#and ive made that explicitly clear and yet people are still pulling this like 'oh so you're just complaining and hating on taylor' bullshit

[tshifty]

.

[xaeneron]

On A Star to Guide Us

  HELLO FRIENDS 

I once again live.  Sort of.  I’ve been busy and just haven’t had time to curate this blog, but I’m still here!  Sort of.  A lot of sort ofs.

This patch was a much-needed chunk of content and I’m glad that it’s finally out.  The chapter itself was pretty solid and I adored a lot of things about it, and Jahai felt infinitely better than Kourna did, both in terms of just map design and the associated achievements.  Ofc this release also had wing 6, Mythwright Gambit, which is exactly what my guild needed after months of twiddling our thumbs clearing 1-5 every week.

Spoilers under the cut even though it’s been almost a week, and a small note that I have a dumb comic in the works and hopefully it’ll be finished and up soon!  

On General Updates:

Xiuquatl looks fabulous (although huge) and I want it as well as flying snek friend.  Unfortunately I also made the Minstrel a day before the announcement because my buy order on the Bard went through and I was bored, so it’ll be a while before snek fren.  But I will get it!  I’m glad, as I wasn’t the biggest fan of Meteorlogicus.

Some of the bug fixes and QoL changes were great, even little things like adding items to stacks in shared inventory slots (I def had this problem so hype).

OH MY GOD SAMAROG’S CUTSCENE IS SKIPPABLE IT’S CHRISTMAS.

On Mythwright Gambit:

I have been so hype for this wing it hurts. ;A;

I love the atmosphere and the feel of the wing in general.  In comparison to the dreary, dark, overbearing feeling of Hall of Chains, Mythwright Gambit is downright whimsical.  I loved HoC, but I am also a fan of having lighter, more cheerful raid wings as well.

Zomorros is great.  Legit great.  I love that Glenna points out that he effectively kidnaps the party to fight Qadim for him and he just whines that she’s making it sound a lot worse than it is.  Zomorros pls

I actually really enjoy all of the encounters.  MG isn’t as difficult as HoC, but the fights are a good mix of unique mechanics and improvements over previous bosses.  I appreciate that they can’t be explicitly carried by a couple competent players, and that at least in some of the cases everyone needs to be doing something to contribute.  It makes the encounters much more interesting, and tries a lot harder to make everyone pull their weight.

The Twin Largos music is amazing.

Qadim’s fight has so many simultaneous moving parts and I love it.

Zomorros casually dual wielding two Eternities and then Bifrost + Shining Blade.  Never change djinn buddy.

On Jahai Bluffs and Sun’s Refuge:

Honestly I actually really like Jahai Bluffs.  It feels a lot better as a zone than Kourna did; there’s a lot of hidden little details and interesting things to go and find. Granted, Kourna is a battlefield wasteland and Jahai is part living beast and part temporal fuckery, but it just feels more complete than Kourna, and I am a fan.

The achievements are a big part of it, I think.  A lot of fetch quests for Sun’s Refuge, but at least there was a goal that felt reasonable, as opposed to the turret collections from Kourna that had to be started with just murdering Inquest until they dropped like 40 different blueprint parts.  (I’m sorry I’m whining about Kourna I’ll stop I promise).  Jahai’s achievements feel reasonable, which is a nice change.

??? is the best zone ever.  We might’ve stopped doing story entirely for like 20 minutes and sat there until we all got gold on Run Around for No Reason.

Have you ever noticed how soft Rytlock’s fur is? owo

I love the temporal splits.  I miss Jahai from GW1, but it’s a good mix of the terrain from way back when and how current events have been messing with time and space.

That Orrian poem and the surprise punch to the gut.  Thanks Anet.  I wonder what that comic I mentioned is going to feature

Sun’s Refuge is neat, although it annoys me a bit that the teleport isn’t straight to the center of the zone (although I suppose it’s probably coded to use the same entry point as just clicking on the portal).  It’s a nice little area with a lot of secrets and things to do, although it seems like Anet isn’t doing much more with it?  Which seems a little sad.

