believe Alex has serious issues that he needs to get handled. I am hesitant to call this pedophilia, as from what I've gathered, he didn't seem to have active malicious intent towards minors(correct me if I missed something that said otherwise)--rather, I get the impression that Alex simply doesn't understand boundaries, and genuinely saw his fans as mutuals. He seems to be a person who's manipulative--whether intentionally or not--and his personal relationships, platonic, romantic, or sexual, turn very toxic because of this. So, trying to have personal relationships with fans, people who look up to him and see him in a very different light, results in inevitable toxicity as well.

I get the sense that Alex simply is a young person, struggling with mental health and gender dysphoria, who was thrust into extreme popularity very suddenly, and doesn't have the maturity level to handle it properly. Overall, I do not support him, if he continues to act like this--if he makes genuine, real efforts to deal with his mental health and his unhealthy behaviours, I would respect him for that. I wouldn't look at him quite the same, but as long as someone makes genuine efforts to better themself after doing something wrong, I appreciate and respect that, and may eventually give forgiveness. But, if he doesn't make those efforts, if he continues his patterns and refuses to try and get better, then that is on him and at that point I have lost any and all respect for him. At that point, you are not a good or reasonable person, in my eyes.

Regardless of how things go with Alex himself, though, I want to say...

You do not have to support a creator to enjoy their work!!

I am a huge fan of Danny Phantom, and that show's creator is a genuine piece of shit. Like, a truly despicable human being. That fandom successfully has, just... completely ripped the show and characters from their creator. They have cut him out entirely, nothing he says holds any impact or meaning to them and it hasn't for years. He's seriously fallen off. And it's still a fun, active fandom! The people in there are super neat!!

And, hell, look at the whole mess with J. K. Rowling!! She is an absolutely disgusting person. But so many people grew up with Harry Potter, and still like her stories, without actively supporting her--lots of creators turn out to be really awful people, but that doesn't mean that what they made is automatically awful as well. They still have some kind of creative ability, that happened to produce something that garnered a significant amount of attention.

We don't need Alex to still enjoy the concept, characters, and overall story he's created. We can still make fanworks, still appreciate what it is that drew us to the series in the first place.

Honestly, out of everything that the fallout of this would bring, I was most terrified of the fandom itself dying, as that is what truly matters the most to me. This place, these people are so important to me, and I am so scared of this community falling apart. I've already seen plenty of people stating that they will no longer be associating with TMC, and are just completely distancing themselves from it. It feels like things are already dying and disappearing and it really, really fucking hurts.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that... if that is your choice, if you truly do not want to associate with TMC anymore whatsoever, then I don't blame you for it. I understand if you can't look at the series the same way after this, and I respect that choice.

But you don't have to, if it still means anything to you. Fandoms are more than just their creators--they're the community that has been built around the work, and this community is possibly the best one I've ever been in. I don't want to see it die. So, just know, that you can still love this fandom, this story, these characters, without supporting Alex. You can still draw the characters, make OCs, write fanfiction, etc. He won't get money from that--only from directly watching his content or buying his merch.

Finally, I'd like to say to go support the victims. They didn't deserve this--no matter what Alex's intentions were. Please support them, and regardless of how this turns out, do not continue actively supporting Alex Kister. I am sure that, whatever his intentions were, he did still harm people and that is not okay.

Also, this is all just my own opinion, based on what I know; I was not in the discord, I don't have Twitter, I don't personally know anyone involved and I have not seen everything regarding the situation as a whole. I simply felt I should state my current opinion, as I'm seeing a lot of people freaking out and spiraling and just leaving the fandom entirely. I wanted to remind people that it's okay to still enjoy this fandom and be a part of it, without Alex. My opinion may change some with new information I find, but overall, I am of the opinion that Alex should not be supported, while the Mandela Catalogue itself can be separated from him and still be enjoyed and appreciated.

And, whatever happens... Adam Murray, Jonah Marshall and Thatcher Davis are officially honorary characters in my stash of little guys. If he's not fit to keep them then they will become my creative outlet instead (and others who love them, obviously). They're very special characters to me, I can't express just how many things I have written and drawn to do with them, and I refuse to give them up.

(another addition, regarding the apparent 'alter egos' Alex apparently had: Possibly consider DID? I know a lot of people with DID will often mistake it for other things, including simply being gender non-conforming, when in actuality they really have alters that just identify differently. Not diagnosing, I don't know enough about him to make any real claims--it was just a thought.)

[theamityelf]

What's your take on polytagonist/naehinahara? I just feel like they'd be really cute 'cause they're unconfident boys who would definitely support and be there for each other <3

Also just the thought of them tag teaming in each class trial is really appealing to me............ but how would that even work? maybe in an au where Monokuma gathers all the past killing game survivors for one last killing game? but ough that's just so tragic............ but at the same time can you imagine them taking turns in pairing up together?? investigating together?? 🥹

First of all, of course I love them as a ship! I already like Hinaegi and Naehara separately, and Hinahara would also be a fun combination, with Hajime's steady abrasiveness and Shuichi's more precise, infrequent abrasiveness in-between bouts of malleability.

As for that specific scenario:

Oh my gosh, first of all, I'm going to say for this AU that despite the 77th class all having been brought back after SDR2, only the survivors of that game are in this new killing game. For V3 I'm going to say that was also a simulation, specifically so Kaito and Kokichi can get pulled in on some technicality about their case being inconclusive.

Now, you may look at this as me very specifically targeting the trauma of the THH cast, since they're the only ones whose entire friend group is in the killing game.

Anyway, I'm also going to say everyone's memory is erased except the protags, because whoever set this up is doing it as a specific torture of them. This means we have pre-character development Maki, Fuyuhiko, Byakuya, etc. in play, and if the protagonists try to impress upon them that they're already friends, they just get extremely suspicious and defensive.

Naturally, this means the protagonists all huddle up together right away.

"Alright, who's doing this one?" Makoto wonders.

"I don't know," Hajime says.

"You don't know?" Shuichi repeats in dismay. "You're from the Future Foundation and you're from Ultimate Despair. I thought one of you would have some idea."

"Whoever it is, we're not in a simulation right now," Hajime says.

"You're sure?" Makoto says.

"Positive."

"That's...worse, but...we know our friends. Whoever let us keep our memories did it to hurt us, but we know our friends."

(Hajime levels a sympathetic look on Makoto.)

"Knowing someone doesn't help you stop them from killing, if they feel they have a reason," Shuichi says quietly, thinking of Maki. "And the mastermind is in charge of giving people reasons."

"I probably could have re-befriended my friends the slow way, if I'd caught on faster that they didn't remember me," Makoto sighs. "Now, I weirded them out, and it'll be a lot harder."

"That's okay. You can actually branch out," Hajime suggests. "You should talk to Fuyuhiko and...Yumeno. Those are good matches for you. Once you've gotten to know them, I think Hagakure is also still an option; he's more interested in your seemingly supernatural insights than anything, though aligning yourself with him might not legitimize you in the eyes of Kirigiri, Togami, or Fukawa. I can reason with those three. Shuichi should spend time with Akane and Asahina."

"Then, what about Sonia, Kaito, Maki, Kazuichi, and Kokichi?" Makoto asks.

"Focus on your two for now, okay?"

It is a good idea, and they do mesh well with those groupings, but of course things don't go entirely to plan.

And of course, whenever something terrible happens, they retreat to each other's arms. They're all protective of each other, and they're all protective of their own friends, and the potential for hurt/comfort is matched only by the potential for messiness when some of them have to prioritize who they most want to protect.

Hajime's many talents are, of course, an asset, but if he knows multiple people are in danger at once and he can't save all of them, he's prioritizing his friends (which include Makoto and Shuichi) over their friends and might even have to do a trolley-problem-style switcheroo where Toko dies in Sonia's stead or something of the sort. He wasn't the one to kill her, but he decided who he was more willing to lose.

Shuichi would be willing to lie in the trials, and Kokichi would notice, and Kyoko would probably also notice. Hajime would back up Shuichi's lies when he knows he can get away with it and contradict them when he knows he can't. Makoto would not lie because he finds it really important that everyone is able to trust each other.

Kaito might punch Fuyuhiko in the face at some point. That would go really poorly. Or maybe he tries to punch Fuyuhiko in the face but Makoto's in the way and gets punched instead, solidifying Fuyuhiko's bond with Makoto because now he's got to teach this guy a lesson for effing with both of them! (Kaito is sorry, but like...not sorry enough?)

And Makoto (who passes out on impact, btw; his character development didn't involve not passing out when he gets punched in the face) is just like "No, you don't have to do anything to Kaito!" while Fuyuhiko is all "Sit down and let me handle this."

Makoto realizes, over the course of calming his friend down, that Hajime set both him and Shuichi up with people who could and would protect them from physical threats. He always thought of it as Hajime trusting him to keep Fuyuhiko out of trouble and trusting Shuichi to keep Akane out of trouble, but in a way, he's also trusting his friends to keep Makoto and Shuichi safe.

