#bc i sorta started it without a real plan

[superscourge]

Could you tell us some lil fun facts about the imposter au, please? It’s genuinely so good I adore it-

i can try to loredump about it real quick!! just off the toppa my head..

just to establish what the au is again: imposter au is an au set in the idw-verse where scourge is a literal clone of sonic created by dr. starline using chaos energy in order to replace sonic! he began to think for himself too well for starline to control at some point and started seeing through his lies and manipulation, and he eventually broke away from him and went to the restoration to help him take starline down as revenge for selfishly creating him and bringing him into the world without an identity of his own..

some little tidbits ive thought up that i wanna explore in some way down the line (i could do fics or mini comics idk. depends on how i feel):

scourge keeps his true identity as a sonic clone a secret from the resistance for as long as he can, telling them his name is scourge from the start--the name he chose for himself after escaping starline--and he doesnt get his identity revealed until starline outs him during a confrontation where scourge helps the restoration bust into one of his bases but starline already knew they were coming so he made it look like scourge led them into a trap as part of a bigger plan :P

scourge and the restoration (convinced by amy) agree to help each other because they both share starline as a common enemy, but scourge is basically assigned a babysitter to watch his every move because they definitely dont feel like they can trust him after everything so far. that babysitter is silver!

silver 100% does not trust scourge for a while at first, but after spending more time with him and getting him to open up a bit more (accidentally..) and i guess kinda seeing him more as a person, they form a sorta bond that is kinda similar to sonic and tails ^^

scourge was meant as a sort of "prototype" for surge and kit! he didnt know this though until he's confronted by them later which is great bc he was already having issues with feeling like he didnt have a place in the world and then surge shows up and further hammers in that he was expendable from the start :P (this actually ties in with a mini comic ive been wanting to do for agesssss i hope im able to get it out eventually..)

shadow actually shows him how to better control his chaos energy and abilities that he's been kind of wild with up to that point! this comes in handy because the first time scourge fights surge she completely wipes the fucking floor with him, but after shadow helps him learn to use his power better (and he discovers the additional power of friendship), he's finally able to best her in battle ^^

over the course of his time with the restoration, scourge kinda learns how to be more of a person as it were :] he unintentionally makes friends and slowly realizes people actually care about him (and that he is able to be cared about in the first place), and eventually, once he finally finds security in his identity apart from being sonic's clone, he decides to stay with them as an ally!

and of course, yes, by the end of it all he does get his cool jacket and shades <3 just. probably a little redesigned lol

genuinely i have brainrot for this au occasionally. it flares up every now and then and i am obsessed w it... i love it a lot

[kivaember]

👀!! but also, 🎯?

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

Interestingly, not many people have made in depth guesses about major major plot points for APV! I am curious to hear people's theories though, if only to see if the foreshadowing I lay down it getting picked up...

Otherwise, on my P5 fic To Know Your Target, quite a few people correctly guessed major plot points, which I found really cool! I like it when people can sorta guess where the story is heading, bc it means I'm building it in a coherent kind of way. There's no better feeling for when you guess something will happen and it does!

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

Oh man I have so many!!! Okay, I have one wip that's like two thirds done... it's a oneshot (a big one rip) that's post LoR. It follows 621 hunting amongst the wreckage of the Xylem for Walter's AC, mostly because he's kinda lost on what to do with himself and also bc he wants to give it a funeral. Rusty, still horribly injured from his fall fromthe Xylem, hijacks an RLF MT and follows him there...

The fic's most about discussing 621 and Rusty's different approaches to grief and moving on and the like... and hilariously, as I was writing it, 621 ended up being a lot more emotionally intelligent than Rusty was...

Have a snippet :) as a treat!

He rounded a collapsed pile of masonry and shattered glass, some sort of towering roof structure that had caved in on the deck below. STALKER was standing in the near distance on the very edge of the deck, staring at the slowly approaching supercell. 

Carefully, Rusty piloted his MT to stand beside STALKER, and directed his visual sensors towards the incoming storm. His wipers were going a little crazy now, frantically whipping back and forth to try and outpace the heavy downpour. Beside him, STALKER moved fractionally, its half-rusted joints creaking loudly. 

“...hey,” Rusty murmured. “Aren’t you tired, Raven?”

STALKER’s head angled towards him. 

«Aren’t you tired, Rusty?»

Rusty felt his mouth quirk into a smile. A response, even if it was a mocking (he assumed). He’d take it. “Yeah. I’m pretty exhausted, to be honest.” 

«…then why are you here.»

“Like I said, I came to get you. You’ve been out here for two days. Uncle was getting worried.”

Raven took his time in replying and Rusty patiently waited, ignoring the various aches and pains lancing through his body like razor sharp glass. It was fine. So long as he didn’t bust the stitches from his spleen repair surgery, he should be okay. 

«I’m fine.»

“Sure,” Rusty said. “Just like I’m fine.”

«I wasn’t in a coma for two days after breaking half my bones.»

no, you were just tortured for weeks on end instead, Rusty did not say with some effort. “You still need to eat, right? You’re augmented, but you’re still human.”

Raven didn’t seem to have a ready response for that, so he just didn’t say anything.

“...what’re you even out here for anyways?” Rusty asked, genuinely curious. The Xylem was a marvel of Institute tech, yeah, but most of it was completely ruined from its violent re-entry. Aside from getting blown up and ransacked by invading corporate and Liberation Front forces alike, the seawater filling up half the ship would’ve eaten away at most of the technology by now. 

«…I’m looking for something.» 

“Well… if you’re looking so hard for it, I guess it must be important…” Rusty said slowly. “Maybe I can help?”

«You’re injured and should be resting.»

“You’re injured too.” Rusty’s tone grew solemn. “I know what they do in those re-education camps, Raven.” 

«…»

“You’ve been flat out since you escaped,” Rusty said softly. “Uncle said you only swung by for a day at our base before running off again. If you don’t stop to rest, your body’s just going to give out on you. It’s a pointless way to go.” 

«…»

“Unless that’s what you want?” Rusty asked, and made sure his voice was dispassionately blunt when he added: “Are you just waiting to die?”

The question lingered between them like an ominous shroud. The supercell moved close enough that its thick cloud wall blocked out the sun, dousing them in deep, dark shadow. 

«…no.»

Raven paused, and STALKER kept shifting its weight back and forth, rusted joints screeching and groaning, the AC not built to spend so much time along the seashore, getting sprayed with saltwater and blasted with coastal gusts. It looked like a corpse just barely moving, skeletal, where chunks of its ablative armour had been stripped off from its own re-entry, and the inner hull torn from the tremendous forces it had been under (had never been designed to endure, but had endured anyways). 

There was even a gaping crack in the Core, a sliver where Rusty could peer past the protective armour and see a bit of the Core block that contained the pilot’s cockpit. Red-tinged rainwater was collecting in that crack, pouring out of it like a miniature stream.

«I don’t know what to do.»

It was unexpectedly honest. Vulnerable. Completely out of nowhere. 

“What do you mean?”  

«Before everything went wrong in Institute City, Handler Walter told me what to do. I knew what to expect with each day. I knew what my objectives were. Now, I know nothing. I’m a mercenary with no money or clients, and I have no idea how to get those things myself. I got my life back, like Walter wanted, but there’s nothing in it.»

STALKER’s head bowed. 

«…I have nothing.»

“That’s not true, Raven,” Rusty said gently, taken aback by Raven’s raw honesty, and cursing the awkwardness of having this talk while they were in two separate mechs. Raven was as expressionless as they came, but he could still gauge his human face better than just staring at the side of STALKER’s cracked Core. 

“After saving Rubicon, you’ve definitely got the Liberation Front on your side,” he continued. “And, for what it’s worth, I’ve got your back too. I know you won’t trust that, considering what happened before Institute City but, I mean it. I was-”

He drew in a slow breath, before admitting quietly: “I was wrong about you. You weren’t a threat to be eliminated, and I acted too hastily in my judgement of you. I’m sorry.”

«It’s fine. You weren’t exactly wrong. I was a threat.»

“...? What do you-”

A flash of scarlet lightning lit up the horizon, followed by a booming thunder that rattled Rusty’s very bones and briefly deafened him. He couldn’t help but wince. 

«I’m looking for Walter,» Raven said in an unexpected non-sequitur, forcibly dropping the last topic. «His corpse is on this ship somewhere.»

