#I was just thinking how nice it'd be to be able to drive to see my family/my friend

[clownfangs]

-

[curio-queries]

ARE YOU SURE?!

Episode 3 production Notes

I genuinely wasn't expecting to have much to say on this when I started it but there are definitely some things to chat about with this episode. Get comfy, it's another long post!

Here's a link to my post on eps 1 & 2.

(I guess this is a series now)

The Tone

I was curious about how a few things would be handled with the remainder of the show, and some of the answers are starting to unfold. We definitely have to see how the upcoming episodes play out but there's at least something to evaluate.

My main takeaway from episode 3 is that the tone is so very different from the previous ones. In my last post, I spent quite a bit explaining why AYS was a successful mix of Bon Voyage and In The Soop. That's definitely not the case here. This episode is a mix of Bon Voyage and Run BTS tonally. This episode is more what I was expecting they'd try to do with the edit to highlight the chaos and shenanigans that were a main ingredient in the content of BTS as a full team, especially to cover for the reduced member count from the full group.

Some of the main items that make this episode seem more energetic than the previous ones are:

The timeline. Episode 3 covers far less time than 1 or 2 did. It makes it seem like there's just too much going on to fit in the same parameters, which again makes the tone seem overall more rushed and hectic.

The music: far higher bpms consistently on all of the backing tracks.

The choppy edits. When we recognize that there was something missing in the middle of an interaction, our brains are still processing what we might have missed and orienting to what we're seeing next. With all of that going on, it easy to feel 'left behind' in even the most casual of scenes.

The intended audience. I just had one moment here that bumped me. At some point one of the members clearly says 'Fighting' but the translation wasn't just that word. It was a whole sentence about wishing for encouragement or something. These episodes have been very clearly laid out for an audience that is not only familiar with BTS but enough so that we know who each of these members are and why they might be doing these kinds of activities. If you had none of this basic knowledge, I genuinely don't think this show is even watchable...so why would people with that level of understanding need an alternate translation to 'Fighting'? Idk, maybe I'm being overly sensitive but like I said, it bumped me enough to question who their target audience was. Something I didn't even question with the prev eps.

Edited to add: an example of the tone influenced by the edit. Can't believe I forgot this one. It stood out to me in my first watchthrough. Thankfully our beautiful giffers captured the story beats for us all.

The Edit

Like I said at the beginning, this episode was far less a blend of ITS and BV and more a mashup of BV with Run BTS. The only thing in this episode that reminds me of ITS is the extremely choppy edit, which i think most would agree was not one of the highlights of those shows.

There are so many unresolved story beats in this episode of AYS! If you're not used to noticing something like this, here's an example:

In the car after their meal, vmin discuss that it'd be nice to pull over for some pics.

At the coffee drive through, Jimin makes a point to coordinate a stopover with JK so he can have his drink.

...and then we arrive at the house with no resolution. Did they stop? Did JK get his drink? We don't know, the only evidence we have is Tae carrying his partially consumed drink. So IF they stopped, Tae either didn't drink his or it was a very brief stop to not finish.

Here's another one:

When arriving at the house, the guys are all commenting bout how nice the place is.

Jimin exclaims about the pool.

...we don't get an establishing shot of the pool. On a rewatch of the episode, once you already know where it is, you're able to notice it for the slightest of moments but that's it. No hint of how big the pool is or even where in relation to the members it's located. It's just a tiny thing, not even important to the storyline but it leaves the audience without a reference to what the members are talking about.

There are dozens more of examples I could list but I think you get the idea. Again, not a big deal on small productions but you KNOW there was plenty of b-roll footage of the place. We see some of it. These are mostly just tiny observations that, if isolated wouldn't mean anything, but repeatedly set the tone for how the audience will be experiencing the rest of the episode.

The Guest

Another choppy edit is how they handled the introduction of Tae and the narrative that explains his presence here when he wasn't in the previous episodes. They either didn't get any good footage explaining it or they decided to purposefully try to cut it 'dynamically' for a reveal... in my opinion, this was not successfully done and just leaves the viewer feeling like we just need to accept the confusion and enjoy the endearing moments....which is exactly one of the main things I comment on in my Run BTS series. The BTS production team is astoundingly terrible at entertaining exposition. Long time armys are just used to it by now and I really don't see them changing anytime soon. They know ppl will watch the content for the moments we get to spend with the members, whether there's a proper narrative or not, so why bother?

Anyway, it's clear to see why those who have a bias against Tae have been using this as ammunition in their fanwars. It's just an awkward narrative that was poorly presented. (Personally, I'd rather everyone just focus on celebrating the members moments with each other rather than warping them to win imaginary points in a pointless battle but alas, I'm just an aging fan in a space that rewards useless vitriol).

Jimin's sickness...again

Poor guy just can't catch a break! At least that was the point they were trying to make editing it this way. Honestly, Jimin has so far been not as impacted as he was the previous episodes. Likely due to this upset being far more mild than the last one. However, there's so much more tension with it cut the way it was in episode3. It's not just that we're aware of it upfront unlike we were in episode 1. It's only highlighted in moments where Jimin is NOT participating in whatever the others are: not eating, not swimming, not climbing. In episode 1, most of the scenes that included any mention of Jimin feeling unwell also included some hint of JK wanting to take care of him or inquiring after his health. Episode 3 includes no such scenes. The overall impact is a much lighter view of how the members spent an exciting day rather than a genuine look into how they're interacting with each other as humans.

One last note: The Sound

There are definitely some horrific sound moments this episode! So much so that I noticed some on my first watchthrough! Again, there are allowances to be made, this is not a show being shot on a sound stage in controlled conditions but some moments were just plain misses in the edit.

For example, when vmin is listening to music in the car, the balancing of SEVEN from vmin's audio is horrific. The way to do this properly is manage the audio levels of their voices alone and overlay with the music track. This will help mask any audio that leaked into their mics. Something that can be easily done with rights to the music...which they have. And oh look at that, they do it correctly for J-Hope's Arson! It honestly is just coming across as a missed correction on the edit but I'd expect more from a BTS show that's licensed to Disney.

That's it for now. Overall, I'm disappointed in the edit of this episode but moreso because of how pleasantly surprised i was by the previous episodes. This one was very much kn par with other BTS content. Im also looking forward to the remaining episodes as I estimate we'll see a little more liveliness from our latenight-loving Jimin now that he's had his nap! 😆

Edited to add:

Are You Sure?! MasterList

[thestarfishinjootsoffice]

Hey, would you be able to do a Sinclair brothers saving a child reader from a bad family and raising them themselves? Like the kid would be kinda timid but maybe warm up to lester first? Could they also know about what goes on in Ambrose but just kinda shrug it off for some reason? If you write this THANK YOUU!!

Wrote. This also kind of became a character study.

Warnings: murder, blood, mention of negligence from reader's parents. Mention of addiction, arguing. Ooc maybe?

Relationship: platonic, brotherly/fatherly figure.

Sinclair brothers x child! Reader from a bad family!

Preview; how it all started. You can skip this if you'd like, might get boring.

Nothing hits harder than an angry car drive with your family who has curtains with printed sunshine and glitters hung on their windows for people to see.

Sinking back into your seat as you watch them argue almost endlessly. The only times they weren't yelling in each other's faces were when they were sleeping or in public. Of course this results in negligence and the incapability to provide you both physical and emotional needs.

"Maybe if you stopped indulging in your disgusting addiction and acted like a proper father and husband we wouldn't be-"

"Oh for fuck's sake, M/N! Stop bringing that up or else I'm gonna fucking turn this car around, you slut! You think you're so perfect, tell that to the other men you've been sleeping with!"

Spending nights behind your bedroom door with your ear pressed against it, listening closely in case things get physical and you need to step in. You didn't even know why they were heading this way, apparently they thought it'd be a good idea to spend some 'family time' together. As if.

Eventually the car stopped, you perked up. Your parent's bickering died down for a moment which appeared odd to you.

"The car broke down, goddammit!" Your father exclaimed.

"You should've brought a better car." Mom retorted.

"We don't have enough money!!"

"And why do you think that is!?"

You sighed and followed shortly after both of them headed out. Shutting the car door close as you stood quietly while your father opened the trunk.

"Now I have to fix this damn car."

Their voices slowly drowned as you zoned out, you looked ahead of you and saw a man with a green hat with a beige jacket on top of a white tank top. He looked a little... Unwashed.

"Hey there!" The man called out which caused your parents to stop yelling.

"Are you three lost?" He asked, now getting closer.

"Well- more sort of the car broke down. And.. We're out of fuel" Your mother replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Really? In that case, I could let you guys in my truck and drive you to Ambrose. It's a small town but I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in there."

"Might be a tight fit, but it'll work."

You could see the hesitation in both your parents' faces. Of course, they weren't really the type to accept the presence of people who didn't look like they have a hygienic and healthy lifestyle but they were left with no choice. They reluctantly agreed.

"M' name's Lester." The man who you now knew as Lester said.

"Uh, my name's F/N. Thank you, Lester, in advance." Your father thanked Lester.

Now you three were in his car, you had to sit on your mom's lap, it was deed quite a tight fit. Your parents weren't expecting the rotten smell and especially not the hanging bones but they pretended it didn't bother them. You ignored the smell and instead admired the 'decorations'.

"So uh, who's your wife and kid?" Lester asked, glancing at both your mom and you.

"I'm M/N and this is our child, Y/N. Say hi." Your mom nudged you and you smiled uncomfortably.

"Hello, Mr. Lester."

Lester only chuckled, although he kept his eyes on you a little longer before reverting his gaze to the road. "You have a beautiful family, I'm envious. It must be nice, huh?"

Your parents shared glances before agreeing.

"It is, I'm really grateful to have them in my life." Your father said. You could've laughed. You looked at him and noticed a knife in a knife sheath on his thigh. He noticed and took out the blade.

"Kid, you like knives?" Lester suddenly asked you, and your parents tensed up.

"I do-"

"I'm.. Trying to get y/n away from sharp objects. It's dangerous for them." Your mother cut you off with wariness in her tone, her distrust growing more by the minute.

"It's a bowie, a good knife... It'll cut through anything."

He said and stabbed the knife into the car dashboard and then abruptly stopped. You yelped out a little and held onto your mom as to not chuck yourself through the window.

