#I think I'm trying to say that it's kinda sad since he does genuinely care for his friends

[star--anon]

there's a YouTube video where The Maze Runner cast gets back together on Zoom and reads through a few of the old scenes (basically acting them out but over Zoom)

apparently, Minho's introduction is described in the stage directions as, "4 boys detached from the surrounding party, not really a part of the peppy scene, like war veterans who never really quite assimilated into civilian life"

and then in the book The Maze Runner, there's "It hit Thomas then that the Runners were out in the Maze during the day and hadn't witnessed any of the recent events firsthand."

and I feel like we should talk about that more

[lunartuness]

Spoilers for Book of Bill

Thoughts on Bill talking about Ford

I was not prepared for canon Billford in the year 2024 and yet here we are.

But seriously, I'm kinda surprised how much Bill actually liked and valued Ford? Obviously it's in a horrible, toxic, never come within the same continent as them kind of way but it's just, I always kind of figured their relationship (while obviously adoring from Ford's end due to Journal 3) was mainly just Bill humoring Ford long enough until he no longer needs him. Like, 'yeah, sure, of course you're special, I definitely believe in you' sort of nonsense.

But in Bill's book it's implied multiple times he had as close to a crush on Ford as he's probably capable of. I mean, the whole 'love cage' section is literally verbatim what he did to Ford (and just wait until they're mentally broken enough to confess their true feelings! Fear and love are basically the same thing!) And in the valentine's section he talks about leaving mice, which again, he did for Ford's birthday, and then when he wasn't happy about that, got him drunk enough to have a good time (implied kinda forcibly? since Ford declined beforehand). Then there's the fact he literally calls Fiddleford a third wheel (also coincidentally after we just learn Fiddleford spent hours on handmade gifts for Ford and forgot to get his wife anything).

And when Ford finally does catch on and things go bad? Bill tries first to talk with Ford through the zombies (to manipulate him, of course, but also Admit it, you'd miss me. I have missed you, and Bill actually smiles.) And then leaves little sticky notes asking nicely to talk. When he finally gets mad enough to escalate, he still does so in a very not-violent-for-Bill-way. Sure, killing Ford wouldn't help him but we know how messed up Bill can get. And yet what does he do? He leaves Ford's body to almost freeze, only to have a warm fire and a love song playing when he wakes up. He causes mild public disturbances and gives him an obnoxious tattoo. When he finally, finally snaps is when we start to see more of the Bill we got in the show when he tortures Ford a bit. But even that is mild?

Like, Bill rearranged a man's face for fun and takes joy in destroying the Nightmare Realm. But after threating Ford he leaves him unharmed. Very mentally scarred, yes, but safe and intact. He even gives him three days to get his life together. And then treats it like a messy breakup when Ford finally breaks free. Hell, it seems like he was more upset about losing Ford than losing the portal.

All this is to say that I think from Bill's point of view he was being genuinely kind to Ford. He gave him gifts, complimented him, and tried to work things out peacefully when Ford started pulling away (again, his very messed up version of peaceful, but the point still stands).

So when they do finally meet again? Bill still offers Ford a spot next to him. Again, I originally thought this was more playing into Ford's ego while taking a cheap shot at him (i.e. you'll fit in great with the freaks!), but by now it's obvious he wants Ford. He's petty and cruel and horribly abusive about it, but in his own twisted way he likes Ford. A lot. Enough to show mercy (or at least not be as violent as he could be) and to try and give him multiple chances to come back, no apology needed!

And the worst part is Bill knows this. Bill's trying to make this relationship work. He feels connected to Ford in a way he quite possibly hasn't felt with anyone else. And he knows its doomed to fail. In his mind he has to destroy everything he touches and everything he cares about. Any other connections he has are either superficial or dead to him (usually literally). This relationship will end the same way, it's just in Bill's nature. To him, that's all his relationships are capable of being.

All this just makes me sad and adds so much depth and I'm obsessed. There's just something about self-destructive and truly cruel characters having moments where they wish they weren't that way. Where they'll come the closest they ever can to apologizing for how they are.

(Also Bill literally wanted Ford to get a tattoo saying 'If lost return to Bill' like we cannot just ignore that oh my god)

[femmesandhoney]

Decided to watch the Lily Philips documentary on Youtube since I have been thinking about and talking about it so much anyways, but my initial thoughts are mostly all how lovely she seems. Like Lily genuinely seems super sweet and naive, but very friendly to Josh, the documentarian, and overall seems nice. She's quite open about her "career" as an OnlyFans creator, even making a porn joke to the taxi driver casually.

Her self-esteem is in the ground. Like, five minutes in and she makes a statement about how sex is the only thing she's good for. She worries constantly about making sure the men raping her are having fun and a good time, she was extremely promiscuous in college and dropped out of getting her degree to pursue pornography because it seemed more fun and rewarding financially. Her family didn't seem to try that hard to convince her to stay in college, I think they all saw dollar signs above her head. She also has no sexual safety concerns in the slightest, again Josh had to kind of explain that what she was proposing to do with the 100 men could lead to her catching an STD and she just seemed a bit surprised and clueless. She seems to prioritize letting men do whatever they want with her over her personal health and safety, which is so worrying. Josh having to ask if they did criminal background checks and her saying no, like this complete stranger having more concern and care for her safety and the logistics of this event is wild. Why are none of her team, her friends and family, not doing any of this obvious work to make sure she's safe at least?

About half way through the doc, Josh says he straight up just doesn't believe her that she gets serotonin from some of these sexual encounters and she goes onto to discuss how she doesn't think people realize how happy this makes her and that they view her as a bit sad and that it's all "far from the truth". It's actually kinda well juxtaposed in editing/placement, because you really get the sense that she isn't that happy and that, yeah, it is sad and concerning that all she seems to view herself and her self worth from is being a sexual object for others and making porn day in and day out. Like it really makes you go, well no Lily something definitely isn't right here.

The actual "event" itself was hard to watch, made even more dark by the fact Josh and his team weren't allowed in to film most of the day so you get a lot of foreboding shots of the airbnb. As much as Josh seems genuinely concerned for Lily, he's a stranger to her and the event precedes because Josh at the end of the day wants to make a video and, in much a similar way, exploit her trauma for his own financial gain here too. But it's obvious that the event was gonna be bad, from the way she starves herself through it, her apprehension before it starts, her assistant sucks so much my god like I do not trust her around Lily at all. Lily herself compares the experience to being a prostitute, where she was dissociating and robotic in her actions. And I'm like pretty sure anyone could have guessed that that was gonna be her experience, poor woman. I'm pissed off no one in her life seemed to want to protect her from herself here, she seems way too eager to view herself and her body as for men's pleasure only. Even by the end of the night she tries to explain away her crying as being sad about some of the men not having a good enough time. It really does read as a form of trauma, self-harm, and overall I'm very concerned for her and whatever's happened in her personal life to make herself view herself this way.

[n3ptoonz]

How’d u think earth realm boys would react to their wife telling me there ready for kids 🎤

mk1 hcs: how the earthrealm guys react to their wife being ready for kids

warnings/tags: suggestive, fluff, female reader obv

Liu Kang

The way you brought it up was so subtle and casual. It was during his downtime, which was kinda rare. A simple "Hey...I think I'm ready to have children." and Liu is looking at you with surprised eyes and a full heart.

Being the kind of man Liu is, and how busy his life has become since being appointed as a god, this man set an exact date and time where there would be zero distractions. All his focus and effort was on you. And in you (ba dum tss)

So be prepared for a long night of passion, love, lust, and care. Cause you're not leaving that bed until you've gotten every last drop

Doesn't mind the gender. Boy, girl, he would love them just the same. Hell, even if it was more than one child at once, he wouldn't hesitate to give them the world.

Smoke

You mentioned it while you two were cuddled up on the couch. Little did you know how red his face turned until you felt his heart beat increase in real time, looking up at him with his genuine concern.

At first you thought he was nervous or probably didn't want to, and once he saw your slight frown he immediately countered that thought. He was so excited he froze. Endless reassurance from him until you verbally say you got it.

Did you think he wouldn't nervously suggest you start as soon as possible?? Pish posh, you are sad- happily mistaken. "Why not try right now?" he said, except he's stuttering over his own words and sweating profusely. No matter how many times you've been intimate with one another, he's always nervous around you <3

Gender doesn't matter to him either, however he does lean more on the side of a daughter. Simply because he'd die at the sight of a little girl running around the house that looked like you. If you had a son though, he'd be sure he doesn't meet ol uncle Bi Han bro would prob try to recruit

Johnny Cage

What if I told you he brought the idea to you one day as a "joke" and you're immediately like "That's crazy, I was going to say the same thing!"? You both looked at each other with narrowed eyes before making a run for it to the bedroom

Less talk, more action. It's safe to say y'all were up all night, touchin', lovin', going multiple rounds to the point where you forgot the entire reason for heading straight to bed. But hey, who's complaining? Johnny promised to tap that at the earliest opportunity (yes, i went there)

He SWORE that cowgirl and mating press were the "only efficient ways" to make sure you'd definitely get pregnant. As if going raw wasn't enough already-

Daughter. He wants a daughter. Give the man a daughter. He won't shut up about being a girl dad when you aren't even a month in yet. He's practicing dad jokes. Even coming up with ones that are tailored to daughters. Has a CVS receipt list of girl names and the only one you both decided that was perfect is "Cassandra/Cassie" (wink) He CANNOT wait to have another favorite girl in his life to spoil!

Raiden

It was after training. You finished first and watched him complete his, and the idea came to you while he was helping one of the younger recruits. You just laid it on him without warning: "I think we should have kids." and cue him almost spitting out his water. Was he dreaming?!

Another nervous one who blushed and stuttered a bunch upon trying to conjure up a response. The thought of having a child with you has been on his mind for some time now and it's like you read his mind, he just didn't want to overwhelm you.

Speaking of overwhelming, that was all out the window once you got home. Going from a peaceful walk to a heated make out session on a matter of seconds. Not to mention, you both had a longgg day of training and could use a shower...why not save some money on the water bill!

Raiden is too good with all types of kids to really have a preference. Growing up with his little sister AND kung lao gave him experience on both sides

Kung Lao

After your weekly sparring session, you got to thinking. You're already married, you've seen him handle kids and younger people well, and most of all he looks so damn hot when he's sweaty and out of breath. Not an unfamiliar sight to you at all!

It was when you two went to Madam Bo's for a good after-spar meal when you slyly threw it into the conversation. Mid bite, he couldn't help but back up from his food and look at you with that classic smirk he does and his dimples are fully visible (currently dying at this imagery.) And he'd end up saying something cocky but playful like "You think I'd oppose you carrying the next great Kung Lao?"

Got straight to it when you got home. Luckily you had already showered after the session, otherwise the water bill would've been looking like a traditional Chinese scroll after you were done. Prepare for his teasing, flirtatiousness, and pride to be multiplied by a thousand

I feel like he'd want a boy, and we all know why. He's not at all opposed to the idea of having a daughter. But if your first child was a daughter, you're going back to that king sized mattress once you've fully healed and trying again! (who's complaining 🤨)

Kenshi Takahashi

He had come home from a long day of a series of trips and tasks given by Liu Kang. You were in the kitchen brewing some tea late at night just because when you heard him come in. He wasn't exhausted, but you could tell he just wanted to drop everything and spend all his time with you the way he plopped down at the dining table.

When you offered food he politely declined since he had already eaten earlier. But he could sense something else was on your mind by the slight shift in your tone. Being visually impaired, his auditory has improved considerably since. "Is something on your mind?" he asked. "I think we should have kids." you responded, sitting next to him with your cup of tea.