[averycutesalamander]

Out of genuine curiosity, will we ever get more stuff of your self insert oc with or without Boots? Because even if the description on that original post says you can’t design clothes to save your life; I’d love to know The Lore™️. They’re dragon-y so are they a vidyadhara? Or like a western style dragon distant species relative from some other planet? How’d they get involved with good ol Yeehaw McTriggerfingers and did they ever end his air jail sentence?

abdjjdsjndbf honestly thank you for asking im kinda flattered hahaha. i have some vague lore about her relationship to boothill but it's been slowly taking shape. a while before boothill was teased i had actually started work on what's basically a trailblaze mission concept on a new planet. it's called Aloniir, and it's a desert planet, but i personally think that the trope of desert planets being barren, miserable hellscapes is overplayed, so it's actually quite rich with life. i have a whole document with details but ill spare you from most of it (unless you're somehow interested lol). i have a whole food chain planned and everything, it's kind of absurd bsbdbdnejabsbb

more utc because this got a teensy bit long

anyway i have a huge Thing about characters that experience monstrous transformations so that's the gimmick for all the characters from this planet. im still kind of on the fence about the exact details but the idea is that the planet went through a period of disaster eons ago, but via some kind of elation influence (direct influence from the aeon or from a stellaron, im not sure yet) they had a sort of insane rng element added to their genetics which allowed them to survive the harsh conditions with their various adaptations. they all have crazy unique powers and stuff. i have some ocs in the works but that would be in another post if anybody is interested lol

the current plotline im going with for my s/i is technically an au of the original concept for the world where the ipc yoinks them all up for Human Experimentation Purposes to learn how to utilize their biology for potential gains. (i have one character that's functionally immortal because she heals so quickly for example, which would obviously be of great value to them.)

boothill finds my s/i in a test tube on an ipc ship that he's raiding and realizes that she's probably a prisoner. he lets her out and she realizes that she.. kinda sorta has nowhere to go - no connections, no purpose, no real goals other than freeing the rest of her people; she can't go back home because of the ipc occupation, and she'd just get snatched right back up anyway. so she helps boothill escape, contemplating all the while, and it all culminates into the two of them being forced to jump off the ship to escape "by the wing," so to speak.

after they land, she asks if she can accompany him for a while, just to get her feet on the ground. he's hesitant, naturally, but he figures it can't hurt if it's just for a little while. turns out that they work very, very well together, and it's nice to have someone to bail him out if he bites off a bit more than he'd like to chew on his own. tale as old as time lol.

power-wise her abilities are sorta still nebulous in my head rn.. she has a regular fleshy dragon form and the skeletonized one from the original art. her skin burns up in the transition (think the animation after dragons die in skyrim) bc i think the mental image is cool as hell. i wanna give her some kinda additional abilities but i havent come up with anything yet !! heres some messy stuff for you

[fridgrave2-0]

ok so i'm very much not normal about one au i made but i'm not sure if it will be interesting to anybody. but still hear me out!

what do you think about toxic weird but kinda caring family dynamic between turbo and vanny? sorta jinx and silco situation if you know what i mean. if turbo didn't made vanellope an outcast (but still damaged her code while making himself the king what gave her glitching anyway) and decided to manipulate her and becoming a fucked up father figure or something to be 100% sure that she won't ruin his plan. but while time passed he actually started to get attached to her (i mean who wouldn't) and the feeling became stronger due the parental traits of his disguise (i hc that king candy's sprite was supposed to be a real character so the bunch of racer-children aren't technically alone in this world without any adult, but the devs decided to remove him, leaving scraps of who king candy could've been in the code. when turbo got into sugar rush he had a perfect mask to wear - but in the end some bits of og candy personality got stick on him, which had a small impact on his perseption of vanellope and other citizens of sugar rush)

but even tho turbo starts to see vanny as his actual daughter and genuinely care about her, he has zero clue how to love or be loved besides praising the shit out of someone. so he's still a greedy selfish dude who just decided to count vanellope as a part of the "brand". only him and her are allowed to be the best, only they can rule this place and two of them are above all and anyone else. and in some way vanny's personality mitigates his views, making him a little more bearable, mostly he just makes her worse. she is a spoiled little brat (and i love her) and turbo would destroy the entire arcade for her well being. at some point i see that he would even trust her with his real backstory (withholding several details, but still), she definitely will see his real face bc of touching while she's glitching and help him accept himself a little bit

idk, i just love imagining their possible dynamic, i think their duo would've been amazing if they weren't enemies so i'm putting it into this au (with some spice in a form of toxic but caring only about each other family trope)

[earthspark-shockwaves-reduction]

I... I NEED an episode of Earthspark where the Maltos play DND (or like. A knock-off of DND, unless they can actually use it bc Hasbro owns it.)

Alex DMs bc it was one of his favorite games from the 80's and it's a great way to Bond (and also it was his turn to pick the game for family game night).

(...They play it every time its Alex's turn for the next year.)

Dot doesn't play a character directly but does play a few NPCs and helps to describe some of the scenes sorta like a co-dm (Alex talked about the whole campaign he's planned to her bc That's His Wife and so she knows too much to actually be a player).

Robbie doesn't want to at first but didn't have a choice (on the grounds of family game night). But eventually he realizes that the buffs/weaknesses/stats aren't that different from the video games he plays and he has fun!

Mo has a great time and whenever the Maltoparty spends 30 minutes trying to figure out how to escape a room she is the first to suggest to try opening the door. It works. It was not locked.

Twitch isn't particularly interested in the explanation of the game mechanics but when it comes to NPCs (improvized by Alex & Dot) she is IMMEDIATELY asking questions and getting to know them all (and gets gutted when one of them ends up betraying her and the rest of the Maltoparty. It happens five times.)

Thrash doesn't wanna do "boring number stuff" (he was also dragged into it bc it's family game night) but his interest is piqued when he hears he can do cool fighting stuff but then it dips again because "come on I have to do MATH before I get to do cool stuff?"

He does not land a single hit in combat.

Hashtag the bard gets INCREDIBLY into the acting/improv aspect of the game and without a doubt more than likely pulls out the voice she used from the "VILLAIN SCHOOL!!!" bit.

It scares Jawbreaker.

Jawbreaker is in a perpetual state of mildly-to-moderately confused about how the rules work and at one point gets a nat 20 and says "...is that good?" when everyone starts cheering. He also took the longest to pick what he wanted his character to be (there were so many good choices!).

Nightshade is delighted when they realize how much of the game is based on math and calculation, but also on fantasy lore like in their books!

They play an artificier and they may or may not have to be stopped from making the gadgets they make in the game in real life.

Bumblebee is reluctant at first but then he gets into it.

He makes The Most Epic Paladin Ever.

He gets killed in a level one fight.

They promise there'll be a point in a bit where they can find a way to bring him back or introduce his new character (he changed one letter of the name).

Until then he's stuck playing Borf the Dwarf for an hour.

Mo tries to cheer him up while he sulks.

It's a little effective.

...also the entire time GHOST agents/rogue decepticons are trying to attack the Maltos but somehow they end up failing without anybody really noticing.

[loopyren]

giving proper thought to the timeskip in inuyasha (part 1/2)

I've been thinking a lot about the three years Inuyasha and Kagome were apart, bc as you know... three years is a LONG time. The person I was three years ago is different from the person I am now. So I remember thinking it felt too fast to process (both anime and manga), bc the timeskip was sorta sped through in like a chapter/10 mins lol

How were Kagome and Inuyasha feeling during those three years? After being with each other practically 24/7, fighting a literal war, saving each other's lives, falling in love, Kagome almost trapped in the jewel... just to be wrenched apart at the end with no time to say goodbye. Jeez, that's practically trauma fuel.

There was no way Kagome didn't want to see Inuyasha again. So why did it take three years for the Well open for her?

part 1: kagome part 2: inuyasha

+

Kagome said when she returned, her purpose in the Sengoku era, to destroy the jewel, was done.

There is no reason to go back now. Well is closed. Bye Inuyasha.

Three years. Three years is enough time to be sad, to heal, and to think. I can imagine Kagome being a little down sometimes and her family noticing that. From how much she loved Inuyasha, I don't think Kagome could hide that she misses that doggie boi on the other side of the well. Because her family cares so much for her, I'm sure it didn't make them happy to see her sad.

However, it seemed pretty convincing that she couldn't go back. So it probably felt like a helpless situation to all of them.

Now, that doesn't explain why the well suddenly opened for Kagome one day. After all, it seemed like Kagome just willed the well to open... and there had to have been a time where she wanted to see Inuyasha, right? So why couldn't it open before?

I could just chalk it off as "the Well wanting Kagome to meet the legal age to marry Inuyasha" lol. That's valid enough I guess.

But, I want to bulk that justification up a little more... so here's what I think:

The Well was testing Kagome's desire to see Inuyasha again. Her job to destroy the Jewel is done, so it sealed itself up real good, forcing Kagome to focus on her life back home, go to school, meet new people, and weigh all her options for her future. If she STILL wants to see Inuyasha after all of that, then she will have proven herself to the Well that her desire to see him and go back to that era is genuine, not just some whim of the wind. (The Well isn't some plaything.)

In the meantime, the Well is adamant. Until then, it is sealed. I'm sure Kagome visited it many times, wishing to see Inuyasha. But she knows very well by her third year that the Well does not work.

When I think about it, after high school is when Kagome's life truly starts. That is when she gets to decide for the first time, for herself, what she might want to do with her life going forward.