"You... You said there's a town nearby, where is it?" Your dad asked, grabbing onto the seat.

"There is, right around that bend. I gotta flip my hubs into four-wheel. Mind giving me a hand?" Lester said as he opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Look, I think you've done enough for us, Lester." Your father said.

"... Well, why would you think that?" Lester scoffed a little, sensing a bit of hostility.

"We wanna walk from now on, okay? I can't handle being in here. Just let us out." Your mother replied with a harsher tone, a look of offense settled on Lester's face and he frowned. A clear thick atmosphere now forming in the air.

"Uhh, we're really grateful but we don't want to trouble you anymore. Thank you." You spoke up, hoping to de-escalate the situation. He looked at you and for a moment his face softened slightly before glancing up at your parents again.

"Sure..." He said quietly, taking the blade off the dashboard and shutting the door. Now walking towards the other side of the car. You could feel the nervousness from both your parents – as he reached the door and opened it, their eyes landed on his left hand. Which was now missing the knife.

"Go on, get out then..!" He said although the anger was directed more to your parents. They quickly got out of the car, your father was the first one trying to calm him down – you noticed a stream in front of you, you looked back to make sure they were busy and decided to discreetly cross through with the help of the rocks, wanting to no further be near all this.

As you entered through, you could see houses and posters around. It was a ghost town though.. There was barely anyone. You walked around and saw a bunch of puppies behind a big glass window. You stopped and walked up to it, observing the small animals with adoration before a gruffy voice behind you snapped you out of your tranquil.

"What the hell is a kid like you doin' here?" A tall man asked with suspicion, looking down at you. You took in his outfit. A hat that said 'sweet bird 69' with a picture of a red car underneath. Dark blue shirt along with jeans.

"Uhm.. Me and my family are here for a trip.." You said quietly, backing away a little.

"And where's your parents?"

"I- they should be here..."

"Should?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes.

Then he looked behind you and before you could turn around you felt a firm grasp on your shoulder from behind.

"Y/n! what the hell did i-.. What did I say about walking away, sweetie. You had us worried." Your mother softened her tone as she caught herself, clearing her throat as your father came beside her.

"It's alright... What brings you here?- I'm Bo." He extended his hand to your father who shook it.

"I'm F/N, we were running low on fuel and our car broke down."

"Oh that's perfect, I run a convenience store a few feet away. You can... Keep your kid in my car. Just in case they get tired."

Your mother glanced at you before nodding.

"Yes, thank you. That'd be perfect."

You were carelessly shoved into Bo's car by your parents. Grumbling and sighing, you crossed your arms and begrudgingly sat still. Though something in the distance caught your eye. A big building – you looked out of the car of the window to check your surroundings before quietly opening the car and heading towards the building.

You looked at the big words on top of the door,

'HOUSE OF WAX'

"Hm." You opened the door and stepped inside, your eyes widened a bit as you took in the contents inside the 'house'. Many, many sculptures... Wax sculptures. You gently traced your fingers over them while admiring the beauty and art – Slowly walking into the kitchen. You saw more sculptures, this house was full of them. Looking around more you caught sight of baby chairs behind the door – disturbingly enough , hand and ankle straps on the one that said 'Bo' and a normal one that said 'Vincent'.

You turned around and a figure with long dark hair and a weird mask of some sort was outside the kitchen window. You gasped and it swiftly retreated back – having no idea whether or not you were hallucinating you breathed out and tried to calm yourself down. Hesitantly walking out of the house. You concluded you were smart enough not to investigate and made a run to Bo's car.

Huffing as you shut and locked yourself inside. Maybe you were tired, all this new stuff is making you see things. You should sleep – laying down on the seat, you nervously closed your eyes and took a few deep breaths. 'Mom and dad will wake me up when they're done.'

You opened your eyes and it was dark... It was dark. Where are mom and dad? Did they leave you? Forget about you? Your stomach churned and you unlocked the car door. Stepping out and feeling the cold breeze of the wind – so quiet.... Too quiet.

You walked, in search of your parents. There was what seemed to be a church not too far with the lights on. You could check it out? Approaching towards the church, standing right outside of the door and peeking in through the crack. There was that man from earlier, Bo, and... Dad? You squinted your eyes, Bo held something in his hand.

You jolted as your dad out of nowhere let out a blood-curdling scream, blood pouring from his head and running down his face and clothes. He cried out and grunted, trying to crawl away from Bo while sobbing. Holding his head as red that almost appeared black seeped from between his fingers escaped. Bo didn't let him get far, gripping onto your father's collar as he swung the weapon against his head one more time resulting in your father completely collapsing. His eyes rolled back as the slit in his forehead looked inches deep.

You gulped and backed away, quite frankly you couldn't care less if your father was getting killed. But maybe you shouldn't be here- you yelped out as hands grabbed onto your arms, instinctively thrashing against whoever was holding you. Looking behind you stopped momentarily, it was the masked guy! You couldn't see anything behind those empty holes where his eyes should be. And quite frankly - you're not sure if he wants to harm you or not.

Bo, who upon hearing your cry of surprise, quickly rushed out of the church and slammed the doors open. Stopping in his tracks as his eyes trailed down to you.

"Vinny, what are we going to do with them?" Bo asked with uncertainty. Vincent didn't reply.

As you didn't thrash anymore, Vincent loosened his grip but still held a firm grasp on you.

Bo sighed, "let's kill it."

At that, Vincent immediately shook his head and hugged you closer to him. Placing a hand over your head and pulling you to his chest gently.

Bo sighed again, a little more agitated this time. "Vincent, we can't raise a damn child. Nor the responsibilities! What if they try to run away and go to the damn police Or something?"

Vincent stayed stubborn and shook his head again. Bo exhaled and rubbed his face. "God dammit, you're so difficult."

End of story. life with them

Lester was quite happy to hear from Bo that they decided to keep you alive. Both brothers quite surprised, it's not the first time they had children come to Ambrose and get killed but none of them ever wanted to. And to hear Vincent of all people to initiate it was surprising, because normally he doesn't care about his victims. Vincent's cruel. Keeping his victims alive and all they could do is wait inside their wax bodies agonizing for death to come to them as their preserved bodies slowly rot overtime. He thought he knew his brothers – guess he was delightfully wrong. You first seemed so shy and timid – not really speaking unless you were spoken to and even then your responses were quiet and soft. He made sure to interact with you often, cracking jokes here and there and smiling a lot around you. 'Hey buddy, wanna go fishing?' Or 'Hey kiddo, wanna drive around for a bit?' It's mandatory. And the moment he noticed you warming to him first was the moment he realised how "hard work pays off" felt. He can't be around you a lot since he doesn't live in Ambrose anymore but he tries to visit more because of you – the sight of you smiling and running towards him when he comes back never fails to make his heart swell. Though he finds it a bit odd when you tell him how you feel about what happens here, he wonders if you're really telling the truth or lying so you can keep his guard down. He's cautious, he's friendly but he doesn't trust easily. You may be just a kid but he doesn't know if you're really not scared or you are and you're planning to escape. He loves you either way and tries not to think about it often, he just tells you and himself "Guess that means you're meant to be in this family!" (By the way he still hates your parents and his heart will ache for you when you open up to him about them.)

Bo couldn't believe this, really? He has to take care of a child?He just wanted to hand you entire to Vinny but the risk of you running away was too much for his insides to handle so he kept you on a close watch. He was tempted to put a leash on you but was stopped by Vincent. He doesn't see the appeal in raising a random kid, it would bring unnecessary trouble and responsibilities and make it harder for them. Or so he thinks. You weren't really troublesome at all you just kept your distance from him since he scares you. With this, he one day mentally himself on the cheek and decided to be more kind to you. Asking what you wanted for breakfast, if you wanted to shower, telling you not to go too far away from him etc. Eventually he finds himself doing more than just these, scolding you when you scrape your knees and putting a bandaid over it. Picking you up to help you reach stuff on the high shelves. He tries to convince himself he's only doing this for his brother's and his own sake – and yet he can't resist when you ask him to kiss your aided injuries because 'Grandma told me it heals better that way'. Think it's stupid Lester got you to warm up first. Yeah, it's only because he gives you sweets and takes you out whenever he pops in – and then next time Bo hands you a lollipop. Gets suspicious when you never bring up what he did with your parents. He expected you to hold the grudge against him, at least for a few months or years but no. He'll scoff if you tell him it doesn't bother you. Yeah, right. He's not stupid (just severe trust issues) he'll immediately assume you're trying to trick him and next time a tourist comes in you're gonna scream for help. Just be patient with him, he's had a rough childhood. Although the more days and weeks that pass by, the more he spends nights in his bed hoping you won't try to run away. Not because he's scared you'll snitch on them, but because he's scared that means they meant nothing to you at all. If you ever decide to open up to him about your family, he'll pretend it doesn't affect him as much as it actually did. To think you two had a similar childhood just makes his eyebrows knit together and his lips form into a frown.

Vincent himself didn't understand why he held you so protectively. But as the years grew, he felt himself yearn to cradle something in his arms. Something warm and small, something that'll smile up at him and giggle, something that isn't scared of him. He knew the moment he saw you through the window in that kitchen he couldn't let this chance slip – a chance to have a child. He feels so... Alone. The need to care for a living thing grows stronger. He tried his hardest, really. Tend to you and care for you. His touch was softer and he watched the old movies and read the stories of how people acted towards children so he could know how to not freak you out. And his heart broke a little when he saw that Lester was the one that you warmed up to first – but he didn't give up. 'Family don't give up on each other' was a quote he heard one time and stuck with him. Yes, he had already considered you as family. To make you like family, he had to treat you like one. Most of the time he gets frustrated because of his extremely limited vocabulary. It was difficult for him to speak and he knew that a child like you wouldn't be able to properly understand his body language like his brothers do, but when you do start to learn step by step he feels the glimmer of hope grow stronger. Is around you a lot and makes sure you're in his line of sight as much as possible. He feels guilty that you had to witness them do all these horrible things and tries to shield you away from it but if you confess you know and shrugs it off anyway it's a mix between surprise and suspicion. He wants to believe you, he does but what if you're lying? It's too heavy on his heart to bear – he can't. Gets more protective and overbearing and doesn't realise it'll most likely drive you off that way. But if you do start warming up to him he feels like the happiest and most content person alive. Will cradle you in his arms if you'll allow him and stroke your hair if you decide to open up to him – he may be a man of very little words but he listens like no else.

