#NOT QUITE THE SAME KIND OF GREMLIN BUT A GREMLIN NO LESS

[goldentigerfestival]

something I really love about Yuri's character growth between childhood and teenhood is how... relaxed, openly nurturing, sillier, and happier he became.

I think a lot about how sometimes I feel like Yuri was a bit too harsh with the other kids. like, yes, they did a LOT of dumb things, but I think Yuri's reactive responses, which were understandable annoyance and aggravation at their behavior, could've been better solved with calmness and softer tones. if he had gently nudged the other kids when they all went outside the barrier to be quieter for instance, such as suggesting Jareth simply sing extremely softly (thus being accepting of his feelings and happiness outside the barrier but still warning him/reminding him to be careful), I think the other kids would've been more receptive. I think if he'd been understanding about their excitement and just softly urged them to be happy but quietly, they could've avoided more problems.

and I think that's really noticeable in how Yuri acts as an adult and as a teen. he is softer in his voice - something he started doing as a teen. he's less reactive and more likely to speak softly and understandingly, even at times that he feels he needs to be firm. as a teen, his first reaction to situations that he's not fond of in relation to Flynn, Jareth and Jiri aren't as whiplash emotional. he's more understanding and more likely to stop and think about how to respond. he gets emotional, but he doesn't react in outbursts anymore. by the time he's an adult, it takes a lot to get Yuri angry, and he also cools off very easily.

Jareth especially is a big one. as kids, Yuri used to get snappy at things he did. as a teen, he instead gets quiet. he'll raise some concerns and he won't hide if he's bothered, but he's much calmer about it and more openly worried than he is annoyed. as a kid, Jareth acted out if he was yelled at. they had this sort of back and forth, push and pull relationship sometimes. but if Yuri had been more receptive to Jareth as children, Jareth might not have been so pushy about his responses (or to Flynn in turn).

and of course they were just seven year old kids, so like, of course Yuri didn't really have that logic pipeline, but that's what I love about his progression to his teenage years. by then he does have that ability to make a logical conclusion. when Jareth is upsetting him at dinner, he voices his concerns, but he doesn't snap at him. when he's worried about Jareth's behavior, he's quiet and thinking about it and it's noticed by Flynn, but Yuri doesn't react to it in any way that would put Jareth on the defensive like he did as a child.

I just really love the huge differences in his personality and his reactionary behavior between the child and teen arc. I know I joke about teen Yuri being a perfect little baby angel and the sweetest little guy ever, but I do really think he's at his best and happiest in the teen arc than he is in any Vesperia media that's prior to post game. like, after the game's timeline, I think Yuri is starting to heal from all the emotional damage he's had since his teenage years (that's a whole other post I've already made LOL). I just think that Yuri would be a very different person as an adult if Jiri and Jareth hadn't died and if Flynn hadn't moved away after that insanity. I think if all the chaos hadn't happened in the teen arc that Yuri would have become a very different person based on who he was as a teen.

[babyleostuff]

𐙚🧸ྀི 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 "𝐦𝐨𝐦"

domestic fluff. established relationship. sulky and pouty seventeen. dad!svt + mom!reader.

s.coups

choi seungcheol - whiny™, pouty™, sulky™ - would never forgive you, he’d treat it as the biggest treason against him (as if it was your fault that your baby decided to say “mom” as their first word). he spent so much time repeating the word “da” and “dada” that he was 99% sure one of those would be its first word. but when you heard “ma” coming out of your baby’s mouth, and not “scoups is the best father ever”, cheol was so so dramatic about it. he refused to acknowledge you for the next week, which turned out to be quite problematic as you had a literal small human being to raise together.

jeonghan

your baby turned out to be as much of a gremlin as his father, so of course - even though jeonghan spent hours on saying different versions of the word “dad” around your baby - it did the exact opposite. it said a loud and clear “ma”, as if trying to get back at his father for… whatever reason. jeonghan wouldn’t be as dramatic as coups, but he’d still talk your ear off for some time, about how unfair it was and how you probably manipulated the child to say “ma” instead of “da”.

joshua

for some reason a lot whiner about that than you thought he’d be. you had a feeling that the baby’s first word would not be “dad” (and that was definitely not because you took your time to repeat the word “mom” around it) (joshua did the same when you weren’t around, just with “dad”) (so it kind of turned into a silent competition of who had more influence on the baby’s brain i guess). so when shua “lost” he turned into a big drama queen - not really that bothered by the “ma” coming from his baby, but at losing against you. 

jun

he just straight up panics for some reason, because what do you mean his baby is talking now??? when it was just this big 🤏🏼 couple of weeks ago??? (it’s still ridiculously small, especially when he’s the one holding it, and any other person wouldn’t say that the baby was talking per say…). jun is just really overwhelmed by how fast everything is going that he doesn’t pay too much attention to what the word was exactly. maybe that’s just because he never really cared about what it’d be in the first place. 

hoshi

immediate beef with the baby. soonyoung didn’t just spend these past weeks saying “dad”, “dada”, “da” and any other variant of the word for it to say “ma” in the end. the audacity of his firstborn to say anything other than “dad” was unbelievable, and hoshi took it upon himself to try and erase the word “mom” from its little brain and replace it with a proud and loud “dad”. well - that did not work, and whenever soonyoung tried to make the baby repeat the sound “da” he got a “ma” every single time. he was sure his child had a personal vendetta against him. 

wonwoo

not bothered by it at all. to be honest wonwoo didn’t even catch what the baby had said, or tried to say, he just ran as fast as he could to get the camera BECAUSE HIS BABY JUST SAID SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A BABBLE!!! he’d spend the rest of the day with his little one in his arms trying to make it say “ma” over and over again, smiling like an idiot every time he heard that cute little sound. (after a while, though, he’d be like “okay that’s enough, now say “da”).

woozi

something in him melts when he hears a faint “ma” coming from his baby. did he hope that its first word would be “dad”? sure. was he going to be dramatic over the fact that it wasn’t? nope. at this point, it’s still surreal to jihoon that he’s holding a literal child, his child, in his arms, so what it said didn’t really matter to him. it wasn’t like he could force it to say “dad” anyway, so why waste his energy on being dramatic over it? the baby still had so much time to learn all of the words in this world, and he was more than happy to wait for a “dad”. 

dk

could not care less, period. the baby’s first could be “poop” for all he cared, and he’d still jump around the house screaming his lungs out that his child just said its first word. in fact, seokmin pushed the “mom” agenda more than the “dad” one, because in his mind - you deserved it more. besides, just because the baby said “mom” first didn’t mean it loved him any less, and with how many “baby guidance books” he had read before the baby was born, dk knew that the sound “ma” was just easier to say for the baby.

mingyu

you had to give it to him - gyu really tried his best not to show how much it bothered him that its first word wasn’t a sound resembling “dad”. he didn’t want you to think that he was disappointed by your baby’s first word, and deep down he knew how irrational it was for him to sulk over something that neither of you had control over. but the pout mingyu had on his face whenever he held your baby told you just how much he wished it had rather said “da”. gyu quickly got over it - he wouldn’t let something as silly as that distract him from the fact that your little one just said their first word.

minghao

actually, he’s over the moon when he hears your baby utter a quiet “ma”. there’s no other person that deserves this more than you - you, who carried that small human being for nine months, who spent hours in the bathroom throwing your guts up, who went through all that pain. you gave hao everything he could’ve ever dreamed of - love, safety, and a family, so there’s no part of him that’s disappointed in the baby’s first word.

seungkwan

on one hand, he feels so proud and so happy - boo never knew his heart could be filled with so much love for such a tiny human being as when he heard its first word, but then again… of course most fathers hope that their baby first word would be “dad”, so there is some disappointment there. but after he sees your bright smile when you're holding your little one, and how excited you got by the “ma” - all the disappointment vanishes. there’s no point in being sulky over something that he has no control over.

vernon

he was so caught off guard when you suddenly started freaking out over your baby, and when you told him that it had just said “mom”, vernon did not believe you. he was like “na ah, it was just another babble.” (he was just in denial) (what do you mean his baby is talking now?). so he spent the next hour kneeling in front of the baby and trying to make it repeat the “ma” again so he could hear it too (turns out his child is very stubborn and only said “ma” in your presence).  

dino

you were sitting in a double rocking chair with your baby, when suddenly you both heard a tiny sound, awfully resembling the sound “ma”. chan could not care less about it not being a “da”, he was just so happy to hear your precious bundle of love say something. besides, chan never really cared whether “mom” or “dad” would be the baby’s first word - all he wanted was for you both to be safe and healthy, so if it decided to say “ma” first then he was more than happy to keep repeating the “ma” for the baby.

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[cocklessboy]

So here's the thing about having a post break containment on tumblr: if you make a mistake in the original post, there's absolutely fucking nothing you can do about it.

The people reblogging once you realize your mistake aren't reblogging it from your blog. They're reblogging it from someone you never even knew existed. If you edit the original, it does not affect the copies already being passed around.