The desert fox friend is adorable and I spent a good 10 minutes playing catch with it. 

The requiem collections are actually pretty good?  The story for the elegy one had surprising depth and I enjoyed going through it.  

Although I am not a fan of farming mistonium (I’ll get it over time though so nbd) and idk what Anet was thinking with the nullification sigils, but ayyyy

Look! There’s Koss.  Koss is Boss.  Let’s hug Koss.  Now Koss is cross.

On A Star to Guide Us:

I continue to adore the male sylvari voice.  Ive just sounded so done when Taimi first called.  

Splat is a wonderful achievement that I got completely accidentally.  

I appreciate Utumishi’s title changing from “Grand Vizier Utumishi” to “Former Grand Vizier Utumishi” mid conversation.

Iberu.  Die.  Permanently.  Please.

Koss agrees.

I appreciate that they’re making use of Koss, particularly as an indicator that Joko is in fact dead (or dead enough that Koss feels confident walking around outside of his cave).  Also the “how does this new fangled technology work” moment with Taimi’s comm device.

Aurene being a pain in the ass teenager is hilarious.  Although we’ve probably exhausted all the indigestion jokes from eating an undead lich.

Braham being scared of spiders.  And Koss making fun of him.  And the achievement description literally saying “make Braham look good.”  Anet pls hahahaha

Braham in general tbh.  I did not expect surprise Eir cameo (and Snaff!  omg Snaff), and the awkward post-death heart-to-heart was...well, about exactly what it should have been.  Eir acknowledging that she hasn’t been there for him, and now can’t be, at least in the way he wants her to, was a nice touch.  Braham needs to grow up and accept things as they change, and seeing his friends for what they are is a good step to outgrowing his hotheadedness, which is one part defining character trait and one part something that can absolutely develop and change.

I appreciate that Braham had a moment of understanding that living friends are more valuable than trying to keep trying to fix his relationship with his dead mother, but that heart to heart with the PC was...awkward.  Nice, but a bit too squishy.  Also Ive is still mad at him because tiny salad holds one hell of a grudge.

Speaking of Eir and Snaff.  The cameo sequence into the Infinity War-esque I saw 14,000,605 futures bit was interesting.  I think the future-hopping was one of my favorite sequences of the story, but poor Aurene.  Lots for the babbu dragon; I don’t blame her for peacing out xD

The sniper instance.  It was fun and a nice change of pace, although at times trying not to get sniped was frustrating.  Also the number of people asking to be able to murder her instead lul

I know Anet wanted you to look at the visions and be like LOOK IT’S THE SAME WOMAN NOW but...eh.  I probably just wasn’t paying enough attention, but a lot of people in the guild got to the end of the sequence and were like “uh was I supposed to know who she was”

ofc Blish had to get nommed.  No body yet so we can’t confirm he’s dead, but ofc we had to have a point where we assume he is.  

Gorrik’s speedtalking blubbering reactionary attempt to avoid the fact that Blish is gone was a punch right in the feels.  His attempt to avoid acknowledging it to avoid the grief was incredibly sad.  I actually appreciated that a lot more than Taimi’s confession of remission because of Blish’s recommendation not to keep secrets.

Although Taimi’s confession was hella sad.  ;-;

Babbu teenage dragon come back pls

[gotfuckingseven]

A New Place to Call Home

Hybrid AU

Namjoon x Reader

Masterlist

You were sleeping so peacefully, when someone nudged your shoulder, startling you awake and away from them on instinct, until you realized it was just Youngjae, who worked at the shelter you lived at.

“Y/n, you have a visitor. He’s asked for someone like you. Would you like to meet him?” His voice was soothing as you nodded your head, hopefully about to meet your newest owner. See, the shelter you were at, was designed for hybrids, like yourself, who had previously been in a bad home. The workers made sure that those who adopted from them wouldn’t mistreat the hybrids.

