#and that is funny. because the names weren't made to be references to it lol they were picked for unrelated reasons

[galactaknightyaoi]

🎃🦇 Happy Halloween!! 🦇🎃

Princesses Wisteria and Luna of Dream Land are ready to recieve some candy! And look, Moon Knight is here too!

They're representing the second kind of Halloween costumes this year. Pop Culture Reference.

Wisteria is Princess Wysteria from My Little Pony: Princess Promenade... Strange coincidence.

Anyway, Luna is... Princess Luna, from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Huh. Crazy.

Oh and she even got her Mirror Counterpart, Moon Knight to dress up! She's Knightmare- Nightmare Moon from... My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic... Seriously what's going on!?

Hmm? What's the first kind of Halloween costume? Well, it's generic costumes with cute executions of course...

[purplesannnieee]

Hi! Mine if I request? Can you do Reader who lost a bet and had to dress up as a dog? She has a cute and but flimsy maid outfit with the doggy ears and tail. I want this to be NSFW if you can, or you can make it where Jin likes it and he ends up demanding her to do a bunch of chores in his room. I choose a dog maid for her because dogs are known to be loyal and listens easily to their masters/owners.

Good luck with college though! I’m sure you’ll do great ❤️

Wolf Girl and Black Prince

18+, DO NOT INTERACT MINORS

A/n: yk what's crazy? the fact that someone I'm friends with literally is doing art of Jin with a dog leash, so I'm so on board with writing this 😭 (ALSO THANK YOU, I'LL BE NEEDING IT :D), also, if ya'll get the title reference, ifykyk ;), as it turns out, I think I just struggle with writing smut (considering that this is my first time writing one), 2.3k words, I gave up on why tumblr is formatting the images weird

summary: who the fuck told you this was going to be a good idea? it didn't help the fact that jin called you a servant. and yet, you had way too much confidence into making a bet with him, where if he didn't had to intervene in the next mission, he would no longer call you a servant. unfortunately, you lost, leading you to being a dog maid, while the tension between you and jin has rather...increased higher than usual warnings: this isn't in order, despite of the title, I promise you this isn't toxic (aka no angst!!), erm, a bit of bdsm? jin's a kinky mfer, i'm not going to make jin command reader to bark lol (it's funny tho), that mf's the type to do orgasm deny, and then fucking make you cum multiple times, creampie (please make sure to wrap it and use contraception :D, safe sex ya'll), idk why, he seems like the spanking type, that shithead degrades you, he'll call you names like, "my queen" (how romantic while you get fucked), aftercare king, I feel like this is going to be a bit messy, OH, mf's definitely a pussy sucker, mf's so fucking rough, oh yeah, that mf has a dick piercing too (it's canon), jin asks reader to light his cigarette in a rather intimate way (ifykyk), reverse prince albert(?) and standard ampallang(?), your writer was in fact sleepy asf when she asked this to her friend when asking what type of piercings Jin has 😭, I'm gonna be silly and let's just say Jin's revoking reader's v card, ig in this vers, reader's mc, but with ✨personality✨, SIZE KINK

Stupid fucking Jin. If you weren't walking around eggshells by now, you sure fucking failed at it. The two of you had recently made a bet, that if you were to succeed in your current mission without any intervention from him, then he would no longer call you a servant. Compared to if he did intervene, he would win, and you would have to do whatever he asked for a week without the intervention of Tohma. God, you were way too naive, as you were close to finishing, before fucking Jin intervened. While you did catch the anomaly…, that motherfucker gave you a smirk for only you to see, before walking away. What made it worse was that Tohma wouldn't be able to help you at all; so really, you were screwed.

Before you knew it, you were at your room for a moment, before hearing it rang. Picking it up, you groaned at the name, realizing that Jin was calling you. Not wanting to make a fuss about it, you sighed, before answering. "Good, you answered," he said, as you swore you could see him smirking, even despite not being in the same room. "In five minutes, meet me in my room, and make sure to knock five times," he added, before hanging up. You moved your phone away, baffled, before flopping onto your pillow, screaming into it. What the genuine fuck? You sighed, as you frowned, before walking out of your room and going to Jin's room. Arriving there, you knocked on the door five times, before hearing him say "Come in."

"You're fucking early," he gruffed from the same fucking couch he normally laid on. You could smell the hint of that rich classy ass cigarette he smoked on a basis. "Well, might as well get this over," you said, looking at his figure. You watched his arm move, and before you knew it, you could see him throw something at you, gasping, as you had to move forward to grab it. Looking at it, you noticed that it was a box, perhaps with something in there. "You have a minute to change into it," Jin said, as your eye twitched, being more annoyed. "You've got to be--," "Bianerus." Seriously? What the fuck Jin? "Change, now."

Almost immediately, your body reacted, as you started to take off your uniform. You frowned, as you would've preferred having your uniform on. Regardless, after leaving you to just your garments, you opened the box, only to turn red. It was…a fucking maid outfit? And dog ears too? Normally, you would've yelled at Jin, however, because he had to use his stigma, instead-- you changed into the rather flimsy maid uniform, along with putting the dog ear headband on. This almost reminded you of that anonymous dress you were sent (though you were sure it was Jin who sent it). The measurements were too accurate, granted, the uniform was a bit tighter around your curves.

"Wake me up when the paperwork's been organized," Jin said (practically ordered) before returning to sleep. You couldn't help but want to curse him out. However, instead, you looked towards the amount of paperwork, as you frowned, before sighing. You truly were going to regret this. What made it worse was that you probably wouldn't get any new missions, so this was a bad situation for you. You couldn't help but groan, as you started organizing the papers. You truly wondered how Tohma managed to deal with him sometimes. And yet, regardless, you continued.

Well, despite being mostly done with it. You were tired, way more than you would've preferred. "Fuck me," you muttered to yourself, at this point, annoyed. And well, despite how pissed off you were in the situation you were currently dealing with, part of you did care about Jin. Even with whatever potential weird fetish of his, sure, you might've complained a few times, but you were willing for him. Just him only. Unfortunately for you, while you were in deep thinking, you hadn't noticed Jin wake up and walk behind you, before hugging you.

"Jin!?" You became surprised, as you could feel his body being…surprisingly a bit warm compared to the dorms. However, that didn't help the fact that your face became flustered. Slowly, you could feel his hand tangle with your hand. While you weren't sure of what to make of this, this was rather--

"Bianerus." Jin used his stigma, as your body jolted against his. What did he want now? "Do you really want me to fuck you?" He whispered in your ear, his mouth close to yours. You couldn't help but shiver, your pussy clenching against nothing, before you said it. "Yes." Okay yeah no, you really were fucked. The two of you stood for a few minutes before you could feel him suddenly pick you up, as you were now carried again. Just like the last mission, he was holding you like his bride out of all things.

"W-Wait!" You yelled, flustered, and before you knew it, you were placed on the bed, before hearing another command of his. "On your knees," he said, without using his stigma. And yet, you still listened to him, getting on your knees and elbows, before he hummed. You could hear his steps farther away from you, as he seemed to grab something. Before long, you gasped, as you were immediately flipped onto your back, as Jin tied your wrists with one of your ties. You couldn't help but stay quiet, unsure what he would do now. You watched Jin disappear for a moment, before feeling your legs split apart. "What are you doing--," "Shut up," Jin said, as before you knew it, you gasped, as you could feel something warm and wet on your underwear. Before you could say anything, you let out a moan, as you could feel Jin sucking through your underwear, as his hands gripped your thighs tightly.

You tried to close your legs, as a mix of embarrassment and pleasure rose. However, Jin was firm with you keeping them open. "Don't you dare," he muttered between his laps, as you could feel your pussy clenching over nothing. "Jin….! You fucker…!" You whined, your hands writhed against the tie. He stopped momentarily, only to look up at you, smirking. "That's what I intend on doing," he teased, before moving your underwear onto the side. "I'm going to make you fucking beg me to fuck you until you cry," he said, before letting out a chuckle, noticing how you were reacting. "Such a pretty cunt…" Jin mumbled to himself, as he gave it a kiss, before lapping it. You couldn't help but moan, as you wanted to move, yet you knew if you did, he would probably command you to stop doing so.

You were too embarrassed to moan, the pleasure that coursed your body was too much. Your legs still trembled regardless, as you bit down your lip, though not enough to leave any blood. And yet, Jin stopped momentarily, as he moved up, holding your hand with his. "My room's fuckin' soundproof, so stop holding those pretty moans of yours back. Be loud as you can, my queen," he said, before looking at the uniform (that he totally forgot he told you to put on), his hands instantly ripping it. "I'll make sure to find a tailor later...," he muttered, though too quiet for you to catch what he said.

You couldn't help but cry out in pleasure as Jin ended up going back to sucking on your pussy. "Fuck fuck fuck— please...!" You let out a whine, throwing your head back against the pillow (funny enough, your headband fell off), as you desperately moved your body closer to his face. And yet, Jin suddenly stopped when you were getting close to your high, as you panted. "Why the fuck did you—," "Now I have to punish you," Jin let out a tsk, as he pulled your body toward his, while he sat up. To your realization, he placed you on his lap, your ass out. Goddamnit.

"Count," he said, and before you knew it, you gasped, as he slapped your ass. "One," you muttered, before receiving another. "Louder," he muttered, slapping it again before he gave you another chance. "Fuck—ONE!" You yelled as Jin smoothed over your lower cheeks, before slapping it again. "TWO!" You screamed as he continued until he reached ten. By then, your ass was red, your eyes tearing up, and yet, you enjoyed it? "So fuckin' wet..., are you into being spanked?" Jin teased, as two of his fingers spread your folds, as you were too stimulated to try and close your legs. "Jin...," you whined, as he hummed. "Wanna get fucked, please...!" That was probably the last thing you consciously remembered before you overdid yourself.

Next thing you knew, your back was back on the bed, as your binded wrists were above your head. You watched as Jin pulled his necktie off, stripping the rest of whatever clothes he had on the top off. His hands trailed down to the edge of his pants, unzipping them, as you noticed how hard he already was from his boxers. You could feel yourself clenching again, as he smirked at you. "Seems like my dear queen can't take her eyes off me," he teased, his hands slowly taking off his boxers, his cock sprung to his stomach. The only thought to yourself was, 'Oh my God, that's a big fucking dick with piercings!'

Of course, you were too focused on Jin's cock to notice your legs being moved onto his shoulders, only for the sudden surge of embarrassment to rise. "Wait! Please...be gentle?" You asked, though while you weren't planning on telling him, he would become your first. Jin looked at you for a moment, before he started rubbing the tip of his cock against your folds. "Only because you asked," he agreed, as the both of you could hear the lewd sounds your wet folds and his tip were making. "As long as you keep your eyes on me," he said, as he didn't give you a chance to respond, slowly thrusting his cock in, splitting you whole.

Your body tensed, trying to comprehend the fact that you were being penetrated right now. While you didn't feel much pain, you felt rather...stuffed. "Ya, tryin' to keep me inside of you forever...?" Jin groaned as he could feel your gummy walls clinging to his cock. "It's...not my fuckin' fault you're so big!" You whined, your hands desperate to at least hold on to something. You could feel how warm his hands were, as they caressed your body, before undoing the tie, your hands being free. Your hands immediately grasped his, as they intertwined. Thankfully, despite Jin struggling, he was patiently waiting for you. It took a few minutes, as while you hadn't noticed, he was only partially inside of you, and while he did want to ruin you; Jin would never forgive himself if you ever got hurt.

