#because I can and you can't stop me XP

[muffinsin]

Hi muffin :3

How do you think the sisters would act with an s/o who can turn into a cat (or something bigger like a lynx), maybe has catlike tendencies and the ears and tail in human form too?

Lemme just pull this one to the front of the queue

Hey, hon :)! Fun fact; this inspired me to finally note down my HCs in order to find and filter em a bit easier XP I got the majority of em by now, around 300 of my HCs. Enough of that, though ;P

Let’s get into it🙌

Masterlists

Bela

Bela finds you utterly adorable

As it comes to her, one might just be able to compare her to a dad not wanting a cat and ending up loving it

Bela "I don't want a relationship" Dimitrescu is, after all, head over heels for you

And, for your even more feline form

It startled out easy, with her picking up your scent during one of her monthly hunts

Something new- something odd

Something she hasn't smelled before

Something hurt. Bleeding, even

She tracked you down easily, as you weren't trying to conceal your presence from her. In fact, having lived the majority of your life in the forest after hunters drove you from home, you didn't even know about the Dimitrescus, having been lucky enough to never encounter her sister prior to that day

Then, lying hurt on the ground after stepping in one of the hunter's traps, you almost anticipated death

You couldn't shift to your more human form to at least try to pry open the jaw of the bear trap, your body weak, your fur bloodied

It was Bela who tore open the jaws of the trap, instead

You don't remember the day very well, only remember picking up her scent, rich and light, royal even, as she easily picked you up and carried you over her shoulders

You didn't care where to

And still, awakening in a large room with your injured leg wrapped in soft gauze and your other chained to the wall was not what you expected. Nor was the metal around your mouth, keeping it shut as though to stop you from biting

When you saw Bela the first time, you thought her dangerous with the blood sticking to her and the sickle in her hand. The second she stepped to you and you picked up the scent, however, you calmed again

Today still, you love her scent

It calms you like no other thing and you're deeply possessive about it

Whenever she attempts to switch to a different perfume or try a variety of different soaps, she finds herself whined and and growled at instead, or giggles when you (not quite as subtly as you might like to) swap out her perfume and soaps again

You can't help it, it brings you comfort

Then, in no time, the two of you became closer

She was there for you, every single day, checking in on you

You remember still, the first time you saw Daniela, her eyes wide and excited at the sight of- what had she called you?- a bit kitty in the castle

Bela had stepped in front of you, snarling, her arms crossed, then reaching out as her hand easily grabbed the base of her sister's hood and dragged her back from you like an unruly cat might

She still does this to you in your lynx form, often enough, though it is usually a matter of you letting her drag you, given your size in this form

When you regained your strenght, you were quite anxious about revealing your other form to her, though deemed it necessary one day, when you watched her curiously as she stretched, trying to undo the zipper of her dress. Only was this by her back, and no matter how she tried to turn, she couldn't reach it, too exhausted and a little too sticky with blood after her hunt to simply swarm out of her clothing

You always thought she was so confident for freeily undressing in front you. Looking back, she likely did so even at the start merely because she thought of you as nothing but a lynx, never noticed the person within watching her shyly

And still, she gasped when she first felt your human fingers drag the zipper for her, halfway down her back, just enough to expose her smooth back before you turned out of respect

She was left speechless, though thankfully connected the dots fast upon seeing a woman in place of the large lynx she had kept in her office for the past weeks

And with her knowing about your human form, she became more and more curious about you

The two of you would chat for hours, her asking several questions you didn't always have an answer to

The two of you are comfortable around one another, and deeply protective and possessive as it comes to each other

She wants you to be hers only. She shares all other things with her sisters, but never you

You, are only hers

In the morning, she makes sure you're clean every day and while she doesn't outright say it, she loves to have you curl up on top of her when she works, especially when transformed

She'll absently pat your head as it rests in her lap, humming silently

For you, this serves as a time when you get to relax and calm down, a welcome break from hunting or playing in the castle or forest