[ardienothesieno]

post game isat thoughts i have

what the title says i have thoughts in my brain and i want to share them

isafrin date thing pretty much immediately post-game: sif should get to be sick for at least a week. and the party fusses over them the whole time and it's adorable and then i think one night. sif should turn to isa and ask if he wants to hang out. hehe and sif brings isa to go look at the stars this time! and it's sort of like isa's friendquest but this time they are actually snuggling. and not just talking about isa, they're talking bout sif too some of the stuff isa says is reminiscent of the loops which freaks sif out a bit. but it just makes them happy to hear isabeau talk and he would share some things that happened in the loops-- wholesome things of course i think it'd still be a while before they opened up about the uh. the worse shit. but stuff like teaching bonnie to fight, finding out they were allergic to pineapple the hard way (isa would be freaked by this but sif finds it hilarious), maybe tell him about wish craft and color theory, the change god helping them out, bombing the king, etc etc. the nice stuff. AND THEN. I THINK THE ISA USING A SHOOTING STAR AS A DISTRACTION THING SHOULD HAPPEN-- BUT ITS REAL THIS TIME <3 like sif looks up and it's a whole freaking meteor shower... and isa tells them to make a wish, to which they respond "i'm not messing with that again for a looooong time" :)))) and i just think that should culminate in isa carrying a sleeping sif back to either the clocktower or the house, wherever the family has set up shop... njhgfcftyhujkuhgvfcdfty i love them they're so cute

LOOP THOUGHTS. i dont know if i am committing to this hc, but i think it would be cool if loop and siffrin became a system of sorts? i know very little about plurality so i dont really know what im talking about... if i get anything wrong please tell me! but ive got yet another scene in mind like right before the party leaves dormont to go pick up nille, sif visits the favor tree one last time. just. reminiscing. and mira would come along and find him and they'd have a talk! not specifically about loop, but loop would definitely come up in the conversation and then at some point sif says that loop mentioned that they'd be coming back and is like "i wonder when we'll see them again" and loop just screams HOW ABOUT RIGHT NOW and shoves siffrin out of front jhugtfcvfdxscfgthbnygvh i think loop should still get to have their own body and autonomy and stuff, i just think they should also be able to just show up in sif's head. and vice versa i think eventually sif figures out how to do it as well and they just get to constantly bother each other from a shared headspace dcgbnjuytfg

and. and then i think that can lead into a lot of sad wholesome moments where sif lets loop be siffrin for a little while. like the party is sitting around a campfire telling stories and being happy, sif notices loop hanging around in the headspace, and lets them drive for a bit. i dont think they'd do it very often or for super long or anything but. hgfcdxcfgybhnj. they should get to be siffrin every once in a while too. as time goes on and they become more of their own person they do it less and less, but for the first few months to a year or so it's comforting to be able to be surrounded by versions of their past family, if only for a bit as i said. i dont know what im talking about really so if i said anything badly or if any of these ideas are bad please let me know

time craft shenanigans i think sif (and loop) should get to keep time craft powers after the loops end not to like. the extreme that the loops were. but like how sif will loop back like five minutes if they screw something up socially-- i think they should get to keep that EXCEPT. the party learns to pick up on what time craft feels like. so if theyre ever talking to sif and boom weird time craft feeling and sif is in a wildly different emotional state they can just go "sif. did you loop back. what happened." i think it would be a good. like. starting therapy point? them having a toxic coping mechanism for when things go badly and the rest of the group helping him work through those situations instead of avoiding avoiding avoiding and i think loop should keep it for the memes (and trauma reasons. but mostly the memes.)

it would get better with time, as siffrin (and loop) gets more and more comfortable with being uncomfortable and messing up and learning to work through the anxiety and and and then that could lead to a big situation a few years in the future when the group splits up. and sif is TERRIFIED that the loops will start again i dont think the group would ever split up for good though. they're a family!!! they're not gonna just leave each other behind after another few months of traveling!!!! that just means all the suffering sif went through was for nothing!!!!! and yeah, they cant stay together forever. i know. but even after splitting up they'd still definitely have family reunions like every other tuesday

BUT SIF AND ISA NEVER SPLIT UP EVER. NOT EVEN FOR FIVE MINUTES they get bonded and go on to open a boutique/trinket shop <3

[thezombieprostitute]

Fireflies

Written for Essie’s Summer Lovin’ 300 Follower Celebration.

Prompts: catching fireflies; “who thought a place with mosquitoes was a good idea?”

Summary: Jake helps you kick off your vacation in the best way.

You've been having such a rough few weeks, maybe even few months at work and Jake has been trying so hard to help you out. You finally have some time off coming up and he's been working hard on figuring out all the things you can do, that you need to do, to help you really relax and enjoy the time off.

He's definitely starting you out on the right foot by picking you up from work. You step into the car, give him a kiss, and just collapse into your seat.

“So what's the plan, Jakey?”

“It's a surprise,” he smiles. He hasn't hidden the fact that he'll be taking care of you but he refused to tell you all the ideas he'd come up with.

“Can we get some food first?”

“That actually is part of the plan! Let's go get your favorite fast food.”

“Yes! You're the best, Jakey!” You lean over and kiss him again before buckling up and heading out.

It's about an hour-and-a-half later and you swear Jake is driving to the middle of nowhere. The only reason you're not grumpy is because he got you extra fries without even having to ask if you wanted them. The sun is low in the sky and you haven't seen any signs of civilization for a while.

“Jake, are we lost?”

“Nope,” he answers confidently. “I've got the GPS and I managed to bounce off some...unsanctioned satellites so we can always have a signal.”

“So, where are we going?”

“I told you, it's a surprise!”

You give him a suspicious look but his grin never falters. He takes a left onto what looks more like a path than a road and drives for another twenty minutes or so. At least the scenery is nice. You don't often get to the woods like when you were little. You kinda miss them. The path is taking you through quite the forest and you think it'd be nice to take a walk through them with Jake. Maybe that's what he has planned!

The path ends at a clearing in the woods with a small lake. Jake immediately declares “we're here” and jumps out to start getting things from the trunk of the car. You chuckle at his enthusiasm and step out, taking a look at the area. You and Jake are the only signs of civilization out here. It really is just a lake in a clearing. You know you've told Jake you wanted to get to the woods more, but you'd kinda hoped he'd opt for a cabin or something.

You feel a mosquito bite on your arm and instinctively slap at it. Then another. Then another!

“Jake,” you call to him, “please tell me you brought bug spray!” Jake is walking towards with a cooler and he stops. His expression betrays his answer. “You brought us out to the woods without bug spray?! It's mosquito season and we're right by a body of water!” You're still smacking spots on your arms.

Jake's head drops, “I...I didn't think of that.” He winces and you know he's been bit as well. “I just...this spot is...” he drops the cooler and starts smacking the bugs that are increasing in number with the darkening skies.

“Let's get back in the car,” you suggest. He doesn't argue and makes sure you're safely in before he puts gets in. Within the safety of the car, the swarm of mosquitos dwindles and you're both able to take out the few that make it into the car.

Jake lets out a sad sigh, “they said this place would be best.”

You turn to Jake, “who thought a place with mosquitoes was a good idea?”

“I cross-referenced a bunch of firefly websites with angler forums to find the best places we could go to for fireflies. I wanted you to start your vacation with a little magic and I fucked that up.” He sags in his seat, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.

Your heart flutters at how sad he looks. He really did want to do something nice for you. Something he knew you would love. Taking you to the woods, seeing fireflies. If it weren't for the mosquitos, or the lack of bug spray, it really would've been a wonderful night.

You gently caress his cheek, “hey, you tried. You put in a lot of effort for this and you know I appreciate that.” He turns to you and sees your gentle smile. “We still had a night of good food and even better company.”

“You really mean that?”

“Absolutely,” you assure him with a kiss. “We should probably head home, though.”

Jake nods and buckles in while you do the same and look out the window.

“Jake!” you quietly yell. “Jake! Look! The fireflies!”

Sure enough, the telltale flickers of light are starting up all around the car. You're absolutely giddy with excitement, even tearing up a little. It's been so long since you've seen so many in one place! You stop making coherent statements and just give appreciative noises of delight as you unbuckle and practically bounce around inside the car to look at them from every window.

By the time you calm down, Jake is just staring at you with loving eyes. You grab him for as big a hug as you can get in the vehicle.

“This was the best, Jake! Thank you so much!”

Tagging @alicedopey; @bigtreefest; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @ronearoundblindly

[bitbugbites-re]

𝚅𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 | 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔫𝔰

headcanons on how different RE men would take your virginity !

tumblr exclusive!

characters: Albert Wesker, Carlos Oliveira, Chris Redfield, Ethan Winters, Leon S. Kennedy

gender: gn! reader

cw: NSFW, FLUFF // virginity // ktober

a/n: to everyone reading this, i hope you have/had a good day today! <3

𝕬𝖑𝖇𝖊𝖗𝖙 𝖂𝖊𝖘𝖐𝖊𝖗 (any rendition)

Do you need to be in a relationship first?

No, it wouldn't be important to Wesker if you were in a relationship or not first. He doesn't come off as the type of guy to believe the notion that first times are sacred

Who initiates?

Probably you. I can't see him being too pushy/eager to have sex, as he seems like he would have a fairly tame-to-low sex drive tbh

Although, that doesn't mean he's against it or other displays of affection. He's just not horny 24/7 (for some reason, despite all of the smut that i've written, i am utterly and completely intimidated by the word "horny." this word is my achilles heel. i fear that i will never escape it's incredible power to make me want to fall to the floor and sob at its horrific-ness. however, today, i have powered through it for you, with only a few tears and trembles involved).

What kind of foreplay?

I feel like his go-to foreplay in this situation would be kissing and fingering, honestly. Very basic foreplay, nothing too insane.

He'd probably make eye contact with you the entire time he fingered you, too.

How long does it last?

The entire ordeal, from foreplay to finishing, would probably last less than 30 mins. I feel like he'd be skilled at both foreplay and penetration itself, and would get straight to the point.

