#It's vaguely in the order I'd put them if I ranked them

[random-gamer1942]

I was gonna rank the sbg main characters and joke about it being an objective ranking and everyone else being morally wrong, but then I realized that no matter how I ranked them, I disagreed. So instead, here's why I love all the characters!

Logan's arc of learning to stand up for himself felt really good. Although I feel the least of a personal connection to him, I respect the hell outta the kid

Taylor is such a fucking sweetheart. The way she always knows the right thing to say melts my heart every time. Her helping calm down Ben specifically is so wholesome bro

Tylor may look like an ass on the surface, but he probably cares most about the others. Also, his impaling has gotta be in the top 5 moments in media that effected me most at the moment

Ben, for me specifically, is kinda relatable as hell. I don't talk about this, but I used to have semi-frequent outbursts as a kid. And having interests that 'don't line up with how you look' also is something I've had quite a bit. Seeing him be such a gentle giant reminds me of the person I hope I am to my friends

Ashlyn's antisocial behavior hits kinda close to home, and She kinda reminds me of a very good friend of mine. I really respect how she's clearly struggling all the time, but still decided to become the leader and keeps the others 'in line'. Also, as someone who does Taekwondo, I love her go-to roundhouse kick -> spinning hook kick combo

Aiden is so fucking unhinged, I love it. He says exactly what he's thinking, does exactly what he wants, and doesn't care about what others think. Even better? When he doesn't. When he decides to not do one of those things, or to even help someone (Ashley), even if it goes against how he'd usually want to act. Because what I love most about him (and why he just might be my favorite character), is that deep down, he really does care about these people more than anything

(Sidenote, I keep misremembering Ashlyn as Ashley, Tylor as Tyrone, and Logan as Gordon. To my knowledge I've not written them like this anywhere, but if I do accidentally do so, you'll know who I'm talking abt)

[sky-kenobye]

Fic Tag Game

Thanks @ineffable-snowman for the tag! :D

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

7 works, 5 of them are my own fics and the other 2 are translations (in french) of other people's fics

2. What's your Ao3 word count?

18,740 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Star Wars at the moment. I used to write for Harry Potter but not anymore, and one translation is from a Sherlock fic and I sort of tried to write for that fandom but never managed anything.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Who's having a gay crisis? (424 kudos) (HP)

2. Partenaire Particulier (397 kudos) (HP)

3. Not exactly common (221 kudos) (HP)

4. Happy as a stick bug (132 kudos) (SW)

5. I wish you with me always (99 kudos) (SW)

(I honestly don't think they deserve to be in that order, I would put the entire thing upside down lol. But drarry/hp in general is a much bigger fandom than obikin and they're older fics, so more time to get kudos. And my top one doesn't deal with aroace stuff so it must have helped too.)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to, yes! I might not if it's just a few emojis or a very very short one, and sometimes I just forget, but I like when authors answer my comments so I try to do the same.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None of them, I'm a fluff writer, I can't handle the unhappy endings 😅 I guess the worst one might be my very first fic, that must still be somewhere on ff.net, it was a pretty angsty/bittersweet fic (and probably very badly written, yikes)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of them? They all end with people cuddling/holding hand/being really sappy 🤷 The one where the characters are the happiest is probably I wish you with me always though, it's the only one where nobody's traumatised one way or another.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven't so far, luckily. But I don't have that many hits either so less people reading it=less likely to get hate (I think?)

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

Nope! No smut for me I'm afraid, I think I'd be pretty bad at it tbh. I'm not ruling it out but being an aroace virgin myself, I think I'd be a bit out of my depth lol. But if I ever do it'll probably be the sappiest most vanilla smut you've ever seen x)

(I enjoy reading way kinkier stuff, but I don't think I have it in me to write it)

10. Do you write cross-overs?

I haven't so far. If we're talking about characters crossover(?)(like, making characters from different media meet) I'm not sure I ever will, I'm definitely not inspired at the moment. If putting characters in another universe counts as a crossover (like, idk a pacific rim au?), then I probably will eventually, yeah.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so, probably not.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I did some translations myself. I'm vaguely thinking about translating my own fics in french though. It's thanks to translations of fics that I started reading in english, and it's thanks to that that I became so good in english, so like, I owe fic translators a lot? And I also feel kinda bad about speaking french but "gatekeeping" my fics by writing them only in english. Idk.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No, I don't think that's for me, too much pressure to write something good and that the other author(s) actually like.

14. What's your all time favourite ship?

Hmm 🤔 I want to say obikin because they're my current absolute fav, and they might rank first in term of investment, and maybe even intensity, but it's a relatively recent ship for me soooo 🤷 My oldest and longest lasting was Harry/Ginny, but I wasn't quite as much into it as other ships. Drarry was a pretty intense one for a while but I went multiple times from being obsessed with it to being almost squicked by it, so I don't think they can go first. Stucky, Dinluke and Johnlock are up there too but idk.

15. What's your WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Idk if it counts but I wanted to write a sequel to Partenaire Particulier. I didnt have anything really planed but I really wanted a sequel and I promised up and down that I would write it, no matter how long it took. And uuuh, now I left the fandom and don't intend on getting back to it 😬 So that's haunting me a little bit.

16. What are your writing strength?

Strength? No strength here sir.

I'm kidding but I really have no idea. Dialogue comes the easiest to me but I'm not sure I'm actually good at it, i tend do make my characters ramble and go on emotional rants.

Or in middle school I wrote a scene description so good that my teacher read it for the whole classroom, so maybe that was my strength back then? I was twelve though.

And I dont know if it's a strength, a weakness or just a fact but almost all my fics so far are about aro/ace/qpr stuff (projecting much? me? naah. 👀)

(If anybody wants to tell me what's good in my writing I'd kiss you on the mouth)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Blending dialogue and not-dialogue (forgor the name). I either write 1k without anyone speaking or 1k straight of dialogue but you don't know what anybody's doing. I try to blend both when I edit but it's haaaard.

Also sometimes I feel like I have the vocabulary of a 5 years old.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it can be perfectly fine if the pov isn't supposed to understand what's being said, or if it's translated straight away, but when you read a long fic with mando'a every 5 seconds and none of it is translated (or all at the end) it gets pretty annoying and doesnt really add much to the fic. imo if you want a character to speak in a different language you should just write in english, put it in italics, and specify that they speak the other language or something.

The other thing that bother me that I see a lot especially with mando'a in fics, is just putting the word in mando'a in the middle of an English sentence. That's not how being bilingual works!! (at least not that much). Like, I don't call my sister "my soeur", so why do the clones call each other vode in basic? Idk, it doesn't bother me enough to stop reading, it's more of a mild annoyance, but it doesn't really make much sense to me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter! But Star Wars is the first fandom where I'm actually (somewhat) active and interacting with people instead of lurking and blurting out a fic every once in a while.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I'll go with I wish you with me always. I think I made a decent job at writing it and qpr are just so important to me. It also made me sooo happy to see so many other people liking it <3

But I think my wedding au will steal the first place if I ever manage to finish it!

I feel like everybody had already done this a while ago, so I'm tagging whoever is reading this and hasnt done it before!

[lyrishadow]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59422717

FICTOBER 1: [fanfic] Mass Effect

Title: "Nice to meet you"

Prompt: that was good work.

Pair: Aurelius Shepard /Kaidan Alenko.

Read at link or under cut..

Commander Aurelius Shepard.” Aurelius sighed as he slid his bag under the scanner and went to pass the security desk to the boarding bay.

“Funny. We have had three of you since yesterday.” The clerk ignored the ID card he slammed on the desk.

“Impersonating an officer, especially one like Commander Shepard can get you discharged.”

Aurelius clenched his jaw, he was already running behind and he didn't want to be made even more late.

“Excuse me.” A voice called politely from the opposite side of the counter. The clerk glared at him.

“Stay put.”

Well he was hardly going to magic the door open was he? Aurelius considered his options, all he could really do was wait. At least Arcturus was pretty here in the public lounge. What did hid sister call it? Kiss and cry? He waited.

“So that's how I came to be here.” The man was saying as the clerk let him through and looking embarrassed he motioned to Aurelius. “Commander I'm sorry I.. “

“It's ok. As long as I can go now.”

“Yes Sir. “

Aurelius sighed again grabbing his badge and passed through to pick up his bag. His N7 rank perfectly clear to the clerk the entire time.

“All clear sir.” The poor clerk was now pushing all the right buttons to get him through.

“Just as well I'm early.” Aurelius shrugged. Plastering a democratic smile on his face, overnighting from earth to get here had been exhausting. “Anywhere to get food?”

The second part was to the man who had come rescue him and was waiting to escort him back to the ship.

“Sure there's a canteen Commander.” The leitenant nodded then added with a laugh “its popular as part of the biotics gastronomy tour of Arcturus docking ring, before we get to our classified area.”