The day Maki dies or gets executed (I'm sorry, there's no way she sruvives this one.), Shuichi sleeps in Makoto's bed, crying into his chest. Hajime intuits where they both are and brings them food. He wants to curl up on Makoto's other side, but he has to keep watch over the school. There are too many people they can't afford to lose.

(A version of this same AU where it is a simulation is also on the table. In that case, Hajime wouldn't have any Kamukura Project stuff in his head and also motives like Despair Disease could happen.)

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Every time Ztarians write – jokingly or not - that Katara and Zuko’s extreme discomfort when someone suggests they are dating and their vehement denial that there are boyfriend and girlfriend are sure signs that Zuko and Katara are in love – I am so creeped out.

How can one deny a romantic interest? You agree – means you are in love. You deny – “you protest too much”, surely you are in love, you don’t react = you agree but too shy to admit you are in love, you burn down everything and storm away to the other side of the universe – of course you are in love!

Where is “no means no” and respect to Katara’s feelings?

Zuko is very straightforward in canon in this regard. He passionately denies untruth – neither Jin nor Katara are his girlfriends, and then dreamily sighs when talking about his actual girlfriend, Mai.

The jokes don't creep me out, nor do the fics in which they show the POV of either Zuko and Katara and have the character say they DO want to be in a relationship with the other but thinks would never happen, because it's all in good fun.

But the ones that INSIST those scenes could only mean Zuko and Katara like each other because they think that in real life people only deny being into someone if they ARE into that person? Those are creepy as fuck.

And yes, it's very hypocritical of the self-appointed "feminist shippers" who are always "calling out Kataang for being one-sided/inherent coersive" to then turn around and say "No means yes when it's convenient for me."

Also the Jin thing could not be more different than the situation with Katara. Zuko was out on a date with Jin, and we are given a very obvious reason as to why he's uncomfortable with the idea of them becoming a proper item: he wants to be Zuko, the proud Fire Nation prince that is gonna help his father take over the whole world, Ba Sing Se included. Jin likes Lee, the brooding guy that works in a tea-shop. He likes her, but he already made up his mind about his plans for his own life, and they simply cannot include a peasant girl from the Earth Kingdom.

Meanwhile, with Katara, there's no "larger issue." We are never given any indication that Zuko is even aware of Aang's crush on Katara, he's assuming that once the war is over IROH will be Fire Lord, and while Mai did save him at the boiling rock, we get confirmation in the finale that Zuko did not immediately assume this meant they were back together and they don't properly reconciliate until they see each other again.

And while Katara is obviously aware of her more complicated situation with Aang, she had no issue being honest with him about saying she was confused, reacting negatively when he jumps the gun and kisses her, and, more importantly, full on say that the play was wrong in stating that she only sees him as a little brother instead of a potential boyfriend.

The first time Zuko and Katara and wrongfully labeled as a couple, they aren't even embarassed, they're uncomfortable and look kinda grossed out, even sliding away from each other because ew, no. The second time they're blushing furiously - but it's because it's a direct conversation, not them watching a play that got everything wrong about not just them but their friends.

"Oh, they got embarassed" only works as "evidence" that the characters like each other when they've already done other things to suggest an interest. Most Zuko and Katara ever done was hug, something they casually did with all of their friends. Dismissing their very legitimate disgust and embarassement and trying to play it off as "further proof they like each other" is just absurd.

[honey-deerling-reads]

Scary Stories For Young Foxes

tw for this book: rabies, abuse, manipulation, animal death, animal cruelty, mild gore, parental abuse, ableism, narcissism, child death, incorrect animal dynamics

rating: ☆☆☆☆

so i just recently finished 'Scary Stories For Young Foxes' by Christian McKay Heidicker and i just gotta say, i love kid's horror. i think the genre is so fun and so important, and this book is great example of why. the story is completely told through the pov of various fox characters, and for that it is extremely immersive. several times while reading this book, i became so immersed in the world that these characters live in, that i lowkey forgot that i myself am not a fox. the characters are relatable and very easy to empathise with, making the emotional beats of the story hit even harder.

the story begins with a group of fox kits, all unnamed, asking their mother to tell them a scary story. she can't provide one scary enough for the kits, but warns them not to visit an older fox who lives deep in the forest, known for telling stories that are too scary for kits. the kits, of course, sneak out to visit the storyteller anyways. when they find her, the storyteller advises that, while stories may be scary, you can find lessons in them if you stay to the end. and that begins the real plot. the book is broken into different segments, almost like mini arcs, and each is a different scary story. they start off seeming like they're separate stories, but by the third or fourth section, they begin to meld into one long epic. each segment is interspersed with snippets of the kits from the beginning of the novel, as they react to the horror of the story they're being told. one by one they flee, until only one is left. will the littlest one flee or stay to the end?

i really enjoyed this book, so much so that i will be purchasing the sequel when i get a chance. this book does deal with heavy subject matter, as is referenced in the tw list above, so understand that this book is not for extremely young or sensistive readers. i definitely recommend it for kids about 8-9+, as well as adults because honestly this book was so fun. the characters slap, the plot slaps, and even as a veteran horror fan, it had me STRESSED at times because i truly did not know whether the characters would make it out alive or not. reading about rabies from the persepective of a fox was truly haunting and i don't think i'll ever be able to truly look at Beatrix Potter the same way ever again. i do absolutely recommend this book for kids though. kid's horror is such an important genre, imo, because it allows kids to experience fear and empathy in a safe, controlled environment. i strongly believe that all kids should experience consensual, supervised fear. it's a good way for them to identify, gauge, and learn from their instincts before they're thrust into a world that is truly and unpredictably terrifying. it also allows the opportunity for parents/guardians/adults to step in and have discussions about how to handle fear in a healthy way.

all in all, the biggest beef i have with this book is the improper animal dynamics. as far as i'm aware, foxes do not follow the alpha/beta hierarchy, but this book does include that hierarchy. that's an easily ignorable ick though. it was a fun, light read with some legitimately upsetting moments, and i highly recommend it to all horror buffs, no matter the age range.

[imaginethathaikyuu]

HELLO! i’m back after reading everything for part 1 a few days ago. the first thing that came to mind was how it did NOT feel like 8K words, and none of the scenes felt wasted in any way. when reader brought yachi along i was surprised to see how you eased her into the team, and i think her skill to bullshit as a scammer was something reader thought could help them? i don’t think she actively tried to recruit yachi, but when yachi tagged along reader was probably not just thinking of her plan to teach yachi a lesson but also 5-steps ahead—hence why she was so casual in stuffing yachi into a role to entertain Ten. and also, the fact that akaashi looked extremely angry at the beginning but he softens so much at the middle only to harden at the end??? i think it’s because he doesn’t approve of reader’s methods to teach yachi?? he did say that one time while they were talking. i’m so intrigued how the “fake dating” will sprout, because we can see clearly that it’s obviously not fake. although keiji doesn’t want to settle with reader, he was the one who initiated intimacy in the warehouse even though no one was watching, aka there was no need for him to even act intimate. i’m betting on that scene alone that keiji does have real feelings for reader, but why he doesn’t want to settle…. idk. i’ll have to read and find out!

and as for other things (about keiji and reader), the fact that they quarrelled and act like enemies the next day when they were all mushy was soooo funny, and leading to the old lady telling the tale…. THAT CLIFFHANGER! and also, i know u probably don’t mean it to be funny but reading “2 body guards—one buff and one scrawny” is such a visual irony i laughed. and also, the whole scene with Ten… what inspired the flow of events? it felt so legitimate like you were actually in a con job. and also, with reader working with such high profile…… wow. wonder who she’s working for. she seems like the leader of the team but the story did mention she had to join while as clueless as yachi—i wonder how she rose to her current position!!!

love the series :) thanks for writing it. this was mostly a mind ramble and i didn’t backtrack to edit so i’m sorry if some parts don’t make sense. — keiji enthusiast anon (kea)

ahhhhh!!!! thank u so much!!!!! im sorry its taken me a few days to reply i was just so excited about this ask and had to sit down and take time to reply well enough!!!! right after reading this ask i literally immediately went and wrote an entire scene for part 2 like u dont even understand how energizing it was. like i love u sm fr

i'm so glad u liked it :')) i worked so very hard on this part and had so much trouble with the flow of it all so im glad u thought it was good!!! more information about yachi will be revealed in part 3:)) lets just say reader may have been causing trouble for yachi far longer than yachi thought o_O but this definitely wasn't a recruitment plan in the way it happened to work out, but reader is very good at changing plans last minute. when yachi begged her for a ticket to LA i think it softened her heart a little bit lmao

akaashi and reader literally feel SO strongly for each other but it can either manifest in gross icky lovesickness or insane burning hatred. like theres no in between for them. its ALL or NOTHING!!! and i go into that a lot in the next part. part 2 is very very different from part 1, but its my all time favorite, i love it so much and i cant wait to post it so all the secrets can be revealed<333 i wish i could just say everything now but that would be no fun!!!

also idk how obvious it was but the two body guards were bokuto and kudo :) idk why Ten would hire kudo as a body guard like hes a fifty something 5'5 stickbug but hes also very convincing idk man

ALL the background info on reader is revealed in the next part....as well as on akaashi....and the start of this team in the first place... i mean ALL!!! its so fun to write u dont even know

i got a lot of inspo right from The Great Pretender!! i took ideas from it and twisted them around to fit this fic in a concise way. in the first few episodes they pull a drug scam against a movie director with japanese candies and fake doctors and lots of guns, it lasts like multiple episodes, and i just took that idea and made it a lot shorter and less detailed so itd work here lmao. i think thats the only direct scam i pulled from the show so far? i may take one or two more for part 3, but yeah thats where the inspo came from!! it was very difficult because i am not a con artist but i tried my best lol!!

thank u so much for the amazing ask it really does mean so much to me that u took the time to read it AND tell me ur thoughts on it, it brings me so much joy and makes me that much more excited to keep writing. feedback is the only thing that feeds writers!!! so thank u for feeding me so well!!!!!

