#and easing up on those was imo a good idea

[leithanienwnt]

I've been really into IS3 since the update, and I really like the additions and changes, but some of the new stages feel very IS2, in that they're kind of just a check to make sure you have a ranged unit or a medic or something, and they feel weirdly out of place

[brainrotcharacters]

can I also add, for the rest of the class, that for someone so physically feral and zip-zappy during combat, the inside of Logan's mind/trauma is so peaceful and organized?

and for someone who, by all accounted weapons of twin swords and twin guns, objects of precision and accuracy btw, the inside of Wade's mind/trauma is messy and chaotic?

rewatching Deadpool and Wolverine and there's something to be said about how Wade's head was messier than Logan's

[kj-beastboy]

Love you art. My favorite thing is definitely your coloring. Flug does give t boy swag. Hope to see more of your drawing soon. Out of curiosity what do you hope for season 2?

Thank youu🥺💜

I know what you meant but just the entire term "T boy swag" reminded me of my fav rapper who just goes by "T" and since I wanted to do that for a while anyway (his songtexts would resonate with Flug so much) I used this as an excuse to redraw one of his album covers, so I love that, I'm gonna steal that heheh

(relatively unrelated for everyone except me lol but I always throw in some art when replying to asks)

umm yeah so... we're not even done with the first season, so idk. from S1-B I predict more of what we've had so far; more or less episodic comedy, slowly easing us into a connected plot. 6th episode already kinda introduced that.

it's gonna be one of those cartoons like TOH who start off silly and episodic in the first season and develop into a melodramatic serialized show from 2nd season onwards.

this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I actually do not 100% vibe with that, I prefer episodic cartoons like SpongeBob or South Park without overarching plot; comedy over drama. but it was always obvious that Villainous is gonna have a fuck ton of lore so I'm not disappointed.

my criticism rn is that I feel it's already way too many characters I'm sorry. it's getting pretty convoluted. I'm just not a fan of that but again pretty subjective. I can't bring myself to care for absolutely any character that we haven't seen animated yet. it's been too long for me to throw too many new characters in the mix, I've been nonstop hyperfixated since 7 years so I'm skeptical about changes.

as for the plot, I have no idea. we're in so early that I can't even imagine where this is gonna go.

for the end I wish that no ship with the main 3 becomes canon. it's just going to create fandom wars, just leave it open

I just want to see Flug happy...

I'll always just hope to get as much information about Flug as possible

definitely hope they explore Miss Heed's character too, as long as she doesn't end up with Flug l'm interested in her. I would like to see her getting worse (maybe switching sides?) before finally healing and learning to love herself

I want to know more about Goldheart and consequently about Flug's past

I wish for Demencia to snap out of her brainwash some day and learn about her past. I need Flug and Demencia to become real good friends and escape together with 505. I do NOT want them to become heroes but in order to find true happiness and peace they'll have to leave this place imo

but I think most of that is WAY in the future, this won't all happen in the 2nd season. but idk how long this series is gonna be, I doubt the crew even knows, so ye!

[manias-wordcount]

Hi I wanted to say I adore your blog and a lot of your content. I was wondering if I could please get headcanons of Joker, Akechi, Mello, Denki, Kirishima and Link receiving a bouquet of flowers from their partner as an act of affection and gratitude towards them and how they’d react. Men deserve receiving flowers too! I’d love to see their reactions! Thank you ❤️

Giving Him Flowers HCs (Akira Kurusu, Goro Akechi, Mello, Denki Kaminari, Eijiro Kirishima)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗶 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘅 𝗶 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗖. 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆!

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

Akira Kurusu

He’s so charmed by you LMAO

Like it’s so cute and he’s really happy !!!

The second you hand him the flowers he’s wrapping his arms around you all tight and giving you like a thousand forehead kisses

Probably just holds you a long time too as if you’re about to leave him for a while (because you were totally not just  about to go upstairs to take a nap in his room while you wait for him to finish covering for Sojiro)

Since moving to Tokyo, he’s been able to develop a lot of good relationships with others so he has plenty of good people in his life

But you showing up with flowers for him so randomly really just made his feel so fuzzy and warm inside

(Especially because he was having a particularly hard day but hadn’t told you about it yet)

Chances are, the flowers stay down in Leblanc because the attic is too dirty and dark

But he doesn’t shy away to from telling everyone who exactly gave him those flowers

Because for him, it’s not the flowers themselves that make him feel happy- it’s the fact that it’s a simple, beautiful, and meaningful gift coming from you <3

Goro Akechi

He’s a little hesitant to accept at first

(He probably is with all forms of affection but that’s neither here nor there)

He admits he’s a bit surprised but pleased when you randomly bring him a bouquet and say you were thinking of him and wanted to surprise him

But he really didn’t think that flowers were something that men would get randomly from their S/o

But you know him all too well, so you’re able to ease him into the idea that he deserves gifts and surprises like random flowers because he’s a great boyfriend and everyone should receive flowers every now and then - even him

So he does end up accepting the flowers after getting just a tad bit emotional and raw with his feelings

Eventually, he ends up taking it to work with him after you suggested it might brighten up his office!

Of course, the flowers bring a lot of attention to him because ‘Whaaat?? What do you mean the teen detective is dating someone??? Since when??’

And of course, he has to start explaining bits and pieces of his relationship to his coworkers which he doesn’t love

But if he has to talk to these people about anything, he’s a bit glad it’s just bragging about you

Mello

Maaannnn Mello is such a huge asshole - imo nobody should get this bitch flowers smh

But chances are, your gift of flowers is either 

A) immediately getting knocked out of your hands or B) immediately getting tossed in the trash (IN FRONT OF YOU)

He’s probably a little smug about seeing your little quiver and you grow upset about what happened but he doesn’t do anything more than that except laugh along with his lil crew

It takes finally being alone for a little bit to reflect on how what he did being fucked up to you

So by the next day, the flowers are gone from where they were originally left, and in his bedroom with plenty of water and tons of light and flower food bc he feels so bad

And chances are, you have a bunch of your favorite candy or treats being delivered to your door because no way is he gonna apologize in person (mans got a reputation to uphold)

So a guy like Mello  doesn’t deserve flowers, but he definitely doesn’t deserve you either

But he knows better than to make a similar mistake in the future

 You are the only one who always believed he was number one at everything - even when no one else did 

Denki Kaminari

He’s probably weirded out at first because????

Because what guy gets flowers??? Girls get flowers lol, not tough guys like him 

But once you started telling him why you wanted to get him flowers and why you think it’s dumb that only girls get flowers because boys deserve to get pretty things and to feel special too he started smiling like a big idiot

You just seriously made him so so happy and feel so lucky that of all the people he tried his luck with, the one person he really wanted wanted him back lol

That said, giving him flowers (and no written instructions or reminders) was a bad idea lol

Probably because he doesn’t know what to do with them LMAO

Like totally forget to give them water until it’s almost too late

And then immediately almost overwaters them

But hey! He’s happy and he’s trying lol

And he’s always remember the fact that you did this for him <3

Eijiro Kirishima

Takes it like a king LMAO

Though it probably helps that you got him a bouquet that was similar to one Crimson Riot was awarded at a banquet one time

And that you added a couple of flowers that all had “manly” meanings

So he feels sooooo honored- especially since these flowers were sprung on him on the blue

Probably accidentally gives you a poke with one of his spikes when he comes in for a hug LOL

Either way, this moment was a big form of reassurance

Not just as your boyfriend, but as a hero and a person

Of course, you gave him endless compliments when you presented him with the flowers

But it just felt like proof that he was really improving and coming so far compared to the person that he used to be!

And proof of how much you love and adore him of course!

[z0mb1epuzzy]

Haiii I’m actually going freakin’ CRAZY over Chris n Mike bro😔 I saw the thing you wrote about Mike and Chris having a size kink (The anon who wrote that DAYUM…) and I was wondering if you could write about them making their partner cry…in a good way!! It’s just that their so strong (Chris without realising) and it all feels too good that you just can’t help it :(

I feel like Mike would tease you as he very slowly eases into you, watching your facial expressions for any discomfort, he would be so so mean but also so so gentle, mumbling praise to you as you take him so well!! I feel like you crying would make him a little more gentle than normal but I think he’s still a little mean, saying stuff like “oh you poor thing, s’it feel good?” Or just being mean and putting his hand over your mouth and whispering in your ear “you gotta be quiet baby, shh” but he’s still super careful and sweet!!

Don’t get me started on Chris..he would worry for a second, asking if you were okay while stopping whatever he was doing, once you say your fine he would be so careful with you even after you said you were fine!! After some time of being gentle he soon sees you are genuinely all good! (He was scared broke you for a minute there..) and kissing you, holding you, cooing soft praise and reassurance while getting a little more rough without even realising, all while basically panting in your ear..