“Good to hear some things haven't changed.” Aurelius chuckled “I guess Captain Anderson is worried id get lost.”

“He's worried other people would uh interrupted you… here is the canteen.”

The canteen was a small very well established eatery with a low hum as they sat together to eat.

Letting the other man order their food. Aurelius allowed himself a rare look around. He had been with Meg's, that day on Elysium to have a holiday by the beach. His sister was keen to sing his heroics but he was glad they had just gotten through it.

“Oh foods here, Sir.”

“Don't call me Sir when you don't have to- Aurelias, or Shepard will do “

“Anderson said you were like that.” The man nodded, “ I'm Kaidan or Alenko.”

It was then Aurelius really looked at the man in front of him. He was handsome, young looking but obviously been around. Especially if Anderson was setting them up.

“Ok. Im not great at thankyous but getting me through security..before.

That was good work.” Aurelius pulled a face “I'd probably have shown him a few lessons on not messing with a hungry biotic.”

“No problem.” Kaidan smiled as a message from Megan flashed on Aurelius omnitool. He frowned as he flicked a reply.

“Anderson?” Kaidan asked, “He's probably wondering how long a rescue and breakfast can take.”

“In that case we better get back to work.” Aurelius nodded vaguely the direction of the docking rings "and Kaidan, it was good to meet you."

[xx-ingie-xx]

I'm so glad you're back! I was afraid something bad happened and I'm relieved to find out that it wasn't the case. A few months have passed since the release of TOTK, so the hype has went down and now I would like to read your opinion of the game. What are your favorite parts about it, what are the things you disliked and how would you rank this game with the rest of the 3D Zelda games?

Aw, thank you! Yeah, I'm sorry I post so infrequently. I'm hoping that will change once I start working on the Fortitude revision again. Finishing Forgotten has been such an uphill project for me. But I'll be so glad I didn't leave it unfinished.

My thoughts and opinions about TotK are below (emphasis on my opinions--I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and that's ok!).

Three things I enjoyed:

THE MUSIC. The soundtrack is amazing, especially the growing dynamics as you progress in certain areas. It has a psychological effect, and I found it really intense in the best way.

THE TEMPLES. I was very happy to see a return to more traditional Zelda dungeons. WAY more fun than the divine beasts, and I liked having the sages assist! Gave me TWW vibes.

Better NPCs and sidequests. Maybe it's just me, but it felt like the Zelda team put some extra love into creating the NPCs and all the quests that come with them. I've had more fun with them than I did in BotW - which had way too many simple fetch quests.

Three things that didn't do much for me:

The Zonai tech. It's fun to use, and I do appreciate how utterly amazing the development/coding is, especially considering the Switch's hardware limitations. However, I would be very tired of Ultrahand by now if not for the Autobuild ability, and even then my interest is mild at best. Also, it did not feel "Zelda-ish" to me. I don't think driving cars or shooting rockets belongs in a Zelda game. In fact I ignored the Zonai tech whenever possible. I would often walk instead of building a car, simply because it felt more "Zelda-ish" to do so.

Mediocre voice acting. I'm relieved to say Ganondorf was fairly good. The rest not so much. If Nintendo isn't willing to hire more expensive more esteemed VAs for a flagship franchise like Zelda, I'd rather they didn't do it at all.

Zelda's story. Don't get me wrong, I was very glad to see her play a stronger, amazingly brave and selfless character. The thing I'm not happy about is that she was once again separated from Link throughout the entire game. Is it really too much to ask that they work together side by side? *sigh*

Three things I strongly disliked: (warning: ranting ahead)

EMOTIONLESS LINK. I cannot express how much I hate this. Even if I put aside my love for Link as a character and my wish for him to express himself, I still think this blank-faced avatar approach is awful. It does not allow me to see myself as Link (which I believe was their intent) because I have feelings and he doesn't, seemingly. If anything, it had the opposite effect. I found It distracting and cringey and infuriating to watch Link react to everything with determination, confusion, or that stupid blank expression. There are some emotionally charged scenes in this game, and they fall very flat because of Link. At least, they did for me. UGH.

Non-linear storytelling. It's highly restrictive, disjointed, and the impact depends on the order in which players obtain certain cutscenes. Please, Nintendo, no more.

The Zonai. I'm not a fan of most furry character designs, and Rauru is particularly strange, so it was immediately off-putting to me. I also strongly dislike the idea of them founding Hyrule and being "like gods" to Hylians. It's all very vague, and I don't understand how any of it works with past Zelda lore, especially when Hylia is so important in BotW. It's like they scrapped everything sacred in Zelda lore (the golden goddesses, Hylia, etc.), and replaced it with the Zonai. Meh, I'll stick with the old lore, thanks.

Also, a furry being married to a Hylian is also very off-putting to me. I don't know how that works, I don't want to find out, and I have no interest in learning more about Rauru or Sonia. Their fates had zero emotional impact on me, so I didn't get much out of that part of the storyline.

I could go on, but I'll stop there.

As far as rankings, I would place TotK with BotW because they are very similar. Here's how I rank the 3D Zelda games:

OoT/MM

BotW/TotK

TWW

SS

TP

So yeah, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Like with BotW, I'm very frustrated by all the untapped potential. As an avid Zelinker, I see the entire arc of BotW and TotK as an epic story of love, loss, bravery, and sacrifice. Link and Zelda both mirror and complement each other in so many ways, and I love the creative potential in that.

I also love the limitless exploration in both games - it keeps me interested for hours. But when the next Zelda game is revealed, I'd like to see a new formula, preferably a more classic one.

[liliallowed]

I had a funny idea. love craft gods vs crimson.

like diving into love craft lore is so unbelievably funny to me. because like a lot of it's ideology is similar to how I as an artist and a nihilist view the world but...

it's not scary. in fact I'd say Cthulhu and the other gods are actually rather weak on the power scaling.

why? well it's because even despite all that power they're still one layer beneath this fictional barrier.

like crimson's nature is similar. they're like in between fiction and reality.

and I've been thinking about crimson talking to the space mice and space cat things as a "dreamer"...

yeah they'd probably be like a bacteria in an ecosystem that devours everything.

but sometimes we forget the food chain is a cycle.

and the bottom of the food chain can actually be interpreted as the top because eventually all things decay. what makes things decay? those small lil microbes and bacteria that the smallest creatures digest!

like how fucking cool is that?

so like crimson in the void? yeah they'd get killed but uhm...

they're still an anomaly. they're on equal scale with other elderich abominations. the concept of inevitability and cycles embodied in scarlet hue.

heck I'd say crimson can even be viewed as a higher ranking god because there not FROM LOVE CRAFTS "ordered universe" they're like a tourist older god lmao.

like why are we putting Lovecrafts work on such a pedestal?

shouldn't existential type characters also be able to interject?

no I'm not talking about overpowered god LEVEL characters because those are still... well bound to the laws of their own reality.

cuz that's basically what Cthulhu is to mortals of his world. a writer. a creator from a seperate plain.

think is love craft is technically the one who made Cthulhu so by that logic I don't think those gods are strong it just makes the mortals of that story really tiny.

and we as readers are a layer above that.

anyways getting side tracked.

like it's so funny for crimson that these pesky lil youngsters (referring to the gods) feel the need to flaunt their power when being mortal and being vulnerable and having death be tangible to them is so much more fun.

elder gods are WEAK. crimson thinks they're just a bunch a whiney babies.

of course other anamolies would ridicule crimson. why do they care about those insignificant insects so much? WHY DO THEY EVEN MASK AS ONE OF THEM?

*crimson pointing to Nyarlathotep* this dudette gets it. u guys suck.

anyways crimson is a contradiction.

be it any god or vague conceptualized being of infinite power...

crimson ain't afraid. they'll adapt their power scaling to match their opponent.

and if they'll only fight back if they're amused if not they can just eradicate ANY BEING from their domain.

just like how other gods can eradicate their puppets from their domain.

so like..

it's kinda like an online social media platform but for gods and anyone can block another god in their own home terf but can also be blocked.

hmmmm

gods are fun to think about.

specially when it's an unstoppable force vs immovable object.

I think about crimson being in starrail too like in ANY world that has gods in it.

depending on the domain's authority and how much power they're "allowed" to sneak into that world they can actually just fight and kill anything...

because well their domain is where they are.

the die and achieve victory splitting the reality in favor of two.

they personally pick the one they won and gift the other god the reality they lost in and both go on their merry ways.

like just instantly create a copy where they die to their opponent and they hold onto the the one they achieve victory.

I feel like in god vs god scenarios BOTH win and both lose at the same time.

cuz dimension shattering and space time manipulation is a thing.

so like... why fight? they'll just split the outcome with each other.

as for why I think they're weak... well they're just like... kinda predictable.

to be honest I don't think my mind would break if I saw them because I sorta kinda face similar things everyday

for other people it may seem normal but like idk I often have times I experience unreality. so if with that I can keep my shit together I'm pretty sure I'd be okay looking straight into the eyes of an ineffable being.

yea. can't comprehend it. and? what about it? it's just there what's supposed to be the reaction I'm just chilling.

