#anyway yeah i liked the concept of this so much i thought i'd share

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

still thinking about the dream i had the other night where me and grian chatten dismantled my childhood wardrobe (the place i used to hide when things were bad) and turned it into kintsugi

[sunshine-scented]

Hehe Hello hello Can i request Wukong, Macaque and Mk ( platonic on Mk one, because Wanna make Reader being a mother to him )

A goddess Reader that's well Tf so gorgeous so handsome they can cook they can do anything so basically How they Thought and say like " Hm? Oh reader yeah i know him they blablabla " On reader just wanna seee i might love this one

Olso have a great day luv your Work And take a rest and drink a lot of water

- ✨ Yuzex ✨

Cute~ I've definitely heard about these type of concepts before, I'm glad I get to make one of them!

❀ Tell me more, don't be shy ❀

: Them talking about their s/o when asked, voice lines hc!

: Sun Wukong, Macaque, MK(platonic) x reader

: Fluff!!

Sun Wukong

About (Name); showing off

"You've met (Name) already? I mean, that's great and all but I was the first one to meet them so hah! What do you mean that it doesn't matter? Uh, duh? It's (Name)?? The best person you will ever meet in your entire life until you die???? Keep up bud"

About (Name); hidden secret

"Wh...what are you doing touching me like that? Huh? (Name) told you I liked scratches on my fur? Wha— ughhh, I told them to keep it a secrettt...whatever, you're not allowed to touch me, only (Name) is allowed in that, hmph"

About (Name); Adoring

"If there's one thing I absolute adore about (Name) that isn't them existing, it's them in general. No really, I mean it. I love how they make me feel better by just talking to me about the weather, I love how easy it is to be myself with them. I just love them so much you know? It's hard to explain but basically, if they were to disappear in this world, then I would flatten mountains, empty oceans, and flip the world upside down until I get them back into my arms."

About (Name); Facts

"Did you know (Name) liked that color in their shirts? I always see them wear those kind of clothes with that style. Oh! Those birds over there yeah? They think they're cute and often stare at them when they're zoning out. And that one over there? That's their favorite place to eat. Also— MPHH?! Ack- why did you cover my mouth all of the sudden?! Yeesh, have some respect, anyways, did you know that (Name) really liked those kind of shoes—"

Six eared Macaque

About (Name); first impressions

"To be completely honest, I didn't think I'd like them as much as I do now. I thought that they were just some ordinary being not worth my time, yet when they talked to me over and over again, suddenly, I felt rather...lonely whenever they're gone. Heh, how annoying of them♡"

About (Name); soft spots

"...You won't leave me alone until I tell you more about (Name) huh? You're lucky I like talking about them so much. However, if I did try talking about them more we'd be here until I decide to stop holding grudges..Huh? I'm going soft? You seriously just realized?"

About (Name); voice

"(Name) once told me that they found my voice soothing to listen to. I'll admit, it took me by surprise the first time they mentioned it, yet that boldness they showed at that moment was attractive of them. Telling me something I never knew people liked about me? And told by the one person you'd kill a whole nation for? Sends shivers down my spine"

About (Name); Sleep

"Knowing me, I never got a lot of sleep. And even if I did it's probably somewhere about 4 hours and then boom, a nightmare to haunt my life until I die. Twice. As cliche as it sounds, I sleep better when (Name) is with me. Something about their arms sharing their warmth into mine never fails to lull me to sleep. Perhaps it's also the fact that they sometimes hum small melodies or run their hands onto my hair to sooth me from whatever's on my mind. It's now mandatory that they stay with me everytime I'm going to sleep, hopefully they don't mind~"

MK

About (Name); excitement

"Huh?! You know about (Name)?!?! That's so cool! (Name)'s so cool!!!! They're so nice and caring and amazing and caring and nice and caring you know? I want to grow up to be just as nice and caring and amazing and caring and caring and nice as them!"

About (Name); injuries

"Look! I'm a mummy! Hehehe I'm not actually one, it's just that I got into this hugee battle with a demon and the aftermath got me all these scars and bruises. (Name) was not happy, gosh, the look on their face when they wrapped bandages on my body while they gave me a whole hour long lecture was so..*shiver* remind me to take better care of myself please"

About (Name); snacks

"My bag is a little bit heavier than usual, maybe it's because of the multiple snacks (Name) keeps inside it. I mean, I'm not complaining, I like the snacks they give me. But a hero's gotta have agility too you know! How am I gonna heroically jump on buildings and beat demons with a heavy bag of super delicious extremely amazing and over the top golden snacks that (Name) gives me?"

About (Name); Lessons

"I think (Name) saw how stressed I am with this whole hero thing, first it was DBK, then spider queen, LDB and now this Asare Leon guy or whatever his name was. It's like I can't keep anything from them. Yet, they still treated me gently and talked to me about how everything happens for a reason, I'm living this life because I'm strong enough to live it. Honestly, I'm glad they told me this, if it weren't for them, I would have been eaten alive by some stinky demon, ewww"

I'm trying so hard not to make another Nezha fic it's literally mental torture

[piko-power]

Being a Sonamy fan is hard (and just being an Amy Rose fan in general)

*quick note, I have only seen a few leaks regarding Sonic X Shadow Generations so take this post with a grain of salt and please add in some stuff about the game that I should be aware of because I have a feeling that this post might be incorrect about a lot of things*

*contains possible Sonic X Shadow Generations spoilers*

Being in love with Sonic isn't Amy's only trait. She is something more. She's a baker, a tarot card user, she's got a strong heart of gold, and is just a passionate and cheerful cute little weird girl.

As a Sonamy fan, these "changes" are nothing special or big, it's still just Amy being Amy, but this time more than just wanting to be with Sonic. I am aware of that one edit where Amy was trying to give Sonic cupcakes. It's really cute, but it's not the same without the hand over her face. Am I complaining? Yes, and no, it's hard to describe. (I don't have the image with me atm but in the future I'll edited in on this post)

I'm not complaining because we are seeing Amy just doing more than just, loving over Sonic. She still is in that cutscene, and most of the game as far as I'm concerned (I haven't seen all of the leaks), but in a more calmer fashion.

But at the same time, I am complaining because, and I highly doubt SEGA is doing this, at least on purpose, but Amy's crush on Sonic feels like is getting buried in a way.

I kind of worry that a newer generation of Sonic fans will never find out about Amy's crush for Sonic, or just how wonderful their dynamic in general is if this keeps going on.

I know it won't, but still, we haven't been seeing that a lot. But at least if you want to introduce new fans Sonic and Amy's dynamic, platonically or romantically, make sure to not bring up Heroes or a couple of X episodes please LMAO

(But that one episode where Amy and Sam talk about her relationship with Sonic, yeah, bring that one up. OH. and the last episode of Season 2, don't forget about that one.)

Look, we're all high on Son/adow right now, and it feels good, but what about Sonamy? Sonamy and Son/adow have a lot in common and are both really good with angst potential and lots of great character interactions. At least in my opinion anyway. (Topic for another day, if I'm brave enough)

I love them both equally, so I want to see an equal amount of hedgehog dorks being together. Or better yet, Sonamyshad. 😎

But I'm getting slight off-topic...

I don't want Amy's crush to be forgotten. You don't even have to like Sonamy to understand why and how Amy's feelings for him is actually really important for her character. (Again, topic for another day)

I mean, of course, some reasons as of why relate to my personal headcanons, but there are other good in-canon reasons, too!

Hell, even Sonic and Amy's friendship is just as important. They don't have to be a couple, but that doesn't mean we have to pretend that Amy never fell in love with the hedgehog who saved her life in more ways than one.

I also don't want how much Sonic and Amy's relationship improved throughout the years to be forgotten, either. This is why I'd rather have the shot of Sonic's covering her face with his hand, because he wouldn't do this today, and that's the point of all this...

They both started off as goofy, little kids, one wanting to share her love like wildfire, and the other always running off, not understanding the concept of love, and, of course, not loving her back.

Amy was much more loud and expressive about her love, and Sonic, while he knows there is good in Amy, does not want to be part of a relationship, and doesn't know how to talk things out about it, even with Amy not taking "no" for an answer. The solution? Just run away lol

Yeah, there are times where he called her a "pain" and thought of her as "annoying," but those times he was either in a hurry, or in a bad mood. Remember: They were both younger at the time, so it's in-character for Sonic at that age.

Sonic and Amy don't have a lot of moments where they're just, together. And not just for a "date." Sonic doesn't know a lot about Amy other than her love for him. ...Okay, some things he does know, but not a lot.