He was at full attention now, whatever tired him from the day vanished just like that. You took his silence as uncertainty, so as you began to start listing the pros and benefits, he quickly cut you off with a "Let's do it." "Seriously?" you said, just to make sure you heard him. He stood and took your hand in his, "I'm very serious. We can start tonight, tomorrow, next week. The sooner the better." (hey, starting tonight didn't sound like a bad idea 😮‍💨)

He says he doesn't really stress the gender, but he'd like a son. Kenshi would adore your child under any circumstance, but being an only child (idk if that's canon but it's gonna be today XD) who practically raised most of his younger cousins who mostly consisted of girls, he gets a little giddy at the thought of having an older son younger daughter dynamic around the house.

Sub Zero

With how busy he is all the time and how even more tense he's become since the rift, it was a little difficult to find a way to get his undivided attention. However, the whole reason he married you is because you don't take any shit. You voiced your opinions and concerns whenever you deemed fit, and it never got in his way. So, you waltzed into his office on a mission.

It was one of the few times he wasn't running around or training his heart out. He just got done talking to Cyrax when you walked in looking as determined as the day you met. He knows you never interrupt him unless it's something terribly important. At a moment's notice, he gestured for Cyrax to leave so you could speak your peace.

"What is it?" he asked. You made sure the door was securely closed behind you before walking over to sit in his lap. He was quite surprised but also would be lying if he claimed he didn't enjoy it. "Let's have kids." you said. He always told you to be blunt with him about anything, and this was no exception. "Alright." he replied, seldom reason to say no, especially to the love of his life.

Bi Han would for sure want a son. He's set on carrying on tradition, even if he did oppose some of his late father's views. If you had a daughter as your first born, like Kung Lao y'all aren't stopping until you had a son. Though, he knows he will have to learn to raise your kids better than how he was raised. He'd rather die than ever neglect or overwork his children. Plus, you wouldn't have any of that anyway.

Scorpion

Despite being busy a lot as the head of his new clan, he always makes time for you. All his down time was yours unless you said otherwise. You were giving fighting advice to a recruit when Kuai approached you, a gentle warm hand on your shoulder. Earlier in the day, you said you wanted to talk in his free time

After excusing yourself and talking to him on the way to his office, you wasted no time laying it on him. "Kuai...I think we're ready for kids." He stops in his tracks and looks directly into your eyes. "...You're sure about this?" he asks softly, taking your hands in his with the most gentle gaze you've ever seen from him. He's been thinking about this for a while now, but didn't know how to bring it up. Your approving nod with a smile set his heart ablaze with happiness.

Because of his busy schedule, like some of the other kombatants with a lot on their plate, there's a set day and time. And once that time comes...it's tiimmeee (mariah carey voice) That night is gonna be filled with romance and deep love for one another.

Kuai wants a boy. He, like Kenshi, wants the older son and younger daughter dynamic, but for no particular reason. He just likes it. His feelings wouldn't change if your first kid was a girl though, the older daughter younger son dynamic would remind him of how his mother treated Tomas when they were kids before she passed.

a/n: as a mf who doesn't even want kids, this was so fun and cute to write omg😭ty anon for the idea! remember y'all my asks are open and i'd be down to do x or 11 if you want! just clarify pls <3

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR rambles wanna know what's funnier than 24? ...25

Huh so Vio's confusion from earlier makes a lot more sense.

Link was shutting them off from listening much again...

Nice going Link.

I'm sure this isn't causing massive communication issues or smth...

I think this just speaks to how LITTLE Link trusts Vio to sympathize with his mental health struggles that he just cuts him out of it all together.

Also the dialogue here for the middle panel:

Vio doesn't KNOW for a fact Blue was in on those conversations...but it's a fact he WAS thus him being there in the visual representation. Vio isn't actually aware of Blue being in on it.

I'm sure he's at the point of questioning that though...

I wouldn't say it's Blue and Green with trust issues Red, it's Link X'D

And he for sure DOES distrust you.

Furthering the point Link is broken thus the team is broken.

Shadow drops by cause the convo with Zelda is done (Jeez it's been awhile since I've looked at these pages lmao)

And Vio asks about his hair which...FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT.

Answer a question with a question...nice one Shadow Link. 🙄

He's very sensitive about the ganon hair haha.

Which is why I think his questioning on if Vio LIKES IT is genuine even if it's there to steer the convo somewhere else.

Vio's too smart.

Though, Red weirdly wants vio to stfu about actually ASKING...Which uh...

I'd like to remind you of THIS PANEL where Link's purposely being obtuse about the Triforce on his own hand after their Triforce discussion.

Then we get to shitpost territory with Shadow burying the lead on Dark to talk about how he and Green had sex. Which just...

OKAY SHADOW X'D

Vio's response is...interesting.

I think this is where a lot of people might have realized this is a poly story lmfao.

Vio gives no fucks in fact he seems INTO IT despite him saying he "Doesn't care" sure buddy.

Vio and Shadow's "Relationship" is up in the air on what the hell it even IS at this point and Vio is butt at hiding the fact he loves Green soooo.

Works out for both that they like Green. XD

Red's over here losing his shit.

Shadow AGAIN brushes over Dark just calling him someone they need to be introduced to....Lmfao.

Vio's mention of looking for Blue is kinda sweet. He cares. Shadow on the other hand knows Dark's handling it so is fine with leaving poor blue 😭

And red.

lmfao. Bye Red.

Genuinely giving him ANYTHING to do early on was...DIFFICULT.

I have a story thread for him but BUILDING to that was...Not fun for his character X'D

So often he got shafted but I hope when he has his time to shine people enjoy it haha.

Sad boy hours.

Blue's back though!

...This is so random but I'm so glad I started doing colored text boxes I gotta THINK who's talking reading back on these X'DDDD

Green's so sweet giving Blue a lil hug.

Poor Green's frazzled out of his mind and Blue's just struggling to talk emotions.

They're a mess. X'D

This entire interaction is so funny to me.

"What did he DO...?" GREEN. WHAT DO YOU THINK!?

I think Blue's justified in being a LITTLE irked that this weird curse entity was sent to get him instead of one of his teammates X'D

but also: they had no idea where he ran off too lmfao. Dark Link's got a Link radar he can find him easy.

One of those things where there was no GOOD solution to this and Green did the best he could, but Blue's frustration imo is still very justified.

Poor Green trying to rationalize his choices and Blue's just like "Stfu"

And smacks Dark link X'D

Poor Dark.

"you look like a dumbass with a squid on his head" might be one of my favorite FSR blue lines.

Green's addition of "i feel like a dumbass" is so stupid XDDD

Green's beyond strung out just letting Dark sit on his head while him and Blue talk about wtf they're gonna do about this.

It's really fun looking back into this transition period where half the cast knew about Dark and the others didn't really.

I remember wanting to push past it quickly because I wanted to get to juicy territory and interactions.

...I love Dark hugging Green's hair. He's so cute.

it's worth mentioning AGAIN that Green and Blue have VERY DIFFRENT experiences with Dark with EACH OTHER but ESPECIALLY VIO.

Dark TORTURED that dude lmfao.

Vio met ALPHA BUILD DARK LINK LMFAO

Green chastising Dark for doing his typical shit with Blue lmfao.

HE TRIED GREEN HE REALLY DID.

"Blue is the color of difficult" will now proceed to live rent free in Blue's mind X'DDDD

I'm sure I've mentioned it but Dark Link struggles to speak properly in this form. (it's a form that doesn't require him much effort or energy to maintain thus...doesn't have a lot of "Features" lmfao.)

Blue pulls Dark off poor Green's head to give him head scratches.

I'd panic if I sat on Blue's bare thighs too Dark. Look at him go polite gentleman.

Blue's being HONEST with his FEELInGS.

What a treat.

Dark smacked some sense into him during that fight hah.

Poor Blue has anxiety about being Link now. Poor dude.

Blue just wants to get intros over and done with knowing stuff's gonna be hard. But uhhh....

Dark Link isn't a fan.

Lmfao.

Didn't have him turn back into his hylian form to sit in Blue's lap wym.

Poor Dark doesn't wanna do stuff with people rn. he's burnt out.

Which...FAIR.

Dude had a meltdown with Blue he's exhausted.

Green's genuine horror paired with "WHAT DID YOU DO!?" just reminds me of that scene from the Cuphead show where King Dice shouts the same thing X"DDD

Though: it's kinda sad that Dark was 100% right in being nervous/hesitant to meet the others...

Green's protective Blue that's his baby!

Obligatory Dark says smth fucking weird cause it's funny.

Green's willing to let Dark have a break while...Blue has a good point too.

Poor Green doesn't get the peace he wants. 😭

meanwhile Dark's just blatantly staring at Blue X'D And he's put off by it.

Blue...c'mere I got a secret-

HE LIKES YOU-

Being a dick won't push him away Blue. He's in love with VAATI you're a drop in the bucket in terms of rudeness.

it's been established: Dark doesn't know how to handle being PERSEIVED at the moment. Especially by the Links. He's still super shy.

Poor Dark, blue makes fun of his stutter. 😭

Green rightfully tells him off

Dark holding their hands is so sweet.

He's someone that holds his heart on his sleeve to his own detriment. Just wanting them to know he's happy to be with them and that the day is nice (presumably because he's with them.)

Blue's being a bit of a negative butt but concedes a bit when Green says he's happy too.

Him poofing back to being his "Squid" form on Green's face just personally is funny.

It's so silly and cements he has ZERO idea of personal space.

It's even worse for Green because Green's scared of tentacles. 😭 (wanna have that brought up at some point...but it's due to the vaati fight)

Lmfao. Red you're so annoying.

"ARE WE THERE YET!?"

Literally third wheeling the Vidow X'DD

Vio out here starting shit lmfao.

Shadow knows too.

LMFAO Vio trying to find solutions is uh...KINDA an issue now hah.

He's super out of the loop about the curse now so...ouch.

Vio's being a bit of a bitch boy about it because he's bitter.

Reasonably so but ooomf.

Vio my duuuude...pls c'mon man. Act mature. 😭

Vio casually tipping right over Blue's current anxieties about going back to that. Which...Blue has zero self control so NOW WE'RE DEEP IN SHIT LMFAO.

And Vio's response is FAIR.

Link cut him out so much he's missing a FUCK ton of context about how BAD it was for everyone.

NICE GOING LINK.

Blue's ALSO pretty justified in being PAST the point of WANTING to discuss things with Vio due to how dismissive he's been about their pain.

it's a self fulfilling cycle of bullshit they've trapped themselves in.

Blue really fucked up in mentioning that Link's basically NOT gonna happen anymore in saying "We're not compatible as a person"

Lmfao not red hiding behind the couch. Coward, Vio feels ALONE right now in wanting to return to being Link, and you're the only one VAGLEY on his side. And instead of trying to mediate or help he just leaves Vio to get more and more defensive as Blue yells at him till he runs away to Link's room.

Well damn.

Everyone's expressions after Vio throws his tantrum is...INTERESTING.

Green's HORRIFIED and he's glitching WAY more than before.

Blue's in shock. Probably at how CHILDISH that response was not expecting vio to blow up at him back.

Shadow's also equally horrified as Green.

Red...Red's weird.

Red just stares kind of unfazed. Mild surprise maybe.

"huh...weird" kind of face.

That's quickly brushed by though with Green starting to glitch WORSE.

Blue's concerned.

Green starts gooping. And not in the fun way.

Blue tries to console him and gets...Corrupted for a lack of a better term.

His arm corrupting into Green's.

Link's body contortions and glitching are real similar to this.

It's been shown a few times that their mental state affects their appearance, but NOW it can affect OTHERS appearances.

Green at this point has been pushed to stress and anxiety till he broke poor guy, he's been worried about everyone's safety and been trying to do what would help them and it just hasn't worked out.

Shadow's stuck not sure what to do. As a Shadow he was forced to do NOTHING while Link had moments like this.