To prepare for that, Kagome gets to weigh her options in high school about her future. In Japan, I think 1st-2nd year is when they start "university planning" called 進路希望調査 (shinro kibou chousa). 3rd year is when they take entrance exams. The closer she creeps to graduation, the more she is forced to think about her future.

That future without Inuyasha. Can she live in it?

When she graduates, she faces herself head on. "Look, I have to live in this world without Inuyasha. The well is BROKEN af. This is it." But she realizes, even still... EVEN STILL... gosh she just wants to see Inuyasha again. :(

In that moment, she proved herself to the Well. Kagome thought about this for three darn years. She went to school, stayed with friends and family, and she knows her options. Yet, her feelings for Inuyasha did not waver. She STILL wants to see him, thus proving that her desire is not superficial.

So finally, the Well's like, "Alright, I hear you now hunny. I'll open the portal."

When the Sengoku era sky appears in the Well, Kagome looks at it with such yearning eyes, her voice wavering with such longing... Her mom finds her, and knowing Mama, she probably has had a hunch all along that Kagome's happiness is not here in the modern era.

So in a true act of love, Mama lets her go.

GAWD MAMA HIGURASHI MVP MOM OF THE CENTURY I WANT TO GIVE YOU A HUGGGG

Thinking about Kagome's family always makes my heart break, seriously. Though, the timeskip feels sudden to me as a reader/watcher, but three years is still quite a bit of time. (Like, imagine from now, 2023 to 2026.) They had time together... I'm sure it was understood. It still must've been hard tho.

This got too long, so I'll explore Inuyasha's side in Part 2. -> I will link here if you want!

[yourlocaldisneyvillain]

hii <3

i indeed would like to ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story :))

your rambling is everything, so go wild on poor little meow meow Larissa and our favourite menace Wednesday hehe

hiiiii!!! sorry it took me a bit before my brain got less mushy and i could string coherent sentences together! i'm still very much sick though so excuse me if i ramble a bit too much lol.

okay so these two live in my brain rent free now. it started off more as a challenge? or something to be like wooo controversy, and like. how can i make this work. but even though it started that way i never intended it to be like, badly done. from the get-go i put a lot of thought into it and wanted to actually make the story as high-quality as i could in terms of character development, their relationship and all the technical aspects (you know as you are one of the betas haha, and you know how many times i tweaked things, proofread, and how many times zephyr and i went through it). like i wanted to develop it as much as one can reasonably do in 14 chapters without getting sidetracked. and that was supposed to be the gimmick, like oh some ppl are gonna think it's controversial but it is actually well done and they might still be inclined to read it if they just bothered to try! (like a naive lil disney princess i forgot this is the internet lol)

the more i got into the story, the more i adored these two and their dynamic, or rather the dynamic i created for them. i think they just work, or more like, i've made them work. ppl have accused me of being a pedophile multiple times in the last couple of weeks while i've been posting the story lol, and asked me if i ship them in the show now, which is imo just fucking ridiculous. this is a separate universe that builds on what we had, or rather should have had, in the show, a story about two grown women who are both very odd in different ways and have found love and belonging with each other. i think neither of them could do a conventional relationship in my universe, and so this makes perfect sense for them!

i love writing larissa as a poor lil meow meow. there is just something about a pathetic, lonely middle aged woman that makes my brain go brrrrrrr. and wednesday is just a delight to write. i love channeling her voice. i used to be a lot like wednesday as a teen lol, that's sorta how i talked (i had no friends lol), so channeling her is a fun blast from the past and feels very natural to write.

it was a joy to write tbh! and personally, i don't think it's like.... even that out there or particularly (hehe) controversial? it's very much a coming of age rom-com sort of thing, but make it like... Quirky and include some dark humour. the outraged reactions i got to it honestly made me wanna write actually controversial stuff lol. i tend to want to spite the haters :)) and prove my point that fiction is fiction. i am very annoyed by the whole puritan internet culture, it really fucking irks me, esp when it's enforced by the self-proclaimed weirdos and goths and whatnot, who don't know what pedophilia even is lol nor could recognise it in fiction or real life. i know i won't get my point across to people who have already made up their mind about me being the actual pedophilic devil, but i will sure have my fun! i can't wait to challenge myself again! :))

also "particular" really inspired me to write longer works!! and i learned that i am most comfortable with that sort of format. all the things i am planning in the future are multi-chapter fics and rather long! and how i prefer to do it now is to write it all in advance and then post -- that way i know i won't lose interest midway haha. i am motivated by that sweet dopamine of wanting to share my work!

so yeah, i met some lovely people bc of this story (looking at you @the-frankenman-writes, actual gem and joy and delight), i strengthened some friendships, and i think it definitely made an impact on people! i grew a lot as a writer and it pushed me to refine my skills! so all in all, i'm very happy <3

stay tuned for the last chapter!!! a christmas special! :)))

[svturn-exe]

more re hc stuff ^_^ under cut bc i am just pasting in stuff i've already said on disc to a friend and some of this shit gets Long

👍wesker. has been conditioned to be impatient. if he wants something, he has to get it himself and can't wait for someone else to do it for him

william is way too anxious of a guy to make the first move, so wesker is the one who interrupts him mid sentence and goes I Want You apropos of nothing but hey, it works

if wesker wants someone to stop touching him, he has to Make them. and in the process that stops most people from Trying Him for a while. until the next idiot comes along

if wesker wants the experiments and mutilation to stop, he has to Kill the bastards responsible (perfectly reasonable, ngl. like actually)

and i imagine. killing marcus probably has wesker feeling good. great. amazing, even. like finally things are starting to maybe go well for him

and then having that blow up in his face when, for the first time, his award winning Go Getter attitude backfires badly, and he loses Everything in less than a month.

the remainer of stars want nothing to do with him - understandable, he did have to kill quite a few of them to make the (messy, rushed, impatient) plan work. but still failed in the end (so they sorta died for nothing)

chris wouldn't join him either, for reasons wesker doesn't understand (and won't for some time. his world view is a little skewed and his frame of reference is non existent)

and william is dead. because wesker couldn't wait to carry out the plan like they had discussed umbrella found out about their betrayal and now wesker is Alone

xx

👍claire joined the girl scouts bc she wanted to do wilderness shit, but got disappointed bc its mostly selling cookies. so she dressed up as a boy and used her brother's name to get into boyscouts and got every badge girlie is a survivalist and she goes hiking and camping frequently !!!

xx

👍thinking about ada and in-universe applications of the leon effect. spies, as in Real Life Spies, don't tend to have legal identities, and if they give you a name, chances are it's a fake one. so. headcanon time ada wong is not ada wong's birth name like, even without the trans headcanon. it's a name she came up with for the job wesker assigned her to do in raccoon city, in the event that she needs to give someone a name for whatever reason. and maybe she only really tells it to leon in the first place to get him to stop asking so many questions. give him the bare minimum to distract him from the more . Relevant. issues but then as this bright-eyed, stupidly trusting rookie tails her, even tells her off to being too calloused with kendo, and going as far as taking a Bullet for her. the way leon says that fake name starts to mean More . and it's as she's falling to her death that she realizes maybe ada isn't so fake of a name anymore. maybe she is ada wong and then some time after wesker plucks her from midair and they get out of the city she decides to say hey. i'm going by ada now

and ofc he pretends not to care, but he is curious about what happened to spark the change.

xx

👍the wallflowers - one headlight is a claida song specifically about like . leon made ada want a name. but claire makes her want to be a Person, instead of a half-real shadow of a human being that sheds everything about herself for every new job

ada goes into raccoon city that day as a half-real nobody with a mission, and emerges from its ashes as Someone

xx

👍thinkign abt aeon . their dynamic has a lot of potential either as a romantic ship or a burgeoning friendship

the delicate balance of tentative trust between them

ada, who was taught how to tell a near-perfect lie before she could do long division & has never wanted to - or had the opportunity to - hold onto something for very long. Permanent just hasn't been a Thing in her life since… ever

leon, who has been fucked over and betrayed more times than he can count. distrustful and wary but despite it all still tender-hearted. gets attached too quickly and too easily and all too desperate to see the best in people

smth abt. ada doing her best to try and regain leon's trust, and how to navigate life outside of being a spy. and leon having to relearn how to trust ada again, and not jump to the worst conclusion immediately and also they're t4t

[narwhalandchill]

(4.6 beta changes) (again) (guys this is so long im just. many thoughts and me thinking out loud abt arle and my pulling plans. & other nonsense etc. my bad)

ooookay so yeah def glad i didnt jump the gun and attempt some sorta "is this a buff or not" feelscrafting nonsense on arles adjustments jkwjkwdjkwdjkwdkjjk and waited for TC (mostly zajef lmao) analysis and opinion on the real changes that ended up happening

anyway so like. it appears to be an universal buff for her p much? but how big of a buff it ends up being depends on some mechanics we still dont have a definite answer as to how they function (mostly how her BoL stacking from E works during the ECAQECA reset thing, if it enables 140% total stacking = massive dmg buff overall)

firstly my fears of her becoming too ult dependent for overworld appear to be? not as bad as i thought? so thats nice at least very pog like if she can do her thing decently enough just for fun running around thats very good

secondly. the ER situation is literally on a 50-50 😭 because its all about whether she has particle ICD on her E. if she doesnt, thats actually like. 0 ER needed or at the very least incredibly little of it. if there is particle ICD. well. thats going to be another story

the way her rotations have changed now seem to gear her towards overload teams with chevy? since they have very long rotations and characters like fischl and yae can have full uptime over those whereas vape teams lose hydro application from yelan or XQ and buff uptime from characters like bennett over time when a rotation stretches past 24s

like from what ive been reading it seems to be a pretty common sentiment that these buffs will make the biggest impact in chevy overload teams specifically (even tho shes obvi buffed just in general in all teams) for that reason and that chevy teams Especially w her at c6 with arle should be the best bennettless teams ultimately. which is definitely an interesting turn ?