Their relationship was beginning to shift after the events of Lost World and especially after Forces, which I would explain, but I'm gonna put a link here because I don't want this post to be too long.

But if you have read it, then the next couple of texts would have some context lol

Anyways, after all that, Sonic and Amy's relationship was a lot different now. Amy was more calm but still cheerful, just not showing a lot of her love for Sonic because she's fully aware that none of that is important, and Sonic was more gentle around her because he wanted to be better than how he acted towards her for a while.

They both just want to hang out and start over as proper friends, but eventually, Sonic would find out what Amy was going through mentally, and how long she kept this from him.

Perhaps after that, Sonic wouldn't mind being closer to Amy, but he still has a world to look after. But hey, maybe slowing down and letting Amy catch up with him won't be so bad. Besides, he's finally seeing her happy with just him for the first time in a while, and he never realized just how much he missed it until now.

Buuuuut, those are just my headcanons, like I mentioned earlier. We all have our reasons why we love or dislike a ship (as long as it's not gross), and I have my own.

These two, just like son/adow, hold a special place in my heart because of what I went through myself, and how much they both have grown, and I truly hope that their relationship and friendship won't be forgotten.

I know it won't happen, but I still have that feeling... Probably because no body cares about their dynamic as much anymore.

Because of the past and people misinterpreting the ship, and Amy's character as a whole, the fandom seemed to care less about it. I mean, I don't blame them, but... it's still pretty messed up.

It's fine if you don't like sonamy, but I really hope you dislike it for a genuine reason, and not just because of some fans getting some things, or worse, everything about Amy and/or the ship wrong.

Amy's character arcs through the games, and her and Sonic's dynamic through the years have been overlooked as far as I'm concerned. Not like heavily overlooked, it's just that it's been a while since I've seen people give a damn about Amy Rose, especially SEGA.

I know we got The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, but I feel like that's not enough.

What's going on with Sonic X Shadow Generations is pretty strange, but first of all, it's not Ian's fault god dammit, and second, I don't see it as a big deal. I haven't seen most of the leaks, but as far as I'm concerned, it's not that bad.

(But I have heard about that one cutscene with Knuckles and Classic Sonic and I couldn't help but laugh my ass off over it XD)

But with how the game is handling Amy, please be aware that this isn't the first time this happened, and it's not even that bad either. I mean, yeah I did mention how I'm worried about it, but I was over it once, I'll get over it again lol

There have been discussions about this since the Fast Friends Forever bio thing that happened last year, and I'm getting kind of tired of the arguments by now.

Amy stopped chasing Sonic not because she doesn't love him anymore, but because she doesn't need too. She is part of the team and has been closer with Sonic for a long time now. She doesn't need to follow them around when she already have proven herself to be useful and a fighter.

I'm really happy Amy is being recognized as something more than having a crush on Sonic, but having a crush is the heart of Amy's character.

Looking up to Sonic and wanting to be like him is what made Amy Rose... well, Amy Rose. She pushed herself and fought hard to be the person she wanted to be, and it's all thanks to Sonic.

He inspired a lot of people around him, especially Amy, so it's no wonder why she loves him so much. Plus, her tarot cards told her that he would be the love of her life, but I feel like even if the cards are wrong (not saying they are lol), she still loves him.

I want Amy's feelings for Sonic, and their friendship and their potential relationship to be remembered for a long time. I don't want them to be pushed to the side forever.

I don't want people to believe that her crush is her only trait, even though it's so important to her character.

I don't want Amy to change too much. Friends or not, I don't want her to give up on Sonic entirely.

I don't want this fandom to forget about Amy Rose.

[rekino2114]

Since you wanted Halloween posts: Can you please do taking Fami trick-or-treating? I assume she'd be in it for the free food and put on the most basic costume imaginable to save energy. May sincerely go as a bedsheet ghost unless you already have one picked out and insist she wears it instead. Thanks!

You and fami going trick-or-treating

Halloween post #10

Happy Halloween!!! 🎃 👻🎉

Pairing:fami x gn reader

Summary:you knew fami loved food more than anything (except for you) so you made it a point to try to hide the existence of Halloween from her so she wouldn't get envious of the kids.......you were very right about that.

A/n:Happy Halloween, everyone! Thanks for reading my posts and all the requests. I hope you enjoyed the event, I personally loved writing it and have already planned something similar for Christmas. There's a bit of a reference to my daughter nayuta au cause I love it, and I'm actually working on part 3 now

"Why did you buy so much candy?"

Those were the words you dreaded hearing your girlfriend say with her emotionless voice

You were unsure if fami knew about the concept of Halloween, being a devil and all, so just to be safe, you tried not to mention anything about it in fear that she would feel entitled to the candies and maybe even drag you trick-or-treating.

"I mean, I appreciate you buying more food for me, but I'd like a little more variety, I'm still not complaining though"

"O-oh those.......aren't for you"

"Of course, they're for you too, we already went over this, I'll always share my food with you, especially if it's yours in the first place"

"No, I meant they're for neither of us. You can't eat any of them"

Fami looked disappointed, or at least as disappointed as she could look keeping the same face she always had

".......then who are they for?"

"I wanted to give them to the kids"

"..........why? Their parents can get them candies"

"...w-well they're probably gonna come here and ask us"

"Why?"

You knew lying to fami would have been useless since she could read people very well, especially you, so you just sighed and told her the truth, preparing for whatever was about to happen

"I see, Halloween is when kids dress up and ask for candies to random houses, ah, i think Yoshida mentioned something about this a few days ago"

"Yeah, so you can't eat the candy, sorry"

"..............it's fine"

"Oh I'm glad you understand"

"It's nothing.........so what are you dressing up as?"

"Hm?"

"I suppose it's fine if you don't want to wear anything too"

"........fami we're not going trick-or-treating"

"Why?"

"We're high schoolers. Only kids go trick-or-treating. Everyone will look at us weird"

"I don't care what humans think of me, as long as I get the candies they can look at me however they want"

"......and what will you dress up as anyway? I didn't prepare any costumes"

"Can't I just go as myself? I'm a devil, after all, an horseman nonetheless, that's quite scary in my opinion"

"No one knows that. You just look like a normal human woman"

"So they won't give me candies?"

"Yeah, most likely"

".......I see"

Fami got up and went into another room. You thought she was going to grab something to eat to ease her sorrows so you didn't pay too much attention to it and began using your phone

"Y/n, what do you think?"

"About wha-"

When you raised your head, you were met with a bed sheet ghost, or well fami with a sheet on her, only the eyes were cut out, but that was enough to make you recognize her...along with her legs.

"I searched for some easy Halloween costumes, and this was the first that came up, what do you think?"

"OK, I'll admit that the glowing eyes are kinda creepy, but you're so tall the sheet doesn't even cover you completely"

"It's still a costume"

"So?"

"I'm still gonna go"

"I......*sighs* Fine, I guess, if you really want to go, I'm not going to stop you, I'm not wearing anything, though. "

You could feel the happiness in her voice, something only you could do, as she thanked you and grabbed the basket before walking outside and letting you follow her

You went around the neighborhood trick-or-treating, well actually only she was, and to your surprise actually got a lot of candies, you don't know if it was because people were scared of her or because they were just nice but fami didn't care what it was as long as they gave her sweets, you even saw fami's niece trick-or-treating with her parents and said hi to her.

After finishing, you returned home, and fami took the sheet off of her, just throwing it to the floor and sat down to start eating her candies

You sat down too and started using your phone again. You were interrupted when you felt something tapping you in the face, you looked up to see the famine devil holding your favorite candy

"Take it"

"Oh thanks, how did you know I liked it?"

"I see you always take that one for yourself when we go shopping, so I assumed it was your favorite"

".....wow you remembered that?"

"Of course, i remember all your favorite foods......mostly because so I know not to eat them"

"Thanks, that's a lot coming from you"

"It's really nothing, now take this, I want to continue eating"

You took the candy from fami's hand, and she kissed your cheek before coming back to her chair and resuming eating. You ate the candy too and smiled at her

"Hey, next year I think I'll dress up too"

Your girlfriend raided her head to look at you, and the ghost of a smile appeared on her face

"Thanks, that sounds really fun, I can't wait"

[lostbetweenvampiresandmusic]

Another request because I just thought of the funniest thing, if you’re up for it😅prompt 14

14. "Do you want me to kiss it better?" Except in a different concept. Would I be able to get it with Star? And the reader is dating one of the boys so naturally they’re in the cave as well. They end up bringing Star out of her refined shell more by joking around with her. So like a sarcastic sibling, they’re constantly messing with Star but is more gentle than the guys when it comes to it.