Speaking of, Bela is strictly against you going out and leaving the castle on your own. Transformed or not, you're a rare sight, enough for any hunters to keep an eye out for you. She would never want something to happen to you, and she dislikes the thought of her sisters approaching you without her there

They know not to hurt you, not to kill you especially. They know about her fondness of you, and still, she feels a nasty pang of possessiveness at even the thought of their gloved hands running through your fur or across your limbs

As such, you actually get her to hunt a little more often, if only to accompany you when you want to get some fresh air or run about. She knows, you need it, and she knows you won't leave her

You're utterly bound to her, her scent and presence deeply calming, your entire being in love with her. She's your everything, and you love being with her. It gives her all the reassurance she needs to allow you to roam free as you like, so long as she knows where you are in case of danger

In winter, she pleads you to stay within castle grounds, and often enough you actually find yourself being accompanied by Alcina Dimitrescu, who- despite not being thrilled at having to watch over you- could never say no to her eldest pleading for her to ensure your safety, insisting you're her everything, you're special, and she could never see you get hurt

In summer, she loves to be out with you, laughing and running with you

She isn't faster than you, but can keep up with you with little issue due to her swarm

Then, of course, there is the heat and the shedding in summer, too...

You hate it, though Bela at least makes it a little more bearable

While she loves the warmth, she helps you get to cooler areas in the castle and ensures you always have enough cool water around to battle the heat she so eagerly soaks up. You especially love being in your lynx form and lapping at the water as she pours it in front of you

One upside to this heat: you get to have a lot of baths with your soon-after-meeting-her girlfriend

Out of her sisters, Bela is the one to stay the cleanest and is the most hygenic. Still, especially in winter, she refuses bathing multiple times a day

In summer, you occaisionally abuse her care and obliviousness to how bothersome the heat is (or not!) by asking her for baths multiple times a day. You can't help it, not when it means seeing her strip from her tight dress and move in the water with you, her body close to yours, her flies calm at last

And speaking of; Bela has made it a point not to swarm near you unless necessary

That is mostly due to the fact you love to chase down and hunt the little things. Poor Bela squeals each time she swarms even a little and you automatically try to catch the little insects. While far too fast for your human form, you do occaisonally catch a couple with your large paws when transformed, and always nudge them apologetically when the little insects stop moving after

At night, she likes to sleep with you curled up by her side. Should you be transformed, you like sleeping on top of her, your face rested on her soft thigh, your paws stretching across her limbs

Otherwise, she'll eagerly hold you- or be held by you- all night long. Especially in winter does she love the warmth your fur offers and while it occaisonally has her sneeze, you often catch Bela nuzzling into it, as though chasing its warmth

Of course, you will always provide her with it

In summer, on the other hand, you like curling up by her, content to enjoy the feeling of her rather cool skin. As you are her heater, she's always doing a good job at helping you cool down effortlessly

Something a little more feral to consider, perhaps, is that you like bringing her little trophies whenever you get outside

And while Bela is perfectly capable of hunting, too, she usually ends up giving the countless fish and birds you bring her back to you with a sweet smile you just can't resist

In time, though, you find: your girlfriend actually likes the birds- alive ones, that is

And as such you make it your job to gently take some with you when you can, trying your best to be careful with the fragile creatures and bring them to her, only for her to release them in the castle's courtyard, where most stay and build countless little nests she likes to admire in her spare time

The fish, however, are all yours

Cassandra

Cassandra certainly finds you- interesting

At first, you were prey to her

Her favourite prey

She’d chase you through the woods, hold you down when she’s caught you and pat the space between your furry ears, as though petting you

When in your other form- as you often were to try to escape her- she’d stroke your fur. She’d often comment on how beautiful it was, giving twisted compliments such as that she would love to skin you and have you decorate the walls of her room

It’s a compliment, to her

But- she never did anything like that

She never left you with more than a few cuts and scratches, and occasionally a bite