[ramuneempiremtl]

Slave-kun’s Happy Life in Another World: Chapter 40

The master clapped his hands together in front of the forest.

What's going on?

"Alright, everyone line up. I'm going to hand out weapons."

"Hulk, I'd like the shorter one, please."

"We're in the forest, so I understand."

He took out weapons from somewhere and handed them out to everyone. A short sword for the leader, two daggers for Aki, a club-like thing for Nove, and a shield for Daine. Finally, he took out a short spear and held it himself.

The master has started a weapon shop…!

I'm the one with the storage bag, but where did all these weapons come from?

"Hulk has 'Special Storage'."

Special Storage… Is it different from a storage bag?

"Special Storage is a type of magic that allows you to have a 'different dimension that can hold an infinite number of specific items'. In Hulk's case, he can put in as many 'weapons' as he wants. It's a type of spatial magic, but if you limit the items you can put in, it hardly uses any magical power, so even Hulk, who has low magical power, can use it."

"He has magic letters engraved somewhere on his body."

"It sounds painful, and I don't want to be called a 'walking armory', so I'll pass."

"But you're always helping us. Thank you, Hulk."

The master is helping everyone! …Is this really helping?

I wondered why the master and everyone else didn't have weapons with them.

Everyone is armed, which means…

There might be a battle in the forest. I'd like to avoid it if possible, but everyone looks strong, so I'll do my best not to hold everyone back.

By the way, Nove, are you going to hit things with that club, or mace? What about magic?

We walk in a loose vertical line through the forest.

The air changed distinctly as we entered the forest.

The air we breathe is fresh and delicious, but it makes us feel somewhat uneasy. It's like trespassing on someone else's property.

We proceed in the following order: Aki at the front, followed by the leader and Nove, then me, Daine, and the master.

Aki is scouting, and the master is the rearguard.

I use body strengthening as I follow everyone.

However.

I was walking while looking down to avoid tripping over tree roots when a branch hit me in the face with a snap, or I slipped and fell with a thud. It was quite difficult.

I wonder how many times I've been taken care of with purification and recovery.

I've been vaguely aware of it. This body doesn't have very good reflexes…?

It's pitiful to blame my body, but I think I was pretty good at running and exercising in my other world.

I'm just not used to exercising, so I need to train.

In such a state, I'm so focused on walking that I have no time for scouting or exploring.

Combat? No way. I feel like I would die in a few minutes if I entered the forest alone. The forest is not to be trifled with.

Everyone is chatting casually, being alert, and moving forward with ease. They are matching my pace, so they are rather relaxed. Nove is even collecting various plants along the way.

This is the difference in rank and skill….

"Owl, are you tired?"

"Relax more, walking in the forest is easy because Daine is here."

It's easy because Daine is here. He doesn't seem to be doing anything.

I tilted my head while drinking water during a short break.

"Daine has an 'Authority', so we can walk safely through the forest."

'Authority'.

Here comes another new one.

"Owl may already know, but Daine has been bestowed with a skill called 'Authority' that allows him to read people's minds."

That cheat skill is called 'Authority', huh?

The leader says the 'Authority' is a powerful being who protects the forest, sharing its abilities with humans. It's a pretty rare skill in this country.

It seems the type of Authority that manifests varies from person to person, but what they all have in common is that they are 'welcomed by the forest'.

When walking through the forest, it becomes much easier to walk than for ordinary people, and they are less likely to be attacked by insects or monsters.

In other words, it's a highly coveted ability for adventurers.

Since the surrounding area also benefits, Daine is literally like a mosquito coil that repels monsters just by standing there.

On top of that, he's a shield, a healer, and can read minds.

The convenience of having one in every home!

"It's gotten a lot easier since Daine joined the party, hasn't it? Hunting, gathering, and exploration requests."

"The quality of the ingredients we get has also improved."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm amazing for bringing Daine along."

"…………Humph."

Uwah, being praised so much is making him embarrassed.

So Daine was active as a walking monster repellent, not as a healer.

Isn't he a little too high-functioning? Just by standing there.

Let's stay close to Daine in the forest.

[bloodgulchblog]

Ok I got two ODST ocs but the issue is I know like next to nothing about how ODSTs work. Besides what was shown in Halo 4 ODSTs. Is there any wisdom you can impart upon me,,?

Alright full disclaimer: I have successfully put off playing more than like the first level of Halo 3: ODST for 13 years, and my knowledge of what happens in that game is limited to what I remember of the summary of it in New Blood.

Shame disclosed, I can now begin taking a swing at this.

HOW ODSTS FIT INTO THE UNSC

ODSTs are specialists within the UNSC Marine Corps. Marines take orders from UNICOM (Unified Ground Command) along with the Army and Air Force when operating on the ground, and from NAVCOM (Naval Command) when operating in space.

ODSTs are usually looped in with the Navy because the Navy has to drop them, and some groups of ODSTs are specialized for operating in zero g and that kind of thing is also on Navy turf.

WHAT KIND OF PERSON GETS SELECTED TO BE AN ODST

First of all, ODSTs are all-volunteer. You don't get assigned from on high into being an ODST, you ask to be considered.

The most important criterion for an ODST is being able to get in the pod and drop, knowing that something could blow you out of the air and you could do nothing about it, into hostile territory. And to keep doing it. It takes a lot of courage to be able to psyche yourself up into doing that again and again and again. (Honestly, when you see mention of ODSTs doing things like playing loud music during a drop, I feel like that is a huge part of what they're doing.)

The second factor is toughness and ability to fight, obviously. Training for ODSTs is intense and they have to be very fit before they can proceed to the later parts.

The third: A certain fighting spirit. ODSTs need to be initiative-takers and they are trained to push to establish a foothold where they land. They need to be aggressive and bold, that's their job, and even beyond helping win a battle it's also a factor for morale. Having a squad of ODSTs roll up whooping and yelling and ready to rock bolsters the confidence of the people around them. That matters.

Ideally the Corps would also love if ODST candidates were also smart, but the UNSC was fighting a losing war for almost 30 years and humanity lost absolutely catastrophic numbers. They had to take what they could get. Not everybody can be AJ Johnson.

There's a reason that when ODSTs heckle the Navy it's for being dweebs with cushy jobs, and when the Navy heckles ODSTs it's about how many it takes to screw in a lightbulb.

WHAT IS ODST TRAINING LIKE?

How long does it take to become an ODST? Our sources are kinda vague, we know 3 weeks of the training is just hammering them on physical fitness and then they go on to the specialized part and it's possible to wash out and embarrass yourself by being sent back to your original unit. We know there are "months" of it. If you want me to guess based on my very vague and incomplete knowledge of US military things gleaned from wikipedia, I'd say prrrrrobably a year, maybe more.

It's kind of fucky because Halo lore doesn't usually think about this kind of stuff and you can tell. You have to do some conspiracy diagramming yourself, but like. We know Palmer was 19 years old when she was a Lance Corporal. (....but Palmer's rank in general when she was in the ODSTs doesn't make sense at all if you look at it with more than your peripheral vision and sshhhh, shhh, it's fine, shhhhhhh.)

Basically, it seems like if somebody really really excels in their first year they can be considered for ODST training but it's probably safe to say that's on the extreme end. I would also be willing to suppose that they probably will not take anyone as old as 29 or 30 as a candidate without it being a major exception.

The most detail we have on what the training itself is like is the short story Dirt in the Evolutions anthology, much of the information on halopedia's ODST page sources that story. (For the record, while I'm still thinking about tacking up red strings, the timeline indicates that Gage would've been 20 at most when he was training to be an ODST.) Here's a piece.

WHAT ARE ODSTS LIKE IN GENERAL

Everybody's an individual, but the most stereotypical ODST is loud, gregarious, swole, and full of machismo. They're probably fun at parties, but maybe sometimes too fun. They're very tight with their buddies. Being ODST is a huge, huge source of pride and identity. They're great to have on your side. They're a huge, bull-headed problem if they're not.

They are good under pressure, experienced at putting a brave face on, and have most likely developed some kind of coping strategy for handling fear and worry because there's no room for that shit when you're jammed in a pod.

ODSTs are brave as shit, and in the ODSTs the leadership is expected to drop with the rest and their pods accelerate ahead and are the first on the ground. Leading from the front is a huge virtue to them. The ODSTs are immensely proud of this and it's what they admire in leadership and in general. If you want to stand tall in the eyes of an ODST, make big fucking plays at great personal risk that pay off.

Here is a very charming anecdote about the time a young Captain Keyes impressed some ODSTs.

And this explanation:

...

