#I’ve been getting inspired with all of these characters and putting more things together except for her

[mewnia]

My OC’s getting ✨glow-ups✨

[pikachu78109]

General Team Rainbow Rocket Headcanons

((I’ve been listening to some Team RR boss themes out of nostalgia and I have never written anything about the Pokémon villains (specifically Generation 1-6 respectively) and I figured I would shower my thoughts on these dudes))

Giovanni

Gonna start off with the one and only Giovanni. He’s a bit tricky to pinpoint, but as a Mafia inspired character, Giovanni works in the shadows. He doesn’t operate out in the open (I mean, obviously) and handles the more business side of things such as negotiations and elaborate planning. He doesn’t care about getting his hands dirty but don’t mistake him for being lazy or incapable of fighting.

As a villain, he’s the most put together. He’s a rational thinker and analyzes situations thoroughly. Not much of an optimist, but very opportunistic however it’s coupled with a hypothetical mindset. Giovanni never settles for one backup plan. He never bites off more than he can chew. He bides his time and attacks when the moment comes.

Obviously views himself highly and expects absolute respect. Has no tolerance for failure, like most other villains (except Archie) and punishes Grunts severely for any indiscretion.

Giovanni is aware of Maxie and Archie as they used to be part of Team Rocket in their early years. He has a low opinion of them, Archie especially for his goofy immaturity and lack of asserting his authority. Still, it does impress Giovanni that these two have managed to make a name for themselves as bosses.

Extremely patient. Giovanni can play the waiting game and he prefers it that way. He hates sloppiness and would rather surveillance his opponents before striking. He’s got eyes everywhere to ensure that no stone is left unturned.

Actually a decent father to Silver, but very much so a deadbeat. Not a lot of contact between the two. However, there were a few instances where they crossed paths but it’s usually brief and contains less pleasantries.

Maxie

Stereotypical nerd alert. Maxie is the epitome of the phrase “well, actually” and comes across as SUPER condescending. He thinks he’s doing people a favor by showering them with his logic and reasoning but really, at times, he’s speaking nonsense. He’s petty whenever Archie is around and does things that irk him, but between the two, Maxie does seem more mature albeit condescendingly. Hell, I’ll just say he’s condescending.

Long standing rivalry with Archie. It’s an amalgamation of being petty, competitive, and all round, goofy. On the outside, the other villains don’t take these two seriously. However, by himself, Maxie is actually calm and low key, so to an extent, he’s favored a bit more than Archie. Still, it doesn’t discredit the fact that this nerd has beef with a wannabe pirate over the expansion of landmass vs water.

Motive wise, the rest of the villains see Maxie and Archie’s motivations as idiotic. Biggest facepalm in motion.

Secretly admires Cyrus but at the same time developed a jealousy towards him. Maxie admires Cyrus’ technical abilities, his masterwork tinkering with machinery, and the like, but harbors resentment that he himself struggles with reaching that level of success and skill.

Archie

Loud, proud, and all round ruthless, this pirate has no qualms in throwing down. Very loose and probably the least threatening boss, Archie embraces the pirate life and shows no real strictness in his methods. He gives everything he has in battle and doesn’t have a serious persona like the other RR members, hence why nobody takes him seriously.

Again, he has beef with Maxie as mentioned prior. Archie thinks Maxie is too uptight about everything and needs to loosen up. Highly competitive (especially with Maxie) so Archie is willing to take on his counterpart any time or day.

Probably the friendliest villain in the Pokémon main line series. He’s approachable and has that chill uncle vibe.

He does the most reckless things out of the group. It doesn’t matter what it is. Archie will do some random things, no matter if he ends up getting hurt. He’s sturdy, he can handle anything.

Cyrus

Cyrus is a shut in, a recluse so to speak. He hates engaging with others and doesn’t like to be bothered. He only comes out of his room when he’s has to, but only related to Team RR business.

A quiet man. Rarely speaks but isn’t shy in throwing in his two cents. Can easily clap back an argument with a couple of sentences effortlessly (he’s good with his words) and uses vocabulary that makes Archie scratch his head.

Doesn’t take much for Cyrus to kill the mood. Hell, just his presence alone dies whatever mood everyone’s feeling down by an inch.

Probably one of the few villains that contemplates their actions (Maxie and Archie being in the same camp). He doesn’t regret his actions, but finds himself wondering if something else had occurred how would the outcome change? It’s clear that he gets on fine with your Rotom-Dex, so there is some soft side to this ice cold, stone faced man.

Aside from Ghetsis, the other RR bosses kind of show some level of genuine concern for Cyrus. Like, man, are you okay? Cyrus doesn’t get hounded mainly for the fact that there’s quite literally nothing to bully him for. He’s silent most of the time and, to put it simply, nihilistic (or depressed in some cases). He’s hard to relate to, but that doesn’t mean that the other RR bosses (except Ghetsis) don’t check up on him. Look, they may be evil bastards, but they don’t mess around when it comes to mental health (except Ghetsis; he can go fuck himself).

Ghetsis

A complete madman in the flesh. Ghetsis is an unstable man and let me say that no one approaches Ghetsis unless they have a death wish. The man’s only best friend is manipulation and that’s all he does. Fortunately, Giovanni is aware of this and uses simple yet effective intimidation tactics to unnerve Ghetsis.

Every Team RR Grunt fears Ghetsis. Enough said.

I completely support the theory about Ghetsis and his Hydreigon attacking him. It fits given that his Hydreigon knows the move Frustration (an attack that increases the more the Pokémon dislikes its Trainer) and has used said move on Ghetsis, causing near fatal injuries.

Linking with the prior point, Ghetsis’ right arm was torn off (by Hydreigon) and replaced with a prosthetic, same with his right eye. There are scars all over his torso and legs. He has some mobility issues but can get by okay without any assistance. He wears cloaks to cover every inch of his body to appear bigger, but in actuality, he’s quite scrawny.

Ghetsis tried, at one point, to manipulate each of the RR bosses. Almost worked on Archie (bc Archie is somewhat gullible) whereas Lysandre and Cyrus knew immediately what cyclops was putting down. Maxie kind of just didn’t care.

Inserts himself way. too. much. Ghetsis cannot stand being pushed aside and prefers to be the center of attention. Dramatic, yes, but I can only imagine that if the conversation doesn’t involve Ghetsis, he’ll make damn sure that it makes it back to him, revenant or not. He’s a narcissist trying to dominant, but Giovanni isn’t having it.

No one knows why Ghetsis appears and acts so cruelly. Some say he was just born to be evil while others pin a complex backstory. It’s been theorized that Ghetsis has an ancient linage; his ancestors ruling over Unova, the Abyssal Ruins being a towering fortress that, for the longest time, ruled with power and swath of knowledge and wisdom. Over time, the ruins sank to the bottom of the ocean, taking the last remnants of the Harmonia name with it, leaving behind Ghetsis to carry on that legacy many years later. Of course, Ghetsis perverts the family name by asserting his own sinister misdeeds, pushing his warped philosophy onto others, like N, with manipulation. The God complex he forms has consumed him to the point where he can barely distinguish reality apart from his own twisted fantasy.

Says some batshit insane things that no one can comprehend. Don’t bother arguing with him; he cannot be reasoned.

Lysandre

This man hides his insanity very well. He carries himself with confidence and pride, so you would never suspect this man having committed regional (or global) genocide.

Has a way with words, similar to Cyrus. He can talk his way out of situations with little to no effort as he’s both eloquent and charming.

Quite favorable with Giovanni and possibly with Cyrus.

Can never tell what he’s thinking. You don’t know if he’s joking or if he’s being serious. It’s a constant coin toss and he’ll keep you on your toes. He finds this trait about himself amusing while others, like Ghetsis and Archie, find it annoying.

Despite how insane and deeply twisted his actions are, Lysandre actually used to be a genuine human being. At some point in his early life, he tried to be giving and helping towards his community and all of Kalos, which did help improve the quality of life in the region. But, over time, the constant pressure of trying to solve every problem has left Lysandre empty and exhausted. He has kept trying to find an excuse to continue his good efforts, but every time it yielded the same results, the same cycle. People take advantage of kindness, people fight and bicker over generosity, and people demand more. Lysandre just… burnt out. He got tired and grew to resent humanity’s unwillingness to accept and appreciate what was being given to them, ruining the beauty of the world by perverting the generosity to match their own needs and desires. It disgusted Lysandre, hence why he chose the destructive path that he did. What other choice he did have?

Can be sincere at times. When he says something positive, he means it.

[what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me]

He’s a work in progress still but I wanted to share the first pass of his completed look so badly X)

I’ve had Sir Meteor in progress since August 2023, if you want to see the progress it will be under the read more!

Sir Meteor’s story starts with my fist kirby OC I made, Terra Knight! I won’t talk about him too much except that I knew from early on he had a older brother. TK originally has a skull mask in his very early concepts, but then I learned Axe Knight existed, and they looked too similar. I shelved the concept for a while until I had more ideas.

In August 2023, I started to sketch out allosaurus skulls because I had wanted to revisit the concept and thought maybe I would redesign Terra Knight to have a dinosaur skull mask. It did not happen, but that planted the seed.

In November, I had been struck with inspiration and started doodling. The name is very important to the lore of my OCs and is very deliberate, so once I figured out the name for Sir Meteor, a lot of elements fell into place instantly!!

This is the first time I gave Meteor colors, and I also put him next to his siblings so they would look cohesive. Me mentioning how he doesn’t even have shoes yet is foreshadowing.

In the following day, I sketched him more to get a feeling for his design!!

The most notable thing about this is probably 1.) here I cemented the twin-tail cape because it looks like the tail of a comet and 2.) since it looked like a comet, I wanted the pauldron to include a star somehow

Also fun fact!!! The shape of his horns is directly inspired by Triceratops horns!!

Which led to the designing of his pauldrons later in November!

I ended up combining elements of the first and third design because together they would look like shooting stars!

This is also when I decided on giving him the four pointed star blushing! Around this time I posted a sketch of Meta Knight with star blushes and I wanted to include more fun blush shapes. Also the four pointed star is a subtle Galacta Knight reference! Sir Meteor is genuinely old, prehistoric even, and he comes from that time period, and I wanted the star shapes to reflect that

After this I was stuck. I was extremely stuck and could not figure out how to design his shoes. Since everything else was so themed, it had to mean the shoes had to match as well. I wanted to keep the prehistoric/star themes, going strong. I tried a few times to give him plain armor but it did not look correct at all!

I took a few months to think about it. Another important thing is that whatever shoe I drew had to look good and cohesive with AND without his skull mask. It was hard to balance but yesterday (21 February) I began to cook.

On the sketch page, you can see how the thought process evolved from the top of the page downwards. You can see the “haha drawing smiles with sharp teeth- oh wait a minute hold on” happen in real time.

On the page on the right, is when I finally designed his shoes!!! THE EVIL IS DEFEATED!!!!

This character is so heavily themed and I thought about it so much. So. Much. If anyone actually read this breakdown you deserve a gold star thank you for listening to my insane, several month long thought process. I’m so proud of him for a reason. Now I need to finalize the colors and stuff but for now enjoy!

EDIT: while making Meteor’s reference, i also went through a LOT of altered color pallets.

[isuckatwritingsobenice]

For all things holy can you PLEASE write a Toradeen smut fic? Specifically G3 characters?

It’s Clawdeen x Toralei. Clawdeen is too (obviously lol) and Toralei the mega bottom she is.

and basically just. Include all the kinks you listed in the kink section for Toralei nsfw alphabet? OO! Pls have her cry too. She definitely cries during sex.

Clawdeen I feel can get off to little stimulation, and more on like. The power play and imbalance. Like she gets off on controlling Toraleis orgasm and see her fall apart. But I’m much less versed on her side. You can write whatever you want for her in terms of climax. I’m not picky towards her. Free canvas you could say!

but yeah! Just any smut fic where Clawdeen absolutely wrails the attitude out of Toralei and does all those kinks you listed.

thank you!!!! So much!!! (And oooo am I allowed to request more than one prompt? Sorry. Your just one of the very first people I’ve found who’s willing to write Toradeen smut and I’m a little trigger happy)

A/n: Tsym for your request!! This is actually the first time I'm writing a character x character, so thank you sm for this, but I'm glad we're expanding on the fact that Clawdeen is most definitely gay, even in G1. I love these two sm!