She never killed you, never broke your limbs or caused irreversible damage

She liked you

You have always been special to her

Then, when you’re pursued by hunters one day and find yourself running blindly, you suddenly realize you’re far closer to the castle than you thought. You’re hurt, bloodied and beat, your usually so fierce snarls reduced to quiet whines and meow-like, dragged out screams

Just when the hunter approached you again, his shotgun raised and eye flashing his twisted, sadistic intentions and greed to turn your fur into gold, he was yanked away

You watch, confused and helpless, as Cassandra fights the three men pursuing you. She fights- differently, than she does with you. She doesn’t hold back like she does with you

She’s far faster, far more brutal. You watch as she effortlessly drags her sickle and digs her flies through the attackers

Not a single shot can even be fired, for her hand grabs the weapon and harshly yanks it from the man. She’s far too fast for them to catch up and far too fast for you, in your weakened state especially, to try and keep up with her

Your eyes slip shut to the screams of the men and her sadistic, loud, excited laughter

You don’t know what will happen, only knowing that her life- or death- lies in her bloodied hands

When you next awaken you’re in the castle, bathed in warmth and rich scents. You note almost immediately: you’re in a bed, large and comfortable. Upon looking around, you realise you must be in Cassandra’s room

Hunting trophies are pinned to the walls, weapons scattered about the floor. The curtains are drawn, a deep red shade, and a large bed stands in the far end of the room. Her bed, likely, whereas the one you’re on seems as though dragged in just to let you stay in the room

Your body aches, but as you look down you notice your wounds are cleaned out and bandaged

You know immediately; she saved you, took care of you

When she enters the room the next time, her eyes glint, and while she locks the door, you don't feel trapped

You know, the woman has had countless opportunities to kill you in the past

So why hasn't she?

She looks you up and down, her eyes taking in your human form. She isn't as familiar with this one, nearly thought you an intruder and killed you when she saw a woman rest in her room, rather than the large, lynx-like animal she dragged inside

Now, recognizing the same glint in your eyes, she's curious

You gasp in surprise when she suddenly swarms to you, her sickle suddenly held below your chin, tilting your head up

You want to say something, want to thank her, at least, but with her golden eyes piercing yours hungrily and her sickle held to your face, you feel as though all words are lost to you

Instead, you allow her to look at you, turn your head when she turns her sickle, shiver when she trails her gloved fingertips over your ears and the fur still growing along parts of your throat, cheek, arms, and waist. She doesn't look underneath the blanket covering you, but you're certain she's seen it, having placed bandages around your cuts

"Thank you", you eventually manage to breathe out, and immediately her head snaps to you, as though not expecting you to talk at all

She's impossibly close to you, her golden eyes taking in your form. You feel her breath against your face, pick up the scent of the woods, blood, and rich perfume that clings to her. You find her eyes, gold and stunning, allow your own to briefly linger on her face- her bloodied cheeks, her wide-ish nose, her lazy eye, her thick lips. Briefly, you think of reaching out and caressing them, but quickly shake the thought away, blaming your still dizzy state instead

And just as fast as she approached you, she swarms off again, humming something about resting some more, alongside with a promise, or perhaps a threat, that she will be back

And back she was

Cassandra was there every day, often dragged some still-twitching animal or woman in with her for you to feast on

Towards the end of your recovery, however, you instead found yourself having a new fate: Being Cassandra's

She had clasped a collar around your throat, a golden C engraved at the side, and while she has never said it, you knew not to attempt to exit the castle without her

Instead, you found yourself living almost as her pet

She'd occaisonally take you hunting with her, though you always felt her eyes on you, as if daring you to try to run off. In the beginning, she'd bring a leash, smirking at who you soon figured out must be her sisters, as though proud of the large, lynx-like creature sitting perfectly trained by her side

You find, have realized very early on, you like making her proud

You like seeing her smirk, and you love feeling her gloved fingers scratch at your ears and fur when you've been good