(and this isnt all of the changes btw im just talking abt the ones that matter most for my considerations rn)

anyway. my thoughts then.

so im obviously glad the changes turned out to be buffs so far. but. theres still stuff im a bit. ehhhhhhhh on

firstly the survivability situation (which in turn leads back to the teambuilding issues). bc her self heal did get nerfed. so arles no longer going to be able to risk taking very high dmg during a rotation and dragging herself back to full once the next one starts. which to me feels like an emphasis on dmg mitigation for her and shielding.

(not to even get started on the. spam NAs to reduce her now 30s E cooldown so its up in time for the next rotation meaning you Do Not want to be staggered and tossed out of her attack string. and gee would you look at that! neuvillette level interruption res on c1 now! great!!)

(like again. to be clear. its hard to say exactly how much interruptions to her NA spam will end up fucking her over. i could just be overtly wary about how bad it might feel. but at its worst. with enemies that run away from u or go invincible. or stunlock you. the fact that it will at least heavily risk arles ability to reduce her E cooldown the amount she needs for fluid rotations. could definitely end up feeling like shit to play in practice without that interruption resistance. be it from c1 or a shied)

but then if we go back to her synergies and look at. those more interesting (imo) chevy teams that should perform well even without bennett. like arle/chevy/fischl/yae. whos keeping ur arle from dying there 😭 its giving lyney spreadsheet impact vs actual reality trying to play him without a shield 😭😭 guess we know who he got it from...

and yea could replace yae for beidou for damage reduction but her dmg will TANK in single target. as a whole. defensive options list in pyro/electro units only just isnt that good. beidous the one who tanks team dps the least as long as ur in AoE, but outside of that its just. thoma and dehya. and they will 100% tank the team dps

whereas defensive options like zhongli to me feel like they will just end up w her teams just wanting to lean towards that. traditional vape and mono pyro angle. bennett and kazuha and yelan/XQ. the usual stuff. and shes not getting benny and kazuha from childe so we have an issue 💀💀

unironically i will prolly be looking for some double geo zhongli/chiori/yelan vape team calcs for arlecchino (hope someone makes them. all double geo team calcs ive seen so far assume bennett 😭) just out of curiosity in terms of. how much worse it is than her best teams. bc if i can just slap her in that setup its a big bonus to how flexibly i could use her but eh. prolly will end up weaker than any chiorinavia nation core i could play so who knows

but. all this yapping and im only now getting to the point JSWJKDWJKWDJK so. heres the BIG problem

i dont have a single fucking chevrolet 💀 but i do have like 38 pity on a guarantee.

and like people are suggesting that maybe chevy will be on arles banner and fair, especially with these new beta changes incentivizing arle chevy teams way more than before, it would definitely make sense for hoyo to put chevy with her. and i definitely am overall a fan of this possible chevy overload team direction for arle (anything thats not bennett for father. ANYTHING) so id love for that to be the case

but. thats not guaranteed at all. and the same sentiment i had over arlecchinos hypothetical best support in the form of the pyro archon (or honestly. with the lack of electro shielders for chevy teams even clorinde could end up being that missing piece) where id almost rather wait to guarantee that synergistic unit before getting arle herself on a rerun. actually applies to chevy here too. even just a c0 one

and like. yes. if i spend that guarantee now on c2 chiori. and it turns out chevy is indeed featured with arlecchino. i will Not be able to guarantee her anymore - ill get one 50-50 and all the chances for a few solid chevy copies on the way but thats it.

however. the other scenario here is that arle does NOT get chevy. she gets fucking. kaveh noelle mika. and then chevy is going to rerun with like. idk. random banner. clorinde who may or may not have synergy with arle

...and im not really sure if id even want to pick arle up on that guarantee from that sort of banner SJKDKJADJKDJK but ok id skip her. buuut im still sitting on a guarantee i might not want to use on a character i feel just eh abt. but who might be with chevy (and like. i do pull for 4* when im on a 50-50 and low pity, idm the early. so as long as thats the case i can see myself tossing a few pulls at Any chevy banner in the future).

... which brings us back to. okay yeah saving the guarantee for clorinde IF chevy isnt with arle and IF shes an electro shielder sub dps support for those arle chevy teams. and getting arle on rerun as ive considered. doesnt sound that bad. but clorinde might also Not be that. uncertainty uncertainty.

like im fairly sure clorinde Will be an unit i wont mind pulling at 17 pity xianyun style on a 50-50 no matter what. but if shes not that mythical arle BiS support she prolly wont be worth that guarantee is my whole complex here lmao

whereas. c2 chiori. isnt an uncertain factor here. like im investing in her im getting her c6 eventually, c2 is like almost 25% personal dps increase (also my husk pieces LOVE rolling ER so itd actually be useful) it feels like the "safe" option in a sense ya know???

like. yes id leave arlecchino up to a coin toss . (Jail for jen!! fake lesbian!!!) but id also be left with the option of skipping her banner (if no chevy rateup to be clear) in favor of seeing whether she gains any synergistic units in the future and seeing how the various aspects of her kit that i do somewhat worry about end up panning out ?? and i think. id be fine with that ? Over the alternative

ultimately tho. im super happy arle got overall buffed and that at least some of my fears abt her kit changes were indeed unfounded, but some concerns still remain. its kinda wild and still sad to me that she went from an absolute 100% must pull character just bc its Her to like. curse of pyro on fielder idk if i Need this right now 😔😔 but i Will be getting her eventually!! no matter what

anyway have a sticker if u stuck around for all of my bullshit. this is literally just arle buff thoughts into gacha pulls stream of consciousness rambling 😭😭😭

[lord-shitbox]

HERE is the ask game! and HERE is part 1.

How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

Bite gets real pissed off. WILL argue for at least five minutes before realizing this shit sucks i don't have to be here! and then fucks off and never speaks to them again really Bark can find it frustrating but he knows he's right so it doesn't really matter if others don't believe him. Would rather just go with what others think than make a scene out of it

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

Bark: the kinds of things he enjoys doing as a wolf. Sorta goes along with whatever his pack (family) does & never really spent time with someone special during a shift. hasnt dated in a while and doesn't plan to open up about wolf stuff to (or even get) a partner because somethings going pretty wrong with it. unfortunately for him Bite finds out and decides to entertain wolf-him during full moons, if only because he knows human-Bark will be devastated by the thought that they had genuine fun together the next day Bite: to be real he's not big on talking about himself in general. not necessarily because he wants to Keep Secrets he just doesn't think being understood is worth his time

Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

Bite would rather be excluded if nobody really wants him there. Can and will start arguments over that sort of thing. Bark would rather be invited as an empty gesture & would turn them down bc he knows it's hollow but appreciates the thought nevertheless

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

Bite has some random turns of phrases he picked up from his dad. He tries hard to make that the only thing he carries on from him. Bark has a specific "getting down to business" way of sitting down / sitting forward he got from his mother. When he was little his dad taught him a trick for swallowing medication without water ("twist your wrist a little like you're flushing something with a faucet, that's it") and he still does that sometimes.

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

Bite has problems with people being nice to him & believing sincerity. Even if he rejected kindness that was actually sincere he'd still rather people not be Nice to him it's Weird. Ew Bark had a tendency to over-read situations but now wants to believe everyone involved will be Chill so nothing gets out of hand. wishful thinking. Every day he becomes more of a "damn that sucks" guy

What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

Bite: ok like . anything someone hates passionately actually shows you it's Not unimportant to them but ok i get it. where to fucking START. The kind of manicure that involves gluing a bunch of decorations to your nails pisses him off. Nails are for Practical Use, thanks. less than useless ass decorative stuff cant even do shit with them so stupi (and so forth.) Bark: Ball sports. He thinks he's "fine" enough about them but 3 minutes of playing baseball and he wants to die bad

Are they a listener or a talker? If they’re a listener, what makes them talk? If they’re a talker, what makes them listen?