Warnings: Aged Up characters (18)!, Edging, Toralei's a crybaby, secret relationship trope, Clawd is just a sweetheart big brother, power play / imbalance, orgasm control, clothed sex, Dom/Sub themes, degradation, slight exhibitionism, Girl x girl, Toralei and Clawdeen are a mix of their G1 & G3 selves, personality wise. G3 looks though! Characters are all in College so kind of like frat house setting!

Songs you can listen too while reading: Stranger by Halsey and Lauren jauregui, You Right by Doja Cat & The Weekend, A Night to Remember by Beabadoobee and Laufey, Do I wanna know by Arctic Monkeys

Navigation!! // Masterlist!!

NSFW Under the cut!

PARTYGIRL

It was supposed to be a regular party. That was what Toralei was trying to tell herself. A normal party with her friends. Simple.

Except it was far from that. Far from simple. It was Clawd's idea to throw the Halloween party, Draculara and Frankie had gone all around campus inviting people and reminding everyone to wear costumes, and somewhere along the way she found herself slipping more and more from a costume to just a regular skimpy outfit. She did need some sort of traction.

"Are you almost done?" Purrsephone asks, putting her eyeliner down. She's in all black with a white star on her left eye. Meowlody laughs and shakes her head, she's laying on Toralei's bed.

"Please, she's gonna take forever. Especially since Clawde-"

"Can you not?" Toralei asks, rolling her eyes. She puts red in her waterline before standing up, rubbing her lips together to smooth out the purple lipstick she'd put on. The two girls gave each other a look before Purrsephone laughs.

"Oh look, she posted. She's with a guy." Purrsephone says, holding her Icoffin to Toralei and Meowlody. Meowlody purrs and gets closer to the screen, running her tongue over her teeth.

"Wow, she moves on fast." Meowlody says. Toralei stays quiet, choosing peace over idiocy. A month ago at a party, Toralei and Clawdeen had gotten into an argument in front of people. It was seven minutes in heaven, and Toralei had made a comment about how she 'refused' to go into some closet with Clawdeen. The two argued in the closet for a whole three minutes before giving up. It took another seven to actually get them out of the closet, and by the looks of the two they definitely weren't just arguing. It'd been a running joke among the Hissfits girls.

"Oh please, it was a stupid game." Toralei says, walking over to her closet to get her jacket. She was in a red dress, with black fur heels. The dress stopped mid thigh, but was tight nonetheless. She had gone with inspiration from a normie singer, David Bowie, but changing the colors to red and purple instead of red and blue.

Meowlody grabbed her car keys and walked past Toralei, leaving the room to start the car.

"Just so you know," Purrsephone says, slinging her purse over her shoulder, " You won't be able to focus with her there." She says, walking out of the room. Toralei doesn't answer, instead she opts for staying silent and pulling her phone out of her coat pocket.

Clawdeen: Should I do a purple jacket or a black one? 20 minutes ago

Clawdeen was gonna kill her.

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"Take another shot sis, c'mon." Clawd said. It was loud, and Clawdeen was surrounded by red cups and people. The drinking game had been going on for ten minutes but it felt like twenty, and she still wasn't here.

"Fine fine, gimmie something stronger." Clawdeen said, giggling as Draculara clung to her.

" You know your brother's gonna get you wasted right?" She asked, and Clawdeen just laughed, leaning in Draculara.

"Oh hell yeah, but I need this." She said, just as he slid a cup over to her. She lifted the cup to her lips, attempting to take it all in one shot, when she saw Toralei walk in. She felt her chest tighten, her throat went dry despite the alcohol flooding through her.

She forced herself to finish the drink, slamming the cup onto the counter. Everyone around her cheered as Clawd lifted his drink to try and outdo her. Clawdeen peeled Draculara off her, handing her the cup. "Play for me." Clawdeen said, and Draculara just nodded to her. Clawdeen pushed her way out of the crowd of people, trying to make her way over to Toralei.

"Hey T-"

"Clawdeen!" Frankie called, waving at Clawdeen. Clawdeen sighed, and looked at Toralei who just smiled to her. "I'm so glad you could make it." Frankie said, pulling Clawdeen into a hug.

"Uh, Hey Frankie I was just-"

" Oh don't worry, I saw you drinking and wow you can really drink a lot." Frankie said, and Toralei just laughed. Frankie was dressed as their mom, black and white hair sticking back in curls with a long white dress.

"Yeah Frankie that's great and all but I kinda need to talk to Toralei." Clawdeen said, and Frankie's eyes went wide, now realizing how much they'd intruded.

"Oh right right, sorry, I'll let you two be." Frankie said, awkwardly smiling and pushing Clawdeen and Toralei together.

"So, what are you supposed to-"

"Meet me upstairs, five minutes, last door to the right." Clawdeen said, and Toralei felt her stomach do backflips. She knew that tone, she knew what it meant.

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She doesn't know how long she's been in this room. It felt like hours but it was really on a few minutes. Toralei had forgotten how rough Clawdeen was when she was upset about something; upset with her.

"Ah...clawdeen, please just, c-calm down." Toralei said, feeling Clawdeens teeth lighting nip at her throat.

"Calm down? You got some nerve." She said her thumbs digging into Toralei's hips, lighting grinding into her. Clawdeen spoke against her skin, trailing her kisses lower. "You don't answer more for an hour, show up in this, and you want me to calm down?" She asks against her collarbone, pushing the jacket Toralei had been wear farther down her arms.

"W-well it's not like you were exactly alone." Toralei quipped back, causing Clawdeen to stop. She pulled back, looking down at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clawdeen asked, and Toralei swallowed nervously.

"Well, Draculara was all over you..." She trailed off, hoping Clawdeen had gotten the hint, and oh she had.

Her hands traveled further down Toralei's torso, moving to the hem of her dress and pushing her legs apart.

"So someone's jealous." Clawdeen says, her hands pushing up her thighs.

"No, I'm not-" Toralei stops, her hand moving to cover her mouth once she feels Clawdeens fingers rubbing over the panties, which are now almost entirley soaked through.

"Mmm, maybe you're not, but you're definitely enjoying this." She said, sliding the fabric to the side to slip her fingers in, which didn't take much effort either. Toralei arches into her, a silent beg for more only Clawdeen knows how to read, and she gives in, letting the palm of her hand bump just right against her.

"Clawdeen..." The whine is muffled by her hand, and Clawdeen contemplates forcing her to move it, but decides against it. She doesn't want to get caught, not yet at least.

"You did this to yourself,” She said, pulling her fingers back. Toralei removed her hand from her mouth, panting a bit. “ I mean, you did hurt my feelings, really bad.” Clawdeen said. Only then was when Toralei had noticed it. Clawdeen was wearing a choker, and right in the middle was a letter T, in silver.

“I’m sorry.” She said, and she meant it. Clawdeen stared at her for a minute, almost letting the words sink in.

“I’m sure you are.” She said before leaning down to kiss her. It was hot, and there were so many emotions Toralei couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

They weren’t together, not officially. So she shouldn’t really be feeling this way about Clawdeen. But when she gets like this, how could she not? Clawdeen pulls away, her lips are plumper? his lipstick is gone, mixed with Toralei’s. Toralei moves to reach forward, but Clawdeen pushes her hand away.

"You stay right there, and don't move." Clawdeen says. Toralei's body shakes as she feels Clawdeen lean forward, her lips ghosting over her neck, her breath fanning across the skin. Toralei releases quiet whimpers, fighting the urge to mesh her legs together. There's a tingling sensation running down her spine, her excitement getting the best of her when she arches slowly into Clawdeen's kiss on her collarbone. Clawdeen notices, but doesn't pull away from her. Clawdeen's hands run up her sides, cupping her breasts. Toralei sighs, leaning into her touch, wanting more, craving more. But the dress doesn't come off, and that makes Toralei frustrated.

"Take it off." Toralei says, moving to pull her dress up, but Clawdeen stops her.

"Didn't I say not to move?" Clawdeen reminds, and Toralei ignores her, pulling her dress of her thighs and up to rest on her waist, now bunched up. Clawdeen inhales quickly, taking in the sight, before pushing her up the bed. Clawdeen kisses her neck firmly before settling herself between her legs. An involuntary moan left Toralei's throat, feeling Clawdeen's hands run down her sides to her legs, where she promptly rested her hands on her thighs. Clawdeens hand's move up her inner thighs, taking her time to feel around her panties, noticing how wet they are. She pushes the material to the side, sliding her fingers through her folds and into her. The pace is quick, a contrast to the previous pace Clawdeen had set.

"Clawdeen- I- wait-" She's stuttering, the sounds are filthy and her face is heating up in embarrassment. Toralei's hands move to rest on Clawdeen's shoulders, eyes nearly rolling back from her actions, despite Clawdeen being as 'gentle' as she could be. She knew Toralei was overly sensitive from before.

"Mmh...Clawdeen please!" Toralei moaned, digging her fingers into her shoulders for some sort of support. Clawdeen smiled down at her, only quickening her pace. Toralei's eyes shut, feeling her body tense. She was almost there. So close.

Until Clawdeen retracted her hand quickly. Toralei whines, looking at Clawdeen desperately.

"I told you not to move." Clawdeen said, moving off of her. She straightens her clothes, now standing at the foot of the bed, fixing her outfit and hair.

"W-wait, so you're just gonna leave me like this?" Toralei asks sitting up, and Clawdeen thinks for a moment.

"I got any reason not too?" She asks. Toralei doesn't answer, instead she stands from the bed, stepping closer to Clawdeen before kissing her. This time, Clawdeen brings her closer, her hands on her waist. It's hotter than before, and the more Clawdeen pulls away the more Toralei chases her, quick kisses turning into making out.

"Please don't leave me like this." Toralei says, kissing her again, more desperate. "Please, I missed you." She says, but Clawdeen doesn't answer. Instead she kisses her harder, teeth clashing and lips parted. Clawdeen keeps her hands around Toralei as she moves back to sit on the bed, this time leaving Toralei standing.

"Then do it yourself." Clawdeen says pulling away. She leans back, taking her jacket off and throwing it behind her, leaning back on her hands to let Toralei straddle her.

"Really..?" Toralei asks. Clawdeen grins, looking at her. Toralei sighs and does as such, her hands finding resolve on Clawdeen's shoulders. Clawdeen moves her dress up her thighs, the dress now bunched at her waist too. It's then Toralei see's she's wearing no panties at all. "Did you plan this?" Toralei asks, and Clawdeen shrugs.

"Just wanted to be prepared." Clawdeen says. Toralei grinds down, her hips rolling against Clawdeens.

"Finally." Toralei sighs, leaning onto her. Clawdeen rests her hand on Toralei's hips, guiding her.

"Slow down, you'll get what you want." Clawdeen says, trying to sound calm, but Toralei knows she wants this too. But Toralei does as such, slowing down. "Y'know, you're such a slut." Clawdeen whispers to her. Toralei pants, trying not to move too quick.

"N-no I'm not." She responds, and Clawdeen shakes her head,one of her hands moving to rest between them, only slightly bumping Toralei's sensitive clit.

"But you are. Sluts don't do this, especially not at a party. Anyone could walk in you know. You didn't lock the door remember?" Clawdeen reminds, and Toralei bites her lip to stop the moan that forms when Clawdeen slides her fingers into her. She had been so focused on her talking she hadn't even felt her fingers slip past her panties.

There are tears brimming her eyes, this is probably the second time she's been edged, her feelings are only slightly hurt by Clawdeens tone, and she's insanely worked up to the point she knows she needs a release.

"Do sluts get to cum? Do you deserve to cum?" Clawdeen asks, and Toralei nods.

"Please Clawdeen please, I apologized about e-earlier." Toralei begs, riding her fingers.

"You gonna make a mess for me? Gonna cum on my fingers?" Clawdeen asks, her fingers curling. Toralei nods, crying her lap and moving her hips faster, desperate. "Go ahead, cum for me." Clawdeen kisses her, swallowing her noises and equally shutting her up. Toralei's tears fall on Clawdeen's arm, her pase quickening as she finally reaches her high.

"F-fuck, Clawdeen! Cumming!" She moans, her hips going from messy circles to a slow stop as she finally calms down. Clawdeen is soft with her, pulling her fingers out. Toralei leans her head on Clawdeen's shoulder, panting. Her eyes are heavy, and Clawdeen slowly shifts her weight to the bed, letting Toralei lay there for a bit to calm herself down.