I hope you like this!😘

-------------------------

Star hadn't known what to think if you when she was first introduced to you by David. He said you'd be hanging with them now and that - apparently - you were mated to one of them. David, however, did refuse to tell to whom, something that annoyed Star greatly and was probably the cause of her coldness towards you in the beginning.

She kept to herself, hardly even greeting you when you entered the cave. Hardly acknowledging you whenever the boys included you in a conversation, which obviously was all the time.

It wasn't until almost a year had passed that Star began to realise that you'd be staying and that you really weren't that bad. But by the time she realised that, she didn't know how to change her act anymore. She'd been cold towards you for almost twelve months, and suddenly changing that and becoming cosy with you? It felt wrong and off. She did, however, start to acknowledge you a bit more. Nothing much, just a small quiet "hey" whenever you entered the cave, but it was something, right?

"Oh my god!" Star looked up as she heard your voice. "You- you can see me?"

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile shyly. "I just said hi."

"That's more than you've ever spoken to me ever since I met you. What, did you find a dictionary or something?"

If it hadn't been for your teasing tone, Star would have - well, she didn't know what she would have done, but she would not have continued talking to you, that's for certain.

Moments like that happened more and more often. Star still didn't really consider you a friend, but slowly but surely she came to see you as one.

"Are the boys in?" You'd ask one night, entering the cave. Star shook her head, causing you to shrug.

"That's a shame." You held up a bag. "You want some cake? It's fresh."

"You bake?"

"Sometimes. I wanted to share with the boys, but since they're not here, I thought, why not share with you."

Star frowned at that - were the two of you already that close to share homemade food? Still, she took a slice - inspecting it before bringing it to her mouth.

"It's poisoned. Sorry."

"What?!"

"Kidding! Jesus, why would I poison cake? If I were to poison something, I'd go with an apple or something. Something classy, you know?"

"I don't know if poison is that classy," Star mumbled before taking a bite.

"Sure it is, it's mess free. Well, mostly anyway. Why would you be so scared of me messing with your food?"

"Have you eaten with the boys?"

"Yeah?"

"They never tricked you?" Star asked, slight surprise written over her face as she saw you shake your head.

"What, like, forcing me to eat worms?"

"Yeah?"

"No?"

"For real?"

"Is that why you're so -" you motioned towards her, "with the cake? Scared I force you to eat frogspawn? Snailslime?"

"Ew!" Star made a face, dropping her cake in the process. You couldn't help but laugh, pulling her in for a hug.

"Oh no, that poor slice of cake!"

Star laughed, coughing loudly as she inhaled some crumbs. "Poor-" she coughed -" cake?"

"Yeah! It fell so high, all the way to the ground, it's sad!"

"How about me almost dying on your cake?"

"Hey, it's your fault for inhaling it, I told you there's no poison in there," you grinned before asking if she was okay.

"Well, I guess."

"Do you want me to kiss it better?"

Star raised an eyebrow as she looked at you. "What? Why would you kiss me better?"

"Hey, I was asking the cake alright? It fell and broke."

Star laughed, shaking her head slightly as she looked at you. Damn, she regretted being so cold the year before. You were different than she'd expected, and you were definitely someone she wanted to keep around. So when you offered her another slice, dramatically saying farewell to the fallen one - by feeding it to Marko's pigeons - she readily took one.

[kalivasquezart]

Just wanted to say that I absolutely love your au about the Pioneer. Its so well thought out and just overall amazing and oh boy dont even get me started on your art— absolutely beautiful💖💕

I also am working on an au based off of Artis pups and when I found you I was like 🫢🫵 Very similar ideas 👀👀👀Also Hunter as Pioneer’s mentor is SUCH A COOL CONCEPT— Like like cause Hunters my favorite scug and the fact that you included him in your au and as Marbles’ mentor is just *squeals* but it also makes a lot of sense considering he comes a little bit after Arti and is one of the few scugs who can encounter pups in their campaign. I also wanted to ask if its okay with you if I use that idea/concept in my own au 👉👈

I was also thinking about Pioneer’s brother— Ik you said that you hc him as being dead, like officially, but I thought it would be interesting if he was still alive. I personally was inspired to let him live in my au simply because of some official art of Gorum (specifically his endings art especially the food quest one where he has a suspiciously familiar green slugpup). I was thinking something like what happened to Surv and Monk (the one-way pipe considering the fact that he kind of began to drift to the right as he sank) happened to him and Gorum found him. Idk these are just ideas Im using for my own au but thought I would share.

I just realized this is super long sorry HANDNAND I am insane and write too much

ahhhh thank you for the kind words skek YOU FLATTER ME~

[there are rain world spoilers regarding artificer's capaign below, be warned]

while my current headcanon is that the green pup died, i've been thinking very hard about it for the last week or so, and IMO there's a high chance i will retcon that. if the pipe thing is canon to Surv/Monk campaigns then i'm even more eager to adopt that idea. my only real hold-up about the pup was that we clearly see it drown in Arti's dream (the same flashing aura behaviour when you swim underwater), and if he really did drown then the only way to bring him back to life would be through karmic rebirth "last checkpoint save" kind of thing… which feels a bit cheap? a little too simple for me. i'm heavily biased here, because a while ago i read an interesting lore post of someone trying to explain why Arti's pups wouldn't "respawn" if they were killed, while Arti did. in short, the pups were too young to be bound by karma and so when they died, they died for good (reincarnated as a different creature, maybe) - but Artificer being an adult and already having experienced the urges before, was brought back. if i can, i will try to find that post again, and link it here.

ANYWAY yeah, personal AUs don't have to strictly comform to the game's canon, i keep forgetting about that. hell, i've seen people revive scav king or, i dunno, SOS from the dead, and they made it work.

speaking of my AU again, i may also have headcanon'd Arti's mate as a semi-aquatic scug (less freaky than riv tho), and so Bryn/green pup would have inherited some of those genes, making him more likely to survive the drowning. so yeah, i think i like the storytelling potential of keeping the pup alive, althought i'd have to sit down and do a proper brainstorming on what that means… when Arti and Marbles eventually reunite with their long lost other half of the family.

by the way, if you (or anyone else reading this post) wants to use my ideas in their own AU then i'm okay with that! no need to credit or anything. many people come up with similar concepts anyway, it'd be silly to try and police them on it.

[lovely-showtimes]

HIHI, could I request a reader who’s a vocaloid producer (like deco*27/Mitchie M) with Ichika, Kanade, Minori and/or Akito???

Hope its not too much TY <3

producer. ♡

characters - ichika, minori, akito, kanade.

type - hcs.

a/n - wow sorry i took so long to get to this !! i thought this req was such a neat concept when i first received it and i'm honestly shocked it's taken this long to get around to it honestly ... also, im fairly sure a couple of these charas have been in events related to learning how to tune vocaloids, so if anything in here contradicts those events please forgive me i have not read them </3 enjoy

Obviously, Ichika has always admired Vocaloid songs

She's wanted to try it for herself for as long as she can remember, but seeing how expensive the software is, she can't

Until she met you, of course

Learning you were a Vocaloid producer and that you shared her passion for music probably made her love you more than she already did

She will gladly listen attentively as you explain how it works to her, even if she's heard it before from certain videos

She wants to hear you explain it, after all

Seeing the process of making these kinds of songs that she's loved for years is so exciting for Ichika

When you temporarily leave the room to grab something, you come back to see her tentatively making Miku sing a few notes

"...Ah! I-I'm so sorry for touching your things without your permission!" "No no, it's alright. I'd like to see what you make." "If it's really alright, then..."

You two will eventually make a song together, and it will sound amazing, trust me <3

Minori enjoys quietly watching you work away at the laptop

It's a bit of a toss-up, sometimes she'll be utterly silent and sometimes she'll ask you a billion questions at once

Every single time after you finish making a song, Minori's already crafted choreography for it in her mind and eagerly performs it for you

So if you're the type of producer to use animation/dancing in your mvs, you have a wonderful choreographer to help you plan it out!

Minori always tries to get the rest of MMJ! to cover your songs with her after you release them

Even if they don't want to, she'll probably post solo covers anyway

You'll also catch her humming your songs when she's distracted by something

If you tell her about it, she proudly tells you it's just because your songs are so amazing, they always get stuck in her head!

Minori loves her talented partner so much, after all!