I also feel like he would be a little nicer and more sweet during your first as compared to any other time

I doubt he would drag things out/tease you too much for your first time, unless you wanted him to

Is it good?

Yeah, it'd be good sex. Although, if you're a romantic, it might be a little disappointing if you have an idealized "first time" in mind

Overall? Probably a 7/10. Somewhere between average to pretty decent sex

𝕮𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖔𝖘 𝕺𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖎𝖗𝖆 (re3r)

Do you need to be in a relationship first?

If he knows you're a virgin? Yeah. If he doesn't know? Nope!

Tbh I feel like he would forget to ask, and would just automatically assume you've done-the-deed before. Although, he'd probably figure out at some point building up to penetration, in which case, he'd most likely pull back and offer to get to know you better first

Who initiates?

Could go either way. I can see him respecting that first times are important, and thus not bringing it up until you mention it or get overly touchy. However, he likely would try to gently tip-toe around the topic -- he'd make a lot of jokes about it, get a little touchy, put himself out there more by dressing or smelling nice -- all to gauge where you're at or to put the idea in your head

What kind of foreplay?

Anything. Everything. Whatever you want -- getting oral, being fingered, sucking him off or fingering him (if you're into that) -- he'd do it.

HOWEVER. There would be some limits -- I don't think he'd do anything too crazy. He would try to keep it fairly vanilla for your first time. He'd tell you that he'd be willing to do whatever in the future (WITHIN BOUNDS...), but your first time should be like a 'trial period' or something like that

How long does it last?

I feel like out of every other character on this list, sex with Carlos would take the longest. And most of it would probably be foreplay

I'd also bet that he'd be able to last a good amount of time during penetration as well. He knows his limits, and if he starts getting close, he'll change positions or use some other method to prolong intercourse.

Is it good?

YES. I feel like if you like passionate, whirlwind-like displays of affection, then Carlos would be the best one for you out of all the other characters on this list. He knows what he's doing, and he knows where to touch in order to make you feel good

Overall? Around an 8 or 9/10. He would not fail to sweep you off your feet

𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘 𝕽𝖊𝖉𝖋𝖎𝖊𝖑𝖉 (re8)

Do you need to be in a relationship first?

For RE8 Chris? No, probably not. If you want to go, he's ready -- relationship or not.

Who initiates?

In a lot of scenarios, most likely Chris. I see it being a very, "Are you ready yet? How about now?" kind of thing (dude's got a high sex drive lmao)

What kind of foreplay?

He'd probably prefer having you give him oral. If you wanted something too, though, he'd be willing to do it -- fingering, oral, etc.

Not too into kissing -- he'd rather make eye contact with you while playing with you or touching you in general

I don't think he'd make a big deal out of it if you wanted to do kinkier stuff for your first time. He'd likely go along with it, thinking that since it's your first time, and you asked, it'd be fine (he'd also probably be impressed that you wanted to ramp it up lol)

How long does it last?

An average amount of time. Not too long, not too short.

Same goes for how long he lasts during penetration. He doesn't seem like he would try to hold his orgasm back, so when it comes, it comes. Although, again, it wouldn't be quick, either

Is it good?

Yeah, it's not bad. If you're looking for someone to be a little more rough with you for your first time (not recommended LOL) then Chris is your guy

Overall, it's a solid 6 or 7/10. Very average sex -- and if you do it again in the future, it's going to be fairly the same. Little to no special treatment for your first time :p

𝕰𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖓 𝖂𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 (re7, re8)

Do you need to be in a relationship first?

Yep -- partially because Ethan views first times as special, but also because he isn't the type to sleep around. He'd require a relationship first for both your and his sake

Who initiates?

Ethan, and it's planned. I doubt he'd spring it on you, either -- the two of you would talk it out first, plan a date beforehand, and then after the date...well, you know (yes, I would like to preorder one sex please!)

What kind of foreplay?

Very romantic, sensual foreplay. Kissing, soft touching, etc.

I feel like he'd be open to the basics -- oral for either person (although he'd ensure you it's about you and he doesn't need it), fingering, etc.

How long does it last?

Anywhere from a normal amount of time to slightly more than what's to be expected. I feel like he would really take his time with foreplay, as well as go slow during penetration

Is it good?

Yes! If you're a romantic at heart, Ethan's going to give you the best first time -- he's going to make sure he does everything right

Overall, probably an 8 or 9/10. This dude's got it DOWN for deflowering mfs

𝕷𝖊𝖔𝖓 𝕾. 𝕶𝖊𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖉𝖞 (re2r)

Do you need to be in a relationship first?

...maybe. I'm gonna say yeah, just because I feel like he'd be a virgin at this point of time too, LOL. He seems like he'd value romantics and wouldn't really sleep around outside of a relationship unless he had very strong feelings for you

Who initiates?

If you're in a relationship and it's been a decent amount of time since you started dating, probably him. He'd ask you about it and then...yeah.

However, if you're not in a relationship (and he likes you a lot), or you just recently started dating, it'll have to be you who initiates. He's a little reserved, so in either of these scenarios, he won't be the one to ask first

What kind of foreplay?

Lots of kissing, gentle touching, neck kissing

Would be fine with oral and fingering on either sides. Out of all the options, though, his preferred pick would be going down on you. Not just for you, but also because he seems like the kind of guy who gets off by seeing his partner get off

How long does it last?

...oh brother. Anywhere from short to long

Long because it'd probably take the two of you a while to figure out wtf you were both doing...

...and short because that man probably is not going to last long penetration-wise (LMAO im so sorry)

He'd offer to go another round to make up for it though??? Dw, one way or another, he'd make sure you still got off

Is it good?

...it would GET good. But at the beginning? It's gonna be awkward and clumsy (don't worry, he's a fast learner -- in fact, it likely wouldn't take long in your relationship for him to get the hang of it)

Overall...I'm going to have to give the man a 6/10. I'M SO SORRY. He gets an A for effort, but buddy 'ol pal, that man is not gonna know how to wield the friend in his pants right off the bat !!!

For the official and original Kinktober 23 prompts, check here. Credits to @kinktober2023 for the ideas!

[slutforpringles]

I see everyone cranky about the article about perez's sponsors and the constructor's bonus. But i feel like it's gonna work out ok. Or ok-ish at least. The chances that daniel gets in the car and immediately makes up the difference in the constructor's is low. Max is struggling with the car and he's been in it all year. So either way the constructor's is likely a write off. This way, the bonus is covered. And they can still put daniel in for next year, especially if perez bottles the rest of season. Sponsor's or not, if he fucks it up and doesn't meet his contract clauses at least they're seen to have tried to help him meet the targets. So not totally pissing sponsors off. Maybe daniel doesn't have the exact same money behind him, but he is a big sponsor draw. Obviously it's bullshit on daniel's side to keep getting the goal posts moved, but I'm trying to hold on to the hope that it'll actually work in his favour! What do you think?

Yep I definitely think there are upsides to Daniel not being in the Red Bull. As you said it is a tricky car to drive currently, and while I wholeheartedly believe that Daniel would be doing a better job than Payrez currently, I also don't know if he would be able to wring performance out of it to the same degree that Max has been able to. He would be under mountains of pressure to perform immediately, and I can easily see him being blamed en masse by fans if Red Bull were still to lose the constructors.

I won't lie, a small part of me still worries that if there's absolutely zero improvement post-summer break that Red Bull won't suddenly go 'oh shit we have to do something now' and put Daniel in the car after Singapore - which would make the pressure/situation even more challenging. Honestly though in that scenario my biggest concern would be his safety and security at COTA and in particular Mexico - some of the absolute fanatical lunacy I have seen online by Mexican journalists/commentators and the amount of hate it has stirred up is quite honestly bonkers, so I really hope for Daniel's sake he's not parachuted in post-Singapore.

Also to be honest I'm quite excited to see Daniel's continued progression at Vcarb. I've been really impressed by how he and his engineers have knuckled down and found solutions to issues he was having and they have really made some pretty huge steps since his early season struggles. I think he clearly gets on well with Pierre and they've found their groove, and it'd be nice to see Daniel get a full season with Vcarb to continue that trend and really prove to people he deserves that Red Bull seat. I also think the next big lot of Vcarb upgrades are likely to be quite impactful, especially since they seem to have understood why the last upgrades didn't work out.

So while I do find the Red Bull/Payrez situation infuriating, it's definitely not all doom and gloom. I think there's still a huge amount of positive momentum going Daniel's way, he just needs to continue to put in those solid performances we saw from him before the summer break!! ✨🫶🏻🙏🏻👏🏻

[notoriousdogooder]

there is so much potential in having an art class as an option. the current school is fine as it is, and adding one more class would fuck up the schedule, but thats not stopping me from thinking about it.

in this hypothetical art class, all of the school Li's are there for maximum chaos, all seated next to each other. theyre separated ingame for a reason, and the interactions will sure as hell be cluttered, but by god it'd be sooo funny to have whitney throw paint at robin.

classes will range from standard still life drawing to nude ones, where everyones had to strip for the class at least once . not completely naked, not unless they want to.

whitney is easy, they'd have zero shame and would face PC while spreading their legs, not shy about sneaking a hand to touch themselves, everyone in the class has a picture of them at least slightly aroused in their sketchbooks. they're poses are the most slutty looking, they've always got a hand between they're legs, spreading for a good angle, goading everyone to get their good side.

pure sydney would be a mess when asked to strip, hiding themselves even with their underwear on, whitney colors their skin in with pink because of their full body blush. the more corrupt, the more sensually they'll pose, PC could even ask fem syd to lose the bra or masc syd not to hide their bulge. it'll get to the point where they hope they're called to strip, flaunting everything, getting aroused from the attention.

when it comes to kylar, most of the class is disappointed or uninterested, but depending on if they're assets are bigger, the classes opinion of them change for the entire period. they face PC, and PC solely, making direct eye contact, clearly aroused. usually, it's kylar making the picture, but having PC's attention on them like this is driving them wild. you could defiantly boss them around on what type of pose to do.

mmmhhh robin <3, from interactions in winter's class with other students, we can see that people are interested in them, so students will appreciate being able to see whats under their uniform. low confidence will need encouragement from PC and/or pressuring from the teacher. like sydney, they'll at least have they're underwear on, and their poses are less rigid the more confident they become, until there's a point where PC can ask they strip completely. they'll still be shy about it, but they'll strip, and having an audience of people who are seemingly interested in their body will boost their confidence.

in the classes, the hallway, library, anywhere, students could talk about what they saw in art class, talking about the pictures they snuck, and whose bodies they want to see next time. it'll go like:

"Everyone can see what Whitney's packing under the uniform, but oh my god, to actually see it!" "Right! I swear I saw it twitch!"