Youngjae left you alone for a minute, so you could change and prepare yourself for the new person. As a bunny hybrid, you were naturally shy, but even more so after your last owner abused you, physically and mentally. Stepping out of your room, you walked to the cafeteria, where you would meet the guy Youngjae talked about.

Before you saw them however, Jinyoung and Jaebum, the only two cat hybrids of the shelter, stopped you. They stood in front of you.

“So. Youngjae told us he has potentially found you a new owner. Are you gonna be okay? Or do you want us there with you for moral support?” Jaebum asked, making you smile at his over protectiveness.

“No, I think I’ll be fine. If I need anything, I’ll just come running to you two after Youngjae. That’s if something bad happens. But, I’ve gotta go.” You gave them each a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, before they left to the other side of the room.

Youngjae was talking to another guy, presumably the one who wanted to meet you. He was tall, and when he smiled there were dimples, which were cute.

“Ah! Y/n, come here sweetheart.” Youngjae caught sight of you, before ushering you over to him. “Y/n, this is Namjoon. He’s looking to adopt right now. Namjoon, this is Y/n. She tends to get shy with new people.” You had clung to Youngjae while he talked, still hesitant about him. “Oh, and please be careful what you say. And try to not raise your voice if something is wrong. She’s dealt with enough of that for an entire lifetime.”

“Go on.” Youngjae urged you forward and away from him, as he took leave of you two, giving you privacy.

“H-hi.” You gave him a small, shy smile, one which he returned.

“Hi there.” My god, those dimples would be the death of you. The two of you made small talk, you learning all about him as you gave him simple answers. You learned he was a lawyer, and that he went to work at 8 am, and came around 6:30 and 7 pm. He didn’t work weekends, unless it was a big case. He preferred to stay in most nights, and was really clumsy. “I think that’s the most I’ve talked about myself in a very long time.” He says with a laugh, before his face turns serious. “So, how would you like to come and stay with me? A permanent new home? You can come home with e today even, if you’d like.” He was so hopeful, and he seemed pretty nice after all.

You nod your head while saying, “Yes.” A smile spread across your face, once you realized you agreed to a new place to call home. One that would actually be a loving and caring home. He nearly picked you up to spin you around, but decided better of it, before bringing his hands to his mouth, and grinning even harder if that were possible.

He went over to Youngjae, you following behind him, as he told him he wanted to go ahead and sign the adoption papers and to take you home today.

“Awesome. If you’ll just sign right here, I will show you to her room, so she can get her things, and then you are free to take her home.” He was smiley as always, making you feel better about leaving the shelter.

“Namjoon, I could still come back here, right? To see Youngjae and the others?” You really hoped he said yes, you would miss never being able to talk to Youngjae, Jinyoung, or Jaebum again. They became your best friends while you’ve been here.

“Of course we can. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t let you come back to see your friends?” He smiled at you as the two of you followed Youngjae, before lightly ruffling your hair, fingertips grazing your ear, making you shiver.

“Ah, here we are.” Youngjae stopped in front of your room, and you walked in, grabbed the few clothes you had, and gave them to Namjoon.

“Here. This is all I really have here. Oh, and this.” You grabbed your two journals and pens/pencils. But you kept a hold of them. You didn’t want anyone else seeing what you’ve drawn. Clutching them close to your chest, Namjoon held your hand as Youngjae led you and Namjoon outside.

“Well Y/n, I guess this is good-bye. You’ll always have a place here, should you ever need to come back. I’ll miss you short-stack.” He had a sad smile on his face as he ruffled your hair, before lightly rubbing the base of your ears. Your eyes closed as you leaned into his touch. He was the one person, apart from Jinyoung or Jaebum, that you would let touch your ears, as they were very sensitive.

Your eyes opened when he stopped, and you had missed the face of longing Namjoon had, which disappeared the moment your eyes opened.