Akito didn't know much about Vocaloid songs before he met you, really

Yeah, he's listened to a few songs once or twice. Yeah, he covers them constantly. Yeah, he knows Hatsune Miku personally, but that doesn't mean anything

Suffice to say, he learns a lot from you

He's asked if he can watch you make music before, which you didn't really mind

You thought it was boring to him, though - all you really do is sit there quietly as you work, occasionally humming or singing the melody you're trying to create

Until one day, Akito suddenly comments on the creation process as if he's used the software multiple times before

It definitely shocked you, but you're happy to know he does pay attention

If the music you make is his style, he'll probably cover it himself or with VBS too

Although, when they find out he only wants to cover your songs because they're your songs, he gets relentlessly teased about it...

Kanade is already used to making songs digitally, plus she's used the Vocaloid software before

The two of you end up making songs together a lot

You've probably collaborated with 25ji multiple times, plus Kanade and you often like making songs on your own

Aside from that, you two can often give each other help or criticism when you work

"Hey, Kanade. What do you think of this song so far?" "It flows very well, and your tuning of Rin sounds very unique and refreshing. However, maybe you could tweak this part..."

Although, while Kanade knows how to use Vocaloid, she usually focuses on melodies more than the voice software

So she's learned a lot by being with you

And likewise, you've learned a lot about composing from her

You're each other's biggest fans, really

Your songs are very comforting to Kanade. She'll find herself humming them on instinct when she's stressing herself out from composing

If your songs are on the gentler side, she'll probably put them on when she's trying to sleep

(Usually she doesn't try to sleep though, she just ends up falling asleep on accident...)

[stargazer-sims]

Grandpa’s Advice

Nikolai made his way down the road from Stan and Milena’s house to Windward Shore Estates, where he’s having coffee and cake and a much-needed talk with his grandfather in the community’s shared back garden.

Grandpa: So that’s the latest, is it? Little Mishka wants a baby?

Nikolai: He loves that you call him ‘little Mishka’, you know. He says it makes him feel cute.

Grandpa: See, that’s why I love him. One of the reasons, anyway. Absolute giant who looks like he could take out a bear with one good punch, and yet his big preoccupation is with being cute. Not a shred of that toxic masculinity the young people are always talking about. You have to admire that.

Nikolai: I do admire it, actually. Not to be one of those annoying people who can’t stop bragging about their spouse, but he’s the sweetest, most gentle person I’ve ever known. And he is cute.

Grandpa: It’s never annoying to praise your spouse, Kolya. I might’ve stayed married and managed to keep my daughters in my life if I’d learned that sooner, among other things. You go ahead and talk up that man of yours as much as you want. I'll never complain.

Nikolai: Thanks, Grandpa.

Grandpa: You're welcome. Now, about this baby—

Nikolai: Yeah, about that. Mishka really wants us to grow our family, but I don’t know what to do, and it’s stressing me out a little.

Grandpa: More than a little, unless I miss my guess.

Nikolai: Okay, a lot. And nobody’s taking me seriously.

Grandpa: Nobody?

Nikolai: Uncle Stan. I told him when I was over there this morning, and he laughed.

Grandpa: In that case, ‘nobody’ seems accurate.

Nikolai: Grandpa!

Grandpa: My advice is to pay no attention to anybody who laughs at you when you’re being serious. Now, listen to me for a minute. You said Mishka wants a baby, but before you start trying to decide what to do about it, perhaps the first question you should be asking yourself is whether or not you want a baby.

Nikolai: I think I do. No… I do, but the idea of having a baby isn’t the problem. It’s how we’re going to have him.

Grandpa: What do you mean? Mishka’s adopted, isn’t he? I assume he’d want to adopt too.

Nikolai: He doesn’t want to adopt. Not as a first option, at least.

Grandpa : Oh?

Nikolai: He wants to have a science baby. That’s what Stan was laughing about. I think the mental image of pregnant men was too much for him. Either that, or he thinks it isn’t even real.

Grandpa: A science baby?

Nikolai: Yeah. It’s a real thing. Look, they have a website. Let me show you.

Grandpa: No need to show me. I know it’s real. know all about it.

Nikolai: Really?

Grandpa: It's a brilliant feat of bio-engineering, especially the extracorporeal gestation.

Nikolai: You know about that?

Grandpa: Biochemist, remember? I may be retired, but old chemists never die.

Nikolai: They just stop reacting.

Grandpa:*laughing* Glad to see you were paying attention back in the day when I was learning the concept of dad jokes.

Nikolai: That one is old, Grandpa. But you're not, obviously, since you're clearly still reacting.

Grandpa: I'd have to be literally dead not to react to the possibility of a great-grandchild.

Nikolai: Fair point.

Grandpa: So, which way does Mishka want to go with the science baby process?

Nikolai: I'm not sure he knows. He's just as fascinated with the whole science lab baby situation as you are, but somehow I get the feeling he'd like to actually, you know... carry it himself.

Grandpa: And you're uncomfortable with that.

Nikolai: Wouldn't you be?

Grandpa: Me personally? No, but I suppose my comfort level would also depend on my partner.

Nikolai: Well, my partner is delicate.

Grandpa: *nodding* Not a word i imagine most people would apply to him, but I can see that, yes.

Nikolai: He hates being sick, and his pain tolerance is practically non-existent, and he gets anxious about everything. I'm really worried it'd be too much for him. Besides, the thought of him being sick or in pain is like... Every time I think about it, it's like somebody's squeezing my heart in their fist.

Grandpa: Mishka might end up surprising you. It's amazing what people will put themselves through to have a child.

Nikolai: But... I don't want him to have to put himself through anything like that. Plus, I read on the website that there are risks. What if something went wrong?

Grandpa: You don't gain anything if you don't take risks. Isn't that something that old crank Stan always used to tell you?

Nikolai: That 'old crank' is younger than you.

Grandpa: Age is a state of mind. Anyway, I don't think he's wrong about the risk-taking, even if I'm annoyed at him for laughing at you.

Nikolai: Grandpa, this isn't a skating competition. It was one thing to take risks on the ice that only affected me in the end, but I'm not willing to take risks with the man I love or our possible future baby. But, on the other hand, I don't want to tell Mishka we can't do it, just because I'm scared.

Grandpa: You'll have to make up your mind sooner rather than later. I don't know if there's an age cut-off for the process, but didn't Mishka turn thirty-six back in February?

Nikolai: Yeah, and I know I need to make a decision soon, but I want to make the right decision, and... I don't know what that is.

Grandpa: I'll tell you my opinion, for what it's worth.

Nikolai: Please, tell me. What would you do if you were me?

Grandpa: If I were you, and you're really serious about having a child, I'd try to steer Mishka in the direction of extracorporeal gestion. The 'science lab baby situation' as you put it.

Nikolai: Okay, but why? Mishka's going to ask, and I'll have to be able to explain it to him.

Grandpa: Because it eliminates almost all the things you're worried about. Little Mishka wouldn't have to risk his heath or be in any pain, and you wouldn't have to stress yourself out about anything happening to him or the baby. Not to mention, lab babies grow in a completely clean and controlled environment, so the risk to them is extremely low, and the failure rate is less than two percent, last I read. So, you do all the initial screening and sample collection and whatnot, let the scientists do their thing, and nine months later, you're parents.

Nikolai: You make it sound so easy.

Grandpa: It would be easier for the two of you, since neither of you would have to do much to make it happen, but it's definitely not an easy process.

Nikolai: I guess Mishka and I still have things to talk about and think about, don't we?

Grandpa: I'd say you do.

Nikolai: This is a lot.

Grandpa: It is, but most couples go through something like this when they’re planning their family, so it’s nothing new.

Nikolai: Yeah, but it’s all new to us.

Grandpa: Can I make another suggestion?

Nikolai: Sure. What is it?

Grandpa: You and Mishka might want to arrange a consultation at the clinic where they do the procedure. Information on a website is fine, but there’s nothing like being able to talk to somebody and ask questions face to face.

Nikolai: Yeah. You know, I think I might feel better if we could do that.

Grandpa: If Mishka can cope with being in a room full of strangers, maybe try to get in on one of their group information sessions too.

Nikolai: Okay.

Grandpa: I know this a big, serious thing for both of you, but I believe in you. You’ll figure it out.

Nikolai: Thanks, Grandpa. You've helped a lot.

Grandpa: What are grandpas for, if not to help out their favourite grandsons with their stranger-than-fiction problems?

Nikolai: You're the most awesome grandpa ever.

Grandpa: Awesomeness is in our genes. That's why you're so outstanding. Best grandson ever, I'd say.