You like to hunt with her, like to bring her trophies, and must appreciatively rubbing against her leg when she takes her favorite ones and pins them to the walls of her room

Soon, you realize;

You like her

You adore her scent, her laughter, her presence, her humor, even her sadistic tendencies and feral moments make your heart flutter and stomach feel light

And Cassandra? You are everything to her

While it starts out as her keeping you as a pet, deeply possessive and protective over you, it soon blooms into her wanting to spend time with you

She'll drag you along wherever she goes, unsure how else to communicate that she wants you around

You notice, still, notice how she begins to open up a little more with you

She begins allowing you to sleep in her bed, in both of your forms, and while she starts out by holding only your leash to her, she soon begins quietly nuzzing your fur when she feels particularly tired, granting you but a glimpse of her care, love, and the vulnerability that comes with it

You never let her down

You stay still when she sleeps with her cheek smudged into your warm fur, breathe quietly when she sleeps with her head on top of your chest when in your human form

The two of you never bothered with terms. Soon, it became clear: you were hers,

and she was yours

Daniela

Daniela is absolutely smitten with you!

She thinks you're the cutest little thing in the world. Her little kitty, as she calls you even when you adapt a decent size when transformed, her little human, when in your regular form

She loves to cuddle up with you, and you love receiving gentle pats and strokes of her nails through your fur in return

She's so gentle with you, even when she's excited, and she absolutely loves feeling you purr on top of her when she reads to you and scratches that perfect spot right by your ear. Though, while she is gentle, she has at least once carefully tugged at your tail just to see your reaction

Speaking of, each time she taps your ears and they flick, she giggles adorably. At times, when in a particularly foul mood, you growl at her for trying to catch your ears between her fingers or raise your hand to catch her wrist, but a single coo and little pout on her lips is enough for you to already smile or purr again

She just has a way of making you feel happy

Daniela loves to go out with you for some fresh air in summer

Her favorite thing to do is to hunt with you nearby. When transformed, you occaisionally join her, hunting down mice or smaller animals or simply stalking them while she often goes for deers, bears, lycans, and about every unfortunate soul unlucky enough to get lost in the forest by the castle

Often, she'll coo when you encounter a lycan and hiss and snarl, your fur suddenly fluffy, your tail standing straight, your sharp claws out. She never lets you fight, but allows you to hiss away

Still, the second the lycan dares move towards her "precious kitty" she moves, fast as lightning, her sickle drawing a howl and causing an uncomfortable crunch as it connects with the monster's skull

She's incredibly protective of you

But, still, even with her being incredibly protective of you, Daniela finds it incredibly hot when you’re protective of her, too. Whenever snarl or bare your fangs at someone threatening her or a staff member merely stepping too close to the flirty redhead, she will literally swoon

When you're transformed and hunt together, she'll usually win and lightly tease you for it, a satisfied grin on her lips that makes you swoon. Should she lose, she usually pouts adorably, demanding a rematch or whining about how this and that is to blame. You always grant her this, simply enjoying spending time together

And to her too, this is one way of spending quality time together

Whenever you bring her one of her kills as an offering, she squeals happily

She sees it as a love offering!, and she eagerly shows it off to any who will listen and see- her mother, her sisters, even the prisoners down at the basement area unable to stop her when she yanks them about- often earning herself a growl from her sister when she is already busy with them- while rambling about you

She just can't help herself!

She loves you so much!