Blue snaps him out of it taking charge.

I've always considered Blue second in command. ESPECIALLY in FSR.

He was the only other color Link trusted enough to confide in other than Green and able to pull his head out of his butt to help Green AND Vio in this situation.

Blue's VERY aware of WHY Green's panicking rn. (he's worried vio's going to harm himself in some way...not a stretch to make that assumption and it's brought up later but YEAH that's why he freaked out.)

Vio just needed to have a bitch fit in his room for a bit though and didn't mean to cause that fear.

If he knew I don't think he would have left quite in that way.

but again: Link kinda shot them in the foot leaving half the team aware of shit and the other half NOT.

Either way Shadow's got a job to do.

Lmfao

"Damn it link... you ass" makes me laugh. Blue's so terrible with words.

Turns out Blue mainly was on team "let's not be link!" BECAUSE he was worried about Green having too much shit on his shoulders.

HE WASN'T WRONG.

Some interesting thoughts there pal.

I've always wondered what kind of pressure Green must have felt to be LIKE Link and also be the leader.

Like that's double pressure there.

Being link but BETTER while only being a 1/4th of him sounds like such a task weighing his mentality down.

He's only assigned to that role because...well he's wearing GREEN. not really because of any other reason.

He's just as dumb as the other three.

I've always found it interesting, usually the leader type characters are the Vio's of the group.

Book smart and a bit stuck up.

but instead we get green and...I've joked he's diet Link but fr lol he KINDA IS.

What he lacks makes his personality more so than what he HAS.

His selfishness and ego getting removed making him IMEDIATELY want to work together for instance.

Anyway green analysis aside, Blue acknowledging he fucked up here is good.

The completely black background making you ONLY focus on these two talking was for good reason, Green's weird word bubbles too.

Reality feels like it's breaking around them and if this was voice acted I imagine Green's voice sounding distorted and disjointed here.

Like this is just his thoughts repeating to himself about what Link BEGGED him to do.

Both their glitching just getting worse as the paneling goes by.

Green's all sorts of fucked up. over leaving the other three because he was angry at them. So much guilt is harbored there now over that action.

Also I just wanna point out how brave Blue is.

Touching Green is PAINFUL for him, he yanked his hand back when he touched him initially. He also SAW the corruption it left behind and still chose to hug him here.

Like for all he knows they could become that Link monster thing again but he cares more about Green than that.

Blue's the goat.

Everyone telling Green stuff he's needed to hear.

Even Dark came out to help.

Dark's lines are super fun just because mmmmm it gets into Dark and Green's relationship and i like Darkgreen XD

Green did MASSIVELY change Dark's mission by appealing to his desire to be a hero and changing his mind.

Without Green the others would be SO COOKED.

Dark doesn't consider his mission a failure because he changed course a little and neither should Green.

They're very sweet for each other. QuQ

Not them slapping each other with pillows like children. 😭

Vio, Shadow, you both are too old for this shit.

I flip flop between finding this scene funny or disturbing.

I mean at the end of the day it's a couple smacking the shit out of each other due to their emotional issues. 😭 That's not healthy.

But also...the imagery is so silly looking and they're not actually HURTING each other.

Idk I feel like you could look at it either way.

Shadow mentions it here, but Green was worried about Vio's physical safety. Which....Vio doesn't get. Because Link wanting to game end himself has been NOT shared with him.

Vio's deep in his own insecurity atm.

This is a reference to what was said in the OG manga , that everyone was holding Vio back buuuut our purple buddy feels differently.

Especially with how he feels really bad rejection at the moment.

Vio wrongly assumes people don't want to be link because HE'S THERE. Which isn't true.

Shadow feels bad cause a lot of their issues are wrapped up in the whole Vidow arc of the manga lmfao.

Shadow feeling his OWN guilt over waking Link up which...Dark called it just sayin-

Also points out that Blue "is an ass" but yeah Blue could have worded himself better here. X'D

...We reached the image cap ouch. X'D

Continued vidow later on muahah.

[charmixpower]

I've always loved how committed Timmy was to finding Tecna and thinking about it sent me on a long path of thoughts and I landed on this: how do you think the specialists +Nabu would react if they thought their girlfriend was killed?

Not well!!! Thank you for the Ask :D

Sky: idk if Sky or Brandon would be able to sense Bloom and Stella like Timmy was able to do for Tecna so I'm just gonna assume no bc everyone below them can. I feel like he wouldn't believe it???? Bloom was killed? No she wasn't. Shut up. Like it's half denial and half "have you seen the bullshit magic she's capable of??" It would take Bloom's actual corpse to convince him she was actually dead or a REALLY convincing illusion he could touch. Then he's all fucking sad. Sky is a mom friend so he's going in between extreme sadness and trying to end the person who did this

Brandon: Anyone else except me and Jester notice how Brandon was the most calm at Nabu's funeral???? I feel like he'd have the least worse reaction, not in the sense that he's not upset but in the sense that he has the best handle on his emotions. Like he still gets VERY upset and wants revenge but he's not gonna fucking go berserk and cause problems like Helia and Riven would. He IS still going to try and stab whoever did that to Stella though, he's just going to be slightly smarter about it. I feel like he'd also try and get everyone else to be more careful, around the threat, not himself tho. My Brandon has magic but idk if he'd b able to sense Stella bc his Erakylon tutors wouldn't focus on stuff like that

Timmy: I won't type on this one long because well we know he can't be convinced Tecna's dead unless she's actually dead bc magic, but if he actually thought she was killed he wouldn't try to attack the thing that killed her, he'd try to retrieve and protect her body. Timmy is one of the few people who can keep a level head when upset, including Brandon, and is willing to let the magic people do the magic fighting and stay out of their way (Brandon is also smart enough to know he's not much of a help but is confident in his skills enough that he knows he CAN still help tho)

Riven: Timmy knows Tecna is alive bc it's sorta implied that he can kinda sense her magic?? Like he says he can still feel her, and I'm assuming that means her magic. Anyways you know how Riven could still sense Darcy in s2 after they broke up???? Riven couldn't be convinced Musa was dead unless she actually was dead. He can feel very a lot more strongly than Timmy can feel Tecna I imagine bc he could still sense Darcy's presence after they broke up, so it would be stupid hard to convince him she was dead. If you did somehow manage this he'd attempt to get revenge and then immediately collapse with depression since revenge was gotten. He doesn't handle things well in general, and that's like. The light of his life. His person. He'd literally stop functioning if she was dead

Helia: You'd think bc Helia actually has magic his ability to sense Flora would be stronger, but like it's not terrible but it would be as vague as Timmy's is in canon bc he never uses it. In my hcs it would be better bc he goes to CT and actually uses his magic more often, but he'd still be doing worse than like Nabu, who is a lot better at magic. Helia has a tendency to lash out when Flora is in danger so I think if he genuinely thought she was dead for any amount of time he would be going full war path until he realizes she's alive. When he does realize, bc it will take him a second, he immediately calms down and starts putting together a plan to help Flora

Nabu: he would not think Aisha was dead unless she was actually dead, same reasons as everyone else but his magic is stronger so he'd be the hardest to convince. But like, let's pretend he did actually think she was dead, I feel like he would go full Dungeon Meshi lesbians. He will go any length to revive her if she's dead, and bc she's not dead he's using magic to divine her location and go and get her. Nabu is very into writing spells and runes and arcane magic and there is nothing magical he wouldn't try to get Aisha back. Mans was already so dedicated to getting to know her, combine that with him being in love with her and there is nothing he wouldn't do

[starlight-bread-blog]

The Adrigami Breakup Was Hot Garbage.

This is the episode where Adrien and Kagami break up. The reason why they broke up is because Adrien is Cat Noir and will always have to hide things from Kagami, and she's not having it. It's an episode about how the job of a superhero demands sacrifices, about how Adrien lost his girlfriend to his duties.

But this entire thing falls apart due to both Adrien and Kagami acting from out of character to infuriating. Adrien isn't actually shown to face these struggles as Cat Noir. We don't see him "being a responsible superhero" he's just goofing around and getting Ladybug's attention.

Adrien: Finally! Free at last! Plagg, claws out!

And here when Ladybug doesn't show up to their daily patrol:

AdriCat: So, Mr. Banana! Life's peachy, huh? *gets ignored*Peachy? Banana? Get it?.. Forget it.

AdriCat: So! Mr. Ramier! It's been a while since you were akumatized, right? Kinda miss being Mr. Pigeon? You haven't been feeling depressed? Or desperate? Or angry? Annoyed maybe? Not even a little perturbe?

Mr. Ramier: Thank you for asking Cat Noir but I am in the best of spirits, really!

This is the face Adriem makes after he says he's feeling good and isn't gonna get akumatized:

AdriCat (disappointendly): Well I guess I'm out of here then.

Mr. Ramier: Say hello to the lovely Ladybug for me!

AdriCat: Sure thing! If I ever see her.

Literally, this entire first act is establishing that Cat Noir is sad and lonely without Ladybug to the point where he wants people to get akumatized. Like go back and watch the episode this is insane.

Only after that we get to Kagami. And the relationship is.. off. Kagami lies to both their parents to buy her and Adrien time alone in the art room. She asks him to pose for a sketch, he makes a couple model poses, and the bullshit begins.

Kagami: These are all modeling poses. Try something that's more neutral, more you.

Adrien: What about – meow! *Makes a Cat pose* I mean, now? *nervous chuckle*

Kagami: No. You're not at all neutral.

Adrien: Yes I am, I promise. This is me.

Kagami (intensively): No. That's you when you're being silly.

She's downright rejecting his true self and being a control freak. Where did this come from? They used to crack jokes and have genuine fun together (ie Desperada). This is extremely out of character. But it's not over..

Adrien: What if when I'm being silly, I'm really me?

Kagami: *Gets up closer to gently make him pose*

Adrien's expression is.. um-..

Kagami: There. This, is really you.

Adrien: Do you really think..

Kagami: Yes. You're... perfect. *Leans for a kiss*

What does this scene tell us about their relationship? It tells us that it's toxic, that Kagami is controlling, doesn't care for Adrien's boudries and refuses to see who he really is. Which as I mentioned, goes against her characterization in previous episodes.

After whatever that was Adrien keeps getting called to his duity as Cat Noir. This back and forth continues for a while. But as we established, it's not a meaingful sacrifice to leave Kagami because being a superhero is just professional (and not so proffesional) playtime for him. And the episode keeps on reminding you that all throughout. We cut from Kagami being alone at a party they were supposed to go to together, to this:

AdriCat: Ma'lady, it's been a while since I had this much fun.

Ladybug: *Laughs* If battling a super villian with 3 eyes and a giant monster budy is your idea of fun, I can't imagen what your other days are like.

And in the same conversation:

AdriCat: You can count on me, and my jokes, Bugaboo!

Ladybug: Well, you don't have to over-do it.

AdriCat: The truth is, I only ever have this much fun when I'm with you.

And then he comes back straight to Kagami like nothing's wrong. She confronts him about his lies to her and gets akumatized.

Even when he fights Akumatized Kagami to save her, they still make a point at showing you he's having fun.

AdriCat: I can't wait to see what you're gonna do with a drone.

And his reaction after Ladybug confronts him about sacrificing himself:

Ladybug: Seriously you've got to stop doing this to me!

AdriCat: Yeah, but I can't resist this angry little pout of yours when you bring me back.

Excuse me?

And then, I am not kidding, while still being with Kagami, this happens:

Adrien: *Stares into the sky* Oh, Ladybug...

Plagg: Aww how romantic! I get it, even if I do love every cheese on the plate, I always come back for my favorite.

After fencing class they have the conversation. The break up is caused by Kagami not being not being able to trust Adrien. And this is how thw show, including Adrien himself, frames it too.