You can make an addition to the post with a correction! But here's the thing. Posts tend to break containment if they are tagged and people see it in the tags they follow. But reblogs don't appear in tags. Only original posts do. So your addition will only be reblogged by people who follow you, and it's pretty rare for a post with a correction added in a reblog to break containment in the same way as the original.

So you wind up getting a lot of reblogs with angry comments about how you're wrong (and that's if they're being polite - the less polite ones will attack you rather viciously, which is not something I would wish on anyone). And even if you didn't make a mistake, if there's something you didn't make clear enough for Tumblr Reading Comprehension™️, you'll wind up inundated with angry comments from people who missed the point, and it's too late to go back and adjust your wording to make it clearer.

(That's why I'm making a new post for this instead of responding to the comments I got on the post in question, by the way. I'm hoping some of the same people who spread around the original might spot this one in the tags and share it around as well.)

So what is this about? I recently made a post about how a friend was worried that I was addicted to my ADHD meds purely because I said I look forward to taking them and they bring me joy.

The purpose of that post was:

Something bringing you joy doesn't necessarily make it addictive. (For fuck's sake stop being afraid of pleasure.)

Even if something is addictive, that's not inherently harmful.

Don't be afraid to take your meds just because they might be addictive. If they help you more than they harm you, take them.

I also made a comment about how my ADHD meds aren't addictive anyway. This is the point people have been pouncing on me about. So allow me to explain where that assertion came from.

My psychiatrist, an ADHD specialist who manages my meds: I know you're nervous about addiction and tolerance to meds, but don't worry. If you have ADHD, methylphenidate is not physically addictive.

My GP, who I got a second opinion from out of nervousness: Yup, your psychiatrist is right. You don't need to be afraid to take these. Take them as directed and you will not form a physical dependence on them. If you notice them getting less effective with time, though, you can always just take a break from them to remove any tolerance.

Me, after a year and a half of taking these meds: Yup, no addiction here. I guess my doctors were right.

So here we are. Two doctors and my own personal experience have assured me that ADHD meds are not something to be afraid of. Yet I keep seeing people afraid to take their meds because they're afraid of dependence. So why don't I do a nice thing in this post of mine and reassure my fellow gremlin-brained tumblrs that their meds are perfectly safe to take!

And to be fair, I've gotten quite a few reblogs with tags and additions and comments saying thank you, I was afraid to take my meds, even though they help me, but now I'm reassured that I shouldn't be scared.

And I think that's a positive outcome.

On the other hand, I'm getting some very angry comments from some people who seem to think I'm attempting to spread a vicious, intentional lie claiming that people with ADHD are immune to stimulant addiction and that I'm going to do all kinds of harm, presumably on purpose, because there's nothing I enjoy more than ruining other people's lives! 🙌

I would assume that anyone who thought about this for more than three seconds would realize that's not the case, but this is tumblr.

I've gotten angry rants ranging from "this author you've never heard of wrote a book where he defined addiction as inherently harmful, and therefore you're harming people by saying being addicted to something is not inherently bad!" to "STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION!!!" to "OP is making statements that are incompatible with reality!" and folks? I'm real fucking tired of it.

Is it possible that my doctors are wrong? Of course! Doctors get things wrong all the time, especially when it comes to stuff like ADHD! But yelling at me from across the internet and accusing me of lying is not helpful.

There is nothing I can do about the original post. I can reblog it with an addition clarifying that yes, everyone is capable of becoming psychologically dependent on basically anything in a way that would be considered addiction, and yes, that includes ADHD people and their meds.

To be clear, this does NOT contradict the intent of my original post: that ADHD meds are good, you should take them, medication making you feel good is nothing to fear, pleasure is not the same as addiction, addiction is not inherently dangerous, and according to my doctors, who are fallible human beings but my most trusted source of information as of the writing of that post, ADHD meds are not physically addictive - as in, your BODY will not become dependent on them to function. This is the definition of "addiction" I had in mind when I wrote that post - and I think in a lot of cases the thing upsetting people is that we don't even actually disagree on what we're trying to say, but there was a miscommunication in terms of what I actually meant.

If I could go back and edit that original post and have it change everywhere it's been reblogged, I absolutely would. I would clarify where my information was coming from and what definition of "addiction" I intended, and reiterate that even if something can cause physical dependence, that doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't take it.

But I can't. That post is out there now and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

Keep this in mind as you go forward in your tumblr journey, friends. If you come across a semi-popular post with a mistake in it, you can bet every bit of your ass that OP has heard about it many, many times already, probably in very impolite terms, and there is nothing they can do about the original post. Unless they're a massively popular blog, a reblog with an addition or correction will not be seen by the people spreading around the original.

And for fuck's sake, stop assuming ill intent on the part of people who say something incorrect online. There are people out there who intentionally spread misinformation, but those people are rare, and usually trying to get you to not vote democrat in US elections, not trying to encourage you to take your fucking meds. If you see a mistake, it's probably an honest one, and if you really want to correct it, be a decent fucking human being, be polite and kind, and try assuming good intentions on the part of the person who said it.

The person telling you to take your meds is not your fucking enemy.

Oh, and do me a favor and reblog this, please. I actually have very few followers so no one will see it if it doesn't get reblogged. Thank you.

[wandixx]

Dani gives people heart attacks and brings down a lot of trafficking rings, making friends along the way. Everything by accident, really

Dani traveled around world, hadn't she? While doing it, she had to meet a lot of interesting people.

Like heroes or villains.

In civies or not or both who knows.

But to actually learn things about someplace you have to spend more than one night there. Like, idk? Month? Probably more but I doubt she would be able to sit in one place for any longer. In many places she is shorter.

Month is long enough to create some connections though.

Enough to get someone to realize when you disappear...

Yeah, Dani on her way of gremlin and self discovery ghosted bunch of people without second thought. They'll probably forget her in few months anyway. And she was everywhere in USA. She didn't left American soil only because she didn't want to be too far from Danny in case of emergency. Before anyone tells me he was in space so he could fly to her wherever on Earth she would be, Earth's atmosphere ends about 100 km above sea level and officially this is border of space. Telecommunication satellites are between 8000 to 12000 km up. It's about how wide Atlantic Ocean is.

Plus y'know, time. If she needs help, she probably can't quite wait until he flies all the way to Hong Kong, Wladywostok, Rio de Janeiro or wherever she is.

So America it is. For now at least. When they're 100% sure she is stable she'll fly elsewhere.

Anyway people who she ghosted are used to batshit crazy stuff but "this tween is alone on her road to self discovery and just left for new city" isn't first thing anyone thought about. Maybe outside of Martians. They know. Everyone else? No idea what happened to this tiny, chaotic, snarky, probably meta child.

First thought though?

She got kidnapped.

So now 3/4 of Justice League, some individual heroes and bunch of less intense rogues are scrambling around their cities tracking every trafficking ring they found glimpses of, trying to find Dani.

Flashes work with Captain Cold on this and seem to slowly descend into madness. At the same time, Dani eats ice cream with nice museum lady from Washington who introduced herself as Diana. Then she helps at animal shelter with kind stuck up boy called Damian. Oh, Danny likes aliens, let's visit Martian Manhunter. Maybe she'll manage to get autograph for her template. Wait Space Cops? Kinda sucks but Danny would probably like their signatures too. Let's go. Oh, Superboys are fun mess with and older one is like her! This Nightwing guy puns like Danny but she always feels like he looks at her weirdly. Billy should eat more, magic or not, fighting is tiring. Good thing she has Sam's money to buy him burgers.

She has time of her life while people she met are slowly dying.

She probably doesn't even hide that she is traveling but for whatever reason they don't think she actually left.

They don't bring it up on any meeting because no matter how concerned they are, it's not really whole league type of business. And Martians just discreetly enjoy chaos.

There is a lot of ways it can get resolved (or not) but I kinda thought about Jon introducing his old buddy Damian to his new buddy Dani because he thinks they would get along and they just stare at each other for long moment before:

"Dani..."

"Dami!"

"WHY DID YOU LEFT WITHOUT A WORD! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE KIDNAPPED OR DEAD!"

Some screaming and revelation that Killer Croc was looking for her too, Dani hits moment of realisation.

"Wait, is this what people think when you just up and go?"

"Honestly? Yeah"

"Oh, Ancients I did this to so many people. So many..."

Idk, just Dani traveling and leaving people behind.

Do with it what you will

[cha-melodius]

HAPPY 100 FICS / 1000 KUDOS DARLING

Could I please get Firstprince at some sort of pet store?

💜💜💜💜

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRICKET!!!! This is the fill for your fandom fest request of firstprince at a pet store. Thank you for being such an excellent doc gremlin and wonderful friend, I hope this fic brightens your day!!)

The Hazards of Unsolicited Toy Advice

(T, 2.2k, read it below or on AO3)

There’s a staggeringly gorgeous man loitering by a display of chew toys.

The sight of him momentarily brings Henry to a complete halt, which confuses David. He reaches the end of his lead and looks back at Henry with his head tilted, clearly wondering what could have interrupted their usual pilgrimage to the elaborate collection of bones, pigs’ ears, and various treats that make this store worth going out of their way to visit. Unfortunately for David, Henry needs a moment. He knows he’s being kind of weird, but surely he can be forgiven. It’s not every day one comes across the personification of pure sunlight in a pet store.