Other than that, I don't have much more speculation. I guess keep an eye on the distinctions between the armor ODSTs have and MJOLNIR, because ODST kit is a lot less OP. Other than that, I'm out.

[kiaroscuro]

Such a dapper demon birb. I love putting him in random outfits ;)

The first one is vaguely 1920's inspired because I'd been rereading Chrono Crusade and I do love me some period clothing, and the rest is just for fun.

(But also imagine an AU where Ren and Arsene get transported into the past and have to figure out how to get back to the present, only to run into Rosette on a mission. Rosette would be like: Ya also got contracted to a demon, huh? Is he friendly at least?

And Ren and Arsene would just,,, go along with it, somehow ending up at the church. Upon being questioned what fuels the contract, Ren would be like: ...my soul? And Rosette would cheer. Then the three of them (and Chrono) would wreak havoc on Aion's plans and save Joshua, haha)

A little (ok it turned longer than I'd thougth) snippet under the cut bc I got inspired.

---

Rosette stares at the demon-human pair across the street, silently wondering if she should reach for the seal of her watch or if she should shoot at him while his attention is towards the young man he's currently fussing over. She's never really seen a demon who didn't at least try to blend into the surrounding humans unless it was in the throes of an attack, but this one -- while having a humanoid shape -- has a very distinctly non-humanoid skintone and face. Compared to Chrono, who is often mistaken for an Indigenous kid with his dark hair and sun-kissed complexion, whose only giveaway of his demonic nature were his pointy ears and red-slit pupils, the obsidian-skinned demon across the street was a great warning sign.

"Chrono!" She hisses, eyes never leaving the demon as he adjusts the paperboy hat on his... contractor? Lunch? Next victim? "Who is that?"

Chrono shoots her a glare, though he's also focused on the demon, eyes furrowed. "I don't recognize him," he admits, "and I can't get a read on his power other than that it feels cursed."

Rosette blows out a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding. "That doesn't narrow anything down, buddy." She moves her hand from the latch of her seal to her trusty gun, lamenting that she doesn't have any of the nifty and new blessed rounds on her because Kate is stingy at the best of times.

...

"...the demon isn't even trying to hide-- are those wings? I thought that was a cape!" He had great feathered wings folded against the fabric of his trenchcoat, and Rosette wonders how no-one around them notices that he was very clearly not human.

"Rosette, don't do anything harsh!" Chrono tries, but by then Rosette is already marching over, never good at doing things like waiting or following orders. Chrono sighs in exasperation and carefully follows after his stubborn contractee, her blonde hair and blue Magdalen uniform easy to track even amongst the afternoon crowd.

He catches up to her right when she stopped in front of the dark-haired human and is already running through possible escapes in his mind when Rosette shoots the mysterious demon a look. She even has her gun out and visible, as if that would intimidate any demonic being other than maybe low-ranking legion constructs. "What are you doing with the boy, huh?" She asks, sotto voce.

Chrono felt like burying his face in his hands. So much for remaining calm in this highly strange situation. At least this demon seems more amused than anything, if his tilted head is any indication. The human splutters. "I'm sorry--" he starts, and Rosette steamrolls over him.

"You know that that's a demon, right? Are you in danger? I'm with the Magdalen Order, if you need help you can just say so."

"...ah," Chrono mutters, helpless. The demon and young man -- he's really not a boy, considering he seemed a few years older than Rosette -- share a glance, before the human looks down at himself.

"...we've been shopping, actually, because someone insisted that I need to try to blend in with the locals better."

"Thou do, yes. I'd like to think I've done a pretty good job of it, too." The demon says, his voice echoing in a way Chrono recognizes from high-ranking telepaths. Slightly echo-y, both loud and somehow in the mind. Humans weren't made for telepathy, so he doubted Rosette noticed anything weird about his voice, though maybe Satella or Azmaria would notice it.

The human rolls his eyes and turns back towards Rosette, expression wry. "I'm Ren Amamiya, this is my partner Arsene, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Magdalen Order."

Rosette splutters and introduces herself and Chrono after a second, and he focuses on Arsene's face to figure out if recognition will flash in those fiery eyes or not. The demon appears amused at her behavior but not otherwise murdery. He doesn't even appear to recognize Chrono's name, for whatever reason.

And then Chrono blinks. "...partner?" He asks, unsure if he's misheard. He and Rosette share a pointed glance, Chrono's eyes falling to her contract watch, before they turn back towards the two. Rosette's at least packed away her gun, finally.

"Yep," Ren says, popping the 'p', something wary in his posture all of a sudden.

Rosette stares. Chrono has a sudden, bad feeling about this. "...you know that he's a demon." She starts.

"He's certainly a devilish fiend, yes." Ren says, with amusement.

"And you're contracted to each other?" Rosette continues.

"For a given manner of the word, oui." Arsene answers this time, something cautious in his tone.

"Hush. I'm talking to Ren. You know that he's feeding on your soul if you're contracted."

Ren eyes her, and then Chrono, and then Arsene before his gaze falls back to Rosette's, something calculating in it that reminds Chrono dangerously of Aion, back when everything had been normal and before their Rite of Tuning. "You could almost say that we're of one soul, considering we share it."

Rosette nods, lost to the minute details that Chrono's been noticing. "And you still call him your partner and seem friendly towards him?" She asks, hands on her hip, any previous anymosity forgotten. Sometimes, Chrono despaired. Ren and Arsene share another glance before Ren smiles at them with a gentle shrug.

"Of course. The only people who have to worry about Arsene being a danger are husbands." After a beat of silence, he adds: "Because he loves to flirt with women," which lowers Chrono's hackles. Arsene rolls(?) his eyes good-naturedly.

"I was haggling down the price of thy hat, dear." He says, and Rosette snorts at that, completely at ease even while Chrono can't get the feeling off of his chest that this was one strange demon.

But then again, didn't he have to flee Pandemonium in the first place because he and the other Sinners had been 'strange' in the eyes of the Elders as well? Failures? It's possible that Arsene was running low on legion or was otherwise running low on astral and that was why he wasn't trying to appear particularly human, or maybe he's never gotten the hang of it in the first place, like Shader.

...though he did still have his horns, so he should be able to channel the astral energy and shouldn't even need a contract in the first place, unless he was otherwisely hurt somehow -- Chrono knows that they'd spoken the truth about 'sharing' Ren's soul, because the human's imprint was all over Arsene. It's possible that the other demon wasn't as strong as Chrono and thus could keep an open line to the human without quickly draining him like Chrono always did to Rosette whenever she opened the seal, because he had been a very strong demon in his prime, and was still powerful even with the restrictions.

"Ah, we wouldn't want to impose..." Ren says, carefully, and Chrono notices that he's completely tuned out of the discussion like an idiot. He's immediately back on high alert, but no-one's seemed to have died in the interim, so he calms down again.

Rosette is all smiles. "Nope, consider it an apology that I was so harsh to you two earlier." She says, and Ren demurrs a moment later:

"In that case, we'll gladly tag along to dinner with you." He says, with a nod from Arsene, and Chrono... blinks.

With what funds? Not the Orders, right, Rosette? He thought, but of course there was no answer from Rosette as she talked about the excellent selection of meat-based dishes from Antonio's.

Not the Order's funds, Rosette! Chrono despaired.

[eccentric-nucleus]

the devs in the wildmender discord have been begging for game reviews b/c of steam ranking algorithmics stuff so i'm debating actually writing one (w/ my bf's steam account lol) but that involves actually putting my thoughts in order about the game

i mean i guess i've played it for 200+ hours so there's not really a question of me getting my money's worth out of it. it's just that... there's very clearly a mechanical push-and-pull happening. this is a gardening game. to make the plants have any level of 'reasonable fidelity' they made it so plants drop seeds and sometimes those seeds will germinate and sprout into new plants. but because plants grow so fast and there aren't really any things that kill plants, most players have their gardens totally overcome by unrestrained growth. the devs have had to patch down plant spread multiple times, first by making biome-specifying plants not produce their own seeds (so they don't spread biome plants out into infinity) and then by lowering the rate of seed germination and making germinated seeds start out as 'tired'

also, 'tired' is a weird corner of the plant simulation. the way plants work is they'll grow to maturity and then start producing & dropping seeds on a timer. after a few rounds of seeds they'll become 'tired', which slows the timer, and a few rounds after that they'll become 'exhausted', which means they won't produce seeds anymore; they essentially become decorative (you can remove tired & exhausted statuses by manually fertilizing them)

all of this speaks to a plant simulation system that can't really deal with the chaos of nature. which on some level is fine; ecological simulations are notoriously complex, and wildmender already has one of the more in-depth plant life simulations i've seen in a commercial game. but the more involved it gets the more clear it is that there's something vital missing, & i don't even know really what that would look like? it's not like i'd want to see pest insects in the game, although that would be interesting