Nikolai: Until the great-grandchild comes along?

Grandpa: Oh, I'm sure I'll fall in love with them on sight, but you're always going to be my favourite.

Nikolai: You'd better not let Natascha find out.

Grandpa: I don't think it's a secret at this point, do you?

Nikolai: *laughing* No, probably not.

Grandpa: I love your sister just as much as I love you. That's what matters.

Nikolai: I love you, too.

Grandpa: Good luck with your decision.

Nikolai: Thanks. I'll keep you updated, okay?

Grandpa: I'd appreciate that.

Nikolai: Consider it done, then. I've got to go now. I have to pick up Mishka from his language class and then we're heading to the airport to meet Sam, but I'll call you later, all right? You can fill me in on all the latest Windward Shore gossip and tell me how your search for a roommate’s been going.

Grandpa: Be prepared for a long phone call.

Nikolai: I’ll be looking forward to it.

[housewarningparty]

I've seen like one episode of Buffy maybe but I've watched most of Angel including the episodes that had Faith in them and I feel I understand the concept of Buffy the show and the character, anyway should I read Faith/Buffy fanfic and if so which ones?

god okay i REALLY think you should watch buffy though. i mean, i'm remarkably biased because it's one of my all-time favorite shows, but if you have the time and even the slightest bit of interest i'd recommend at least season 3 (IDEALLY. season 2 + 3 because they are very much part of one big conversation, but if you can only commit to one thing then i'd say prioritize s3 for the faith arc).

BUT you didn't ask me about that, you asked me if you should read faith/buffy fanfic so - yeah! yes. there's a lot out there that's SO good, of course you should read it.

i think ground-up AUs are good for this bc you can read them with basically no knowledge of the source (i mean. it's enhanced by source knowledge, but you can get by without) for this I'd recommend the no-powers college AU 2001 by @morningsound15, which does an incredible job of translating the important parts of the characters and their relationships and hang-ups and issues to a world where they aren't wrapped up in supernatural shenanigans.

Aside from that, I think there are a few season-rewrites that are pretty accessible if you've got a basic working understanding of the show and the characters. Some of my favorites are:

Coexist by @coraniaid which is a lovely (and recently completed!) canon-divergence AU that explores what would change if it was Giles, not Jenny Calendar, who was killed by Angelus in season 2. It's a rare type of AU that consistently surprises me with how intricate and thoughtful it is in exploring the ripple effects of such a huge change and it does some great character work with both Faith and Buffy.

to hold off the lightning by @episode5s which is a season 3 AU that picks up about halfway through s3. Again we get some really amazing character work (the character voice here is just insanely good) with a lot of amazing fallout from another canon-divergence point - what if Faith was able to be walked back from the ledge after killing Allen Finch? It's a tricky proposition - I genuinely think a lot of the best parts of Faith's character arc are tied into the fact that she has her heel turn and goes dark, but here the author is able to preserve all the best of the tension and trauma of that arc, while still allowing things to play out differently. Incredible slowburn romance here, too.

Finally, I'd be remiss to write a fuffy fic rec list without touching on a truly inspirational all-timer from one of the fandom's best and most prolific writers: the Vengeance verse fics by @aliceinwondrbra. The series begins with Vengeance a Wishverse AU - season 4 Buffy meets an alternate universe version of Faith that didn't go dark and experiences a belated gay awakening in the course of working together. The sequel, Hypnopompia, is where things really take off for me - back in her universe, Buffy is determined to help Faith. There's a ton of great stuff here: shared coma dreams, Faith redemption, a really great exploration of Faith and Buffy's sexuality and related traumas. Alice is one of the best in the biz when it comes to voice - absolute, total pro. I read this fic like two years ago and it changed my brain. Left me feeling like "wow, I want to write something that will make other people feel the way I felt reading this" and I don't know if I've done that yet, but I'm gonna keep trying.

ALL those fics are great and I can't recommend them enough. Luckily for you, if you want to get into this, the fandom has been going strong for years and there's a ton of good stuff out there I haven't linked here. There's plenty to discover. Enjoy!

[drbtinglecannon]

Why hello there buddy, hope you didn't think you weren't gonna get an ask in return >w> So hey for that fic ask, how about numbers... 1, 11, 29, 39, 50, and 75! And yee same, just however many you feel like answering :D

Haha I actually forgor so this is a lovely surprise! ^^

Hell yeah I will answer all of them! 💪💪 Unless I already did, I think I got a few of these before

1. Do you daydream before you write, or go for it as soon as the idea strikes?

I did answer that here! But basically I daydream a LOT but sometimes that keeps me from finishing the fic because it's like "I already wrote it" in my head, and other times I will just go for it and finish the idea in one sitting but that really only works for one-shots (which is most of what I write anyway). The fic I posted yesterday I just wrote it as the idea came to me

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around?

I used to force myself to slog through writing everything in order, but it killed so many wip by making me bored of the idea because I wasn't writing the fun bits yet, so now I jump around haha. Which does sometimes create issues when I start bridging the bits together and have to tweak or completely cut stuff, but it overall keeps me writing more and helps my creativity flowing by quickly getting down the parts I want to and building around them

39. What's your most self-indulgent wip?

29. What's something about your writing that you're proud of?

Also answered here! But sure I can give myself another compliment I earned it!

I'm proud of how my writing has improved over the years. Obviously any skill gets better the more you work it (I say as someone who typically gets distressed and will immediately drop something if I'm not instantly perfect at it 👍) but it's been really satisfying seeing my writing get good enough to be in a couple zines and having people enjoy what I've shared :) so thanks everyone who's ever been nice to my writing haha

For something that's almost done, it's a joke about a trope I never thought I'd write that got way too out of hand and sentimental instead of just quick dirty horny lol. Whoops ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

As far as planned out but not close to being done writing wise, it's a long fic for an obscure ot3 that died pre-canon and it's following the development of their relationships before exploding into their individual horrific deaths, and then maybe a sequel that follows a slightly canon divergent yet still canon compliant idea of what sets about the trainwreck leading to their deaths. Including me it'll maybe have 4 fans haha, but that's fine I love the concept and am having fun daydreaming about it. It's extremely self-indulgent to the point it's embarrassing

50. How would you describe your writing style?

1% evil (syntax) 99% hot gas (banter)

Hahah, but yeah I think I really thrive with conversation but I also really really enjoy working sentences until they bleed (aka I gave up) to convey as much info and emotion as I can without being too wordy, because outside of writing stories/fic/poems I'm an rambling mess that says "like" and "fuck" far too much haha! It's my only time to be concise ✌️

75. Is there a particular fic that readers gravitated towards that you didn't expect?

My first ever fic both that I wrote and posted. It blew up a lot more than I ever expected or hoped, and it still gets kudos regularly and comments occasionally, and is still by far my most popular fic haha

Unfortunately that causes me the tiniest 🤏 amount of psychic damage each time because while I'm thrilled people still enjoy it and that it's been read by so many people, it does not hold up to my current writing skills by any means. Oh boy it is rough around the edges haha

[rawliverandgoronspice]

You kno, I always (since I started playing LoZ 20+ years ago+additional ideas that came later) assumed Ganondorf is green bc of Koume and Kotake's influence. They're two powerful witches, and the occasional depiction of witches being green has probably also spread to Japan, so from that to show Ganon's ties to them, they were all three turned shades of green bc magic. It also sounded in-game like those two were a big reason for why Ganondorf went power mad and pushed war, even tho the other Gerudo didn't want him to go that extreme. Doesn't explain totk Ganondorf since there's literally no reason or backstory for him, but maybe it's like "tradition" by now. I also know there's a Chinese saying "putting on a green hat" which means the same as being green with envy, so I could imagine smth similar exists in Japanese, smth that could have worked with Oot's Ganondorf's envy of Hyrule's life giving lands. Since TP and WW, and HW Ganondorf are all the same guy, that kinda still works? I know it's really being viewed critical why he looks like he looks w the green skin, so thought I'd share a thing I basically came up with as a kid. (Except the green hat, only found out later, but the green with envy thought I did have back then.) Green hat works more for Link in the literal sense, so maybe Ganondorf has a figurative green hat. 😩

Hey! Yeah, I assumed the same for a very long time, and I'm pretty sure it's still the intent today.