When back at the castle especially, it isn't uncommon for the two of you to spread pure chaos at times

After all, between her own impulsiveness, mischief and both of your at times rather feral ways, the castle is often filled with crashing noises, loud giggles and snarls, and little coos as you decide to hunt indoors for fun

Daniela is, even as she hasn't admitted it yet- and only because you have not asked- absolutely obsessed with your lynx form. The first time you transformed she immediately squealed, unable to sto gushing about you

She still squeals happily, often even picks you up and leaves you feeling surprised by doing so

She loves your beautiful fur and loves cuddling into it. With her feeling cold most of the time, there is nothing more beautiful to her than curling up against you or in your arms in front of the quiet fireplace, a book in her hand, her face smudged against your fur

When she sees your sharp teeth, she quietly swoons, though the blush on her cheeks is always telling even when she doesn't speak on it

In general though, Daniela ensures you always feel her affection and happiness

She's an incredibly touchy person, and with you being at least part feline, you more often than not prove to be the same. She constantly nuzzles you, at times drags her teeth against your neck as though to sink in and taste you. At other times she likes to bury her face in your neck or hair, sinking eagerly into your arms or keeping hers around you like you're her personal- and favorite- stuffed animal

Especially when transformed, you both have a habit of pouncing on one another randomly, which often turns to a mix of showing affection and starting little sessions of play fighting that she always (and easily) wins

And while your more human half certainly at times has to keep both of you in check, Daniela in turn encourages all your cat-like mischief, often having such urges herself deep inside, having only (thank god!- Alcina) grown out of them

Still, when you knock something over she giggles, and when you slumber in her sunbathing spot she whines, but eventually merely curls up with you no matter how little space is left

Whenever you stare off into the distance for a little too long and suddenly take off, sprinting after god knows what, Daniela immediately joins in. She doesn't know what you're chasing, but she's eager to help, and that about sums her up

When you work, however, Daniela is less patient. She just loves you so much! She wants all of you! Why can't you work as- what did she call it- the castle's rat- catcher or so

You had frowned at the words, though getting to make your daily hunting time your job sounds enticing

When you do work and are busy, you often enough flick your tail or ears and move from her, insisting you're busy. Daniela always follows you around almost like a lost puppy, whining or rambling, until you either cave in and give her attention again or she becomes bored and swarms off to annoy her sisters

Thankfully, however, with you both having very little to no sense of personal space at all, the two of you often end up curled together, as close as possible, or spend as much time as humanly possible with one another

Sometimes, you like to slow blink at her, especially so when you feel a little less talkative even in your human form. The day she finds out it means you're trying to show her your love, she always does it back without fail

And while you don't share all cat traits, you share enough. Kneading, namely, as well

Oh, and how Daniela swoons and loves when you do so on top of her, especially on her back. She'll giggle for a little bit at the feeling of your heavy paws against her back, but soon enough start producing a purr-like sounds with her flies that almost matches your own

You love hearing it

Once, just once you saw her try to copy you, rearranging her flies with great difficulty to maintain a tail somewhat matching yours for a few seconds or so. It was enough for you to automatically tackle her and rub your face all over hers, purring as you did so. She still sometimes thinks about it and smiles at the fond memory

You're so cute!

[dropthedemiurge]

Let Free The Curse of Taekwondo: Things you didn't notice #1

Isn't this another K-BL where I'm internally squealing because of every single detail? You bet it is. You can read my other meta/cultural detail/Korean language posts for Love for Love's Sake, Time of Fever, Grey Shelter and Boys be Brave on my pinned post or hashtags^^ (I really need to organize it under one singly hashtag tho...)

I already talked about how impressed I am with the fact that this series has done their preparation job well, with props, settings, language, history etc.

It is about a countryside/small town in Southern province of Korea - because a lot of characters use satoori (southern dialect), almost all of them except for the main two guys. There is also a distinct contrast/conflict between 'fancy Seoul rich guys' looking down on 'Southern town'. Juyoung even was surprised Dohoi doesn't use satoori.

To which, he responded with 'You'll be uncomfortable if I use it". And Juyoung said there are plenty other uncomfortable things around here, beside understanding/listening to everyone using other accent xD Confusing Gaga translation errors, we meet again!

Actually, it's interesting because Dohoi's name is written 이도회 in Korean, which typically would be written as 'Dohoi' but pronounced as 'Dohwe' (think of surname Choi that is actually pronounced as Chwe), yet in the first episode I clearly heard them actually say 'Dohoi', letter by letter. Now I wonder if it's also related to satoori... I wish I could speak it, it sounds so cool tbh.