The man doesn’t seem to notice Henry’s watching, thankfully. His full lips pout thoughtfully as he pokes idly at a few toys, picking them up and putting them down again without much intention. A few dark curls fall forward over his forehead as he props one hand on his devastatingly narrow waist, perfectly emphasized by the way his tailored button-down is tucked into navy chinos that hug a truly perfect arse.

David chuffs softly, pulling Henry out of his reverie. Right. The beautiful man looks like he could use some decision-making assistance, perhaps. Henry will take whatever tiny opening he can get.

“If you need some advice on toys, I have some experience,” Henry said, only realizing the way it sounds once the words are out of his mouth.

Unfortunately, the beautiful man does not miss the innuendo. He looks up at Henry, warm brown eyes fringed by the longest eyelashes Henry’s ever seen flashing with mirth as his face breaks into a grin and, oh, if Henry was in trouble before, it was nothing on this. The man’s entire face lights up, nearly blinding in its brilliance, and Henry’s stomach swoops.

“Do you, now?” the man returns as his lips settle into a smirk. He looks Henry up and down, and Henry doesn’t think he’s imagining the interest in his expression.

Henry’s cheeks are heating, but he holds the man’s gaze. “Yes. David is a bit of a connoisseur.”

The man’s eyebrows shoot upward. “David? Is that your…”

“My dog, of course,” Henry says, gesturing toward where David is sitting obediently at his feet. “He’s got quite the collection.”

“Dog named David, ok,” the man mutters, laughing a little to himself. “Does he have a favorite?”

Henry reaches out and plucks a rubber toy shaped like a duck and hands it to the man. “This one is probably his first choice.” At his feet, David makes a noise of interest, and Henry glances down at him. “You have this one at home, Davey.”

The man turns the toy over in his hands, but before he can say anything an employee walks up and hands him a plain brown paper bag with the top stapled shut and some numbers written on the side.

“Anything else, sir?” she asks.

“No, that’s it. Thanks,” the man says, then looks at Henry and lifts up the duck. “Thanks for the advice.”

“Yes, well, if you need any further toy suggestions, we’re here regularly,” Henry manages to say, and it sounds like just as much of a come-on as he means it to.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the man replies, smirking, then heads off to the front of the store.

~~~~~

Henry runs into the beautiful man again a couple weeks later, standing in the same place as last time. He’s wearing a t-shirt and jeans today with his curls combed and tamed, and is no less stunning for it (though Henry’s always been partial to curls). Today, Henry is slightly more prepared; he’s thought about—ok, fantasized about—running into the man again. This time he’s getting a name, at the very least.

“So, was it a success?” he asks as he walks up to the man. Warmth blooms in his chest at the look of recognition that takes over the man’s face, though it’s quickly followed by a furrowed brow.

“What?”

“The toy. Did your dog like it?”

“Oh. Yeah, definitely,” the man says, bobbing his head a little. “Any other suggestions?”

Henry lets his gaze skim over the toys until he sees the plush strawberry David’s been favoring lately and picks it up, but the man shakes his head apologetically. “No soft toys.”

“A penchant for shredding them apart?” Henry guesses.

“Hard to keep clean,” he says, wrinkling his nose.

“Always an important consideration for any toy,” Henry agrees sagely, only for the man to raise his eyebrows again. It seems to happen with alarming regularity. As does the way Henry’s cheeks heat. He clears his throat and picks up a rubber toy with numerous large holes punched through it. “What about something like this? You can put treats in these for a bit of a challenge.”

The man looks at the toy consideringly before taking it from Henry. “That one could work.”

“I’m Henry, by the way.”

The man opens his mouth, only to be interrupted by another employee with a brown paper bag. After accepting it, he looks back at Henry. “Well, thanks again, Henry,” he says with a little wave, leaving Henry decidedly unsatisfied with the outcome of this encounter.

~~~~~

“The toy with the holes was a hit.” 

Henry turns to see the beautiful man approaching him this time. He’s already got his brown paper bag clutched in one hand this time, and his other stuffed in the pocket of his jeans.

“That’s good to hear,” Henry replies, smiling. At his feet, David starts wagging his tail, apparently having by now decided that the man is a friend. “You’re back again.”

“Turns out you have good taste in toys,” the man says, shrugging a little.

“You’re not the first person to tell me that,” Henry says without really thinking about it, and the eyebrows shoot up again. Henry coughs. “I mean, dog toys.”

He does not mean dog toys.

The man grins wickedly, like he is not fooled. “Well, be that as it may, I thought I might try my luck a third time.”

Henry thinks that it’s about time that he tried his luck, actually. “How about, you tell me your name, and I’ll give you another suggestion,” he counters.

“Oh, I wasn’t aware this toy advice came at a price.”

“Too steep for you?”

“Nah, that’s a bargain, sweetheart,” the man replies. “I’m Alex.”

“Alex,” Henry echoes softly, tasting the name on his tongue, and Alex’s lips part slightly. “And what about your dog?”

It seems to take Alex a moment to parse his question. “Oh, Miss Piggy. She came with the name. I adopted her from a friend of a friend that was trying to get rid of her.”

“That was good of you.”

Alex shrugs. “She’s low maintenance, and it’s kind of nice to talk to someone else in my empty apartment. Not that she talks back.”

Henry tries to suppress the little thrill of hope at the fact that Alex doesn’t live with anyone. “I understand,” he says. “David isn’t much of a conversationalist, but he’s an excellent listener.”

“How long have you had him?”

“Since he was a puppy.”

“So you chose the name David,” Alex says, a touch incredulously.

“I did,” Henry confirms. “It’s after Bowie.”

Alex blinks, like he’s re-evaluating something. “Oh. That’s cool.” He crouches down, which of course makes David start squirming in desire to get to Alex, but he stays sitting next to Henry’s feet. “He’s very well-behaved. Can I pet him?”

“He’d like that.”

Alex reaches a hand out to scratch behind David’s ears, which David immediately presses into, his tail thumping rapidly on the floor. “Who’s a good boy?” Alex coos, and Henry honestly counts himself lucky that Alex’s soft smile is directed at David instead of him; he might not survive it. But then Alex looks up at him in his current position practically kneeling on the floor, and Henry comes very close to shuffling off this mortal coil right then and there anyway.

“So,” Alex says as he stands again, brushing his hands off on his trousers, “what kind of toy advice do I get for my name?”

Henry very nearly suggests some quite different toy advice in response to that question, but manages to bring his brain back online at the last second. “Well,” he says, picking up a tube-shaped rubber toy, “if she liked the treat toy, then this one is a similar idea.” He holds it out to Alex, but he doesn’t let go when Alex grabs the other end. “I have another request.”

The eyebrows go again. “This is an expensive toy.”

Henry shakes his head. “Not a price. But I’d very much like to take you to dinner, if you’d be interested.”

The dimple in Alex’s cheek deepens and he drops his gaze before looking up at Henry through his eyelashes. Christ, but this man is lethal.