"So, about that game."

[oriley42]

Tl;dr: here's the chart I made, react at your own time if you'd like<3, sorry for the bible below.

Hello again legend, I present to you my magnum opus relationship chart, updated to where I reached when I started it which was about early-mid s7 (I now finished) and therefore does not feature Park or Addams.

You can probably tell which parts might be inspired by your fics (the og ducklings polycule, House and Wilson married, Cuddy and frankly any woman, 13 and Amber etc), which parts are rooted in canon (Cuddy and House, Taub and Rachel, 13 and Foreman etc) and which parts are fully just me going ham (some friendships and ships with people who never met in canon, some of them sharing homes oops).

I would absolutely love to read a live reaction from you on stuff you agree and disagree with and what makes no sense to you because I honestly think your brain is huge as far as dynamics go. Feel free to add anything you can see I blatantly missed, I for sure didn't include everything here.

I know most of your fics don't venture outside of the earlier seasons regarding characters and dynamics but I've been having brainrot about the whole lot of them, I have loads of headcanons regarding the chart:

- It took Foreman a long time to give up his house but because he literally cannot do casual relationships and is hardcore married to 3 people and dating 13 he just sleeps wherever

- Kutner and Masters have a crazy bonding arc that ends with them sharing a house and they balance each other out

- Stacy and Cameron used to fuck over shared weird ass relationship with House

Anyway seriously ama I can explain everything even why Lin Manuel Miranda's character made it to the magnum opus I'm being so fr

No pressure at all to respond unless this brings you equal brainrot, at your leisure boss

Wahoo! This is so cool! I’ve only seen charts like these occasionally, and never gotten a chance to really dive in. I love how this visualizes the complex network of relationships and their nuances, and crystallizes a particular snapshot of them. And I’m so flattered that my stories could play a role in how you imagine these relationships! I do tend to favor the early seasons, so this is a good chance to think about the later fellows as well, who I also love <3 (Will attempt to put my response under a read-more...if I can figure out how these work...)

Starting with Foreman: I love how he’s his own big nexus! The show has such intense main character syndrome with House, but I totally agree with how you’ve framed Foreman and Thirteen as other key spokes in the bonkers wheel of toxic polycule-ism that is PPTH. Foreman wants to be a responsible homeowner but he’s got marriages all over town! And really he’s married to his job! How’s a guy supposed to manage a mortgage situation like that? �� Foreman and Kutner (I almost just misspelled his name as Kuntner, which, honestly…serve) didn’t really get to do much together in canon, and I love to imagine them getting to have a relationship of their own, not just in the context of PPTH. Would they chill and play video games, and it would be a chance for Foreman to just be a person, instead of A Doctor? Would he get to enjoy Kutner’s laid back nature, but because they keep things casual, he doesn’t have to deal with the stuff that would absolutely drive his ordered mind crazy—you know he wouldn’t stand for a fridge that’s empty except for a jar of mustard and one (1) liter of Mountain Dew. Also I can’t believe I forgot about that plot point that Taub roomed with Foreman, oh my god. Yes. And Foreman and Rachel Taub secret pals? Delish!

Thirteen has pulled every young, gorgeous, eligible person in her orbit, as she should. Sampled all the flavors, as it were. Except C&C—I agree, she doesn’t vibe with the blonde twins, especially as a set, though I think there could be something interesting in the whole ‘Thirteen is House’s metaphorical daughter’ vibe that Cameron would just go apeshit over. ‘Oh, it’s House, but he’s a hot, impressionable young girl who’s also dying?!’ ß catnip for that messed up gal! (Sidebar: I am fighting for my life every time I try to make Cameron sapphic because that actress simply reads as unbearably het to me. It took everything I had to write explicit Cuddy/Cameron. I’m so sorry to all the lesbian!Cam truthers out there, you’re stronger than I! Especially considering Jennifer went on to be half of such a powerhouse WLW ship on OUAT…I don’t know why, but the only kind of queer for her that really works in my head is aro-ace. That girl just wants to save lives, she doesn’t have time for any other nonsense!) On that note, love the idea that Cameron/Stacy had a thing. Go girls, the best way to get over House is to get under someone else (who also wants to fuck him!) Cuddy/Amber is galaxy brain, god, let these powerful yet deeply insecure and structurally maligned women try to step on each other, fail, and fuck nasty about it 😭 I’m also glad you fit sweet little Masters in, I’ve only written her as a cameo because s7 is so…Like That…but she’s delightful and deserves the (intimate) attentions of beautiful and terrifying women such as Thirteen and Amber. And Kutner & Masters friendship, what a delight that would be! I think they would both bring eldest sibling energy to it that would turn out to complement one another, as Kutner shows her the ropes of having fun and learning when to bend the rules, and she can help him buckle down and connect with the times when the rules are actually important to follow. Kutner was always the youngin’, so he didn’t get to mentor anybody, and he should have gotten that chance!!

I think Cuddy and Wilson have a Something…that cannot be defined. Is it sexual, platonic, friendly, familial? Are they besties, are they both just good at being social, are they bonded primarily over their UST for House, would they have been the world’s most perfect Lavender Marriage??? (Which raises the point of kids, yikes! That would need to be a whole other chart, of kids had, imagined, and desired…) Similarly, canon implies that Wilson and Stacy are good friends and have been for quite a while (though we don’t get to see it enough!) and I always wonder how that went for James ‘Trips Over Friendship Into Marriage’ Wilson. Was his friendship like Stacy like his relationship with Cuddy? Are they surface level friends who really bonded over House—or over the kinds of things that draw them to someone like House, e.g. the dark unspoken desires they both paper over in their pursuit of appearing “normal”? Maybe it’s like what Bonnie said, if she’d slept with Wilson right away, she could have gotten over him…maybe Wilson slept with Cuddy and/or Stacy and they were like ‘that was fine, but what if we just did brunch once a month and gossiped instead.’

I agree that Cuddy should have gotten to keep Lucas, like a pet. He was delightful! House Lite, a little scamp, but one who could be kind and relied upon when it was important. And totally agree that House should get to keep Alvie, that musical theater freak helped him keep it together in one of the worst times of his life! Those episodes of s6 are a fever dream that I wouldn’t trade for the world. House needs his emotional support boy best friend (there’s that one post that says without Wilson, House flees to the nearest manlet…so real.) It’s so natural, then, for the two manlets to bond. Lucas and Alvie have killer karaoke sessions together that are as humiliating to witness as they are incredible to experience.

Thank you for sharing this inspiring chart (and for referring to me like I’m a mafia don, it makes me feel so butch and famous) 😎🥰 Please do reblog or reply if any of this stream of consciousness sparks clarifications/questions/additions!

[thatgirlonstage]

Re:zéro asks!

What do you think would be the most interesting/hilarious crossover Subaru could stumble into. Either pre-canon or canon (or maybe even IF story), because he gets into situations, regardless of the timeline.

What ships do you like?

Do you ship rezero characters with characters of other series? If you do which ones?

And lastly, do you think Subaru deserves à vacation?

I don’t really do/think about crossovers so much unless I get particularly inspired for some reason—I’ve had some AU thoughts about Re:Zero but I’ve never really bothered considering crossovers for it. Subaru is a difficult character to transpose out of his setting & original plot without doing a LOT of work vis a vis how you manage his character arc. Though actually precisely bc of that maybe the most interesting crossover to me would be if canon Subaru got a glimpse of himself if he had been dropped in a more traditional isekai (I don’t know nearly enough about classic isekai to pick one though) and the kind of person he would’ve become if he was just handed a bunch of awesome powers and people who think he’s cool without ever being called on his shit (the absolute worst version of himself). Relatedly, to your third question, nah I p much never ship characters outside their franchise. Even if they don't directly interact I need them to at least exist in the same/similar enough context or interact with some of the same people in order to get the shipping tickle in my brain. Again unless something particularly inspires a crossover idea, but even then, I will at most do like, bullet point ideas that are mostly meant to be funny to me. I almost never read crossover fic and I’ve never written it.

On ships in general… okay look. I am a) multishipper galore and always one good piece of fanart from being interested in whatever ship idea you want to pitch to me, but b) not primarily into this show for ships and c) at most poking the Re:Zero fandom with a ten foot pole for pretty fanart and usually staying well away from it except to make posts for my own amusement and like six of my friends. I can’t go in the Ao3 tag for it. Every time I do I start wanting to stab things. My current strategy to make re:zero fandom for myself by slowly luring all my friends into watching re:zero is having a shockingly good success rate but yeah the fandom at large is…… holy lack of reading comprehension Batman.

For whatever it’s worth, just as, things I will yell the most about while watching, I am deeply invested in Rem and Subaru in whatever configuration of relationship you want to put them in, I like Rem/Ram because I’m me, and idk that I really know enough about Satella to have Thoughts but I am So Normal about Satella/Subaru Jesus fuck the love love love love love you bit. (NB: I’m anime only with this series so far, please no spoilers.) Emilia/Subaru do make me soft, Subaru and Otto should queerplatonically own a cottage and 37 pets together, and Crusch/Felis are a t4t couple and I shan’t be told otherwise. Actually the ship I’ve probably Thought the most about though is Julius/Subaru. Why did they put in a loop where they speedran an enemies to lovers tragic boyfriends arc. What was that about.

But all of that is secondary to my desire to watch Subaru get the shit beat out of him 😂 which, to your last question—does he DESERVE a vacation? I mean, sure, boy’s been through the biggest boatload of trauma one can imagine and he’s not a bad person even if he’s an asshole with a lot of baggage to unlearn. Do I want him to GET one? Absolutely not, that boy was made in a lab for me to squeeze him like a stress ball

[loveletters4dana]

hi! :) long time no see, dear blog,

it feels like i picked you up and brushed off the dust from your cover, i hope you don’t mind me writing in here again. feels a bit lonely, being all alone with my thoughts…

anyway, i just wanted to catch you up with the last few months! it feels like so much has happened, and yet so little at the same time. one thing always remains the same and it’s the fact that i love dana more everyday. it’s always been this way since i got to know her. we’ve been doing well, by the way! love feels like it’s growing everyday, it’s very sweet. uni has been going okay so far, been overwhelmed at times, but that happens, just small setbacks. i know i get get through them well, especially with dana by my side.

she has been exceptionally patient and supportive with me, even when i feel like the worst person on the planet. she always makes me take a step back to see the situation differently and not be as mean to myself as i would have been, i really appreciate that. it’s something i’ve been struggling with my whole life and when it comes to dana, i can just go up to her all teary eyed and she immediately knows exactly what to say to make it all better. she knows me so well, it amazes me all the time.

she’s been doing so well in uni, too! last semester, she made it onto the dean’s list for her efforts and it made me really proud of her. i know how hard uni has been for her and seeing her excel makes my heart soar. my dana truly is exceptional in everything she does. she puts in so much love and effort, it’s so inspiring to see. makes me feel as if i can make those canva designs like her when i see her create her intricate and beautiful designs! (spoiler alert, it doesn’t work, gonna show you one of my designs)

but! i am very proud to see her grow. we’ve truly gotten better at communicating and understanding each other, it’s like we can anticipate when the other might be feeling down or weird or anything. it honestly feels like a superpower or like we have a psychic bond, we just know without needing to know.

we even started a dnd campaign together! we made two characters that were basically us when we first met, and we made them fall in love with each other. playing these games with her truly has made me fall in love with dana all over again, each time we had any interaction, it felt like i was hit by lightning!!! man, i love her so much. everything about her is perfect.

i know i have not used much flowery language, i think i just felt like talking about all the facts. it’s been the best time of my life being with dana so far, and i know it will only get better. we are nearing one year and i’m as sure that i’m gonna marry her now as i was when i first met her. (but don’t tell her i knew back then already, okay? it’s our secret, blog)

i don’t know, i feel like i’m just rambling at this point and not truly tapping into my full romantic potential, but i just… i’ve never been as sure of someone, or something, as i have been of dana and our relationship. it simply is a fact that we are together, and there is nothing pulling us apart, and it’s a fact we will get married one day. it’s just… so secure!! it’s such a wonderful thing, to know that you will always have this amazing person close to you. and they want the same thing, too!! they want you just as much as you want them, in the same way you want them. it’s such a blessing and i am so, so lucky and thankful i got to find it in my beloved.

anyway, my blog, i might start writing stuff again here, it felt nice just to get excited about dana and everything we have built together! gods, hold on, can i just say!!! the dedication dana has to fixing stuff and communicating and getting better and not leaving when things get hard? it makes me fall in love with her ten times more, like, i’m worth all that effort for you? you wanna spend your time with me? you wanna give your love to me unconditionally? it’s all so, so sweet, and sometimes, with all the love that dana shows me, it’s so… insane to think about. but i have it all, no matter what happens and i love it all so much. and i hope i treat dana just the same and she feels all the love i feel for her 🫂💙💐

okay, gonna wrap it all up now since i really wanna spend more time with my girlfriend before she leaves for uni but!! thank you for listening <3 and to my sweet dana, thank you for making my days so much sweeter and my life so much better and worth living. everything is so much better with you, my love.

i love you with every fibre of my being, my heart is yours.

forever yours,

your teo 💛

[midnightmah07]

Hi, hello, it me, yeah I’m back. Before I get started talking about what I drop in for I just wanted to say, I absolutely love your art😍 every day I look forward to seeing your posts. You have change my POV on oc x cannon with Daggie. They are just so cute and silly I want to put them in a pancake. But anyways, your art has inspired me to make many twst oc of my own(and by many I mean 2 maybe three idk yet) but I only have a design for one of them

This is Grayson, he my baby and I love him. I’ve only drawn him a couple of times but idk where I put them 🤷🏻 whoops-

From this picture(it’s like two months old) his design has changed a bit. But still somewhat like that.

but what I came here to talk about is the super silly friendship he has with some characters👏

just to be clear these friendships I’m going to write out are still under development, lots of things are gonna change as I finalize his character!