"I think if Kylar showed more cleavage, people would think more of them, to be honest." "At least you got to see it! All of the creeps attention was on that orphan kid, I didn't even see nipples."

"I go to the temple everyday after school! How am I even going to face Sydney after today's class!" "Maybe if you ask nice, they'll pose for a private drawing." "Shut up!"

"Robin's face is covered in freckles, but I didn't think they where, you know, everywhere." "There's a mole on their left butt cheek shaped like a crescent moon." "... Just how close were you sitting to them?"

Obviously, insecurities are apart of the equation, and PC can get bullied and teased if supply doesn't meet demand, student harassment will increase even more, with people asking to get a better look for their sketchbook. not to mention the amount of people that'll be taking pictures, there will be a point where PC or another student will be working under Leighton to snap a few

for the teacher, I was thinking a mix of sirrus and mickey, easy going, not phased by the human body. definitely asks for private drawing sessions, where either PC or they will be the subject. when they're the subject, there will be an option to move closer for a better look, for the drawing of course. when PC is the subject, they'll keep their distance, but the more sessions there are, the closer they'll move, drawing in a special sketchbook only taken out in these sessions.

a possible art competition, where there's an option for regular still life, scenery paintings, with the lewder option being, of course, lewd pictures and sculptors, with any Li of your choice as the subject. said hypothetical teacher having their own work around, just for show, and PC recognizing a faceless painting or sculpture of them as the main attraction.

[oh-no-its-bird]

Naruto/Death Note crossover but it's just me zapping Misa into Naruto w the dimension travel beams (and also I stopped reading Death Note after L died bc I got bored)

Deranged hot goth girl fucks with ninjas more at 11

Ok but taking it seriously:

Her Shinigami eyes could actually cause SO many issues for ninja in general. No disguise ever works on her bc she can see your name !! You can not go undercover with this bitch around she'll catch you near instantly!!

Also her being able to see peoples lifespans would fuck so hard there too, what a party trick to pull. I want her to push someone to do some insane shit while going "nah don't worry you won't die for another few months at least so you'll be fine!! :)"

I don't think she came w the death note itself just bc I don't think Misa could prevent someone from taking it from her and it's way too OP to deal with the logistics of what having it just out there in the world would actually mean. Pretty much any naruto character gets it and the story ends in like 3 minutes flat

I know that there are shinigami in Naruto canon, tho I'm not too familiar w the specifics.

Either way, it could be cool if we really got into Misa's relation to them— she can see them with her eyes already, maybe she can sense them too. She's like being drawn to different artifacts and prisons of shinigami, she can sense them from far away and they call to her ooOOoOoo

She ends up freeing that one specific shinigami from the mask or whatevers going on w that. And since she already has the eyes from Rem, instead of going "oh, thanks lmao *kills you*" when freed, they recognize that shes already been claimed by a shinigami and are like "Oh shit, nice contract blondie." and she has an actual opening to talk to them (and maybe get another funky death god contract along the way)

Misa continues to show she has unstoppable, unbeatable shinigami rizz even into the next dimension. They all want her.

(If nothing else, naruto world has PROVEN that if u roll high enough on a charisma stat, you can convince anyone of literally anything, no matter if it was like the driving force of their entire life since they were 5 or whatever. So why shouldn't Misa get to talk shinigami into liking her just by being violently friendly?? No really, why not??)

Shes collecting death contracts like Pokémon cards, causing actual fucking havoc everywhere she goes via unleashing ancient evils for deals for some of their power (thanks Misa!!)

She doesn't know how to fucking fight tho, she's a 2000's goth girl in chunky heels. She's getting by on her insanely high charisma stats, good luck, and the giant shinigami only she can see standing directly behind her with a giant baseball bat waiting for someone to get close enough to hit

Could be cool if her shinigami eyes let her see yokai in general too, and just say there weren't enough back in modern Japan to notice. But there's TONS around now and Misa is making little kissy faces at them trying to be friends

Her eyes keep her safe by marking her as already claimed by a shinigami, also making most yokai reguard her as one of them. That could also maybe be used to get her places she shouldn't be in / have weaknesses a normal guy doesn't

Like, seals designed for yokai work on her too

Her eyes need to be mistaken for sharingan at LEAST once and it must cause as many problems as possible.

It'd be neat if Rem was there too. Maybe Misa collecting all this power from different shinigami is actually in some quest to bring Rem back, via giving her that power she got from the other shinigami. She's like roaming the land in an effort to get as much power as possible to make Rem a new body or smthn.

The rules of how shinigami exist and are allowed to interact with the mortal plane is different than the rules where Misa is from, so there's like tons of wiggle room for creativity n "woahh I didn't know you could do that!!"

Misa herself is such a go with the flow morally grey gal w a very clear potential and allowance for absoloute insanity— I think she'd be super down with joining whoever just happens to be the first person she meets in Naruto world. Like. She bumps into the Akatsuki first? You KNOW she's gonna join in. She happens to land near Konoha first? Hell yeah she's loving the funky ninja village! Military dictatorship? Fine by her!

Shes so undying loyal, no matter how clearly wrong or deranged the object of her affection is. So whoever earns that affection first is gonna keep it p much the whole way through (honestly this world is just lucky she's still hung up on Light, which is why she still has sommee agency here)

I think the most interesting thing to do w her + what parallels her story best would be joining Akatsuki actually. Cmon, a terrorist organization "dedicated to peace" (through murder) she's so there for it, she's asking to pretty please help bc "Light would probably like it <33"

Also the Akatsuki cloak is like the only naruto outfit I can see her really rocking while keeping her signature style. ALSO also, Akatsuki nailpolish code,,,,

[moodymisty]

It's longpost anon, here to drop another novel in your asks! (If this isn't welcome, just say so and I'll stop, no hard feelings!!)

All the Sanguinius content lately had me thinking about him having a daughter.

What spurred this on: I was grocery shopping this morning and there was a mom with her young daughter in front of me checking out. The kid would excitedly tell everyone "Nice to meet you!" when they walked past, and it was the most adorable thing ever. She was just so happy to see people and be out and about.

TMI but I'm at that point in my cycle where I was trying not to cry in public from the cuteness lol. (I've got baby fever, send help 😭) On the drive home, I started thinking about Sangy's daughter meeting all her uncles for the first time, and her trying to shake their giant hands with her tiny little ones and saying "Nice to meet you!" It would be so precious.

Then I started thinking about the mom being too kind for her own good, seeing Konrad lurking at the edge of the room alone and quietly asking him, "Do you want to meet your niece?"

It'd be like all the air got sucked out of the room. Sanguinius would just be tense as a board. Everyone is mentally screaming "Are you crazy?!" at her in their heads.

An aside: I've just read Konrad's primarch book, and while it shows why he is genuinely truly terrifying, there is also so many sad things.. Like how he doesn't hate any of his brothers (except Corax) despite them absolutely loathing him. Despite Fulgrim shattering his trust. Despite Sanguinius basically being the better alternate version of himself. I don't think the average person could be treated the way he was and not hate their family at least a little bit. I feel so badly for him.. I don't think he would hurt one of his brother's offspring pre-heresy. Maybe I'm just deluded though lol.

Anywho-

Everyone is just on edge, ready for Konrad to show even the most microscopic indication of aggression.. But he just kneels down, silently holds his hand out to the girl and she shakes his hand as best she can, giving him a cheery "Nice to meet you!" the same as she did for her other uncles. He just stands up, stares for a moment, and then silently leaves.. (He spends the next 72 hours trying to process the 12 different emotions he got blasted with in that moment.)

Also! Sangy's daughter being weirdly attached to one of the primarchs who is not particularly good at socializing with normies is really funny to picture. Like she gets SUPER hyped anytime she gets to see uncle Guilliman, and nobody knows why because he is honestly kinda boring to talk to. (It's because when she asks him a million questions about mundane things, he genuinely tries to answer every. single. one.)

Fulgrim trying to be the cool fun wine uncle but never being able to truly capture the kid's interest lmao. He's quietly seething like, why does she like paper-pushing Roboute?! (Fulgrim gets his time in the spotlight when she's a little older and gets super interested in art)

And the Blood Angels interacting with her would be so heartmeltingly sweet. Little mini Sanguinius asking for uppies from a captain because she wants to be Really Tall. He's just like, "It would be my honor." and hoists her onto his shoulder.

When the kid is still a toddler, the mom offhandedly asks her guard to hold her daughter for a second while she does something and just kinda shoves the squirmy toddler into his arms despite his protests. He's internally having a meltdown because he is so scared of hurting her accidentally and is still as a statue the entire time. The first time the mom refers to them as the girl's brothers, there would be no going back. Like, "Wave to your brothers!" as they're both watching the Blood Angels train. If it was even possible for them to adore their 'sister' any more, it would happen in that moment.

This is all super fucking cute. Especially the stuff with Konrad. And you are somewhat right; we have to remember that as fucked as Konrad is, he was largely under the impression that he was doing justice and only killing those deserving of it. I doubt he would think Sanguinius’ child was evil, at least at first. He has no reason to hate his child afterall, he never hated any of the Primarchs ‘cept Corvus.

Funny note I first read this while really tired and my brain skipped lines, and at first I thought it was Konrad asking people if they wanted to see their niece XD like he had a secret child. 💀 I’m dumb

[burning-academia-if]

Do the Ro's drive? And if so what type of car or motorcycle? Bc I see Lars as a motorcycle person for some reason.

Honestly, I don't think I know enough about cars to answer this question lmaO sorry for the ✨vague✨ answers

Rook: He drives, and got his license the second he was able. He probably has a sports car or anything that goes fast. Not the newest model, but something released in the past fiveish years.

Beck: Does not drive. His teen years were too chaotic to have time to learn, and it hasn't exactly been a priority.