Bark is a listener & Bite doesn't want to listen or talk, unless he's arguing with someone. Bite gets Bark to talk more because he goads him into being a hater & Bark finds not repressing it incredibly therapeutic. Every time they're having a genuinely engaged discussion it's super negative and people think they're arguing (they are) but Bite thinks that's fun & Bark needs to let off steam

Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

Bark develops memory loss ❤ anyone he encounters when he loses control in wolf state, really Bite: actually. similarly enough he's been rude to and hurt a lot of people and just moved on with his life fuck them idc

Who would they say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something they abhorred / strongly didn’t want to do?

Bite: nobody. Bark might be able to bargain him into doing it tho Bark: if he felt needed enough, pretty much anyone.

Would they eat something they find gross to be polite?

Bark would. Might laugh and say "not my thing" Bite would not.

What’s a phrase they say a lot?

Bite puts swears in common turns of phrase. Type of guy to say "we got sodomized out there" Bark is like. "it is what it is"

Who would / do they believe without question?

Bark is more of a "....sure." guy all around. He has reasonable doubts about most things but just goes along with it whatever Bite uhh. isn't a fan of thinking twice in general. doesn't care about what most people say or think

What’s something they’re expected to enjoy based on their hobbies / profession that they actually dislike / hate?

Bark doesn't really have a hobby. He plays valorant if his friends are on but also has a really awful relationship with it because he doesn't like it. Bite is no good with gore. Blood is fine and fantastic but gore WILL make him nauseated. throws up sometimes because of it

If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

Bite: Nobody. A blunt "you'll be okay" is the most he wants out of anyone. Bark: Pretty much anybody will do, but he doesn't really believe their reassurance because he tries to bottle his fear up. He does secretly miss his dad but hasn't realized this himself. When he's freaked out about The Issue he prefers strangers or nurses over anyone he knows because he does Not want them knowing what's wrong

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

Bite is careful with himself he doesn't do this. Whenever Bark's mental state is bad he showers more often and simultaneously forgets to wash his hair. if he's not whiteboy in peril mode its ok tho

[wretcheddthing]

tell me abt ur tav!!! for the questions meme u can do uhhh all the prime numbers?

!!!!!!!! easiest task done in the world I'm doing this for Venali who is the light of my life

edit: Under the cut bc i didn't realize how long i made it oops

alos just realized this said prime numbers and not just. all the odd ones. oops a Second time. i stand by it tho

Where in the Faerûn is your Tav from? Rivington! But her father lived in Baldur's Gate (Lower City) and she would stay with him for about a week every month

3. Race and subclass? Human wild magic sorcerer :)

5. Dark Urge or no? Not this one but given her backstory it sure would be fun! If not just the worst possible follow up thing that could happen to her.

7. Romantically close with? Gale :) I have a character for romancing each of the romance options and I thought it would be funny for Gale to fall in love with someone who can just Do magic naturally because wizard ego or whatever. But then her backstory and development just kind of. Took over itself before I even had a good sense of Gale's character and they ended up complimenting each other very well.

9. Is your Tav from Baldur's Gate? Why are they traveling there? She Is but her whole thing is she (and 3 friends) became a sorcerer after running into a real shithead of an unknowable entity (sorta like a warlock deal without any actual deal - magic is still something that happened to her, not something she sought). Tried getting help from any magic-user she could find in getting information on What did this to her and her friends but they were always like "Ew no that knowledge is super forbidden you can't know it you're not a wizard only cool wizards can access the forbidden wizard tomes bc only wizards are good at magic. Which you are not."

So she started lying. Figured out a grift, crafted a new identity, started presenting herself as someone who formerly had no interest in magic and has "no innate ability" just deciding to teach herself something new and discovering she's super good at wizardry. A late blooming prodigy, if you will (didn't know Gale was a prodigy when I decided this was a core aspect of Ven's character but that makes it more fun 2 me). So now wizards super like her and something important to this whole thing is she has heightened memory, especially good at recalling symbols and long passages of text. But she got really good at just lying to and charming people and they'd be like "Hey your skill and research is so good wanna come check out my private collection?" and she'd be like "Yes I was hoping you'd say that." bc wizard collections have forbidden knowledge sometimes and that's what she needs! to! see!

Anyway to ansewr the actual question. Probably was going to go to a wizard party or something.

11. Weapon of choice? Quarterstaff!

13. What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it? Definitely no enjoyment in it, but she's done a fair bit of exploring following whatever leads she has on The Thing. That often led her into some dangerous situations where she's had to protect herself. This deal with the tadpole is no different.

15. What NPC's do they like? Which one's do they dislike? She honestly loves everyone in camp and a few of the people who come hang out. She actively despises The Emperor and will antagonize him as much as she can while still toeing the line of keeping his protection. She hates the guy, that doesn't mean he's not useful. Also, y'know, like. All of the villains (she Is good-aligned)

17. Do they enjoy life as an adventurer? Not even a little bit! But she's convinced herself it's something she has to do to either get rid of her magic entirely or at the VERY VERY least get a handle on the wild magic surges. The whole thing really fucked up her plans of just studying history and having a relatively quiet life. And she's nothing if not resolute!

19. How do you think they'll meet their end? I haven't considered this even one time before and the mere thought of it is enough to drive me Mad. I will b thinking about it for the rest of the night that is a promise

21. What is your Tav's favorite spell? WALL OF FIRE. Wall of fire has been the easiest way out of Anything Ever and by the time she's a high enough level to make seriously effective use of it Gale has mostly convinced her of the beauty and utility of magic (that's right we're seeing Active Character Development of her In!! Game!!)

23. What do they do after the absolute crisis? First thing's first she's getting married and taking a Break for a bit. And after she's had time to gather her thoughts, she'll revisit if she wants to continue her personal mission or accept how she's changed. It could go either way, but there is reason to continue and that is her friends are still affected and she promised to help them. It might start with finding them after the whole Absolute thing and touching base.

25. What arcana major best represents your Tav? I go back on forth on like. Some. But mostly between Death and The Tower. Not necessarily a bad thing for either.

27. What was their life like before the events of BG3? I think I've covered most of it already, actually. Wanted to be a historian, was doing a project to help get accepted to a scholarly program, brought eight friends into a ruin she was studying, left with 4 and wild magic she didn't want, couldn't get info, started lying about being really good at wizardry, used this persona to get into exclusive archives and collections to find info on what gave her magic bc it's "forbidden", became an adventurer as a side effect to her personal mission, hell yeah.

29. Does your Tav want to utilize the tadpole powers or not? She doesn't even want the magic she uses daily. She bullies The Emperor for even Suggesting it.

[lavellander]

more talking to myself pay me no mind

I never had any kind of “redemption” planned for des, even when I thought I would play as her and romance morrigan, bc I was interested in kind of exploring the Right Choice Wrong Reason route for a protagonist. I did it somewhat with maeve but it didn’t really show much in my actual gameplay? plus maeve is overall more personable and friendlier than des lol

I also think broadly speaking the obsession with “redemption” and believing one act can overwrite all others / all characterization is reductive and very western white xtian. but that’s a whole other thing and I’ll write a whole essay if I keep going

anyway. I originally took bioware saying that rook wouldn’t be at all interested in blood magic as a point against playing as des, but now I’m kind of like. if I try real hard this is the opportunity for a “Right” Choice “Wrong” Reason moment. quotes bc I don’t think blood magic is inherently evil so leaving it behind for reasons other than “morality” is not wrong to me. if that makes sense

there is absolutely an extent to which des was interested in blood magic bc it was taboo and viewed as dangerous and wrong. it was about power, but it was also about proving that they were better/smarter/whatever than everyone else bc they could toe (and cross) the line without fear. rip to your grandma but I’m different type mentality

so without the context of academic excellence and a hierarchy to climb atop, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for des to start thinking about xir approach to magic differently. is my relationship to my magic best explored in this way or was I doing it just to say I could, etc. des is also a pretty talented spirit healer (originally a means of keeping enchanters off xir scent while xe dove deeper into blood magic) so what about where those two approaches meet?

I need to do more research on necromancy in dragon age specifically but I think I can sorta see the makings of a path from dao-era blood mage des to a dav-era necromancer des. not entirely fleshed out yet but there’s Something there

maybe I can put myself out of my misery and just like know in my heart I’m gonna play this game at least twice so why not just use whichever one I don’t play as first for the second run. like,,,hello

[charmixpower]

What do you think the internal dynamics of the Specialists are? Like towards each other personally and also tactically on the field

Ok, I'm gonna try and make this short or else we're gonna be here all week

My first specialist ask I can't needlessly include Nabu (my love) in XDD

Combat Dynamics

Aka the short part

Sky:

Small hc but Sky at first didn't like swords because he was scared of hurting people but having their son be a RF specialist was good pr so his parents just decided he would be

Sky is good at working with someone, his decision making skills are piss poor (see: the show) but he can follow orders and stick to a plan like no one else so he usually handles the main threat or goes for the objective

His main combat skills is dueling, he's fucking amazing at it

Brandon:

Brandon is the leader because I say so. He's better at commutation and leading in general. He easily keeps track of everyone's skills and helps everyone work together despite their differences

His role in combat is usually crowd control with his broad sword, and his secondary is mostly used to taking people out rather than keeping them at bay

He has the most experience in combat

Timmy:

Handles the more technical aspects but isn't much of a combat planner. He can plan how to make defensives, but cant plan how to fight if that makes sense. Like the s2 planning is how to deal with a incoming threat, but he can't lead an army and call out mid combat commands like Tecna could

Prefers the ship or not being on the ground in the fight in general

Main combat skill is sharp shooting with literally anything you give him

Riven:

Riven is good at real fights. Like ones without rules, where the only objective is to win and not get hurt/survive. Most of his skills aren't legal moves in RF but they are useful as fuck

He's also good at breaking into places but he's shit at sneaking which is hilarious, but he's amazing at distractions

His combat skills lie mostly in fights where he can use his environment to his advantage

Helia:

Helia is actually the one who is surprisingly good at commanding mid battle he just hates it and refuses to do it bc he makes him scared

He's nervous and avoids the spotlight for fear of fucking up but has been so entrenched in this stuff for his whole life that he can pretty easily think about these things. It's like a logic puzzle

Main combat skills are his strings, and witch magic, he's also good at medic stuff which is a hc I picked up from somewhere else I can't remember I am sorry

Preface! Who is closest to who?