“Well, let’s head on home. Gotta get you some clothes later today, that way we can relax the rest of the weekend. See ya later, Youngjae.” Though you were saddened as you watched the shelter disappear from your sight, you were excited at the thought of a new home. Namjoon was very gentle as he led the way home, but also letting you look and sniff around at all the new sights. As you turned one last corner, he stopped in front of a very nice building. It was apartments, but they were obviously nice. He put a code in on the keypad, and then there was the audible sound of the door unlocking. He opened the door, and then went to an elevator, quickly pressing the button. Stepping in, you glanced down, and realized he hadn’t stopped holding your hand the entire way there. You grinned to yourself, as movement stopped, the doors opened, revealing a short hallway, where he used his key to open the door to the apartment.

It was beautiful inside. To the left was a kitchen, and straight ahead was a living room. A couch on the wall and one in front of the T.V. that was on the wall. On each side of the T.V., were windows, each with a window seat.

“C'mon. I’ll show you the rest of the place.” He smiled almost shyly as he spoke, before moving down the hallway. Your room was across from his, with a full-size bed, a desk, and another window. Then there was the closet and dresser along the same wall, across from the bed. His was set up similarly, but he didn’t have a window. Then he had a guest room, and the bathroom across from said room. At the end of the hallway was a washer and dryer.

“This is so pretty. Thank you so much.” You turned and gave him a hug, nuzzling your face up into his neck. When you pulled away, his cheeks were bright red.

“It’s nothing much, really.” He mumbled. “So,” he cleared his throat, “would you like to go shop for some clothes now?”

“Sure. But can it wait a bit? I’m a little hungry. I haven’t had lunch yet.” After a delicious lunch, with him tripping and nearly dropping it as well, the two of you went to different stores and bought you some new clothes. All the pants had a hole for your tail, as well as the hats for your ears. By the time you got home, it was time for dinner, and you were flat-out exhausted. Sitting on the couch, you slightly curled up, creating warmth as you waited for Namjoon.

As he called out, he didn’t get a response from you, so he was shocked to find you curled up and asleep on the couch. Smiling softly, he went to you, before picking you up, laughing to himself as you nuzzled into him, before he took you to your room and tucking you in. Taking his phone out, he took a quick picture of you laying there all snuggled up to a pillow, before halfway closing the door and going to bed himself.  

Over the course of the next few months, Namjoon had been nothing but kind and caring to you. Always making sure you were okay, and during this time, you were finally comfortable enough with him, that he was shocked the day you brought his hand up to your ears, a silent offer to pet them. Since then, he had taken a lot of opportunities to rub your ears, knowing now that it would help you sleep at night. Along with being cuddled by him. Everything was wonderful. Until this one day…

“Joonie! You’re back!!” You ran up to him, capturing him in a hug. He hadn’t been home much the past few weeks, as he had a very important case to work on. He was gone early in the mornings and gone until late at night.

“Y/n.” He gave you a tight lipped smile, making you tilt your head in confusion.

“Joonie? What’s wrong? Please tell me I didn’t do anything to make you angry with me and that’s the cause for your not being home.” You knew he had to work, but your insecurities came tumbling out, as you let out a squeak, realizing what you just said.

“Y/n, just stop for once, ok? I feel like I’m suffocating with how you’ve been hovering over me. I get it. You’re worried and all. But do you think you could tone it down a bit?”

Lowering your head, you mumbled out, “Ok. Good night Namjoon.” You kept your head low as you walked back to your room. You didn’t have the energy to slam it shut like you wanted to, but you did lock it.

You grabbed your little journal, and made an entry for the night.

*I waited up for Joonie. He hasn’t been home early lately. But I hover over him and suffocate him. Or so he says tonight. So, I guess I’ll stop with waiting up for him. And sleeping with him. Unless he explicitly asks, I just won’t do anything to ‘suffocate’ him. Well, I guess that’s all for now.*

After closing your journal, you climb into bed, hugging your oversized teddy bear close, drifting off to sleep.