[reformedmercymain]

ow2 PvE NEEDS to majorly knock it out of the park to bring back a large casual audience to overwatch. Many casual players that have stuck around seem to hate the existence of role queue and are potentially unaware that there’s a gamemode called “quickplay classic” and that there is a classic form of comp too which is surprising to me. But still. I have a shit ton of hope for them doing well because this glimpse into PvP direction for ow2 is just SO good that I think the game can thrive if they get enough time on the PvE aspects.

[astaroth1357]

Ok but like, what if MC's fandom starts to make ships with MC and the guys. Just think about the ship wars, the fancams, the fanarts, the absolute CHAOS when the brothers find out. It would be even worse if they start shipping MC with the undatables, one day everything is normal and the next day there are ship wars fighting over MC x Barbatos vs MC x Solomon (who are both very smug about it)

The MC's Fanclub are… Shippers?!

Perhaps… The italics blurb has been fulfilling its greater purpose all along…? Perhaps in its state of existential angst, it has in fact developed a plot of its own… An arc of introspection and self-discovery in which its own longing for purpose has forged a meaningful identity… It now has… a story…

Lucifer

As if they couldn't get any MORE frustrating…

He's not an otaku. He's not a part of ship culture. He's not even sure why anyone would care about who dates who around this school, but apparently it's a big deal to some people...

He only became aware of their interest in him and the MC's relationship through some very… subtle clues…

Like the groups that would follow them around in the hallways with their phones out.

Or the multitude of fan rumors about their relationship that Satan spams him with from time to time just to irritate him.

"MC refused hug from Luci in halls today!! Are they bout breakup??? 🥺"

"Tots got pic of kiss today!! Relationship upgrade??"

"IS ARE MC+LUCIFER SECET LVRS?!? PLEASE RESPOND"

It only got worse after he found out the MC gets shipped out a loooooot….

If he had to pick his least favorite ship, it'd be MC x Mammon. He can kind of see it with any of his other brothers (admittedly, Levi is also a little mystifying) but the idea of them ending up with Mammon makes his skin crawl...

He once found a drawing of the MC and Mammon in an… explicit position in one of the classrooms and he was so disgusted that he wouldn’t even touch it. He just set fire to the paper outright. Disgusting...

Mammon

Shipping, eh…? More money making opportunities!

Has some passing idea of what shipping is from Levi and, from what he knows of it, shippers eat cutesy couples stuff right up!! If all he's got to do to make bank is to look all couple-y around the MC then sounds like a win-win to him!

He'll happily pose for a photo or two (paid in advance) of him throwing his arm around the MC or something. Want him to hold their hand? Sure thing!

But since this is still Mammon we're talking about, the second MC actually starts getting into any of it he'll still turn into a blushy, stuttery mess...

For WEEKS the headline picture on so many of their fans' blogs was an image of him turning beet red while the MC kissed him on the cheek. (A fan really got their money's worth there... 😏)

Though he doesn’t exactly like the MC getting shipped with other people, he'll still totally sell pictures of any of them together. He almost paid off an entire credit card with the money he got from the t-shirt sales of the MC and Satan!

If he had to point to one ship he doesn't like it's either MC x Asmo or MC x Levi. His opinion, but Asmo won't treat them right and they could do waaay better than a shut-in. Like him. Ship the MC with just the Great Mammon, got it?

Leviathan

… Lowkey super active in the MC shipping community but is a self-shipper to the extreme.

Like, he never uses his real name on anything (and would probably die from embarrassment if anyone ever found out) but a lot of their fans probably know a couple of his aliases.

He does everything from mod forums, runs a couple blogs, even anonymously posts his own work of him and MC that are totally not his secret fantasy dates or AU versions of themselves, shaddup.

It’s a lot easier for him to keep his involvement secret because he’s hardly at RAD, but the few times he does show up he tries to keep an eye out for anybody prowling for pictures so he can get in a good pose and save the image later.

Mind you, his version of a “good pose” rarely gets more spicy than linking pinkies, but even then he’s still lit up a Christmas Tree throughout.

Naturally, he’s also not a big fan of any ships that aren’t just him and MC and he can find a reason to be jealous at almost anything. But he keeps a special corner of hate for MC x Mammon and MC x Diavolo. Like, the first one doesn’t even need an explanation but MC x Diavolo?? Really??? Do those two even talk?? (please, please, please make sure they never actually talk because a guy like him versus literal royalty? He’d lose MC for sure….!! 😫)

Satan

He hates to actually agree with Lucifer on something, but their fans are starting to get out of hand...

Knows what shipping is in concept, he may have done it once or twice to characters in his books, but he was kind of surprised how it could evolve into such a… group activity?

He was pretty quick to pick up that the MC’s fans had a bit more interest in them together than they did when they both were apart…

I mean, those hideous shirts that Mammon was pedaling were kind of a dead giveaway…

Considering he finds their fanclub all rather annoying, even without their bizarre interest in his love life, when they started actively meddling with him and the MC he was ready to smash some heads.

No. He will not stop for pictures. No. What things they do together is none of your business. No. He has zero interest in seeing your explicit fanart and if you don’t start running that will be the last question you ever ask.

He DOES, however, appreciate the cringy “annoy Lucifer” ammo. They could keep that up for a lifetime... 😏

He doesn’t have a least favorite ship because he doesn’t care about any of this, leave him alone. (That’s a lie, it’s MC x Lucifer. He pokes fun at Lucifer, but he can’t stand it either. Big shock, I know 🙄).

Asmodeus 

Oh he is shamelessly a part of the community, are you kidding?? 

He could practically call “Shipping the MC” one of his favorite pastimes. He’ll openly gossip with their fanclub about who they’ve been with, who they’re seeing, who’s got a chance, etc… He lives for this shit!

He’s the only person who knows that Levi is also in the community and what his aliases are (not because he told him, but because Levi’s not as subtle as he thinks he is… Who else would call themselves “SupremeRuri666” and speak mostly in outdated chat lingo?) but he doesn’t out him because he thinks his very obvious crush is kind of cute. 

Plus, Levi needs the outlet waaaay more than him…

Doesn’t stop him from constantly trolling him and getting into arguments over who the MC would be better with though (the two are “virtual nemeses” as far as Levi is concerned).

Appreciates all forms of expression that comes out of the community (especially the saucy kind 😏) and will happily feed into his own shippers without a care in the world.

Truthfully, Asmo will say that there isn’t a ship he doesn’t like but if someone mentions one that he thinks is kind of “eh,” he’ll just add himself into the mix. “Oh, you like MC x Barbatos? Well how about Asmo x MC x Barbatos? That sounds loads more interesting doesn’t it??”

Beelzebub 

Oh, Beel… Sweet, sweet Beel… Beel doesn’t even know what their club is doing…

Because Beel has a reputation of being pretty protective of MC - and against the fanclub in general - the club keeps a healthy distance… but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to sneak in some picture or make a SHITLOAD of fanwork about them.

Between classes and practice Beel is a busy guy, so sometimes he just doesn’t notice that there’s people hiding behind trees when he’s out with MC. 

Honestly, his complete ignorance of it all makes it even cuter because when he acts sweet, it’s not just for the camera. That’s the real deal.

Mammon was the one who eventually let it slip that there was even shipping happening and Beel was… kind of creeped out because isn’t this stalking? But also kind of weirdly happy(?) that MC x Beel was so popular… Very conflicted boy here.

He never actually acknowledges the community, though, and just keeps on being Beel (which still gave the fans more than enough material so all’s well that ends well?)

Beel genuinely doesn’t have a least favorite ship (because he believes the best ship is whoever makes the MC happy) but his second favorite under himself is probably MC x Belphie. They look very cute together...  😊

Belphegor 

Ride or die, Beel x MC x Belphie. 

Just kidding (kind of), Belphie isn’t into the shipping but if asked he’d be pretty okay with that one.