He actually said 'I'm not in a good condition', meaning his physical form. What do you mean, mood, when was that ever an excuse in sports..?xD

By the way, what is it with boys trying to get closer to other boys by buying them unusual ice cream?:') Okay, garlic sounds more weird than red bean one :D

Also, I tried to find the Hasong town they talked about but failed - maybe because of incorrect transcription or maybe they made up this town based on Uiseong - a small town close to Daegu which is famous for being the most famous garlic town, they produce a lot of it and garlic fame would be seen everywhere - so who knows, I bet they allude to this when Juyoung said 'why can't there be a vanilla garlic ice cream? It's like a collaboration!'

Another thing, I thought the time of this series was somewhere around 1990s-2000s (because I watched a movie in similar setting that was called 1997 year but they still used pagers, now that I think about it). It was also still the time where teachers could use physical punishment on their students, it's heavily highlighted but I don't actually know around what time they stopped... Probably in Seoul, they already were getting rid of it but in small towns it was old-school teaching, which is again why Dohoi tried to tell Joyoung out of it.

I'm not familiar when small laptops and phones appeared in Seoul but I think the series is actually somewhere around 2005-2010! Which would make sense, Juyoung got the 'cool' flip-phone and a laptop with Windows XP (released in 2001) but small town is still far from that, as they use landline house phones to make a call.

He also has mp3 player and as other tumblr folks figured out, he was listening and dancing to Jewelry song released in 2005 :)

And another thing that convinced me about the time era... the final scene!

Do you want to know why at the end of Ep 1 Dohoi smiled and laughed and ran to Juyoung even after so many exhausting days and neverending small miseries and a new loud housemate?

Because Juyoung not only came to pick him up with an umbrella in the acid rain, he also reenacted the famous umbrella scene from the classic romantic K-drama called "Temptation of Wolves" (늑대의 유혹) which was released in 2004! To make Dohoi laugh.

(Yes, when Juyoung intentionally put the umbrella down and the camera cut the shot to the framing when the umbrella slowly lifts up, showing smiling Juyoung, I was like 'you did nooooooot' xD)

(last screenshots taken from @heretherebedork post, I'm sorry I am very lazy and cannot take a good screenshot for life :'))

So that was already our very first romantic teasing-implication!

Another cute thing: optimistic Joyoung wrote a diary entry into the fake old Korean "Facebook" (they had Cyworld instead) to share his first selfie with Dohoi:

"[Excited Shin Jjuyoung]" (typing in a popular back then teenage style) "I miss you guys... But here it's nice too hehe ^___^ Come to play with me!! Together with my friend Dohoi too~~!"

Aren't they the cuteestttttt? I mean, this dynamic is not new but I love how unique the setting is. And I can't wait to watch the second episode, I'm waiting and savoring the first one for now but I'm going to make notes about other episodes as well so stay tuned! If you reply/comment in tags, I will put you in my tag list^^

Tag list: @benkaben @pickletrip @troubled-mind

[fuckyeahmhawkefenris]

I promised myself that I would never ever bring it up because I have enough stress in my life already and these discussions take up a lot of time and energy and require a lot more witt and eloquence than I posess.

But.

This wound has been out there for many many years, and I feel that now it starts festering again, and since I have taken it upon myself to preserve our history, I feel that it would be simply wrong to remain silent when I have something to say.

So, you probably know I make fenhawke renders in XPS using models extracted from da2.

My Fenris model uses these textures

But I must point out that I had to manually edit them to look like this, because the original game textures look like this:

(I believe they do, because the dude who shared the models only did the extracting, and is not known for editing textures)

Want to know why I did what I did?

Because I spent much much MUCH more time looking at fanart of Fenris, than playing the actual game, and at some point it started feeling wrong to me to have him so pale. My vision of him was influenced by the fandom.