Okay, to start off,

-Ruggie: they are like best friends, since they are in the same class they’ll study and work together. Grayson likes to randomly visit Savanaclaw and bring snacks and donuts and just food in general. I see them teasing the first years a lot(it’s a normal thing) and overall having a very wholesome bond.

-Floyd: somewhat the same with Ruggie but a bit more silly. Grayson and Floyd have been friends since childhood. They grew up in the same area and went to the same schools. But Grayson being a new addition to the group (Floyd, Jade, and azul) he was a bit overwhelming for them, except Floyd, they matched each others energy. If one of them did something bad so did the other.

-Epel: Epel is Grayson’s favorite first year and he makes that very clear to the others. So clear that Adeuce gets jealous. But Grayson took a liking to epel, 1) because Grayson likes small colorful things, and 2) Epel told him that he was having a had time fitting in, epel didnt really know how to act proper, or wear fancy clothes. But Grayson didn’t know so well either but having 4 sisters he had a few tricks he knew so he offered to help. And thus they became friends👏👏

okay last one

-Kailm: They are an equation for disaster. When Kailm is planing a party, Oh well, Grayson gonna make him take it a step further. “Hey Grayson what do ya think ‘bout the balloons?!”

“Hm, how about you take that ballon arch over there, get more of it, and line it all up along the path. Oh and we need some pyro effects!”

yeah that’s how it goes and them Jamil has to child lock EVERYTHING from both of them.

but anyways, Grayson still has some construction that needs to be finished. But yeah, he’s not my oc x cannon oc I’m still figuring that one out. But I hope you enjoyed listening to me ramble about my child. I will see you in the comments of your posts 🫡

bye bye!!!

AHHHHH HE'S SO SO SO SILLY I HAD A SMILE ON MY FACE THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS READING THIS...

First of all I'm so so happy you started liking oc x canon more because of my OCs, that makes me so happy to hear!! Especially bc I was exactly in your place and a dear friend of mine changed my mind with her own oc x canon; I'm so glad you like my art and my content, especially my babies daiggie<33 it warms my heart!!

Also, I love the little interactions Grayson has with everyone, especially bc I'm a huge Ruggie and Kalim fan!! Seeing him being silly with them is soooo cute and fun!! I look forward to seeing him more💙

[anime-book-club]

“Please Save My Earth” vol. 1 by Saki Hiwatari

TLDR: 7/10

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

“Please Save My Earth” is another expensive title to collect physically. I would recommend buying the Kindle edition instead. As it is $6-$7 a book. Getting an entire set once again hits that $1000-$2000 price range if you insist on a physical.

I’ll be honest, I’m only reading this “classic” late 80s manga (with an anime adaptation) because of its relationship with Sonic The Hedgehog! But why? And how is it related?

Apparently this manga had a significant influence on Shiro Maekawa. (A former writer at SEGA and Sonic Team.) and this is what inspired specific writing choices on Sonic Adventure 2 (The space colony ark and Maria specifically) and particular scenes with Shadow and Maria together on the ark. Apparently the voice actor of the main character Alice in the anime adaptation was also the voice of Maria. Which Maekawa described as destiny, and that’s hard to disagree with.

I’m a girl who practically wants to be a Sonic The Hedgehog archivist. I’ve practically experienced all the media Sonic has had on offer and I like reading inspirations and source materials, even if they aren’t Sonic related. I’m hyper fixation to the max.

So does that mean I automatically like this tale of alien scientists who have reincarnated and been born as humans on earth? As their past lives start to overlap with their current ones as it leads to drama and heartbreak?

Ehhh. It’s fine. It’s skippable if you only care about Sonic. But if you like retro manga, I’d give you a positive maybe. And I do like retro manga. So.

The inspiration on Sonic Adventure 2 becomes immediately obvious. But it does a few things that’s… weird. There’s also elements that just plain haven’t aged well. Some of which is ignorable and some of which really isn’t.

But let’s talk about why!

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

Detailed spoilers ahead:

Here’s some music while you read because I have a LOT to say:

First let’s talk about the art and my final thoughts on its relationship with Sonic Adventure 2 for book one before getting into the story beats here:

It’s beautiful and soft. I especially love all these scenes in space. Again those influences on Sonic Adventure 2 are so front row in these scenes in particular.

I mean JUST LOOK AT IT:

Context clues imply that if you ship Shadow X Maria you will likely love this kind of material.

Okay but obviously it’s more than its influences on Sonic The Hedgehog, so what made the story a fine experience instead of a great one? Especially since I love it’s inspirational material to death. (My first Sonic games were the Adventure games.)

This is Alice. She has just moved to the city from the countryside. She LOVES plants. (Her past self’s name is Mokuren). For simplicity’s sake these are basically the same person. Except the past self is an alien. Present self is not. (Though the same soul is probably a better way to put it. A lot of these characters are going to have duel identities)

Alice babysits a freaking brat named Rin. (I very much do not like this child.):

I like child characters, and I get that this kid is supposed to be annoying, but I just don’t like his cut. He does gross things to Alice and some of it borders on plain harassment. Especially when BOTH SETS of parents start endorsing the idea of her pretending to marry him in response to her almost killing him. Mind you there’s a 9 year age gap. Rin is 7 years old and Alice is 16.

This is what I mean by some of these elements just not aging well. And one could argue this is 80s manga from Japan. I know some folks like to cut Japan some slack on some of this stuff.

I don’t. It’s 2023, the here and now. Being old does not make it ineligible from critique from a modern perspective. And I think the conversation around that makes it more interesting period.

And hey. I can hear you thinking, “Did she just say Alice almost killed that kid?”. Yes I did.

Being a babysitter of a constantly turbulent kid has Alice is fed up with his behavior. She’s spanked him once before but things reach a boiling point when Rin questions her about wanting to date specific other people (we’ll get into this in a bit). When Alice softly challenges this idea Rin grabs a sentimental object to Rin (a plant from her home town she loved so much.), sits horse back style on the balcony railing, and drops the plant to is death several stories down.

While understandably hurt, Alice stupidly slaps the kid and knocks him off the railing. She manages to catch him, but she is unable to pull the boy back over into safety and he ends up also dropping stories down. (About 12-15 stories high)

This has a weird effect on the story where she is ostracized in school because she effectively pushed a kid off a balcony, but her regular group of friends are guilted into being friends with her again??? And it goes back and forth between emotionally punishing her for it and letting her get away with it emotionally. Though undoubtedly she feels guilty. She never feels she made the right decision, but she is being coddled.

While it’s obviously an accident no one would be cool with her, especially in Japan. She also faces no legal repercussions for this. Which I’m not necessarily advocating for accuracy, but it is a bit too ridiculous on that front. Especially when Rin’s mother advocates his feelings to marry her after he wakes up from his COMA. She also apparently wanted to apologize to Alice for slapping her for slapping her kid off a railing? Nah. Nope. Not a thing.

But, hey, that’s manga. Sometimes you just gotta lean in and enjoy the drama like a soap opera. I get it. I mostly mention it to give you an idea of how this story is going to operate over 20 books. This is only PART OF THE SYNOPSIS for volume 1!

Let’s get into WHY that even happened by first introducing a couple more key characters and their “deal”.

On the left with the dark hair we have Issei. His past alien scientist self, which we don’t see yet, is a woman named Enju. I’ll be swapping between pronouns in the future when talking about Enju and Issei.

On the right is Jinpachi. Their past alien scientist self was named Gyokuran. Whom we also don’t see.

To get you quickly caught up:

Enju likes Gyokuran, but Gyokuran was in love with Mokuren, but Mokuren was already engaged with someone named Shion.

So it stands to reason they still like each other? (Low key it sounds like Enju was always jealous and being treated as a back up plan.)

⬆️ This is a lie. I am certain of this in some capacity. It is uncertain if this is played up as a joke or as a very legitimate conflict. (Too early to judge). I also can’t rightly tell if the manga stands behind that statement or not. But it is also extremely gay coded with them in the modern era. They talk about their dream love together DAILY for Christ’s sake. (And low key act it out. Like COME ON.)

If this is being treated as legitimate, what does that make them? As Jinpachi shows some obvious attraction for Alice. Issei implies that “they’re a guy in real life “ so they could see the appeal of Mokuren. I think Issei will have hidden feelings for Jinpachi. Does that make you gay if you’re context for loving that person was originally straight? As his connection is contingent on knowing him through those dreams. Is Issei gender dysmorphic at all? Which body do they prefer? The one that had a better chance to be with the person they love or the one that has a second, but maybe slimmer, chance to be with them now? Did Gyokuran like Enju at all? Because Jinpachi does seem to like Issei in some capacity. And are those feelings only for Issei, or can that be extended to other men? And how does that effect the relationship now???

They both seem to like both their past and current bodies, does that play a unique roll here? What would you call that? It is obviously reincarnation but are they truly reliving those moments or are they simply kinning their own past lives they get to watch like a TV?

I’m aware some of these are weird questions but I can’t help but wonder these as I read. These aren’t questions that will probably be answered for a while and likely not directly. Hopefully they aren’t… poorly answered. I’m interested to see how this manga will handle these topics.

Now. How does ALL THAT relate back to Rin and Alice?

The whole reason why the balcony fight even happened is because Alice obviously kinda likes Jinpachi. And it is obviously reciprocated.

So Rin gets hurt and Alice prays that he wakes up from his coma and he does. Great. I’m gonna mostly skip over the weird engagement because like, already covered why I don’t like that. But the idea is so wild to Alice she straight up just passes out from the mere idea.

Apparently Rin has new intuitive powers. It is unclear how they work. He initially wakes up in tears after, what I assume, is having his own dream of a past life. Knowing this manga’s m.o. even from just the first volume and Shadow The Hedgehog, I would be willing to bet money this little brat is Shion. 🙄

But after reconfirming with his mother that he does indeed wish to marry Alice, we cut to later and he is sneaking out of bed. He goes out to the balcony and just jumps out and lands safely.

He had apparently contacted gangsters??? And then mentally manipulates one of the biker’s motorcycle brakes to fail so he can have a personal chat with the gangster. They literally float in the air together to talk. The manga ends with Rin requesting that the gangster gives him the Tokyo tower. Okay I guess??? It is about aliens. Sure.

In the midst of all this happening Alice has her “reawakening” after fainting from the news of the engagement. (She faints twice from this news and then cries about it FYI)

We see who I assume is Shion and we see Mokuren. The big thing established is that Mokuren is a… Japan nut (Their words not mine). An Otaku. But it is implied (at least in the first book) they that exist in the era of the dinosaurs (With humans not existing yet. Because remember, all the main cast in past lives are aliens)

And she talks about pronouncing her name “The Japanese way” and making oden. It implies she can mentally visit her future body in the present??? Astral projecting? Is that what they call that? Something along those lines. Like she was astral projecting into her future body, so her past self is privy to Japanese culture but other scientists are not? Unclear. Too early to truly judge. I understand wanting to make the character see into the future but I’m not so certain I vibe how they did it? It could’ve been cooler. I think.