Nabu can finally be included!!

I try to keep these all balanced bc I feel bad if someone is everyone's least favorite

It's like a puzzle, I figure out everyone strongest ties and just fill in the spaces from there

Sky:

Brandon, Timmy, Nabu, Helia, Riven

Brandon:

Sky, Riven, Timmy, Nabu, Helia

Timmy:

Helia, Sky, Brandon, Riven, Nabu

Helia:

Timmy, Nabu, Riven, Sky, Brandon

Riven:

Nabu, Brandon, Helia, Timmy, Sky

Nabu:

Riven, Helia, Sky, Brandon, Timmy

Personal relationships

Sky & Brandon

S1: Their relationship is p complicated actually. There's a lot of co dependacy that was sorta forced on them. Sky straight up has never been allowed to function on his own, always having someone assigned to watch him, and Brandon hasn't been allowed to exist without being in charge of something. So they're relationship is complicated. On top of that, Sky recognizes most of what his parents say as bullshit, he's just too scared of them to do anything, but Brandon doesn't! So that's a dimension. They care a lot about each other but their up bringing makes life complicated

S2: Sky and Brandon are starting to separate from each other. They're still best friends but they've both be introduced to the idea of boundaries and are considering implementing them. It's slow going and they both miss having a "roll" and always having someone they can just expect to go along with them. Co-depdant relationships are comforting, and trying to move away is hard, they both end up trying to continue the same co dependacy with their partners, which is not good for either Bloom or Stella because both of them are EXTREMELY SUSPECTABLE to this kind of thing, its a bit of a mess. They both need real identifies outside of the ones assigned to them

S3: THEY HAVE SEPARATED AND ARE HEALING AND HAVE THEIR OWN IDENTIES AND ARE STILL BEST FRIENDS!!! Its still hard for them to see each other normally, and they feel very safe and comfortable when in each other's presence bc of their past dynamic, but they are being separate people. Sky's unfortunate mind control by his parents into the roll they want from him really scared him into trying to be his own person, when previously he was the one who struggled the most with it

Sky & Timmy

S1: They get along. Timmy appreciates that Sky protects him from bullies, and Sky just finds Timmy cool to be around

S2: Now that Timmy has begun growing a back bone he goes "Hey why are you hovering over me? I can handle myself now. Don't you have your own problems to worry about?" Sky has a LOT of anxious energy and he is channeling it into other people and Timmy no longer wants to deal with that

S3: Timmy thinks Sky is a fucking dumbass of the highest caliber (big fucking affectionate) and will help his friends destroy anyone who hurts him. They're on equal footing now, no weird dynamics, all is good

Sky & Riven

S1: Mutually don't like each other. Riven is paranoid and Sky has a tendency to just say shit, so they constantly but heads due to miscommunication

S2: Riven doesn't like him but Sky is intent on mother henning the depressed onion. He lets it slip that he thinks Sky would want him dead, Sky is horrified, and Riven thinks he's just trying to save face

S3: Riven finally believes that Sky's attempts at friendship are genuine, and steps in to comfort him after mind control trauma. They are friends

Sky & Helia

S2: Helia is standoffish but deferres to Sky and doesn't bother questioning enough that Sky never really feels the need to make a thing out of the fact Helia doesn't talk to people...they're very neutral about each other

S3: Helia has come out of his shell as the chaos gremlin he is and tries to fucking drop Erendor no hesitation. They still don't talk much but they consider themselves ride or die

Brandon & Timmy

S1: Protects Timmy from bullies but also tries to gently coax him into being more assertive, something Timmy didn't want him to do at the time. So he's thankful that he's so nice but also is aggressively hiding in his comfort zone

S2: Brandon's lack of coddling is a breath of fresh air, and he's also someone that Timmy can just have a conversation with without huge biases, fuck yeah

S3: They are vibing. Brandon doesn't quite believe Timmy when he says Tecna is out there like Sky does, but he's willing to hear him out. Mutual trust and understanding

Brandon & Riven

S1: Brandon is the only person Riven will listen to and the only person Riven respects. Riven reminds Brandon a lot of himself when he was early into being a servant, first fighting assassins, dealing with awful rich ppl. Brandon goes out of his way to try and include Riven and make him feel comfortable in the group. He recognizes Riven's behavior as a coping mechanism, a bad one that hurts people but one none the less, so has the easiest time interacting with him. Riven feels Brandon is the only person in the school that actually cares

S2: Brandon being the most emotionally intelligent has allowed him to be a VERY important part of Riven's post Darcy support system. Helping Riven keep up with the stuff he learned in therapy, helping him cope better. Fun stuff. Unfortunately for Brando, Riven is officially clear headed enough to point out that Brandon seems to think he's inherently of less value than Sky. Not like as his job, but like as a person. And is now picking at all of Brandon's long held propaganda, which makes Brandon SO fucking uncomfortable. Brandon's personality and mode of functioning has been severely impacted by the conditioning he went through, the fact that he's definitely killed someone, dealing with rich people who do whatever they want. Brandon carefully hides these from normal people, and Riven is like "if they don't like the real you then fuck them. Your trauma isn't your fault."

S3: FRIENDS!! They kick each other when they fall back into bad habits. Riven tries his best to communicate to Brandon when Erendor and Samara go to Valtor, that they've always been awful and that his conditioning was child abuse. He's supporting Brandon now. Riven doesn't understand all the political stuff but he can yell Brandon's own words back at him. Riven positively loses it when he finds out that Brandon has been kidnapped and held in a cell before (I still can't believe that's canon) and Brandon appreciates him

Brandon & Helia

S2: The way Brandon introduces Helia implies he doesn't like him which I think is fucking hilarious. I think they both recognize what the other is like and because their so similar they piss each other off because they keep stepping on each other's toes. I also think it would be really funny if the two smart chill planners had a secret beef going on. Brandon doesn't vibe with Helia knowing so much about him without talking, Helia doesn't vibe with the colder aspects of Brandon's personality that was developed though training. Self Identification though the other /neg

S3: they're far more comfortable with expressing themselves now and have unfortunately for everyone else figured out they have a similar sense of humor. Brandon will fuck with people, and Helia will commit to the bit. God help the fool who draws both of their attention at once

Riven & Helia

S2: Helia sees depressed s2 Riven and goes "we are friends now" and Riven just has to deal with it. Helia was first interested in Riven bc Saladin specifically mentioned him the most often as a victim, so Helia wanted to look out for him and it spiraled out of control form there. They're both willing to go ape shit but in different ways, this is their friendship

S3: Chaotic dumbass friends. Riven aggressively has been bitching at Helia to actually talk to the rest of the specialists, much to the local hermit's distaste, and then found out they were cool. He is now Significantly more unhinged. Woe

[wildflowertips]

Hi! I was curious if you had anymore Kuroko fic recommendations? Thank you! 🥺💗

hey! 🥺 i do have more kuroko fanfic recs. i didnt know what type of kuroko ship you wanted, so here are a few from some kuroko ships <3:

Kagakuro Recommendations

the flower that blooms in adversity by aotetsu

When Kagami falls for Kuroko Tetsuya, a famous prostitute from the red light district, he manages to find a whole lot of trouble and a person worth it all.

this fic deserves more love and attention. kagami love for kuroko absolutely made me sob

Brothers in Woo by buttwade

in which Himuro jokingly offers to help Kagami win Kuroko over and the joke's on him

kagami is drunk & himuro cracks jokes. this fic is funny. jealous!kuroko

Beastly call by TCon

"You mean," Kuroko started. "You'd be my Heat Partner?" He didn't expect Kagami to explode into a myriad of different shades of red more impressive than his own hair. "Y — yeah tha's what I'm sayin'!" for some reasons he lapsed into english with an odd accent. KagaKuro Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics & Sex Pistols AU - Fusion

Lots of smut in the beginning. there’s crime, suspense, and i read this fic like 5 times.