I still think it's worth mentioning the trend has been really exacerbated with time; even back in OoT, his skin tone is not... that off the charts. Like yes, it does lean green, but after doing some color picking, it still stands reasonnably in the brown. It is a little sickly/olive, and there is a big gap between the concept arts and the model in-game already then (and in Smash, he's pretty much in the browns in his default model too), but it *could* be somebody's skin color. It's the same thing for WW Ganon btw, where his skin is definitively brown in the concept art and got much greener once modeled in the game. TP Ganon is the one where the difference between concept art and in-game skin is the least noticeable, but he also has the darkest shade by far so it doesn't read super green, even if it is quite there if you color pick. TotK Ganon is the color of a spinach smoothie in comparaison; even in the concept art itself, which might be even greener than the model in-game (a first!)

To be generous and fair to the whole thing, I think it used to be a case of what looked the most dramatic in-game, and a green hue does look less natural, colder, deader and scarier than a red-base one, especially in extremely intense lighting situations where Ganon often finds himself in, where it is easy to use that base color for contrast, especially with the red of his hair or the gold of his eyes and his little forehead jewel. This coupled with the influence of Twinrova and the association with envy probably pushed this direction even further every time.

But again, it is also hard to extract these choices from the history, in fantasy and sci-fi, of how to still dehumanize archetypes of PoCs without actually having them "being PoCs", or using excuses of inherent evilness to make their treatment by the narrative more acceptable. I am not mad at this choice inherently, but I am critical of it in the light of every other choice made in the year of our lady Hylia 2023 and the fact that I *so often* see this being used as protection against criticisms of both orientalism and a lack of care for what it implies about the worldbuilding of Hyrule. In OoT there was the connection to dark magic and the Twinrova; but in TotK, the Twinrova are easter eggs at best, not an active part of what shaped our antagonist and made him who he is. His evilness is made profusely clear the second he grabs the stone and becomes basically Satan with very cool hair, in a design that does lean super red and black anyway; one would think he'd rather try to hide his true nature before this?

(there is also history of PoC being turned green to avoid direct critique in fantasy/sci-fi worldbuilding, I think Star Trek is one of the big culprits but don't quote me on that)

Again, it's the package that is weird; and even more than the package, gradually changing PoC features over time in a way that, while not maybe being the only reason for the change, does allow the heroes to clearly identify the source of evil as Unlike Them while also distancing themselves from the more direct racist implications instead of... kind of allowing this to complicate the conflict, and accept that the conflict *is already complicated* no matter what is retconned or emphasized or changed. But the priority is simplicity and cleanness, and so Ganon and the gerudos do bear the blunt of these choices more often than not; the green skin being one of the more visible examples.

[pure-garbage]

Not Good Enough! A Challenge Issued And Accepted

"Zoro!"

The pirate hunter was in the midst of a tense standoff with the G-5 marines when Lana finally found him. The sight of her waving wildly from a suspended walkway twenty feet over his head brought a wide grin to his face, circumstances notwithstanding. She leapt over the rail and into his embrace without hesitation, unconcerned with the navy, the long fall or the two swords he had drawn. Fully deserving of her unconditional trust, he caught her easily without dropping his weapons or even coming close to letting the blades so much as graze her. The display drew shouts of shock from the marines as the pirates shared a brief, passionate kiss while Lana found her footing.

"Lana! You're freezing!" Zoro scowled. He shivered a little as she burrowed close to his bared chest and pulled his furry coat tight around them both, disappearing from view except for her feet. Her moans of relief rang out loudly for their enemies to hear, further confusing the marines while she basked in Zoro's body heat as if they weren't surrounded on all sides by opposition.

"Yeah, I never got the chance to dress for winter," she informed him, words muffled from within his thick coat.

"Take the coat. I was getting too hot in it anyway."

"Aw, I like it better with you in it too," Lana pouted playfully, pressing her frigid cheek to his skin to warm it.

"Hm, I'd agree if we didn't have all these marines trying to kill us," Zoro mused. He took a slash at the men creeping too close, sending them swiftly to the ground.

"Why are they trying to kill us?" Lana wondered. "I thought the plan was for them to rescue some kids."

"So did I, but apparently their skulls are too thick for that concept to make it through," Zoro grunted. "Here, come out and hold my swords so I can take the coat off."

"Hold the swords? Just do the flippy thing," Lana urged him, emerging from his coat so he could move freely.

"The flippy thing?" Zoro asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"You know what I mean. Are these... my knives!"

"They are."

Zoro did the 'flippy thing', tossing Shusui and Kitetsu both high into the air and shrugging out of his coat while they spun together over his head. Lana accepted the coat from him, and he caught the falling blades just in time to counter an attacking marine. His back was to Lana. She reached around his waist to steal back her daggers, grinning gleefully as she returned them to her belt where they belonged.

"I made Law give them to me," Zoro informed her.

His change in tone was abrupt and unmistakable. As delighted as Lana and Zoro were to be reunited, he quickly brought the mood down with his stern demeanor. She already knew what he was going to say next.

"So. Traffy kicked your ass, did he?"

Lana swallowed hard, wondering how many details Zoro already knew.

"Well, uh... yeah, okay, the first time. The second time was closer to a draw though," Lana said defensively. Even that, she realized, was blurring the truth somewhat. In all honesty, Law still likely would have beaten the tar out of her a second time had he not already decided to ally himself with her crew.

"What was his advantage?" Zoro pressed.

Lana sighed heavily as they fought through the throng of marines, pressing on toward goals that she was still incredibly confused over.

'There's no use in beating around the bush. He probably already knows and just wants to see if I was at least able to come away from my defeat with usable information.'

"My haki still isn't strong enough," she admitted grudgingly. 'Even though my observation is so damn incredible I can essentially read minds and see the future... as far as Zoro's concerned, it's still not good enough. It won't be until I'm unbeatable.'

Her bitterness didn't escape his notice.

"You think I'm being too harsh," he noted. Again, it was a statement rather than a question.

"I didn't say that."

"Your face said it."

"I'll get better, okay? I'm already working on it."

"You had two years to 'work on it'. Now's not the time for working on it, Lana, it's do or die now!"

"Yeah, well I'm not dead yet!" she snapped. "Is now really the time to do this?"

Around them, the battle had dissolved into a panicked stampede as ominous purple fog rolled slowly closer. Overhead, alarms blared and lights flashed.

"Time to run!" Zoro announced grimly. "But don't think you're getting off the hook! I'm still going to deal with you later!"

"I swear if one more damned swordsman tells me they're gonna 'deal with me later' I'm gonna fucking riot!" Lana growled unhappily.

"Yeah right, riot with that weak haki of yours," Zoro scoffed, rolling his eyes as they booked it furiously toward a pair of rapidly closing blast doors. "Terrifying."

"Keep pushing your luck, you'll be doing your own laundry for the next few weeks, sweetheart!" Lana huffed, adrenaline fueling her anger as they cut it close, tearing through the doors with barely inches to spare before they slammed shut.

"Ooh, scary! You say that like I didn't manage my own laundry just fine before we met!" Zoro taunted. They didn't slow down, racing past marines. Lana assumed they were heading to reunite with others of their crew, but with a jolt of alarm, realized she was actually relying on Zoro to get them where they needed to be. Wherever that was.

"Uh, Zoro? Where are we going?" Lana panted as they outstripped the navy, leaving the G-5 well in their dust.

"Huh? I don't know, I'm following you!" Zoro frowned.

"Nuh-uh, I was the one following you!"

"Aw crap!"

They both slid to an abrupt halt, taking a moment to catch their breath in the empty hall.

"Well at least we lost the marines," Lana reasoned. "What were you supposed to be doing?"

"Finding Nami and helping her," Zoro remembered.

"Okay, that tracks. Where's Nami and what's she doing?"

"No idea."

"Zoro!"

"Can't you find her on your little snail buddy?"

"Oh right. Sure, I'll just use my super advanced observation haki to get us out of the pickle you got us into by not paying attention," Lana smirked slyly, reaching into her pocket to pull out her new pet.

"Hey, you should have been paying attention too!" Zoro snapped.

"Sure, sure, it's my job to pay all the attention. Doofus. Say, why don't you take a stab at finding Nami?" she asked sarcastically, offering him the snail knowing he wouldn't take it.

"Tsh, you know my observation isn't good enough for all that fancy crap," Zoro scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm working on it, okay?"

"Ooh, really? What's that? You're working on it?" Lana mocked.

"Shut up!" he grumbled.

"I thought you had two years to work on it? Isn't that right? And now it's... what was it you said... do or die?"

"Keep it up and I'll kill you myself," Zoro threatened emptily.

"Think you could get close enough to kill me past my exceptional observation?" Lana teased pointedly.

"Law got close enough."

"Law cheated."