“I’m interested.”

~~~~~

Alex tugs Henry in by the front of his jacket as he backs up against the front door to his flat, and Henry wastes no time before sealing their mouths together again. At the end of their first date, Alex had dropped him off outside his building and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Henry’s mouth; it had been utterly lovely, but Henry has to admit he’s very much enjoying this, the conclusion to their second date. Alex’s tongue in his mouth and the cut of his teeth, Alex’s hands grabbing onto his waist, Alex’s thigh pressing in between his.

“You wanna come in, baby?” Alex asks in the gaps between their kisses.

The endearment makes something warm settle in his gut, and he grins against Alex’s lips. “Thought you’d never ask, love.”

They stumble through the door, and despite the fact that Alex has now attached himself to Henry’s throat, Henry finds himself distracted, listening for the tell-tale sound of claws on the hardwood. Nothing comes, though. Perhaps Miss Piggy is a heavy sleeper?

“What’s wrong?” Alex asks, clearly noticing his inattention.

“Sorry,” Henry says, shaking his head. “I was expecting your dog.”

For some reason, that makes Alex look down and bite his lip, and when he finally meets Henry’s eyes again, he looks decidedly sheepish. “I, um. Don’t have a dog.”

Henry blinks at him. Opens and closes his mouth. “You don’t?”

Alex shakes his head. “No.”

“So you let me suggest you dog toys…”

“Because when a ridiculously hot guy wants to talk to you about dog toys, you talk about dog toys,” Alex says, a little helplessly.

It’s honestly hard to be anything but insanely flattered, but he still doesn’t quite understand. “So all of that about adopting Miss Piggy, and the toy reviews… it was all made up?”

“Oh, no, it wasn’t,” Alex says, nonsensically. Then he takes Henry by the hand and leads him into the living room, where there’s a terrarium set up along one wall. Amongst the water dish and a fake-rock hut, Henry spots the duck, and the toy with the holes, and the tube, which has the head and tail of a small brown-and-tan-patterned snake sticking out of one end. “Miss Piggy is a snake,” Alex tells him. “A western hognose, to be specific. Hence the name, I guess. I was in the pet store buying frozen mice for her the times I saw you. I did adopt her from a friend of a friend who didn’t want her anymore, and she does like the toys, as you can see.”

Henry bends down to get a closer look at the snake, who has big eyes and a little turned-up snout. “I never thought a snake could be cute,” he says, unaccountably and unexpectedly charmed by the small creature.

“She’s a drama queen, is what she is,” Alex says. When Henry looks at him questioningly, he explains, “When they feel threatened, they either pretend to be a viper or play dead. Turn over onto their back, tongue hanging out and everything. She hasn’t done that since right after I got her, though. I think she’s happier here.”

Alex gets a kind of soft, fond smile on his face as he talks about the snake, and Henry can’t help but be ridiculously charmed by that, too. He takes a step closer to Alex and slips his arms around his waist, pulling him in and pressing a kiss to his temple, and Alex’s smile widens.

“What was that for?” he asks.

“You care for her,” Henry says simply. “It’s endearing.”

“Of course I do,” Alex replies. “How could you not love that face?”

“Mm,” Henry hums in agreement. “I suppose this means we don’t have to worry about her waking us early in the morning to go outside.”

Alex’s eyes sparkle as he turns in Henry’s arms, looping his own around Henry’s shoulders. “You planning on spending the night, baby? What about David?”

“Is it terribly forward if I said I already arranged to have someone take care of him tonight?” Henry asks, biting his lower lip.

“Not any more than what I was gonna ask you,” Alex says, smirking as his fingers play idly with a flippy piece of Henry’s hair.

“Which is?”

“Well, y’know, I wanted some advice.” He leans in close, until his lips are brushing the angle of Henry’s jaw, and murmurs, “On a different kind of toy.”

Henry doesn’t need to be asked twice.

[kagoutiss]

I kind of love how you have all these interesting hcs for Ganondorf like animals loving him, his weird dynamic with Sheik, the approval he seeks from his mothers etc. while at the same time being like “he’s a horrible gremlin and bloodthirsty and no one would want to stay near him”. I feel like it really captures how absurd and chaotic he is. Thank you for your service.

oh…im holding this ask very gently…..this means a lot to me because like!! yeah all these things are sort of true to me and i feel like he’s one of those characters where the more you dissect him, the more discordant things you find, and yet they all somehow intertwine in a way that makes him compelling and whole :-) retroactively putting a warning here that i ended up talking a lot and going pretty off-track but. like,,, one of the main roots of his absurdity to me is that he just has these fundamental problems with connecting with people (outside of clever manipulation, which he is good at), which are very effective at driving people away, even when he genuinely loves them, and i think he does this thing constantly where he wants people to despise him and he wants people to think the worst of him, because he is so much more comfortable with that than just? learning how to actually differentiate between love & hatred? and to not immediately feel threatened by gestures of love as some kind of deception, because he probably can’t quite make out the difference? despite having such a high level of emotional intelligence otherwise? and this primarily ties in with the idea that the biggest most terrifying enemy he has ever known in his entire life has been the neighboring kingdom, which professes to be the epitome of love & light & benevolence while at the same time committing the most egregious hateful bloody acts of cruelty in the darkest recesses of kakariko’s catacombs

and like. i think all of his formative experiences have still led to him being fully capable of things like feeling love, but also consequently not having the faintest idea of what the definition of that actually is, or how it works, or how to relate to someone you care about without just projecting all your own experiences onto them, or communicating your affection in ways other than just. being mean. and him purposely antagonizing people who do love him and are kind to him is a kneejerk reaction that he might not even realize is nonsensical, just a way of avoiding the most fundamentally disconcerting thing he knows, which is the ambiguity of something that claims to be kind or good. and so i think he‘d find a weird comfort in things that either don’t have that ambiguity, or subvert it entirely

like animals! who are far less capable of deception, or monsters, who like him, are deemed inherently evil. or spirits, who shouldn’t technically even be bound by the concepts of good & evil, even less applicable to wayward souls than to living beings. above all other humans though, he is definitely closest to his surrogate mothers, who supposedly are the true highest authorities of the gerudo tribe, and who treat him more like a deity than a son, and might moreso love the idea of what they want him to be, rather than the person he is. and he is in fact mortal, and a human being, and extremely flawed, and prone to recklessness under stress, and makes silly mistakes, and is emotionally unstable, with an attention span that doesn’t actually seem particularly well-suited to politics or government. and i accidentally wrote way too much in one sitting again, but.

but yeah, he’s like. my point is he is so full of things. he is completely absurd and chaotic and yet also i think there are recognizable patterns in what he does, if you think about him way too hard for way too long. he’s an infuriating swiss watch of a person that functions with seemingly inexplicable precision, but is made to say rude things to you instead of showing you the time, and yet you can’t really judge him too harshly after making the difficult effort of trying to understand him, because it becomes more & more evident that. that’s just. the way he is. that that’s the inevitable way that he came together, entirely due to circumstance. he’s a reflection of the completely nonsensical universe that he lives in, an antagonist since the day he was born, defined as such by the world’s Inherently Good Authorities, who are themselves objectively guilty of mass kidnapping, torture, murder, displacement and genocide, and yet are still, by the immutable definitions of these words as they’ve established them, Good. and i NEED to go to bed but yeah i love him for being a horrible insufferable bitch, actually, because it’s meaningful in and of itself, and i love him for not being normal, and having unmanageable fears of inadequacy, and mommy issues, and ADHD and autism, and for bullying teenagers, and being more fond of monsters & parasites than people, and literally using his emotions as a weapon, and referring to himself as king of every evil thing in existence, and almost never bothering to explain his actual motivations to people who he knows have already decided that he is the crux of all the world’s problems, because he’s fully internalized that trying to be understood by anyone at all is completely pointless. wife material

[slothquisitor]

2024 Fic Wrapped

Thank you to @eraserspiral for the tag! This was fun!

What’s been your biggest learning point this past year?

Mostly that I can still write a lot of words if I'm doing it consistently? I was in such a writing slump before BG3. I've been pursuing traditional publication and had some cool wins but not quite...getting there? And then that on top of some personal life shit kind of broke me. It's been fun to get back to writing and let it be fun again and not something I *have* to do.

How has your writing developed this past year?

I think I've tried out some fun and cool things this year. I wrote HORROR! I wrote an homage to Emily Henry. It was fun to push myself into really different directions, and I think it's made me better or at least I hope so. That's the thing about writing! It's so subjective and difficult to really pinpoint the places where you may or may not be leveling up. But I feel like I grew this year, so I'll take it.

Good writing habits?

Writing every day. Even if I'm traveling or even if it's only for five minutes on my phone before bed, I try to do a little bit. It helps me feel connected to whatever I'm working on, but also I'm the type of person who really struggles with feeling productive without clear goal posts. So, being able to look at actual words on a page helps me feel I've done something, you know? Also just generally reading widely. I think being a good writer is about being a good reader too!

Bad writing habits?

Impatience. I have the same issue with my art. My best pieces are always the ones I didn't rush. I have this like...desire to push things out into the world so that they don't clutter up my head anymore, and sometimes I think that means I'm publishing before things are strictly ready. My goal in 2025 is to do this less. But also, sometimes I'm excited!

Favorite thing you wrote?