A few minutes passed by, as you slowly adjusted to his size. Jin did his best to stay still for your own sake, only to let out a groan, feeling yourself moving slowly. "Jin~!" You let out a whine, as his gaze softened. "Kiss me, please?" Without a second to waste, his lips immediately pressed against yours, as he gently bit your lip, asking your permission. You let your mouth open, granting him access to it, his tongue exploring yours. You could still taste a hint of your own juices, as you let out a moan. The way he was kissing you was surprisingly sweet, and definitely hungry (not like he wasn't sucking your pussy like a starved man just a few minutes ago).

Slowly, Jin started to thrust into you, experimenting with where your sweet spots were. Granted, the position you were in definitely helped him. Your moans sounded so sweet to him, he almost wanted to keep you like this for a while. But for now? He would make you a pretty mess— all for him. "Fuck! Jin…please…!" How your wanton moans sounded like music, and Jin would be the only one who would be able to listen to such beautiful sounds. It felt better, as you were feeling so good, and he knew you were feeling perhaps more pleasure than he was having now.

"Fuck it," Jin muttered to himself, as you were too dumbed to understand what he said. All you knew was that he slowly pulled out until the only thing that was in was the tip, before thrusting sharply. You let out a gasp, as Jin soon enough started to thrust at a fastened pace, your walls clenching from the sudden movement, and your hand's grip tightened around his hands. Before you knew it, you could feel a knot forming, as you broke the kiss, panting. "Fuck fuck fuck— I feel something weird…!" You whined as Jin chuckled. "Go on, cum my pretty slut," he groaned, as before you knew it, you felt yourself climaxing, your body trembling from orgasming.

The thing was? Jin quite wasn't done. "Don't hold it back, my queen," he said, slowing down a bit to let you recover before fastening his pace again. You let out a mix of moans and whines, as Jin's cock began hitting your cervix; which led to you orgasming more. Before you knew it, Jin's pace became irrational, as he was trying to thrust as possible as he could. "Fuck— gonna cum in ya and let you have my kids," he groaned, as you teared up from how overstimulated you were. It didn't take long before you came one last time, as Jin filled you up; you felt so warm and full, as Jin let go of your legs, before hugging you. "I love you," he muttered, as you simply hummed in response, before kissing him back. "Love ya too," you muttered, before poking him. "I'm never going to wear whatever the fuck that was that you told me to put on though." After that, Jin did not accept any advice about you from Tohma.

[chishnfips87]

A funny DRDT dream

Had a dream that there was a chapter in DRDT where everyone had ridiculously hilarious names. Like, the names would be what the characters would be referred to as, and if anyone used the actual name, they'd be executed.

For ONE chapter and ONE chapter only, a rule was added where the actual names weren't allowed, so the ridiculous names were the names the characters would use.

Slight issue, only Teruko, David, Arturo, and Whit were in the dream (also Whit was wearing blue for some reason lol), so I made names for everyone else, because it's funny lol.

Teruko - Korbus Bobofat

Ace - Sergio Biscuts

Arei - Nii Ditnow

Arturo - Professor Chimney

Charles - Joe Hizzlemebizzlerizzletizzle

David - Humphrey Douchecopter

Eden - Pepsi Jackson

Hu - Kalamari Bicycle

J - Bingus Trigonometry

Levi - Louis TheBecause

Min - Krystal Methorsomething

Nico - Jebediah De'ChaChaSlide

Rose - Wazin Teere

Veronika - Pinky Figgledope

Whit - Jimmy Yowallet

Xander - Jesus Bastard Schwarzenegger

[bnomiko]

Nocturne ramblings, with spoilers

(This is NOT a rant post. Nor specifically a spoiler post. I'm just making observations and babbling shit about some of the characters in Nocturne thus far.)

I did a spoiler-free ramble post, now time for the other side of the coin, just to let loose a bit...

**SPOILERS** ahoy for Castlevania: Nocturne, S1.

Vampires in general

I'm very happy to see some souped up vampires. Let's face it, the majority of them in the original animation weren't exactly impressive. They were basically people with pointy teeth and like 1 special ability. The fact that 2 1/2 humans could walk into a castle and just waste twenty or thirty of them without taking damage (other than Alucard taking a fist to the mug) felt a bit lackluster.

Oh, but there's a LOT of vampires touching sunlight that aren't going up in flames. You can't just hold a parasol over one and expect them not to combust : p

Olrox

I said it before, but seriously, give a raise to whoever did his character design. He's absolutely delicious. Those cheekbones! The dragon's eyes! I want to roll myself in his hair like a bug in a rug then slap those meaty thighs...

I've also watched all his interactions with Mizrak again. I don't understand how the two of them make so much more sense (given that they literally went from "You know my name, tell me yours" to fucking to "I don't love you" to … maybe I do…), than like, canon pairing Richter and Annette, who feel about as compelling as a piece of dry toast.

I truly hope he continues playing a little on both sides of the fence. It makes him so much more interesting than the majority of the characters who are simply on one side or the other.

Juste

I admit I got all excited thinking he was Alucard in a glamour at first, because when you first see his eyes, there's a gold gleam (of course the second he touched the whip I went, "Ahh, it's Juste.")

I'm sure it's more that his eyes appear to be a very light gray and catch any candle/firelight, but I'd rather think that the animators were being cheeky and hiding a reference to the fact that when HoD came out, some fans were convinced Juste was Alucard's son.

Talking about who looks like who's offspring, uh… I almost question if Maxim was doing some sneaking. Doesn't Julia look more like Maxim?? Since they threw out Vampire Killer clause #1, why not throw out the rest of it?

(I mean... really, who would you think was daddy?)

Also… I honestly do feel badly for Juste. He's always been one of the forgotten Belmonts, but maybe he was better off forgotten as I think most headcanons imagined him living a quiet retirement with his wife and their husband, surrounded by a massive stockpile of overly gaudy home furnishings, with little grandson Richter visiting and getting lost in all the furniture : )

Maria

I already made mention of the fact that she's all of 12 in game canon (and apparently 16 in Nocturne), which makes it all the more awkward that her future boyfriend's already made his appearance when she hasn't even hit her teens yet. I mean… how is that going to work?

(Sorry, can't resist reusing this, Richter's reaction is too funny.)

I feel ya, bro.

Tera

I was so young and naive when I read The Scarlet Letter that I didn't actually get what it was about at the time lol… actually took me years to figure it out. And… yeah, that's it. That's my comment.

Emmanuel (the abbot)

This guy will never get the death he actually deserves. It'll probably be something relatively quick, like falling into a pit of lava *shrug*

Drolta

Kind of a shame to off her so soon. Her latex collection was impressive.

Erzsebet

Carmilla?

And of course, Alucard

Okay, I get that he probably just woke up, but maybe a few strokes with a hairbrush before you run out the door, eh buddy?

Compare to Alucard in the mini artbook/manga for SotN (look at those crisp curls!) waking up after his 300 year nap:

I don't mind the "washed out" palette as much as others do. He was pretty much the textbook definition of pale in SotN anyhow.

Actually it would've been really damn funny if he'd showed up in his pajamas, screaming, "I hope I'm not too… wait, what year is it?" *looks at Maria* "Fuck I'm too early!"

[microraptorreactor]

I feel like dumping out my box of OCs like one would do a box of lps so very long post filled with very many doodles ahead!

Reference for my Rainworld oc, Lost! He's an idiot kid I made for one joke but now he lives in my brain. I think I made this reference for him last year? Idk I don't remember. I'm just now realizing that Lost snuck into my V2 characterization lmao.

Elysium art of various ages! Made between 2021-2023 I believe. This is the oc I made before I knew what Ultrakill was and everyone thought I was making an Ultrakill joke. Tbh if it wasn't for the fact that I MADE Elysium and have their early sketches I wouldn't believe they weren't an Ultrakill reference either. Speaking of which, here's some animations from when Elysium was both a quadruped and a model of robot instead of an individual. These were both made for a class in 2021.

VERY old art (2020 I think? I wasn't using my screen tablet yet) that I normally wouldn't include if it weren't for the fact my friends would explode me if I mentioned Elysium and Lost without mentioning Nerve. She was an anxiety-ridden warforged cleric who got tragically sent to the vampire realm. Whenever Nerve comes up in discussion one of my friends brings up how I made him cry with her final speech. I don't remember tf I said lmao.

Art of my His Dark Materials OC, Zurial! Art would have been made 2022 onwards. I made her WAY back in 2019 before Hazbin Hotel even had a pilot but unfortunately now she looks like a Hazbin angel and I feel weird drawing her. Which is really unfortunate because I love her dearly, she's one of my favorite OCs. She's also the only oc I have who I've made a plushie for. Why did my character design have to accidentally look like the works of famous youtube animator Vivian Medrano T-T

(here's her plushie btw. I'm really proud of it lol.)

Here's Niphit, one of my Warframe OCs! Some of y'all might recognize her as my AO3 pfp, but her design has changed since then. The bottom reference sheet is her most recent design. She's kind of conceptually similar to Baeri/Sleet/-31 from SftBT, in terms of hacking shit and having a snout and teeth. Biggest difference is that she is a whole ass hivemind, usually pretty harmless, and also considered pretty young.

Shameless CR:K fanchild OC. Her name is Golden Parmesan Cheese Cookie (Parm or Parmesan for short) and she's also, like, an AI copy of a dead person. Or a dead person's soul trapped inside an eternal simulation? Either way she's got SO many issues. I have a massive chatfic wip from when I decided to try writeing something with her.

Okay I know technically this is a Homestuck OC but I like to say she's a Hiveswap OC. Because I played Hiveswap and loved it but never read Homestuck. Anyways her name is Vintan she's a yellowblood.

Whoa an original character! Yeah this is Corion, they come from my brain. I have a whole story concept about post-apocalyptic robot cowboys (and human cowboys) that I've done a couple doodles from but never written down. Corion serves as a sort of living taxi, guiding or carrying people across the wasteland. They are a secondary protagonist, I don't think I have art of Pike and Amelia, the actual protagonists. One funny fact about this universe is it contains a character named V1 (pronounced Vi, still written as V1) who I can no longer use for obvious reasons.

But yeah! Ramble over! Not anywere near all of them I just wanted to talk about my brain children XD

[magicalgirlmascot]

Alright more old human!Bonkles designs Hordika edition

So if memory serves, the idea was that they were stuck in their Toa forms and couldn't transform back until they got un-Hordika'd, which is why they all have their Toa hair and eye colour, as well as uniforms. The green marks on all their faces was I think supposed to be like...Visorak bite marks? Or something? I don't remember, just that the Rahaga didn't have them because they weren't mutated by Hordika venom. Anyway.

Of course Vakama was the edgy wolf boy. I mean. It was 2012 and also look at him. Honestly though what else would he be lol wolf fits

Matau, being the one most upset by the change and wanting to be human So Bad, generally tried to keep his tail around his waist like a belt (YES like in Dragon Ball Z) and wore gloves to hide his hands.

ALRIGHT DON'T JUDGE THE POSE she's supposed to be stretching out like a cat. I was 18 be nice. Anyway of course Nokama was a catgirl we needed to have a catgirl. I think it's very funny that for KNPS we've made Onewa the catgirl instead. He deserves it.

I'll be honest I'm pretty sure the main reason I made Onewa a croc was because Pokemon Black and White had just come out a couple years ago and I was obsessed with the Sandile line, so I associated crocodiles with the desert. Idk. I guess it fits him. He'll bite your legs off.

Really have no idea where this one came from if I'm being honest. I think the thought process was "big=ox?" I'm not sure.