Need them both.. 🙏

anon i’m gonna lick ur brain.. also happy turkey day to those who celebrate!

i fully think chris and mike would be into (good) crying, especially mike imo…

hear me out, mike is a little more experienced, and my guess is that he’s pretty fucking good (since 3 bad bitches are all up on him in game), he’s probably made a partner get all teary eyed because of how good it feels before, but it’s certainly a rare occurrence.

that being said, when he gets you to do it… he’s initially worried, obviously.. no matter how many times he sees it, he’s always worried that it’s not good tears, freezing up and giving you the softest look while he puts a warm hand on your cheek, wiping away your tears. “Hey, hey… you okay, baby? did i hurt you?” it’s sweet, any roughness or teasing coming to an IMMEDIATE halt.

That being said, once you confirm that it’s not bad tears, he’d get a little mean, but it would still make him be easier on you. Giving you breathless little praises, “Goddamn, you’re so.. so perfect.” kissing away your tears and putting one of his hands over your mouth, shushing you softly, “c’mon baby, gotta be quiet for me, yeah?” only to fuck into you with that same relentlessness… GUH…

as for chris, we could easily clock his inexperience, even josh does so! so with him, he doesn’t really… know that crying is a good thing during sex??

the second he sees your eyes getting all teary, he freezes like a deer in fucking headlights, immediately stopping everything to gather you up in his arms, wiping away your tears with his thumb. “Hey, hey.. what’s wrong? are.. are you okay?” he’s just so worried about you, running his warm hands across your waist and looking at you with such an affectionate gaze.. “Do you need to stop? or.. take a break?” im so sick..

even once you confirm you’re okay, he’s still gonna treat you like you’re made of glass… easing up on some of his previous roughness, even if it was unintentional… one of my anons mentioned the idea of chris being a dude who doesn’t fully realize his own strength all the time, and i def agree with that.. that being saaaid… once he knows you like it? he’d def get back into that rhythm he had going before, even if it’s subconsciously.. he’s gonna be holding you, giving you little needy kisses in between and checking on you just to make sure you’re not broken :(

[felassan]

Some more DA:TV and related snippets from Sylvia Feketekuty, Part 5. rest of post under a cut due to length and spoilers. [Post One, Post Two, Post Three, Post Four]

Sylvia Feketekuty: "I agree, the Necropolis IS gorgeous, I was blessed with wonderful level artists, lighting artists, and a fantastic LD who poured their hearts into making it it." [source]

Sylvia: ""But what does Manfred think about Spite?" Good question. Manfred is curious, as always, and can probably sense Spite's on his own plane of existence (in other words, another spirit.) But Manfred also doesn't have a greatly evolved sense of danger, he might not understand Spite's "moodier" moments. I also think Manfred isn't as sophisticated a spirit as Spite at the start of the game. (Though don't let Emmrich catch you saying that!)" [source, two]

Sylvia on Emmrich: "He was a team effort, and I have to especially thank the writers and editors for their early feedback that helped shape him. Emmrich wouldn't have worked as well otherwise." [source]

Sylvia: "it's a huge honour to work on a character who's someone's favorite anything, let alone romance. (Huge props to Allegra, her actor, who just got Josie right away.)" [source]

Sylvia: ""With Cassandra being our only POV into Nevarra" Poor Cassandra. (Emmrich has such respect for her uncle's books!) "There's a lot of deep respect and empathy for all the ways people relate with death and I appreciate it"" Thanks, that was something I'd so hoped would come through." [source]

Sylvia: "It really was a team that brought Emmrich, the Necropolis, and the rest of its guardians to life, I know everyone would be thrilled to know you enjoyed it so much." [source]

User: "Emmrich's fear of mortality really hit hard. Some of those lines are etched into my heart now. Thanks to everyone who helped put that deeply relatable and human experience into the game" // Sylvia: "It was kind of the core of Emmrich, writing the part where he opens up about his fears, so thank you for sharing that, it means a lot." [source]

Sylvia: "I loved writing the MW branches and letting people be a nerdier flavour of Rook with Emmrich." [source]

User: "Nevarra, Mourn Watch and in particular Emmrich's personal missions were amazing! The whimsical and the grotesque in perfect balance. When I replay next year I'll be looking forward to those missions the most!" // Sylvia: "Especial praise goes to the level designers for tackling a bunch of complex stuff in those missions as we planned them out." [source]

Sylvia: "I think we can all agree Emmrich might be a touch eccentric, but I really wanted his interests and compassionate outlook to be heartfelt, so this is lovely to hear." [source]

User: "I was so nervous about the whole Necropolis gang as I have PTSD and a major fear of death. So when Emmrich confided in Rook about his own fear, I was struck with such an unexpected comfort. I've never heard someone describe my own fears and how they make me feel so perfectly." // Sylvia: "Thank you, Bibi. It's a very familiar fear for me as well, and I find sometimes talking about it can ease things. So I'm very glad to hear Emmrich's thoughts on it were helpful for you." [source]

Sylvia: "I like a good sinister necromancer, but really wanted to try something different with the Mourn Watch, something more akin to a sacred duty." [source]

Sylvia on the Necropolis: "The concept, lighting, and level artists, and the level designer, did so much cool stuff there IMO. Seeing it with the final art and lighting in for the first time was a thrill for me too." [source]

User: "special thanks for the Terry Pratchett references in the form and speech of Vorgoth. I don't know exactly whose idea it was, but it was great!" // Sylvia: "Aw thank you so much! Re: Terry Pratchett: oh man, I read nearly every Discworld book multiple times, absolute favorites growing up." [source]

User: "I kinda of assumed that Emmrich just calculates age in academia terms, so no matter how many physical years old your Rook is, you're just a tiny baby who hasn't completed a necromancy phd. "When I was your age" = "When I was a TA."" // Sylvia: "Yes, yes that math checks out." [source]

User on Emmrich: "how refreshing it was to have an argument with a LI that’s specific to their relationship. It gives the characters such texture and dimension!" // Sylvia: "Aw thank you! I liked the tone range we ended up having between everyone, it was more rewarding to do." [source]

User: "Would you guys ever expand more on Nevarra and its culture? I loved seeing the Necropolis, and hope we revisit it. But I'll be honest when I say it made me curious what life in Nevarra is like, and how infused Nevarra's Mortalitasi are with average Nevarran life." // Sylvia: "Since I've left the company, that's not really in my hands, so there's not much I can say. But I get what you mean, because the Mourn Watch are a subbranch of the Mortalitasi with a very special field of study and service. We don't really get much about everyday Nevarra. So whoever tackles that in the future, if they ever do: I think that could be neat. Lots of room to explore different dynamics and customs!" [source, two]

User: "I adore Emmrich, he's so sweet & so thoughtful! I especially adore his love for flowers, and I personally interpreted that as a hint from the writers (you!) that choosing to embrace his fleeting mortality, like the fleeting beauty of flowers, was his "good" path - is that correct? What's your take?" // Sylvia: "I tried really hard to make either choice feel like it could be the right one for him, because I wanted it to be more about a player's own interpretation-and their relationship with him-than author fiat hinting at which one is correct. Also thank you for the kind words! I really liked writing Emmrich enthusing about flowers." [source, two] // User: "He's such a charming character, the vibes of him and Josephine are among some of my favorites in the series, thank you for helping to shape them and for being kind enough to answer my question! Do you, personally, have a preference for which choice Emmrich makes? It's a tough call to make in game!" // Sylvia: "I'm afraid, like a coward, I've not stated a preference because I don't want to accidentally influence people into thinking one was right or not. I'm also in a weird place where as the person writing him, my thoughts are far less subjective in weird recursive ways. If that makes sense." [source]

User: "do you have a favorite flower? It was such a lovely detail in Emmrich's character and it warms my heart to know writing that was enjoyable for you" // Sylvia: "It kind of changes depending on what's growing during the season, but while it's very common, you can't beat the scent of a rose. (Fond of lilacs too)" [source]

User: "Did you have any role in Manfred's wisp being lilac when/if you bring him back? That detail made me bawl 😭 Manfred was so shaped by "living" with Emmrich that his essence became Em's favorite color?! The only wisp we see to do so?" // Sylvia: "I wish! I actually don't know who did that. I'd assume that colour was chosen by one of our animators, or maybe the LD, so perhaps they added in that detail, which is adorable. (Carly, Derek Wilks, was this either of you?)" [source] // Derek Wilks: "I think that was someone in VFX actually!" [source]

Sylvia: "Glad you enjoyed the graveyard date, our animators and music director did wonders there." [source]

User: "Can you give us any hints on when Dorian spent some time at the necropolis? I need to know their circumstances for science (how old was Dorian back then? I could imagine he had a crush on the professor lol)" // Sylvia: "I'm going to chicken out and not pin that down (sorry.) Since I've left BW, my answer would be even more non-canonical than usual, because that would've been something I'd have wanted to talk over with the other writers. But by that same token, nothing I've said invalidates what you want to imagine." [source]