Probably What Moves in the Dark though Invisible String is a close second. I loved the overall story of What Moves in the Dark, and I think it's technically plotted better than Invisible String where I was just like...coasting on vibes.

Favorite reads?

She's not on here, but TheWyvernRising is my writing partner, and honestly, her work is severely underrated. She's got a great Ghost AU featuring Halsin and her oc Rowan, plus our OCs are besties in every universe. What else is fanfic for?

Biggest win?

Finishing not one but two longfics in a year! Also, the response to Invisible String genuinely surprises and delights me. Someone called me diabolical, and I've never been more pleased with myself.

Goals for the new year?

Just keep writing things that make me happy. I'd like to maybe return to the original work, but I'm also just like...not pressed about it? I'm having fun and I think that maybe that's enough for right now.

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn’t repeat them 788 times?

Oh god. I overuse a lot of words or phrases and I know it! It just sometimes is hard to notice until I like...reread after posting and I'm like...whoa Sloth...did you use 'gaze' and 'smile' enough? lol

What are you excited for in the new year?

To not have a fic that's posting on a weekly basis so I can return to my chaos gremlin ways. I've been posting a fic update every weekend since Febraury (with a few exceptions), and don't get me wrong...when I'm working on a longfic I need that structure. However, it's nice to get a break from that. I'll probably let myself get too chaotic in a month or two and return to some sort of schedule, but for now, it's nice. I'm excited to keep working on Veilguard stuff too. I don't have any fic plans beyond that right now, but I'm sure the plot bunnies will find me. They always do.

I've been either skiing or painting my house, and I've been very not here. So I'm not sure who has done this....so if you see this and want to participate, consider yourself tagged! <3

[cooliofango]

When You Hold Their Hand Unexpectedly

Linked Universe V. x Gn!Reader

—————

This is part 2!

PART 1 HERE!

PART 3 HERE!

This part includes Wind, Wild, and Twilight!

Slight trigger warning for Wind’s part! Mentions of neglect and death— but it doesn’t go into heavy detail.

Lil shout out to @hylias-gremlin for helping me out with Wind’s part! ;3

—————

Wild

Today was the day Time decided they all needed to restock on supplies. Camp was settled on the outskirts of town, where they could make a count of what they did have. Most went into town to buy things that was needed, though a few went out into the woods to scavenge for food. It would be less rupees to spend if they don’t need to.

Time and Sky went around town for information about the Hyrule they were currently in. They planned to start in a tavern, seeing as it’s usually the best place to investigate when you want to hear about any rumors or info about anything or anyone. It’s common knowledge for most at this point, especially for travelers like you all.

Wind and Hyrule went off to get their water supply refilled. While they can easily stop by lakes and rivers while they travel, carrying their own water supplies helps when there isn’t easily accessible water or if the water near by is salty or contaminated. It also helps for meals for the same reason— though they usually try to avoid meals that include water in the recipe if need be.

Four and Warrior were sent out to find supplies for weapon and armor repair and making. Maybe even a few fresh weapons for a certain someone who broke them more often than not. Some light weight, but durable metal, tools, cloth, and the like was what they looked for.

Twilight and Legend were tasked with finding any wild fruit, herbs, or mushrooms that were edible. This ranged from hylian shrooms, hyrule herbs, and apples. Vegetables were mainly an optional find since it wasn’t very likely to be found in the wild. If they couldn’t find many of any of those items, then they would go into town to buy what they could.

For you and Wild’s search for meat and poultry, it was going well. The both of you had a bit of each now, but it was agreed upon that you should get at least one more kill before heading back to camp. It didn’t matter much which kind of meat this last one had to be as long as it was fresh and edible.

Yes, that does imply that they’ve found rotten meat. This was because of the bears and wolves in the forest that left behind the remains of their prey. It wasn’t hard to tell with the rancid smell lingering in the area the corpse laid. They were, luckily, a good ways away from the rotten meat.

You held your bow tightly within your hands, Wild at your side with a bow of his own as you two crouched in the tall grass to remain hidden. There was bait set in the open area in front of you made of berries and grain mixed into a pulp. The fragrance was strong enough to be smelt from where the two of you hid. An animal was bound to smell it sooner or later. Or do you thought, anyways.

You had been waiting for quite a while. Your joints ached lightly from not moving, but you knew if you moved, it could ruin a chance to get that last piece of meat you and Wild wanted. The most you allowed yourself to do was wiggle your fingers to ease the soreness in them.

Wild remained perfectly still the entire time, of course. As the cook of the group, he is usually the one to make sure they have food made no matter when or how he had to obtain the ingredients. A lot of the time was spent hunting— both before and after you all met if you had to guess— so he had a knack for remaining still for long periods of time.

It was definitely a contrast from what you were used to, so seeing it for the first time was surprising. Seeing him not be so reckless and slightly playful in nature would probably be a bit of an odd sight for anyone in the group to see.

After that first time you hunted with him, it became a regular to take you with him when gathering food. You weren’t completely sure why, but you just assumed that he enjoyed the company and could use the help. It’s partially why you two were paired now. The other part was because Time intentionally put you two together during this group split up.

A loud rustle sounded to the right of you, causing you to break from your thoughts with a jump and a soft gasp. You grabbed onto whatever was closest with your free hand on instinct, but your eyes remained in the direction the sound came from. You didn’t realize the slight distraction you had caused to your companion.

The air was still.

There was more rustling…

…and a rabbit jumped from the bushes. It had light brown fur and low hanging ears. It’s wide eyes looked around, unsuspecting of anything or anyone around it.

You let out a silent sigh, watching as it hopped over to the bait mixture. The rodent bent down towards it. It’s pink nose wiggled as it sniffed the bait, deciding whether or not to eat it.

You felt the hand that didn’t hold the bow lift, causing you to look over confused. In front of you was your hand holding Wild’s from the top, his fingers lightly dangling out of your grip. Wild’s face held a soft pink hue and he allowed his gaze to meet yours. It was a silent ask to let go.

You felt your own face burn hot, swallowing thickly. You made sure to be quiet and careful when letting go of his hand as to not alert their final pray for the day. Wild gave a thankful look while you returned it with an apologetic one.

He sat up a little in place and drew the bow back with an arrow in hand. The bow’s wood creaked quietly, causing the rabbit to sit up with its ears perked. It was too late for it react, however. The whistling of the arrow has already cut through the air and pierced through its body with an almost unnerving thump, a second one following soon after as the rabbit fell to the ground as a corpse.

—————

Wind

The night grew on and almost everyone was silent as they all sat at one of the long tables within the the inn’s dinning hall. They had all came to rest for the night, as well as try to gain information on the land they were currently in. The most lights were snuffed out by now, only leaving a few on to keep it bright enough for the few people that did remain.

“I heard it’s haunted though,” The man at the next table over spoke, his head in one hand and half a glass of alcohol in the other, “because it was built over the ruins of a burnt down manor that stood there centuries ago.”

The group of travelers had their attention on this man for a while now as he spoke of a temple that laid in the forest southwest from the town. Most didn’t seem too fazed by the rumor, having dealt with ghosts on their own occasions. You, however, was not someone who fell into that category.

“How so?” Wind asked curiously on your left, his expression mostly calm, but a bit wary of dealing with apparitions. You knew he’s dealt with ghosts before from his tales of the ghost ship he had been on while at sea— but you could imagine that he didn’t really enjoy the thought of dealing with ghosts again.

“A maiden’s vengeful spirit lives there. She attacks anyone who dares to enter the temple, especially if it’s a man,” he takes a sip of the alcoholic beverage before setting the glass down, “According to rumors, it’s because her lover had left to fight in a war. It left her depressed and she neglected herself because of it. When her lover returned, he didn’t recognize her because of how thin she had gotten. The woman died not long after from the affects the neglect had on her and from grief.”

You swallowed heavily, gripping onto the bench underneath you. “How violent does she get, exactly…?” The nervousness showed in your tone, brows furrowed as you looked at the man who told the story.

He rose a brow at you in question and sat up straight, “Well, from those who returned from the temple alive, it all depends on how deep into the temple you are. It could range from throwing stones at you to activating dangerous traps even if you’re careful to avoid them.”

“Lovely..” Legend quipped sarcastically, slumping his own head into his hand. Everyone had similar thoughts in that moment; they were going to have to prepare for every outcome should they encounter one of these traps first hand. Your grip tightened on your seat.

“Thank you for the information,” Time spoke authoritatively as he stood, handing the drunk man the agreed upon red rupee before turning to the rest of the group, “Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet down here to discuss preparations before we head out to the temple. Be down no later than sunrise.”

Most of the group stood, picking up their things and beginning to head upstairs to their rooms. Time did linger to ask a few more questions to the drunk man wish a hushed voice-- probably about the temple they would enter the next day. You couldn't really hear exactly what he was saying, though. You took in a deep breath as you sat there a moment longer, shoulders slumping.

"(Y-Y/N)?"

You finally notice the voice calling out to you from your side, looking over to it's owner. Wind still sits beside you, blue eyes nearly avoiding your gaze now that you looked over to him. His face and the tips of his ears held a reddened hue and he was hesitant to speak again.