Nuju was a bat because Ice Bats! Honestly I'm not sure why he's the only one allowed to wear jeans. I had a weird little heteronormative crush on him in college, maybe I just wanted him to be sexy, idk. He's got his belly out and everything, put that away, you're going to freeze to death and/or give Whenua a complex!

I'm not gonna lie I actually do still like the concept for this one? Something about the half-scales just speaks to me. I mean it doesn't make sense because he was definitely supposed to be some kind of gecko but it looks cool. The Rahaga's animals were all based on what kinds of animals they were meant to be good at tracking. Norik I really tried to make look like someone's friendly dad.

And then for Iruini I didn't even fucking try lmao. Yes I know his name is misspelled. He's a spider, apparently, and he does not want to fucking be here let this man go home

MILF

Coming to the distressing realization that my design choices for all the Black characters in this are just "big and beefy" which is. Not great. Pouks also doesn't want to be here. At least Onewa hadn't decided to completely forego pants and run off into the woods to bang a cryptid in this universe, so Pouks has that going for him.

Like Norik, I do like a lot of aspects to Bomonga's design here. I don't know if I like them for Bomonga specifically but I like the overall design, I think it's alright.

Honestly of all of them I think Kualus is still my favourite. He just looks good idk what to say. Also am I insane did he ever get referred to as having a scarf in canon or did I accidentally predict that by like 10 years

[heartscrypt]

hi im the back and im now a stray cat in ur backgarden waiting for a meal. give me fun facts abs ur ocs or ill scratch something. i think they are So Cool. please

ouuu my god YOU HAVE UNLEASHED THE HORRORS . I LOVE MY OCS RAAAAAGHHHHH

ok im . putting this into like subsections based on ocs. limiting myself to 3 fun facts about each oc so i have some that ppl can still ask me about.

looong post so im gonna put it under a read more

cyrus:

he is a nickname guy. he will give people nicknames. the most notable one is "inky" for azul. she started calling him it post-overblot because it made him uncomfortable in an entertaining way. for mc / yuu she'll call them "small-fry" / "zako" because. well. its condescending. also in jpn it's apparently slang for "weak / useless person" or "mob character" LMFAO. "fry" / "chigyo" is how he addresses people that he doesn't care about (mostly other students from different dorms) and he often calls other dorms "chigyochi" (rough translation would be. Breeding ground?? but in official eng it would probably be something like Hatchery i guess. to remove the Implications LOL). she also likes to call specifically freshmen "freshwaters" / "tansugiyo" because. coming from the coral sea as a saltwater mer. the Peak of insult is implying you're a freshwater fish who can't survive the salt or the cold. basically calling all these freshmen weak as fuck

he's so terrified of sebek its so funny. its like an irrational fear of him too. cyrus just wants to Sprint Away as fast as she can when she hears sebeks voice because sebek reminds her of a crocodile. incredibly hilarious considering sebek is a whole freshman and cyrus is a whole junior and they're from completely different dorms so there's like. So little chance of them interacting

she HATES the nrc birthday tradition of the "gift of good fortune" (aka getting cake thrown in her face) because her least favorite food is whipped cream. he honestly just hates cake in general and hates the idea of cake being thrown at him (in reference to the scene in the little mermaid where vanessa stumbles into the wedding cake bc the sealife is attacking her LMFAO). she's not even a good sport about it bc shes immediately trying to run away. her birthday presenter (its cater btw. if u even care) has to literally hold her down kicking and screaming.

marron:

his worst subject is alchemy. things can and do often blow up in his face... even if that wasn't originally possible for whatever he was making to do. pre-overblot, this is mostly obscured by how he's able to maneuver his lab partners into doing most of the work for him. post-overblot, it's so obvious that it's his weakest subject that crewel immediately puts him in remedial lessons and he's so embarrassed about it. will get snappish and defensive if anyone presses him on it because he hates feeling like he's being criticized

he has a favors gambit running in the freshmen classes. if you picked any random freshman student out of the crowd at nrc... 9 times out of 10 they'll owe marron a favor. it's a lot less formal and definitely a lot less intimidating than azul's contract system, but that's part of what makes it work-- the people indebted to marron are pretty much unaware of their debt until they step out of line and face consequences they weren't anticipating at All.

his brother had connections to a security company named Cloak&Dagger. it has connections to S.T.Y.X. in that it sells information on overblotters to the organization but it also more generally keeps tabs on the influential people of the world (like the royal family). marron uses this connection to cultivate a horrifyingly wide information network. he does have all the personal data on ur phone btw. he knows everything you looked up on wikipedia. he's side-eyeing you for spending that long on sigmund freud's page.

jettie:

the youngest in a family of six. his three siblings, all guys, are older than him-- around college/workforce age. in order from youngest to oldest they are buddy, moore, and ramer (all respectively based off chum, anchor, and bruce from finding nemo). they're a lot more friendly than jettie. also a lot bigger. jetties kind of the runt so hes more aggressive to compensate. they love him anyways <3

his family run a bodyguard business. it's a little ominous. his other three siblings are kind of iffy on continuing it because it's shady as fuck but jettie is READY to take over the business when his father nimius (twisted off of glut from the little mermaid 1) gives him the opportunity or 2) kicks the bucket.

he keeps all his baby teeth in a jar. actually all of his teeth that fall out. he bites a lot of things he shouldn't so this is more common than you think. did you know sharks have a neverending supply of regenerating teeth? isn't that horrifying? well its a trait jettie has and yes it is more horrifying when he's in his human form. he brings out the jar of teeth when he wants to fuck with someone

[dojae-huh]

Coming back w the link to the last ep of MIK (@jamgiz on X). The ending is kind of sweet haha.

Ep 6 https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1qZB5p6QgQ7WkFOUgcp4aJKPGBDX2pAgX

Thank you for the review to the last 5 eps, I agree w you. Them feeling unwanted bcoz they don't get positive feedback reminds me of your comment on the last ep of Lastart. "You see, Riku realises he needs to fill in the shoes, that's why I like him, he is like Taeyong, he will improve relentlessly, some others don't feel the burden really...". The need to realize your role in the group & work on it, rather than focusing only on getting positive feedback as the goal.

Whether DA will last long: Aside from beating out the individualistic self, I also want to point out the motivation to join band like this. Idk much about the band culture in the West, I can only refer to what we know in Kpop; commonly being able to debut in ur group is the pride, the final dream (years being a trainee), long time commitment (TVXQ, Suju still active today), a name u want to protect (Haechan w NCT). Things might be different in non Kpop environment (contract as well)..

Hopefully they keep learning to be more as one group.

Link

Thank you for reminding me people actually read what I write, haha.

I've watched the last episode yesterday. And even watched an English morning show for kids DA guested at for promotion (where slime was thrown at Blaize). The show left an impression... not of a good kind, lol. So they truly follow the k-pop route, variety shows including. (I kind of enjoy how one hobby (stanning one group) kind of expands in different directions and conbines different experiences. The way I related to Doyoung saying salak from the jungles was tastier than from the shop. Still couldn't find fruits as sweet as the ones from Waigeo island. At least Malaysia had the right round kind. The ones in Thailand are not really edible fresh.)

I liked how Reese told Hee Jun Yoon "I'm a good boy, not a bad boy", when she hinted that they should do alright as a group unless they get into scandals. It was funny. Either the UK producer (that old man) or SM team made sure to take the character of trainees into account. Evidently the guys weren't picked at random only based on how they danced and sang during the initial screening of candiadates.

The boys won a golden ticket, were given private lessons, were treated with care, and still needed multiple lessons to show that they are too over their heads. They wouldn't last a month in a real Korean idol-survival show, heh. I suppose "lashing out" was out of self-protection. "I'm working all day and doing my best, it's not my fault!". Reese wasn't scolded much because he corrected what he was told to correct, not just "put in effort".

Looks like most of them are in the group to perform (two did musicals, one has been singing from childhood, one is a tiktoker), i.e. to be liked and to have fun. Some have musical education though, Maybe song-writing or producing will appear in the future.

DA can last if they develop real friendships. 10 years is highly unlikely, but even 5-7 years will be a good result. With Blaize it was evident he wanted a found family. He looks very different (open, not closed off) in the interviews now in comparison to the show. It's a joint production with SM, the company will continue to participate. SM needs success with them to replicate this formula.

Speaking of Riku. He is on a quest of shipping himself with Jaehee. Considering fans like Riku/Yushi, it is also a consious decision to work for the whole group (three pairs: Shion&Yushi, Riku&Jaehee, Ryo&Sakuya, and the least popular quiet member brought to the spotlight). Of course, Jaehee being a good sport and an enabling friend helps.

[youre-only-gay-once]

#someone PLEASE make an addition explaining all these (via @corvoattanobignaturals)

#if someone would give me a list of all of these i would love that tho lol (via @drum-bot-brian)

Okay, here it goes, links are in bold and colored, putting it all under a cut because it is long. CW for racism, transphobia, and incest.

the one who deactivated and gave up spn because they became catholic: this is former spn blogger carrotfricker. they made all sorts of cool graphics, then got religion and left the fandom. They still have a main blog where all they post is nature art. general fandom consensus is that it was catholicism that did them in, but all I can find in the archived pages is references to an unspecified branch of christianity. maybe some other people who followed them more closely know for sure it was catholicism though.

Wincest Nancy: nancylou444. one of the the ringleaders of a particularly annoying group of wincesties. if you're on here long enough without blocking her she WILL appear in your notes unless you block her, i haven't done that because i think it's honestly kind of funny and i like complaining

the one who deactivated after writing a "diverse spn fic" that was just racist: princesshamlet, who decided to make supernatural suck less by turning everybody into different minorities whether they knew what they were doing or not. In their own words, they were "a white person writing nonwhite characters who has spoken to people of the identities they want to represent". And by "spoken to" they meant they used POC for ideas and information, didn't give them anything in return for their time and energy, and also didn't even listen to them most times. Not going into detail because it really doesn't need to be spread around again but basically everything they put in this fic was heinously racist, homo/transphobic, and misogynistic on the same level with the original show or worse. And apart from the racism, they were also just a really bad writer. After getting called out by fans of color on their racism they did not apologize or delete but tried to defend what they did in various ways. Like saying that other fans of color had told them what they wrote was fine, or bringing up that they're a jewish lesbian, or trying to claim that they were third culture. The "#down with big ph" tag became a thing since it was really clear they weren't sorry and had no intention of even trying to make up for what they did. Eventually they did give up on being defensive, deleted the fic and apologized multiple times badly, then deactivated. For awhile someone had claimed the blog url and turned it into this

but now it looks to be completely abandoned. rest in pieces princesshamlet, you sucked and nobody misses you. Sidenote: If you're reading this and going wow that's fucked up fans of color shouldn't have to deal with this kind of thing, consider finding a POC's gofundme to donate to.

everyone involved with the "spirit of steve yockey" incident: oh good, i get to show you all my favorite video on the youtube. welcome to spn tumblr 2021 by jimmycoded

the one who wrote the "jared padalecki is a physical and sexual behemoth" post: Former j2/wincest blogger go-diane-winchester. This is the person behind banger posts such as "hellers have so many different ship names because they're a psychotic cult" and "misha collins is a scam artist who chose his name because it is gender confusing and he wants to use that to tap into the liberal community" but mostly for this post. I think they did have some valid points about misha collins acting way more progressive than he is but it's really undercut by the fact they think j2 is better than him and that they use their bachelor degree knowledge to write sentences like "He can barely top his wife, let alone Jensen Ackles."

whoever sent me an anon ask saying they want to fuck eric kripke: if you hang around the spn fandom long enough people will start sending you asks about how hot they find the creator of spn. or at least they will if you're me. i love the fact that someone looked at my blog and went "yeah she'll appreciate this, this is a safe space to admit i want eric kripke carnally." if you guy ever want to tell me things like that on anon go ahead, the worst that's gonna happen is i put you in a poll like this.

the prolifer who wrote fic where the winchesters homeschool jack*: prolifejackkline. a christian (protestant) prolifer who was in the spn fandom, they're still around but under a new url and they don't really blog about spn anymore, but like a true protestant they did discover zionism though. at some point they were writing a fic where the winchesters homeschool jack, i believe it was also a baby!jack fic. I know this existed and several other people have said they remember it too but i can't find it anywhere online so it may have been deleted.