That doesn't change the fact that THAT's how he looks in the game.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

Come and tell me that it's impossible to take him for a generic white dude.

Racism is bad, duh

Whitewashing dark skinned characters is bad, DUH

Many of you may have gotten immersed in the wide world of modding (I can't do it, all known mods change too much about Fenris for my liking, and I need him to have his iconic features), but

can we please stop pretending that Fenris in the original game was obviously depicted as dark skinned?

Because that's some stupid bullshit that has caused and still causes a great number of people, mostly artists (often casual fans), a lot of distress, and outright promotes bullying hiding it behind an image - illusion - of social justice.

Yeah, in 2014 we got Dorian and Krem and some others in DAI, finally seeing what people of Tevinter look like.

But guess what? In 2012 we had no idea, and could only guess. Back then we actually had discussions about this, offering opinions and not being afraid to talk? In 2012 we did not really know how to portray Fenris, and artists made their own choices.

In da2 the only tevinters we encountered were

For the best, probably, because had they been depicted as dark skinned, that would have likely become a case of some very unfortunate implications. Looks pretty hopeless to me, either way.

ETA: and of course I forgot Fenris's SISTER

I'm not saying that racism is not an issue in this fandom. It is, obviously, like anywhere else.

But can you imagine a person who played DA2 (exclusively, without getting into DAO or DAI or trying to explore the fandom and looking at more fanart), taking a liking to Fenris and deciding to make fanart of him and sharing it with the fandom, and then having angry anons come to their ask box accusing them of racism? For depicting Fenris in the only way that is known to them?

Think about it for a minute.

I've witnessed a number of such happenings over my time here, and I've been around since 2012.

If you take the time to look at our old fanart, you'll find various depictions of Fenris. Some darker, some lighter, but back then NOTHING could be considered wrong, because we had too little to go on.

It would have been funny had it not been so bloody SAD to see older pictures circulating the net and read comments filled with rage and hurt over whitewashing brown characters.

I get it, you want to fight for justice, but THIS is not JUSTICE.

That right there is some act 3 Meredith level of lunacy seeing blood magic everywhere and condemning innocent mages.

Before you decide to go harass an artist who made a picture that does not match your vision, take a few minutes to think about how justified it would be. Weigh your options and at least choose your words carefully.

I shudder to think how many potential fans had been put off and turned away from this fandom, left wondering wth is wrong with us.

---

ETA: concerning lighting https://fuckyeahmhawkefenris.tumblr.com/post/772588487945879552

[jusmango-shake]

That isn't very cash money of you, Cupid.

Pairing: 03!Donnie x Reader

Fictype: Songfic

Mood: fluff, crack(?)

WARNINGS: self deprecation, SSWEARING 😎, corny feelings Ew romance yucky, reader is in denial, mention of poison(metaphorically)

🥭: I'm SO SORRY FOR GOING OFFLINE FOR SO LONG, I hope y'all can accept this... (Totally not because I suddenly had a billion ideas for Don and had to write them xP)

★Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy,

I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly.

I'm in love and it's a crying shame..

And I know that you're the one to blame.

As you laid down on your bed, tossing and turning as you struggled to fall asleep. A faint glow of pink visible in the almost pitch black room.

You sat up, groaning while you rubbed your eyes. Taking your phone off of the desk it was currently charging on.

“Real dick move, brain.” you grumbled, looking at the current time.

12:45 PM.

You squinted, the light from your phone almost blinding as your eyes adjusted. The blush finally visible on your face.

Rereading your conversation with Donatello on the handy T-phone he so kindly gave to you, the corners of your lips curving up ever so slightly as you recalled your memories with the Purple Turtle.

He had been running rampant in your mind throughout the week, and you had been yet to catch him.

You sighed, laying back down as you faced the ceiling. You had to accept the fact you liked him sooner or later, why not be in denial for a bit longer?

★Hey hey, set me free!

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me.