Sylvia on Emmrich: "I am flattered to hear he has become a favorite romance, the team went all out on him." [source] // Sylvia: "So many people worked on those scenes: animation, art, audio, the editors, and huge kudos to his actor Nick Borraine." [source]

Sylvia: "I THINK Emmrich is 6'2 or 6'3, but you'd need a character artist to confirm." [source]

User: "Do the necromancers of the Grand Necropolis have their own sort of culture? Like perhaps their own rituals for marriage, courting, etc.?" // Sylvia: "Hrm. Good question. I'm sure they have some individual quirks and traditions, like any long-running institution. But they probably don't deviate unrecognizably from the mortalitasi norm." [source]

Sylvia: ""i also played a trans rook, and some of emmrich's content for a romanced trans rook made for probably some of the best romance content of all time for me." That's so nice to hear, and I must give credit to some trans people who kindly took the time to give me feedback that made those lines better." [source]

User: "1) are Tevinter exchange students like Dorian common? 2) what are some of the other fraternities of the Mortalitasi? 3) do members of the Mourn Watch often attend social events with the Nevarran elite like other Mortalitasi?" // Sylvia: "1) Yeah, I think they're not uncommon. I took my inspiration from The Grand Tour, and thought it would make sense if Tevinter sent out some of the wealthier scions to see the world a little, pick up a few new spells. [link] 2) I'm afraid I've deliberately left this one blank, for future people to fill in if/when the need arises. Emmrich complains about the palace necromancers, so we do know there's a special cadre of mortalitasi running the show over there. 3. Absolutely. The MW are pretty prestigious in Nevarra with their running the Grand Necropolis. Much as Emmrich dislikes politics himself, there's probably a lot going on at the top." [source, two, three]

User: "Do you think Lich Emmrich would eventually be told by the Lich Lords to sever his mortal ties and return with them to the depths of the Necropolis? It seems like he’s willing to break all their rules to keep Rook with him" // Sylvia: "I'm afraid defining Emmrich's duties/responsibilities/required conduct as a lich would very much be something I'd leave up to the future (even if I were still at BW.) Kind of too big a topic for me to want to speculate here." [source]

User: "did you have a hand in designing how emmrich looks?" // Sylvia: "Yep, I gave feedback as his design progressed. Our concept artists really got him very early on, though, so it was smaller stuff." [source] // User: "was he at all inspired by Peter Cushing & his hammer film characters? He really gives off van Helsing vibes to me" // Sylvia: "Time permitting I want to do a post on influences, but you got it in one exactly. It was specifically the Hammer films I was thinking about!" [source] // User: "would Rudolph van Richten from Curse of Strahd be on his list of influences?" // Sylvia: "I'm afraid, to my shame, I never read much of the core Ravenloft books, so that one's a no." [source]

User: "I needed you to know that Emmerich's conversation in the Memorial Gardens about his thanaphobia really got me. I could never put the words together of what thanaphobia feels like, and his description is perfect." // Sylvia: "It's a familiar feeling to me as well, and I'm glad it rang true." [source]

User: "I've got a really severe death phobia that's been flaring recently, and emmrich's conversation about it captured the feeling perfectly and helped lessen the weight for me" // Sylvia: "I find at least discussing it can ease it, sometimes, so I'm very glad to hear getting to know Emmrich helped in that way." [source]

Sylvia: "Hezenkoss was a blast to write so I'm glad she clicked for you. "preposterous is what you wore to a bog, Orlesian" Oh wow, Skywatcher! It's been an age, so glad that line stuck with you. That takes me back!" [source]

Sylvia: ""And yet I ask the question - what attracts Emmerich to the Hand? Yes, the answer is “perseverance”, but I think this is not fully explored." Do you mean the Hand of Glory specifically? He's intrigued and disturbed by the magic around it, which is why he hones on it, even before he knows its origin" [source]

Sylvia: ""I was wondering if you could tell us about his & Manfred's first meeting or notable moments in their friendship?" This feels like something I'd probably want to leave more to the imagination. And because I'm not a BW anymore, answers would be even more non-canonical than normal. All that said, for some reason, I always pictured Emmrich being alone in the Necropolis the first time Manfred's wisp floated up to him to peer at what he was doing. It just seems a little more poignant that way." [source, two]

Sylvia: "All credit to the team, especially the writers and editors who gave feedback that made [Emmrich] so much better during those early days and beyond." [source]

User: "me + a handful of people were wondering about non-mage mourn watchers! id love to hear your notes/thoughts about them! b/c i didnt remember hearing how they become MW or if reaper uses death magic!" // Sylvia: "Sure! Not much to say, though, I think the MW is likely a mage majority fraternity that accepts a few non-mages who have exceptional skills and temperaments sympathetic to the Necropolis. A warrior of great renown, a rogue of exceptional stealth and quiet, a baby found down there in a grave, and so forth. They'd certainly undergo the same kind of oaths and bindings every Watcher goes through. I always pictured them being provided with the best enchanted gear the MW has to offer too." [source, two]

User: "Hi! About Emmerich being a professor—does he teach at a Circle, or is he specifically a professor to other MWers and Mortalitasi? It seems like the MW has some sort of official schooling for its members since he regularly takes on students each year, could you comment on that at all?" // Sylvia: ""It seems like the MW has some sort of official schooling for its members since he regularly takes on students each year, could you comment on that at all? " Sure, but I think you have it, the MW seems to want to raise well-rounded students with a classical education on top of magecraft. In my mind, it was because they saw every MW as representing the Grand Necropolis, so of course they wanted its members to have training in etiquette and history and generally be able to move in polite society." [source, two]

User: "If I remember correctly, we only really see Emmrich use necromantic magic in-game. Are there other types of magic (elemental, healing/spirit, etc) that you think he would gravitate toward?" // Sylvia: "Hrm. He does have a bit of healing magic, mechanically in combat. It coudl work, but somehow I don't think Emmrich would ever be a high-level healer. He could maybe get the basics but it's not his great gift. Something about the gravic magic of the force mage specialty feels appropriate though." [source]

Sylvia: ""would it be possible for a (romanced) MW Rook join Emmrich in linchdom, eventually?" Yes: Rook can try, bc it's not forbidden to seek the knowledge out. (Emmrich makes it clear Hezenkoss pieced some of it together herself, so we've also seen another mage get it almost-right) It is very hard and probably takes decades to accomplish (and of course, there's no guarantee Rook would survive.) But everything written in game points to there being a chance." [source, two]

User: "I’ve been thinking a little about it and I know it’s mentioned in the game he would be interested in visiting - but how would Emmrich feel about visiting the Avvar in the south? They are one of the few groups that show respect for spirits in a similar way and I imagine he’d have a lot of questions." // Sylvia: "He'd probably love it. He'd be fascinated by their relationship with spirits, in the ways it mirrors and deviates from the Mourn Watchers' own practices. (I imagine there is also like a 15% chance he gets into a heated argument with one of them over a fine point of how spirits work exactly.)" [source]

User: "congratulations on another achievement, Emmrich took the silver trophy" // Sylvia: "I was so excited to see we'd gotten the silver trophy! I hope everyone who worked on him sees that." [source]

User: "Is there anywhere we can follow your future work after this account gets shut down ?" // Sylvia: "TBH I'll probably just reopen it it there's any cool news to share since I don't have a website or anything. (I THINK I can just reactivate it?)" [source]

User: "Thank you for Lady Josephine Cherette Montilyet, emmrich, Liara and Leigon!!!!" // Sylvia: "Thank you! (I should mention I was only a part of Legion in ME3 - specifically the N7 mission into the Geth Consensus. Great fun to work on that level though.)" [source]

Sylvia: "I'm lucky to have had the chance to bring Emmrich and Josephine to you all with the rest of the team." [source]

Sylvia: ""I still remember when you introduced yourself on old BSN when Lair of the Shadow Broker came out." Wow, you're right I did! That is a blast from the past. Thank you for the kind words!" [source]

User: "Just wanted to say thank you for all the amazing characters you helped bring to life in DA and ME. I really enjoyed Emmrich and Hezenkoss in DAV. The dynamic between them really made me laugh" // Sylvia: "Thanks! That was one of my favorite pairs to write, the history between them meant everything was always a little more personal, which is always fun." [source]

Sylvia: "Thanks Janette, loved writing Hollix." [source]

User: "Elements of Emmerich's costume resemble the Cerberus logo from ME. Is this just a reference or is there something more to it?" // Sylvia: "Gee, I can't say for sure because I didn't make it, but I'd assume that one's just a coincidence (since the Mourn Watch and Necropolis use hexagonal shapes as their primary shape language)" [source]

User: "I can just tell how well Emmrich is written along his fear. I lost my fear of death and dying as I began to honor the dead." // Sylvia: "I do think talking and thinking about these things more than we normally do helps eases the fear." [source]