(there's a whole aside i could make here about how 'nature' is treated as inherently productive in the game. all the plants you get do something; all of them 'improve' the area somehow in a way that makes it more suitable for human exploitation. there's no... massive tangles of gorseberry brambles that slows you and damages your health if you try to move through them, but provides critical habitat for birds. the one plant that's annoying (tumbleweeds) you only ever see in the dead, tumbling form. invasive plants are considered simulation bugs, instead of nature taking its natural course. this is a game about maximizing your productive forces. and in fact, as above, when the natural growth processes in the game as it currently exist end up making something annoying to the player, it ends up getting nerfed to be more suitable.

i think ultimately this is a flaw in the fundamental concept of 'cozy', 'wholesome' games, so it feels bad to pick on the game for that; that's not even something the game is trying to do! it's just something i don't like. this is a game where you can half-cut down a tree to harvest wood. and, like, sure it would be neat if the game used its semi-procedural tree models to actually implement pollarding, but that would make it more visually clear that what you're doing is managing an industrial tree farm rather than tending a garden.

basically, i like the game despite its 'cozy' aesthetic and not because of it, so i'm maybe not the target audience here.)

all of that is a lot of words that are only vaguely aligned with what the game is actually about, though. like the game blurb says, it's a 'gardening' game, not a serious afforestation agroforestry simulation. but i really do wish the plant simulation was more involved. more plants, more variants, more complex soil simulation (add in soil acidity! give me hydrangeas that bloom in different colors!), more complex biome specifications. other animals, preferable ones without instrumental uses and ideally ones that make the landscape actively obnoxious. i want to have to avoid a lake because there are roosting geese there that will attack. maybe just packing a lot more Stuff into the game would help with the feeling of it being overly-simplistic? but maybe that issue is more deeply-rooted and also impossible to really solve, in part b/c my complaint here is so vague and unclear.

that's a lot of demands for a small indie game, tho. anyway i found it to be worth the $25 i spent on it.

[yukiakaren]

Kpop title track ranking: B1A4

In this series I’ll be ranking kpop groups/soloists title tracks based on my taste.

I watched B1A4's episode on Pangterview and realized that I could do this ranking for their songs! Admittedly, I've only actively listened to a couple of their songs a lot throughout the years, but I've been aware of them for many years and I was already familiar with all the title tracks. Hence, I felt like ranking these songs.

Like a Movie - Let's start by saying when I first heard this one it didn't click with me. However, after a while it did and I can't deny that I'm in love with it now. The movie or musical feel of it has me captivated. It's so so pretty!

Tried To Walk - This one is a classic. Also, in comparison to some of their other older songs the lyrics are quite problem-free which is a huge plus. And this being my favorite song of theirs for the longest time makes this ranking make a lot of sense. Also, the MV is gorgeous!

A Lie - It's just a lovely break up song. I guess the nostalgia I have with Tried To Walk gives it the tiny notch to be ranked higher than this.

Rewind - Rewind is going down very similar path to Like a Movie but just isn't quite as good. But still very pleasant!

Sweet Girl - I guess this is the obligatory surprise of the list. I have always past this song as something fine but not given it much more thought. But now listening to it and comparing it to the rest, it definitely showed the goodness of it in a whole new way. It's in the best possible way "just pleasant".

Baby I'm Sorry - Despite the mostly nonsensical English, overall mediocre lyrics and A TON of autotune, I can't ignore my nostalgia for this one. It was one of the first B1A4 songs that I liked and right now I let that nostalgia cloud my judgement a bit in order to ignore those issues.

Rollin' - Very of that time, tropical sounding song. A fine one but I think I'm quite over this type of sound at least when it's not currently summer.

O.K - Upbeat song about being absolutely whipped for someone. Nice debut but not my personal favorite of theirs.

Beautiful Target - The song that gave such an iconic line "Oh my beautiful target. You zoom zoom my heart like a rocket." doesn't quite get me going otherwise.

Solo Day - I just don't really get much out of this one. It's pleasant enough and the lyrics aren't a disgrace but I just don't care for it.

Lonely - This one just hasn't ever really been one I'd go for either. And I guess it's somehow more annoying than Solo Day for me. Unarguably better lyrics-wise than the next ones, so it ends up above them.

What's Happening? - "What's happening?" is what I want to ask from these lyrics. Like seriously. Is this about the other person cheating or just jealousy over someone you are not with? Which ever it is, it's not great.

Baby Good Night - So, it's a upbeat song about cheating on your partner, right? I was vaguely aware that this one has issues but oh my. Yeah, bottom spot is absolutely deserved here.

And here we come to the end of the list and to the spot I usually put b-sides as honorable mentions. I am well-versed enough to know their title tracks but I have to admit that I don't think I knew any of their b-sides before today. Now quickly taking a look at their albums all the songs seem quite nice and chill. DIVING got multiple listens from me immediately, so this one I can definitely recommend!

[n1kolaiz]

THE GREAT FITZGERALD

thank u @dazaistabletop for getting me so interested in Fitzgerald's character. ur my favourite Fitz kinnie ok mwah( ˘ ³˘)♥

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald's novel— The Great Gatsby— was a love story that involved Jay Gatsby, whose mannerisms and characteristics appear to be quite similar to Fitzgerald in the Bungou Stray Dogs adaptation. I just finished reading The Great Gatsby so I thought I'd just make a comparison between the main protagonist of the novel and the main antagonist in BSD's Guild Arc.

Other than the fact that both Jay and Fitzgerald share similar character traits (ambitious, arrogant, and optimistic) the relationships Jay had with the other characters of the novel and the interactions that Fitzgerald had with the other characters of BSD are quite similar, too. I'll focus on three specific associations that both Fitzgerald and Jay experienced in a parallel manner:

Zelda Fitzgerald and Daisy Buchanan

Tom Buchanan

Louisa May Alcott and Nick Carraway

SPOILERS FOR THE GREAT GATSBY!

in case anyone hasn't read it but wants to :)

To avoid confusion, every time I mention Fitzgerald from here on out, I mean the character from BSD; I will specify my references if it comes to the author.

The Great Gatsby had its plot set around the time of the Roaring Twenties: the aftermath of World War I, the peak of socialite culture, and the growth of a prosperous economy and general wealth altogether.

The Roaring Twenties was also a time of luxurious pleasure and liquor, where people indulged themselves and got addicted to hedonism— the pursuit of gratification.

The Great Gatsby was actually written on the basis to prove how corrupt this age was, and the existence of such corruption was vaguely hinted by various factors, one of which included Jay Gatsby's actual source of income: being involved in the affairs of the black market. This proves that illegal activities were not uncommon around that time, as people did anything they could to achieve materialistic gains.

This isn't a history lesson, I promise.

Both Jay Gatsby and Fitzgerald had grown up in poverty and disliked the concept of being anything short of wealthy. They both worked extremely hard to attain financial abundance.

I presume that not everything they did was actually legal when it came to gaining money. As mentioned before, Jay was involved in criminal activities which founded the basis of his wealth, while Fitz once mentioned that in order to own a gun, he had to kill 4 people. He goes on to tell us that he ended up owning that specific gun's manufacturer eventually.

Daisy Buchanan and Zelda Fitzgerald.

The Great Gatsby is actually centered around Jay Gatsby's rather obsessive infatuation with Daisy.

Daisy was a beautiful lady with a incredibly charming nature— she didn't have much trouble with attracting many men back then before she got married to Tom Buchanan, the antagonist of the story and the rival of Jay Gatsby.

"Her voice was full of money," he said suddenly.

That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money— that was the inexhaustible chair that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it. the cymbals' song of it... High in a white palace the King's daughter, the golden girl...

Daisy and Jay Gatsby fell in love right before he was sent off to war and a few years before she met Tom. Before they were separated, Jay's dream of gaining wealth and status was primarily flamed by his intention of reaching Daisy's social ranking in order to be worthy of her love.

Initially, because of how passionate he was about his love for her, Jay lied to Daisy about his wealth. It was only after the War did he actually gain the riches he aimed for. By the time he did achieve his monetary goals, Daisy had married Tom already. Consequently, Jay hosted a bunch of lavish parties in order to gain her attention, prove himself and his love for her, and ultimately, win her back.

Jay perceived Daisy as a literal angel, void of any flaw whatsoever. He even tells Nick, the main character, that the fact that numerous men got romantically involved with such a lady just increased her value altogether.

But what gave it an air of breathless intensity was that Daisy lived there— it was as casual a thing to her as his tent out at camp was to him. There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms, of gay and radiant activities taking place through its corridors, and of romances that were not musty and laid away already in lavender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year's shining motor cars and of dances whose flowers were scarcely withered. It excited him too that many men had already loved Daisy— it increased her value in his eyes. He felt their presence all about the house, pervading the air with the shades and echoes of still vibrant emotions.