Rhea: She does drive, and I think she has a pretty nice car courtesy of well off parents lol. I think it'd be a nice jeep or something similar.

Zoe: Can technically drive, they have their license and everything but they prefer to just bike or use public transport (bus fare is free for students). Doesn't have their own car, so they just borrow their parents when needed

Lars: Him driving a motorcycle is so funny to me. He knows how to ride one, but I actually think he'd find it kind of a pain to use on a day to day basis so he doesn't have one. He probably has some random used car, as long as it functions he doesn't care about much else.

???: Doesn't drive for obvious reasons lol

[beanibon]

Hi there. I love everything you've written so far. I was wondering if you could write something about Vash having a romantic partner who struggles with self harm and is worried he'll be disgusted with or loathe all the scars on their body once he sees them. or that he'll start looking at and treating them different cuz of their struggle. Thank you have a nice day.

That's no issue at all, I'd love to write this for you and anyone else who needs just a bit of Vash comforting his s/o.

TW: self-harm, self-harm mentions, scars, depressive thoughts.(lemme know if I've missed anything)

Fluff & Angst

Vash x A Relapsing Self-Harm!Reader

It was a particularly hard day for you, struggling to keep up with what was happening around you, mind mostly wandering. Driving squished in-between your boyfriend, head leaning against the hard technology of his prosthetic, and Wolfwood left a lot of time between towns to think. Not the good kind of thinking.

You had been relapsing for a while, new scars appearing almost each day as the constant travelling was becoming overwhelming. The car was filled with silence 70% of the time, the other either arguing, snoring of one or all of the men crammed in the car, or the nauseating sound of a staticie radio. It drove you insane!

Nails began pinching at the skin where new scars had formed, only stopping when a certain blonde stirred from his peaceful slumber.

Vash yawned, rubbing his eyes as he tiredly smiled at you, enveloping you in an one armed hug. You leaned into the embrace, welcoming his warmth as it ceased most of those ugly thoughts. There was only one that screamed louder than the others, only sounding in affectionate moments like this.

It was officially week 3 since Vash shyly asked you to be his girlfriend, even going as far as presenting a worn book to you in hopes you'd accept. Even without the gift you wouldn't launched into his arms, squeezing the air from him as you hugged his neck in pure joy. There was just one thing that played in the back of your mind, an certain problem you feared may ruin the only bit of happiness you managed to scrape from this planet.

You couldn't stop harming yourself.

The many scars across your body was a constant reminder, you couldn't look at yourself in the mirror anymore, that's how bad your urges had gotten. Since dating Vash you tried to stop, or at least lessen the amount of times you did it. But nothing worked, and you found yourself falling deeper into an endless chasm that you couldn't be pulled from.

"You feeling okay, Mayfly?" Vash looked at you, concern written across his soft features. He was such a loving boyfriend, caring and compassionate, you truly didn't deserve him.

"Just thinking about the bed we better still be getting," You lied, feeling the guilt already begin to well up inside your gut. "It'd be nice not to wake up with sand all in my clothes for once."

A small laugh was heard from the Humanoid Typhoon before a gentle, loving kiss was placed between your brows, his hand fondly playing with your hair. Such a simple action had seemingly brushed away all of your fears, worries and harmful thoughts, mind filled with the kind person that was Vash. It was refreshing, even as the guilt of using him as a distraction balled in your stomach, as if he were some pain medication to take away the vindictive desires inflicted upon yourself.

"Alright everyone, we're stopping here for the night," Excited at the prospect of a bed made you shove Vash out of the car, only to freeze, blinking as you were met with endless sand. You turned to Meryl, confused. "Sorry Y/N, we weren't able to make it to the next town. It'll only be for the night though, I promise!"

Yet that wasn't what concerned you, what concerned you was the way your skin itched, unsure if you could go another night clean. The very thought ate you up inside, but you didn't know how to stop, how to overcome the voice screaming at you.

So, as everyone set out to make their makeshift camp, you slumped against the other side of the car. Everyone was busy, so it wouldn't hurt to quickly to relieve some of the pain, right?

Taking the small pocket knife from it's compartment, you flicked it out, met with your reflection upon it's blade.

Guilt, regret and worst of all endless pain stared back at you, and before you knew it, the damage was done.

"Y/N?"

Startled you jumped from your spot on the ground, clutching your wrists as you met the shocked eyes of none other than Vash.

Fear swallowed you whole, even as Vash ran forward to seize your hands in his, you flinched out of his grip. All that consumed your mind was how Vash would react to seeing the rest, your arms, legs, body even was covered in scars. Surely he would be disgusted at the sight, loathe your very existence that you weren't some gorgeous, scar-free individual.

"Please, Y/N. Let me see," Vash's voice was so soft, so gentle and reassuring it made you choke out a cry. You refused to believe this was how he chose to react, that secretly he despised you. "Let me help you, Mayfly."

You hesitantly relaxed, allowing Vash to roll your sleeves up, revealing the ugly sight of many self-inflicted scars, yet he didn't bat an eye. Vash grabbed some water, and set to patching up the recent wounds.

You simply watched, letting silent tears fall from your eyes, his hands were so soft. It made fresh tears well up, eyes desperately trying to find some kind of malice behind those stupid yellow shades.

"I don't hate you if that's what you're thinking, I just want to know why?" Vash finished up, hands moving to cup your crying face in his hands. "How long have you been hurting Mayfly?"

The waterworks came immediately, latching onto Vash as if he'd disappear if you didn't. He simply reacted by holding you tightly, arms wrapped around you protectively as you wept. Gentle whispers began reassuring you, soft kisses pressed into the crown of your skull as fingers stroked loving circles in between your shoulder blades.

"I'm sorry... I tried, I really tried to stop, I swear I did." You managed began sobs, wiping at your face to lessen the tears that blurred your vision. "It just hurts too much, the screams don't stop until I give in."

Vash let out a quiet 'shh', that stupid smile on his face as he wiped your tears and nose with his sleeve, ignoring the way you scrunched your face at the action.

"You don't ever have to apologise to me, not now not ever." He squeezed you against him, nuzzling into your hair. "And I promise you Y/N, I'll help you get through this. Just promise me one thing, that you'll come to me first before resorting to this." Vash held the pocket knife in his hand, snapped shut.

"You don't hate me? Think I'm pathetic, disgusting to look at?" Vash's eyes widened, shocked you would think such a thing.

"Of course not! Why would I ever hate you?"

"Because I'm ugly covered in all these scars."

The impact of your words left the Humanoid Typhoon speechless, head shaking as he brought you closer, cradling your head against his shoulder. "You are not ugly, you're beautiful, perfect even! I'm so lucky to have someone as amazing as you are in my life, you make me laugh, your smile lights fireworks in my heart, and the way you kiss me? I'd melt right against those lips of yours!"

A small laugh sounded from you, those words alone lifted a weight from your shoulders. What had you done to deserve someone that radiated sunshine like Vash did?

"Don't even get me started on your ass in those pants," A gentle slap made Vash laugh, bringing you into the best kiss you've experienced. "There's my spitfire, glad to have you back."

You hummed, closing your eyes as you leaned into Vash, who wrapped his coat around your shoulders. Picking you up to tuck you into his sleeping bag, despite having your own.

"Vash?"

"Yes, Mayfly?"

"I promise to come to you first, or at least try to." You promised, determined for his sake.

"That's all I ask of you, I love you my beautiful Mayfly."

"I love you too, Vash."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Anon and anyone else that needed this. You're all amazing and I hope you all stay safe

[crushedsweets]

I know you spoke about how things would "end" for Toby and Nat if O/S ever came together again, but what about Nina and Kate? I figure things would be hard for Kate seeing as she's been there for like a decade.🤔 maybe they will move to NYC idk

did you reference nyc cuz u remembered that one ask... if yes that made me smile. also u guys asking for these sort of 'good' endings remind me of Laundry & Taxes so u guys should go read it..

anyway, it is probably the hardest for kate. she has an 8th grade education, only shreds of humanity, blood on her hands, and no clue where her family is. she can't remember a single address or phone number.

just maybe, and this is difficult for me to imagine, nina could convince her to call a police department. she's been a missing person, not a wanted criminal - her family and friends all assumed she was kidnapped and killed long ago. so maybe she could go in, tell the police her name, have them search a database or two, figure SOMETHING out. go back to her dad. . .make up some story, claim amnesia of the last decade. use this a chance to get her GED and a job. but that's such an unlikely path for kate, i rlly struggle to imagine it...

so, like toby, she'd probably stick around that farm. work with toby.

i could see her asking BEN for one last bit of help, see if he could somehow go through whatever database that could get her SSN and whatnot, so she could get a job on her own . . without having to go home. maybe i should have BEN just create/steal one for Toby... regardless, she'd try to get some sort of stable footing. i could only see her working pretty physical jobs, not customer service or anything like that. maybe a job at a morgue... graveyard shifts and the sort... fitting for her.

in this circumstance, kate would try to stay with toby as long as he'd let her. but if he's with clocky, things would be pretty cramped, and get tense. so maybe she'd go live with jack for a long while... quiet, peaceful, familiar.

if nina and kate were together(or getting there), then i think . .

nina would beg kate to move in with her, stay full time at the apartment. it'd be hard at first, only to get even more difficult. they'd start arguing, kate would leave for days. not because she's angry with nina, but she's scared that if kate cant keep her emotions in check, the O/S syndrome will set right back in and make kate a danger.

but then she'd come back in the middle of the night, climbing into bed with an exhausted nina, pretending nothing bad happened. and then nina would wake up and she'd have to ask why kate left and kate would be like ? isnt it obvious. we were arguing. and ninas like BUT THATS NOT THE POINT and they'd get overwhelmed and have to deal with it again. cuz ninas not letting kate go. and kate doesn't wanna go.

once kate starts getting paychecks, she's terrible at saving. immediately blows it on nina, as thanks for all nina's done. buying her dresses, jewelry, ordering meals, skincare, spending hours going thru the magazines nina has around. nina would ask her to save a bit more, and she would listen, and then realize it's probably more helpful to buy things like groceries, pay bills, etc. but money doesn't hold much meaning to her, she never attributed her terrible life to a lack of money, so she's still quick to throw it away to make nina happy . . but nina would start sitting her down and being like STOP WASTING UR MONEY!!!! . oddly enough kate finds comfort in being told what to do. feels like guidance, in a way? especially because she KNOWS nina does it with love. not so kate does what she wants

and eventually, they'd be able to save to move. regrettably, not to NYC, because that's too expensive for either of them. but somewhere nice... a quiet neighborhood, preferably only a 20-ish minute drive from any fun attraction nina wants to visit. i could see them agreeing on somewhere near a beach(though that'd be far in the future cuz expensive..). the forest was so suffocating to kate, so the openness of the ocean would be a good change of pace

i think kate just wants to lay on a bed with blankets fresh out the dryer.