Sylvia: "Thank you for these lovely thoughts. I did read some books about different customs around death, and I know a little about pagan/occult/magic practices (in a very basic and generalist sense.) So it doesn't surprise me per se, but I am very glad to hear getting to know Emmrich was a positive thing. And I'm also very glad to hear he's someone you feel you can take into the future with you as a helpful friend." [source, two]

Sylvia: ""Does Emmrich have any guilty pleasures?" Huh. Excellent question. I should really be more decisive about my own character, but while I think that could be fun, I'm not sure what it would be. "Oh one other question , is there a part of thedas you wish you could of explored but wasn't able to be in game?" I've always been interested in the sinister sounding Sea of Ash. What goes on over there???" [source, two]

User: "i have a silly little question bc i also love emmrich. was his scene revealing lichdom to everyone meant to parallel a trans coming out or was that accidental? because i felt on an existential level the thrill of revealing who you are, but also fearing people would be afraid or treat you differently. (and then there's strife discussions, and putting up a glamour some places but not others, and the blooming but gentle self-confidence... he is very transgender to me)" // Sylvia: "Not a silly question at all! After writing the scene I wondered if people would see similarities because of those overlapping themes you pointed out: the dignity of bodily self-determination, revealing your true self to those you love, fear of rejection, hope for acceptance. But during the writing, I mostly approached becoming undead as its own thing, because I wanted to ground it in the MW's particular philosophy. I think there's parallels because of the way the human personal is universal, if that makes sense. That said, if this does feel very transgender to you or anyone else (or not), I'm not against varied interpretations. That's one of the cool things about seeing people actually get their hands on your work." [source, two, three]

User: "I'm not sure what Emmrich's hairstyle is, slickback?" // Sylvia: "Good question. Afraid I don't know what it'd be called either. Googling it, slickback LOOKS correct?" [source]

User: "Emmrich has definitely developed a special bond with Bellara and Lucanis, and yet, both of them don't comment on his relationship with Rook! What would you say their reaction was? Their banter was so good I'm sure we'd all love to know what Emmrich had to say!" // Sylvia: "Ah, that one I'm afraid I can't answer since I'm not their writer, and that would've been something I would've discussed with the narrative team together. Sorry!" [source]

Sylvia: "Nick was indeed brilliant!" [source]

User: "Ive got quite bad thanatophobia and Emmerich's writing is one of the only times I've seen that dealt with actually respectfully." // Sylvia: "Thanks very much! I've experienced that fear, and I suspect it's way more common than we think, and I'm glad to hear it felt that way to you." [source]

User: "My HOF was a spirit healer, very kind & very curious, & for years I've considered how that special connection to spirits might lend itself to an interest in Thedan necromancy & puzzling out where spirits & souls begin & end. Emmrich, Manfred/Curiosity and the wisps gave me so much to think about!" // Sylvia: "that's interesting about your HOF. They may've found some kindred spirits if they ever ventured further north." [source]

User: [was] "Dorian was taken over by a nominated writer for veilguard or if his legacy was more of a team effort ?" // Sylvia: "Dorian was in the capable hands of Writer Chee" [source]

User: "I’m also dying to know what Emmrich did during Rook's stint in the prison-my thought is he not only did the majority of the work on finding Rook, but in leading the team, prob finishing touches on the dagger clone, keeping the team together in Rook’s absence while barely holding himself together at times" // Sylvia: "I think he was indeed having some very sleepless, guilt-wracked nights, working himself too hard, and trying his best on that dagger." [source]

User: "I just wanted to tell you that I love Emmrich's part of the lighthouse the books the fact that it's right next to rook's room and that johanna is in it later and that you can talk to her" // Sylvia: "Thank you! I love what the level artist there did, it's such a cozy den of a place. And I'm glad you liked meeting Hezenkoss afterwards, all praise to the level and tech designers who got her in there." [source]

User: "Are the Watchers overall vegetarian, or was it a personal preference Emmrich developed?" // Sylvia: "I think it's a thing among some Watchers, but not all. Because they think a lot about life and death and the cycle of life, and their place in it, and what constitutes a death they feel comfortable with or not. My actual, original inspiration for it was from an old Call of Cthulhu TRPG book about Miskatonic University, set in the 1920s. There was a great little detail about the campus having a cafeteria that serves vegetarians. And when I read it, I got a little jolt because I was so used to vegetarianism in North America being portrayed as a relatively modern movement. But of COURSE there's always exceptions and cultural enclaves and so on. Just one of those moments you feel your understanding of what we were up to in the past shift a little, even if it felt obvious in retrospect." [source, two, three, four]

Sylvia re: writing Manfred: "Yep, Manfred was my guy too." [source]

Sylvia: "I'm glad you enjoyed meeting our gentleman necromancer. (Full credit to the great feedback I got from the other writers and editors early on, he wouldn't be as good without them.)" [source]

User: "I was curious I know none of emmrich's serious relationships ended up panning out But like did any of them get to the point that him and his partner at the time shared a living space I'm wondering if emmrich has ever lived with anyone besides manfred" // Sylvia: "That's an interesting question. Like a coward I will hedge my bets, but I could MAYBE see a few. Not many though." [source]

[macgyvermedical]

So, in PA there is a bill in the senate called the Patient Safety Act that mandates nurse:patient ratios. Obviously, I am a big fan of this bill as it would ease pressure on nurses and improve patient safety outcomes. It is also very bipartisan, with both republicans and democrats being for and against it in similar ratios. The big criticism of the act as it stands is that there are little to no considerations for small, rural hospitals who would find it difficult to meet those ratios without going under (don't have enough nurses, will have to close beds/hospitals). I thought the solution to this was to obviously increase protections for rural hospitals (like making the ratios for them say 1:6 instead of 1:5 for example.) But this has the unintended consequence of making it more difficult for rural hospitals to entice nurses to work for them (who wants to work in a rural hospital with worse ratios when you can make more money with better conditions somewhere else?) It's already difficult for rural hospitals to find staff. Do you have any ideas on solutions to the problem? I was surprised to find out how nuanced this situation really is, and how it isn't just "put in ratios plz" and everything would be fixed.

You're right in that this situation is extremely nuanced, especially when it comes to the fact that we are (as usual*) in a nursing shortage nation wide.

Staffing ratios only work when there are enough nurses to meet demand. A lot of times the goal of staffing ratios is to incentivize hospitals to hire more nurses, but if there are no nurses to hire that doesn't work. So you have to then consider alternatives, like you mentioned- either closing hospitals, or closing beds.

Consider, though, that if hospitals go the route of closing beds to maintain ratios, the acuity (care difficulty/complexity) of those patients the nurses are caring for goes up because lower acuity patients get triaged out.

The "sweet spot" of acuity to number of patients then relies on the number of nurses available to serve a population. That means that populations with a smaller number of nurses have either a higher number of patients per nurse, or a higher acuity patient load than a population with a relatively large number of nurses.

And pretty much everywhere right now, rural areas specifically, there are just too few nurses to make staffing ratios possible at scale.

So. How do you go about providing a high standard of care for patients when there are fundamentally too many patients and too few nurses? The system needs to change. I present a few possibilities below:

Bring LPNs back to the bedside in hospitals: While I don't mind Magnet as an entity and think they do some good things, IMO they royally screwed the pooch by mandating RNs (particularly BSN prepared RNs) only on hospital floors. You can make LPNs a lot faster and cheaper (10-18months, $20,000) than you can make RNs (3 years, $40,000), or BSN-RNs (4-5 years, $80,000). And while you still need an RN license to do things like push IV meds and interpret assessment findings, just about everything else can be done by an LPN. So we need to be using that resource to make more nurses fast.

Institute Team Nursing: You know how you use LPNs efficiently? It's not by giving them a group of patients and having them run around to find an RN every time they need to push an IV med. It's either by having them as a dedicated tasker (doing the time-consuming skilled tasks like wound care, catheter placement, IV placement, etc... for many RNs) or incorporating them into a team. With team nursing, you have an RN, an LPN, and an STNA/Tech all caring for 12-15 patients instead of an RN and an LPN caring for 5 each with a tech helping. The RN does the tasks only an RN can do (assessments, IV meds, plans of care) and communicates with the doctors, the LPN does most of the med pass and skilled tasks, and the STNA does the basic patient care. Since there's 3 people working together instead of separately, it's easier to find someone to help with 2-person tasks like boosting a patient in bed. You would not believe how much time this saves and how much more patient care can actually get done.

Institute Advance Practice Providers (or at least universal contact methods): I'm not saying we have a ton of these either, but you only need about one per floor. See, I can't tell you how much time I used to spend just trying to figure out who to contact about a problem, and how they wanted to be contacted. Because God forbid you text Doctor A instead of paging or page Doctor C instead of calling. Now I work on a floor with an APP and you can just go straight to them and they can either write the order you need themselves or contact the doc who can. Probably a good 15% of my time is back and I'm not even exaggerating.