AdriCat: You know the difference between us and the rest of the world, ma'lady? We can't be completely honest with each other. We keep secrets, and sometimes we have to lie.

Okay, let's sum everything up:

He emotionally cheats on Kagami and is willing to admit it out loud with no shame.

He loves that subject of infatuation so much to the point where he's openly sad about monsters not attacking Paris.

Shows no remorse to leaving his girlfriend every time they are together, and very explicitly enjoys his time with another girl he's in love with.

At the end of the episode him and the writers push all the bs under the rug and claim Adrien is just following his duties.

....Wow. I remembered Lies being a terrible episode for Adrien but it wasn't until I watched it again that I've realized how much Adrien sucks. I am trurly baffled. Top tier character assassination.

And let's not forget Kagami. What the hell was that? Why did she act like that? Why all the sudden she's toxic and controlling?

Well, all of this nonsense is done to serve a very obvious not-so-hidden hidden agenda: Ladynoir good, Adrigami bad. The writers pretended to tell a genuine story about the duties of being a superhero but couldn't help but sneak in this horseshit. They essentially wanted you to subconciously pick up on what this episode is really trying to say: Kagami doesn't know Adrien's true self, she forces him into the "perfect role" and is incompatible to him. While Ladybug knows his true self. Therefore, Adrien can only be happy with Ladybug.

Kagami isn't controlling and incompatible to him. But that didn't matter to the writers, they have a message to put out. They had retcon her characterization to create a contrast that didn't really exist.

And this applies to Adrien too. He needed to be happy to leave his girlfriend to push the... "message". He needed to emotionally cheat on her like he did to push the message. He sacrificed himself so it would show his so-called love for Ladybug. He wanted people to get akumatized so he could be his true self with his beloved Ladybug. But all of these things don't make him to be compatible with her and destined to be with her, they make him an a$$hole.

And I'm not gonna buy into this message they snuck in there with retcons and infuriating behaviors.

[toonilumi]

saw them on the toyhouse and i'm genuinely curious whats going on with your cog ocs/pos

cracks knuckles.

I've been meaning to say something about them, but I know people tend to get... overzealous around my characters. I know those people mean well but remember I'm just some guy showing off my toys to the class. So please to all those who are reading this: be nice, be respectful, peace and love ok?

to those who are reading that and going "what happened here?" Don't worry about it! Let's talk about OCs!

guess who was added on last minute

This is The Gang™️. Their lores kind of intertwine but I can't share all of it because some of it involves other people. But I will say what I can! From left to right we got:

THE LIABILITY

(AKA: Libellule LaCroix)

- my favorite. This guy is wanted by C.O.G.S Inc. for trying to expose their toxic business practices. Don't get it twisted though, the toons hate him for crashing their karts and robbing their stores. She doesn't like talking to people.

- Muse moves playgrounds almost daily. He prefers toon clothes so whenever he can, libellule will steal some. She's paranoid all the time which isn't great but it makes quick getaways easier. They're pretty easy to agitate, but not necessarily mean. Not anymore.

- Didn't have a lot of friends besides muse's twin, but has since befriended a certain manager in acorn acres. Yeah. Befriended. No don't look at my discord PFP focus on this. That aside muse has a lot of enemies... like a LOT of them. To the point that Libellule automatically assumes everyone doesn't like them.

- A liability is "a thing for which someone is responsible, especially a debt or financial obligation."

THE RECORDHOLDER

(AKA: Sauterelle LaCroix)

- So his ACTUAL job is keeping track of their department's finances but they really wanna be a singer. Sauterelle totally thinks he'd rock the Sellbot department, but was placed in Cashbot territory for their past in finances.

- An overall nice guy but definitely has an "I'm-better-than-you" aura. Loves attention and gets extremely upset when that isn't given. When it comes to toons that reaches levels of (cartoonish) violence. He's actually kinda stupid though, they get manipulated very easily.

- Was easily clocked as a northerner by the L.A.A so they had tension for a bit but they're friends now. Sauterelle hates both the Major Player and the Pacesetter, mainly due to jealousy and possibly insecurity. Can put it aside for the Major Player, not for the Pacesetter.

- A recordholder is "a professional who manages, maintains, and keeps track of records or information." it is more commonly known as "a person or thing that has achieved something no other person or thing has achieved."

THE BLATHERSKITE

(AKA: Fres Nell)

- Once a stagehand, now works maintenance and occasional advertising for the Sellbot department. Don't worry though he still does plenty of stagehand stuff for his good friend in the Bossbot department. He's a borderline theater kid. Maybe even a full one.

- Possibly the nicest person you will meet in C.O.G.S Inc. He's friendly, selfless, and oh man is he talkative. This man never ever shuts up. Fres is always finding ways to help people, and he doesn't even care if they're toons! What a nice guy. Except for when he's making excuses for his less-than-stellar colleagues. That's not cool.

- Considers himself friends with everyone, but has gotten along with the Mouthpiece since he recently joined her club. He's only mediocre at the craft, but loooooves to chat! It probably drives the Case Manager and the Featherbedder up the wall. Oops.

- A blatherskite is "a person who talks at great length without making much sense."

THE AUTEUR

(AKA: Ciel Apper)

- Sadness, despair, melancholy, all of those emotions are what inspire Ciel. They are a director who works from the heart... turns out their heart is merely a shell of what it once was. Having gone solo for years, Ciel is now looking for a company who can understand and possibly foster new visions for cinema.

- A direct suit, Ciel is usually deadpan and quiet. If they say anything more than a sentence to you, it probably means they like you. They are infamous for their vague directions, which makes working with them as an actor a nightmare. Even more so since they're so stuck in their head.... they can't see the suffering of their actors. Or maybe they can, and just don't care.

- Ciel mostly locks themselves up in their studio. In order to get them to go ANYWHERE you either have to drag them out or threaten them. It's not like anyone tolerates their airheadedness besides Fres though. Despite Ciel being somewhat passive, they do have a restraining order on the Pacesetter.

- An auteur is "a filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so great that the filmmaker is regarded as the author of the movie."

THE TOP DOG

(AKA: Lukah Updohg)

- You'd think someone with that title would be pretty important, but that's not quite true. Lukah is the sole member of the "Toon-Cog Relations Committee" which works to try and settle the Toon-Cog conflict peacefully. It's not working at all, so the higher-ups just send her paperwork that nobody else wants to do.

- Lukah is reserved, but by no means quiet. She'll fight vehemently for what's right, more than what many would expect out of a pacifist like her. The mediation tactics she uses work wonders on smaller conflicts, but Lukah would rather go for the bigger picture. Her job is not done without the conflict being over for good.

- Many are suspicious of her. After all, why would any cog care about things like "pollution" or "preserving toon humor?" She knows lots of people try to look into her, so she stays far far away from most employees. If she got along with any other suit it would either be the Deep Diver or the C.O.O due to their respect for the environment.

- A top dog is "a person who is successful or dominant in their field."

Anywho! Thank you for expressing interest in them! I hope to eventually have more art of them but most of it is just doodles.... and the occasional self indulgence. Don't worry about it.

[anderscim]

@eventide-roses asked:

I would like to drop in something that has been.....kinda bugging me??? Not really bugging, but idk if you can even make a theory off of it. It's more Xanvid inclined anyway (and ig Teruvid if you squint really hard), but it's something that I found kinda interesting imo

Ask yourself this. How much screentime did David even have before chapter 2? I find it odd (my brother and I joke about him being the "Levi" of chapter 1 - having very little screentime) that he wasn't on screen for.....really most of chapter's 1 daily life, except for when he intervened Teruko and Xander's conversation in the dining hall (where he went on about how there is so much pressure on his shoulders from being looked up to a lot). Keep in mind Teruko knows his optimistic facade is merely an act. Lots of ppl (included myself) think that David only intervened cause he was watching Xander and Teruko, cautious cause one person knew something that they shouldn't have. But that also sounds a little too cautious, wouldn't you say? Sure, as an inspirational speaker, you are expected to be always happy and cheerful, seeing the world through rose tinted glasses. But surely, as a human being, you are also not immune to being sad. His slip up in the introduction just sounded like an introvert to me. Maybe a bit of a bitchy introvert, but not......something worth total contempt from someone. Yet, David is paranoid enough to keep to himself for the majority of chapter 1 and (most likely) just watched Teruko and Xander's interactions carefully. Why would he do this? Obviously he doesn't want anyone else to know about how his facade is just....well, a facade. But it honestly seems like he genuinely values Xander's opinion about him. He doesn't want anything negative to smear Xander's opinion about him. And keep in mind, ever since the killing game was announced, David (most likely) automatically went in his head "Well, it's only a matter before we all die" yet he still desperately tries to keep up his happy go lucky facade, even when he knows he could die the very next day

I found it kinda odd he never really played a big part until after chapter 2, episode 4 where he became the so called 'leader' and started the plan to share secrets again. But wasn't this also after the end of the first trial where he says "I lost hope, I won't bother to keep it up anymore, we are all going to die here" <- paraphrasing rn, don't kill me. And yet he STILL tries to keep up the persona. I remember one blog made a post about how David's plan was actually better than what the cast could've done (sit around the let the motives be revealed or reveal them without permission) which I agree with. But then it backfired and everyone started to gain up on David during the trial. I think the straw that broke the camel's back was when Teruko said David has been faking not only his personality, but also being a good person. Like damn girl, you think he's a bad person just cause you caught him saying a few negative things to himself? It fits with her character of not trusting people, but still. All that was revealed about his 'true true' personality was that he was some mildly bitchy introvert that wanted to sleep in I have no idea where I am going with this, but these are some findings that I thought was interesting enough to share with you (hopefully I'm sending it to the right blog as well). I guess what I'm trying to say is not only does David truly care about Xander, but possibly everyone else in the cast (he probably even had some respect for Teruko, until Xander died, which is a whole other can of worms, but I also think he blames her for Xander's death and her secret he received in chapter 2 only verifies his belief) And (this is also an extremely long stretch but also worth considering) the gag comic that the dev made I think? 2021 ish? Where David received too many letters and he was worried how he would get through all of them? It wasn't even his idea to throw them out, it was Whit's (to which, David even asked him isn't that a little mean?). It shows that David still cares about his fans (again, it's a really big stretch, but still has the character's canon personalities, since the dev themself made it)

first off, thank you for the submission lexi! i hope you don’t mind that i transferred your ask to this blog ^^

and yeah, i noticed these things too, but in my opinion it may mostly be an indication that david is adamant about maintaining his persona and what the cast expects from him.

(take this with a grain of salt)

despite his (at the very least) pessimistic dialogue at the end of chapter one, i think he tries to consistently keep the “ideal image” that the rest of the cast expects from him as the ultimate inspirational speaker—leading the group, presenting that entire plan (despite likely making it up on the spot), etc—in the beginning of chapter two. similar to what you said, i think it’s a very interesting contradiction to have david act so pessimistic and say that they’re “all certainly going to die here,” and then suddenly find him within the next few days leading the group and doing everything he possibly could to keep his plan going. like i mentioned in this older post, david’s plan was likely better than any of the alternatives—and based on the fact he could potentially convince everyone to follow a separate path from what he outlined in ch2 ep4, it’s likely that he wasn’t actually attempting to “foster the right atmosphere for murder to occur,” like he claimed in episode 11.

so if he was trying to help and prevent another murder despite the (very) limited means to do so—despite him clearly saying how they’re all going to die the chapter before—it might point to the fact that david is pressured by his own reputation to act in a way that is fitting for an inspirational speaker, regardless of all of his slip-ups from earlier. after all, david may have felt that it was wrong to watch all of the discourse happening in ch2 ep4 and not do something about it, especially since he has a career that literally helps other people for a living.

however, this internal(?) pressure could imply that he sets unrealistic expectations on himself to maintain that image—which might explain why, despite his slip-up in the prologue only showing us that he was more pessimistic and lazy than the cast expected, he was paranoid enough to check on xander and teruko. as implied from the MV and all of the secrets that it has, there’s a lot of evidence that points to david not feeling human (the dolls, the albino mouse / arabidopsis / footnote 2)—instead, he thinks of himself as a sort of “model organism” and someone who’s supposed to hold up an ideal for everyone else to follow. if this is true, this may explain why he felt cautious enough to go out of his way and monitor(?) the two people who may know something past his persona/reputation—true, it is only human to feel negative emotions and express them outwardly, but in david’s case he may hold incredibly high expectations for himself as a role model and pretend that he’s immune to those emotions. after all, he doesn’t feel like he’s human.

i also agree on the “he at the very least had an iota of respect for the rest of the cast at one point” part <-paraphrased. no specific evidence for this but i might get to it later

i hope you get what i mean. (-.-;) thank you again for the submission!