His campaign against the MC’s fanclub and their attention stealing ways means that he found out about their shipping thing only slightly ahead of Beel when Mammon was trying to get pictures of them napping together…

Honestly, he couldn’t care less if a bunch of weirdos were weirdly invested in their relationship, but he’s not about to let Mammon just make a quick Grimm off of it. Belphie makes sure that he gives him NOTHING to work with. 

Since Mammon is the main dealer, the shippers in both the MC fanclub and Belphie fanclub aren’t nearly as well fed and pretty desperate for anything... You best believe he plays that to his advantage (because it’s okay if he does. He’s not Mammon).

Really helps that MC x Belphie is legitimately a very cute looking couple, carried by Belphie’s cuteness alone if nothing else. Add an adorable MC and you reach levels so cute it could actually melt people into puddles of goo... They could be a registered weapon.

Least favorite MC ships are any that don’t involve him or Beel. Any others may as well just not exist, he won’t even acknowledge them. MC x Who? Yeah, that’s what he thought.

[books-and-cookies]

June 2022 Reads

okay let’s get this the fuck going, i read like 9 books in june, so this will be long (also wtffffff why am i unhinged)

january 2022 post february 2022 post march 2022 post april 2022 post may 2022 post

* The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry - here to reinforce my long standing desire to never ever have children, this book was A Ride. A Fucked Up Ride. Like, i don’t even know what to say man, it was fuuuucked up. TW for extreme physical abuse - 4/5 stars

* Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin - this was one of my favourite books this year. yeah, I know, it’s hard for me to believe to. howEVER. this was so much fun to read. like history, but with dragons and dragon battles and targaryens doing questionable things™. love love love - 5/5 stars

* Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay - i am writing this post now, about books i’ve read less than 30 days ago and i’m having trouble remembering the plot for this one.... oh OKAY okay, i remember. i actually enjoyed this, but will probably, as demonstrated above, forget about it in approximately 5 to 10 business days. but yes, fast paced thriller, some conspiracy, some twists, decent writing, all in all not shabby - 4/5 stars

* The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes - dnf @ around 50 pages.  i was so bored, i was soooooo bored and confused reading this book and idk what was going on, it was all over the place and i was not intrigued enough to keep going and i'm sad, because i loved The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly. but it do be like that sometimes - 1/5 stars

* The Broken Girls by Simone St. James - YES. haunted boarding school in the 50s? check! dual pov with interwoven stories between past/present? check! wild plot twists that I Did Not See Coming? check! great writing? check! sprinkles of discourse about the treatment of women throughout history? check! just a whole bunch of pls read this thanks - 5/5 stars

* The Run of His Life: the People v O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin (nonfiction) - leading the charge in my “omg she’s gone insane for nonfiction” hyperfixation: the book about the OJ trial. I was hooked, i was entertained, i read this in 2 days, he 100% did it, what a time to be alive - 5/5 stars

* Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham (nonfiction) - YES OMG FAVE OF THE MONTH hands down. probably my fave of the year so far. impeccably researched depiction of the events that unfolded in april 1986, with social and political commentary that was just on point. cannoooooot recommend this enough pls - 5/5 stars

* Kill Shot by Jason Dearen (nonfiction) - this book went places i didn’t expect it to go to and it read like a medial thriller, but the fucked up thing is that it actually happened. legitimately better to go in knowing nothing, but i promise it’s worth it, i was gasping every other page. remarkably good - 5/5 stars

so it looks like i went feral in june, hopefully i chill the fuck out in july and like, watch a sunrise, hug a puppy and actually leave my house

also, you’re legally required to tell me if you’re reading any of these books based on these very solid explanations and recommendations

psa - i’m cold, so if you like my remarkably chaotic posts, you can buy me a coffee 

[robininthelabyrinth]

I'd like to see more of the Jiang Cheng has spider venom fic. Mostly because I want to see him bite someone else. How about a Jin?

Normal For the Spider - Extra: 5 People Jiang Cheng Bit, Some of Whom Deserved It

ao3

1 – Wei Wuxian

“So I’ve been exchanging letters with shijie on account of the whole theoretically banished business,” Wei Wuxian said as they strolled down the Qiongqi Path together, Wen Ning behind them making shy stuttering friends with the handful of Jiang sect disciples Jiang Cheng had brought along with him – he’d deliberately picked the friendliest and most social of the lot, the ones that acted like overgrown puppies and wanted to adopt everyone they met, and sure enough they’d mobbed Wen Ning like a bunch of crows intent on raising the poor little sparrow they found into a proper bird. It was no more than Wen Ning deserved, in Jiang Cheng’s opinion. Someone needed to socialize him, and clearly neither his sister nor Wei Wuxian were doing crap about it.

“That’s nice,” Jiang Cheng said. “If by nice you mean extremely suspicious. What about in particular?”

“Your family inheritance.”

“Is this about the summer house we have near that mountain lake? I told you, it’s been deserted for years and may possibly be haunted by something resistant to the usual liberation techniques, but if you really want to go there, you’re of course allowed…”

“That’s not the inheritance I meant and you know it.”

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. He did know it. “What questions do you have now?” he asked. “More medical stuff from Wen Qing?”

She’d recovered from the venom very well and immediately started wanting to know everything. Recovered a little too well, in Jiang Cheng’s opinion.

“No, this one’s for me,” Wei Wuxian said. “We’re going to Lanling City in order to let Jin Ling bite me as a way to establish familial ties and let him ‘absorb’ good aspects from my personality, right?”

Jiang Cheng nodded.

“So in some cases, biting is an act of affection?”

Jiang Cheng nodded, a little more warily.

“Then how come you’ve never bitten me?”

“It’s only affectionate when you’re a baby,” Jiang Cheng said. “Once you grow into your childhood venom, it starts being dangerous, even to family; you don’t do affection-bites after that point. And when you’re an adult…well, you saw Wen Qing!”

“Eh, she’s fine now,” Wei Wuxian said cheerfully. “I feel like I missed out! It’s not fair, Jiang Cheng. I deserve a bite! I’m practically your brother! We share essential bodily organs!”

“Wei Wuxian! Don’t talk about that!”

“Bite me and I’ll stop.”

“I’m not biting you just to make you stop being annoying –”

2 – Jin Zixun

“What are you doing here?!” Jiang Cheng demanded. “This is an ambush! Is the Jin sect considering waging an act of war against the Jiang sect?”

Jin Zixun scowled at him. “Not against the Jiang sect,” he said haughtily. “Against the Yiling Patriarch.”

“He’s my head disciple!”

That got a confused sort of frown. “But you banished him…?”

“Rumor,” Jiang Cheng said, with dignity, the way they’d always planned. “Baseless rumor, that’s all.”

Rumor he’d never denied, and had instead implicitly encouraged so that people would leave his Jiang sect alone for a little while as he gathered up strength and resources to tell them to fuck off.

“But…” Jin Zixun hesitated. “You just – attacked him?”

Jiang Cheng glared at Wei Wuxian, still lying prone on the ground with his head in Wen Ning’s lap to elevate it and his neck bandaged but still a little red – surely the paralytic had worn off by now?

Wei Wuxian noticed him staring and gave a jaunty little wave, grinning and very clearly regretting nothing, which meant that the paralytic had worn off and he was just lying there to be comfortable while watching the fun.

Typical.

“A friendly exchange,” he said, trying to maintain his dignity. “Also? Not the Jin sect’s business. What about you? What did you want with him?”

“I want him to remove the curse he cast on me,” Jin Zixun said, and he strode forward before Jiang Cheng could stop him and kicked Wei Wuxian in the side. “You hear me, you bastard?! I want the damn thing gone this instant or else –”

3 – Wen Ning

“So this is going to be a little awkward to explain,” Jin Zixuan said, rubbing his face. He looked tired, but that was possibly a side-effect of having Jin Zixun as a cousin. “Tell me, why are my cousin’s flunkies – er, I mean, my cousin’s friends convinced that it was Wen Ning that poisoned him?”

Jiang Cheng scowled.

“No offense meant,” Jin Zixuan added, nodding politely to Wen Ning. “It’s just, you know, you’re very much not a Yu, or even a Jiang.”

“No offense taken,” Wen Ning mumbled, though to Jiang Cheng’s eyes he looked a little pleased, even if his stiff wooden face still didn’t do emotions all that well. “It’s nice not to be automatically feared.”

“It’s because Wen Ning punched Jin Zixun in the face at the same moment that I bit him,” Jiang Cheng interjected, because someone needed to answer the actual question. “And then Jin Zixun fell over and someone started shouting about corpse poison – even though he’s obviously turned purple! Purple venom, purple spider, purple lightning…what part of this thematic color scheme is not obvious?!”

“Technically, the livor mortis spots generated by corpse poison are also purple,” Wei Wuxian said, completely unhelpfully. “According to Wen Qing, it’s the lack of oxygen in the blood pooling under the skin or something, which is the same thing your mom’s poison does.”

“Do you think you’re helping?” Jiang Cheng demanded.