[random-thought-depository]

A TV channel in my area plays Star Trek TOS episodes on Saturday night, last week's episode was the one about how the writers were scared of hippies lol.

Anyway, in the episode they go the anvilicious route of making all the plants on that planet incredibly poisonous (and the hippies I guess too technophobic to wave a tricorder over a bush before deciding they want to settle there), but before they found out about that there was a line about the planet having no animals and, wait, even if the biochemistries were compatible, wouldn't a planet with no animals logically be pretty difficult for humans to survive on, especially if the humans are going to go full anprim and live as gatherers?

Obviously getting enough protein might be a problem. And I think there's some vitamin you can only get from animals? You only need tiny amounts of it IIRC, small enough that preindustrial vegetarian Jains were able to get enough from insect contamination in their food, but on a planet with no animals at all that would be a huge problem!

But also, no animals would logically mean no fruit, right? Fruit exist to entice animals to move a plant's seeds around for it. If there's no animals, there's no reason for plants to expend energy on growing them. Plants on a planet with no animals would probably mostly propagate by wind-blown seeds, and have seeds similar to dandelion fluff, small and very light to easily disperse in the wind.

That basically leaves tubers. Which probably would exist; they might be even more useful on a planet where there are no animals to plunder such rich stores of energy (though I guess there'd probably be parasitic fungi and stuff evolved to exploit them). On the other hand, on a planet with no browsers or grazers the main selection pressures driving the evolution of tubers would be winter, drought, and fire, so if "Eden" has a nice climate it might not have a lot of tubers either.

I don't think it'd look nice and pretty and park-like like the planet in the episode either. For one thing, I think, just like it has no fruit, it'd have no flowers except things similar to dandelion puffs; there'd be nothing to pollinate them. With no animals with eyes, there'd be no reason for plants to evolve parts with dramatic color contrast. Its vegetation would be rather visually monotonous, mostly greens and browns. But also, and more importantly in terms of its potential (or lack of thereof) for human habitation, that kind of lush but open park-like landscape is what you get when vegetation is being regularly pruned back by people or animals or fire or some combination of those things. I think a planet with no animals would have very different vegetation growth patterns, more like...

In areas dry enough for burning seasons, I think you might get a fire-adapted ecology where fire does some of what grazers and browsers do on Earth. With no grazers and browsers and the main selection pressure being competition between plants, you'd get a dense tangled profusion of growth and lots of slowly decomposing dead plant material (cause there's no animals to help break it down or prune the leaves before they get a chance to die and fall off, just bacteria and fungi). It'd probably be rather difficult for a human to walk through, a forest choked with a dense profusion of undergrowth and dead stuff; at least there are no thorns, and nothing like poison oak; with no animals there's no selection pressure for thorns or poison. In dry parts of the year, this accumulation of living and dead plant material becomes a tinderbox for wildfires. If a planet like this looks idyllic from orbit, it's cause you arrived in mid-spring/mid-autumn; come in summer/winter, when dry seasons are in full swing, and you would see huge wildfires and skies stained with smoke. The oldest and biggest trees are tough enough to usually survive the burning, but the undergrowth is cleared. After the burn, seeds sprout and saplings grow quickly, competing to take advantage of the cleared ground, quickly filling the forest back up with a tangled profusion of growth and an increasing accumulation of slowly rotting dead material, completing the cycle.

On the other hand, on the same planet, in the places with lots of rain and conditions favorable to evergreen plants, there might be forests of enormous trees with forest floors that are pretty open but rather dark, barren, and muddy, with most light being blocked by a dense cathedral-like canopy far above. They'd smell of mud and rot, as the forest floor has accumulated large amounts of slowly decomposing leaf litter fallen from the canopy far above and has a mostly decomposer-based ecology of fungi and bacteria that slowly feeds on that. This is an ecosystem of trees and rot, and the trees make no fruit, they reproduce by seeds like dandelion fluff, small and very light to float on the wind, and they don't even produce much of that; they live a very long time and reproduce very slowly, partially because they're Cronuses; their dense canopy starves their own offspring of light along with everything else. For all the green lushness of their canopies these forests are low-energy ecosystems, conservative ecosystems, defined by the almost total victory of ancient, mighty incumbents; these are the Cronus forests, the lands of the Cronus trees.

There's very little energy available to humans in these Cronus woods. Some edible mushrooms, maybe; that'd be about it. Very possibly humans simply could not survive here, except perhaps in tiny numbers and by living in almost hermit-like isolation and dispersal. The Cronus forests might be almost as hostile as the Sahara or Antarctica, a place where the likely fate of some unfortunate stranded human explorer would be to die of hunger lying on the roots of some sequoia-size Cronus tree that was ancient when Julius Caesar marched into Gaul, staring up into cathedral-like dense green canopy through which only a dim twilight illumination filters even at mid-day, their nose filled with the reek of mud and rot.

Humans might try to terraform the Cronus forests by opening them, but I think that might be quite difficult for low-tech humans. The obvious efficient strategy for attacking the Cronus trees would be to set fire to them, but fire would be one of the primary natural threats to the Cronus trees, and a strong selection pressure on them, so I expect them to be well-adapted to resist it, with fire-retardant chemicals in their bark, wood, sap, and leaves so they resist ignition, and with their sheer size protecting them. The floors of the Cronus woods would receive almost no direct sunlight and therefore be cool and probably damp, and they would have very little undergrowth; fire would probably not spread easily through such an environment. It might be more effective to set torch to the canopies, but they would be dozens or maybe even hundreds of meters above the ground; quite a climb, on a tree that's probably more-or-less a branchless trunk much of the way up, and you've got to climb back down after setting the tree on fire.

That leaves tediously timbering them one by one. With, say, Medieval technology, this might work! The Cronus trees look mighty and their rule assured, but they are actually quite vulnerable. They are slow. Their defenses are purely passive. They literally could not make a single motion to defend themselves as an enemy attacked them with steel saws and axes. And they reproduce very slowly; if they could be timbered efficiently, it would be easy to destroy them faster than they reproduce. An enemy that can think and move is an outside context problem for them, something that never existed in their environment and therefore something they are totally unprepared for. Humans with steel saws and axes might be very efficient killers of these ancient titans.

But steel axes are pretty high-tech if you think agriculture was a mistake. Without metal tools? Imagine trying to bring down a giant sequoia without metal tools, so the axe is something delicate like obsidian or bone, or it has to be very tediously ground to a blade, or you're basically trying to bring the (big and structurally strong!) tree down by bashing it to a pulp, and big saws are probably impossible. Now imagine having to do that over and over again. Imagine trying to clear a forest that stretches from horizon to horizon that way.

If very low-tech humans can inhabit the Cronus forests at all, I think it might be as, like, highly dispersed small families who move around constantly and rarely meet each other, living on the occasional patch of edible mushrooms or other tid-bit, cause there just isn't enough energy to support anything denser. And even then, they might have to stick to the edge, where other ecozones are accessible, cause, like, would mushrooms even have all the nutrients you need?

I mean, I guess there would be some kind of open woodland areas? I think a planet with no animals would have more forest than a more Earth-like planet with the same climate, cause you've removed a major inhibition on plant growth. Think of how places like highland Scotland used to be forested, but when humans with livestock were added to the mix it became more-or-less an open grassland landscape. I think you'd see a similar effect comparing Plantworld to a version of the same planet that had animals; places that would be marginally viable forest without browsers would be grassland or open woodland with them. But a planet with no animals is probably going to have areas wet enough for plants but too dry for forests, so it'll probably have some grassland equivalents. But...

... Grass in natural prairies often gets pretty tall, doesn't it? And that's with grazers. A grass-equivalent that evolved on a world without grazers would be more selected by competition against other plants. I think no selection by grazing but more selection by competition against other plants might favor more investment in individual stalks. And instead of looking like our grass, these plants would have a cluster of little branches and leaves at the top, for better light interception - and to shade and thus inhibit the growth of any rivals growing near their base!

So, maybe... The experience of walking in a grassland in no animals world is very different from walking through a lawn or even the kind of knee-high or less wild grass I see around the Bay Area. The grass is tall. It's taller than you. The stalks are thick too; finger-thick and hollow; it's more like a forest of young bamboo. It feels more like walking in a cornfield. And it's surprisingly dark. Each stalk has a little crown of small branches and leaves, and together they make a surprisingly dense canopy not far above your head. The effect is claustrophobic and eerie. It has a vibe a little like the Cronus woods. And that's not an accident; these plants are essentially much smaller versions of the Cronus trees; tighter constraints, similar strategy. This place replicates the Cronus woods in miniature. This is the Cronus prairie, the land of the Cronus grass.

This probably doesn't sound like a place you'd like. If it's any consolation, if the Cronus grasses had minds they probably wouldn't like you either. Unlike the Cronus trees, the Cronus grass is small and vulnerable enough to experience you, fast-moving muscles-having thing, as the outside context problem you are on its world. You move through the Cronus grass and break a stalk. What a calamity to that plant! All the energy and resources it poured into building that stalk, all that work, the work of its life, undone in an instant! Now it has no crown to drink the sun, and its luckier neighboring competitors will close over it, and it will die without ever having a chance to scatter its gossamer seeds on the wind. Or maybe it's a different, longer-lived sort of Cronus grass (Cronus grass and Cronus tree aren't species, they're strategies and niches), and in the soil below the base of the stalk, where the long-lived part of the plant lives, there is a tuber, from which it can pull stored energy to regenerate the stalk, but this only prolongs the failure cycle; that energy was supposed to be used to regenerate the stalk after the Cronus prairie burns in the dry season and is reduced to a horizon-to-horizon smoldering plain of bare earth and ash; now its energy stores will be depleted when the fire comes, and afterward it will not be able to keep pace with the growth and regeneration of its neighbors and rivals, and they will close over it and it will die.