Stamina Training by tnsxbunny

As the weakest member in the team, Kuroko stays back after basketball practice to train on his stamina. Kagami watches from afar and decides to show Kuroko what real stamina training is.

SMUT. SUCH GOOD SMUT. thank u

The advantage of being Kuroko by heartfilledteddybear

mayuzumi hits on Kuroko & Kagami gets jealous 🥵

Akakuro Recommendations

Forget me not flowers in our hair by miniaturepsycho

When Kagami is captured by a beast Kuroko doesn't think twice and bargains to take the red head's position instead but it seems that there is more to this castle than meets the eye, and what has it have to do with forget me not's?? Basically a beauty and the beast AU that I decided to do after seeing the live action (which I totally did not cry at, not at all!!) COMPLETE

Contains Aokaga. Akashi as beast & kuroko as belle. So good 🥺

All I ask by TsuruKuni

"It's none of your business." "Tell me, Aomine. How can it be none of my business when you're throwing away the only person I've ever wanted?"

THIS FIC MADE ME SOB AT 3 AM. I highly recommend listening to ‘All I ask’ by Adele. I promise you will cry. Aokuro & Akakuro.

Bridezilla by DancingMarshmallows

Weddings are stressful... try helping people plan them. With two months to get everything together, a bridezilla and her bitch of a maid of honor, and finding love at the worst time, Kuroko would be lucky if he makes it out alive.

CEO!Akashi & WEDDING PLANNER!kuroko. you will not regret reading this one.

That Ridiculously Long Dance by Harmonia_Silverberg

Aomine, Kise, and Kagami never learn, do they? But apparently their "joke" works in Akashi and Kuroko's favor this time.

literally one of my all time favorite akakuro fanfic

What Would Chihiro Do by anewtinystory

Akashi is dating Kuroko, whose two brothers are very protective of him.[Based on a Tumblr anon's prompt: Nijimura and Mayuzumi are Kuroko's brothers; while Nijimura approves of Akashi, Mayuzumi feels the opposite]

slight smut. protective bros. i love it sm.

Aokuro Recommendations

Traded Mistakes by Acetate, Chrystie, exuberant_imperfection, kate882, luckypen

For the prompt: Aomine having an accident and losing his memory so all he remembers is being best friends with Tetsu and he doesn’t understand how that could stop.

Angst, oh the angst 😫😭.

Third time’s a charm (or maybe fourth) by LajtHane

Aomine really didn't mean to crash into him at Quidditch practice.

HOGWARTS AU. if that doesn’t temp you, idk what will. My fav Aokuro fic.

Maybe a touch of your hand by skinandbones

[Written for AoKuroWeek 2015]: Aomine moves into a new apartment and befriends a ghost boy.

no bc this fic made me cry too. pls read it 🎶ifwehad5moreminutes🎶

The Boyfriend Jersey by exuberant_imperfection, kate882

Kuroko, in a half-asleep mistake, ends up wearing Aomine's jersey to school.

THIS FIC IS CUTE SUCH DORKS

Hey, Come Here Often? by imabignerd

In which Momoi holds his magazines hostage, Aomine hates everything and everyone, and Kuroko is politely bewildered.

Aomine crushes on the lifeguard!Kuroko & Momoi is a little shit about it 😌🤍

Midokuro Recommendations

It’s Always your Fault! by warsandwich

Kuroko and Midorima are secretly dating, but Takao finds out their secret. De-anon from the anon meme.

Short, sweet, & funny 😌.

Partnership by Fayah

Their partnership starts in English class, but like everything else in their lives, turns into a matter of basketball.

Midorima really cares for Kuroko 🥺

Midokuro Ficlet by pandacchii

based off of imagineyourotp blog post: "Imagine your otp confessing while they were half asleep" Pairing: Midorima/Kuroko

short story but it’s really cute ☺️

An Unexpected Alignment by cinnaelle

Midorima Shintarou does not expect such a reoccurring encounter. But the wheels of fate are turning and Akashi moves his shogi piece.

well-written i love it sm. deserves more praise

The Way You Come Undone by oshare_banchou

"Midorima Shintarou is completely silent during sex. And Kuroko, who is both fascinated and frustrated by this discovery, wonders just how much it would take to make him come undone." - Kuroko/Midorima, in that order

do i need to say more? 😫

Kikuro Recommendations

Careless Whisper by DarkWoods

When Kuroko is dared to come up with some dirty talk, no one expects him to be good at it. Certainly not Kise.

my favorite kikuro fanfic. flustered!kise & tease!kuroko

如果的事 (If) by stormterror

People fall in love in many different manners. Love feels like many different things to many people, but Kise Ryouta thinks there's nothing that quite beats the feeling of being in love with Kuroko Tetsuya. [kise/kuroko]

SO GOOD I CRIED I SMILED SO HARD. pls kikuro deserves the world

Wires, Connecting by Bakagami

It's like being blind but not, like touching air, grasping at straws, voices dissipating and reverberating.

This story is locked so you need to login into ao3 to read it. PHONE SEX & DIRTY TALK 🥵

He Promised by imabignerd

Kise promised he'd smile for Kuroko the whole way through, all the way to the end.

Zombie apocalypse AU. Death. sobbing violently.

It’s a Small World by SilentSilhouette

Kise tries to find his soulmate through social media. Soulmate AU where a picture of your soulmate is tweeted to you on your sixteenth birthday.

This one made me crackle & laugh😂😂

Murakuro Recommendations

No Such Thing as Too Much Vanilla by plumtrees

Kuroko and Murasakibara have baking days. What do you mean it isn't canon?

baking!boyfriends & fluff 😌😉

Vanilla Cream by yoimrei

Murasakibara eats Kurokos ass after something Ahomine says which sparks his jealousy.

here me out first, the ass eating in this is *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏽🤌🏽

Philia by DarkWoods

That time Murasakibara and Kuroko started kinda-sorta fake dating, and kinda-sorta never bothered to break up.

Still going & i love this writer sm. i read all their stories 😙✌🏽

Lavender Secrets by SailorHikarinoMu

Kuroko was the one to bring out his true love for basketball, which had been hidden from prying eyes since the beginning. It was one of those things he was unsure whether he should feel grateful for, but all the same, it did mean something. What this 'something' was, exactly? Murasakibara did not know. Not yet.

FLUFF AAA FLUFF

Rainy by overdose

Kuroko listened to the rain pouring, and more importantly, Murasakibara's steady breathing.

smut. couch sex. size difference. 🥴

BONUS

Hanamiya Makoto/Kuroko Tetsuya

Scotomas by Darkenedcrystal

After the game against Jabberwock, Kagami goes overseas and Kuroko finds himself without a light. A slightly angsty, rather light-hearted story about what happens to Kuroko after Kagami leaves. Features teens finding their way around life, Seirin without a light, the Generation of Miracles being a family, the teens finding love and appreciating the heartbreaks. Kuroko tries to find his own style without a light, and stumbles into the darkness that is Hanamiya Makoto instead. Extra chapter added!

love this fic so much. downside: akashi is kinda a dick

Of Unlikely Friendships, Sneaky Bets, Shogi and Sake by itsthechocopuff

Imayoshi had introduced his two favourite kouhai to each other as an experiment. He did not predict they'd get along so well, both being shadows, but they did, and they worked, oddly enough. Hanamiya brought out the worst in Kuroko, while Kuroko brought out the the best in the other; and they both caused heartattacks to unsuspecting teammates who could not believe their darling shadow was not as innocent as he seemed.

you wont regret reading this one omg

Haizaki Shougo/Kuroko Tetsuya

A Taste That Lingers by therealmoyashi

I couldn't say anything, and that was alright because he didn't want an answer. I'll never forget the way that tasted. Yeah, I thought, he ruined me.

i cried reading this for the first time. out of character kuroko

By the Tomatoes by Wayfarer_Rye

It starts with a blue-grey t-shirt that says "Nothing but Net".

Haizaki wants to try again.

[bukunmiakintola20]

Hello pumpkins ~

How are y'all? As my 3rd year of med school and my 3rd year of gyaru has started (galversery was August 16), I would like to set some goals for myself since if you want to achieve, it helps to clearly visualize what it is you want to achieve. If I’m being real, I was supposed to make this post a few weeks ago, but I’ve been so busy 

_(´ཀ`」∠)_

Well I have an announcement but first… 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR 200 FOLLOWS!! 

I always say this but I just sorta started this blog as a way to catalogue the events in my life (bc I’m kinda forgetful) and I didn’t need anyone to read my content necessarily, just writing it was enough. It does feel so special though that so many people enjoy my blogs (˃ ⌑ ˂ഃ ) Thanks again everyone 

Also don’t forget to follow my blogger and TikTok, and do expect a September pic dumb soon, xxx

Now onto the announcement.

.

. .

. . .

I’m leaving gyaru officially.