Change culture around nursing duties: this is a controversial one, but as nurses are spread more thinly than ever and medical acuity has gotten so much higher, the basic care is genuinely getting worse. I have seen this happen over the last 8 years I've been in my job. So. Re-teach families how to care for loved ones in the hospital. Make it culture that if you have a family member in the hospital someone is with them. And when I say with them, I don't mean just visiting. I mean actively caring for the family member. Helping them to the bathroom, helping them dress and eat and clean themselves. Helping them do basics. Entertaining them, distracting them, comforting them. Things we used to be able to do when our patients weren't actively trying to die at all times.

*technically, we have been in a nursing shortage since WWII. But a lot of factors, COVID-19 specifically and a shortage of student slots in RN-level nursing schools, have made things particularly bad in recent years.

[centrally-unplanned]

I wanted to respond to this post from a bit ago, because I thought it was a good challenge. Certainly Japan is a wildly different country from the US, so the way it can be used sometimes as a "YIMBY model" can often be naïve. It is not YIMBY in many ways, for sure. Cowen sets out a list of ways Japan either isn't YIMBY or would have other reasons for its lower rents; as he puts it:

Yet the more I think about it, the more I tend to believe a very different proposition: Japan is in key ways a very NIMBY country, and its brand of NIMBYism has keeps real estate prices down. A corollary is this: YIMBYism gets much less credit for low Tokyo real estate prices, and furthermore the low real estate prices are a sign of something having gone wrong on the productivity side, in large part due to regulation.

So lets see how it holds up:

1. Japan has had very tough immigration restrictions.  This has eased considerably, but a) the stock matters not just the flow, and b) current Japanese migrants often are from countries such as Thailand and the Philippines, which fills in for some mid-level jobs, but does not massively boost rents.

Meh - True, though its more cultural then legal imo. But we aren't talking about Japan, we are talking about Tokyo. Tokyo has has large amounts of internal migration from the rest of Japan; meanwhile its not like NYC's net population has increased dramatically in the past 20 years from immigration. Unless immigrations have magic rent soil I'm not seeing this.

2. It is extremely difficult to learn written Japanese.  Among its other effects, this discourages high-value immigrants from settling into very high productivity service jobs in Tokyo or in Japan more generally.

Meh - definitely true! Japan needs language reform lol. But like above, immigration isn't magic rent soil, its about net people.

3. Various regulatory and legal decisions have prevented Tokyo from developing into the financial capital of Asia (haven’t you wondered  about this?).  I won’t go into all the detail here, this is the modern world so just ask ChatGPT.  I’m sure you all know that major financial centers usually lead to exorbitant rents, due to the opportunity cost of the land.

Boo - so I literally asked ChatGPT, since I was curious, and I got absolutely nothing - just vague platitudes and literally some of the other reasons from this list, like "It lacks immigration". I don't doubt some of this is true, but I don't think its a load bearing reason it isn't a financial center. Or at least don't be lazy and tell us what they are.

Which I think is relevant, to be clear - but I think might be a bit more endogenous than the article is letting on. The inability to financialize rents in Tokyo might in fact be a reason its less of a financial center!

4. So, so much of Japanese regulatory policy and culture is geared toward maintaining small retail businesses, super small in scale, and low in productivity.  They do not place much upward pressure on rents.  By the way, this is one reason why tourists find Tokyo so wonderful, but those enterprises lower productivity considerably relative to say Walmarts.  It is no accident that so many Japanese examples populate “Markets in Everything,” that they have cat and furry cafes, and so on.

Probably True - I think he is exaggerating, and like "culture" is doing a lot of work here, but its definitely true that Japan has large small business orgs that work hand-in-hand with government to shape the urban ecology for them. The big companies are doing their own thing of course, but I am open this idea for sure. Japan's business-political complex is very vast.

But of course it might all just be downstream of the rents; if rent is low, you can build whatever.

Overall, I think meh? But I think a better argument could be made - we do need more detailed understandings of how Japan's real estate market functions in relation to its urban planning. I see one or the other in a box a lot, but the interaction I think should be dug into more.

[thecactifindahome]

Oh, I didn't know about that, I've seen maybe two or three group interviews that had Rolin in it and it still was mostly the actors talking. And since they were talking about IWTV (the last on my reading list), I couldn't really think much. I did feel like all the characters were well-written so far, but the loumand romance was cute for 2 seconds and then it went South super quick. I assumed it was the case on IWTV, so I was a bit frustrated, but didn't complain. Now that I'm reading the books I might have different feelings about it... I'll keep that in mind and not trust so blindly then. But hopefully with all the collaboration with the writers and actors, it will fulfilling. Maybe Rolin is just weird at interviews. But it's good to low expectations a bit, I guess. And YUP about the dishonest comments... It's funny because it comes from the same people saying human morals don't apply to them and they're all monsters, readers should accept that, but then they draw the line of someone loving more than one person? And I'm not even necessarily talking about romantic love (but that too, the idea of vampires being limited by monogamy is ridiculous to me), but love as a whole. They feel love, affection and care for more than just one person. In fact, I believe a lot of their struggle on both show and books is having such a small circle and trying to make one or two people a lover, friend, mentor, therapist and parental figure. You need more people in your life, specially if you live forever, c'mon. 😅 And the love for multiple people and blurred lines are there since the beginning imo, even if they didn't try it. But on Merrick the polycule vibes were totally there for me. And Pandora was so charismatic! It was a great surprise because I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I loved Flavius too, even if he wasn't as big. In a way she kind of reminded me of Lestat because she was so vibrant. And I swear I'm not trying to label everyone as autistic, but her lack of filter felt like autism. Reminded me of Armand too in that sense, though Armand is type to tell hard truths with no easing into it or read people for filth while Pandora just hits on people. 😅 there's so much neurodivergent coding on these books, it's crazy. Anyway, I'm still pretty early into B&G, only on chapter 4, but I'm interested in finding more about them all. Also Maharet probably returns? I'm excited to see her again.

The idea that Louis kissing Armand in front of Lestat is the show's version of Armand pushing Lestat off a building is just insane to me 😭 Those are two WILDLY different actions that happen for WILDLY different reasons, and Louis didn't even know about it! If one is their version of the other, I'm bracing myself for Devil's Minion to be Daniel and Sam Barclay joining an ultimate Frisbee league, and also Louis is there for some reason.

And yeah, exactly, that's a great way of putting it - they keep trying to make others fulfill more emotional needs than one person can provide because they just don't have a deep social bench! And their relationships just can't endure that constant pressure forever, especially among such volatile personalities. Taking breaks is better than setting your husband on fire, why on earth is setting him on fire preferable to boning David or Merrick or Armand for a few years?

Pandora is such an icon in her own book. If I moved to a new town and on my first day out I did clown makeup and accidentally walked around in transparent clothes, I too would do whatever it took to become a loathsome creature of the night and never go out in daylight again. Problem causer, problem solver.

Maharet shows up at the end of B&G, but you don't really find out what's going on with her until PL.

[elliepassmore]

The Thirteenth Child review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: Gothic settings, fantasy, fairytale retellings, healer + death

Big thanks to Netgalley, Delacorte, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was another one of my most anticipated releases this year and once again it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I'm not familiar with the fairytale it's based on, so perhaps it is following that more closely, but this book lacks the creepiness I've come to expect and love from Craig's books. Between one of the characters being a god of death, the plague sweeping the kingdom, and the ghosts Hazel sees, you would expect this to be on par with House of Salt and Sorrows in terms of spookiness...but it wasn't, nor did it have the less creepy but still tension-filled vibes of House of Roots and Ruin.

The story follows Hazel from when she quickens in her mother's stomach to when she is 18 and being called on by the king. While there's a decent mix of good and bad things happening to her throughout her life, I felt a distinct lack of forward moving tension throughout a lot of the book. When she's a kid, there's a lot of rich tension between how she's treated and the fact she's been promised to the god of death, Merrick. And then there's ~some~ tension after she begins training as a healer, but it doesn't feel active, it feels passive. The plague that's causing its victims to weep gold from their skin and eyes should be creepy and have lots of tension for Hazel....but she solves it almost immediately and then there's kind of just a lot of nothing going on. Even when Hazel is making things happen, she is very much a reactionary character. Curiosity kept me turning the page, but mostly from a "how is there still 40% of the book left" perspective.

All that being said, I did like Hazel as a character and I thought the concept was interesting (the concept, of course, is Death's goddaughter and not the mysterious plague). Merrick cares deeply for Hazel, but he's also a god and doesn't totally understand how humans think or work. Of course twelve years is a long time to a human...but to immortal Merrick it's nothing, and he doesn't understand why Hazel is miffed by his absence. Likewise, the idea that Death is training his goddaughter to be a healer is an interesting twist, made even more interesting by the flip side of that coin.