"No such thing."

"Fine, point taken. Look, I said I would practice, okay? We both will, so can we call it quits on the bickering?" Lana sighed. "You're wearing me out."

"Me too," Zoro admitted. "I spent the entire day looking for you, I'm really not interested in fighting."

"Aw, the entire day?"

"Yep. I wouldn't have had to if your haki was stronger."

"You just have to have the last word, don't you?" Lana growled. "When my haki is strong enough the first thing I'm gonna do is wipe that smug smile off your stupid face."

"You can try."

"Grr!"

"Just quit your griping and work the snail, woman!" Zoro sighed with a roll of his eyes.

____________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[hotwaterandmilk]

No Accounting for Taste

I've never been accused of having "good taste" when it comes to, well, any type of media. However, when it comes anime/manga I find I'm accused of being contrarian or ignoring genuinely "good" titles in favour of "bad" ones fairly often.

While that's not exactly groundless, it doesn't paint the full picture of what I find interesting and why it intrigues me so I thought I'd write about it a little.

I like a lot of popular, agreed upon "good" titles where a masterful artist or team or artists executes a beautiful vision that may not get everything right, but still manages to tick the majority of boxes and leave the audience remembering the experience for years to come (something like Shoujo Kakumei Utena or Cowboy Bebop, for example).

However, these series don't tend to be the ones I obsess about and collect things from and that comes down to the fact that I just love an interesting mess. Something that catches my attention in a unique way despite not having the story weight/talent/etc. to pull it all off.

You know those series with a fantastic concept but terrible execution? Or series with a couple of genuinely fascinating characters and mediocrity across the board otherwise? Yeah, those are what I love.

That doesn't mean I turn my head and ignore these flaws (Akihabara Dennou-gumi for example has a fantastic backdrop of alchemy, but that doesn't excuse the disgusting fanservice or explain piss-poor overall production).

If anything, I find those flaws intriguing in their own right (how does something with so much promise end up failing to stick the landing? Why were these the directions these titles took?) and learning about why they happened can continue to fuel my interest in the titles years after I've first experienced them.

And of course what is "good" and what is "bad" is extremely subjective, not everyone will agree on what the "best" title of all time is no matter how many fans you survey. I think what matters to me at the end of the day is that, for whatever reason, an eclectic assortment of titles have just hit me at the exact right point in my life for me to become engrossed by their eccentricities, flaws, and yes, even their successes.

That's why you'll find me sharing the odd scan from genre-defining titles like Sailor Moon, but when it comes to tearing apart art books and tracking down obscure pieces of stationery, I reserve that kind of dedication for Wedding Peach because it just hit me different 25+ years ago and I still can't shake it (despite the series being what it is).

Anyway, Saturdays are a real brain fog day for me because Friday is when I take my weekly meds so, err, this isn't a particularly articulate examination of my interests or anything. I just got to thinking last night that I find Ryuu-ou Mahoujin more intriguing than GALS! despite the former being a short-lived, break-neck paced mess of a production and the latter being a clearly thought out and popular title from the same author.

I'm also currently re-watching Kamichama Karin and it is such a hot mess of things I can't stand and things that make me genuinely go "what was Koge-Donbo* thinking?" but these flaws compel me to keep pressing play on episode after episode.

I just feel that at the end of the day there's enough room in the world for all of us to enjoy different problematic faves and to highlight successes without pretending failures don't also exist. Every project whether it ends up "good" or "bad" has a team of individuals doing their best on it and I think that's something that resonates with me even if the end product is a total mess.

Sometimes a project veers away from the course it was meant to take and never becomes what it could have been, but those trace elements of brilliance can get noticed by someone who experienced the title at the right time and vibed with the core concepts regardless of the execution.

So creators, take heed, even if the project you work on doesn't end up an iconic series with millions of fans there will always be weirdos like me out there that love the memorable parts of what you did manage to do while also noting the bits you got wrong. Sometimes one person's trash really is someone else's treasure (and yes you'll have to pry Wedding Peach et al. from my cold, dead hands).

[voxasks]

So- To the ask I remember when you answered that if you would HAVE to have a kid you would prefer to have a daughter. I actually remembered that I once did an OC for AU that was your 'kid'. So anyway, oversharing is caring, enjoy, bon appetite, I'm just being silly rn

I put accent on kid because she was actually a humanoid/android with more human like demonic proportions made by Vox to in long term advertise VoxTek and test new technology (and also travel to other rings since technically she doesn't have a soul so isn't bounded to the pride ring). (Yk, kinda like how ppl are more willing to follow and buy things from Idol in this AU Vox decided to make a kind of 'idol' for the V's, a bit like mascot.)

Since she is a robot she is more like a computer with AI connected to network (yes in this AU Vox put her under 'parental control' so her AI wouldn't learn strange stuff and fuck up the image). But since her AI is always learning on convos and the world around her she actually is quite similar to her 'creator' bc ofc Vox would keep his prototype of work around him to not risk wasting resources with Veri (yeah a variation from word 'Very', this AU Vox just needed something with V that wouldn't short to Val or Vel) getting damaged.

Thankfully she doesn't have a digestive system so she only needs to charge with electricity and any other things Vox doesn't need to remember so it is a bit easier to take care of such 'kid'. And also unlike Vox she doesn't have a TV for head (she had one as a prototype but then it got changed), but actually her face even if more 'human' shaped is just a flat screen that displays her eyes, mouth, etc.

I know hella long ask and no one asked but just felt like sharing with the concept I made once that if we overlook some things isn't that much strange-

- goth anon

"hm.  this  is  actually  quite  thought-provoking,  dear  viewer.  a  'kid',  but  as  the  quotation  marks  have  suggested,  not  really  a  kid  of  mine,  either.  those  things  sound  like  things  i  would  do,  but  i  don't  think  i'd  consider  ...  veri  to  be  a  kid  of  mine.  she'd  be  an  interesting  project,  something  that  would  benefit  me  to  be  nice  to.  nothing  more  though.  my  schedule's  already  packed  as  things  are  right  now  and  i  can't  afford  to  waste  time  on  daughter  sentiments  over  some  idol  machine.  and  anyway,  the  vees  are  already  aesthetically  pleasing  so  i  don't  think  it's  worth  complicating  things  if  this  daughter  of  mine  but  not  really  suddenly  develops  itty  bitty  feelings  and  daddy  issues.  HA!  god,  as  if  val  doesn't  already  act  like  a  hormonal  teenage  brat  ..."

[ahappydnp]

This might be controversial, I don't know. But I honestly don't like Dan's content post coming out nearly as much as pre-BIG. It used to be silly -yes- but relatable videos with one or two edgy jokes thrown in. Now it's ALL "I'm gay, horny and depressed and the world is ending but we also kind of deserve it" ... I know that last part has a lot to do with We're all doomed and Dystopia Daily - like the clue is in the names, I get it. But when it's all jokes like that... where is the lightheartedness? Where is the fun? Where is the relief from the problems of the world? Pre-BIG Dan at least had a better balance with that. Anyway, rant over. Hope it made sense.

mmm normally i'd ignore this kind of ask because it's nuanced and i don't want a dozen more hot takes in my inbox but i get that you're not just criticizing dan as a person but more his content shift so (many) thoughts under the cut:

i think first and foremost it's hard to gage dan as a content creators post BIG because the only content he's consistently made has been dystopia daily and wad (discounting gay & not proud because...you know...)