As the story unfolded, Daisy's character was torn apart for a proper, more brutally realistic perspective of her true character, revealing a shallow, selfish lady who solely placed her interest in money and luxury, the things which she often took refuge in when things went wrong. As the plot developed itself, the actuality that Jay fell in love with the idea of Daisy, instead of Daisy herself, was much more evident. And it took quite some time for him to discover and acknowledge the truth.

Fitzgerald's love for Zelda was very apparent, too, except that it seemed more genuine and pragmatic. Not much is speculated about Fitz and Zelda's relationship in the Guild Arc, but his love for her was very deep, as everything he did was for her and their deceased daughter.

Side note: Fitzgerald (the author) based Daisy's character partially on Zelda, as both women were brought up in wealthy families and took a general liking to lifestyles revolving around money and ease.

Fitzgerald was in love with Zelda, a woman plagued by a debilitating illness. In The Great Gatsby, Jay was in love with a woman who was plagued by the deceptive addiction of self-satisfaction gained by pleasure and whatnot. Zelda was impaired by an mental illness, while Daisy was intoxicated by the security of money and prestige. This is an abstract suggestion though. Personally, that's how I interpreted this correlation when it came to examining these dynamics in their respective universes.

Tom Buchanan

As mentioned before, Thomas Buchanan was Daisy's husband and Jay's rival who had similar characteristics in matters of personality. The Toms in both book and anime were arrogant and cunning, which pretty much vouches for their selfishness.

In the book, Tom is supposedly the love of Daisy's life, except that she just married him for his money instead of waiting for Gatsby. Then again, Tom was involved in a love affair outside his marriage with a lady named Myrtle Wilson. Tom cheated on Daisy by getting involved with Myrtle. On the other hand, Daisy was unfaithful to Tom by keeping her love and relationship with Jay a secret from him.

The climax of the story partly revolves around Myrtle dying in a hit-and-run car accident. The grand twist was that Daisy was the one driving the car, and the car actually belonged to Gatsby. Because the car belonged to Gatsby, George Wilson, the husband of Myrtle, was bent on revenge and tracked down the car. He ended up killing Jay Gatsby, and soon after that, he killed himself.

It was quite a scandal, but Daisy estranged herself from such a tedious matter. In fact, when Jay died, she did not even attend his funeral. Tom was under the impression that Gatsby was the one who killed his mistress, not Daisy, his wife. Either ways, Nick described them in a way that sums up what became of them after Jay's death:

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy— they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made...

It's interesting to note that in chapter 45 of the BSD manga, Tom appears as the antagonist who was later found guilty of murdering his employee, but the blame was originally put on T.J Eckleburg, the inventor of the Eyes of God.

Side note: T.J. Eckleburg was actually an optician who appeared on a billboard advertisement in the novel. This billboard was used as a personification by Nick Carraway, which was meant to embody the representation of a displeased overseer who observed the events that unfolded before him. The Eyes of God has a similar concept: scrutinising everything with an accuracy of 97%. It's a personal speculation, but the Eyes of God was proven to be of utmost importance in the Cannibalism Arc when it came to capturing Fyodor Dostoevsky. Likewise, T.J. Eckleburg's eyes showed how corruption and misconduct never escaped his judgmental visage.

sorry about the quality of the manga panels ;-;

In the manga, Fitzgerald manages to triumph over Tom by betraying his trust altogether in order to obtain the ownership of the Eyes of God and Tom's company. This stands in contrast to what became of Jay in the novel, but the protagonist got what he wanted in this universe.

Keep in mind that Fitzgerald didn't act according to fulfil what justice required; it was purely business. Just like Jay Gatsby put on the facade of a plain, rich man who was really just bootlegging his way to opulence, Fitzgerald wasn't afraid to betray someone's trust to get what he wanted.

Nick Carraway and Louisa May Alcott

If I were to pick a character that represented Louisa May Alcott in BSD from the book, I'd pick the narrator himself: Nick Carraway. Again, this is my personal interpretation, so the association between these two characters is just my personal opinion.

Nick Carraway was known as the more reserved, cynical protagonist compared to Jay. The both of them developed a cordial friendship as the story progressed.

Nick initially took a liking to Gatsby, who was his neighbour. The enigmatic aura Gatsby emitted called for Nick's attention, and in the same way, Gatsby reciprocated his interest in Nick by making the effort to acquaint himself with him.

He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself.

There were a few times which suggests that Nick didn't like the way Gatsby acted or spoke. Nevertheless, Nick was the only one who stuck with Gatsby until the end.

"They're a rotten crowd," I shouted across the lawn. "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.

(This was the last thing Nick said to Jay before he died.)

At first, Nick was intrigued by Jay's mystical nature and peculiar idiosyncrasies, but found that Gatsby was a very strange, but 'morally bad' man. However, over time, Nick became one of the few who managed to recognise Gatsby's idealistic ambitions; he saw through all the fame and wealth and found a mere human being capable of being entrapped by love's snares. Basically, he understood Gatsby, despite disagreeing with his actions and even his behaviour at times.

As for Louisa, well, it is a known fact that she was loyal to Fitzgerald because of how much she respected and trusted him.

Both Nick and Louisa were intelligent, witty people with generally nice, honest, and reserved dispositions. Their self-contained demeanours make it very easy to get along with the more exurbent/dominant personas of Gatsby and Fitzgerald. So in the event where each pair was isolated from the rest of the world, they had each other to depend on.

Next morning I sent the butler to New York with a letter to Wolfsheim, which asked for information and urged him to come out on the next train. That request seemed superfluous when I wrote it. I was sure he’d start when he saw the newspapers, just as I was sure a there’d be a wire from Daisy before noon – but neither a wire nor Mr. Wolfsheim arrived; no one arrived except more police and photographers and newspaper men. When the butler brought back Wolfsheim’s answer I began to have a feeling of defiance, of scornful solidarity between Gatsby and me against them all.

Such a dynamic created a close bond of trust. Just as Nick was not hesitant to stick by Gatsby's side, Louisa went to great extents just to return Fitzgerald back to his former leading position and work together with him.

Side note: Nick Carraway is suggested to have the INTP personality type, while Louisa is most likely an INFP. Both these personalities are strikingly similar in many ways. They are individualistic in thinking and described as 'seekers' of their place in the world. If you're interested in a more detailed comparison, check this post out

Alright, that's about it for my speculations; I hope they weren't too messy. Thank you so much for reading!

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

- Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby

[thehollowprince]

TEEN WOLF + THE MAGICIANS

This is about a fic idea I've been fiddling with for a while that I've talked about multiple times. I've put it all under the cut, so that if it's something you're not at all interested in, it won't bother you when you browse the tags.

In order to motivate myself to write again, I've decided to talk about the TEEN WOLF fic I've been fiddling with for years now. I've vaguely talked about it here and there, specifically after an ask game, but I just wanted to explain it in a little more detail.

I described it as Teen Wolf + The Magicians.

That needs some explanation.

This isn't going to be a crossover in the sense that the McCall Pack of Beacon Hills is going to interact with the Physical Kids of Brakebills University. It's more along the line of "what happens if we take the McCall pack and MAKE them the Physical Kids?"

While not the exact world of The Magicians (no Brakebills, no Fillory, etc) I did want to create a world inspired by those things but based more on things from the Teen Wolf universe. For example, the great magical school in this story will be called Eichen, based on the sanitarium that was focused upon in season 3B and season 5 of TW. The Hedge Witches will gather not in safe houses, but will congregate in packs. And, instead of a singular tattoo (the seven pointed star) being used to denote rank amongst the Hedges, I'm thinking of using the different sigils of the packs (the triskelion, the stacking stoned, etc.)

Things of that nature.

Taking things from the Teen Wolf universe and molding them to fit the mythology of The Magicians.

Now for the characters themselves.

Obviously, I'm not taking the characters of Teen Wolf and just forcing them into the roles of The Magicians characters, but the latter will be used as to how the former are worked into the story.

Scott McCall - I was originally going to make him take the role that Quentin does in the show, that of the unlikely protagonist who stumbles into this magical world, to mirror his role on TW, but the more I thought about it, the more I disagreed with that sentiment. Instead, I settled on the other lead, that being Julia. I felt like it fit more with Scott's role of interacting and protecting the different and disenfranchised, the outsiders of their society.

I also went with this decision, because I wanted this story to revolve around a life-long friendship and no two characters had a deeper friendship on TW than Scott and Stiles, which mirrored Quentin and Julia.

Stiles Stilinski - just as I was originally going to have Scott fill the Quentin role, I was going to have Stiles take on Julia's role, for no other reason than Stiles as a character was hungry for more. He was drawn to the supernatural, even at the risk of his own safety. But, the more I thought about it, the more I thought about him as Q, given the similarities between their characters and how it was never enough for them.

One could also say that Stiles is based slightly on Josh Hoberman, given how much of Josh's character from the books was given to Quentin in the show.