We do get to learn a lot about Hazel as she grows and I enjoyed following her as a character. In a way, I actually think this book would've worked a lot better if it really had been following Hazel throughout life, or at least farther through life than it did. Nettle & Bone is my favorite T. Kingfisher book and has a similar plot structure of following one character into adulthood, then having the bulk of the tension + plot occur, and imo it works very well. That aside, Hazel has a lot going on in her life and is no stranger to tragedy. She's able to keep a level head while also being compassionate to those she's caring for.

Leo is an infuriating prince...but he's also someone willing to listen and change. As snarky as he is, it's clear that he's also lost and at least some of his acting out is a result of that. When Hazel rightly calls him out (on more than one occasion), he actually reflects on his words and actions, and then takes steps accordingly. While I did think they knew each other too little for a romance to be feasible, I did think the budding romance between them was cute and I was rooting for them.

Hazel also grows close with Leo's two sisters, Bellatrice and Euphemia, though this largely happens off page. I would've liked to see more of this development because while Euphemia is a child and thus easy to like, Bellatrice is more closed off and I have a hard time believing she'd so easily make friends with Hazel. But apparently the two end up close enough to read each other's expressions with ease and for Bellatrice to tell Hazel her deepest secret.

There's a lot of scheming going on behind the scenes as well and while I guessed some of it, some of it still left me surprised. In that vein, I have to say that there's a lot of worldbuilding in this book, but Craig does it in such a way that it never feels infodump-y. There's quite a bit about the gods of the realm (obviously) but there's also some interesting information about medicine from Hazel's studies as well as about the politics of the country, thanks to Hazel treating the king. The way it's written definitely makes the world feel more expansive than just what's going on with Hazel and the rest of the country. I also liked the tidbits we saw of the gods and the various religious sects that follow them.

Overall, not my favorite Craig book and definitely not horror. I did enjoy the characters and particularly seeing how Hazel grew up. While there were some things I had issue with in this book, I still plan on reading A Land So Wide and Lenore's book.

[monstersinthecosmos]

🔮

🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

!!!! Yes, absolutely.

I have three main approaches to this for myself, and I know everyone's brains and writing habits are different so yknow like take it or leave it or modify it to your own needs but here's three things I always fall back on when I'm stuck.

Be kind to yourself.

Be honest with yourself. Is there a reason the writing needs to be done NOW? You are not a machine. If it's not there, it's not there. Obviously this doesn't apply if you have deadlines to meet but if you're writing for fun, don't get so twisted up about it that it's not fun anymore. WHAT ARE WE DOIN HERE FELLAS?! It's okay to take a break and recover until it feels right again, you don't have to fill a quota.

Set extremely small goals.

I try to write 100 words a day because I have ADHD and I get crazy burnout and/or I go into creative frenzies where I binge write for 3 days and don't do the dishes. There's a balance in here somewhere lol. An easy goal and a routine can help a lot. 100 words is a joke. But there are days where it's a HUGE struggle. But it's still doable, and I walk away feeling like I chiseled away at the idea a little bit.

I can't stress enough that you can't push yourself THROUGH burnout, and this can go to any type of burnout. (I feel this way about house keeping too LOL). You're drawing from an empty well. Be honest with yourself, be kind to yourself, set a realistic goal. If you're burnt out you're not gonna sit down and crank out 2k in an evening, you just aren't, and if you try to force it you're just gonna feel worse when you can't do it. Be gentle. Make easy goals. Ease yourself back into it.

And don't forget, sometimes chiseling away is just exactly what you need to do. I sometimes go weeks where I put in 100 words at a time on a fic and then finally I make it through the hard part and 6k floods out of me all at once. Chiseling away is good. You will find your way back when you get through the hard part.

(Also, even if you're chiseling away with garbgae & nonsense, that's okay! You can edit it later! A sloppy first draft is better than no draft!)

Refill the well.

Speaking of drawing from an empty well; creativity requires an input and an output, imo. That's my personal opinion!! Sometimes you need to take a break and work on the input stream, too. Take a week where you watch a movie every night instead of trying to write. Reread a book from an author you admire. Stare at some paintings. Listen to your headphones in the dark, whatever the fuck it is !

You're running on empty! And it's not just the basic human energy to function! It's the creativity! It's the inspiration! If you're writing a fic, revisit the source! Remind yourself why you like it! If a movie or song or picture gave you the idea for your fic, go back to that! Absorb it, replenish yourself!!!!!

I know sometimes when I talk writing stuff that I speak about it more like, idk philosophically? And I know others might have technical advice, like write scenes out of order, change the font, sit in a different area of the house, find a friend to cheerlead! All of those things can work, too, and I try them sometimes. ((I have more to say about this and about how outlines are my lord & savior when writing with ADHD and trying to chisel away a scene at a time)) But like, all of that I think is a bit secondary to just being kind to yourself and taking care of your mental health first and getting yourself back into a place where you CAN be creative and find that drive again.

My life would be a fucking shambles if I couldn't make lil routines for myself with the ADHD and Brain Problems and whatnot and I leave myself an hour every day to write, right before bedtime! 9-10pm every night I'm CLOCKIN IN! And for me it's like a lil reward at the end of the day, so that I can like unwind, end the day, stop worrying about whatever else I didn't get done, etc. Making space for it as a fun activity and a reward is essential for me, and I still get stuck sometimes, but going back to these ideas helps me a lot!!!!!!!!!!!

[threadsun]

Um, Sun, did you LISTEN to that new SDJ audio on patreon?!? Jack’s dirty talk, him saying that he wants to fills us up, ordering us to not waste a drop of his cum, M/C being referred to as a perfect slutty little sundrop, the GROWL!? SO HOT! Idk about you, but that whole audio of Jack jacking off (pun intended) puts a WHOLE new perspective on how he is in bed. Sure, we had that praising, cuddly talk in the yes route of the game that is similar to how the birds and the bees would be discussed with a child, but this MFER was pulling out all the stops (him saying cock, cum, slutty, etc.) which means that he ABSOLUTELY can degrade the hell out of us with filthy dirty talk. Praise mixed with degradation? Yes PLEASE! But now I’ve got to hear MORE of that side of Jack instead of the innuendos he was using in the demo. How do you think that would go with m/c if he got more comfortable showing that side of himself? I mean, his bdsm test DID say he was a exhibitionist, primal(hunter), dominant, degrader, AND a sadist, so that domineering side is definitely strong in this one! (Of course I know there’s others, but I can’t pull them all from the top of my head lol)

Of COURSE I listened to it!!! Every part about it was So Good...

But absolutely, I think there's a lot more to Jack sexually than what we've seen in the game! I haven't seen the bdsm test results (were they in the patreon discord server? Cause Moon and I aren't part of that...) but those all sound about right imo!

I think that Jack would very much want to ease his Sunshine into his kinks, and would of course respect their limits (when it comes to the game. In fic, well... that's our choice :3c). But I think the more up for things Sunshine seems, the more he'd gently push them towards what he wants. And if his Sunshine is kinky themself, well he'd want nothing more than to indulge them too~

I definitely think that his main goal is his Sunshine's pleasure, so I don't think he'd bring it up if he thought it would make them uncomfortable. At least, not outside of sex. There's definitely always the chance he could let something slip in the moment. Calling Sunshine his perfect little whore or telling them to keep their voice down unless they want everyone to see what a cockdrunk slut they are for him.

Even though he'd be happy with any Sunshine, he would obviously be the most sexually satisfied with a Sunshine whose kinks aligned with his own. Someone who could keep up with his needs, and wants to do so. A masochist who likes being degraded and manhandled and everything.

I've seen a lot of people complaining about his kinks, which like... rubs me the wrong way. They don't have to be your kinks, but to complain about creators giving their characters kinks just because you're not into them? Kinda entitled imo. Especially since they make it clear that Jack wouldn't do anything you didn't want him to.

If they removed every kink and sexual thing that not everyone was into, there'd be no sex or kink at all, which would make the whole game entirely different (and worse imo). It kinda goes back to the stuff I was talking about yesterday wrt competing access needs and creating content for yourself rather than scrubbing it free of all details so it's palatable to everyone but completely boring.

ANYWAY back on track with the ask, I definitely think that Jack will pull out his dominant side the moment he's sure Sunshine is okay with it. His dirty talk game is strong and he clearly has a thing for talking dirty as well.

Also like... one thing that really stuck out to me was him talking about aftercare while still touching himself. Like idk something about that was so sweet to me? That even in his rougher sexual fantasies, he still gets off on the idea of taking care of his Sunshine afterwards too. Like to him that's part of what makes it sexy, rather than just a boring chore he has to do afterwards.

Jack is absolutely the type to have the roughest, filthiest, most disrespectful sex and then take care of you so sweetly afterwards. And then maybe get hard again while he's caring for you. Which is very sexy of him imo.

[sunlightfeeling]

any song recommendations for someone who wants to listen to more smap but doesn't know where to start?

Hiii~ this is genuinely such a fantastic question; thank you so much for the ask!!