Those tubers make the Cronus prairie the best place on this planet for humans to live. Some of the Cronus grasses are annuals and live only one year, dying in the fires of the dry season and leaving only seeds to continue their lineage, but many are long-lived, with root systems that survive the fires, and these all have tubers that store energy to regenerate their stalk after the burn. In the competitive scramble after the burn the advantage offered by such a pre-existing storehouse of caloric wealth is huge, and these plants evolved in the absence of any animals that might raid them. Think of the Cronus prairie as a vast field of turnips and potatoes, with multiple edible plants in every square foot of soil, stretching from horizon to horizon. Here, at last, is something like the promise of Eden; food provided abundantly by nature with no need to work the soil, simply waiting to be dug up, available in such quantity that there would be little motivation for hard toil or war. That is, if you don't mind a monotonous diet of bland and nutrient-poor tubers, every day, every year, almost every meal, from the day you are weaned to the day you die. Low-tech human inhabitants of the Cronus prairie would have plenty of calories, but getting enough protein and other nutrients to stay alive and healthy might be a very hard struggle for them, and they might often suffer from malnutrition.

The abundance of the Cronus prairie would also be fragile. The tuber-growing Cronus grasses are long-lived and reproduce slowly, and digging up the tuber would probably destroy one. All the defenses they use to protect their precious hordes of carbohydrates are against enemies as slow as themselves, bacteria and fungi and specialized "vampire plants" without chlorophyll; they are not evolved to deal with raiders with muscles and eyes who can simply physically dig up the tubers. It would be quite easy for humans to slip into harvesting them faster than they reproduce.

Imagine what life might be like for a low-tech inhabitant of the Cronus prairie, a few hundred or a few thousand years after establishment.

Your staple food is something like turnip soup (the stalks of the Cronus grass furnish the fuel for cooking). No animals in your world have yet developed the ability to breathe on land, but there are things a little like insects you can find in creeks and rivers; they are enough to supply your people with the nutrients you absolutely must get from animals. Your people wean your babies late, because mother's milk is one of the precious few foods available to you that is not Cronus grass tubers and is much more nourishing. You've learned to feed your children small amounts of human feces to establish the gut microbiomes they need to process food. Finding enough food that isn't Cronus grass tubers to get all the nutrients you need is a struggle, but you know if you eat only Cronus grass tubers you will get sick and die slowly. In fact, your people are chronically malnourished and chronically ill, but you live long and most of your children grow up anyway, because your world has few bacteria and viruses capable of infecting humans, so your immune systems don't have to be very strong. In a desperate measure to increase protein consumption, your people have incorporated cannibalism of the deceased into your funeral rituals (your people view the practice as loving and reverential and normal, not desperate; it is done only to people who have already died of natural causes and allows their flesh to still be part of the tribe while their bones are shallowly buried to nourish the Cronus grass). Water bugs and human flesh are the only meats you've ever tasted. It is the beginning of the dry season, and the sky is stained with high-altitude smoke from the vast wildfires already burning hundreds of kilometers to the north. Soon your people must move northwest to the island of barren rock that rises from the Cronus prairie or southwest to the Cronus woods; there is little food in those places, but the fire stops at their boundaries, and to be caught out in the Cronus prairie when the fire walks across it is death.

You know, if you're going with "hippies have an overly romanticized view of nature and therefore don't deal with it well," I think I'd kind of prefer this. Just making the plants on "Eden" super-poisonous is just kind of an arbitrary fuck you, but... "Planet with no animals and sufficient abundance that you can survive as a gatherer without much effort" is totally something I could see as a hippie fantasy; no need for hard toil or alienating technology, little temptation toward war, no dangerous animals that might hurt you, and no temptation toward carnivory. But it's an ecologically incoherent fantasy! You are also an animal! A world with no place for animals has no place for you! It will probably not be an easy world for you to survive on! Of course, it'd be difficult to portray this in a one hour TV episode; would probably work a lot better with a novel.

Also, you could flip this around: if you think about it, it's actually really weird that a planet with no animals has fruit (even super-poisonous fruit). Maybe it's not a natural wilderness. Maybe it's somebody's food forest.

Suggestion: "Eden" is actually a heavily gardened world maintained by one of those state-repelling cultures James C. Scott talks about. Its inhabitants are not humanoid and have totally different biochemistry from us, so the local food's perfectly edible, palatable, and nourishing to them. They mostly live as gatherers at a low level technology, doing the sort of proto-agricultural ecosystem engineering lots of hunter-gatherers do on Earth. They maintain just enough technology to tell them when a starship is dropping by. When that happens, they crawl into little hidey-holes and go into a deep hibernation, which makes starship sensors not register them as alive. They come out of hibernation a few days later or something, which is usually enough time for visitors with more galactic-normal biochemistry to realize the plants on the planet are poisonous to them, lose interest in it, and leave.

Something something people who reject the value system of settler colonial society but don't reject the terra nullius myth.

Also, I might use these ideas for a planet in my own sci fi, cause it has a premise that easily lends itself to such a scenario happening somewhere in it.

[yuseirra]

Here's what I think about the psychology of Ai's mind when she called Kamiki to come see their kids.

She's left him to keep him away from feeling burdened about her and their children.. I think she would have kept it a secret until she felt he'd be okay about it(perhaps after when they both become fully adults and settle down etc) but she decided to reveal it a bit early after seeing their kids having negative ideas about their dad.

From what I can infer, she REALLY loves both her children and Kamiki. She would have thought the kids would come to appreciate him if they could just meet the father in person. The fact that she wants him to come meet her little babies means she trusts him with them, and that she was also pretty confident that the kids WOULD be able to accept him if they just got the chance to see how Kamiki is. If you think it through, you would never want to allow anything you deem harmful or dangerous towards your children. Ai was super secretive and she was keen about keeping her child confidential, yet, she had no problems upon giving her address and telling Kamiki about the kids they have together. Doesn't that say a lot? She's clearly taking him as an exception. She loves him and she thinks it's okay to do that if it's him. He's always been that special sort of person for her, Ai does things she usually wouldn't when it comes to her lover.

But her career's been prospering so much and all eyes are on her, he's still only 19 or so(and her being 20) if my theories are right about hikaai's relationship being a combination of aqua-akane and aqua-kana, that means Ai has some caring feelings and wants the guy to "grow up healthy", have a nice career and further his studies and all. So there shouldn't BE a scandal. Not just for her sake, but for his sake mostly.

The reason why Ai couldn't reunite with him even when it was clearly what she wanted- it was all for HIS sake. She's worried about him and she thought "he'd be okay" if she DIDN'T stay with him. She didn't want to be one of the things that burdened him.

The drive that made her partly step out of that mindset was seeing her own kids getting the wrong idea of their dad who she really loved(the first person she ever wanted to love, that's HUGE coming from her). She wanted the people she cared for to get along. Ai probably believed it'd turn out to be fine, and it would have, but SOMETHING went wrong and she gets murdered and Kamiki ended up believing it was him that caused it. (I think he really is cursed or something. People keep dying around this guy) Her kids also ends up hating him believing the same thing, and if she's become "a star"...I believe she'd want to resolve that. She wants her children to "help" their father, she'd want them to be loving the way she pictures them to be. She cares about her "family".

[gofancyninjaworld]

Just what did he *do* to them?

So, as The Organization's dastardly plan has been enacted, we've learned that there's a kill list that they're checking off, exceptional individuals who have been targeted for death -- and reconstruction as will-free fighters.

The S-Class heroes, Garou, and a few others, have each had a Machine God sent to kill them and take their corpses back to HQ for treatment.

One Machine God. No back up plan, apparently.

So far the exception has been Dr. Kuseno. Kuseno may only have been No. 23 on their list, but he's gotten special treatment. THREE Machine Gods got sent to kill him, each at threat level dragon, and they were backed up by seven further powerful robots.

Just as remarkable was what they did. For everyone else, the Machine God will announce itself, explain why it's there, talk shit, and only then attack. The Machine Gods sent for Kuseno stealthily approached late at night, stayed well outside the building perimeter in the forest, and sniped the scientist clean through his centre of mass through the building walls. If the other Machine Gods used that modus operandi, they'd have a lot more success but they're acting as if the others are nice-to-haves.

I can almost imagine the conversation that must have happened behind the scenes:

Machine God 'Body': I alone will be enough for one shitty old man and his ex-human pet. Head of Organization: NO! We absolutely cannot afford slip-ups. Take two more guys, and make sure you play together nicely. Also, take this backup squadron in case that old weasel tries to make a run for it.

Why? Thinking of three possibilities.

They really, really, really hate Kuseno.

They think that Genos and Kuseno are an extraordinary threat.

They think that Kuseno is a special resource that they must acquire at all cost.

Let's take them in turn. None of them are mutually exclusive.

Number 1 is very possible! Let's call it The 100 Cyborgs Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Hate You theory. I would not be surprised to see some very unwelcome revelations when/if Genos finally gets to The Organization.

Number 2 seems the least likely. Given how much store the Machine Gods -- and indeed the rest of the guys associated with The Organization -- place on ranking as evidence of strength, they're not likely to make much of Genos's strength. Unless they know that his type of strength is a special problem for them. But then, why are they not chasing Drive Knight with the same ardour?

Number 3 is very interesting indeed. If Kuseno knows something or has skills they cannot do without, then given that they can revive people as semi-automatons with no willpower, this is the best way to get their hands on it.

But wouldn't this risk damaging Drive Knight's anti-Bofoi plan?* That is if Drive Knight is in cahoots with them.

I thought about it some more. Not really. If the squad was able to kill Genos, then it'd mean that he was never strong enough to take on Bofoi's forces, and they'd be rid of a troublesome S-Class hero. And if they weren't, Genos would blame Bofoi for the attack, and then they're rid of two troublesome S-Class heroes. It's a win-win however they look at it.

Set an elephant to get rid of an elephant, as Zombieman would say.

So far, it's all going according to keikaku, which means plan.

The only questions now are, do they dig up Kuseno's body, and how do they get away with this?

*I'm still open to giving Drive Knight the benefit of the doubt, but at this point, it's really not looking good at all.