"I mean-- I usually wouldn't mind it all too much," he started with an attempt to pick up his confidence, this being shown in his tone, "b-but it's getting late and we should really get going," as he spoke, your expression grew noticeably confused, in which he showed slight defeat. "Could you let go of my hand please...?" Wind laughed a bit nervously, watching as you looked down at your hand resting on top of his.

Your face now matched his in color.

—————

Twilight

The sounds of the night kept you awake, despite how desperately you tried to get some rest. Your back laid to the majority of the group with a few of the sleeping boys laid in their respective places in front of you. They were so used to sleeping out in the woods that they looked so sound while they snoozed. It made you a bit envious, in all honesty.

The majority of your life was spent in the city where you were always able to have a roof over your head and a mattress to sleep on. The forest’s ground was far from ideal. Your chest deflated in a silent sigh, closing your eyes once again. The best thing you could do, in your opinion, was to continue trying.

You turned over on your other side in an attempt to sleep in a more comfortable position. You gripped the grassy earth beneath you gently with a soft breath of content to leave your lips. Somehow, that was a bit better— if only a little. You relaxed your body against the ground and cleared your mind of any thoughts about the matter. The sooner the better, right?

By the time the sun was peaking through the branches above, you were the last one to wake up. A soft groan escaped your lips, tightening your grip on the grass. The ‘grass’ twitched a little at the movement. The feeling caused your brows to furrow, carefully blinking your tired eyes open. The first thing you saw was your hand gripping onto other, both of your hands lightly digging into the grass.

Your gaze followed the arm, moving past the fur pelt to see the slightly reddened face of Twilight looking back down at you. Catching your gaze with his own, he was quick to avert it. He cleared his throat, “M-Morning, (Y/N)…”

You.. only stared a moment longer as your brain tried to process the situation. With furrowed brows, you slowly sat up and looked back down at your hands. And then back up at him. O h…

With a red hue to grow along your own face, you were quick to move your hand off of his. You turned your head away and instead raised your hand to fix your messy bed head with a frown of embarrassment etched onto your features. “Sorry— sorry..” You coughed awkwardly.

There was a short paused of silence as Twilight contemplated how to respond for a moment before chuckling to himself at the situation before him. “No— don’t worry about it. I, uh… didn’t mind. It was nice to have that little bit of company throughout the night. Besides, it seemed to help you fall asleep.” He shrugged, though his response only made the embarrassment grow in your chest.

“I held your hand the whole night…?” You murmured. “And you knew I was awake?” You tilted your head.

Twilight looked back at you, finally, with a half smile tugging to his face. “Y-yeah,” he held a look of embarrassment as he answered your first question. “And yes— I planned to do something to help, but when you turned over, you seemed to figure out how to fall asleep without realizing.” He laughed a little now that he said that out loud. Even you thought it was a bit funny to hear.

“But uh..” He continued, the bashfulness returning to his expression, “If you have trouble sleeping again, then I’ll be here to help.” You but the inside of your cheek and hesitantly nodded.

“Stop flirting already and come on..!” Time teased lightheartedly, causing the both of you to jump up to your feet in a hurry and finish helping pack to continue your journey.

[wishing-stones]

How would Ren feel if they got the chance to see and even interact with a bitty version of each of the boys?

Well first, they'd struggle with the concept that there are smaller, cuter, less-capable-of-murder versions of them. They aren't quite sure how that's possible, but these guys all have roughly the same attitudes as their full-sized counterparts.

With Killer, you have to keep all sharp things out of his reach. Fortunately, he's as much of a ham in fun size as he is in full size. He shoulder-rides and sleeps in pockets. He also keeps getting hold of sewing needles and breaking them into small weapons for himself. He goes by Razor

Dust's spends a lot of time sleeping in pockets and lounging where he can. He's pretty chill, but bitey, so if anyone's hands come near him who... he doesn't want to touch you... get bit. He'll also hide under hair, if he can, and prefers not to be seen. He goes by Speck

Axe's bitty is a little bigger than the others, but not by a whole lot. He's got a bit of a problem with resource guarding, but it's sort of expected. Give him his own snack-sized bag of chisps and he's fine. He's otherwise pretty placid and tolerant. He goes by Scrap

Cross' likes head rides. It lets him see everything around him and keep constant vigilance. He takes keeping them safe very seriously, even if they're vastly more dangerous than he is. He likes to pretend he doesn't need as much affection as the others but... kind of melts if you get right under the back of his skull. He goes by Chi

Baggs' bitty is a hilariously uptight little tyrant, who tries to keep everyone else in line. He is also a little gremlin who can be bought with pizza rolls. While he still possesses hypnosis powers, they're really only strong enough to deal with other bitties. The worst he can do to someone full-sized is make them a little drowsy. He goes by Dryl.

Nightmare's is a little grouch who doesn't like anyone, really, but... he's a bitty, so he has to put up with others. He prefers his own company with a book, and will happily bask in front of a space heater like a cat. If you are patient and gentle, he will eventually spend more time in contact with you, and relaxes somewhat. He goes by Dread.

If they ever do come into contact with these guys, it's liable to be brief, since... they're kind of fragile and not great in a group (unlike their larger counterparts). The playing field is more even, so power struggles are frequent. They generally get recommended to homes where they're the only bitty, or one of two. None of them play very well with others unless they're clearly the dominant one.

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

I may be an idiot but I adore that shanks was this mean to buggy in that quote you posted. I kinda always read shanks as this person who tries to hide certain facts and is probably not that mean not because he doesn’t want to, but he kinda can’t be to achieve what he needs to achieve? Idk how to word it better, I just like he was this childish with buggy and I truly believe he still could be. For me It adds to their relationship but only because I see shanks this way

(context)

no, no, i totally get what you mean! i’ve got a tag called *shanks hides his feelings for a reason, you know?

and i did devote a couple paragraphs in one of the later parts of the post-marineford fic to buggy’s thoughts on the present day “mature” shanks—mostly on how it pisses him off, because he knows shanks has the same capacity as him for awful gremlin behavior. (i’ve included those paragraphs behind the cut, if you aren’t interested in the larger fic; i think that section stands pretty well on its own.)

anyway, my point is i’m not mad about shanks being mean either—i was just a little surprised at my own reaction, at how i’d misjudged/misremembered things. because, if you think about it, for a character that holds so much of himself back, acting rude and childish is an act of trust. shanks knows he can show a less pleasant side of himself without fear of being rejected or disrespected for it.

Oh, the pranks Buggy had pulled!  Hiding a single overripe blueberry in all kinds of terrible places: the bottom of a bowl of porridge, on the seat of a chair, gently placed between the pages of a novel Shanks had bought at the last port town… man, he’d been such a menace as a kid.  But Shanks had given as good as he got, so it never felt unfair to mess with him.  As they’d gotten older, though, he’d stopped reacting.  Either stopped getting mad, or stopped showing he was mad, Buggy had never been quite sure which.  God, it had pissed him off. Shanks was only five months older than Buggy, where did he get off suddenly being so grown-up? And now Shanks was more easygoing than ever!  Buggy didn’t trust it; no one was that unruffled by him, especially not when he was being obnoxious on purpose.  Even now that he’d seen some of what Shanks had been hiding, Buggy knew there was more to it.  Behind those fond smiles and carefree laughter, there was a part of Shanks he didn’t trust Buggy with. Which was fine!  It was the most sensible thing he’d ever seen Shanks do, honestly—Buggy was a no-good, thieving, backstabbing pirate, he shouldn’t be trusted—but that he wouldn’t admit to it pissed Buggy off.  To others, sure, let Shanks play the fool, whatever, but to Buggy?  The least Shanks could do was be honest about lying to him.

[notthestarwar]

does ‘the island’ also contain rats by any chance??? Will you talk about any wips you have that may feature rats? 🥺👉👈

You know all about rat island lol that's OUR baby

OK. For the uninitiated. Where to even begin lol.

So it all starts with a gremlins fueled haze. We'd watched the scooby doo movie earlier that day and au thoughts had been lit. Add codywan, my need for begrudging Anakin and cody buddy team ups, and the servers pet rat: it was a recipe for a fever dream. The gremlins music at 1am really just stoked the fire.

So the premise is: no order 66. It's post war, they're not quite at that happy ending yet. There's a feeling that they've all dodged a huge bullet. Cody is learning to live. Obi Wan has taken a sabbatical to figure things out post war. Anakin has been divorced, lost custody, and rejected the Jedi's help. He's a hot mess. He's trying to figure out who he is, in the most messy 'I'm 23 and didn't do any of this when I was 19' kind of way. He's partying. He's become a student. He's messing up in all the mundane ways that you can think of.

Then, he gets a mysterious invite to a all expenses paid resort. It's suspicious as hell, he pays that no notice. He's spiralling.

Now. The resort. Is rat themed. Don't think about that too hard. It's like Disney but it's rat themed and it's adults only so there's lots of rat bars ect and it's on an island. It's like the resort in the scoobydoo movie but it's more disneyfied and capitalist and also all of the rats are terrifying. Like. We have a storyboard of the worst rat costumes I could find (including our fav pet rat obviously) and that's the inspo we're working from here

Now if you're new to rat island you probably think that's the end. Oh no. That's just Chapter 1.

This is based on the scooby doo movie afterall. There's a sith conspiracy on the island. There's bodyswapping. AND. There's a dog.

i'm going to share 2 snippets of it. cause i love it too much to decide.

"Cody had always prided himself on his propensity for research. He was not one to walk in to a situation unprepared. As soon as they’d heard of Anakin’s trip, he’d done some digging.

Rat island was a combination of theme-park and party island, located on the beach planet: Muridae. The resort was, in its entirety, dedicated to a small mammalian creature native to the planet Eukaryota--which is not even in the same system.