“Please Save My Earth” certainly isn’t uninteresting. There is so much to dissect and talk about within even just one volume. Lots of good head canon potential too. It’s a series I want to continue. All the books are rated individually and not as a series as a whole. My initial opinions may change with later volumes. I plan on reading and dissecting all 20 volumes as I consume them so buckle up.

But as is? It’s a weird manga for sure. I could see this being a very particular flavor for a lot of readers. And while I like it, I don’t know if it would be something I would recommend or not until I get a couple more volumes under my belt.

Next: “Please Save my Earth” vol. 2.

(Next review not available yet)

[eljackinton]

Every Game Jack Played in 2022

Once again it's time for me to talk about all the video games I played. A lot of time was spent playing Hunt Showdown and Gwent, which I've talked about previously, but I still got few a fair few games, so let's talk about them now.

Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye

After a game as with such high concept heights as Outer Wilds, how do you follow on from where the story leaves off. Echoes of the Eye takes such a challenge in it's stride, taking the game to even more fantastical, stranger places. Never before have I seen a more worthy expansion.

Back 4 Blood

It's probably fair to criticise Back 4 Blood when comparing it to it's obvious progenitor, Left 4 Dead, and while the game definitely lacks that Valve spark in it's characters and it's level design, it's still a well put together game that has an identity in it's own right, that brings a few new interesting ideas to the table.

Sunless Sea (Again)

I spent a lot of time playing Sunless Sea in 2020 but something about it just drew me back. This time I played through more of the strange sub-plots and got more into the trade sim side of the game. Enjoyed it even more this time around.

Quake

I also finally got round to playing the mission packs for the new edition of Quake. While some are definitely more enjoyable than others, it's a testament to the engine that it can still come out with some surprises all these years later.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

I FINALLY finished HZD this year, and while I can say I've really grown tired of huge open worlds, and this game is no exception, I still spent a lot of time thinking about it. Far from perfect, with gameplay with is serviceable at best and janky at worst, it still looks gorgeous, has a magnetic cast of characters and a really involved story of twists and turns. Can't wait for the sequel to be released on PC in like 5 years time.

Superliminal

In a just world, Superliminal would be as big as Portal. It mechanics are as inventive and creative, and it's humour is as witty and dry. Alas, sci-fi stories about evil computers is always going to be more popular than avant-garde dream spaces. Still, the game has well earned it's accolades, and I'd love to see it's ideas extrapolated further.

A Hand With Many Fingers

A very short but sharp narrative game that involves piecing together a political conspiracy that actually happened. Feels more a proof of concept than an actual game in it's own right, but I'd love to see it's mechanics and ideas used in a larger project. Imagine a Deus Ex game just stopping the action to have you rustling through boxes of files.

Cultist Simulator

Better in idea than it is in execution. Cultist Simulator is most enjoyable at the beginning where you're just piecing together how the mechanics work and what resources are used for what purposes, giving you a little eureka moment each time. The further you get, however, the more it feels like you're hitting a brick wall. At 34 hours in I'd had enough of still trying to figure out how half of the mechanics worked.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger

The previous COJ games have always passed me by, so I went into Gunslinger as it's own thing. An absolute love letter to Western cinema at it's most overwrought, with every trope and cliche on display. I only wish it had been longer.

Disco Elysium

Whatever I have to say about Disco Elysium has probably already been said, but I'm kind of glad I held off from the hype period and experienced it on it's own merits. A true successor to Planescape: Torment that also manages to dethrone it's own inspiration.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Fireteam Elite gets almost everything right. The gameplay is paced perfectly, the sound and visual design apes the Alien's films to a t, and the game draws just the right amount from the Alien's expanded universe to feel authentic without being fanservicy. It's one big flaw? The game is just too damn short and the campaigns are far too small to keep drawing players back in the way Vermintide or Back 4 Blood can. Updates have mitigated this somewhat but it's in dire need of more maps.

For the Warp

A really fun space travel rogue-like that can be a little frustrating at first but once you begin to understand the deck building mechanics the whole thing clicks and getting that perfect run feels well earned. I really hope we see a sequel that can expand out to a Darkest Dungeon sized campaign.

Tell Me Why

A Life is Strange game in all but name, Tell Me Why really feels like Dontnod really hitting their stride with the tone and style of games they really want to do. Deeply personal and uncompromising, at three episodes it's never at risk of outstaying it's welcome. Highly recommended.

The Stanley Parable ULTRA DELUXE

Playing a new Stanly Parable in 2022 feels weird. There's also a part of me that wants to gripe about the re-release not having enough new content, but then I'd feel like the game itself would be judging me for doing that. I think my actual opinions on this game will need another half decade to formulate.

Deus Ex Revision (with the Lay-D Denton Mod)

So I finally got an excuse to play Revision with the added bonus they included the new female player option, which is a great and seamless addition and kind of wild how ell it was pulled off. As for Revision itself? It's a fine, alternative way to play Deus Ex and a good excuse to do so, but I don't really think it works as a superior version of the game. Some of the map changes just complicate it way too much. Worth checking out but the original is still superior.

Eponymous

An extremely short game that is, in brief, about the nature of playing games. If nothing else it did get me to finally read House of Leaves.

Not Tonight

This Brexit themed Papers Please-alike is absolutely brilliant as satire but just a touch too long for an enjoyable game. While it does a good job to communicate the pressure of thankless contract work like that of a doorman, the game drags it's increasingly difficult gameplay mechanics along far too long for the story to justify. Clever but should have been shorter.

Battlefleet Gothic Armada

A fun, high stakes space combat game that is just a little too overly complex for the gameplay mechanics to allow for. Didn't outstay it's welcome but I'm hoping for big improvements with the sequel.

Warhammer 40'000 Armageddon (DLC)

So I finally went back and finished the DLC campaigns for Armageddon. They're really just more of the base game, for better or worse.

Titanfall 2

Well worth it's reputation as a top-tier story based FPS and also for being shorter than it should have been. Not a real moment is wasted and yet I'm crying out for a sequel that will likely never happen.

Darkest Dungeon (DLC)

With the DD board game launching this year I decided to go back and play the DLC that I missed the first time round. While the gameplay is as slick and tense as ever, I can't help but feel the DLC pads things out more than is necessary just to make it fell like they add more content than they actually do. Far from essential but they add some interesting concepts.

Lair of the Clockwork God

It's weird to think this series started as a throwaway gag. Lair of the Clockwork God is an impressive return to the Ben and Dan series in terms of scope, and I had my fun with it, but ultimately, I think too much of the platforming elements were frustrating for the sake of it (and not in the moments where this was deliberate.) Here's hoping any potential sequels return to being simple point and clicks again.

We'll talk about Deathloop this time next year, as I still have yet to experience the multiplayer aspect. Until then, my new years resolution is to finally finish Divinity Original Sin 2.

[thatneilj]

Game of the Year 2017

Originally Posted in January 2018

*2024* - I have been writing these game of the year posts since 2017 but for some reason the little intro didn't make it into my archive for this year. Oops!

Honorables

Mario Odyssey

This game is joyful, expansive, and rewards exploration. Unfortunately, I have found that after 400+ moons, I still find the controls to be a bit frustrating. On top of that, while the capturing mechanic is fun, I find I most of the time I would rather some solid Mario platforming. That said, Uproot is the best!

Sonic Mania

The first video game I ever owned was Sonic the Hedgehog 2. While my love for Sonic has never truly gone away, I have skipped the majority of Sonic titles over the last 15 or so years. Sonic Mania is zeroing in on the old stuff I grew up with. Sonic Mania invites me back to my hometown to party with friends i’ve not seen since the 90s, and makes it feel like none of us ever drifted apart.

Wolfenstein: The New Colossus

If you told me 5 years ago that Wolfenstein would be a franchise that rises above killing Nazis to tell a story with some of the most well-realized characters in modern media I would have laughed at you. But here we are. Machine Games gave BJ Blazkowicz a backstory that makes him feel believable despite the insanity that is his world. This game is amazing, except for the part where the level design and difficulty get in the way of seeing the story play out.

5. CUPHEAD

I got to this game a bit later than most. Sure I had seen the fantastic art bringing that 1930s cartoon style to life. I had heard the soundtrack full of big band scores and incredible jazz that broke onto the Billboard charts. I had even heard the developers at Studio MDHR talking about their inspirations, including Megaman X, one of my favorite games of all time. Not until I put my hands on the game did I realize just how perfect it all is together.

The controls are tight and responsive in a way that prevents deaths from feeling like bullshit, despite the difficulty. The music can be frantic, mirroring perfectly the insanity on the screen, which helps draw you in without becoming distracting. And those smooth visuals truly do bring each boss to life. Often weird and creepy life, but that is right in line with those old cartoons. Seriously, some of those old things are the stuff of nightmares.

4. HELLBLADE: SENNUA’S SACRIFICE

 Hellblade was quite hard for me to play. While that sounds negative right from the jump, that is part of why I liked it so much. It wasn’t a hard game, it was a hard experience. It was hard for me to listen to these disembodied voices telling me I’m not good enough as they danced around my head. It was hard for me to watch Sennua break down and cry with such raw emotion. The game is a technical marvel at realizing Melina Juergens’ performance.

(https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/15/16316014/hellblade-senuas-sacrifice-mental-illness)

While the game’s depiction of psychosis has come under fire for some legitimate concerns, its depiction of the symptoms is impressive. And watching the Making Of short included in the game was rather fascinating. I cannot think of any other big studio taking the time and doing the research to try and get this stuff right. Hellblade was hard for me to play because it was effective in making those symptoms feel real and tangible in a way I simply don’t have in my normal life.

3. HOLLOW KNIGHT

Here’s what I knew about Hollow Knight when I was going in: “It’s kind of like a Metroid game.” Now, I have loved a lot of action-exploration games, particularly when they make some bigger changes to the tried and true formula. Hollow Knight had me unsure at the start from the art style, the floaty jump, and the mapping system. But as I played more of the game, I found myself getting drawn in deeper and deeper. I realized it is a blend of two series I love; Metroid and Dark Souls.

Once I got the dash, movement started feeling good. Once I reached the City of Tears, the aesthetic had me catching my breath. Once I had all the maps… well, actually that damn map stuff is seriously annoying. I didn’t care anymore though, I was engrossed. The story of this bug-filled world is fascinating, and told at the edges for those who want to look. The action is can be punishing with big bosses, precision platforming, and combat that requires intention. This game had me yelling at some challenges, and yet I wanted more, even after the 35 hours I took to beat it.

2. A HAT IN TIME

3D platformers were back this year, back in a way I couldn’t even keep up with. First, we had Yooka-Laylee coming from a bunch of ex-Rare developers making a new Banjo. I missed this one, but heard mostly not-great things. At the end of the year we had Mario Odyssey, where the mission based worlds were done away with for free-form exploration and excitement. But right in the middle of those was A Hat in Time, a game that felt more like Mario 64 in structure, but with so much more.

I knew next to nothing about A Hat in Time when a friend gave it to me to check out. And I soon learned that Jon ‘JonTron’ Jafari had a cameo voice role in it. With that stink on the project I still found myself falling in love. From the very beginning you get a wonderful cartoon style that lends itself so well to the cuteness of Hat Girl. You go down to the first world and find personality dripping throughout the whole island of Mafia men. You meet mustache girl, become friends, and learn how crazy she is. And then, after all this, you get to go to a new world where two birds are competing to make you a movie star.

This game just made me happy the whole damn time I played it. And yet, it is full of choices that seem insane and shouldn’t work. Why not put a silly Metal Gear Solid stealth mechanic into this level? Why not give people an MSpaint mini-game just for fun? Why not pretend we’re a horror game for one mission? Apparently there is no reason not to do these things, if you do them right. Fact is, they did it all right while still giving us wonderful world design, fantastic platforming, genuinely funny writing, and the cutest character ever! If you dash and don’t jump out of it, Hat Girl will just lie on her belly and wiggle her feet in the air while she daydreams!

1. NIER: AUTOMATA

Nier: Automata is a very flawed game. The world you run through feels pulled out of a game from 2004 with all the invisible walls. The Platinum Games influence is clear in the combat, but in many ways feels stripped down and shallow in comparison to some of their past works. The most damning thing, though, is how long it takes to get through Route A. But if you push through all of this, if it gets its hooks in, it is a game that does something special.