'*i have searched and searched for this fic and cannot find it anywhere, they may have deleted it but i DO remember it existing

[this-machine-runs-on-coffee]

The 14/2/2015-15/2/2015 rtc song cycle is fantastic (currently listening to the 14/2/2015)

The songs are fantastic

Also Kholby Wardell (the guy who is Noel not only here but also in the World Premiere Cast Recording [he was from what I heard the only one called back for Ride The Cyclone from this production's cast] and the most famous bootleg [2016 Off-Broadway, the one on YouTube])

(15/2/2015 has one more song but 14th's slightly better quality sound in the beginning [I am now fully listening to the 14th's and only listened to the 15th's for that one more song, but in the beginning it's better for I think "Tragic Fact" or "U-R-A-N-I-U-M" <if you want to hear the songs and not the full song cycles there are some on this channel> because in one point it doesn't sound the greatest in the 15th's but they should both be good] so if you ever want to listen to all those songs the 15th's is good but the 14th's is great as well)

Saul (FoodieCabbie) (who was the driver) has gone to all those performances (30 in at least 13 cities in total) and (I think pretty close to when it was about to end) realised no one had made a bootleg yet.

The musical isn't there, but you have two song cycles, which explains the plot a little and they also add funfacts from what I understood so it's very great

Also I've just heard about Corey Ross (the cut character) and it's very funny (a rapper, not Ukranian but he thought he was all this thing and had a rap battle against the most worthy rapper of all: himself. He also insulted his opponent's mother [so yes his own mother] and apparently this was only done in one performance [from what I understood] but the cast had fun using all those funhouse mirrors. Also at the end Corey was sad. Why? He won. Which means he also lost. Fucking fantastic, this was fantastic to know, I love this)

Tim and Selena? Never heard of them before, but apparently they existed in one earlier version and in one even earlier version it was something like Tim and Almira? I'm not sure if the name was Almira, I didn't understand it all that well. (They were just referred to as "The Lovers" and a couple songs were written for them, a Bollywood song that didn't work very well [or so was said] and "Small Things Become Big Things" and they mentioned "Love Is In The Food Court" which I didn't understand the context to, lol)

Tim and Selena also had "La La La" and the main thing weren't the lyrics but the visuals apparently (the melody sounds a little like "Talia"), because the lyrics are for most of the time or about half the songs the girls singing "La la" (which sounds like Talia) and then the guys singing "La la la" (which has the same syllables as КОХАЮ [copypasted that because my keyboard isn't in cyrillic])

If they were Trishna and Hank then I very much misunderstood the names (especially because I still don't know who Trishna, Hank and Atrid are and where I can learn who they were)

There's also a spoken version of It's Not A Game/It's Just A Ride lol

DREAM OF LIFE IS THERE LET'S GO, IT'S DIFFERENT BUT IT'S THERE AND IT'S AT THE START OF THE SUNG VERSION OF IT'S NOT A GAME/IT'S JUST A RIDE

[one-sad-human]

•Worth It• Duff Mckagan

Pairing: Velvet Revolver era! Duff Mckagan x Younger! Reader

Requested? Nope!

Theme: Little bit of everything/???

Warnings: Language, panic attacks, anxiety references, drug references

Word Count: 3k

A/N: Fic 2 of 2! This is the longest fic yet! Took a different approach to writing this one, hopefully it payed off. Let me know if you guys liked it or if I wasted my time with this one lol.

     You had met Duff in a coffee shop in LA. It was crowded and you were lucky enough to snag a chair before the lunch rush. Duff wasn't, and asked you if he could sit at your table.

     You grew up with Guns n Roses, bought his solo album the day it came out when you were just 15, and now listened to Velvet Revolver faithfully. To see your idol, your celebrity crush stand right in front of you holding a cup of coffee and a scone sent you for a loop.

     "Of course," you had said, starry eyed. You were only hoping he was as kind as the interviews made him out to be. Maybe have a conversation with you and be polite for a while before leaving and never seeing each you again. That would be good enough.

     It didn't end with a coffee, it had just begun. He asked for your number, and you stared at him for a moment thinking you had imagined it. That was until he tilted his head a little and looked at you with a nervous expression. He backtracked and you immediately stopped him.

     "No! I mean— yes! Yes, you can absolutely have my number." You scrambled for a pen and paper and ended up scratching your number on a receipt from the record store. You shook so hard you could barely get the numbers down.

     Out of all the record store receipts you've stuffed into your bag, the one you gave Duff Mckagan had to be the one for when you bought Velvet Revolver's 'Contraband.' He didn't say anything, just smiled and promised to call.

     You honestly didn't think he would've. You played it off as just him trying to be nice. It didn't stop you from answering every call you got for the next three days, however, even if you recognized the number as the tax collector you'd normally never answer.

     But then he called.

     "I tried calling sooner, but I kept calling the wrong number. You don't have the most eligible handwriting," he had told you. You laughed but really, you were in shock.

     You set up a date at the fancy restaurant downtown that always intimidated you. You didn't say anything though, even though you knew you wouldn't want any of the overpriced food and you'd end up eating something you couldn't pronounce and was two portions too small. Maybe even hit up a fast food joint afterwards.

     When the day finally came, you couldn't even figure out what to wear. You couldn't tell if you looked underdressed or like you were trying too hard. Did the clothes even fit the right way? What would Duff think? Would he even care?

     All questions were answered when you left your house. Duff was leaning against his slick car parked in your driveway, a button up that was barely buttoned and dress pants with boots. He stared at you and you wanted a hole in the ground to shallow you up until he smiles.

     "You look gorgeous," he said. You blushed and grinned, thanking him before saying that he looked great too. He drove you to the restaurant and on the way, you talked about music.

     You shared some of your favorites, he adored how well rounded you were. You liked pretty much everything from punk rock to the mellowest of mellow. Duff mentioned some of his favorites, some you made sure to remember the names of so you can check them out.

     When the ride was over and you finally got to the restaurant, your previous fears came back. Duff reassured you looked better than 90% of the people there and you knew it wasn't true but it made you feel better anyway.

     Your eyes widened to the size of saucers when you saw the prices of the food. You knew it'd be pricey but you thought there'd be more options that stayed within two digit numbers.

     Duff saw your panicked expression and said not to worry, he'd pay. It didn't settle your nerves enough and when the waiter came, you ordered the cheapest and simplest thing you could find.

     "Chicken noodle soup?" He teased. You shyly looked down and shrugged. "This isn't your scene, is it?"

     "Not exactly, no."

     "Want me to be completely honest with you?" You nodded. "It's not mine either."

     That's all it took for you and Duff to scramble sheepishly out of the restaurant. You both shared a laugh in the car and went to Burger King. It was much more your speed and, as you'd find out that night, Duff's too. You suppose all the money he's had since such a young age didn't completely change his ways. He was like a kid trapped in a 40 year old man's body.

     You'd thought at first the age gap would feel strange, after all, you were 15 years younger than him. But after that night, it was barely noticeable. Funny looks from strangers every once in a while was nothing.

     By the second date, Duff was already aware fancy spots weren't your forte. He told you it was a surprise and to wear something cozy, as LA nights got chilly.

     He packed a picnic basket and drove you out to the most beautiful flower field you had ever seen at sunset. It was secluded and high up, giving a perfect view of the city skyline. After gawking and taking in the sights for a few moments, you regained your ability to speak.

     "It's gorgeous. Pretty far from the city, did you take me here to kill me?" You joked. He laughed and rolled his eyes. His lighthearted laugh sent sparks straight to your heart, and you decided that it was your favorite sound.

     You unfolded the blanket Duff brought and you both sat down. You ate the sandwiches and sliced fruit Duff packed and talked. You talked about everything, from your family to fears and insecurities.

You told him how you suffer from nightmares. Flashbacks from your broken childhood coming back to bite you in your sleep. Duff shared how he's suffered from panic attacks since he was a teenager. You felt you knew each other for years.

Neither of you felt weird for sharing and neither made the other insecure. You were completely open and honest with each other. It was strange, you've never connected to quickly and effortlessly with someone before. Sure, you've had men in your life, but never had you clicked with someone so fast, never had you fit with someone so perfectly.

Hours passed and it felt like minutes. Only did you realize how late and how exhausted you were when you saw most of the city buildings light have gone off for the night. The city that didn't sleep was dark.

"I should get you home," Duff said to you.

"Will you stay the night?" You felt a little silly for asking. Were things going too fast? Would he even want to stay over?

He agreed, and that's how your first night together went. You both stayed up even later and had more lighthearted conversations, unlike the ones that partook at the field. Like how one of Duff's first jobs was at a bakery and could bake a mean cake and how you can't cook to save your life.

You ended up waking up without remembering falling asleep. You're head was placed comfortably on Duff's lap while his head was lolled back against the couch cushion. He looked so serene and peaceful you couldn't help but smile at the sight.

You made toast and somewhat successfully cooked some eggs and bacon. It might have been the first breakfast in years that didn't end with the smoke alarm going off.

Duff eventually wandered into the kitchen and you both ate. By the time he left, another date was already set up. He was like a drug an you were already hooked.

Months later and the addiction still wasn't kicked. You didn't want to, and Duff didn't seem to want you to quit either. You both soaked each other up like the sun on a warm day.

You had almost weekly dates and you stayed over each other's houses almost every other day. Duff did have his kids some days, though, so some days dates were cut short or Grace and Mae slept over his house and you wouldn't see each other.

You were always understanding, his kids came first and you'd never blame or get upset about it. It's something Duff admires about you, your never ending understanding and empathy for him.

One of those days where Duff stayed over at your house started normal. He cooked dinner and you washed the dishes, and then you put on an old Ramones concert you had on DVD.

You were laying on his chest, his fingers running through your hair when all of a sudden, he tensed up. He quickly stood and excused himself to the bathroom. You frowned but before you could think much of it, you heard a loud bang and something clatter to the ground.

You jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. You swung open the door because you were perfectly aware the lock hasn't worked since you moved in.

Duff was sitting on the floor, a pill bottle laying on its side not far from him. You quickly spot the name of the medication and identified it as your anti-anxiety pills. You shoved them aside and sat next to Duff.

He was sweating bullets and his skin felt cold and clammy, his breaths were labored and heartbeat was loud and pounding erratically. You coax him gently to take deep breaths, holding onto his hand tightly and talking quietly.

"I'm sorry, they come on randomly sometimes," he apologized after he'd called down, but you quickly shushed him. You reminded him of just how many nightmares he'd comforted you for and he stops feeling so bad about it.

     It was always a true partnership with Duff. Never had you felt you gave or took too much, it was always equal. Always a two way street, with everything.