Also, given how often the fandom wanted Stiles in the driver's seat of a story, I figured I'd give it to them. Though probably not in the way they'll want or appreciate.

Malia Tate - obviously going to be filling the spot occupied by Kady. They're both wild and badass and that was one of the easiest comparisons for me to make.

In the show, the character of Kady was based on at least two characters from The Magicians books. And in the spirit of turnabout, I decided to switch it up and split the character back into two, with the "Kady at Brakebills" arc going to Malia, and "Kady as a Hedge Witch" going to Isaac, for reasons that will become clear in the story itself.

Kira Yukimura - much like Alice Quinn was the strongest magician, Kira was by far the most powerful member of the pack. They also matched pretty easily in terms of temperament, a core of rage and power hidden underneath the shy and embarrassed shell.

Jackson Whittemore - I went with Penny for Jackson's counterpart to draw inspiration from, moreso the book version than the show version, though TV!Penny's general derision of pretty much everyone matched Jackson's general attitude, especially with both masking a more fragile core.

I almost made the Penny character Isaac instead, because of the whole perpetually angry, tall, and wearing a scarf thing, but as stated above, I found another spot for him.

Lydia Martin - this was almost as obvious as the whole Malia/Kady comparison. Lydia is a Queen B, playing second-fiddle to no one, so obviously she'll be on Margo's path.

The only hitch I hit was Lydia's ability as a banshee, which almost made me make her the Penny character, just for the psychic link, but thankfully I stopped myself.

Danny Mahealani - back when I originally was planning on having Isaac take the Penny role, I originally had Jackson taking this spot, because I needed someone to balance out Lydia and much like Margo and Eliot, in Teen Wolf we had Lydia and Jackson. But once I moved Jackson to Penny's slot, I needed someone to fill the role of Eliot. Enter Danny, someone just as (or nearly as) smart as Lydia, which would fit them both well as upperclassmen of this school, and plus it gives me a chance to flesh out a character that I feel wasn't appreciated in the show (TW) or by the fandom all that much.

Derek Hale - Derek isn't based on any singular character in either the books or the show, but rather I Frankensteined together bits and pieces from side characters in both the show and books to fill out a role for him. But don't worry, he will be very important to the story.

And even make up for his failures as an Alpha on Teen Wolf.

Alan Deaton - Deaton is going to fill the role of Fogg, though not as rude or pessimistic and he won't be the Dean of the college, rather just a professor, but people often overlook and underestimate him in ways that they shouldn't, especially when it comes to him looking out for his students.

Alison Argent - I can't tell you, it'll ruin the surprise.

And others, obviously, but these are the most direct comparisons. Sadly, the Puppy Pack aren't going to be in this story.

As for Fillory, I will have a magical kingdom that our heroes will travel to at some point in the story, but all I can tell you is that there will not be two Ram gods but two *** gods instead. Also, if anyone has an ideas for a name for this world, that would be great, because I can't think of anything. I've just been calling it Weird world.

And that's my crossover (but not a crossover) idea for Teen Wolf + The Magicians. Any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to message me. I do love to talk about my ideas.

[beastlyimagines]

A/N: I saw a request for a Theseus or Newt imagine based on “I’ll Never Love Again” from ‘A Star is Born’ and I couldn’t resist. The lyrics aren’t in order and this isn’t the whole song, I just picked the lyrics that worked the best for what I had in mind. Hope you all like this.

When we first met I never thought that I would fall

“Y/N hurry up and get downstairs! The guests are arriving and we can’t have our own daughter missing!” You heard your mother call from down the hall, causing you to hastily put on your shoes.

“Coming mother!” You shouted back, taking one last glance in the mirror to make sure you were presentable, before rushing from your room.

Your father was recently promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and your mother was having a gathering off his coworkers to celebrate.

You personally hated when your parents had people over for gatherings. Being an only child in a pure blood family as well as to a high ranking ministry official meant having the importance of appearances drilled into your head from an early age. Your mother especially always made a show of you among their guests, putting you up on an unrealistic pedestal.

You loved both of your parents dearly, but the expectations from both of them was nearly suffocating.

“There you are! Come, come! Some of your dads coworkers are already waiting to meet you.” Your mother said once she spotted you, hurrying you along down the stairs. “Remember, be polite and courteous. We need to make a good impression.”

“Yes mother.” You responded, internally groaning at the thought of how dreadful the next couple hours would be. Plastering a polite smile on your face, you allowed your mother to lead you towards your father and the first of many families to be greeted.

After over an hour of greeting family after family, you excused yourself to use the bathroom. Taking your time, you sighed before straightening your shoulders and facing the crowd of people once again. Finding your parents quickly, you noticed a new family standing with them.

There was a man and wife, along with two boys, one of which looked to be your age, and a younger boy that gripped his mothers hand tightly. You walked up just as the two boys were being introduced.

“This is our eldest son, Theseus.” Mrs. Scamander spoke, gesturing to the boy that looked to be about your age. “And our youngest, Newton.” The toddler waved as he was introduced, a shy smile on his lips.

“How old are you Theseus?” You father asked, causing the boy to straighten up slightly.

“I’m eleven.” Came the response.

“Received your Hogwarts letter?” You noticed the boys slightly dull expression brighten considerably at those words.

“Yes sir! I’m very excited to be heading to school next month.”

“Good, good. My daughter-“ He gestured to you, causing all attention to turn your way. “Y/n will be starting this year as well. Y/n, this is Mr. and Mr. Scamander. Mr Scamander works in my department at the ministry.”

“Pleasure to meet you both.” You smiled, nodding politely towards the two adults. Both smiled at you as well, while Theseus barreled on as if no one else had spoken.

“Really?” He asked, all traces of boredom gone now as he looked at you with a smile. “You’re the first person that I’ve met that’ll be in my year, everyone else I’ve met is older.”

“It’ll be nice knowing someone my age.” You responded, a grin taking over your face as well.

“We can sit on the train together!” He suggested, before turning to his parents. “Mum, Dad, can Y/n and I go outside so we can talk about Hogwarts?”

“If it’s ok with her parents. “ Mr. Scamander spoke, looking at your parents. Your mother looked hesitant, but your father nodded with a smile.

“Of course, Y/n’s been dying to get out of here for the past hour anyway.” Your dad laughed, ignoring your mother’s huff.

“Come on then Y/n.” Theseus spoke, gesturing for you to follow him outside. Seeing your escape, you quickly dashed after him, leaving 3 laughing adults and 1 annoyed one in your wake.

“Thank Merlin.” You muttered once outside and away from all the adults. “I hate these gatherings.”

“Me too.” Theseus responded, an easy grin on his face. “They’re dreadfully boring, and usually there aren’t any kids my age. I usually get stuck babysitting my little brother, this is much better.”

“At least you had someone else to be with, I’m always stuck being dragged around by my mother. I’m shocked she actually let me come out here.” You responded, taking a seat on one of the swings with Theseus following suit.

“You’re welcome then.” Theseus grinned, causing you to roll your eyes. “So, what House do you want to be in at Hogwarts?”

I never thought that I'd find myself Lying in your arms

It had been 5 years since you had met Theseus Scamander, and the two of you were now best friends. Both of you had become Gryffindor’s, and made sure that you shared the same schedule every year. The only time the two of you were ever separated was for sleeping (for obvious reasons) and Quidditch.

Theseus, being more concerned with his studies and his future didn’t see the need to play the sport. You on the other hand, had practically jumped on the opportunity in 2nd year. Unfortunately, most males didn’t really think females should play on the team, and only 2 females had in the past 10 years. You were turned away your 2nd and 3rd year, but you you finally made it onto the team in 4th year when the captain of the team was more accepting. Theseus came to every game.

Currently you found yourself waking up in a vaguely familiar room. Opening your eyes, you were instantly blinded by the white ceiling of the hospital wing. Blinking rapidly, you glanced to your left.

Two things registered in your mind instantly; pain radiating through your entire body at the movement, and there was a familiar body sleeping in a chair next to your bed. Unable to keep in the groan of pain, you internally cursed when the person jumped in response.

“Y/n?” Theseus asked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Once more alert, he sat up straight and sighed in relief. “Thank Merlin you’re alright. How do you feel?”

“Bloody hell, I feel like I was hit by the Hogwarts Express.” You groaned, wincing as Theseus helped you sit up. “What happened?”

“That one Ravenclaw, Peters, was really angry about losing. Guess he’s still not happy that Gryffindor has a girl playing for them, and that said girl kicked his arse. He grabbed one of the beaters bats and shot the bludger after you while you were flying towards the team. Hit you in the back of the head and knocked you about 15 feet to the ground.” Theseus explained, anger and some lingering fear swimming in his blue eyes. “Headmaster Black was pretty angry, gave Peters about a month of detention. Professor Dumbledore put you on a stretcher and brought you here, you looked pretty bad.”