Nier has, at its core, an ethos about the world. Not just through some story telling beats about the nature of androids. It goes so much farther. Where many sci-fi stories in more modern media look at how robots can be human, Nier ask what it is to even be human. Yet it does this in a story about androids who should be devoid of emotion. Entities with a task to fight a war that is never ending, on a world that refuses to forget people. A world that really doesn’t need people anymore anyway.

The game is thick with this pervading sense of despair. It isn’t just the crumbled buildings and rusted robots. It is every character you meet, each side story that seems to inevitably end in a place worse than before. It is in the loving couple that want to desert the war, it is in the thinking robots looking out over vistas, and it is in Father Servo who wants to be the best fighter. It is in the main story, when it takes you back through Route A from a different perspective. And it only becomes more intense in the later parts of the game.

This game is my game of the year because it is going to stick with me. Because I watched someone go against everything they stand for to save what they care about, only to lose it all from their own choices. Because I had to put down my controller for over 30 minutes, staring at my avatar idling in a dark and depressing room, trying to decide which choice I could live with. Because as each belief about the nature of the world was pulled away, showing me just how wrong I was, and how pointless trying to change it was. Their all robots right? They are programed for this.

This game is going to stick with me because, despite all of this and so much more, it managed to pull away the magic circle. It gave me an ending full of loss, full of satisfaction, and somehow full of hope.

[elliotteisnoire]

i hate having to rework all my character designs.

i made franciscos current design back in February because I was having art block and i couldn’t draw any of my characters because they were too complex. And now that I look at it, I don’t really like franciscos design that much :( it feels more like an ugly demo rather than something final. it also looks super simplified in comparison to my other characters and im sick and tired of convincing myself that it’s because he’s “built different metaphysically.”

i have a general gist of what i want him to look like, but idk what to do. i still like the spiked hair and the scars, but i think ive been drawing him too skinny and less robot-like. ive been really when it comes to designing his clothes, but im building a good pinterest board rn to get inspiration. i still like the baggy jeans, but ive been seeing a lot of karakuri tamashii jeans in my feed and i think they’re perfect for him (not so perfect for me when i have to draw them, but it’s whatever. maybe i’ll design the embroidery in its own thing and warp it whenever i need to show his legs.) ive also been seeing a lot of baggy t shirts with these japanese woodblock painting-esque designs on them and they match very well with the jeans. ive also been really lazy about accessorizing him, but i bet he wouldn’t mind a couple fun necklaces and bracelets. maybe some cool statement belts as well. with the clothes maybe i could incorporate some patchwork or some fun textures to but idk glfivofjfbrk

i drafted up some cool jeans for him, but idk if they look good enough

what’s REALLY bothering me is his face. i really want to go for a tbhk feel with the eyes, but i don’t know how to fit them on his face without it looking weird. the overall shape of his face is bothering me too. and his nose. and his mouth. deadass they’ve just been little curved lines over the past 8 months and while it’s really convenient for drawing him quickly, it’s really fucking boring. i need to find a better face shape to put him in.

besides Francisco, there are some characters that i have completely down, and there are some that i haven’t even designed yet.

I haven’t drawn Osi, Hoshiakari, Raymond, Heavens, Dr. Chambers, Constantine or Lilith in months (at least in full-body, so i gotta put together some fits for them.) I’ve never drawn Benjamin, Giovanni, Marco, Paisley, Ophelia, or Chloe in any final way. And for Garien, Cathi, and Klaudiana, it’s been literal YEARS and none of their old designs are acceptable. Really the only one that has a clear, solid final design is Mr. 404, and he’s just a king penguin with a big ass robe and some jewelry. im currently working on a Hoshiakari reference, but that’s more for anatomy and mapping her freckles. If I make it digital, maybe I’ll put some clothes on her, but I’ll probably have to make another pinterest board. AND I HAVE SO MANY HARD ASS CHARACTER DESIGNS THAT I CANT EVEN USE BECAUSE NONE OF MY CHARACTERS MATCH. HOW THE FUCK HAS IT BEEN ALMOST 3 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT AND NONE OF MY CHARACTERS EXCEPT FOR THE BIG PENGUIN MAN HAVE FINAL DESIGNS.

to be fair i do have a pretty good idea for what some of them dress like, i just gotta actually put it together…

fuck. i need help. someone help me.

[choicesflashfics]

Here is the list of prompts for the Choices Flashfics Holiday Prompt event, running from now through January 7th! 

Guidelines:

The fic can be no more than 2500 words. Word count must be present.

The prompts must be used exactly as they are except if you need/want to change “Christmas” in any of the prompts to another winter holiday that you/your character(s) celebrate, you may do so. (some already give an option, but you can choose any winter holiday that fits your story, or just “the holidays” is fine too)

Any of the prompts used must be bolded. Please put in your A/N which prompt(s) you’re using and specify if they are from the holiday prompt list and/or the weekly prompt list. 

Use proper warnings/tags for the fics if they require any (nsfw, etc.)

Tag @choicesflashfics when you post and your fic will be reblogged. If your fic isn’t reblogged within 48 hours of posting (because we all know how tumblr tags are wonky sometimes), send a message with the link. 

Post your holiday fic(s) by Saturday, January 7th (11:59 EST)

You can post as many holiday flashfics using as many of the holiday prompts from the list as you want during the duration of the event. You can combine the prompts with the weekly flashfics prompts if you’d like and/or use them with other ongoing Choices events. Any fics submitted will be linked in that respective week’s weekly fics post, and a special post containing all submitted holiday fics will be posted Sunday, January 8th. I hope these lend some inspiration if needed! 

❄️happy holidays and happy writing❄️

Tags: @aallotarenunelma @ao719 @bebepac @blackcatkita @burnsoslow @charlotteg234 @choicesfanaf @choiceskatie @choicesmonthlychallenge @dcbbw @debramcg1106 @delightfullysweet @emkay512 @foreverethereal123 @jerzwriter @katedrakeohd @neotericthemis @niaellariious @ofpixelsandscribbles @peonierose @phoenixrising0308 @polishchoicesfan @queenrileyrose @sfb123 @sincerelyella @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn @writing-not @zaffrenotes

(If I’ve missed anyone, I’m so sorry. Please let me know if you’d like to be added. If I’m unable to activate your tag, I will try to reach out in the comments!)

1. “Stop trying to get me to walk under the mistletoe.”

2. “That should be our Christmas card this year.”

3. “You’d make a cute elf.”

4. “I thought you were going home for Christmas/the holidays.” -> “Well, I couldn’t leave you all alone.”

5. “Who decorated your tree? A toddler?”

6. “See? I told you running in the snow at midnight was fun!”

7. “This is the first time I’m spending the holidays with someone I actually like.”

8. “Did you break into my house?” -> “You refused to put up any Christmas decorations! What choice did I have?”

9. “I’m really nervous to meet your family …”

10. “You’re getting coal this year.”

11. “Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle.”

12. “The tree isn’t the only thing getting lit this year.”

13. “My secret Santa got me a trash can.” -> “Mine got me a half-eaten bag of chips and a tube of chapstick.”

14. “You. Me. Snowman. Now.” 

15. “I’m a grown adult. I don’t want to take a picture with Santa Claus.”

16. “I dare you to run through the snow … naked.”

17. “Look, there’s mistletoe. We have to kiss, it’s the law.”

18. “If you throw that snowball, you’re declaring war.”

19. “You’re kidding, right? You’re not going out in that snowstorm!”

20. “You didn’t really think I’d let you spend Christmas/New Year’s alone, did you?”

21. “It looks like Santa threw up in here.”

22. “Have I told you how much I hate Christmas shopping?”

23. “There’s a snowstorm. I guess we’re stuck in here together until it passes.”

24. “My only resolution is to love you even more next year.”

25. “There’s no need for gifts when your presence is already a present.” -> “That was adorably cheesy.” 

26. “Hey, if we don’t find someone by midnight … you and me … maybe?” -> “Ask me properly and I just might consider it.”

27. “But it’s Christmas/New Year’s Eve … you’re supposed to be here with me.”

28. “You’ve never been kissed under mistletoe?”

29. “Well, here I am. Making your Yuletide gay.”

30. “Look, couples Christmas sweaters!”

31. “Joke’s on you. I’m already on the naughty list.”

32. “Aw, look at you pretending to be Santa for the kids.”

33. “I made you some hot chocolate.”

34. “I’ll be home in time for Christmas, I promise.”

35. “Christmas brings up bad memories for me.”

36. “Looks like you got a little drunk off the eggnog, hm?”

37. “Let’s go sledding!”

38. “Christmas lost its special side to me a long time ago … but you’ve brought some of that magic back.”

39. “Don’t feel bad … you didn’t completely ruin Christmas dinner. There’s still this … Jell-o stuff.”

40. “Christmas is so close, I can almost smell the mistletoe I’m never going to get kissed under.”

41. “Parent hack: wrap empty boxes, and whenever your kid misbehaves, throw the box into the fire.”

42. “I cannot believe our car broke down in the middle of nowhere on Christmas Eve!” 

43. “My house, my rules. The Christmas music stays on.”

44. “You are impossible to shop for!”

45. “What do you mean you don’t want to go sledding?”

46. “I swear to god if you sing another damn Christmas carol …” 

47. “You know, when you said ‘Christmas party,’ this isn’t what I was expecting.”

48. “Come on, just wear the Santa hat for a little bit. Please?”

49. “I feel like there’s more frosting on you than the gingerbread.”

50. “Should you ever need a family to spend the holidays with, there’s always room for one more in my/our house.”

51. “I never had any special tradition for the holidays while growing up.” -> “So, how about we start our own?”

52. “I don’t know if the champagne has me seeing stars, but you look more beautiful than ever right now.”

53. “Your nose is red from the cold. You look like a cute little reindeer.”

54. “I know you said you didn’t want any gifts, but I want to spoil you, so deal with it.” 

55. “You’re always welcome to stay at my place for Christmas if you can’t find a hotel.”

56. “Us cramming into your childhood twin bed is definitely not how I would have imagined spending Christmas Eve at your parents’ place.”

57. “What do you mean? I think this snowman looks exactly like you!”

58. “Lift me up so I can put the star on the tree.”

59. “Ice-skating? Do you seriously trust me with knives on my feet?”

60. “This gingerbread man is me. This one is you. And I know the house looks wonky, but I promise our future home will be better than this!”

61. “Ho, Ho … oh?”

62. “Did you get us matching PJs?”

63. “Are you eating cookies right now? It’s 3 am.” -> “If Santa can do it, so can I.”

64. “The roads are getting really bad. Maybe you should stay here tonight.” 

65. “Get inside before you freeze to death!”

66. “Let’s just stay in today and watch Christmas movies.”

67. “What’s wrong? Do you not like your gift?”

68. “How about you, me, and some hot chocolate by the fireplace?”

69. “I kind of got too drunk at this Christmas/New Year’s party and I need you to come pick me up …”

70. “Someone bit all of the heads off of the gingerbread people!”

71. “Most wonderful time of the year, my ass.”

72. “Guess who signed us up to go Christmas caroling?”

73. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re snowed in.”

74. “That is the saddest looking tree I’ve ever seen.” 

75. “Look at all the couples using the cold as an excuse to cuddle. It’s gross.”

76. “Great! Now I have to re-hide your gifts.”

77. “Looks like there’s still one more present under the tree …” 

78. “I thought we agreed to not exchange gifts this year?”

79. “I’m freezing! Let me steal your warmth!”

80. “We cannot put this photo on our Christmas card!”

81. “The only thing I want for Christmas is you.”

82. “Are you even tall enough to put the star on the tree?”

83. “Well done. You just ruined Christmas.”

84. “You said not to buy you any gifts, so I made you one instead.”

85. “Hey! No peeking!”

86. “Wait, did you spike the eggnog/hot chocolate?”

87. “Seriously! I told you that you would get sick going out like that!”

88. “I mean, I knew you had Christmas spirit, but this is ridiculous.”

89. “This has been the most memorable Christmas I’ve ever had.”

90. “Wait, you mean this whole time, you hated peppermint?”

91. “Tis the season, I guess.”

92. “What are you doing?” -> “Making a snow angel, duh.” 