That wasn't the last panic attack you had to help him come down from. Later down the line you've gotten better at calming him down and learning his triggers, even though sometimes they really do come on suddenly without reason.

A year into the relationship was when you met Grace and Mae. They were young and didn't completely understand why their parents weren't together anymore, so it took them a while to warm up to you. Luckily, they eventually came around.

Duff and Susan met up regularly to discuss their kids and co-parent properly. And while you had all the reason to be jealous of your boyfriend with his ex wife, you never did. You had complete confidence in him, he was honest and loyal and you doubted he'd ever hurt you purposely.

That's why it destroyed you when he left you. Tears were shed from both parties as he gave his reasons for breaking up with you. His insecurities he tried his best to bury had come to light and nothing could change his mind.

You thought you were completely honest with each other, but you suppose his doubt in his relationship with you was the one thing he kept secret. He had somehow convinced himself you'd be better without him, between the constant touring and the baggage that came with him and his kids, he finally buckled under the weight and stress.

You had tried to convince him that he was worth it, but if Duff is one thing it's stubborn. The best relationship you'd ever have and the best year of your life went down the drain within the matter of one conversation.

You were down in the dumps for days. You barely left your bed and didn't ever leave your house. You were in a depression and couldn't get out. A few of your friends eventually found out what had happened and broke into your house and shoved you into the shower before taking you to your favorite Chinese restaurant.

You felt like a disaster. Your hair was ratted despite the shower and you refused to put real clothes on, instead wearing sweatpants and a shirt Duff had left behind. You were a mess.

The hole in the wall restaurant was never busy but always had the best food. You were almost happy your friends dragged you out of your home until you saw Duff sitting at a table, eating egg rolls and lo mein.

You've came here together all the time. The high sodium in the food always made him sick to his stomach and you'd always end up giving him nausea remedies and tea. He never changed his order though.

You locked eyes with him for a while. Dark bags were under his eyes and he looked more pale than usual. He looked as terrible as you felt. You weren't sure if you were spitefully glad he felt awful or if the despair on his face just made your heart break further.

When you couldn't take his intense jade stare anymore, you looked up at the menu. The next time you looked back he was gone, you weren't sure if he was really there at all or if you were finally losing your mind for good.

     Another week crawled by. You got better enough to continue working. You had to pick up extra time for calling out for a few days after the breakup. You wouldn't say things were going well, but you weren't crying in bed every day all day anymore.

     You had constant dreams about him. Some were nice, ones where he didn't leave and you were together, holding each other tightly. Most were nightmares, flashbacks of when he left. You didn't have him to comfort you anymore when you woke up soaked in sweat and tears, and that might've been the worst.

     Another week went by, and you were starting to get back into the swing of things. You still thought about him, even silly little things reminded you of him. Like when you would catch a sniff of freshly baked sweets like he'd bake you or certain songs playing on the radio. It also didn't help that you ran into people wearing Guns n Roses shirts on the daily.

     You also refused to get rid of anything he'd left behind. Tee shirts, guitar picks he left from when he'd play for you, or CDs from bands he introduced you to. Reminders of what you lost were scattered around your home but you couldn't bring yourself to do anything about it.

     Suddenly, it's been a month. You weren't over him, but you had a feeling you'd never be completely. He was something special, you can't forget things as special as your relationship with Duff.

     His items still weren't thrown out or returned, instead all packed in a box sitting in your closet. But you'd be lying if you said you would never reach into the box to grab a shirt to sleep in or a CD to listen to when you needed a reminder of the good times. You were making progress though.

     You decided to leave your house one evening. You were feeling especially terrible and wanted to take a walk to clear your head. You went to the coffee shop you had first met Duff in. Maybe it was a mistake to go and get a flood of memories but you couldn't stop yourself.

     You sat in a seat near the window and people watched, taking occasional sips of your drink. It was quiet except from the talk of the workers and the hum of the overhead speakers.

     There was a sudden squeak of a chair of hardwood floors and it broke you out of your daze. You snapped your gaze up to meet the very familiar green eyes you've been trying to forget.

     "Can we talk?" He asked, and you couldn't say 'no.' Duff sat across from you and started off by apologizing.

     He said he wanted to talk to you sooner, but was too afraid you wouldn't want anything to do with him. You rolled your eyes at that, if only he knew just how much you missed him.

     He then started from the beginning and explained why he made the decision to leave you. As it turns out, it was mostly because of stress. His bandmate Scott was having problems with drugs and the flashbacks from his GnR days frightened him. He was worried he would end up relapsing and he didn't want to drag you down with him.

     Combine that with all the troubles that came with dating a single father, and he couldn't take it anymore. He felt too guilty.

     It all seemed like ridiculous reasons to you. Even if he had made the mistake of falling off the wagon, you still would've stuck with him. And you didn't mind his kids at all, after nearly a year of knowing them and you were very close to them.

     "I love you, Duff. I wouldn't have left you over that, I'd help you through anything. And I love Grace and Mae, too," you told him.

     "I know, but I didn't want you to have to deal with all that baggage." You frowned at that. You reached your hand across the table and grasped his, squeezing it tenderly.

     "You're worth it."

     After that day, you and Duff started seeing each other again. It wasn't the same as before, but maybe even better.

     You were more transparent with each other. If one had a worry or problem, you'd go to the other. You talked everything through with him and he did the same. Even if it seemed insignificant, talking everything through never failed to make it better.

    You were happier and healthier than ever before. Sure, there were a roadblock or two, but they only made the relationship even stronger, and you wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

[sareinadale]

mine was similar too! you see, i think i've always had a thing for stories since i was six. i remember wearing a bunny ear and this cute cotton tail while i recite the rabbit and the hare's story while being completely and utterly like a stick (stage fright lol).

when i was nine, my teacher chose me to be the narrator of a local fabled legend and the funny thing was: i somehow remembered the entire storyline without referring to the script/textbook.

when i was eleven, my english tuition teacher asked us to write a story - anything - complete with illustrations and all. there were no limits and guess what i wrote? a story about a magical mannequin on a quest to defeat an evil magician, all with the help of his two friends, ezra and emerza. the mannequin's name was rey.

it was obviously a mess but my teacher (bless them for not laughing at my work or anything) and praised me for the story. they still gave good feedback on my awful grammar, but my god, i was over the moon with their recognition.

also, you know how as a writer, you NEED to love reading books right? well i absolutely dread reading them. you see, english wasn't my first language and on top of that, i was a slow learner.

trudging on the trenches of english grammar and learning how to write coherently was a torture. my mom used to force me to borrow at least two books every week and expected me to finish and 'enjoy' them. i pretended to "read" all and what i'd do was pick up some strange vocabs like magnanimous, amiable etc. and write them down in my notebook.

even when i looked up for the meaning of these words, i was like "what does that even mean???"

buuuut i went on and fast forward to when i was in high school, i started writing more. not a single care to the quality that i poured in.

at that time, it happens that frozen and wattpad and fanfiction.net was THE thing and i was that every other ROTFBD (i dont remember the acronyms sorry) and ALMOST published a Jelsa series on wattpad. eventually my insecurity held me back and i never did it. && twitter roleplay. . . yes, the hobby that kept my passion going. the interplay between my obsession with frozen and roleplay were the biggest credit.

fast forward to about june last year and after a three year break from writing, i started writing non-stop (kinda) and i've never been happier!

from a professional standpoint, i knew i was meant to work in a writing-related roles. i've had the pleasure of working as a part-time "storyteller" for a social enterprise when i was 19, where i had to scout random strangers on the street for their life stories.

following this, i was lucky to land a role in content writing, where i was able to combine my interest in kpop and lifestyle-entertainment content. i nearly had a burnout with that job because i would be writing for 3-4 days worth of articles every week - but after working in 2 non-writing internships, i realized how much i'd rather do writing than anything else.

either way, in hindsight, it doesn't made sense that i started off disliking the act of reading books. but as i grow older, all the things that i did as a child all the way to where i am now, somehow made sense.

i do hope that i'll get to keep this passion going, whether in my personal life or professionally. i just can't imagine where i'll be or how different my life would be if it weren't for writing.

i’m so glad i started writing when i was young enough not to care that i was bad otherwise i absolutely would not have persevered long enough to become a good writer

[ginkgomoon]

Gavin's 'Falling Slowly' and Film 'Once'- Analysis

Since the beginning, I’ve wanted to do an analysis on the song Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, but since it was only mentioned twice (in Mark Date and Gavin’s Music and the Past Call), I thought it was going to be left at that. But because of the mention again in @cheri-translates' post, perhaps... there could be more to it. Because this song was made for the film Once, I had actually watched it earlier this year. I wasn’t going to post this analysis originally, but the trailer literally made me cry. After watching it with the knowledge from my first viewing, the trailer had a bigger impact on me that I didn’t expect. This allowed me to push on. Rewatching the film for this helped me realise some parallels between the film and Gavin’s history with MC, along with its song Falling Slowly. For me, the film was so heartfelt, vulnerable, honest and real. Just like the side that Gavin shows MC. It also had super hilarious moments that made me laugh so much while crying over the sad bits. Highly recommend this movie (if you don’t mind some occasional cursing!) Now I can say I’ve watched Once twice.

Below contains spoilers for Gavin's CN content (referring to Cheri's translations) and on the film.

“Your performance… was a miracle to me.” -Gavin

Once is a 2007 Irish romantic drama about two struggling artists in Dublin, Ireland. The film was turned into a musical and won various awards, with Falling Slowly winning at the Critics’ Choice Awards and the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song. This was on top of receiving a Grammy nomination. Once only had a budget of only $150,000 USD.

In an Interview with Glen Hansard (male lead), he stated that during the scene of Falling Slowly in the music store, director John Carney wanted this shot to be the centrepiece- just two musicians connecting through music. This scene where the actors first got together to perform and sing in harmony allowed the crew to maintain the perseverance needed to finish the film despite various major setbacks. (People kept buying the same piano in the music store featured because of this film LOL)

“The closest a non-musician will ever get to feeling what it feels like to write the song… or to discover… it was the most moving scenes of the film.” -The Interviewer

The first impression some viewers may have upon watching would be criticising the shakiness of the handheld cameras. However, the actual intention (from the ex-film student perspective that I had) was to give it a sense of realism. This film aims to depict more of real-life from the perspective of the main characters. Even the characters' names weren't disclosed as they were literally 'unknown artists' in everyday life. It was ultimately based on Carney’s own personal experience, while Hansard, wrote the music for the film.

“The movie is sad, funny, real, everything that life is and it gives you hope. It's about a moment that happens in life that may not come by again or may not last forever, but it just might have the greatest impact on you. I know I'll be watching "Once" again.” -A fellow Once viewer.

We are introduced to the male lead (Guy), playing the guitar and wanting to make it big with his music, who also fixes vacuums with his father for a living. He meets the female lead (Girl) and she bugs him into fixing her vacuum. In the beginning, he’s cold and doesn’t want to associate with her (especially after when she gives him 10 cents for his busking).

Look how grateful he looks-

Even when Gavin and MC met again after their separation, Gavin puts up a fragile guard in front of MC while protecting her from a distance, like in high school. And just like how Joe Zieja stated in his MLQC interview-

“Gavin is a really interesting character, especially when we first started out before he and the producer really had a relationship… Gavin’s very cold. He’s very business-like, he just wants to get stuff done. But it’s really neat to see Gavin’s shell melt over time as he develops a relationship with the producer.”

In the film, Guy finds out that Girl can play the piano, who learned it from her father before he passed. Turns out, Guy is heartbroken from his ex (who’s currently in London) who cheated on him. Girl tries to convince him to get her back with his songs.