“Oh thanks, just what every girl wants to hear.” You replied sarcastically, making a weak grin form on your friends face. “Where’s the rest of the team anyway? Figured those overprotective prats would be here too.”

“Well they were here..” Theseus trailed off, suddenly looking sheepish. “But they were forced out just before curfew.”

“Before curfew? But the suns out..” You spoke in confusion, glancing out the window. “Do you mean to say that I’ve been out all afternoon and all night?” You asked suddenly, comprehension dawning on you.

“Er, Yes?” Theseus responded, watching you closely.

“You stayed here all night?!” You exclaimed, reaching out to smack his arm when he nodded. “You idiot!”

“I was worried, alright?” He defended, a light blush spreading high on his cheeks. “That was the worst injury you’ve gotten, and you were so pale. I couldn’t leave without knowing for sure that you were ok.”

“Git.” You mumbled fondly, making Theseus laugh slightly. “Don’t do it again.”

“Sure.” He agreed, but you both knew he was lying. “Now...” He started, a glint in his eyes as he changed the subject. “Peters can’t get away with harming you like that and only getting a month of detention, so I’ve got a plan...”

Don't wanna feel another touch Don’t wanna start another fire Don’t wanna know another kiss

After the 2 hour long graduation ceremony finished, you took off from your seat in search of your best friend. Finally spotting him searching the crowd for you, you darted towards him.

“Theseus! Can you believe we’ve actually graduated?” You exclaimed, throwing your arms around your best friend in excitement. “I feel like we just started learning the disarming spell, and now we’re about to leave for the last time.” There was sadness in your voice as you pulled away, only to find your best friend merely staring at you. “Theseus? You ok?”

He continued to stare at you for a moment, before suddenly surging forward and capturing your lips in a heated kiss. Gasping in shock against his lips, you took a few seconds to respond. When you did, however, it was the greatest feeling you’d ever experienced. Better than winning the Quidditch Cup, better than flying on a broom, and better than making your parents proud when you received nearly perfect scores on your NEWTs exam.

“Sorry, I’ve been wanting to do that for months.” Theseus whispered as he pulled back slightly, yet his lips still brushed against yours.

“Then why are you stopping?” You mumbled dazedly back, causing a laugh of disbelief to fall from your best friends lips. He happily obliged.

And I don't wanna give somebody else the better part of me I would rather wait for you

“Y/n, love?” Your boyfriend questioned as he walked through the door, something off in his tone. Ignoring it for the time being, you smiled and headed towards him.

“How was your day Thee?” You asked, reaching up and kissing him briefly. When you pulled away, you noticed he looked tense and wary about something. “Is everything alright?”

“Y/n.” He spoke softly, yet seriously, eyes seemingly boring into yours. “A couple of the Auror’s have been talking recently, and well we feel that this war has been going on long enough.”

“War? You mean the one between the Muggles?” You asked, a foreboding feeling coming over you as you continued to watch him.

“Yes. There was something called a bombing in the east part of London early this morning, and it killed a couple families from the ministry.” He spoke, causing you to gasp in shock. “It’s like a really bad form of reducto but made with chemicals, the muggles have been using it more and more recently. And now that we know it can kill us..”

“Theseus, where are you going with this?” You asked, though you felt like you already knew the answer.

“Well I know Travers is saying that wizards are not to get involved in the war, but one of the people killed was a friend, and I can’t stand by and do nothing anymore.” He spoke, eyes glassy as he continued. “So a few of us are leaving, we’re going to go help fight with the muggles.”

There was a deafening silence in the room as you took in his words, heart quickly dropping into your stomach.

“You-you’re leaving?” You questioned, shock and disbelief strong in your tone. “You’re going to war?”

“Yes.” He replied, rubbing his thumb across your cheek. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”

“Ok.” You murmured, closing your eyes tightly against the emotions building up. They snapped open, however, at his next words.

“I won’t blame you if you don’t want to wait for me.” He said gently, pain in his eyes as he watched you closely. “There’s a good chance that I might not come back. I can’t make you go through that pain. If you want to end things-“

“How dare you.” You cut across him, angrier than you had ever been. “I love you Theseus Scamander, and you going off to war isn’t going to change that. I’m not going to go off and find someone new. You’re it for me, you’re the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. That’s not going to change. And the fact that you’d think that-“

“I don’t, but I couldn’t leave without offering. I don’t want to force you into this. I know how hard it’ll be. I just don’t want you to regret everything.” He told you, looking relieved now.

“Never.” You responded strongly, eyes still hard as you glanced at him

“Watch our for my little brother, won’t you? He’s always in some sort of trouble.” He joked, trying to cut the tension in the room.

“Of course.” You spoke weakly, staring out the window while you tried to wrestle down the emotion building up in you.

“Y/n.” He spoke softly, grabbing your chin and turning it so you were looking up at him. “When I come back, we’re going to be married, ok? If we make it through this, I want you by my side for the rest of my life.”

“I’m already yours.” You told him, fighting back tears with all you had.

“I’m going to be ok, I’ll come back to you.” He said strongly, cupping your face in his hands.

“You promise?” You whispered, the tears finally falling freely from your eyes.

“I promise.”

Wish I could, I could've said goodbye. I would've said what I wanted to Maybe even cried for you If I knew it would be the last time I would've broke my heart in two Tryin' to save a part of you

“Theseus? I’m home.” You nervously shouted through the house, hearing something clatter to the ground upstairs and footsteps quickly approaching down the steps. Moments later you were wrapped in strong arms, nerves vanishing in your husbands embrace.

After returning from the war nearly a year later, Theseus had shown up to your work and had asked you to marry him. Of course you had said yes, a now 6 years later, here you were.

“Welcome home my beautiful wife!” He exclaimed, making you giggle slightly at his excitement. “I was hoping I’d see you before I had to leave, Travers is sending us on another mission. He claims he has a source that told him where Grindelwald is. We all know how reliable his sources have been in the past. Probably just another wild niffler chase.” He rolled his eyes, making you snort.

“There’s something I need to tell you before you go.” You spoke anxiously, causing Theseus to become concerned.

“What is it?”

“Well I- I felt sick at work today, and one of the other healers said I should take a test. I did, and well it came back positive.” You whispered, doing nothing to calm your husbands worries. “Thee, I’m pregnant.”

“P-pregnant?” He asked, pure shock written all over him. “Blimey, you, we’re-“ He suddenly cut himself off, voice clogged with emotion. He quickly kissed you heatedly, an overjoyed sound coming muffled from his mouth. “I’m going to be a father!” He exclaimed when he pulled away, spinning you around joyously in his arms. “This is the second happiest moment of my life!”

“What’s the first?” You laughed, catching your breath as he set you down on your feet again.

“The day you married me.” He said as if it were obvious, making you grin. “Wait till I tell Newt! We’ll make him god father, yes?”

“Of course.” You answered, watching your husband happily. “I’ll owl him when you leave.”

“Right, right.” He spoke, suddenly remembering his mission. “Almost forgot, well I’d better be off. Wait till I tell the others, a baby!”

“Alright, alright, get out of here you crazy man.” You joked, leaning up to kiss him once more. “Come back to me.” You whispered when you pulled away, having spoken the words every time he went on missions.

“Always.”

And I want to pretend that it's not true Oh baby, that you're gone

“Mum, where are we going?” Your five year old daughter spoke, holding onto your hand tightly as you walked through familiar large iron gates.

“You’re going to meet someone very special.” You responded, squeezing your little daughters hand gently.

She stayed silent as she walked beside you, the silence of the area around causing her to do the same. After a few minutes of walking, you stopped in front of the familiar place. Kneeling down next to your daughter, you moved your hand to hold her shoulder.

“Is that-?” She started, eyes wide as she took in the name in front of her.

Theseus Scamander Born: 7th June 1889 Died: 19th February 1920 “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

“Honey, this is your dad.” You spoke softly, placing your other hand over the slightly worn tombstone. “He was the bravest, loyalest, and most loving man I ever met. He died before you were born, fighting an evil man so that one day you and I and others could live in a peaceful world without fear. He never met you, but he loved you fiercely from the moment he found out about you. You look so much like him, you are so much like him.” You paused, playing with a loose brown curl in your daughters hair while tears filled your eyes. “He’d be so proud of you, he’d love you just as much as I do if he was still with us.”

“Do you miss him?” Your daughter asked softly, tears now falling from her eyes.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t.” You responded, wiping a tear from her cheek. “But he is always with us; he lives on in me, and he lives on in you. As long as we always remember and always love him, he’ll never really be gone. He’ll look over us and protect us until we join him again one day.”

“I wish he was still here, I wish I had my dad.” Your daughter sobbed, prompting you to pull her tightly into your arms.

“I know, I know my little love. I wish he was still here too. I always will.”

Oh, I’ll never love again