[nerendus]

Okay, finished Rogue Trader, time for my in depth review.

This was my first Warhammer 40k game, and in terms of just how good it is to start with as someone who has extremely limited knowledge of the lore, it's very good. As a person who quite likes dark choir and Gregorian chant music and just existing online for a long time, it's kinda difficult to not gather some, albeit extremely out of context, snippets of the lore, but this game does it really well that you can go in completely blind and still be able to understand what was going on.

Before I go over the negatives of this game, I naturally have to bring attention to many of the positives.

The true highlight of this game was easily the companions. I was unable to grab Ulfar due to a bug and I got rid of Marazhai when I realised "oh no, he's going to be an awful person to all my canon lovers," but everyone else I loved dearly. Cassia....least of all, her whole thing got boring very quickly, and Yrliet was cool but her combat dialogue made me very annoyed with her. Yes, you are not my xeno pet, now can you please shoot that celestial being that is trying to kill all of us?

Everyone else, I have no complaints with. Argenta was very extreme, but in a sort of endearing way. Idira's story made me so sad, and I'm glad I was able to give her an ending where she lived a happy life. That bit of Jae taking her to go see the void whales nearly brought a tear to my eye. Heinrix...I like to make fun of him and call him a snitching bitch, but I do genuinely like him. It's just I like him in a way that I constantly want to bully him because I think it's funny. Jae and Pasqal are legally both my wives and I don't care what canon says. Abelard...Abelard is my Kim Kitsuragi. Most of my choices in the game were based around if he would approve or not. I wasn't able to give most of my friends the best possible outcome (tbh at a certain point I stopped trying), but just being able to send that old man off peacefully surrounded by people who love him was the greatest feeling in the entire world.

In terms of gameplay, naturally my favourite part was the space exploration. Finding new worlds and uncovering their ancient pasts...it was all so much fun. More on that in a moment.

The story towards the end did begin to bother me, but there were two moments that really made it worthwhile. First, the final goodbyes to all of your friends. I don't know how different the conversations would be if you were an asshole to them, but being on good terms with everyone really just warms the heart. Being able to hug Idira, Pasqal saying he was glad to travel with me, Abelard........being Abelard. The only thing I would change is that I think, as Lord Captain, I should've been able to order a group hug. I loved them all so much and I truly think they should've at the bare minimum hugged (bare maximum: best orgy the Expanse has ever seen).

The second part was...the ending sequence itself. I did the Iconoclast ending with my lovely son Nomos, and that whole sequence of the Rogue Trader going Go, my sweet summer child and watching my son becoming a literal god was great. I had...a few concerns throughout the game that because I played a good person I would get a bad ending since the Dystopian Fascist Government That's In Denial That They Are A Dystopia would naturally try to off my girl, but Nomos coming in clutch to save the Expanse was amazing. If Iconoclast had been a certified bad ending, especially after all the bullshit that happened in Act 3 and beyond, I would have been so pissed. Having a satisfying ending, however bittersweet it may be, made the difficult and stressful journey worth it. Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader was my Mordor, and I was Frodo Baggins and Abelard was Samwise Gamgee.

In terms of endings.....I did okay. Abelard got the best ending, Idira did as well though she didn't reconcile with Vigdis or Argenta--if someone can explain how you do that, especially Vigdis, please tell me I'm curious. Everyone else....lived a life. Heinrix got assassinated, Jae got assassinated, Pasqal became a heretic which I think is hot of him, Yrliet was killed by Pasqal which is honestly kinda funny, Cassia...I didn't care enough to actually read her ending but I think it was okay.

I was only really trying to get good endings for Abelard, Idira, and Pasqal because naturally they were the characters I got the most attached to. I was initially trying with Jae, but after I realised that after Act 3 you can't go forward with romancing her, I was so fucking tired of this bullshit that I gave up. Everyone else I did make an effort to help them, but I didn't care that much about getting the perfect ending for them.

So...now is time for the negatives. First one is the one that I've mentioned a few times, and that's the story. Up until Act 3 I was deeply immersed in the story, I really liked where it was headed. But once you get to Commorragh (which I will now refer to strictly as Low Budget Tower of Latria) it starts to fall apart.

The very beginning was great. The Rogue Trader being mentally tortured and struggling to get by as she searches for her comrades that have also bear witness to the Horrors. Finding out the different ways they were abused at the hands of that....fish....elf....mermaid....thing was great. And the idea of then going to try and get revenge on the fuckers who tortured you was also good but it just...kept...going. The battles were just so boring, and the dungeon just kept spiraling on in a way that wasn't fun at all. It doesn't help that the story also just...wasn't appetizing. After we gather the crew and Tervantias told us to fuck off, it just became boring. Yeah, those dudes want to see us fight to the death, can I please continue on to the next area already?

I also just have an issue with just how...after Act 3 the torture is only really referenced in idle dialogue between companions. Funnily enough, the only one I got to mention it was Idira and she wasn't even there. Like, I feel like they should have put in at least a little bit of extra effort into placing those events into the overall storyline for the companions that were actually there. Make Abelard sad, Cassia even more of a whiny bitch. Hell, you literally tell Pasqal "hey man, we'll deal with the weird xenotech in your body once we get out of this place" and then it is never mentioned again. It felt so out of place for you to go through literal hell with your best friends and it not have a lasting impact on anybody. At the very least, there should have been the ability that the companions that went to Bad Latria to have new dialogue options open up at the bridge--there's no way you wouldn't have a deeper connection with these folk after all that.

But eventually, Act 3 passes and Act 4...was Act 4. I'm trying to keep my breakdown of the events linear, but I just...really think Act 4 and Act 5 should have been switched, or at the very least, the bosses switched. But I'll get into that in a moment.

Act 4 wasn't terrible. Most of it was just finishing up on companion questlines, and the questlines were genuinely fun to do...except Cassia. Look, at a certain point you lose patience with characters like her, and I just picked options that didn't make me sound like a total asshole. Pasqal's questline was fun...even though it was hard to keep up with the constant new information and names I most certainly don't remember being referenced. I really wasn't expecting the Truth to be that he is like, robot Moses, I really thought that he was just a septuplet or something. I did really like the twist even though I didn't fully understand it. Argenta's mission was cool. Abelard's was amazing even though I had to enlist the help of the wiki since it didn't really click at first.

There's also the bit on Footfall of making things normal again, and honestly, gathering a squad of bandits-turned-politicians-turned-bandits, pirates, priests, drunkards, to fight against Some Woman was really fun. But...then the inquisitor sends you off to war.

The war part itself was fun, even though it was just a storytelling bit. Grandpa Opticon-22 died, but comparing that to his Alive Ending....his sacrifice honestly just felt far more satisfying than robbing him of his martyrdom. Also, he's Grandpa, his legs must be so tired, he deserves some rest.

But then you get into the facility and the anger just comes back at full force. Listen, I'm not the biggest fan of turn based fights in video games--if I went seeking gameplay like that I'd go play DND--but Rogue Trader had been for the most part not bad though it does get quite repetitive and boring, but the shit on that planet fucking sucked. It wasn't fun. It was over staying its welcome for a really long goddamn time. And then you go fight Urlon and the bird....it's the same shit. It was boring as hell and didn't spark any fun whatsoever. The Urlon portion wasn't that bad, but the bird....man, fuck that bird.

There was a moment after returning to Footfall for answers that I did like, and that was all of the faction leaders sort of wishing the Rogue Trader good luck on her journey. It was cute, but I didn't manage to max out friendship with any of the factions by a long shot. I was aiming for really good rep with the Navy and AdMech since the colony stuff related to them was the most interesting to me, but...alas. Are you able to max out more than one faction? I've heard people maxing out the Navy, but I don't know if the only way to max out a faction is by focusing solely on one or what.

There was that bit of a Star Trek feel when you finally get through that portal and end up somewhere completely uncharted. It felt so magical, but it ended just as quickly as it began. There was only like, four, maybe five systems that you got to explore before you were at the end of the game, which just fucking sucked. The map for the Expanse is so huge and you only get to explore like 1/3 of it that if felt so...unfulfilling. I loved that feeling when I first pulled open the map and thought "Wow! This thing is huge! I can't wait to explore every nook and cranny!" and just for most of that space to go untouched really hurt my explorer brain.

So....the Inquisitor. I really hated how the story handled him. Sort of suddenly and disjointedly at the end of Act 4 the story begins to try and paint him as the big bad mastermind of the game and it just...didn't work for me. If there had been more intrigue...mystery....unanswered questions that just chewed at your brain throughout the game, maybe it could have worked. But really it was mainly just, you go up to this man and he has to explain how every little detail of the game was directly his fault. It did not feel satisfying at all. It just happened, and then he was dead.

I think, even if they kept him as the True Mastermind, he and Urlon should have swapped places. Urlon and Kunrad just mean so much more for the Rogue Trader's personal journey, that I can't help but think they should have been put at the end instead of the Inquisitor. So much of the story had been this sort of quest for revenge, and for the ending to not be a fulfillment of that revenge just feels wrong.

As for the actual final boss, no major complaints. C'tan was a bit....boring. They could've hired their orchestra to have a truly magnificent final boss theme and gave him far more cool and epic moves instead of just...standing there most of the time. I will say, though, I did really like that one attack that puts a bunch of spears in a companion and you can just...have another companion swap places. I think that was really neat.

The other part of the negatives is bugs...but this is already way too long so I'll be quick with this part.

Ulfar just...wasn't able to be recruited

enemies just remaining in their idle poses during fights and it taking upwards to a minute for the game to finally move to another fighter

Stairs.

Idle dialogue not supporting the canon events (Abelard grieving the idea of the Rogue Trader and Cassia being put into a loveless marriage....despite that not being a thing)

This isn't really a bug, but fuck if the camera angles in oddly shaped rooms don't just jerk you around constantly

There's probably more bugs and more grievances I have that I have just forgotten...but this is long and I just want this to be over.

I've wanted to get into Warhammer 40k for years, but with there being so much material and not knowing what would be a good starting point as someone with no knowledge, this game was a godsend. There's very certain things that I'm very much into about the universe: AdMech, the Necrons, the Elves all specifically and having now the basics to go forth I know what I want to go more into since there is no way in hell I'm going to play every game and read every book there is.

I'm not very interested in the Space Marines and the Imperium...but not for the reason you'd think. I don't care that they're facists and their god is a dead dude, it's....just that they look ugly. Not physically, some of them are quite attractive face-wise, but them just wearing this big bulky armour but their faces being exposed just fills me with a rage that even I don't understand. The reason I want to kill the God-Emperor isn't because he created an awful place to live, it's because I saw one picture of him as a Man In Armour and it just made me so mad and now I hate everything he stands for. It's weird, I can't explain it.