Gosh okay I’m going to break this into two (hopefully small) parts; one being what I think is actually a good official start

and the other that’s just…like my biased favorites 😭😂

Okay, so, for what I officially recommend:

I think that the most palatable way to get a sampling (..smapling..) of SMAP’s discography as a whole would be cruising through their final compilation album “SMAP 25 Years”

SMAP 25 Years is special for a few reasons (both infamous and heartwarming). One of which is that fans were allowed to vote what songs appeared on the album, so it’s not only a great introduction but gives a good idea of what their classics are (source)

But honestly, any of SMAP’s compilation albums (COOL, WOOL, pamS, SMAP Vest) are really fantastic starts. If there’s any songs on those that aren’t vibing (or repeats, tbh; some songs get repeated use a lot), then it’s easy enough to skip, since it’s really just a random mishmash of greatest hits.

The reason why it’s difficult for me to recommend one of their individual albums is because they’re pretty overwhelming. For one, they change genres very frequently. One song will be a lullaby-esque duet. And then the very next is hard rock with the intro being a heavy guitar riff (and hopefully you’ve turned down your music by then 😔)

Now, for my biased picks, I’m going to put that below the cut here. For two reasons:

just in case there’s folks that would rather not see - they are completely valid for that, no matter the reason

and the rest of this post is probably going to be horridly long lol

Before I recc these, a little note on me. I…don’t have a great track record for listening through entire albums. It’s a bit unusual when I can actually put one on and listen through it in its entirety. There’s usually at least one song that I either always end up skipping..or put on repeat for however long my brain deems necessary. …Or both lol. I can probably count on two hands the number of albums I can actually consistently listen to undisturbed. Two of which are…

SMAP 011 (“Su”) and MiJ (disc 1 specifically but disc 2 is also stellar) are both albums that I can recommend wholly. I just really love the range both albums have. Specific songs on these…

(for ease, I’m going to use track number - if y’all want/need song name, let me know ☺️)

Su: Tracks 2, 5, 13; also, all the solos on this album are top-notch (with Shingo and Nakai’s being hysterical on top of that) - tracks 4 (Tsuyoshi), 7 (Shingo), 8 (Nakai), 10 (Goro - weakest imo because slow and sleepy but still good), 11 (Takuya - fun fact: this is the only SMAP-era song that he’s done a studio-recording for in this post-SMAP era which I actually prefer except I wish he did the same ending in that one I don’t care that his voice is deeper and it’s probably impossible now okay im going)

MiJ: Tracks 2, 6, 7, 9, 10 (I love this album a normal amount); the solos on disc 2 like Su are all excellent - they go in order based on member age - oldest to youngest

I could genuinely go on and on (like, I didn’t even get to any singles or album tracks on the others 😭) but I’m a bit worried/self-conscious that I went on for too long lmfao

But that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to pass on those reccs. So if you’d like more anon or anyone else, feel free to ask~

[the-ghost-king]

hello I would like to say thank you for introducing me to “Jason Grace is a judge in the underworld” because this is the best take and I’m obsessed with it now <3

is that not something that fandom has come up with before..? did I accidentally invent something..? wicked... anyhow! I think Nico would pull some strings to get Jason a place on the panel (300 slide slideshow for hades? getting minos removed from the judging panel for insubordination? idk, but something!) Hades (or Pluto ig) likes Jason because Nico likes Jason (and Jason has always been good to Nico) plus Jason is Jupiter's (Zeus's) son so there's no reason the Olympians would object to him being on the panel (there's a rule about so many of the judges having to be Zeus's descendants I believe but if not there's definitely one about Zeus having to approve judges for the underworld... I think that's how Minos was placed...? I don't remember very well)

I also read a fic one time where Nico appointed Patroclus to fill in for another judge on the panel and I've always loved that idea as well - I don't know if he would be full time like Jason, but at least as a substitute I think he could do well! (Eyridan's fic maybe..? I haven't read those in years)

I just think a lot of Jason and Nico's trust is founded on their shared sense of judgement- and Jason seems less emotionally decisive than even Nico (or if he is emotionally making a decision he seems to use kinder emotions than Nico does in this regard - Jason leads with kindness and curiosity where Nico might unintentionally lead with anger) and I would see Nico really appreciative of how cool and collected Jason can remain even in emotional turmoil.

Jason and Nico both also share a constant drive to improve the world around them and I can't see Jason just sitting in the Underworld twiddling his thumbs, he'd definitely want to be productive and Nico would know that + Jason would be drawn (imo) to correcting the justice system to be more fair than the current organization of the panel.

While him judging does go against his wishes near the end of his life to have less responsibility I see no reason he couldn't be eased into it or start a few years down the line or I have a strong feeling death would really change a guy (lol) and I could see Jason wanting to take on more responsibility again + with his new inability to complete temples and shrines he's probably looking for something to do (and I see temple and shrine building being passed off to Nico somehow or somewhat and Nico would like to know the Underworld is running smoothly without having to check in and having Jason there would definitely make him more comfortable in my opinion).

A bit of a ramble but I have thoughts on it!

[nanoland]

ofmd s2 incoherent rambling ahoy: about tealoranges

ok so.

i get it.

i get why jim and oluwande didn't leap back into one another's arms upon reuniting.

see. at the end of s1, the show did what i in hindsight think was kind of a stupid thing. it had THREE couples. and it separated ALL of them.

and i suspect the thinking went 'well we can't have all three couples reunite at the same time when the crews meet up again! that'll be repetitive and boring!'

and that's fair. it would be.

(which is why separating all three couples was stupid)

so they decided to have three DIFFERENT reunions:

Ed and Stede, a troubled, stormy, hugely passionate reunion, epic romance, merman etc

Lucius and Peter, a rocky but much less volatile 'oh thank god you're alive! marry me!' reunion

and Jim and Oluwande, a super chill 'oh hey, missed you' type reunion, where the separation ended up undoing the relationship

if you're going to have 3 similar story events occur at the same time (which.... you shouldn't, but if that's the corner you've written yourself into), then you want those 3 events to be as dissimilar as possible.

i get it.

here's what i would have done instead:

swap J+O with L+P

because J+O are the more interesting relationship; the one s1 spent more time getting us invested in. it makes sense that it should continue, or at LEAST get a big, heartbreaking ending, instead of them basically breaking up offscreen. imo THEY should have been the couple that got married in s2! that seems obvious to me!

and L+P..... well, i like em, they're cute, but like, a. the audience is naturally less invested in them because we didn't see them get together, b. 'we don't own each other' but suddenly they're monogamously married eh?? and c. lucius on the whole didn't work in s2.

see

it really

reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly

wasn't a good idea to have Lucius be horribly abused in his time separated from the crew and then profoundly traumatised. it wasn't, i'm sorry. it wasn't treated seriously or respectfully, it had no lasting ramifications, and it doesn't fit his character's core comedic role which is to be a chill lazy cute lil bitch who sucks at pirating

s2 lucius is not fun to watch. he's angsty and despondent. which would be fine if his story was going to be treated properly as a story of overcoming trauma, but it's not, at all. so watching him just makes me sad and grumpy.

but JIM?

Jim's core comedic role has, from the start, been The Serious One with the Big Dramatic Quest!

give JIM the rocky, passionate reunion! let Oluwande leap into Jim's arms! let Jim be angsty and recover! let Jim propose marriage!

doesn't that fit much better? and Jim's already gone through the trauma of Blackbeard so, like, we can have J+O be The Overcoming Recent Trauma Couple to E+S's Overcoming Old Trauma Couple, and then we can have L+P just being easygoing once-lovers like 'oh hey it's you! <3 still wanna date? nah? ok, cool, love u <3'

and it'll be fine because Lucius doesn't need a wedding to fix his psychological wounds because - BECAUSE - because because because ACTUALLY this is all actually a sneaky way for me to suggest that we COMPLETELY CUT the shit Lucius went through!

all of it!

completely!

hand puppet joke? hand puppet nope! didn't happen!

he fell overboard, he was picked up by Zheng's ship, he's been chilling with Auntie this entire time! yay!

...... yeah so i guess this has now kinda turned into me rambling about how i'd rewrite the whole season huh :/

(but like, again, the ease with which the story could have just had Lucius go from 'thrown overboard' to 'chilling with Auntie'?? IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO EASY? why include The Horrors at all? what do they add??? all they amount to in the end is one more reason for Lucius and the crew to hate Ed, which, a. THEY ALREADY HAVE TEN MILLION REASONS TO HATE ED and b. if you want them to be Ed's FAMILY by the end of the season maybe you want to start CUTTING BACK on reasons to hate him!)