“No, not at all. Did I sound like I was helping? I didn’t mean to.”

“I’m going to bite you again, you little…”

“My father isn’t going to want to let Wen Ning through the door if he’s considered a possible threat,” Jin Zixuan said, wisely deciding to carry on with the conversation despite their bickering. “You know he’s been saying all those things about how dangerous the Yiling Patriarch is – this’ll just feed into that.”

“I’m not going to Lanling City without Wen Ning!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed. “Wen Qing made me promise! It’s his first time visiting such a big place, too!”

“I’m pretty sure Wen Qing made you promise not to leave him behind because she was worried about your well-being, not Wen Ning’s ability to be a tourist,” Jiang Cheng said.

“Doesn’t matter! I’m not leaving him, and I’m definitely not going to not attend the party, so you have to fix this!”

“I don’t know how to fix this –”

Wen Ning coughed lightly. “Uh,” he said. “Jin-gongzi…would your father let me in if I wasn’t a threat? Say, if I was unconscious?”

A moment of silence.

“…does venom work even on fierce corpses?”

“Of course it does,” Jiang Cheng said irritably. “It wouldn’t be much of a defense mechanism for a cultivator if it didn’t.”

4 – Jin Guangshan

“I didn’t mean to!” Jiang Cheng said, his hands over his mouth. “I really didn’t mean to! It’s Wei Wuxian’s fault!”

“How is this my fault?!” Wei Wuxian asked. He looked amused, which was never a good sign, and even less so given the extreme crisis of the situation. “I wasn’t even in the room.”

“You encouraged me to keep biting people as a solution to everything!” Jiang Cheng hissed. “It got me in the mood. I wasn’t thinking!”

He looked down at the unconscious (and swiftly purpling) Jin Guangshan and grimaced. There was no convenient Wen Ning to put the blame on this time: it had been just the two of them, Jin Guangshan and Jiang Cheng, alone in a room together. Jin Guangshan had wanted to have words with him, sect leader to sect leader, which mostly meant that he wanted to throw his weight and seniority around to try to brow-beat Jiang Cheng into doing what he wanted, except that wasn’t going to work because Jiang Cheng was prepared, okay, he’d worked so long and so hard to try to build up the Jiang sect until it could resist Jin sect pressure.

And he’d probably just ruined everything.

“He has legitimate grounds to declare war against us now,” Jiang Cheng said miserably. “Or maybe to demand that we hand over that stupid Tiger Seal he keeps bugging you about as reparations, or in order to keep him from declaring war…”

“We can’t let him have it,” Wei Wuxian said at once. “It’s far too dangerous. I’d destroy it, first.”

“But then he’d still have a reason to strike against us…”

There was the soft sound of someone clearing their throat, and at first Jiang Cheng thought it was Wen Ning but when he looked up it was Jin Guangyao, instead. He looked the same as always, gentle and personable and smiling, which struck Jiang Cheng as being unaccountably weird for some reason that he couldn’t figure out until he remembered that the man’s father was currently lying on the ground being poisoned and maybe Jin Guangyao shouldn’t be smiling so much.

“If you don’t mind,” Jin Guangyao said, “I might have a suggestion that would get rid of that problem…”

5 – Wen Qing

“…and long story short, Jin Guangyao is going to run Lanling Jin until Jin Zixuan is done having kids, which may be never based on the soppy looks he and my shijie keep exchanging, and we all have the Jin sect’s blessing to move back into the Lotus Pier,” Wei Wuxian concluded. “All’s well that ends well, right, Jiang Cheng?”

Jiang Cheng crossed his arms and glared, admitting nothing.

“I’ll be happy to move anywhere that has decent food,” Wen Qing remarked. “This damn place won’t even grow radishes properly, and it’s Yiling; the radishes should be practically growing themselves.”

“I’ve arranged for some farmland for your people,” Jiang Cheng said, because practicalities he could do. “There’s still lots left over from before the war, lying fallow, and some of the places are medicinal herb fields – we need people with cultivation to tend to those, so I figured that might work for you. You’d have half regular farmland, to make sure you can grow whatever food you feel you need to be comfortable, and the other half, the herbs, can be sold to the Jiang sect at profit.”

“That sounds good,” Wen Qing said.

“Especially since they’re medicinal herb plants,” Wei Wuxian chimed in. “You could stock up on medicines you need!”

“A lot of medicines have to be obtained through trade, you utter nincompoop! I can’t make medicine just using what a single medicinal herb field will generate!”

Jiang Cheng nodded approvingly, thinking to himself that at least there was someone else in the world who understood exactly how aggravating it was to have to deal with Wei Wuxian’s unbridled and illogical optimism on a regular basis.

“And as for you,” Wen Qing said, turning to Jiang Cheng, who blinked owlishly at her. “Don’t think I missed the part of that story about how biting people is a sign of affection!”

“It’s – what?! No, you don’t – that’s when we’re children– it’s –”

Wei Wuxian started cackling.

[twopoppies]

alright currently on the train writing this through my tears but oh my god gina it was honestly surreal

i was near the back and there were loads of tall people (my 5ft1 ass could NEVER) so i couldn't see super well but istg i didn't even need to

the energy, the sound, the people all around us, i was just completely enveloped into this atmosphere of just... love, and acceptance, and understanding. not to be a larrie but it just felt like coming home. there were a few moments were i just closed my eyes and just focused on like feeling everyone, all the happiness, the music, i just let myself enjoy it with something other than my eyes and it was absolutely magical.

JHO was pretty special to me too, cause it's the song that quite literally saved me, stopped me multiple times from just ending it when things got tough, and hearing him sing just felt like it was all worth it and that i could do anything. he makes me feel invincible.

everyone screamed all three "LARRY"s during 7, the princess park line legitimately shook the entire venue and everyone around me screamed it at the top of their lungs, the U R OUR BECAUSE project went down perfectly and he looked so happy seeing us hold the signs, the amount of rainbows and rainbow lights during OTB just made me bawl it was so good, and THE LIGHTS DURING TWO YOUNG. the videos do not do it justice, he looks like an actual angel standing in front of the doors of heaven singing us in, it was something of a religious experience tbh.

now onto my het hours cause we need those sometimes.

the 7 high note and SECond to MAself absolutely killed me omg he's so hot it's like sorry h but PLEASE RAIL ME. matt? sir you are so fucking fine just say the word and i'm on my knees. michael? i don't know whether i should tell you to keep doing your riffs or to stop cause but either way if you need a dog i can bark. isaac? ✨isaac✨ i have no words. steve? we need more big screen videos of steve smiling along while he plays the drums and looking surprised every time we sing. tommy from otp? sir, may have your hand in marriage please? your vibes are absolutely immaculate

speaking of otp, they were so good!! they really know how to warm up a crowd, there was also a project for every song i ever wrote (which was honestly amazing) and i just had so much fun. we were jumping around all the time, singing, dancing, yelling, then crying a little at ceasefire but oh well, it's still amazing

now for the little things i noticed cause my anxiety made me hyperaware of everything so i tried to direct that to the stage, lights, and louis, instead of the people around me.

otp had very clear blue and green lights for about half of the second song, to the point where i was cautiously suspicious cause it didn't seem to fit the vibe of their poster. then whenever the lights went down to announce a new song there were lights in the back that i think flashed blue and green, but it could also have just been a sort of turquoise almost, not completely sure due to the distance so take with a grain of salt. he was also very happy when we screamed the princess park line so keep it up!!

paramedics came through the crowd a good couple times, and we had to stop the show once when he started fearless for the first time cause someone passed out (which, like, i feel bad for this, but het hours part 2 when he said "stop the show" and everyone legitimately stopped everything...i get why he's the dom, i get it) but we got back pretty soon

i met some awesome people, they were just so nice!! and everyone was pretty kind, signaled immediately when someone went down, and were pretty diligent about passing around water and making sure people around, strangers or not, were alright. so i'm pretty proud of us for that ngl.

i also got louis grey and green world tour hoodie cause it looked extremely comfortable and i figured yk why not, this might be the only time i get to go, you never know what's gonna happen, so might as well get something to make me happy (it did, it made me very happy, it's extremely warm and comfortable even if it was 70 fucking francs. worth it.) the cool thing (and by cool i mean panic) was that while standing in front of the barriers in front of the merch store, and pretty girl got all up on my back like pressed against me all proper and just went "sorry, hope i'm not bothering you, there's just loads of people trying to push me"

sweetheart you can push into me any day any time oh my god that felt like the start of my fanfic love story

(it wasn't, i just said "don't worry, you can stay as close as you want", enjoyed ten minutes of uninterrupted cuddle time with you i've now dubbed The Gay That Got Away, and then regretfully left cause i was late to catch the next train)

so all in all, it was an amazing experience that i hope everyone gets the chance to enjoy at least once in their life, i made a ton of friends, managed not to have an anxiety attack (at least so far, but i'm feeling pretty good about everything) and i no longer have a voice, pretty much constant bi panic throughout everything but i'm not even mad about it. it was awesome. 10/10 would do again

(also peep my larry red string of fate concert shirt cause it got a decent amount of attention and i'm very proud of it)

hahahha! This is lovely. Thank you so much for sharing you show with us! I love the t-shirt. Sounds like a great time.