Did I getcha www What I mean is that I am not going to refer to myself as explicitly a gyaru anymore. And I’m officially leaving the community. Kinda? The things going on in the community (not just recently if I’m being honest) since I’ve joined make me so embarrassed to just be in it despite me not even really being close with other foreign gyaru’s. I’m still going to do gyaru style, I just won’t be calling myself a gyaru if that makes sense. So more accurately I’m rebranding myself. I also hate just confining myself to one style so I’m gonna try and experiment with that abit this year as well. I’ve always kinda just been quiet and keeping to myself in this community, which really does make this decision and transition simple for me to execute.

Anyways without ado let's start with my goals:

Socail life goals

1. Talk only to my friends who have shown that they are good people. 

I made some friends within the past year, good and bad, but I choose as always to keep only positives in my life. If you have shown to me that you cannot be trusted, I understand you and I move on. If you were involved in any capacity with my ex-friend group drama in any capacity, it's done. We've had our good times, but as always it's time for me to move onto better things. Whether that be with my other friends or alone. I will be happy regardless.

2. Make sure to make time for the people that matter to me.

Despite how busy things may get, I should try and do something with my friends weekly or subweekly. Hanging out, even if it's to study together, shows you want to be close with that person and that you value that relationship. We all have our responsibilities too, so I will try my best for this one.

Career goals

I've already sorta planned/made steps for this, but regardless let's go!

1. No resits

I was lucky to not have any resits this time around however I have more responsibilities this year that I have taken on. Resits are exhausting and deplete your time and energy. Luckily the weighting is neutral, but this is to be avoided at all costs.

2. Be in a club/society

Because it’s good to have extracurriculars. I want to join the choir this year and am already the secretary for the nutrition society. I’m also in the innovations subcommittee for the surgical society atm. I’m gonna try my best to do it all.

3. Research 

I want to try and find a research project I’m interested and be guaranteed a summer project within this fall semester. It’s not mandatory but obviously it would be great to do one. God help me because am I gonna be busy this semester（ ;  ; ）

4. USMLE/ MCCQE preparation

I want to do step 1 before 4th year. I also would like  to start preparing from christmas but this will be the hardest thing I will do. I can do it tho. I have endless drive and willpower, so I just need to pace myself and to do well. And also. DO. NOT. PROCRASTINATE.

Fashion/subculture/SNS goals

1. Learn more parapara and post tiktok’s!

I know a few routines already but I’d like to learn even more this year! As a medical student I’m kinda busy but I want to learn some more this year as well.

2. Growing my TikTok 

Honestly, I slightly regret the time I devoted to growing my IG versus how that could have been used to grow my TikTok. Hopefully this is gonna be successful. At least by my own standards.

And that is all U^ｪ^U

Honestly, each year I set these goals so I at least have a clear direction of where I want to direct myself into the future. And even if I don’t end up completing my goals, I make some progress which is just as good to me. Anyways for everyone who has started the new school year I wish you all the best of luck and hope you have the greatest year. I’ll see you in the next post,

[unnounblr]

#and i wonder how much of the disjoint has to do with the fact that like...remedy is a finnish game company

#writing stories that do tend to grapple with these major entities of the american subconscious

#(i.e. The Mysterious Feds And What They Are Hiding From Us in control; The Small Town With Something Innit in aw)

#but...and i do say this with respect for their willingness to try and what they have achieved...

#they are writing these stories about an archetypal america without really grappling with THE archetypal struggle at the heart of america

#which is. yknow. structural antiblack racism.

#like i do love that saga is a protag and player character of the award winning sequel to a beloved cult classic game

#love that we are made to sit with her narrative and her perspective

#but at the same time. like. i think a lot about the anderson bros reveal

#and how like. as a nonblack woc. if i were to discover that i had two aging biker relatives of nordic descent living in smalltown pnw

#who my mother had basically disowned and who had beef with my presumably nonwhite dad.

#my first response would not be ''oh how kooky and odd'' my first response would be OK THERE IS A VERY BIG REASON I NEVER KNEW THESE MEN

#and like. just watching saga walk around watery and blithely talk to people. again not black but i would not get out of the car in watery.

#i would make my white partner buy snacks at the gas station and then be like OKAY WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW

#in universalizing saga remedy has kind of by necessity sanded off some edges that make her experience in the game a jarring fantasy

#and honestly i don't even really know if they realized they were doing it a lot of the time.

#idk. maybe i'm not giving sam lake and his crew enough credit. or maybe i'm giving them too much slack

#but it's a difficult line to walk and i think they landed juuuuust short of the mark with how saga was written in this game

#(which is not to say they got everything wrong! i agree with unnounblr that her moment of connection with the Bookers

#was a welcome surprise; and i did really like that she got to rage against ''white assholes'' in extremis bc that DID feel very real)

#(it's also definitely an improvement over control; a game i love but which did treat the one major black character a little incoherently)

I agree, there's definitely a degree to which I sorta feel like Remedy didn't quite. I dunno, "get it", fell just short of the mark, and the bit about the Andersons I definitely agree about because. Like, I liked Tor and Odin from Alan Wake 1, but the sorta sinking vibe I got the more we learned about them and Freya and Saga's dad was "oh no, they were probably racist".

Like, figuring out that her dad was probably Door, and Door is probably a copyright-free version of Hatch from Quantum Break (I think Lance Reddick died literally the day before they started filming or some shit) sorta alleviates that, maybe, for me. Like, Martin Hatch sorta tried to end the world that one time, there's valid reasons to not want him to be with your daughter.

And I do sorta think it's interesting maybe that. The things Tor cites that he disliked about Saga's dad were that he was "complicated" and always "planning" and thinking ahead and. Like, there's an element of privilege involved that Tor Anderson, who probably inherited that farm, was able to get by with his bohemian, freewheeling, sex drugs and rock-and-roll lifestyle, and if Saga's dad was an ordinary black man, he's less likely to have the privilege to get away with the shit that Tor does.

At the same time, I did sorta appreciate that it was the traits of Saga's dad that in most circumstances would have been considered. "Respectable". That Tor specifically objected to. I thought it was unique. And made sense with the characters as established. Tor's rebellious, anti-authoritarian streak.

Like, it's a little odd that only two of the cops, Mulligan and Thornton were racist, but then again. Like, as far as I can tell, the Bright Falls Sheriff's department has basically been an unofficial front for the FBC for its entire documented history, through the Breaker family.

Like, I get what you mean about Control, and how it doesn't quite make sense for Marshall to have been a black woman in the CIA and later the FBC with the authority she evidently had, but. Then again, if that's true, then presumably Frank Breaker and Helen Marshall might have been colleagues at some point before he retired to be a sheriff, so him and Sarah and Tim (who I'm not even sure is from Bright Falls, or was even originally a cop? It seems like he showed up because he was looking for Door for Quantum Break-related-reasons and got the job because it seems like the Breaker family has the sheriff's office on lock) not being racist and not making racism, like, institutionalized, at the highest level, sorta makes sense?

Like, to some extent, the fact that Saga is a cop at all is also. Like. A factor?

Speaking of Tor's anti-authoritarian streak, and Sheriff Frank Breaker, I sorta want to point out that before Wake 2, the only thing we knew about Freya Anderson was that she called the cops on her dad that one time he caused a hurricane. And if we assume that the person who filed the missing persons report for Door that brought Tim to Bright Falls was Freya, there seems to be a pattern where Freya seems relatively comfortable with authority? And, like, cops in particular. Which is. Interesting, and maybe related to why Saga joined the FBI to begin with.

Stubled upon your post about saga and it was a very interesting read. I have to say that i havent noticed mich racism, but thats mostly becuse i started avoiding gamming websites when the release date came.

I saw a few ppl on Reddit angry about the "white asshole" line. That line is weird but it makes sense in context. Shes at her absolute lowest, unable to resurface back and fight againts her self doubts. Shes spiraling! And alan did put her in there, kind of. While we can see in their interactions that she doesnt hate him or anything, her feelings of anger and sadness take over, making her lash out as someone rven though she knows its not really his fault. And as some said, it reflects racism of the real world and tells us soemthing about saga - that she experienced this kind of feeling before, implying greater history. And idk, just feels that it makes sense for a black charscter to agnowladge these issues.

i could be rambling but im typing this out on my phone, whoops!

The gaming bros were definitely the worst offenders of it, so you were smart to ignore the gaming websites. It's why I had such high hopes for tumblr and AO3 because I thought for sure Saga would be the most popular new character. Sucks that I was wrong.

The "another white asshole telling me what to do" line CAN seem out of left field, but at the same time, perfectly fits the narrative. Because up to that point, nobody was telling her what to do. The only person who could have immediately took himself out of that position.

At the point the line was uttered, she was at her lowest, like you said and it was evident she had been in that position before. It gave us another character trait in Saga and another hint at her backstory. Alan tried to play God with her life, however unintentionally and Saga had every right to be angry at him.

The fact that she DIDN'T hate him says so much about her, and it's all wonderful. She chose to forgive him. As a black woman, it made sense to reflect on that, however brief the moment was, and I appreciated it.