But yeah...I'm really glad that I played this game. There's talk of a DLC mayhaps coming, and I have absolutely no desire to play it. Act 3 and beyond just makes the game immediately unreplayable for me, but I am still very grateful that I did play it.

Final score. 6/10.

[folansstuff]

I'm bored, and you’ve been super kind, so here's a present for ya. I'm gonna try to come up with some genuinely good questions regarding Atticus. Some will be simple, while others will try to dig deeper. Here we go:

1. What is the most important thing in the world to Atticus? His undisputed #1 thing?

2. Would Atticus give this thing up if it meant saving mutantkind?

3. What angers Atticus most?

4. What saddens Atticus most?

5. What is Atticus' biggest flaw?

6. What is one regret he will carry for the rest of his life?

7. What made you follow the official timeline for his story instead of making your own?

8. Who do you think Atticus would be with if Illyana did not exist?

9. Is Atticus a genuinely good person to you? What dark traits does he have deep down, if any?

10. What could potentially turn him to a villain? If anything?

11. If you had to change his powers, what would they be?

12. How much of you has been reflected into this manbear?

And that is all for now! Hope you enjoy.

Thanks for the questions! I appreciate the questions, especially when they're thinkers like these ones. That being said, there are a lot of them so they're gonna go under a read more.

His books. It's Illyana. Of course it is. We are talking Illyana as number one, and then his students and team mates at second.

2. Absolutely not. This has more than once gotten him punched in the face for his stubbornness. His loyalty to Illyana is more than a little bit self-destructive lmao.

3. Atticus is an incredibly laid back dude, but literally any moment when he is forced to interact with Xavier makes him want to rip his hair out. Years of watching the egg-man ruin his friends, students and others lives because he think he knows best drives Atticus up the wall. Also Sinister, he exploded when he found out Sinister was on the Council.

4. SAD! KIDS! As a former traumatized teen and currently mildly traumatized adult, nothing upsets him more than seeing a young person having a rough time. This why he has so many (unofficial) adopted children (consisting of ever single student he has ever had).

5. A combo of stubbornness and, in a smaller sense, cowardice. Atticus has spent most of his adult life avoiding the superhero community, and until Krakoa, he was very committed to never getting involved. This has made him difficult to deal with, especially when he talks to people like the X-Men or Avengers. It also applies to his convictions, cause good luck getting him to budge once he's made a decision.

6. 3 big ones. Not stopping the Avengers from putting the Phoenix into Illyana, Piotr and Emma (he doesn't care enough about Summers or Namor to worry about them.) The other one is not being in Sydney when Australia's Sentinel program killed his mother accidentally. Notably he couldn't actually stop any of this from happening, but he still regrets it. Finally, he regrets leaving his job at Avengers Academy, since the events of Avengers Arena led to the deaths of a bunch of his students. (No wonder he's so protective.)

7. Honestly? It's easier LMAO. Not having to think as hard about the timeline of everything means that I can focus more on character work, which is really my area of expertise. And it's not like I can't mess with canon (the timeline I write in splits off after the 2023 Hellfire Gala) since comic canon is already so bullshit.

8. Uhhhhhhhhhh. I actually don't know? He's kinda crafted to fit well with her so much now that I have a hard time considering it. Maybe Emma? That could be a similar and cute relationship. Same thing with like, Lorna. Maybe there's a cursed timeline where he ends up with Boom-Boom. IDK, Atticus is drawn to people with Issues (and blondes), so that's probably your best bet.

9. Woah, big morality question. The boring answer is yes because I say so. But I think removing myself from that position as his creator, I do think he's a good dude. He definitely has his issues, but ultimately he just wants the best for himself and the people he cares about. If anything dying and coming back fused to a living garden has probably made him even nicer.

10. There's def an alternate universe where he's swayed to Magento's Brotherhood for a while, and I've looked at Beast's descent into villainy as a fun What If? thing. It would have to be if Illyana had died, or he let his more controlling elements take over.

11. Plants or making him a Telepath (of the unwanted voices variety). Honestly every time I write Atti's powers in action it gives me a headache, even though I think they're legitimately cool.

12. Uhhhhhh, some amount. As he developed he's actually gotten pretty far away, but it'd be silly to say nothing about Atti is similar to me. I'm Australian, and am currently in Uni for teaching, so there's the ones that 100% still apply at least. I wish I was as much a bear as Atticus is tho, I'm a little chubby, not quite as cuddly as he is (or hairy.).

[mysteriawrites]

hello this is unit 4402 let's do a matchup trade :D

i'm one of those people that enjoys their alone time but when i'm with someone i'm comfortable with, i'm super noisy and goofy. i like to make people laugh! and i like walking to the beat of my own drum too. it's easy for me to fixate on the things that interest me to the point that i forget to take care of myself even though i want to take care of others. i prefer to take the lead and make moves first, but i'm tsun as much as i hate to admit it lol

ty for the request! feel free to send one in and i'll do one for you 👍

-unit 4402

We Interupt your regularly scheduled program for.......A MATCHUP TRADE WITH

@brisquad-unit-4402 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thx for the trade I hope you’re not disappointed. Took me a good minute to decide who to match you with i had a handful of options but I like the potential of this pairing so DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

FULGUR OVID!!!

(Srry if you wanted Sonny or Ike I know they’re your oshies but i just think this a nice balanced pairing)

I think you guys would work really well when it actually came down to it. Just a unique vibe of chaos and comfort. You and Fulgur both have a tendency to take care of others while both still being absolute chaos gremlins who know how to have fun.

You guys are like the fun aunt and uncle of the family, but you both make sure to take care of each other and not let the other get burnt out. You’re definitely the more chaotic or the two of you however Fulgur does like to indulge your goofy nature. He’s just happy that you’re happy being yourself

You guys met after he joined niji. you were part of a (non existent) earlier wave and were assigned with Ike to host the new wave debut program. You had gotten a little bit of a chance to talk to the new wave before, but only exchanged a few words. However you were pleasantly surprised to find out how completely unhinged the new guys were. You had to admit you were intrigued.

You had arranged for you to collab with one of the Noctyx members named Fulgur Ovid. Up until them he seemed kinda quiet to you, but when you guys were collabing it was like hanging out with old friends. You were making jokes and bantering like there was no tomorrow. Your fans even started shipping you guys which jump started your will they won’t they campaign.

Since then all of your interactions would be slightly flirty, suggestive, and/or teasing. You two did still get very close though, even met up irl after he moved to the states and did and off collab.

When Fulgur’s health declined a bit and he had to go take a break for a little bit you took care of him, and that’s what led him to falling for you. After that his flirting had a lot more feeling behind it, He would be genuinely flustered whenever you flirt back, and sad if you dodged his advances.

One day you were over at his house playing valorant. He thought you were so hot when you were focused he could barley focus on the game. When you guys won your last match you turned to him with a proud smile on your face and that destroyed him. You two stared at each other for awhile as the sexual tension grew until he asked if he could kiss you and you said yes (let’s just say you found out how about Fulgur’s detachable part worked) (this is how sexual tension works right?)

Since then you guys became a real thing. Going for walks with dog, playing games together, drinking together, and just chillin and hanging out.

He takes care of you when you get caught up in your fixations, but still encourages you and tries to learn more about it so you guys can share it together.

You guys aren’t super cuddly but you have your moments especially at night or watching a movie. He has a lot of movies to show you (with some help from Vox)

Speaking of which you 3 (+ Aia) play dnd together every weekend. Your party is a group of absolute murder hobos, but at least you all are having fun and try out other ttrpgs when you can.

You guys all in all are a pretty chill and playful couple, and the new parents of Nijisanji EN.

This one is less lore connected and kinda short because I’m still not 100% sure on Fulgur’s lore so idk how to integrate it into the story so I just wrote about after he started streaming. Anyway hope you like it.

Runners Up: Luca Kaneshiro, Ren Zotto, Sonny Brisko, Kyo Kaneko

Disclaimer for anyone else reading this: all of my nijien writing and fics are fictional and don’t pertain at all to the streamers behind the model. Please respect them and others in the community thank you.

[sunbloomdew]

My thoughts on Juvia Lockser in the Tower of Heaven Arc

Disclaimer: This is an anti-Juvia post! If you like her that’s cool, I'm happy you do. I don’t and I have the right to express that. I will not change my mind about this character, so please don’t try to “prove me wrong”. It will just end up in both of us getting frustrated. I sincerely hope you have a nice day and continue to enjoy what you like.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have been rewatching Fairy Tail! I finished the Tower of Heaven arc, which I found really enjoyable, except for a few things, notably J//via’s presence in this part of the story. I have a strong dislike for her, but putting my feelings aside for a second, I think it makes no sense that she of all people is in this arc. If she must i think it would have been better if she reappeared in the story in the next arc, the Battle of Fairy Tail (or if she didn’t return at all), and here’s why:

She has no meaningful connection to any of the characters involved. She is not friends with anyone from team Natsu, she is a former enemy, who they see for the first time since defeating Phantom Lord. Moreover, the reason she was in the Akane Resort in the first place was to stalk Gray. Her intentions aren’t pure or honourable, she doesn't care about Erza and Happy getting kidnapped, nor does she care about Erza’s backstory. She has no reason to care about any of this because they are not friends! And it makes her being there look weird. In most of the scenes she doesn’t even talk, aside from acting insanely possessive over a man with whom she doesn’t have a relationship, nor his consent to behave this way. J//via doesn’t feel any genuine care for members of team Natsu, and i say any because i don’t consider her obsession with Gray to be that. She is just physically attracted to him, and I guess he made the rain stop because he was pretty?? And saved her from falling, which any decent person would do.

There is literally no good reason why she should be allowed to learn about Erza’s very traumatic past. This bothers me a lot, as it affects Erza’s character as well. I find it hard to believe that Erza, who is closed off and has a hard time being vulnerable, even with people she grew up with, just told the story of her childhood to a stranger. When Gray, Lucy, Natsu and J//via arrive at the tower, she doesn’t even acknowledge J//via’s presence once. She acts like she is not even there! She doesn’t know who she is, judging by her words in episode 41, when she asks Gray something along the lines of “Where is that girl?”. And in the funeral scene, Juvia isn’t there either. She has no connection to the emotional core of this arc, which leads me to her scene with Lucy.

Her meaningful moments hold little weight and could have been better executed. Without the context J//via’s little monologue about Fairy Tail during her and Lucy’s fight against the hair assassin is kinda sweet. I can sympathise with the feeling of bringing sadness and misery everywhere you go and I can admit that J//via’s backstory is sad and she didn’t deserve the treatment she got. What ruins this scene for me and ultimately renders it kinda useless are a few things. First, prior to this moment she never expressed a desire to join Fairy Tail for reasons NOT related to Gray. Never during her stalking does she think about Fairy Tail as a guild, all her thoughts centre around Gray. During her monologue we get flashbacks to the moments when she was stalking Gray, which undermine her declaration even more. How can you say you love Fairy Tail, when you hadn’t experienced the sense of community yourself? When all you have been doing is violating someone’s privacy? What’s even worse about J//via’s moment with Lucy is that after the fight, the next time they talk J//via is back to her possessive self! Even when she was moved by Lucy being kind to her, even when Lucy constantly says that she is not her “love rival” she keeps antagonising her (and that is just the beginning). Her other moments are just her protecting Gray, which would have been nice and all if she was better written. IF her feelings for him grew over time and were explored, IF she wasn’t a freakin creep and respected his boundaries, IF she had a character outside of him- only then i would be able to look at her protection as something genuine and sweet, not as a way for her to make Gray look at her more favourably. As such, everything she does feels like manipulation, to get what she desires.