[dootdootwriting]

hello!! i saw ur post abt requests being open and i wanted to ask for a one-shot/headcanons of what it would be like to be diluc’s “partner in crime”, basically going out to fight the abyss and the fatui agents together and yk dark knight hero stuff in general; how they would work with each other and how they would both get each other’s backs etc… reader can be gender neutral and have the vision of your choice! thank you in advance :)))

ps if this is too cringe for u just ignore it jfhshdhd

nothing is cringe anymore anon, embrace the cringe. also this request is cute as HELL so dwdw

i made reader an electro catalyst user! that way y’all do the Big Damage. also unrelated but popped into my head as i read the ask but do you think diluc hates the abyss order so much in part because of kaeya? i’m just *thinks about their backstory very hard*

...

Format: headcanons Characters: Diluc Pronouns used: none Type: fluff Warnings: violence and danger, swearing

DILUC

- originally is opposed to you helping him, only because it’s an extremely dangerous job and he can’t run the risk of losing you

- that being said, he knows you can hold your own, and when he comes back a few too many times being much too tired for his own good, he relents and allows you to start helping

- is actually pleasantly surprised by how much more FUN it is... before he did it just to get rid of the abyss order and protect mondstadt, but now going out with you and beating the shit out of abyss mages and hilichurls is legitimately fun

- sometimes you guys make bets. for example: whoever takes out an abyss mage first makes dinner the next night, whoever racks up the most kills owes the other ten kisses, etc

- also thinks you’re hot as FUCK as he watches you cut through monsters. you’re shooting LIGHTNING out of your FINGERTIPS and the look on your face is stunning. moving on

- speaking of the lightning, he loves loves loves causing overload damage. it’s a team effort! he sets something on fire and you electrocute it all the way to hell. iconic

- power couple tbh

- don’t be fooled though, he’s also extremely protective. if you’ve got your guard down even for a second the abyss order will take advantage of it. when he sees something approach you from behind as you send a mitachurl to its doom, he’s there in seconds with his claymore covered in flames

- picture now something out of a superhero movie where something explodes in the background and the two main characters kiss as the flames engulf them from behind. yeah this is you guys

- i may be getting a little too excited about this prompt,,, but listen there’s so much potential,,

- if you get injured in battle it’s ON SIGHT. anything he sees that isn’t human in front of him is scorched, chopped, and now dead. *liyue merchant voice* CHOP SUEY!

- he’ll take care of you as soon as he’s done. first, it’s time for RETRIBUTION

- really really really likes bandaging any injuries you might get and loves when you do it for him too. for him it’s a sign of trust and intimacy. you’re a pair, a team, and also hopelessly in love with each other

- when he’s had a particularly rough day he likes to take it out on any abyss order camps that might be nearby. he’ll drag you away from whatever it is you’re doing and bring you with him for backup just in case

- also adding in that you two LITERALLY fight back to back. diluc says it’s the most advantageous position and in addition to that it’s really fun.

- you’ve both saved each other from countless close calls

- and actually, sometimes, when the battle is won, you’ll walk back to dawn winery laughing, high off of victory and leftover adrenaline

- it’s one of the only times you see diluc really, truly smile - and it’s beautiful. it’s broad and genuine and you can see the stars reflecting off his eyes

- 10/10 couples bonding activity

[obeiii-mee]

Hey! Sorry to bother you with a second ask but i thought this one would be cool. Fluffy headcanons of the demon brothers watching scary movies with MC??? Somewhere MC gets scared, and some where they don't? Thanks again!! :)

It’s no bother!! I love getting requests from you guys! The more, the merrier. I sort of hc that the brothers and MC do have movie night every week or so and with them being demons, they tend to levitate towards the horror genre. Thank you for sending this, this is really cute :)))

Without further ado—-

————————————

The Brothers watching Scary movies with MC:

Lucifer:

-Haha mf already knows how this is going to end

-He warned you, he really did

-The horror movies DevilDom has to offer are nothing, and I mean nothing, like the ones from the human world

-I’m not going to go into detail but imagine Two Girls One Cup, in a less kinky and more gorey way (then times that by 10)

-But you were adamant into giving it a go and he literally could not deny you in that moment

-Because you were giving him the puppy eyes

-That’s like, the finishing blow you use every time to get your way with him and as far as you know it’s the only one that works so-

-He expected your reaction to the last second

-You were traumatised for lack of a better word and you were basically watching the whole film through the cracks between your fingers

-Seeing you in that state was like a punch in the gut but he couldn’t stop himself from throwing in a subtle ‘I told you so’

-“I told you watching something like this before bed is a bad idea, MC.”

-He might be a bit condescending and judgemental at first, but he’s probably going to baby you a bit for the rest of the night

-Because he feels bad he allowed you to watch it in the first place

-HAHAHAHA SOFT LUCIFER HAS BEEN SUMMONED, USE HIM WISELY

-He will start muttering words of comfort to you later because he’s certain you’re going to have trouble sleeping

-Because of that one time, he’s very hesitant to let you watch another horror film anytime soon

-But he will relent eventually (especially if you want to watch a human horror film as those are technically less extreme)

-If it makes you happy, he will go through with it, even if he has to let you cling onto him for the rest of the day

-Besides, the way you cuddle into him while you’re watching a horror film is very cute and endearing to him

Mammon:

-Ah yes, the most effective method of waking up the entire House of Lamentation at 3:00 am

-Mammon screaming his own vocal cords out in his room as he tries to get through his human’s favourite horror movie without dying of a heart attack

-It was his idea because he’s definitely the type to go: “Yeah let’s do this, it will be fun. Don’t get too scared alright MC? The Great Mammon will be here to protect ya.”

-And then ten minutes in, he’s basically in your lap

-Half an hour in, he turned himself into a demon burrito with his blankets

-You were enjoying the movie, laughing at the stupid sound effects and poor quality while Mammon next to you has wrapped himself in like two dozen blankets and pillows

-“Mammon you’re going to overheat.”

-“Don’t be silly human, I’m a demon who lives in hell. I can take high temperatures the same way I can take this damn movie!”

-He doesn’t take either of them well

-Mammon and the horror genre don’t mix well together to begin with

-So even if you might enjoy horror, he doesn’t react well to it at all

-And he’ll be low-key relieved if you tell him you guys don’t have to watch any sort of horror film for your date night

-“Well I guess if you don’t want to, then we don’t have to. Can’t make my human do something they’re uncomfortable with eh?”

-But if you do watch a scary movie with him, be sure to show any sort of physical affection to him as often as possible

-You don’t have to say anything, just hold his hand or let him put his head in your lap or something

-It might stop him from screeching like a female sloth in heat

-The last time that happened, his brothers weren’t too pleased with him

-They about to recreate the horror film scenes onto him, bring the popcorn have fun

Levi:

-For some reason, I feel like he doesn’t get scared easily while watching stuff

-I mean, after decades of obsessively watching animes with brutal character deaths (like Attack on Titan style) and grotesque horror games that are pretty nasty even to demons, let alone humans;

-A horror film, from the human world or even DevilDom, doesn’t do much for him

-It will have to have very good psychological horror in it if you want the hairs on his arms to stand up in anticipation

-Tension is a big deal for him and he will immediately shut off the TV if there are any cheap jump scares

-But, if you manage to find just the right thing for him?

-You’ll both be hiding under the bed in no time under the bathtub more like

-Hell, if the film you’re watching is that good, he might even be holding onto you for dear life without realising it and getting flustered about it

-For weeks afterwards, any sound that is remotely similar to one from that movie will probably send both of you into panic

-You came to his room one night because you’ve had a nightmare about the stupid film and legitimately thought there was a fucking demon serial killer in your room

-So you wanted to stay in his

-“But what if there is a serial killer in your room and now you just led it to me MC????”

-It’s all jokes, there’s no question he would lock both of you in his room and then stay there with you wide awake until dawn

-You’re his best friend after all, he would have to be completely heartless to leave you on your own! (Besides Levi is terrifying when he wants to be)

-One time you were sleeping over and the sound of fumbling woke you tf up

-And Levi immediately turned into his demon form, like he was ready to throw hands with this fictional murderer that supposedly sneaked into his room

-“DON’T WORRY MC, I’LL PROTECT YOU!”

-“Ah never mind, it’s just Mammon breaking into your room again to steal your Ruri-Cham figurines and sell them on Akuzon.”

-“Oh OK.”

-“.....”