Supposedly, the park was based around an ageing cartoon show that had only grown in popularity with civilians during the war, the war had brought many things, a wave of rat based nostalgia was maybe less expected than others.

Despite all his research, nothing could prepare him for the reality of it. As they leave the lander Cody finds himself in a corner of the galaxy he’s rarely had reason to imagine, let alone see. A place of over indulgence, excess and noise.

It isn’t one of the strangest places he’s found himself, Cody had seen weirder things during the war. Not many, but still, some. On one of the strangest planets. But this was maybe one of the least familiar. Kamino had never prepared him for this.

When they stepped out onto the landing platform, Obi Wan looked far too pleased. Cody only scowled.

He wished he’d listened when he was told to bring sunglasses but was utterly unwilling to admit it. Once, when he wore armour wherever he went he had a built in visor, he had tints! He squinted in the sun. Civilian life really was grim sometimes.

“Isn’t this nice.” Obi wan said, looking down at the nearby beach.

“We aren’t staying.” Cody told him shortly.

“Of course not dear, we are just here to collect Anakin.” Obi Wan agreed.

Cody gave him a suspicious side eye.

“Is the sun getting in your eyes, dear?” Obi Wan asked, tilting his head and looking at Cody through his own sunglasses, ridiculous bug eyed things.

“No. Not at all.” Cody lied.

Obi -Wan gave him a long look. Cody ignored it.

Eventually, Obi-Wan he spotted a map. “Ah look. Over here Cody. Look! There's a gift shop.”

“No.” Cody told him, flat, No gift shop.”

Obi Wan gave him a sad look.

“No.” Cody said again. He squinted at the map. “Where is the security office.”

Obi Wan sighed. “To the west.”

“Right lets go.”

Obi wan gave a pitiful sigh. Cody ignored that too.

Cody knew very well they’d be visiting one of the islands many gift shops before they left this forsaken place, there was no need for him to give in so early; Obi wan would only take advantage of such a weakness.

As they round the corner, a person dressed in a loose fitting grey costume, their whole head obscured by that of a rat, seems to pop-up out of nowhere, scaring the shit out of Cody.

“Have a Rat-tastic day!”

Cody will not be having a Rat-tastic day. He finds himself uncertain of what exactly a Rat-tastic day is, but he does know that he will most definitely not be having one."

Next, in this snippet, they finally visit the gift shop:

"Dear. Just pick a pair."

Cody continued to look at the sunglass stand in affront.

"I don't need any."

"Yes." Obi Wan gave him a stern look. "You do."

Cody gave the stand another spin, increasingly offended. "Does every pair have a rat?"

"Well…" Obi-Wan was looking towards the counter, where a sign declared that they where standing in an establishment of 'Rat-tastic Gifts'

Cody just scowled. "Why does the sun have to be so bright?" He made an irritated noise. "This place!" He huffed. "Couldn't Anakin have picked anywhere else?"

"Well, he was invited…"

"He had to accept! Who would accept an invite to Rat karking Island? Only Skywalker. Who would invite Skywalker to a Rat Island in the first place? The whole place seems like some demented way to torture people." He grumbled a few choice words under his breath.  

"Dear…" 

"Fine!" Cody picked out a pair with the least obstructive rat he could find, only a small metal rat shaped medallion on the end of each arm and a rat print that was, thankfully, reserved for the inside of the arms only.

As they made their way to the counter he caught Obi-Wan looking towards a display showing one of the worst rat costumes Cody had ever seen. It was made out of a kind of plush velveteen fabric that was quite frankly, monstrous. The thing was made of far too much material, giving it the appearance of wrinkly skin. And to add insult to the injury of having to see this thing (and see it he had, the staff in this place roamed the paths dressed in a collection of eclectic rodent outfits) the face was… The eyes. They boggled. The whiskers, were wonky. It was barely recognisable as a rat. 

"NO."  Cody managed, as he marched them to the counter. 

"Feeling ratty?" The twilek at the counter greeted with a bright smile. 

Cody swallowed a small amount of bile. "We are not." He grunted. 

The shop assistant seemed slightly caught for words, his lack of enthusiasm halting her usual script.  She looked to the sunglasses down on the counter. "Ah. Soon!" She threatened, with a smile. 

When they left the shop,  Obi Wan burst in to laughter.

"Soon!" Cody repeated. "I karking hope not. This place is like a cult."

Obi-Wan took one look at his face and burst in to renewed wheezes.

rat island is...ongoing. in the meantime, @felixeis003 has created an amazing piece of art of it here:

[some-triangles]

2023 IN REVIEW

So, the most important thing that happened this year is I got married. My wife likes to dress me up in extravagant outfits and draw me little cartoons. I am more content as a human being than I ever have been.

This doesn't mean my brain problems have gone away. If anything, the good stuff I have now has thrown the bad stuff into sharper relief, internally and externally. It's harder to ignore depression and anxiety when you're not by yourself. When the people around you aren't actively contributing to your agita and there are no more ambitions you got which remain unfulfilled (apart from the silly ones like being so rich you never have to work again) it kind of highlights how, y'know, the call is coming from inside the house, where the house is my body, and the gremlin living in the attic is my brain.

I am feeling less and less apt to tolerate bullshit. Maybe less willing, maybe less capable. This has unfortunately coincided with a significant uptick in bullshit in the outside world, as we continue our transition to an overtly scam-based economy and our sensible centrist president continues to fund genocide overseas. There don't seem to be any good guys left. I find myself unable to shrug and say that it is what it is with quite the same nonchalance as before. Maybe it's a product of getting old.

Oldness may also contribute to the fact that I no longer seem to be interested in listening to new music. My track of the year is 4Lung's "Sarab&e", which is a cancelled furry rapping anemically over a Satie sample - you gotta really kick me in the shins to get my attention these days. On the other side I find myself listening to a lot of jazz on the radio. Did you know Orville Johnson (that's right, of https://orvillejohnson.com/ ) put out a dobro-led cover of Gravy Waltz? And it's pay what you want on Bandcamp? Maybe there are some good guys.

In sum I don't care what band that sounds like one band but also another band came out with their music album anymore. Boards of Canada already solved music and that's fine.

Comics are still good. Gray Folie's "Idletry" continues to be completely fascinating. There seems to be an endless supply of good artists on Tumblr just making stuff and putting it out there for me to look at. Thank you to all of them. Also I hear a new zine from my favorite might be dropping soon - stay tuned for more on that.

All I read is contemporary SF for the podcast and that's also fine. Most of it. Apparently the new thing is books about raising autistic children or being raised by autistic parents or both, and that certainly works for me. My favorite book of the year is not about that, though, and instead asks what if the founder of the Ming dynasty was actually an ace AFAB transmasc with ADHD. It manages to achieve grand tragedy with this concept, particularly if you ignore the ending. (Also you have to read the first book first or it won't make any sense.)

My goal for the new year is that I manage to get the energy together to find a therapist or change my meds up or whatever. Things are good but they could be better, might as well try. I would also kind of like to move back to the east coast but we'll see. Maybe get a cat.

[indigoraven]

have to say I'm still a bit mixed on the re-released troy saga.

I enjoy most of the songs more than the original but there is some small things that annoy me?

(e.g. the horse and the infant is much more imposing, but I feel kind of weird about the way the voices of zeus and odysseus mix at the end now. It sounds more like a song and less like a conversation.

and I gotta be honest, i'm not the biggest fan of how the lotus eaters sound now. the lotus eaters sound far more gremlin like now (which is fun) but it doesn't quite fit with what they looked like in my imagination. They also seem less dazed. which I feel was, y'know, a big part of them?)

but on the other side I do love that the crew sounds a bit more diverse (if you get what I mean) in their voices now. The same goes for warrior of the mind. I like the changes in athenas performance.

the cyclops saga sounds good. a lot cleaner and stronger although the end of survive doesn't sound quite as goosebump inducing imo

but I'm sure that a lot of my reservations are due to the amount of times I listened to the original ones. The changes will probably grow on me quickly xd they are only small hangups after all

[darkboysroadtrip]

[this was supposed to be a part of the last ask so it is not drawn.]

"I can listen to almost anything" Remus says, "but the noiser, experimental, trash music is the best" he's shoving the rolled up tent into its bag, "I like loud, wonky, weird, shredding music the best!

"A lot of grunge and any and all other genres of punk can be found in my playlist, you'll also get the random musical, EDM, straight up horror noises" he windmills his hand, "y'know the usual."

"I don't think most people listen to actual screams of terror with flesh ripping, squelching and blood gurgling sounds" Virgil says.

"You don't know that, besides you listen to Doki Doki Literature Club soundtrack stuff, it's the same."

"That's totally different."

"How so My Little Nightmare?"

"That has music to accompany it."

"You... got me there" Remus agrees, "it is a pretty banging soundtrack."

Remus has finally finagled the tent back in its bag and hands it off to Virgil who hauls it on top of the car.

"No surprise to my music taste here but, any kind of emo, punk, rock, you know the stuff."

"You like jazz" Dee says, he's now sitting on the ground with Thomas and Marcy.

"I've come to like jazz because of you."

"True, but you still like it."

Virgil sits down with them, Marcy immediately goes to sit on his shoulder; Thomas in turn goes to sit in his lap to continue playing with her.

"My music taste is hard to pin point" Dee says, "I guess along with the jazz, I like whatever my boyfriends play and some classical in a movie villain type of way."

Virgil snickers, "yeah, sometimes it's scary how accurate that is."

"How do you figure?"

"Dude, sometimes I'll come into the office and you'll be standing at a window with a book in your hands, a glass of wine on the sill with low classical music playing" he laughs, "sometimes I think you're not even reading, it just looks like you're plotting something."

"Maybe I am" Dee wiggles his eyebrows.

"Oooh I love plots!" Remus butts in, "what are we plotting?"

Virgil pats Remus' head, "sorry babe, nothing."

"As far as you know" Dee mutters.