[dearweirdme]

“I'm still holding out hope that's it's all pr, but if it's not, then I'm just upset at the FS. I just wish kpop would stop doing it with how homophobic they are”

you didn’t comment on this part of anons ask so i’m not sure how you feel about it but i just wanted to give my opinion bc this ask rubbed me the wrong way.

to start because i don’t want to get misconstrued, kpop definitely does do fan service and baiting (i’m not saying queer baiting because real ppl cannot queer bait). and while imo it’s up to the fan to realize they’re being baited (not in every situation bc some ppl are good at manipulation)- especially in todays climate - and fan service isn’t always bad as long as the idols aren’t intentionally trying to trick you into thinking they’re together, it’s still definitely annoying and irritating because so many of these straight idols end up being homophobic but are participating in fan service and baiting. and of course the companies and kpop world root for baiting and fanservice but then turn around and be homophobic and not even allow idols to come out. a lot of korea in general too of course. then you have the straight fans who love the idea of their idols being gay for each other but then are homophobic and unsupportive of gay ppl irl.

so yes i definitely agree with the last sentence of anons message BUT calling taekook fanservice/baiting just rubbed me the wrong way. now don’t get me wrong i’m not saying they aren’t together but in this case let’s just hypothetically assume taennie gets confirmed tomorrow and taekook ends up not being real, that does not mean taekook was all fanservice/baiting and they’re bad for doing it. if we’re simply looking at it from a taekook isn’t real perspective (bc i know most here believes they are but just for this hypothetical in response to what anon was saying. i know i’m repeating myself a lot but i just want to make sure you get I’m not actually denying taekook) taekook have never done anything to suggest they’re together. looking at tae’s support of lgbt+ artists and hints that you take as him confirming he is or hints or videos you take as confirming taekook is real are simply how you took things in your own perspective. they’ve never done explicit baiting or fan service. they’re close and showing how close they are isn’t wrong and they aren’t at fault for what fans assume. it’s also not like taehyung has not said to “get out of your imagination” before - you cant say they tricked you purposely. what i’m trying to say is if taekook ends up being fake it is not the fault of taekook you assumed they were. yes idols often do stuff like that but taekook never have.

i hope anon and you get what i mean !!

Hi anon!

Thank you for your input. I don't think I'll agree on everything you've said, but let me cut up your ask in smaller sections a bit to discuss. I'm probably going to rant a little.

you didn’t comment on this part of anons ask so i’m not sure how you feel about it but i just wanted to give my opinion bc this ask rubbed me the wrong way.

Yeah, I try not to invalidate anyone's feelings. If someone's upset they can't really help it, even if the reason behind it might be based on bias/misinformation/whatever. I try to ease peoples mind by explaining pr-tactics, bodylanguage etc... more tangible stuff. And it's very complicated matter. There's fanservice, skinship, real connections... all those are mixed together and all of them can co-exist. I was confused about the differences between those at first as well. South Korea being very different from my own culture made this really hard to disect. So I understand why fans are confused about this. Especially with SK being homophobic and shipping between members being... normal. A lot of Kpop's standards are weird to me (being from Europe). I have a big problem with the constant mentions of dieting for instance. Young girls are so impressive and having your idols mention being on a diet so often seems wrong to me. The obvious homophobia is a big NONO. Idols not being able to date in general.... not great although maybe it does at first give them more privacy, but the backlash they get when they do get caught dating, wow! So yeah, not everything is great imo. I am very much aware though that cultures differ, and things that are weird to me are normal to them (the enlisting for instance, I've seen many fans angry at the SK govenment for having idols enlist... and it is very sad.... but then again, most of us do not live in a country that is always in a tense situation with their neighboring country, so we don't know what that feels like). I think SK is slowly catching up, but change takes time... and for a whole culture to change even more time.

to start because i don’t want to get misconstrued, kpop definitely does do fan service and baiting (i’m not saying queer baiting because real ppl cannot queer bait). and while imo it’s up to the fan to realize they’re being baited (not in every situation bc some ppl are good at manipulation)- especially in todays climate - and fan service isn’t always bad as long as the idols aren’t intentionally trying to trick you into thinking they’re together, it’s still definitely annoying and irritating because so many of these straight idols end up being homophobic but are participating in fan service and baiting. and of course the companies and kpop world root for baiting and fanservice but then turn around and be homophobic and not even allow idols to come out. a lot of korea in general too of course. then you have the straight fans who love the idea of their idols being gay for each other but then are homophobic and unsupportive of gay ppl irl.

There being fanservice in Kpop is not debatable. There is, plain and simple. I feel anyone who has been a fan for an extended time is aware of this. I feel most of army who aren't in an actual shipping part of fandom are real quick to point to every single act of intimacy as fanservice. The way I see it is that they make use of fanservice and skinship a lot to justify physical interactions between members. The over the top grand moments are fan service and the more subtle moments they are able to classify as skinship (which is way more normal in SK than in my country for instance). Fanservice isn't bad. Most bands and artists do fanservice, some just do it more naturally than others. Fans should know that not everything an artist does is his/her/their natural behavior... not everything is spontaneous. Artists go through media training and probably also through training to make them appeal to fans more. I use Jk's flirting in lives as an example of learned behavior, because to me those flirty comments (although hilarious) seem prepared/learned. I do think for younger fans this is hard to understand at first though. You don't want to think of your idol as someone who 'tricks' you with their learned pr-behavior. You want to feel connected on a personal level, so you ignore the business side of things. It's happening now too. I'm calling out certain pr-tactics (which is normal for any artist) and yet I get hate for it. Artists always (!) come with a portion of business, they aren't able to do what they do without it. I’m not sure fanservice is supposed to look ‘queer’, I often feel the intent initially (in kpop) was to make it look obvious that it’s fanservice, but some artists just have such great chemistry that it’s easy for fans to start believing it. And once that seed has been planted, it’s hard to get rid of. But having a ‘ship’ alive and thriving isn’t actually bad for business, so labels probably don’t mind much (and might even encourage). It keeps the ships alive, but there will always be enough of army to immediately call "Fanservice" to 'defend' their artists.

so yes i definitely agree with the last sentence of anons message BUT calling taekook fanservice/baiting just rubbed me the wrong way. now don’t get me wrong i’m not saying they aren’t together but in this case let’s just hypothetically assume taennie gets confirmed tomorrow and taekook ends up not being real, that does not mean taekook was all fanservice/baiting and they’re bad for doing it. if we’re simply looking at it from a taekook isn’t real perspective (bc i know most here believes they are but just for this hypothetical in response to what anon was saying. i know i’m repeating myself a lot but i just want to make sure you get I’m not actually denying taekook) taekook have never done anything to suggest they’re together. looking at tae’s support of lgbt+ artists and hints that you take as him confirming he is or hints or videos you take as confirming taekook is real are simply how you took things in your own perspective.

I think you are trying to say that Tae and Jk have never done anything to blatantly state that they are together. They have not been obvious about it, so us interpreting situations would have been us interpreting things wronly and therefore we are to blame for misunderstanding (did I understand you correctly). I do agree that they haven't intentionally been obvious about it. I feel very strongly that they do not intent to out themselves and that they even try to protect their relationship from being outed. There have been many moments that I feel their feelings were obvious, but we weren't supposed to pick up on those. In general, because at times they might have felt a bit more bolder, I think they want us to think they are really close friends. I do also feel though, that Tae and Jk have done fanservice (so maybe we disagree on this a bit). I think things can be both. Jk sitting on Tae's lap during the Las Vegas show to me was both fanservice and them wanting to. It’s like getting to do a part of your job that you really really enjoy. From a business perspective it would also be weird to never have Taekook do fanservice together, because they are obviously close, they are in the top physically affectionate members, and all members do fanservice on occasion. I think these things can co-exist. I feel fanservice comes so easy for Tae and Jk though, they just melt into each other. The way their bodies operate around each other is so lovely to see. Can we be mad about them doing fanservice? No, it's part of their jobs. Can we be mad at fanservice in general? Honestly, it would make fandoms lives so much easier if they were to tone that down a lot. Because it is confusing and it makes fandoms argue amongst themselves. Labels make use of that, because an argueing fandam means it’s very much alive.

they’ve never done explicit baiting or fan service.

I agree on the baiting, disagree on the fanservice. Fanservice is part of the job though, while baiting I would classify to a more personal level.

they’re close and showing how close they are isn’t wrong and they aren’t at fault for what fans assume. it’s also not like taehyung has not said to “get out of your imagination” before - you cant say they tricked you purposely. what i’m trying to say is if taekook ends up being fake it is not the fault of taekook you assumed they were. yes idols often do stuff like that but taekook never have.

Absolutely, they should definitely be able to express their closeness how they want. It's wrong to assume intimate behavior between men can't be romantic, but it's also wrong to assume intimate behavior between two men automatically makes them queer. My believe in Taekook stems from all things combined, the frequency of intimate behavoir, the body language, patterns in behavior, clues about queerness, the way I feel they were being hidden.

I don't know if my answer is satisfying, or comprehensable even... it's difficult matter and I feel I’ve just been babbling here 🙈.