The team could have easily handled things without her. Her power wasn’t essential in getting into the tower, since Lucy has Aquarius, who could without any trouble do the same. It would be even better if that happened, since it would give Lucy some moments to shine! I have already been rewriting it in my head. Aquarius could have helped them camouflage the boat and find the underwater entrance, as well as helping them get through it. It would provide development in Lucy’s relationship with Aquarius, which we don’t get enough of in the series in my opinion. We could have Lucy summon Aquarius, and her being pissed at the beginning but quickly realising what sort of situation they are in and helping them (still with her harsh exterior of course, because if anybody is a tsundere in Fairy Tail, it’s Aquarius lmao). It would also show that spirits are reliable and can do their jobs without being rendered useless by their gags. In my opinion, the overused jokes with the spirits make Lucy look incompetent and make the spirits look like flat characters too. They can crack jokes, sure, but that shouldn’t get in the way of what they have been summoned for. Lucy could have her moment of defeating one of the assassins, and if that would be out of character for her to be able to take down this opponent on her own this early in the story, then she could have teamed up with Milliana and Wally to do that. I think it would be a cute little moment, just like Natsu, Gray and Happy sorta teamed up with Simon to take down the owl (i say sorta because Simon does get knocked out right at the beginning - it was a missed opportunity, it would have been so cool if he joined them in the fight).

So now that I went over the reasons why I think reintroducing J//via into the story in this arc was bad timing, I'm going to list off a few other problems I had with her that I wasn't sure where to put.

Starting off with:

She literally tries to drown Lucy. This is such an idiotic moment that I'm not even sure what to say. Why? All it does is make J//via look even more deranged and uncaring. And for it to happen in such a serious situation too! The team is trying to rescue Erza and Happy, two members they care for very much, and all J//via can think about is that there is another girl near Gray. Not to mention, that Juvia did make Lucy lose consciousness before, when she captured her for Phantom. Realistically, having Lucy be forced to relay on her kidnapper to get to their destination would have made her at least a bit anxious. Especially since she is yet to hear a true apology for that.

This could go in the “no meaningful bonds” argument sorta. When the team is heading to the tower on a boat, J//via makes a comment about not expecting Erza to get defeated so easily and Gray gets upset at her comment. I totally understand his reaction. If a stranger/former enemy said something like “i never thought that they would be beaten so easily” about my beloved friend, i would be mad as well! This exchange just further proves that J//via doesn’t know anything about the people she decided to join.

Another thing I was wondering about was why did she choose to approach Gray at the resort, and not earlier or later. I thought of a couple of answers. First, this isn’t the guild, where she would have to confront a group of people who were attacked by Phantom. Second, the team split to do their own things at the casino, which means she can approach Gray when he is alone and again, doesn’t have to confront others, for example Lucy. And third, this is a vacation resort, which means that Gray will be more relaxed and possibly more likely to talk with her. To me it just reads as very manipulative, to try to target the object of her “affections” in such a way.

I think what i dislike about J//via the most is that when you take away her love for Gray, there is nothing about her except for a good design (i like blue AND dead fish eyes lmao) and cool powers i guess. And well, that is not enough for a character to be compelling. 

She never reflects on her actions as a Phantom Lord member, she doesn’t express any guilt for kidnapping Lucy and taking part in the attack on Fairy Tail. She doesn’t have any values or beliefs that are her own. She is such a frustrating case to me, because she could have been such a powerful lesson in self-worth and learning to love yourself. Imagine if she went through a character arc where she realised that she doesn’t have to base her whole identity on romantic love. That she has value outside of being someone’s love interest and can find people who accept her with her ability to bring rain. Instead she is awful.

Phew that was quite a rant. There are many other things unrelated to this character that i want to talk about, but i will leave them for separate posts. It feels refreshing to be able to express your opinion online, since it's not something i have done a lot before - i've always been more of a silent enthusiast.

If you've read this post i'm interested in hearing your thoughts! Let's all remember to be respectful when starting a discussion.

Peace out (❁´◡`❁)

[ancientagentalien]

꧁༺ 𝓦𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓯𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓮𝓽𝓼 ༻꧂

Hobie Brown x Reader

Warnings: slight angst

A/N: Watched ATSV two days in a row and felt the need to share this idea. Hope you like it!

3rd POV

Today just hadn't been a good day. Nothing seemed to go right. First off, you didn't eat that morning since you felt a little sick at the idea of food. Little did you know, your stomach was going to feel like it was digesting itself only an hour later. You got dressed and made it to school just in time. If it weren't for your parents, you wouldn't really care. Then, as you survived your way through your classes, people were extremely rude. Everyone seemed to have an insult ready the second you weren't perfect. What made it worse is that all you ever tried to do was make everyone happy. It really hurt, but you wouldn't let it show. You always put others above yourself. That being said, you haven't really been your own person for years now. At the end of the day, while you were walking home, you accidentally bumped into someone on the crowded sidewalks of the city. They took it into their hands to let you know how inconvenient your presence was.

Once you got into the safety of your room, you tossed your bag aside and sat on your bed. You took a while to think and listen to music. The more you thought about your failed attempts at making everyone happy, the more it hurt. A tear slipped down from your eye before you wiped it and decided to try and calm down. The thick feeling of sadness in the back of your throat didn't leave as you climbed your way onto the fire escape and up to the roof. You walked to the edge of it and sat down, sighing to no one in particular. After all, if a tree falls with no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? You looked out over the city as the sun started to set.

A small while later, when the sky was a harmonious jumble of colors, you hear the tap of heavy boots landing several feet behind you.

Hobie's POV

The day I had was pretty average. I went through the normal "down with the patriarchy" shenanigans. As I was going home, however, I saw a familiar silhouette sitting on a rooftop I knew very well. I swung over and landed several feet away from them before walking closer.

"Enjoying the view?" I asked as I sat down next to them.

They looked at me and sighed. "Yeah. Nothing quite like watching the sun set to wind down after a long day." They look away with a small smile. It didn't seem genuine, however.

Something about how they said it rubbed me wrong. Something was off, and I didn't need spidey sense to tell. "Hm..."

Your POV

"What's got your gears turning? I can practically hear you think." I say as I look back at Hobie. I had known him for quite a while. So long, in fact, that I was able to figure out he was Spider-Man. After knowing him for so long, I've learned how to tell when something could be bothering him.

"Yeah, I'm alright." He spoke softly, his English Cockney accent as thick as ever. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

I didn't like where this was going. "But I always talk to you."

He seemed unsatisfied with my response as he took off his mask. "You know what I mean. Something is eating you up inside, and I know it. You hardly ever let yourself be unhappy around me and even less around others. You think I don't notice, but I do."

The jig is up. "Alright, you got me."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He said with a sweet tone rare to ever come out of him. It seemed to only talk like that around me. At least... I've never heard him use that tone with others.

"Well..." I could feel my carefully constructed walls crumbling. "I've noticed that I don't have a real personality. I just act the way I think I'm supposed to. I change myself to fit in with whoever I'm with. It makes me feel... so much less like a human..."

Hobie's POV

I was appalled by what I heard. "Do you... do you do it because you want to or because you feel you have to?"

"I guess I kinda feel like I have to... I want people to like me, and I don't want to upset anyone. I guess I lost myself along the way..." My heart broke at their response. I had a feeling they weren't always truthful, but I wasn't sure. Well... now I am.

"I see. I'll be honest, I understand why you do it for other people, but to be honest, doing that makes you seem a bit… fake, I suppose. No offense. I believe it is better to be yourself. Otherwise, if you do what others want, you won't know what you want." I say, trying to be helpful.

That seemed to upset them a little, but it also didn't seem to be towards me. "I know, and that's the part that upsets me the most. I know what my problems and flaws are, but I don't even know where to begin fixing them. I don't know how to be my own person. I've always had to be what my parents wanted me to be, and I guess that's where the need for validation came from."

I nodded. "Hm… I'll tell you something someone once said to me. Try not to focus on 'I want to be like this or that' but instead, focus on 'I would like to try doing this or that' it's not a perfect solution but I think it could at least be a good start for you."

"Thanks, Hobie. You're a real great person. I wish I could know who I am, just like you do. I don't want to be in the middle of an identity crisis. I just want to be myself without anybody telling me who I am. Sometimes... that just feels... impossible..." The way they spoke felt far more genuine. Given the subject at hand, it was like salt in the wound.

"Hey hey hey. Stop overthinking all of that. Don't be so harsh on yourself. It's ok to feel lost. We all feel lost sometimes. I do sometimes, too. You aren't any less of a person. You just gotta keep looking and trying new things, and you'll find yourself, okay? Don't beat yourself up over it." I knew in this moment that they needed someone to be the rock in their life, and I was more than happy to be it.

"Okay." She gave me a small wistful smile. "I'm lucky I met you. It's nice to have that type of reassurance. It's like you always know what to say."

"I'm glad I could make you feel better, but I don't feel as if we've gotten to the bottom of this." I said in an attempt to press on a little without making them feel uncomfortable.

They dropped the smile and looked down sadly.

Your POV

"I still don't understand why I stood out to you. I know you don't really make friends with people whose vibes seem off." I said quietly.

"What do you mean? You stood out because you were simply you, and that's the best part about you! You don't need anything special about you to make you stand out. I'm just glad that I got a chance to talk to someone like you! You're sweet and friendly, and you deserve to know that you’re appreciated!" He smiled, "I mean it."

"Thanks... but where is all of this coming from? I've never heard you talk to others this way. At least not on this deep of a level."

"I don't know. I guess you just brought it out in me. You just seem so genuine and nice. I don't know how to explain it, just something about you makes me want to say nice things to you. I enjoy it, though, so that’s a plus." He shoots me his usual smirk.

"Thank you. I just wish.... Nevermind, it's nothing." I sighed and looked back up over the city, observing its beauty with a small smile that I could tell looked forced despite my attempts to make it seem real.

Hobie's POV

What they said and how they said it piqued my interest. "What?" I asked softly, "It's not nothing. I want to know what’s bothering you. I'm here to listen, remember?" I tilt my head slightly.

They hesitated, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Well... I like how your kind words are just for me. And I like who you are and how you act. You act so strong and quiet, but I get to see the soft side of you. It kinda makes me think that... that I like you in a much deeper way than anyone else. I dunno... it's weird. Sorry, just... forget I said anything."

For a few brief moments, I was struck speechless. My face slightly flushed, but it quickly disappeared. I had a look in my eyes that might suggest something.

I suddenly cleared my throat a bit.

"Oh." I blinked. At this point, I felt a bit flustered. I seemed to be unable to finish my sentences. I was trying to think of a good answer.

They out a small, somewhat amused yet sad huff. "It's okay. You don't have to like me back in that way. That's just how I feel. If you don't reciprocate, I'll get over it eventually."

I sighed and looked down. I smiled as I looked back up and then spoke in a quiet voice.

"No. I do share those feelings."

I paused and then spoke a little louder. "I do. I feel the same way."

Your POV

I looked at him with a surprised and hopeful look. "A-are you sure? You aren't just saying that to make me happy?"

He cleared my throat.

"I'm sure." He nodded. "I wouldn't lie about that. You're an amazing person, and I think I got lucky when we met. I'm glad I did." He smiled, "Sorry I can’t articulate it any better, but I wouldn't lie about that. I like you too."

A light blush consumed my cheeks as I looked away, feeling a bit flustered. "That makes me happy." My voice was quiet and sincere.

"I'm glad…" He paused and looked out at the sunset. "I'm glad you feel the same way."

He sighed and then looked back over at me. "Um… I don't want to be forward about all of this or anything." He chuckled, "But would you want to like… go out sometime?"

They gasped dramatically with an equally exaggerated expression. "Is the Spider-man asking lil ol' me on a date?"

I chuckled at their sudden change in mood. The best part was that it didn't seem like an act. "Shove off, you little menace."