Similarly, Gavin discovers MC’s music during his fall shown Campus Date, in the moments where he received his Evol. Gavin devotes his life to protect her.

(I also did a timeline of MC and Gavin’s high school history together here that also references these parts.)

*Casually dragging vacuum*

Together, they go to a music store and she plays Mendelssohn for him. Then finally, at 15:42 of the film, they start to play Falling Slowly.

(So good! So good!! When they start harmonising!!! No fancy editing or cuts- it’s just two artists and pure music.)

Through music, they connect with each other’s souls. Just like how MC saves Gavin with her music that fateful day. And soon enough, Gavin comes across MC playing another song in the music room.

That song was Falling Slowly. He doesn’t know the name of the song though, only remembering the melody. Later, he learns how to play the guitar because he liked it and thought that perhaps he could perform it to his special someone one day. Such moments had inspired Gavin to write and make his own songs then record them onto his CDs so that maybe one day she could listen to them.

A thought I had was that did Gavin hear the piano and decide to make a guitar version, only to figure out that he was the missing piece?

Even the music store owner was very impressed-

Just like how Gavin slowly begins to soften up to MC, in the film, the instrumental of Falling Slowly plays when Guy and Girl start to bond. Guy tries to talk to her more but she states that she “has responsibilities”. It’s revealed that she has a daughter at home and a husband still in the Czech Republic. Even so, together, they write and record songs for his journey to London- back to his ex and to pursue his dreams as a musician.

Later, they go out for a spin on his father’s motorbike- he even prepared another helmet for her (SPARKY 2.0??). He asks her to teach him how to say “how much do you love him?” in Czech when they talk about her husband upon finding out that she’s married. She replies with, “it is you I love” in Czech. But he has no idea what she said. (*Grips heart*)

He wants her to go to London with him, start a band, and sell out shows. But she can’t. The song they recorded together “When your mind’s made up” (I have this song on repeat) plays in the car as they drive to the beach before he leaves for London the next morning.

So, if you want something And you call, call Then I'll come running To fight and I'll be at your door When there's nothing worth running for

The music producer is clearly so impressed-

Together, they schedule a time to meet up just before he leaves for the airport. Guy waited all night till morning for her.

But she still doesn’t come. And that was the last time he ever saw her. Just like how MC wasn't able to see Gavin who waited the whole day before he left. This was shown in Old Days Date that I did a heart-gripping analysis on here.

Guy’s father had said, “make your Ma proud.” (*Cries upon remembering Gavin’s loving mother*)

In the end, still unable to reach her, Guy gifts Girl a piano. In the beginning, they had a conversation where they spoke about pianos being too expensive, hence why she kept going to the music store in order to be able to play. Even though they are both short on money, he still manages to buy her a piano- the same one they played Falling Slowly together.

And while the film comes to an end, Falling Slowly plays in the background while Guy is off to the airport.

*Dramatic power-walking*

This was a heartbreaking ending for the viewers because not only that they didn’t end up together, they weren’t able to see each other before he left. And it wasn’t disclosed why she couldn’t make it.

Nothing too fancy happens because again, this was to show a slice of real life, and this proves it to be more tragic and beautiful. It can’t really be described unless it’s experienced. And I had the chance of viewing it not once, but twice.

This film (and song) is important for Gavin and MC because, despite their complicated history of misunderstandings, he always wants to put their relationship first and make the most out of what they have now together. Girl had helped Guy achieve his record deal and pursue his dreams. She had done her part on his journey to becoming an artist and both had to part ways. Without her, he wouldn’t have been able to record his songs and leave. Likewise, without MC, Gavin wouldn’t be the man he is today (hence, Winter World). Gavin is very vocal about this as well.

Gavin lowers his head, and the light follows his movement, descending onto the scrapbook, illuminating every word he writes- “I’m very happy to have met you in the past.” -CN Mark Date

“It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. What matters is every moment I spend with you now.” -Sugar Figurine Phone Call

“Seeing you again is the best present I could hope for.” -The Best Gift Phone Call

"Even though I'm curious about the future as well... I care more about the present. For me, it's good enough to seize the day. As long as you're here. The next second will be everything I need. Protecting what I have now, is the best plan for the future." -School Legend ASMR

With Falling Slowly, it’s quite a straightforward, romantic song. Originally in the film, Guy wrote it about his ex-girlfriend so it does has some sad lyrics. MC didn't know how Gavin knew about it.

Teacher Zheng: Just now, MC mentioned that you play the guitar and bass incredibly. Could you let me hear it? It’d be best if the two of you could play together. I haven’t heard my Orchestra Leader play the piano in a very long time.

To be honest, this is not a “request” at all. If Teacher Zheng wants to hear it, I’ll definitely be willing to play for her. But Gavin…

I cast Gavin a probing glance, wondering if there’s a need to persuade him. To my surprise, he nods.

Gavin: I could, but I’m really not as skilled as she says.

Teacher Zheng: Haha that’s all right. I just want you to use your heart when performing. What’s important isn’t how good it sounds, but the heart.

Gavin: Could I borrow the guitar over there?

Teacher Zheng: Of course.

Basically shown in Mark Date, Gavin’s been preparing for this moment all this time. He already knows what song to play. And what’s so amazing is that the first instrument we hear is the guitar which leads the piano. Therefore, once Gavin plays his piece, MC would know what song it is and then join in with her piano. AND THEY WOULD SING TOGETHER.

Maybe it’s just my misperception, or the sunlight just happened to fall onto his eyes, but I keep feeling as though his eyes are even brighter than usual. It’s as though they are flashing with light.

This is a slightly melancholic song, but the moving light and wind seem to make it refreshing and clear.

🎶 Lyrics 🎶

It's a slower song to help listeners slowly take in the emotions, lyrics and main dueting instruments of piano and guitar with the occasional violin in the back. It's so simple, and yet so powerful.

The guitar has its solos and the piano appears more prominent in the chorus. In the beginning, it's just the guitar, with the piano joining in after.

[GUY & GIRL] I don't know you but I want you All the more for that Words fall through me and always fool me And I can't react And games that never amount To more than they're meant Will play themselves out

Gavin never got the chance to be close to MC in high school, so he showed his affection through other methods. He walked 10 metres behind her after school and was her silent guardian against those who had negative intentions towards her. In the library, he had tried to introduce himself to her, but she had already dashed off.

Before waiting for him to say the introduction he had rehearsed countless times in his heart, the girl had already uttered a “thank you” and hurriedly fled. -CN Tilted Time Rumours and Secrets

Gavin couldn't help but develop this softer side for her and didn’t know how to control it or express it other than doing things such as leaving strawberry milk on the piano and learning guitar in hopes of playing it for her one day.

Those "games" he's referring to were those things they did, such as MC smiling at him when crossing each others' paths in the hallways, and Gavin buying her hot drinks and only looking at her among the snowball fight chaos at school in the Winter. Gavin has no power over how everything will turn out, nor does he try to have complete control over it either.

"... I believe that some things are destined. Like..." -Gacha and Destiny Phone Call

[GUY & GIRL] Take this sinking boat and point it home We've still got time

This "sinking boat" of the relationship is what they're both trying to save. For Gavin, this could be suggested to be about himself.

In a split second, the noise ceases abruptly. After a moment of silence, whispers surface in the crowd. Vaguely, I can catch a few phrases.

“Bad.” “Fighting.” “Misfit.” -CN Mark Date

Gavin had a tough time in high school being the outcast, but MC kept him going, fighting in the name of justice. And had quite literally saved his life. She was his lighthouse when he was battling the rough waters back home. And MC- she was also his home.

“As he clenched his fists, a power deep down within awakened. It was a rapture of rebirth. A declaration of the end of darkness and the advent of the light.” -Campus Date

[GUY & GIRL] Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice You've made it now

Gavin wants her to realise his feelings, be around and talk to him more- and say "yes". But even so, he still gives her a choice not to, and would have to live with that. Gavin thought she already had when he departed and spent years thinking that her absence showed all of what had to be said.

[GUY & GIRL] Falling slowly, eyes that know me And I can't go back

Gavin's falling slowly for MC (compared to when he fell really fast before MC saved him LOL). Once he starts, he can and would never go back. He hopes that MC would see him the way he truly is.

MC: “I have one more thing to tell you. MC is a bit slow. She is not as good as you think, and will also be blinded by rumours…”

Gavin: “She’s a very nice person. What she thinks of me has nothing to do with anyone else." -Old Days Date

[GUY & GIRL] Moods that take me and erase me And I'm painted black

Gavin can't handle his feelings. (*Cries*)

After being in a daze in the piano room, he’d be in a daze in the library, continuously staring at the empty seat where MC used to sit, and I have no idea what he’s thinking about.

But I really didn't expect a person who sleeps in class to be in a daze in the library for an entire afternoon... Did Bro Gavin and MC have a fight recently? -CN Minor's Memos

[GUY] You have suffered enough And warred with yourself It's time that you won

He states that he understands that the girl had it rough, but if she was to be with him, she wouldn't get hurt. Gavin wants to be the one for her.

"MC, I want to make you happy forever. If... I hope that person is me." -First Year In-Game Birthday Visit

[GUY & GIRL] Take this sinking boat and point it home We've still got time Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice You've made it now

[GUY & GIRL] Falling slowly, sing your melody I'll sing it loud

Gavin recognises MC's "melody", and urges her to sing (her presence) and Gavin will listen and follow, singing his one, too. Together they will harmonise.

[GUY] Take it all Oh, I played the cards too late Now it's gone

The song finally ends with both the guitar and piano, whereas at the beginning it was just the guitar.

This part is the most powerful and heartbreaking. Gavin regretted not giving the farewell letter to MC directly- from "playing the cards too late", then suffers the loss of her, her presence, and her melody.

But fortunately, in the end, Gavin successfully returned home- to MC.

"Want to play for a while tonight? I haven’t heard you playing the piano in a long time too.

If possible, I’d like to make a song request.

How about “Falling Slowly”?

We could sit by the window and play it together again." -CN Gavin’s Weekly Text - Piano Concert

Somewhere, Gavin is happily playing Falling Slowly with MC.

[ultraclops]

Day 3: Be True To Yourself

Aka me literally just infodumping about my Ocs because I love them ♡

Brought to you by Colorvision! Yep, I decided to get off my lazy butt and color traditionally today :)

First off, Tiara Depurrnaire (She/Her)! A Sweetypie cat who's partially related to the Snugglemagne family and, in my timeskip AU, Adorabat's future girlfriend. Like Adorabat, she lost her leg to a monster while wandering the King's dungeons. She aspires to be just as brave as Adorabat but lacks the gall, being content to watch and learn from the sidelines. As they both get older Tiara realizes that she is a lesbian, and develops a mutual crush on Adorabat that turns into a relationship. As she ages, Tiara' aspirations to become a hero fade, and she settles for becoming a ballet teacher. She learns to be brave in her own way and unconditionally supports her monster-slaying adventuring partner, no matter how their paths diverge.

T H E Y (Also I need to post my full adult Adorabat design sometime)

Next up is Sherbet (They/Them), a Sweetypie rabbit who makes ice cream for a living! I don't really have a backstory for them but I believe they realized they were nonbinary in their younger years (around early middle school age) and have fully embraced their identity! They don't let anything get them down and are eager to cheer up the citizens of Pure Heart Valley, one ice cream cone at a time. They're also good acquaintances with Badgerclops and Adorabat, for obvious reasons. Their eyes function similarly to Badgerclops', as they only open when they feel strong emotions.