it's also hard to compare him to his content pre BIG since: 1) the video format is different- DD is a scripted persona heavy talk show format that's more commentary on culture than personal experiences 2) he's not supplementing DINOF with liveshows/regular social media posts + gaming channel videos that showed different (usually softer or more lighthearted) sides of dan and gave the audience a more well rounded perception of him as a person

which i think is one of the biggest ""issues"" people have with DD. it's not even necessarily the content itself (though i doubt anyone would say DD is their favorite content by any stretch), but the fact that the main source of perceiving dan is this heavily edited persona that's a bit too detached from real life daniel howell? because yeah like you said, we know he has a lighthearted side, we know he's actually very kind and thoughtful; however, dystopia daily is about the content, not dan as a person. the product isn't himself anymore which is a massive shift from old content. about dystopia daily as a concept- like i said, the reception from long time subscribers has been basically "i don't love this but i love you and am excited to see you again". it's not BAD it's just not what people watch dan for? it's definitely not something i would click on or enjoy from anyone else, but i love seeing dan in anything and supporting him. and some of it is good! there are some rewatches in there! but yeah if you didn't know him prior to DD you might assume this was just another ~generic angry rich white guy complaining about the world to be edgy~

i don't agree with you that it's ALL "i'm gay, horny, and depressed" and might even say it's not a crime if it was? dan spent the first decade of his career having to edit himself and if he needs a professional second puberty to feel better then go off! am i excited for him to explore more topics or stories or formats?? like absolutely!! but i'm not angry about this era of him getting his bearings. did i love him pretending he doesn't like/has never been around kids when we know for a fact he does? no it felt weird and forced but i get his thinking that he wants DD to be detached from dan. "where's the fun"?- i will say that this year in particular we've seen more of dan's personality online! like the silly little instastories and tweets, he's sharing more about his life (like seriously who would have bet he'd post anything about their japan trip????), him in phil's video + the hair clip. and it's just like the biggest breath of fresh air because that's our dan!!! that laugh!! i know that guy!!! and i do feel like he's ready to incorporate letting people see more sides of him again after giving himself the space and boundaries to readjust after a massive life change. but there have still been bits of him this whole time! the few liveshows he did on tour were fun, him at the tour preshows was PEAK classic dan and he was truly the sweetest during his m&gs (seriously i cannot recommend enough checking out the preshow compilations playlist on youtube or meetdnp on twitter because it's just....god it's so fucking nice to see him being so fucking nice and remembering why he really is special). check out the idb instastories playlists because there are so many gems from the past couple years people forget about!!

i know it hit harder because dan is such a LIGHT and it felt like we lost it for awhile. he didn't lose the kindness or silliness or creativity, he's still dan! he's older and not the same person he was in 2014, but also who is? i'm not the same person i was in my 20s which is a great thing!

change can feel scary, but dan's entire genetic makeup didn't change. i totally get if DD isn't your thing and that is perfectly fine! but i will say if you're mourning the other sides of him, you've got plenty of examples that aren't current main channel videos. i do believe we'll be let back in even more soon though :)

[jovenshires]

capernoited from ask game for spommy! i just thought tipsy tommy or spencer pre relationship would be cute while the other takes care of them

Capernoited - Slightly intoxicated or tipsy.

i put a little under the cut bc this got away from me a lil but i hope you enjoy!! (btw if you like this concept you can go check out spencer vs. gay panic by soupy for a different but excellent take!!)

send me a word and a character/pairing!

The way that Tommy laughs reverberates all the way through Spencer's body. It starts where Tommy's mouth meets the junction of his neck; it echoes through his collarbone and down his chest. He feels it everywhere. He aches with it.

"Alright," he says, "up and at 'em."

With the shoulder under Tommy's arm, he nudges him 'til he's standing upright again. Sure, he's still leaning on Spencer, but at least he's not fully draped across him now. Spencer can finally see as he guides them both down the hallway of Tommy's apartment building. Still, Tommy whines. "But you smell nice," he says.

He knows that Tommy's drunk; he doesn't know what he's saying, but Spencer feels his face heat up anyway. Later, when he recalls this story, he'll blame it on anything else - Tommy's body heat rolling off of him in waves, the apartment being stiflingly hot, or his sweater being too heavy for the LA weather. He won't blame it on a nice compliment from a beautiful boy.

"Thanks," he says, ignoring how pink his ears have probably gone. "I'd say the same, but you smell a lot like tequila."

Tommy laughs, because he's drunk, and he laughs at everything when he's drunk. Spencer's seen him like this before; they've gone out drinking plenty of times. Well, Tommy drinks, and Spencer watches from afar. He yearns and says nothing and drinks his sad, overpriced Sprite. He finds it works best that way - when Tommy just exists and Spencer just pines. Like Tommy's a comet and he's wishing from the ground. But tonight, for some reason, he'd volunteered to take Tommy home.

"You're funny," Tommy says suddenly. "And pretty."

This is why he's better off on the ground, he remembers suddenly. Tommy is a giddy drunk, a clingy drunk, and a flirty drunk. And Spencer is halfway in love with him. The combination of those factors leads to borderline torture - wonderful, yet excruciating torture.

Without another way to respond, Spencer snorts. "And you're drunk."

At that, Tommy sighs, like Spencer had just spoken an irrefutable truth. "Yeah," he says loftily. "But I'm just drunk now. You're always pretty."

Like he said: torture. Spencer doesn't have anything to say to that, and luckily, they've made it to Tommy's front door, so instead of saying anything, he just reaches for the keys stuffed into his back pocket. With a click, the door opens, and he lets them inside. "C'mon," he says. He flicks on the light, thankful he's hung out at Tommy's apartment enough to know the layout. For his part, Tommy just stumbles in beside him, laughing at nothing as Spencer closes the door. His arm feels heavy on Spencer's shoulders, but it's a weight he's glad to share.

"You're so nice to me," Tommy says as they shuffle together towards his bedroom. "You're, like, the best."

Actually, Spencer's far from the best. He's selfish - he volunteered to take Tommy home, even though Damien could have done it just as easily. For once, he'd gotten the courage to get a little closer, to keep Tommy's brilliant light to himself. But he doesn't say as much. He just opens the bedroom door, flips the switch to the overhead light, and leads Tommy to bed. "Easy, dude," he mutters, supporting Tommy's weight as he climbs in. He doesn't even bother sliding under the covers. Spencer sighs and looks around for another blanket to drape over him instead.

He spots one in the corner of the room and moves to grab it when suddenly he hears Tommy whine again. "Don't go," he says petulantly. "Stay."

Spencer freezes and looks over his shoulder. Tommy's looking at him with a furrowed brow and wide eyes, like he's afraid that Spencer's going to leave. It makes Spencer frown. "I won't, dude," he says. "Promise."

This time, when he goes for the blanket, Tommy says nothing, though Spencer can see him pouting out of the corner of his eye. What a baby, Spencer thinks, but he doesn't mean it. He's pretty sure Tommy could ask him for anything right now and he'd do it, no questions asked. He brings it back and drapes it over Tommy's lanky frame, covering him up. Tommy sighs happily and lets himself fall deeper into the bed, comfortable and warm. "I'm gonna go get you a glass of water, okay?" Spencer asks, and Tommy furrows his brows. "I'll be back in, like, two minutes, tops."

Tommy sighs but doesn't object. He lets Spencer leave the bedroom and head down the hallway to Tommy's kitchen. He roots around but finds the glasses easily enough, and on second thought, hunts down some aspirin, too. When he comes back, he's surprised to find that Tommy's still awake, raising his head a little as Spencer's feet find a creaky floorboard. "Here," he says. He hands Tommy the water and puts the aspirin down on the bedside table. He watches as Tommy takes a few long, thirsty sips, his Adam's apple bobbing with it, and Spencer tries not to focus on that too much. "Good, now you can't hate me in the morning."

Tommy stops drinking and puts the glass down on the table, glaring at Spencer as he does so. "Couldn't hate you," he says sincerely, and Spencer tries not to focus on that, either.

"Right," he says, awkward even to his own ears. "Well, now that you're all good, I - I should really get going, Tommy."

"No," Tommy whines again. He reaches out and grabs Spencer by the wrist. "Stay, please?"

Spencer is trying his damn best not to cave. Not without a fight, at least. "It's late, man, and I don't want this to be weird."

Tommy shakes his head emphatically. "Please. Just stay, just for tonight. I just need to like..." He gestures with the hand that's not holding onto Spencer, waving at the room around them. "Remember this was real. Remember you like this. Okay?"

It's like he said - he'd do anything, no questions asked. So he sighs and relents: "Fine. I'll be on the couch, alright?" Tommy pouts again, but Spencer shakes his head. "Absolutely not budging on that. Promise, I'll be here all night." At Tommy's doubtful look, he adds, "I wouldn't lie to you, would I?"

Tommy sighs again, like Spencer's said something that makes so much sense. "No," he says. He squeezes Spencer's wrist and curls deeper into his pillow. "Okay. See you tomorrow, Spencer."

When Tommy lets go, he knows he feels a little colder, but he refuses to examine why. "Night, Tommy," he says. He waits for a moment to listen to Tommy's breathing even out before he goes. He finds a notepad in one of the kitchen drawers, writes a warning to Tommy for the morning, and sticks it on the nightstand with the aspirin. Then he heads for the couch, kicking off his shoes and settling in for the night. He's a lot of things - selfish, yeah. An idiot, maybe. But he's not a liar. Not even if Tommy probably won't remember the whole thing in the morning.

He drifts to sleep on Tommy's couch, the long night finally taking its toll on him, and dreams of comets and beautiful boys.