—————————————————————

For the next week or so, you stopped randomly cuddling with Namjoon on the couch, instead opting to curl in on yourself with your head resting on the arm rest. You wouldn’t greet him at the door, and you’d begun to hide away in your room. He didn’t particularly seem to care about any of that, so you did it more often than not.

—————————————————-

Namjoon had finally finished the long case he’d been working on for weeks now, and felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He couldn’t wait to get home to you and snuggle. He sighed just from imagining it. As he stepped foot into the apartment, he noticed it didn’t seem lively like normal.

“Hey, Bunbun, I’m home!” He called out, hoping to entice you to come running to him like normal. He was met with silence, and that’s when he began to worry. You would always come meet him. He made his way through the apartment, checking each room til he came to yours. There you were, lying there, fast asleep, with Jimin next to you. Jimin was a cat-hybrid that lived across the hallway. Jimin had sat up when he walked in, and when he tried getting closer, he actually hissed at him!

“What’s up with you? I’ve never heard you hiss before.”

“Well I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t make her cry.”

“Woah woah, when did I make her cry? And why?” He was beyond confused, but saddened at the thought of you crying because of him!

“You apparently told her to, and I quote, ‘Tone down the hovering. It feels as though I’m suffocating.’ That is what you told my sweet little bunny. Have you been so busy, that you don’t have time for her? That you don’t even remember what you say to her? You know how sensitive she is. Anything you say, will affect her. Now leave, she needs to sleep right now. She spent the last hour crying to me after I came over when she called me.” Jimin huffed, and cuddled back up to you, making you nuzzle your nose into him, your small little tail wiggling in your sleep. He left the room, shutting the door behind him, and went to sit on the couch, contemplating how this came to be.

——————————————————-

“Hey little bunny. Wake up.” Jimin’s soft voice woke you from a very peaceful nap. Still half-asleep, you clung onto him, mumbling a 'five more minutes’, making him giggle cutely. “No my little bunny. You need to get up. One because I have to go back to my home for dinner, but two because you’ve got a visitor. And he really wants to talk to you. Also, you can literally smell how bad he feels. You should go talk to him.”

“Ugh, alright. But if I really want you to, can you come back over after dinner? If I really wanted you over here for the night?” You stared while pouting lightly, giving him your best puppy dog eyes.

“Fine, yes. But only if you don’t like what he says after all this.” He groaned, with you pumping your fist upwards in victory.

“Yes! But okay. You go on out, tell him I’ll be out shortly, ok?” You gave him one last, long hug, before he disappeared through your open doorway.

————————————————————

“She’ll be down shortly. Don’t go in there. Let her come to you. Also, I might come back over if she really wants me to. I just have to tell Hobi and Yoongi.” His owners were pretty easy going, as they were close friends with Namjoon, so it wouldn’t be a big deal for him to come and spend the night. Used to happen all the time until you got comfortable around him.

Ugh, why did he have to be such an idiot and say those things. If only-

“Hey.” You had finally come out after some contemplation.

“Bunbun, hey. I need to apologize to you.” He grabbed your hand, guiding you to sit down beside him.

“Listen. I am so sorry to you Bunbun. I had been so stressed out, work was hectic. And I know that’s no excuse for what I said to you. But it started a chain reaction. I wanted to work as much as possible to get out from under all of it, to try and do it fast. Since I brought my work home with me, I never really had a break. I am so sorry for how I treated you. Will you ever forgive me?” He pleaded, and you stared at him.

“Okay.” You finally muttered after some time. His face lit up it was almost blinding.

“Okay? So all is forgiven?”

“Yes.” All it took was that one word confirmation for him to hug you, one hand resting at the back of your head, the other on your back. You felt him hold back on rubbing your ears, and you grabbed his hand and brought it to your ear, a silent offering he happily took. You were then practically purring, content to finally have things back to normal. Or, as normal as it could be with the both of you.