[crazyf0rswayze]

Fixer Upper pt6

Y/N POV

"Hey honey! How was it?" My mom said hugging me then releasing me.

"It was really good! We went to the diner and then we went back to his house. He introduced me to his friends and brothers too!" I say

"Did he treat you good" Jack asks looking up at me from the couch

"Yes, Jack. I told you he'd keep me safe" I say looking at him and then at my dad who walked over to me.

"Hey hun" my dad says hugging me

"Hi dad" I say hugging back before he released me

"You guys didn't DO anything rrriiiggghhhttt?" My dad asked

"Gosh no dad!" I say blushing

"Ok....ok good" He says walking to sit next to my brother

DARRY'S POV

I walked back to my place after dropping Y/n at her house, and before walking my brother calls out to me

"C'mon Dar! You said you'd play!" Ponyboy whines. I just chuckle a little

"I am, I just have to put my sneakers on" I say walking into the house. I lean against the wall smiling to myself. I just loved Y/n so much and I don't think I'll ever stop. I walk over to the shoe closet and take my nice shoes off replacing them with a worn pair of sneakers. I ran back outside, and the moment I was off of the porch steps Pony threw me the ball. I joined his team since the opposite team had Dallas, and Steve, the tallest and strongest minus me. My team had...myself and Two-bit, as the tallest and strongest.

Y/N POV

I ran up to my room to call a friend from back home.

"This is the Bowman household, Amy speaking"

"Hi! It's Y/n...you got time to talk?" I ask biting my lip

"Oh my gosh! Y/n!? Yes...Yes! I can talk! How are you? How are you settling in?" Amy asked excitedly.

"I'm good, and I'm settling in amazingly" I reply hintingly

"Amazing you say? Is there a guy" She asks. I could just tell she was smiling through the phone

"Yea...we had a nice little date yesterday at a local diner. I met his brothers and his friends, he says his friends are around his house a lot. They all seem pretty nice, I didn't talk to them much though. He's got two kid brothers, the older one is sixteen going on seventeen. His name....h-his name is...." I cut myself off with laughter.

"Sorry, his brothers have....unique names to say the least. The older one is Sodapop, and the youngest one just turned fourteen. His name's Ponyboy." I pause waiting for Amy to laugh. She does, she laughs her true genuine laugh that I love and miss. I kinda felt at home as I heard her laugh...

"Those....are unique names. What's the boys name though?" She asks calming down from all the laughter

"Oh gosh, sorry I didn't tell you! His name is Darrel, but everyone calls him Darry or Dar. Amy he's beautiful! He has these icy blue-green eyes that I just can't stop staring into. He's around six two, and he's got this somewhat....I don't know.... intimidating? buff built. But it's like....y-you get through to him and he's just this kind, caring, amazingly soft guy. Amy, for the first time I am head over heels for a guy! I-it's like a movie!" I say with the widest smile on my face.

"Y/n! I'm so happy for you! How'd you meet" She asks

"He places shingles on houses, and there were some missing on our house so he's working on my house..." I say smiling.

"That's an interesting way to meet...wait till you tell your kids that!" She says teasingly

"Gosh Amy..." I say, chuckling

"It's gonna be quite the story Y/n" Amy responds

"I'm really REALLY happy for you Y/n. It sounds nice, you move in, ya meet a guy, and then he imminently introduces you to his brothers and friends? That's true love. I bet you feel real welcome, all these friends..." Amy says sadly

"Oh Amy....no friends or guy could replace you. Let's try to call every day ok?" I say

"Ok...How are his folks?" Amy ask curiously

"Well um...th-that's the sad part....they died eight or so months ago in an auto crash" I say biting my lip.

"Oh...I'm sorry Y/n" Amy says

"It's not your fault. I just feel bad for him, he's only twenty and he's raising his two kid brothers on his own. Sodapop dropped out to work full time and help Darry, but you know it's still a lot for him. AND he works two jobs. I just feel so bad. He had a nice scholarship for football, but parents or no parents he wouldn't have the money to pay the for the uncovered part of tuition."

"Mhmm...s-sorry I don't know how to respond to that...."

"It's ok Amy, you don't have to respond." I say

"Enough about me, how've you been Amy" I ask

"I've been great. Summer was nice, I'm home from collage for the weekend to have some family time. Brian and I are still going strong" Amy replies happily

"That's great! Uhhgg I'm so happy for you and Brian. I really wish I had love like yours in high school"

"Well look at you now hun, you've got yourself, what sound like, the most amazing man EVER" Amy says in an encouraging tone

"Wait....Y/n....didn't you have a scholarship for theater? Why aren't you at collage?" Amy asks

"My parents don't have the extra money to send me" I say sadly

"Oh...I'm sorry"

"It's ok."

"I have to go ok? I'll try and talk to ya tomorrow. Love ya!" She says

"Ok, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love ya too" I say before hanging up.

DARRY'S POV

We had a nice game before we all headed in. I went to my room to change into a crappy pair of jeans, and a shirt that would soon come off.

"I'll see you guys later, don't burn the place down ok guys?" I say

"Yes sir" Two says with a jokey salute

I walk out the door, and start walking to Y/n's house for work. I showed up a little early so I could say hi to my girl. I was soon at Y/n's house, and the moment she saw me she ran out of the house.

"Heeeyyyy pretty boy" She says

"Heeeyyyy pretty girl" I say back. She pecks my lips.

"You wanna come over to my place for movies later today?" She asks

"Sure honey."

"I'll try to make sure my brother doesn't sit right between us ok?" she says

"Ok, hun" I say with a chuckle

"Nice...see ya then lover boy" She says before walking away. I just smile to myself. I blushed at yet another nickname. I liked this one.

'Lover boy....' I thought to myself. My work buddy walks up to me

"So.....did ya ask the gal out?" he asks

"Yea...yea I did. We went to the diner for dinner, and then I took her to my place. I introduced her to my kid brothers and my friends." I say as we all get set up, you know putting the ladders out and grabbing some shingles out of boss's truck and putting them on the grass.

"Yea...did ya get lucky" He asks

"No...no. We slept in the same bed though." I say laughing to myself

"Why do you want to know about my sex life Carl..." I ask looking at him

"I don't...just wondering" Carl says

"You sound just like my buddy Dallas 'Oh I don't I was just wondering'. Just wondering my ass" I say grabbing two packs of shingles and carrying them up the ladder. Gosh I was gonna regret that later.

"Alrighty then! No need to get defensive" He says, jokingly climbing up the ladder

"I was joking Carl" I say

"I know buddy, I was joking right back" He says getting to work. We just continue working and making small talk and sharing laughs.

[golbrocklovely]

since fob just came out with a new album, i figured i would give you my reaction to it

does anyone care? probably not lol

feel free to read and if not, whatever haha

Love From the Other Side

10/10 love this song, loved it since it came out. this is EXACTLY what i have needed.

Favorite Lyric: I'd never go, I just want to be invited

2. Heartbreak Feels So Good

i know this song came out before the album, but i never got around to listening to it. so this is my first time hearing it.

it was pretty good song for the most part. the lyrics are a little meh, but i do like the "heartbreak feels so GOOD" part. vocals on point as usual. kinda zoned out at one point lol

Favorite Lyric: We'll cry later or cry now, but baby / Heartbreak feels so good

3. Hold Me Like a Grudge

omg… i love this??? so fucking much????????

it has such a good bassline, such a good song to groove to. i think patrick's vocals get a little bit lost in the music, but it still sounds really good. i love the lyrics. i wasn't sure what to expect with this song but i genuinely loved it the entire time i listened to it.

Favorite Lyric: Part-time soulmate, full-time problem / Hold me like a grudge

4. Fake Out

heard the first chords of this song and i was like 'oh, this is gonna be a sad one' and i was right.

the lyrics are such a gut punch. if you're someone like me who kinda lives in fantasy and daydreams to get by, this song hurts a lot. this song reminds me of a lot of a paramore's song - super upbeat but lyrically melancoly. i love it and it almost made me cry.

correction, i was looking over the lyrics for one i liked the most, and i started crying. so… thanks fob.

Favorite Lyric: We did it for futures that never came / And for pasts that we're never gonna change (but honestly there are so many in this song i could have picked any of them)

5. Heaven, Iowa

in the first half of the song, i was like ehh, idk. it was reading like a phil collins song or just like pure 80s, and i was kinda on the fence about it.

but the chorus. omg the chorus. patrick…. THEM VOCALS. seriously he is so good.

i like the lyrics a lot. the ending was fantasic.

Favorite Lyric: Talking to the mirror say, "Save your breath / Half your life you've been hooked on death"

6. So Good Right Now

love the general vibe of this song - upbeat but everything crashing and burning around me. that's me everyday lol

i think the lyrics are so personal in this song. i think we can all relate to changing ourselves for someone else, especially when we love them and want to be with them as long as possible.

song was super fast, kinda wish it never ended lol

Favorite Lyric: I got this doom and gloom in my mind / I got this doom and gloom but I feel all right

7.The Pink Seashell

not really a song, but it was very pretty.

idk where this monologue is from, but… ouch.

8. I Am My Own Muse

very dramatic, reminds me so much of folie.

love the heavy as guitars and all the orchestral instruments too. they had such a dark touch to the whole song.

totally didn't start tearing up at my favorite lyric…. who told you that??

Favorite Lyric: I'm just trying to keep it together / But it gets a little harder when it never gets better

9. Flu Game

fob is really coming for my neck rn dear lord.

as i've kinda mentioned on here before, my ex best friend of 10 years decided to randomly end our friendship and subsequently i lost all of our friends in common, and it's been a bit of roller coaster emotionally. and these lyrics…. fuck me, they are just connecting with me so much.

Favorite Lyric: Oh God, kinda please would you kill me now? or Last night I dreamt I still knew you, you / I carved out a place in this world for two / But it's empty without you

10. Baby Annihilation

first off love that the previous song blended into this one. always a fave of mine when songs on albums do that.

interesting, another poem/monologue on the album. love when pete does his whole speech at the end of a song, but making this it's own is fun.

11. The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)

again, they're trying to make me hurt, that's all i will accept at this point.

this feels like such a nostaligic song, too. god. didn't think this would be the third song on fob's album i would be crying to, but here i am.

Favorite Lyric: I felt you at the beginning / But needed you at the end

12. What a Time to Be Alive

never thought i would full on CACKLE at a fob, but oh my god???!?!??!?!?!?!

i love this. no other words. 1000+/10

Favorite Lyric: 'Cause everything is lit except my serotonin or When, when, when I said, "Leave me alone" / This isn't quite what I meant

13. So Much (for) Stardust

this reminded me so much of marianas trench and how they will make the final song on their albums an accomulation of all the other songs on the album. and i really love that for fob.

this song is such a sad ending, but also not?? like it just feels like almost admitting you were upset all this time, and now you're left with what to do with finally telling everyone how you felt.

seriously so good. vocally, i mean… cmon.

Favorite Lyric: I used to be a real go-getter / I used to think it'd all get better

OVERALL: this is seriously one of fob's best albums to date. it isn't the same as anything else they've released, and it's so much more mature than previous album. musically, it has a lot of similarities to past projects, but i think it takes on a life of it's own and is unique amongst all of their other works. a lot more groovy than i ever expected them to sound like. lyrically, gut punching. thanks for making me cry three times. wish i could see you guys in concert but yall REFUSE to come to philly. and coming to camden does not count !!

i'm gonna go listen to this for another week and half, see yall on the other side lol

RANKING OF THE SONGS

What a Time to Be Alive

Love From the Other Side

Hold Me Like a Grudge

Fake Out

The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)

So Good Right Now

Flu Game

Heaven, Iowa

I Am My Own Muse

So Much (for) Stardust

Heartbreak Feels So Good

The Pink Seashell

Baby Annihilation