-“WAIT MAMMON WTF YOU FUCKING SCUMBAG, GET OUT OF MY ROOM-“

-I’m playing Minecraft

Satan:

-Believe it or not, Satan doesn’t care much about horror movies

-Don’t get me wrong, he loves watching his brothers shit their pants out of fear in the middle of one while he silently smirks to himself because watching other people suffer brings him euphoria

-Especially if someone actually manages to find a film that is excellent enough to spook Lucifer, because then he will be cackLING

-But, overall, he watches a lot of shows revolved around drama and crime

-That’s his thing

-However, he won’t turn you down if you’re up to watching a scary movie with him

-Any time spent with you is valuable time seeing as it won’t be long before his brothers start hogging you again like the cockblockers they are

-He is honestly surprised to find out you seem to be rather amused by those sort of movies

-So, even if it’s not inherently something he does on the regular, he would definitely watch a scary film with you if you enjoy them that much

-But in exchange, he makes you promise to read with him until bedtime rolls around (imagine Lucifer having a fucking curfew for his brothers and you lmao)

-So for the rest of night you guys just read together, ya know, like sappy romantics

-Tbh, this man will do almost anything with you as long as both of you are having fun

-He knows it’s not likely, but he insists on sleeping in the same room that night just in case you have nightmares and he needs to comfort you

- :)

-Satan is a gentleman. Idk how many people that don’t play OM expected to hear this

Asmo:

-Why would you want to watch a movie when you could be watching him???

-I mean, you would rather watch all that gory stuff on the TV than his beautiful face?

-He may get salty over a fucking movie tbh

-Horror films aren’t something he generally looks for while trying to pick a movie to watch

-He can definitely handle them better than Mammon but it’s not something he takes great pleasure in watching

-But the first time he ever sits down with you to watch one, he’s very intrigued to see your reactions

-You started feeling the sensation of absolute dread creep in at the very beginning and you were trying your best to act like you weren’t getting affected by what you saw on the screen

-But you were

-You went from “I’m grown ass adult, I can watch a fucking horror movie, no problem.”

-To “Welp, not enough of a grown ass adult for this-“

-And Asmo thought the way you tried to hide your nervousness was very mesmerising in a way

-He was planning on flirting with you during the movie anyway, but now that you were pressing himself against him?

-Oh boy, Oh boy

-“Darling if you wanted to touch me, you could’ve just said so. Making the excuse of watching a movie is unnecessary.”

-Nightmares? What nightmares? You won’t have time to have nightmares ;)

-haHAHA funny inappropriate joke

-It’s Asmo, it’s mandatory to have at least one of those added in here

Beel:

-Beel will show up if there’s food and that’s that

-He doesn’t care what type of movie is playing on the TV as long as he has a bucket of popcorn next to him at all times

-Horror films aren’t something he can’t handle, he’s a demon like the rest of his brothers and he is used to...violent deaths and such

-He doesn’t get scared but there are times where he gets attached to the characters

-Especially movies with actual good and not cringeworthy dialogue

-Therefore, when they die, he gets sad even if they’re just fictional and their death had no real impact

-He also thinks that the way you can watch these things without flinching is impressive

-I mean, he can watch it and so can his brothers because they are demons

-They’ve done worse things than the things you see in horror films

-But you’re a human! So it’s weird to see you watch a person get repeatedly slammed against a wall until their neck snaps without batting an eyelid

-Overall, he does not have an opinion on scary movies

-He gets a bit emotional when a character he really liked dies

-But other than that, he’s just focused on eating

-And occasionally patting your head affectionately

Belphie:

-He doesn’t really like horror films because there’s a lot of screaming and tense music and he’s just trying to nap in your lap (rhyme)

-He doesn’t really need sound effects like that in the background while he’s trying to sleep

-But one day he was like “Hey, what if I show my favourite human this particular scary film?”

-And he did

-And he’s internally dying and feeling guilty and yet so flustered because of you

-It’s like you suddenly turn into this very fidgety and anxious mess and he thinks you just look....cute

-At some point you were getting overwhelmed and sprung up on your feet to turn the lights on

-And he just grabbbed your wrists, pulled you down next to him and let you press your head against his chest

-As mentioned, he’s a little shit and will tease you for being such a scaredy cat

-“That was the most predictable jumpscare and you still flinched, wth is wrong with you lmao.”

-But at the same time....

-“Relax. It’s just a horror movie. You’ll be fine. Besides, I’m here. Like I would let something bad happen to you.”

-That’s sweet, even if the tone of voice may not imply it because he’s such a brat-

-He actually really likes holding you for once, because usually he’s the little spoon

-He’s still a bit of a sadist so I imagine him sitting there and watching this while giggling to himself

-Isn’t he the cutest, laughing at other people’s misery and their never ending suffering?🥺🥺🥺 UwU

-Ah well, at least he has the decency to spoil with affection afterwards and make sure you have no nightmares that night

-You know, as payback for the horrific shit he made you watch with no warning

————————————

OK, I think I made a decent job of this even though it took longer than it actually was meant to. Thank you for reading though. I’ve got so many requests to go through and I’ve been feeling motivated lately so yeah!

See you soon

Al~

[lee-scribbles-and-doodles]

My Top Ten Overlooked Movies With Female Leads In No Particular Order

Note: When you see this emoji (⚠️) I will be talking about things people may find triggering, which are spoilery more often then not. I mention things that I think may count as triggers so that people with them will be aware before going in to watch any of these.

Edited: 3/16/21

Hanna (2011)

So, before I get into why you should watch this movie, I just want to take a moment to say why it's near and dear to my heart. Growing up as a queer kid in the early 2000s, seeing portrayals of people like or similar to myself on anything was rare at best. It was mostly in more "adult" movies or shows that my parents would occasionally let me watch with them that I'd see any lgbtq+ rep at all. Often times they were either walking stereotypes, designed to be buried, evil, or all three.

Then here comes this PG-13 action thriller with a wonderfully written main female lead who, at the time, was close to my age, and who got to kiss another girl (her very first friend, Sophie) on screen in an extremely tender and heartwarming scene. To say the least, it was a life changing moment for me personally.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, Hanna is a suspenseful movie about a child super-soldier named, you guessed it, Hanna (played by Saoirse Ronan) and her adoptive (?) father Erik Heller (played by Eric Bana) exiting the snowy and isolated wilderness of their home and taking on the shadowy CIA operative, Marissa Wiegler (played by Cate Blanchette) who wants Erik dead and Hanna for herself for mysterious reasons.

It also has an amazing soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers, great action scenes, and it has an over arching fairytale motif, which I'm always a sucker for.

⚠️ Mild blood effects, some painful looking strikes, various character deaths, and child endangerment all feature in this film. However, given its PG-13 rating, a majority of viewers are presumably able to handle this one. Still, be aware of these going in.

Sidenote: It's recently gotten a TV adaptation on Amazon TV, although I have not watched it, and do not know if Hanna and Sophie's romantic/semi-romantic relationship has transferred over.

A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor is a "black-comedy mystery thriller" centered entirely around the relationship between two mothers, the reclusive, rich, mysterious, and regal Emily (played by Blake Lively), and the local recently widowed but plucky mommy blogger, Stephanie (played by Anna Kendrick). When Emily suddenly goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to find out what happened to her new best friend.

It's a fantastic and entertaining movie throughout, with fun, flawed and interesting characters. The relationship between the two female leads is also implied to be at least somewhat romantic in nature, and they even share a kiss.

⚠️ The only major warnings I can think of is that the movie contains an instance of incest and one of the main plotlines revolves around child abuse, although both of these potentially triggering topics are not connected to each other, so there is thankfully no csa going on.

Edit: I legitimately forgot there was drug use in this movie until now. So, yeah, if that's a trigger, be careful of that.

I Am Mother

I became mildly obsessed with this movie when it came out. I Am Mother is a sci-fi film that centers entirely around a cast of two woman, and a female-adjacent robot who is brought to life on screen with absolutely amazing practical effects.

The plot is such, after an extinction-level event, a lone robot known only as Mother tasks herself with replenishing the human race via artifical means. She begins with the film's main protagonist, Daughter. Years go by as Mother raises her human child and the two prepare for Daughter's first sibling (a brother) to be born. However, on Daughter's 16th birthday, the arrival of an outsider known only as Woman shakes Daughter's entire world view. She begins to question Mother's very nature, as well as what's really going on outside the bunker she and her caretaker call home.

⚠️ This movie features child endangerment and reference to child death.

Lilo and Stitch

When I decided to add a single Disney film to this list I initially thought it was going to be hard but almost immediately my brain went to Lilo and Stitch, and specifically about the relationship between Lilo and Nani.

On the surface, this film is about a lonely little girl accidentally adopting a fugitive alien creature as a "dog," but underneath that the story is also about two orphaned sisters and the older sister's attempts to not let social services tear them apart by stepping up as the younger sister's primary guardian. Despite its seemingly goofy premise, Lilo and Stitch has a very emotional and thoughtful center. It's little wonder how this movie managed to spawn an entire franchise.

Despite the franchise it spawned (or possibly because of it), I often find that Lilo and Stitch is overlooked and many people only remember it for the "little girl adopts an alien as a pet" portion of its plot, and I very rarely see it on people's top 10 Disney lists.