~~~

"As a Broadway Star" Roman starts with a hand fanned to his chest, "I can't see myself loving musicals."

There's a beat of silence.

"Less! I physically can not not love them, they are part of my passion, my very being."

There it is.

"I mean c'mon how can you not love musicals, they're just so enchanting!" he enthuses.

"Fun fact!" Patton pipes up, "Roman has his own recordings from his shows on his phone, so we tend to listen to them quite a bit."

"I can't help it, I'm just so talented" Roman says.

"I don't quite understand musicals, however I do enjoy listening to Roman sing" Logan says.

"Everyone does!" Patton agrees.

Roman, puffed up with all the praise is absolutely beaming.

"Eh, I've heard better" Remus teases.

Roman makes a high pitched and very offended 'ugh', "how dare you!, I can't believe my own broth- actually I can, that's so sad, you make me sad go away."

Remus gets right up next to Roman, his nose practically touching Roman's cheek.

"You'll never be rid of me" he whispers hoarsely.

Roman smacks Remus' forehead when he places it there to shove him away.

"Go finish your packing you gremlin."

Logan stops and looks off like he's looking at a camera in The Office.

"Music of all kinds are wonderful" Roman continues answering the question, "if you have the energy and/or an extensive friend circle-"

"You have other friends?" Virgil yells over.

Roman ignores him.

"-you can find something good in any genre."

"I agree" Patton says and sits next to Roman, "there's so many good music choices out there! And finding new things are always fun!"

He makes a face, "mmm well... there are some things I can't quite listen to, but that's more of a sensory issue."

Logan stops his packing to stand with his partners, "I have an appreciation for rap and I have a soft spot for nerdy educational but funny songs - I don't listen to much music honestly, I do enjoy whatever my partners put on though.

It's not that I don't like music it's just I don't go searching for it" he adjusts his glasses, "besides I like listening to podcasts so that takes up most of my listening to things time."

"You listen to uuuuus" Patton says in a lovey tone.

"I like listening to you, and I would very much like it if you would listen to me."

Patton and Roman glance at each other.

"We - we do though?" Patton says, his head cocked like a confused puppy.

"We've gotten really good at that" Roman agrees.

Logan purses his lips, "yes you have, and it is appreciated greatly"-

"I hear a 'but' coming" Roman stage whispers.

"Mm, yes" Logan says, "your butt specifically Roman, to help pack."

"But I am helping."

Logan blinks slowly just once.

"I'm looking for our next digs" Roman explains waving Logan's phone as added evidence, "and may I add: I am very graciously and humbly taking care of said digs."

"So gracious, so humble" Logan blankly remarks, "can you at least pack your personals?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"After I book these hotel suites."

"Fine, I suppose we do need to know where we're going before leaving."

[best-romanov-monarch]

Final Result(s)

Oh, how the time flies! It truly feels like yesterday when we've announced the creation of this tournament. And yet, it has only been a little over a month (there weren't THAT many Romanov monarchs, and we are very efficient). Nonetheless. On this very fine day of 22.1.2024, we are both proud and saddened to announce the ending of this tournament. As said in a previous post, this blog isn't quite dead, not when there are other tournaments to promote, and so far we still have a horse in the Napoleonic Sexyman race (if you haven't heard of this, it's over at @napoleonic-sexyman-tournament) But there will be no more polls, at least none created by us, and no regular posts. If you'll miss the fun and games of picking your favourite historical monarch, we have a few recommendations:

@rulers-of-poland-tournament is also nearing the completion (sadly, they have already kicked out all of our candidates, because of course they have, the damn Poles)

@best-hohenzollern-ruler is also ongoing

@best-bourbon-monarch is still going on, and probably will for some time

@best-braganza-tournement also has already started

@best-pope-ever is also a thing, so for all of you papists out there, you can join the conclave

@besthrestate is a bit different in character (you are picking the best state of the Holy Roman Empire), but pretty much the same in spirit

Now, enough preamble, onto the results!

***

THE CROWN OF MONOMAKH

Main tournament was a profoundly tense affair, especially at the finale, where we had a very close race between everyone's favourite (though by no means the most) toxic girlboss and the one mildly less autocratic than the rest. And oh my, what a competition it was - would the electorate's love of girlbosses and sense of fun prevail over the plain old moral considerations? After all, when it comes to competence, you could make the case for both. In the end, thanks to two well-placed last minute endorsements, Alexander II. prevailed and gained the title of Best Romanov Monarch! A round of applause for Sasha, everyone!

THE TRUE HEIR OF RURIKIDS

This one kind of got out of hand when your esteemed admin didn't manage to learn from history and turned to the FUCKING POLES for help. As a result, the electorate of @rulers-of-poland-tournament overran the poll and let Władisław IV. Vasa win a decisive victory. Our new absolute ruler has assured us that he has already declared war on the meddlesome Poles for this (for the record, second place, also pretty decisively, went to Boris Godunov).

BEST ROYAL FAVOURITE

Okay, we get snubbing our great forefather Filaret once, but two times? And he gets NO VOTES??? For shame! This electorate has disappointed us immensely. Otherwise, the results are pretty much what you'd expect; the one and only almighty chaos gremlin has come out on top, and Ekaterina II. fans out there can at least be content with this title for their beloved's long-time partner (possibly secret husband?).

BEST RULER OF KIEVAN RUS'

Because Rurikids don't have their own tournament yet. Anyway, this electorate has shown a slight (though not as pronounced as you might think considering these are Romanov enjoyers) preference for the toxic girlboss flavor of monarch, so no surprises there: Saint Olga, of course it's Saint Olga.

BEST ROMANOV PALACE

We've been told this one was kinda unfair, since we avoided some very obvious candidates. considering its historical significance, we suspect the victor of this one would easily win anyway, just not THAT decisively. Anyway, the best Romanov palace is Winter Palace, and it's not even close.

WORST ROMANOV MONARCH

As a nice bookend to this post, we are handing out the title of Worst Romanov Monarch together with the Best one! We thought this one might not be representative of the actual state of affairs, considering the unusual quickfire nature of this poll, as a result of which the attendance seems to have been low... But looking at the results, this sounds about right. Of course the electorate that crowned Alexander II. the best Romanov monarch would think his son was the worst one. Anyway, hooray for Alexander III., the Worst Romanov Monarch! *unethusiastic cheers*

[yupuffin]

There's just something about villains.

Namely: Kagami Naoto from Donten ni Warau (A.K.A. Laughing Under the Clouds), Griss from Fire Emblem: Engage, and Scar from Wuthering Waves, among others.

I'm not attracted to them, necessarily, like I'm attracted to my favorite characters -- probably because I find them intimidating, which, for an antagonist that's meant to pose a threat to the protagonists, is a good thing! -- but when their character design elements come together in a certain way, it gives them a distinct magnetism that scratches an itch in my brain, so to speak.

Maybe not all of it, but I think part of it comes from less pressure on villains' character designs to look beautiful or attractive. In the case of a protagonist, ideally, from the outset, an audience will like them as a character, or at least trust or empathize with them to a certain degree; therefore, a protagonist's design must leave a positive impression. When it comes to a conventional anime-type art style, then, which typically centers on idealization, with clean lines and visually appealing features, I think there can be a tendency towards a certain degree of sameness; some visual patterns will be more aesthetically appealing than others, so protagonists' designs will tend to repeatedly utilize these specific patterns within and across media.

On the other hand, while villains can be attractive and leave a positive first impression, it's not, by necessity, a function of their character, so their designs have a lot more flexibility and variation; they can utilize features and patterns that, by convention, aren't as readily available to protagonists.

(Why this is the case is its whole own separate post, so I won't go into that in-depth here. If it were solely my choice, I'd love for characters all across the protagonist-antagonist spectrum to have all sorts of physical features. 😛)

I can't help but think of one interview with Karakara Kemuri, the mangaka behind Donten, I read a few years ago. In said interview, they talked about which of their characters they found most difficult to draw and which they found easiest to draw.

Now, the art style they use for Donten is beautiful, and is the primary reason I got into the manga; they mentioned that their main characters are most difficult to draw because they have to focus on ensuring that they look beautiful.

Conversely, they cited a few characters, among which Kagami was one, that they found easiest to draw precisely because they didn't have to worry about making them look beautiful -- and the characters they mentioned were the very same ones whose designs stuck out to me because they were different from those of the other characters, and that made them interesting.

I mean, yeah, I love a beautiful protagonist, but when the main characters all kind of look the same or at least similar by virtue of having to look attractive, personally speaking, I'm much more liable to notice and remember the gremlin in the corner who's got wild-looking eyes and sharp teeth and doesn't stand up quite straight all the time (that's Kagami), or the shirtless guy covered in tattoos and piercings with a certain punch to his movements (Griss), or the guy with such a bright red hue he's in all likelihood both poisonous and venomous and whose range of facial expressions makes it look like he's constantly trying to perform to the back row of a theatre (Scar).

Those characters are distinctive, and I think the uniqueness of their designs, while not necessarily considered conventionally beautiful, gives them something analogous to attractiveness, or perhaps a different, unconventional form of attractiveness.

Like I said, if it were my choice, I'd give so many protagonists this kind of magnetism, too, but in the meantime, this can be my post where I appreciate villains.