Next (and honestly one of my favorites) is Moa Nola (Xe/Xem), an agender Oriental Shorthair cat who, surprisingly, isn't related to the Mao clan. Xe originally started off as a joke character based on the misspelling of Mao Mao's name in "I'm Mao Mao", but I eventually grew attached to xem and gave xem a full-fledged backstory. Xe comes from a family of fishermen, but after xyr father was killed in a monster attack, xe decided that xe wanted to become a legendary monster hunter. Xe created xyr cloak after xyr first successful monster fight. After being mistaken for the son of Shin Mao too many times, xe used it to xyr advantage and began going under Mao Mao's title for a while. However, after being stopped by Mao Mao himself, xe dropped the act and began looking for a new sense of purpose. Ironically, xe starts collecting antique ventriloquist dummies similar to Mr. Din Danalin.

Following up on the "based on a misspelling" theme is Rhapsody (She/They), a femme-aligned nonbinary Sweetypie vampire bat inspired by Adorabat's name being mistranslated as "doorbat" in YouTube autocaptions. She is Adorabat maternal cousin, as their mother is Sonara's sister. Rhapsody was heavily impacted by Sonara's death, but rather than becoming tough like Adorabat or overprotective like Eugene, she became more reserved out of fear that they could be next. In other words, she became a doorbat (haha funny). With the arrival of Mao Mao and Badgerclops, plus the defeat of the monster that killed their aunt, Rhapsody begins to come out of her shell and indulges in their biggest passion - music. Like Adorabat she learns to use their voice as a weapon, but hers is more of a siren's song than a sonic screech. In my timeskip AU, they leave Pure Heart Valley to become a popstar, writing songs inspired by her childhood memories and their home. It's obscured by the flag but the marking on her chest is a bleeding heart, emphasizing her passionate drive.

(Rhapsody's kid and adult forms [kinda old])

+ OCs of mine I didn't feel like making alternate drawings for:

Buzz-Buzz (Zhe/Ze/Zhey), a demigender Sweetypie bumblebee bat who protects the bees of Pure Heart Valley! Despite zer small stature, zhe is actually an adult, just naturally small. Zhe also grows herbs on the side and volunteers at the Pure Heart Valley hospital. Primarily because zhe has a crush on the head doctor there... (I did not make zer to selfship with Cuddlestein. Nope. Not at all.)

My Badgermao "fankid", Sai (They/He/It)! I say "fankid" in air quotes because they're from an AU where Badgerclops' spare arm became corrupt and gained a conscience. Their robot arm is actually their body - the rest of their body is a projection of light, similar to the gems from Steven Universe! They have masculine programming (as their AI was made using Badgerclops's DNA a la Cortana from Halo), but identify as agender and use they/he/it pronouns. Originally they began as a blank slate with no personality aside from the programmed personality Badgerclops gave them, but they eventually grow their own personality and moral compass as they analyze the Sheriff's Department's work. Just like Badgerclops, they have a passion for building robots and weapons, and can even modify themselves to fit the situation! Most of their creations are usually for fun, though.

Anf the last one I have a reference for but not the least, Karma Vesper (She/They)! This one is actually my self-insert, lol. She is a biro-ace demigirl Javanese Cream-Point Cat! Her necklace was a gift from her family, and her hood was a gift from her mentor. After her village was ambushed by criminals, she became a wandering hero, and accidentally stumbled upon Pure Heart Valley while following a report of increased monster activity. At some point during her adventures alone she realized that she was biro-ace, since she felt no sexual attraction but still felt romantic attraction. Around the time she came to Pure Heart Valley she realized that she never really felt, like, 100% a GIRL girl (if that makes sense) and began identifying as a demigirl. (Yes this is my hidden self-actualization story :>) She enjoys researching gemstones and ancient artifacts, and the Ruby Pure Heart immediately caught her attention once she laid eyes on it. While she is still a wandering hero, she has a temporary residence in Pure Heart Valley, where she stays to research the Heart's powers as well as assist the townspeople. Her and the Sheriff's Department didn't start out on the best terms since Mao was worried she was trying to replace them, but they tolerate each other now.

+ the OCs I don't have references for:

I did have a reference for these guys but idk where it is rn ;-;. Anywway, my most recent OCs and also some of my favorite OCs are Bernard and Pierre, a black bear and polar bear respectively (both use He/Him)! They are both gay and in a healthy relationship & live in a cabin in the forest together. They are just. Two old gay granddads and I love them. Anyway! They both met after an accident which caused Bernard to blow out his left knee and Pierre to lose his left hand; they had been best friends since, and boyfriends later on! Bernard is a baker while Pierre is a wood carver, although they indulge in each other's interests as well. For the most part they just stay in their cabin in the forest, but they leave to buy groceries and sell their products.

And the final OC I'm gonna talk about is Storm Mao (They/Them)! They're from an AU where Mao was born in a litter of five, like his sisters. Ever since Storm were young, they felt like weren't "normal" compared to their siblings. They didn't feel like a girl or a boy. After Mao came out as a trans boy, they began questioning themselves further. Eventually they decided to ask Contacts Sister for help, as she was among the smartest of the Mao children. Contacts explained to Storm that there are people who don't identify as a boy or a girl, and Storm realized they weren't alone. Since then, they started identifying as nonbinary and began using they/them pronouns, and their family supported their decision. Aside from them and Mao, their litter siblings are also LGBTQ+ - Mamoru (He/Him) is AroAce, Bernadette (She/Her) is bi and Zhijun (He/Him) is gay. I'd talk about the AU more in a separate post, if anyone wants me too^ ^;;

If I remember any other LGBTQ+ OCs I have, I'll reblog with them ✌

[aeoneris]

ahhh i feel all of this completely! and thank you for replying/enjoying that post i made heheh. sorry for long post coming back at you but i have so much to say.

part of the reason why i got so attached to rise was the fact it felt like the hunter really has history with kamura. i think it even really started with just the way hinoa and minoto are in the opening cutscene, barging into your house in such a familiar way lol. and then when you talk to all the villagers, so many of them just... know you. the hunter is an established character themself, and i think the fact they finally gave them voiced lines in battle also helped. when i started playing, i didn't expect to ever feel any kind of emotional attachment in this game because yeah, previous monhuns have really just been about "go hunt the monster" while talking to npcs that don't have actual names. but rise wound up being so different with the colorful cast. it wasn't until my second playthrough that i really kept up with ayame's growth from beating herself up for being injured, to becoming determined to hunt again. and learning about hamon's fear of palamutes but eventually learning to understand iori's hobby of taking care of them. there's even bits of character development with utsushi LOL... here's one example, but there's another example where after that, eventually when you get to the primordial malzeno fight, he fully trusts that you'll be okay on your own, no longer afraid of you getting hurt.

and coming to the point that, yeah! it IS easy to miss this flavor text! i wish you didn't have to go out of the way for it, but at the same time if they had put this all on the forefront in the story, would a majority of monhun fans like that? i would've loved that, but i think it would have made this game even more divisive, so who knows... i was watching a really good video critique of rise, and while i liked the points they gave, even the ones i didn't agree with, i had to do a double take because OP said something along the lines of like "having a setting where you feel lived in and a part of the thing makes it more immersive" and i was like YEAH- only to hear them follow up with "rise doesn't do this, is dull, and not as immersive" and i got so confused because i was like... did we play the same game??? rise literally did that, at least more than any previous monhun I've played. but i realized that maybe OP was critiquing the fact the colorful dialogue IS missable. which, yeah- i would even point out that maybe for people who didn't pay attention to kagero and yomogi's flavor text, or never got to read the sunbreak story about kagero's letter/their history that they released on Twitter/social media, the title update 5 cutscene could have been confusing to see such an emotional scene out of nowhere without context. It makes me wonder what Rise could have been if it weren't affected by the pandemic.

funny thing- now i'm so sorry for this, but i need to explain the utsushi rabbit hole

i wound up getting attached to utsushi and finding his japanese fan community late 2021, and ive been chatting with them since. I found out that, a lot of ppl also experienced the same thing i did and what you mentioned: they missed a lot of utsushi's flavor text in base rise bc they didn't talk to him much, and therefore didn't even think much of him until after the fact. I think what really got things going was when they released his DLC voice and learned about his... extremely affectionate lines when it comes to mew mew and blowing a kiss LOL. even for me, I only picked up on utsushi's antics once i saw the official art of him (realizing "hey he's got a cute design actually") and eventually encountering utsushi x hunter fanart on pixiv

things went deeper than i expected...

i confirmed that ppl really did notice that it was unusual for an instructor character to refer to his pupil in japanese as "manadeshi (beloved/dearest disciple)" and be so close to the hunter. he was already popular enough that by valentine's day 2022, fans literally sent chocolates to capcom addressed to utsushi. i knew about this for a while, but i was shook that they wound up officially addressing that this really happened during the last update video. after they received his chocolates, they immediately got one of the (i believe female) illustrators on rise to draw that really cute valentine's day art of utsushi. the japanese tweet for that artwork had even a little bit more text than the english one...

that "i'll always be watching over you" line... we started to suspect capcom had been seeing that niche fan community's love for utsushi, and they started to kind of troll us??? LOL

throughout the previews of sunbreak last year, they would start obsessively sneaking utsushi into those chibi artworks. and when npc followers were announced, people were scrambling to find out if he was going to be one of them, but there was some weird radio silence about him

in one of the earlier trailers that showed the elgado hub for the first time, there was a very short part of the clip where ppl could see someone standing in the distance at the corner of the screen. all the utsushi fans went nuts because they were taking a magnifying glass and zooming up at there wondering if it was really him, because everyone wanted him to be there in sunbreak LOL. of course we'd eventually find out that would be his perch for most of the game :)

it was only during the final preview trailer before the release of sunbreak did they finally announce utsushi as a follower, as if they were saving the best for last. and sunbreak dropped, we got to see him in elgado and enjoy hunting with him, and it didn't end there. he wound up being featured in two of the short stories released last summer, and we would not forget this incident.

when i think about people who didn't really follow flavor texts, i wonder if utsushi joining the hunter in the battle against amatsu was strange, because he has such a spotlight on him, even being the one who allows you to ride an apex. if people didn't love him before, certainly people would love him now finally, during the last update video...

we got this line from the director LOL, finding out that utsushi wound up being his personal favorite character in rise

all in all, i think i mean to say that if you really did keep up with the flavor text of rise, the pay off was even better! and it is a shame when this stuff is mostly optional or you have to go out of the way for it. but making a monhun where story and character interactions are more on the forefront... i hope if they do it, then they do it in a way where everyone can enjoy it and not feel like they missed out. i hope that future monhuns keep giving us colorful casts to have fun with

sometimes i regret the way i titled the unhinged thread of screenshots supporting utsushi's undying passion for the hunter, because i know how annoying it is when people are like "MY SHIP IS CANON THIS IS WHY" ... but u know i'm all about peace and love and im just a lil insane over these details and i love all the hunter ships. it's just so god damned funny seeing how utsushi's role in risebreak play out like. u just had to be there

[dontjudgemebymykpoptrash]

Saw A.C.E in Chicago and Atlanta this week and had meet and greet packages for both stops (no I couldn't afford it, yes my bank account overdrafted whoops).

It was ammazingggg. LONG STORY AHEAD.

The question I asked was answered by Chan. Bless his heart he struggled so much to say my name and I was in the second row on the furthest side from him. I stood up and waved so he could see me. They asked how to pronounce my name and BK actually said it perfectly, I was so impressed!