93. “Would you stop eating all of the popcorn! It’s supposed to go on the tree!” -> “But I’m hungry! And who puts popcorn on a tree anyway?”  

94. “Don’t be such a grinch!” 

95. “New Year’s Eve was supposed to be fun! Instead, we ended up in a jail cell! And it’s all your fault!”

96. “Why do you get so grumpy during Christmas time?”

97. “Throw the snowball like you mean it!”

98. “It’s freezing out here! Please open the door!”

99. “Come play in the snow with me!”

100. “Almost everything that could have gone wrong did, but this was still the best Christmas ever.”

[duckymcdoorknob]

heya ducky - hope you're doing well!

truth be told, i feel like i'm close to having some kind of mental breakdown. i am an icarus; i genuinely believe that there's no point in doing something if you're not aiming for total perfection. anything less than exceptional or at least above average is essentially worthless to me. this attitude towards my life has only been further exacerbated with one of my best friends dropping out of university (i'm so proud of him for doing so because he was not doing well but i feel like there's a huge gap in my life now and as if i'm in a state of mourning). please may you do a sugawara, atsumu or suna comforting their romantic partner reader in some kind of isolated place (rooftop, garden, etc). thank you so much for everything you do <3

Hi Henry!!

I hope that by the time you see this you’re doing better, I know it’s been ages since you’ve sent this in, but I do my requests chronologically. So I hope that it’s not too late!!

I hope all is well for you and that you may be in any sort of place that’s better.

For you? I do all three characters :)

Okay suga’s got long as fuck, but I think he’s your comfort character if i remember correctly so ye :)

Suna’s is a little short bc I don’t know how to write for him oops 🫣

CW BELOW THE CUT: Severe perfectionism, self-health neglect

𝐾𝑜𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑆𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑎

As we all know, Suga is very attentive and observant. He noticed the drop in your attitude right away.

He found it best not to pry, not wanting to be the reason that you became even more upset.

Instead, he tried to be as supportive from afar as he could.

He’d leave chocolates in your locker every morning, alongside a sticky note.

Sometimes they’d say something to pick you up, like a compliment or a joke. “Your shirt reminds me of you, beautiful and vibrant.”

Or, other times it would give you some kind of inspiring message. “I believe in you with all of my heart. I love you.”

He’d place it in your locker during morning practice, hoping and praying that his little gesture would be enough to get you through the day.

Suga felt his heart sank the day he saw you receive a certain assignment back.

This had been one that the two of you worked together on (oh no, cheating?? In high school? Unheard of!) and he felt good about.

He watched as you read the bad grade and gently placed the paper on your desk, subsequently staring blankly at the white board in front of you.

He didn’t know how, but he knew he had to step in and make sure you were alright.

So, he left another note.

“Hey! I have a surprise for you! Courtyard @3:30?”

All he could do now was hope and pray that you would show up…

When the clock rolled to 3:30, Koushi anxiously awaited your arrival on a bench. He sat patiently, holding a cool leaf that he would assign as your “surprise” if you were to ask.

With a sigh of relief, he saw you clearing the corner with a beaming smile on your face.

What he didn’t know was that you had put this smile on, two seconds before you entered the courtyard.

“Hello my love!” He chimed, patting the seat next to him.

“Hi Suga!” You beamed in response, sitting next to him, “So. What’s the cool thing you wanted to show me?”

Koushi gulped, still holding his smile on. “Look at this amazing leaf that Noya found for me this morning!” He showed you this leaf as if it were a $100 bill.

“Ah… wow!” You replied, flabbergasted. “That’s… that’s something alright!”

Your boyfriend sighed, suddenly leaning onto your shoulder. “Okay I might have lied. I just wanted to spend time with you.”

You couldn’t help but smile sincerely this time around. You ran your fingers through his hair absentmindedly. “I could use the time right now.”

“So I’ve noticed…” he murmured.

“What?” You asked, fingers slowing to a vault.

Shit.

Koushi sighed, unmoving. He took your hand and kissed it gently. “Please tell me what’s been going on. I’m so worried about you.” his voice was just above a whisper.

Your breath caught in your lungs as you registered his words, “Nothing im-“

“(Y/N). You barely reacted to the grade you got on the assignment we worked on. What’s in that pretty head of yours?”

“I feel so… so empty.” You whisper, gripping his hand suddenly, “Like nothing matters anymore.”

“I see. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, Suga. I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to find the reason to do anything unless if it’s absolutely perfect. I just want all of my efforts to be recognized.”

Koushi lifted his head off of your shoulder and pressed his forehead to your own. “I love you. So damn much.” After that, he held both sides of your face and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Anything that you do makes me absolutely proud. No matter how badly our ship sinks, we always get back up.”

He pressed another kiss to your forehead, “I don’t know who set such high standards for you, but I’m here to crush them. You’re doing just fine yourself and you don’t need anyone to tell you how to live your life. I’ll always be pleased with you, no matter what you do.”

“Thank you.” You whisper in reply.

“Anytime. I’d do anything for you.” And with that, he finally pressed the sweetest kiss on your lips.

𝐴𝑡𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑢 𝑀𝑖𝑦𝑎

Atsumu is such a sweetheart. This boy would do anything for you.

He learned from a fellow classmate that you had been in a pretty tough spot lately, so he immediately jumped into action.

“Good morning!” The blonde boy chimed as he stood next to your locker.

“Uff- hi ‘Tsumu.” You replied, clutching your chest, “you scared the bejeesus outta me.”

“Sorry!” He gave you a kiss on the cheek as an apology, “I have a big surprise for you later!”

“Oh? A surprise, for little ol’ me?” You teased, smiling in giddiness.

“Yep!” He cooed, “I can’t wait!”

As he turned away to go to his own classes, your boyfriend hoped that this would be enough to get you through your day.

To his delight, Atsumu was met with you at his locker at the end of the day.

He grabbed his belongings, chatting about his day with you. When he was all packed up, he led you to his house by hand.

“Okay so!” He beamed as he entered the house. “I noticed that you haven’t been your happiest lately, so I had ‘Samu help me with this…”

You immediately felt your heart sank. He had noticed? You were doing so well keeping it hidden…

Regardless, you quirked a brow at him out of curiosity.

“Surprise!”

When your attention shifted to Atsumu, he was standing in front of a bunch of random ingredients.

“We’re gonna make and decorate sugar cookies!” He chimed.

You couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this would be fun.

Unfortunately, everything decided to go against you. Your icing was too warm, so it melted as it came out of the bowl, there was a hole in your piping bag, and some of the cookies were too crumbly.

So there you and your boyfriend sat, covered in miscellaneous baking ingredients, and colored icing.

“Damn it,” you muttered through gritted teeth, “This was just another thing for me to fuck up, and I did a great job. Sorry, ‘Tsumu. I must’ve messed this up for you too.”

“Sweetheart, what do you mean?” Atsumu instantly put down his cookie and bag, taking both of your hands, “Here, come talk to me.”

He led you to his bedroom and shut the door. He sat you down on the bed and held you in your lap. “Tell me everything. Please don’t hesitate; I’m right here for you.”

So, you told him. You told him how awful you felt whenever things didn’t exceed the expectations that you had for yourself. You explained how you felt a huge void in your life since your friend left school.

“(Y/N), I love you.” was all he said.

He pulled you into a tight hug, kissing your cheek int he process. “I love everything about you. I love how passionate you are to succeed. Even though it may be a little much sometimes, your iron-will never lets you down.”

“I love how you can completely drop whatever’s bothering you, so that you can hang out with me. I know that it takes a lot out of you to pretend to be okay when you’re not. So, thank you.”

“And. I think you’re doing the best you can. I love you, but I think your standards are too high. You have to give yourself room for failure. You are human, after all. You can’t always have things go the way you want them to. But I adore you for trying your best every time.”

You sighed and squeezed him tighter, holding him as if he would leave you. “Thank you ‘Tsumu. I love you too.”

“Come on.” he said, picking you up from the couch, “We have cookie pieces to try and decorate.”

You nuzzled into his shoulder. He really did love you with all of his heart.

𝑅𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑜 𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑎

When Rin noticed that you weren’t taking care of yourself, he immediately spiraled into an internal panic.

You were not one to ever endanger yourself, so he was automatically worried.

Whenever he would text you, you wouldn’t reply for hours straight.

Whenever he would call you, you would reply with “Can’t talk. Have to study.”

Whenever he would see you in the hallway, you would have the most prominent bags under your eyes.

Eventually, he couldn’t stand to see you tearing yourself apart.

He shot you a quick text one Saturday morning. “Hey beautiful. Meet me at the memorial at 1pm?”

To his delight, you replied immediately. “That sounds fantastic right about now.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you then, love.”

Suna sighed and flopped backwards on his bed. What could he do to help you?

Hours passed as the middle blocker brainstormed how to approach the situation, and how to comfort you.

When it was time for him to leave, he left with the best idea he could come up with…

Suna arrived at the park and found you sitting by the fountain. He chuckled lightly to himself and made his way toward you.

“Hi, (Y/N).” He said happily, sitting down on the grass next to you.

“Hey, Rin.” You replied, immediately laying your head in his lap.

“So I wanted to ask you something important.” He said, running his fingers through your hair.

“And that might be?”

He sighed.

“Are you okay?”

Your breath left your lungs as you attempted to speak. “I- yeah. I’m okay, honey. Why do you ask?”

“Sweetheart please don’t lie to me. I just want you to be happy again.” He muttered, cupping your cheek with his hand.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. “No, Rin. I’m not okay.”

“Talk to me, please.”

“Nothing is worth it anymore. I try so hard to be absolutely perfect all of the time. My studies, my grades, my activities. All of it. If it isn’t perfect, I hate the result.” You explained.

“Right.”

“And I just don’t feel like I’m full anymore. There’s been a void in my heart for a long time, and I just want it to go away. I wanna be good enough. I want to be able to look at myself and see a successful person.”

“Well, you just need to look harder.” He replied.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Rintaro, what do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re perfect the way you are. Please stop trying to change yourself. You try the hardest at every activity you do. You try so hard to be the best and it kills me to see you neglecting yourself and your health. Please don’t hurt yourself anymore, I just can’t take seeing you so beaten down.”

“Rin, you don’t get it.”

“I understand plenty. We’re in a hard spot with our education right now, but there’s no need to have such high standards. I know how badly you want to succeed, but you already are. You’re doing your best at everything, and that’s all we could ask you for. I’m already proud of you, so at the very least that should be enough.”

You sighed and sat up, turning around to tackle him in a hug. “I love you, Rintaro.”

“And I love you more, (Y/N).” He replied softly, returning your hug tightly.

—————♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎—————

[aaeds]

A kindness to Adaptations and “Based On” in costumes.

The teaser has been released and everyone is super excited. I’m looking forward to January just as much as the rest of the fandom - however, before we get close to the full trailer let’s all go in with open minds.

After watching the Cabinet of Curiosities Anthology on Netflix, I was surprised by the response of some of the watchers. A lot of the responses were “That’s not how it was in the book/story.” Well, maybe not but adaptations are conversions of paper to television in most cases. They won’t always be what you’re wanting or expecting

And...it can’t be. It can come close, but an adaptation will always subvert your expectations one way or direction.  Not because the producers don’t care, but because there are hundreds of imaginations going off at once and sadly we’re not behind the decisions made. So I plan on going into Lockwood & Co. with an expectation to see a new spin on a series I’ve read and listened to a dozen times. That said A particular interest in mine has been in the fashion of the series as we’ve seen it. I’ve seen a few complaints over no skirts (I believe it’s a skort or shorts in the teaser) and that’s okay. There are other aspects of her costuming that can tell us more about her character than what fanart has given us.