⚠️ This movie could be potentially triggering to people who were separated from their siblings or other family members due to social service intervention. There's also a bit of child endangerment, including a scene where Lilo and Stitch both almost drown.

Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind

Unlike the above entry, I did struggle a little bit with picking a single Studio Ghibli film. Most media of the Ghibli catalogue have strong, well-written, unique, and interesting female leads so selecting just one seemed like quite the task.

However, I eventually settled on this particular film. In recent months, Princess Nausicaä has become my absolute favorite Ghibli protagonist and I'm absolutely enchanted by the world she lives in.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world overun by giant insects and under threat of a toxic forest and its poisoness spores, Nausicaä must try to protect the Valley of the Wind from invaders as she also tries to understand the science behind the toxic forest and attempts to bridge the gap between the insects and the humans.

For those who have never seen the film, I think Nausicaä's personality can best be described as being similar to OT Luke Skywalker. Both are caring, compassionate, and gentle souls who are able to see the best in nearly anyone or anything. She's an absolutely enthralling protagonist and after rewatching the film again for the first time in well over a decade she has easily become one of my all time favorite protagonists.

Whenever I see people talk about Ghibli films, they rarely mention this one, and when they do mention it, it's often in passing. In my opinion it's a must watch.

⚠️ This movie contains some blood, and the folks who either don't like insects or who have entomophobia may not appreciate the giant bugs running about throughout the movie. (Although most insects do not directly relate to real life bugs, and are fantasy creatures).

A Silent Voice

A Silent Voice is an animated movie adaptation of a manga of the same name. While I've never had the pleasure to read the manga, the movie is phenomenal. It covers topics such a bullying, living in the world with a disability, the desire for atonement, social anxiety, and depression in a well thought out manner that ties itself together through the progression of the relationship between its two leads, Shoya and Shouko. It's also beautifully animated. Although very popular among anime viewers, I've noticed that it's often overlooked by people who watch little to no anime. So I suppose this is me urging non-anime viewers to give this film a chance.

⚠️ As mentioned above, the movie deals with bullying, anxiety, and depression (with this last one including suicidal thoughts and behaviour). If discussion of those topics are triggering to you, than you may want to proceed with caution or skip this movie all together.

In This Corner of The World

Another manga adaptation, this one taking place during WWII-era Japan. In This Corner of The World follows the life of a civilian Japanese woman, Suzu Urano, as she navigates simply living and her new marriage as the wartime invades nearly all aspects of everyday life. I think this movie is a good representation of what it must be like to be living as civilian in a country at war where the fight is sometimes fought on one's own soil. It was also an interesting look into pre-50s Japanese culture in my opinion. It's also beautifully animated featuring an art style I don't see often.

Despite it being well known among anime fans, I never really see it be brought up, even among said anime fans themselves.

Side note: I've seen many WWII dramas centering around civilians but they've almost always been about American or UK civilians. This was the first movie I'd seen that features the perspective of a Japanese civilain.

⚠️ Features the death of a child and limb loss. There's also a disturbing scene featuring a victim of one of the atomic bombs near the end.

Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki

This film follows Hana, a Japan-native woman who fell in love with a magical shape-shifting wolf-man, and her trials with raising their children, who can also magically shape-shift into wolves, on her own. It's a very heartfelt movie about a mother's love and the struggles of doing right by your children when you have limited resources to actively guide and care for them. All the characters feel unique and alive in my opinion. Also, the animation is so good that my sister and I initially mistook it for a Ghibli film.

Again, like the previous two anime entries, I don't see it ever brought up outside of anime circles.

⚠️ There's some child endangerment present in the film, although none of it is the fault of Hana as far as I can remember.

Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday is about the fictional Princess Ann (played by Audrey Hepburn), who while on a whirlwind tour of Europe, finally reaches her breaking point over having her entire life be one big schedule and all her words and actions being rehearsed. In the spur of the moment, she runs away in hopes of experiencing what life is like for other women. Unfortunately, she was previously given a sedative, meaning she doesn't get too far before it takes effect. Fortunately, she is found by the kind reporter Joe Bradley (played by Gregory Peck). Believing her to be drunk and unable to get an address from her (because she has none) he ends up taking her home for safety's sake and allows her to sleep off her suppose drunken stupor. The next day, he realizes who she is, and decides to take her on a fun sight seeing trip across Rome in hopes of getting the big scoop. Along the way, they begin to fall for each other.

This is my favorite black and white, old romance film. I think the relationship between the main characters is absolutely beautiful and I have a lot of fun watching it.

⚠️ I'm not entirely sure what kind of warning this film would need. However, it was released in 1953, so values dissonance will probably be at play for many viewers to at least some extent. For example, early in the film Ann is given sedation drugs by her doctor for her behavior, something that is very unlikely to happen today. Also, Mr Bradley deciding to take Ann home to keep her safe rather than call the police or an ambulance is a very pre-90s decision in my opinion.

[raguna-blade]

So I kinda need to talk about this because I saw a post and my brain exploded for a moment.

This is probably extremely dumb but I have to write this down.

So ok, for real for real, if we take a step back from fun and games for a moment from this fun game (hyuk) I think we can all admit that when it comes to shipping in game, and especially with regards to shipping with the Doctor, there’s basically precious little canon text for a good number of them. Tomimi and Gaviel? Oh yeah for sure, textually supported! Doctor and Kal’tsit? It’s very easy to read if only because they’re both being parents to Amiya to the best of their ability, but their precise relationship to each other actually a bit more questionable on the ship front. Platinum and Blemishine? They literally have not met and neither has, to my knowledge, expressed a type to even indicate they’d even be remotely attracted to each other on the romance front, or even get along with each other on the friend front.

But with the Doctor especially it’s all a huge amount of suggestion and impression because the doctor is (technically, technically because we get to make choices of their dialogue but they’re pretty consistently sassy and a bit of a dork, but they don’t get their own lines) a silent protagonist. Only a few characters have anything resembling actual explicit interest in the doctor, of them being Deepcolor(Switch is Flipped), Warfarin (Restraining order) and that’s about it as far as I recall.

OK, but you lead with a TnA Whislash pic where you going with this?

RIGHT, So most characters in their E2 artworks are generally more cool than hot/sexy*. The game is really really really restrained with the horny, even in the swimsuit outfits characters may have.

So we come to Miss Whislash’s picture here which is like...Ok damn, you’re just going all out I get it cool. But otherwise, aside from this singular pic dealie, there’s like no Doctor Attraction vibes being thrown out.

But...

But then like...there’s a couple of pieces of evidence which make you go...Huh.

Talk 1: Doctor. Just to put any scary little misunderstandings to rest, let me say this now. Maria might call me her aunt, but that’s only because I’m higher in the family. I’m not much older than her. I’m still young. I’m still not married. Clear?

Like Alright you’re going to just put that out there but nobody was asking whislash. Nobody was even saying anything about your age, and from what we know of Canon!Doc’s personality there’s no way in hell they brought up the marriage or age angle unless they were personally trying to get a rise out of you and there’s no way that the Doc would even consider that until this very conversation occurred.

Promotion 1: Doctor, can I borrow you? I just want you to help me carry some things. If you’re asking, well... er, just... all sorts of random things I buy when the mood strikes me. 

Which is pretty innocuous, just hey man I wanna hang out with you haha don’t worry about it.

Trust 3: Doctor, we don’t get along half bad, but you don’t just lie there and leave it all up to me, not in your wildest dreams. I hate danger plenty, but layabouts leave another bad taste in my mouth. Though, when your back’s against the wall... *cough* Well, we can talk about it then! 

Also completely innocuous* right up until that last line which makes me suddenly look at it and realize uh...Wait, why did you kinda drift off there Miss. What went through your head just now. WHOMSTS Back is against the wall here.

All of which when taken with her basically going, Hey lemme just give you a no limit credit card, which has been memed to death with her trying to sugar momma the doctor is yeah pretty damn sus.

But then I again come back to this picture and rememeber that like...These are kinda in universe you know. While i’m going to severely cast doubt on her going on all fours in 50% cheesecake mode** you also have folks like Earthspirit who kinda reference the weird ghost shit that elite operators are apparently capable of summoning stand like (which maybe it’s just image sure, but also maybe not? They kinda stand out and ONLY the elite get them so it’s like...HMMMMM) so this half makes me think that they’re absolutely a thing in universe for...I dunno, morale reasons? Memories? Someone thought it’d be funny and it’s a joke gone too far***

And if that is the case!

Taking into account that Whislash also very much knows image bullshit, and all that especially what with having to fund her run in the KNIGHT SPORTS LEAGUE.

I’m coming down on is miss Whislash trying to seduce the Doctor. Like...Legitimately.

Like is she legit trying to seduce. Am I overthinking this?

And If so, what the hell is the doctors vibe exactly in the day to day I have to know what these people see in this guy who may have GENUINELY tried to eat originum slugs at one point, and has DEFINITELY just straight poured boiling water into their mouth to make tea.****