The question that was chosen was "What hobby do you want to try that you haven't tried before". He said Cooking, cause he isn't good at it and Donghun won't eat his food.

When the item signing started, BK would interact with us a lot and the girls in front of us took the liberty of teaching him the phrase "Let's get this bread." His face when they explained that bread = money was priceless. Experiencing that magical moment will live with me forever since he has been saying it nonstop since then.

So since PLT I've decided my "thing" for each autograph I can get is making my dumb pun fans. Eventually I'll just have a wall of these dang things and I'm excited about it. I made one for each my friend and me. Here's mine.

The other thing I prepared for them I kept super secret because I very much wanted to see their reaction to it. I didn't post it publicly anywhere. In line with Choice teasingly referring to Junhee as a lizard much to the delight of the fandom and the rest of A.C.E while hysterically bugging Jun, I couldn't resist... I'd always wanted to give away cute things at concerts but since I'm also an asshole I used my exceptionally mediocre photoshop skills to make

These beauties.

I originally only had 150 to hand out and I was actually worried I wouldn't be able to get rid of them all. I thought people might think they're dumb and not want any. Then due to a print shop mistake I ended up with 650. Whoops.

Before the meet and greet they tell us explicitly we are not allowed to give them anything and if they catch us trying to sneak them something they'll escort us out. My plan to see their reaction was almost destroyed! But I was very graciously given permission to -show- them the card, not give it to them (don't worry. They each got two in their gift boxes).

A.C.E tends to always stand/sit in the same order, so just as I expected, Chan was up first. He understood the pun of my fan! He thought it was really cute and gave such a big reaction I was pleased. Then I showed him the card and it was even bigger. I told him it was Junhee and he full on kicked out a leg and hit the table as he laughed which made me happy. He shook my hand.

Up next was Donghun who was the most quiet. I showed him the card after he signed my fan and he asked who it was. I told him it was Jun and he laughed and probably judged me a lot but then he gave me a high five and interlaced our fingers for a moment so I didn't feel completely embarrassed. The person behind me was so excited they moved onto Donghun before Jun was ready for me so I was waiting in limbo for a few seconds.

Leader Jun in the middle, the reaction I wanted most. He signed my fan and then I put the card down for him to see. He asked who it was, he seemed surprised. I told him it was him and he laughed and tried to deny it. He asked what kind of lizard it was, I told him it was a giant day gecko because I think they're the cutest. I told him I made sure to give them some in their gift box, and that we would see him again in Atlanta. He shook my hand and then the person behind me got excited again lol.

Byeongkwan was next! This boy is an absolute doll okay? The first thing he said to me is that he liked my lipstick (it was green). He signed my fan, then I showed him the card and he was beyond stoked. He laughed so loud and even held it up to Jun pointing it out to everyone. I promised him he got two in his gift box. He asked if I made one of each member and I told him no, but promised him I would next year (me and my big mouth). He held my hand and interlaced fingers and was just so sweet until the person behind me encouraged me on again.

WOW. OKAY. So Sehyoon is my bias af I was VISIBLY SHAKING at this point and as I set my fan down it so obnoxiously tapped the table several times. He tapped his lips and pointed at mine and said "pretty". I thanked him and said it was green for "cactus". I'm not sure if he understood cause he just repeated "cactus" and cocked his head slightly before signing my fan. Then I showed him the card. He asked who it was and I said Jun. He laughed a little and then I told him he was my favorite. He had the quietest lil thank you, then took my hand in both his soft tiny bby hands and I think my brain melted cause I couldnt make eye contact anymore it was too much. Just thinking about it is making my heart hurt. (To be clear, I am in no way special, he held everyone's hand the same way).

After that, we did the pictures! I very shyly wanted to stand between BK and Wow. I didn't do anything special this time around cause the pose I wanted was done by two other people so I just asked for cute cheek pokies. They were having so much fun with people so that inspired my next photo request. As I was walking away from the photo BK told me again that he really liked my lipstick and I was over the moon.

I brought about half the cards with me to hand out hoping I wouldn't have extras and people LOVED THEM? I ran out and felt bad that I didn't bring more!

The concert was AWESOME!! They're so interactive with fans I had several moments with EACH of them, but my favorite is when Wow kicked up a heart and he saw me catch it all goofy instead of letting him hit the woah and he laughed and mimicked me. He also handed me two lollipops (I gave one to my friend) but I'm never gonna eat it.

For the hi touch Chan handed us our photo cards, and hi fived us. They were oddly out of order (chan, Donghun, BK, Wow, Jun). I managed to tell him and Donghun they did amazing, then BK told me AGAIN he still loved my lips. I was so excited I told him "it'll be BLUE next time" and he said "oh!" BUT BY DOING THAT MY DUMBASS MISSED THE CHANCE TO LOOK INTO WOW'S AND JUN'S EYES UGH I WAS SO UPSET AT MYSELF also I got yelled at by security (rightly so).

Next is Atlanta!

I started handing out cards earlier and got worried again cause there were quite a few people that weren't interested at all. Fortunately by the end of the show there were so many people wanting them I offered to do a reprint if necessary. Some people even said they were going through the hi touch holding it up which I LOVED.

Anyway, this time during the Meet and Greet I was in the front row directly in front Byeongkwan and Wow. I WAS NOT OKAY. I kept making eye contact and getting so shy ugh. Byeongkwan recognized me and tapped his lips and winked when he saw me (I was wearing blue lipstick this time). BK got my question (the interpreter said my name perfectly without me needing to tell her, I was so impressed!) I asked what concept they wanted to try that they hadn't tried yet. He said they had already done everything and I cocked my head giving him a disbelieving look. He then admitted that they hadn't done the cutesy boy concept and I lost it- I cant imagine them trying to pull that off.

For future Choice in my position- these boys have ears like BATS okay. There was one time Jun said something like "it's his choice." And I quietly said to the person next to me "no we're choice." And he looked at me and said "You're right! You're all choice!" I was shook.

Wow got asked what his favorite dessert to eat is and he said chocolate anything, then listed things "Chocolate cake. Chocolate ice cream. Chocolate rice." At this point everyone exclaims and he gets his silly lil smile and says "Chocolate fish." And everyone loses it. It was so funny and cute.

Later Jun was asked if he preferred pancakes or waffles and it was a really hard question for him. He said he had been eating more pancakes since coming to the US but he liked both a lot. He just didn't like Chocolate pancakes and I said "cause Wow eats them all?" And wow just very dreamily says "Choco pancakes...." I about died.

BK was asked if he wanted to go to the aquarium and he said he really hoped to. He asked if there were beluga and everyone said yes but I said "But they have WHALE SHARKS!" which imo is the coolest thing about the Georgia aquarium. None of them seemed to know exactly what I meant but they were excited by the concept of the words "whale" and "shark" together. (Spoiler alert: The next day they totally went and got pics with the whale shark).

Finally BK asked where people recommended they eat. Someone suggested sushi at first. I thought it was funny to recommend sushi when visiting the US. BK seemed of the same mindset so chicken and waffles came up and Jun loudly said WAFFLES! To which, Wow said in his same dreamy tone "chocolate waffles" and I looked at him and said "chocolate chicken?" embarrassing the HELL out of myself cause everyone was super grossed out by it and making a scene. I hid but my friend said Wow thought it was funny. I think she was trying to make me feel better.

So the item signing time comes up. My DUMB ASS forgot my album at home so the day before I had gone on a panicked shopping spree and decided on a pot for my cactus.

Chan was up first as usual. He recognized me and asked if I was in Chicago and I said yes! He asked what the pot was and I told him it was for my cactus plant. He was so adorable, while he was signing it he said quietly "grow well." So now it has to. This time he did not do a high five with me.

Next was Donghun. He looked so confused at my pot. I told him it was for my cactus and he just kinda nodded. It was very quiet because I had tried to learn a short phrase for him in korean but I got too nervous and I couldn't say it. I just thanked him. I'll have to keep practicing.

Jun was next and also asked me if I had been in Chicago and thanked me for coming again. I told him it was my last stop but I knew they would keep doing amazing. He asked about the pot and said it was so cute and signed super big. He shook my hand.

BK was next and he complimented my lips again. I asked him if he liked the green or blue better and he said both were good. He asked about the pot and signed it for me, he said it was cute and he liked it. He high fived me when it was time to move on.

WOW. AGAIN. okay so he asked about the pot and I said it was for my cactus and he mimed planting a cactus while looking up at me and I nodded while melting cause he is SO GODDAMN CUTE OKAY. Then while he was signing it I worked up my courage cause I had tried to learn a phrase for him as well BUT I MESSED UP I MESSED UP SO BAD IT WAS BAD OKAY. He was so confused and thank GOD the interpreter was right there and she asked "what are you trying to say" and she helped me say it. I was SO EMBARRASSED I had practiced so much and was saying it SO WELL up until that moment. Once I managed he smiled and said I did good then took my hand and said something which the interpreter translated for me and I just grabbed my heart with my free hand and then had to just cover my face I couldnt handle it. Walking away was hard but staying was harder.

Of course that just put me back in my seat directly in front of him.

Dont judge me, but I was trying to say, "You're so awesome it makes my heart hurt." And his response was "Then I'll prescribe you some medicine" and I KNOW its cheesy and overdone but I wanted that moment once for me so I took my chance. Anyway I looked like a damn fool but it was over.

The last dumb thing I did as the signing went on cause we kept making random eye contact and I got self conscious of always looking away. One of the times Wow and I met eyes I winked and shot finger guns and his eyebrows raised ever so slightly and I wanted to sink into the floor and die so I hid my face again. He looked so surprised like what WAS I THINKING WHY DID I DO THAT AAAAAAAA.

Anyway.

Here's my cute cheap pot!

Next was pictures. This time I had a plan. I asked them to pose ugly with me. They were surprised and asked for clarification twice, BK even asked me in english and I said "yes, ugly faces. If you can! If it's even possible." I wonder if it's the first time theyve ever been requested to do that. Anyway that's gonna be my thing too with the punny fan from now on. They did their best and it's absolutely adorable. Afterward BK walked up to me and wanted to see the pictures I took so I showed him. After he walked away it occured to me how fun and casual that was, that he just came over to look at pics together. I love this boy so much damb.

The atlanta show was amazing but the stage was so high up and far away there was no direct interaction possible. They made up for it with even more interaction! BK and Donghun each danced with me. I made a heart with my friend and Chan winked and laughed cause it looked like she begrudgingly made the heart with me when in reality she just couldnt hear me and couldnt tell what I was asking. Wow played a heart escalating game with me and he won so I made a dumb cute face and he laughed.

At hi touch I was determined not to miss Wow again. The order was the same except Donghun and Chan switched. I told them they did really amazing, a great show! Then BK said "Best lips!" To me and I got so excited but still didnt want to miss Wow, I loudly repeated "Best Lips!" While making eye contact and high fiving this poor man so hard, then for Jun I said "Don't forget!" And he was just so unprepared for me because I was unprepared for me but I WAS SO HYPED UP I LOST MY LAST BRAINCELL ITS STILL IN ATLANTA GUYS ITS GONE FOREVER.

So anyway that was a lot of unnecessary details about my specific adventures with A.C.E and I loved them so much and maybe one person will read this and smile but mostly I just want to try and remember as much detail as possible. I'll add things as I remember if I forgot something. Anyway dont be like me hahahaHAHAHA.

Also highkey if BK or one of the boys ends up with a bold lipstick color for a comeback or promotions in the next year or so I'm taking full credit.