Lucy comes from a working class family with several sisters, it wouldn’t surprise me if several pieces of hers are hand-me-downs. Her clothing is also punk inspired, bordering on working class skinhead mod subculture (and no I don’t mean that kind of skinhead.) Rolled pants, heavy boots, a bomber jacket but with feminine touches such as her mockneck ruffled shirt. It’s an interesting way to show difference between herself and Lockwood (Rather than always dressing them in one colour.) This is including their class, but also to put an emphasis on Lockwood’s put together-ness to her hodgepodge dress and quality teen behaviour.  I’m not saying we shouldn’t see skirts, but if we do outside a haunt I would be very interested in seeing how it meshes with the rest of her outfit. I think Lucy’s background doesn’t get enough attention that it deserves in regards to her emotional growth and insecurities. Finding a home in London outside the confines of strict codes of conduct like Fittes also probably went into her design.  Lockwood as well had some minor brushes, and while the converse are as comical as his dodge-roll on camera, I can see how practical they would be to film in while also remaining faithful to the character in other areas. He’s wearing a tie and trousers, with that ridiculous overcoat so it was a good compromise. Capturing the dichotomy on screen of “Put together businessman in his teens” and “traumatised child” would be a complex arrangement of fabrics and key pieces to his wardrobe. Someone pointed out the bright red socks, and I hope that maybe colour will play into his role through the series. I think also the ring is very interesting as it’s on his right hand which can ‘mean’ strong attachment. To wear it on the same hand as wields a rapier could for example have a connection to its previous wearer. Jessica, or a parent. 

I love costume theory and we haven’t seen much of George but I think they nailed one aspect of his wardrobe from the books was everything was in ways too big on him - except the elastic on his jacket. We don’t know how much of George we can say for wardrobe - but given the stacks of comics and state of things I’m hoping for graphic T’s and character PJs. Comfortable clothing, and not really giving a damn compared to his cohorts. 

But we should enjoy the series when it comes out as it is before getting too critical on small details now. 

[heyyyharry]

Happier

(inspired by happier by Olivia Rodrigo)

Word count: 2.4k

I'm selfish, I know, I can't let you go So find someone great, but don't find no one better I hope you're happy, but don't be happier

Part 1: Drivers License

Part 2: Deja Vu

A/N: I edited the original lyrics to match the POV :)

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.

.

Harry had come up with a thousand scenarios of how this day would play out. Actually, he’d been thinking of this day since the moment he’d received the news. He didn’t dare to hope that she’d say yes to coming back for a sequel. He’d been sure that they would write her character off, give a lame excuse for how his love interest could not make a return and make his character forget about her completely to move on with a new girl in town. It would have been great if it was that easy in real life. Once someone was written off the script, they were gone for good. Real-life relationships were not that simple. Goodbye didn’t mean ‘never see you again’. You would still share the same friend circle and social bubbles, and it was worse when you two worked in the same industry. Harry didn’t know how he’d lasted a year without running into her, not since the Grammys.

“Didn’t you two date?”

“No.” Harry shook his head, but his eyes stayed glued on Y/N from across the room. She wasn’t looking his way, too busy saying hello to everyone else. “No,” he repeated, more to himself than to his co-star. “We didn’t.”

“But she wrote an entire album about you,” said the other twin. What was her name again? Lulu?

“Luna!” cried her sister, Lex. “You can’t ask him that!”

“No, it’s okay,” Harry said with a tight smile, slightly annoyed by the blonde twins, but he didn’t want to seem like an ass on the first day of filming. “And I don’t know if it was for me. You should ask Y/N.”

“Ask me what?”

Harry flinched when he looked up and saw Y/N padding towards them. She hugged the twins, who seemed way too excited. Harry guessed they were Y/N’s fans. They gave off crazy fangirl vibes, probably just pretending not to know the drama to interrogate him. He couldn’t blame them for assuming he was the villain and definitely could not blame Y/N for portraying him as one. It was more important that he knew who he was and how much he had changed since his last relationship. Maybe they could finally be friends.

“Were they bothering you?” Y/N asked him once the twins had left.

Harry nodded. “They’re your friends?”

“Oh, I met them last year on tour. I’m surprised you don’t know them. They were on Disney.”

“I don’t watch Disney,” Harry admitted with a smile. “Well, not today’s Disney.”

“Understandable.” Y/N nodded and bit her lip. She seemed guarded with her straight back and hands hidden behind her. She eyed him up and down, quite subtle yet noticeable. “How have you been?”

“Pretty good,” he said, nodding slowly. “You?”

“Yeah, but mostly tired because of tour.”

“You’re done?”

“Yup, last night was the last show.”

“Nice.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “Nice?”

Harry blinked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No.” Y/N giggled. “You still sound very...you.”

“Well, shouldn’t I?”

“Yeah, you should. But it’s been a year so…I mean, you haven’t changed much.”

“Right,” he said lowly, his eyes falling to his feet. Harry supposed he should say something else, perhaps bringing up another random topic to discuss, but all he could think about was what had happened between them. Things had been messy, hadn’t they? How could they go back to before that? Before her first song about him. Before he’d chosen someone else over her.

Or he could talk about her new relationship. She’d been in a happy relationship for almost six months, right? No wait, hadn’t they broke up two weeks ago? He wasn’t sure because he hadn’t been catching up. If they’d broken up, he’d sound like an ass to even mention her ex’s name. He should just stay quiet.

“I’ll see you later?” she said, gesturing at her stylist who was waiting by the door.

Harry could ask her right now -- the reason she’d agreed to film the sequel to their first movie together. He’d heard from a very reliable source that she’d specifically asked her agent to decline any project that he was in. So did this mean they were good? That she didn’t hate him anymore? He could have gathered his courage and got the answer right then…

“Yeah, see you.”

...but he didn’t.

And so she gave him a smile and a little wave, then happily returned to her stylist.

.

.

.

“See you tomorrow, Y/N!”

“See you, Annie!” Y/N said as she put the rest of her things into her tote bag. Her new driver had got her schedule mixed up, and so she had to wait here for another half an hour. She was in no rush. It had been a light first day, and she’d had a fun time getting to know the new cast members and catching up with old friends.

She sat on the sofa in the lobby, legs crossed, texting her best friend about her day. She’d purposely left out the short off-screen conversation with Harry, and her best friend didn’t even bother to ask. In their world, he didn’t exist, and his name was censored in every conversation like a curse word that was even worse than ‘cunt’. Nevertheless, she didn’t hate him anymore. She was doing just fine on her own, being busy with her career, and she’d been in a happy relationship after her fall out with him.

She and the guy, a model, had broken up two weeks ago due to long distance and some differences that they could not change. They had ended on good terms and decided to stay friends. They said you could only stay friends with your ex when you still had feelings for each other, or you had never loved each other that much in the first place. For her, it was probably the latter. Her previous relationship had been more platonic than romantic, apparently. So she had nothing but the best to say about him.

As she was going through her camera roll, just reminiscing about the past, she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to find Harry. He offered a smile and gestured to the spot beside her on the sofa. “May I sit here? My ride is late.”

“Yeah, sure.” She hurriedly scooted over.

“Good job today,” he said. “You were great.”

“Thanks, so were you.” She smiled, and they both looked away at the same time. This was so awkward. She hated small talk. She’d never had to have small talk with Harry. Conversations with him used to be so easy and natural and silly. Whatever this was, it wasn’t them.

“Can we just be normal?”

At first, Y/N thought she’d been the one who’d said it, so when she realised it’d been Harry, she was speechless.

He swallowed and sat a bit straighter, still not looking at her. “I don’t want us to be weird and awkward.”

“Okay,” she said.

He cleared his throat. “Wanna try again?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Okay, not to sound like an ass but when Joey kept forgetting his lines, I was so pissed off, I could throw a chair at the wall.”

“Right?!” exclaimed Y/N, feeling free to have finally broken out of her shell. “Like, he doesn’t even have many lines. I know he’s new but damn...you can’t get far if you don’t learn your goddamn lines.”

Harry shook with laughter. “Oh God, we sound like dicks, don’t we?”

“Maybe.” Y/N laughed, covering her mouth. “But you know what? We can’t be nice in this industry. It’s impossible.”

“Shhh, if someone heard this, we would be into big trouble.”

“Oh please, I’ve had worse articles written about me than ‘Y/N speaks facts about her lazy co-star’.”

Harry tossed his head back and cackled. “The worst one I’ve got this week was ‘Harry Styles hates therapists.’”

“What?!” Y/N gasped. “No way! That’s so stupid!”

“Right?” Harry rolled his eyes. “I could get all my therapists to speak up for me but I’m kinda immune to bullshit now.”

“Therapists? Like plural?”

“Yeah, one in every city.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

Y/N rubbed her hands onto her legs. “Rough year?”

Harry’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he leaned back. “You have no idea.” Then he swept his hair out of his eyes, sucked in a breath, and finally looked at her. “I wish I could have talked to you, though.”

She bit her tongue, knowing what she was about to say next would disappoint her best friend so much, but she had to. “So do I.”

Harry looked taken aback before his lips curled into a smile. “It’s silly, isn’t it? I haven’t talked to you in a year, and I feel like I know everything that’s happened to you except that I don’t.”

What he’d just said might make no sense for most people, but Y/N knew exactly what he meant. She nodded and wetted her lip. “You only know as much as everyone else does.”

“Yeah, I got updates on you from the news and our friends.”

“Same.” Y/N smiled back. “I hate how they write articles about your new haircut but not mine.”

“I like your new hair colour.”

“Thanks. I like your new car.”

Then they both burst out laughing. It was fun and also a little bit strange that Y/N didn’t feel the same anxiety talking to him as she used to. It must be because they had grown and were now meeting again as better people.

“Damn, my ride's here,” Y/N said as she read the text from her driver. “I gotta go now.”

“Oh, okay.” Harry stood up and followed Y/N to the entrance. “Hey, just wondering--”

“Yeah?”

“Am I...am I still blocked?” He looked a bit flustered as she tilted her head and squinted her eyes. “On your phone. Because I remember you having my number blocked--”

“I unblocked you on your birthday.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah.” Y/N shrugged. “I should’ve sent you a happy birthday text but...I didn’t want your girlfriend to get the wrong ideas.”

“My ex.”

“Yeah, I know.”

They smiled at each other one last time before saying goodbye. Y/N knew it was silly, but she was hoping he would go after her.

Ding.

A notification popped up when she was in the car. She was almost home, and it was from Harry’s number. He’d sent her a link with a message that said, “Hope you like it :)”.

Curious, she tapped on it and was directed to an audio file titled ‘Track 5’. The upload date was last year. About two weeks after their short conversation at the Grammys.

Hurriedly, she fumbled inside her bag for her iPods and put it on before she pressed play.

“Hey, Jeff, I couldn’t sleep so I wrote this song. Listen and let me know if it should go on the album.”

Then came the piano intro. It sounded good, so Y/N wondered how it hadn’t ended up on his last album.

But when he started to sing...

We ended a while ago Your friends are mine, you know, I know You've moved on, found someone new One more guy who brings out the better in you

And I thought my heart was detached From all the sunlight of our past But he’s so nice, he’s so funny Does he mean you forgot about me?

Oh, I hope you're happy But not like how you were with me I'm selfish, I know, I can't let you go So find someone great, but don't find no one better I hope you're happy, but don't be happier

And does he tell you you’re the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen? An eternal love bullshit he might not even mean Remember when you were with me I meant it when you heard it first from me

And now I'm pickin' him apart Like cuttin' him down will make you miss my wretched heart But he’s charming, he looks kind He probably gives you butterflies

I hope you're happy But not like how you were with me I'm selfish, I know, I can't let you go So find someone great, but don't find no one better

I hope you're happy I wish you all the best, really Say you love him, baby Just not like you loved me And think of me fondly when your hands are on him I hope you're happy, but don't be happier

The song was for her. He’d written it when her new relationship had gone public. Y/N sat there, staring blankly ahead until the honking of a car tore open her inner peace, and reality came crashing back in. The driver dropped her off at her house. Instead of going inside, she stood on her front steps and replayed the song one more time. When it ended, she decided to text him: Why didn’t this make it to the album?

She didn’t know where he was now, but it showed ‘typing’ in less than a second, as if he’d been waiting in their chat since he’d sent that link.

You would’ve hated me, Y/N.

True, she replied. Still, I would’ve loved the song lowkey. And added, I love it btw.

He took so long to type that it was driving her crazy. She flopped down on the concrete stair with her phone clutched in her hands, her heart thundering against her ribcage. Anxiety popped like a balloon when his message appeared: Were you happier?

She reread it again and again.

No.

I wasn’t either, he responded. I kept getting deja vu.

Ha, nice reference.

That song is my guilty pleasure. Love listening to you roasting me on loop.

That last message made Y/N bury her face into her palm and giggle like a fool. She thought for a second and wrote: I could come roast you in person now if that’s what you prefer. I think we’ve never had a proper roasting.

Can we meet, Y/N? Or are you busy now?

No, not busy.

Great, I’ll pick you up.

Just tell me where, she responded with a smile on her face. I got my drivers license now :)