Maybe it was because you had a thing for smart guys, or maybe it's because of his stupid dorky smile, maybe it was because he only had said smile whenever you were around, or maybe—

You blinked, burying your head into your hands as you groaned. Your friend looked at you with growing concern.

"You alright?"

You waved your hands dismissively,

“Yeah, I'm doing great.”

"You ssuureee?"

“i'm very much sure, thank you.”

"Maybe it's that Donatello guy you keep mentioning."

“shut up— no it isn't,”

Your friend has gotten increasingly closer to you, wiggling their eyebrows as they shoved you playfully.

“—Oookay maybe it is.”

"Tell me more?"

“no.”

★I can't do my homework and I can't think straight, I meet her every morning 'bout half past eight.

It wasn't very well hidden, practically everyone in your friend group knew something was up.

You'd randomly message them that you wouldn't be able to make to the hangout followed by some bogus explanation.

Sometimes when they made their way to your house they'd see you sneak off somewhere.

Once you'd almost been caught entering a manhole just to get to the lair, or to Donnie to be more specific.

You did not like it whatsoever.

★I'm acting like a lovesick fool, You've even got me carrying your books to school.

Conversation flowed smoothly as you helped Donnie carry some spare parts from the junkyard, he ranted about some machine he would make with said parts.

At this point you felt as if time itself had stopped, all you could hear was the sound of his voice echoing off the buildings as you two walked through the alleyway.

The road was quite crowded near the garage, it would've been impossible to get in without getting caught. Manhole it is I guess.

You hadn't even noticed that you've already arrived at the manhole cover.

You absentmindedly followed his figure and he knelt down to take off the cover, looking at you expectantly.

He cleared his throat before gesturing to the open manhole.

“wh— oh, uh.. my bad.” you murmured,

"I'll go down and you hand me the parts, sounds good?" He smiled, if only he knew the effect that had on you.

“..yeah.”

You watched as he placed the spare parts on the ground, then moved to go down the ladder.

Once he gave the signal you grabbed the bucket next to the hole, a rope tied to it so it would be easier to get stuff down if it was too heavy or big to get down normally.

You placed as many parts as you could fit in the bucket before grabbing the rope and slowly letting it down the long hole.

Once Donnie was done getting all the parts out he tugged lightly on the rope, letting you know he was done.

After repeating that process more times than you could count, you slowly ascended down the ladder. Once again carrying the spare parts while you made your way to the lair, Donnie humming some tune he heard while Mikey was watching the Television.

You didn't like how you could practically smell Donnie from how close you two were, maybe it was because he smelled like sewer or maybe it was because of the fact it made your heart race. Probably both anyway.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when he started talking.

"Hey, (Nickname)?"

“uh— yeah? What's up?”

"I just wanted to thank you for helping, it means a lot to me." He beamed up at you.

You looked away, already feeling the heat creeping up onto your face.

“Psh.. it's no Biggie, it's the least I could do as a... Friend.”

It hurt to say that, partially because it was true.

Donnie chuckled, nudging you playfully.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad to have you as a friend then."

That hurt even more, and this time, it's because he could never see you more than just a friend.

★Hey hey, set me free!

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me.

Your heart raced whenever you even just thought of him, and it broke just as fast. You knew deep down that he'd never like you back, (did you though?). if Cupid really did exist, he's cruel.

You clutched your beating heart as you hid behind a wall, trying your hardest to calm it down before going back to meet Donnie again.

All this from just grazing each other's hand? Maybe you really were pathetic, or maybe you're just touch starved. Could be both.

You knew Donnie was just sitting there watching TV, completely unaware of what power he had over you. You felt bad lying to him, you usually told him everything. But not this, it's not worth losing him over some feelings. Right?

★You mixed me up for good right from the very start.. Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart!

When you first met Donnie, it was like an arrow went straight through your heart. Maybe you're over exaggerating it, maybe.

It's like the arrow was laced with poison, slowly infecting every part of your body without you knowing it, and lastly, it infected your heart.

You always had a feeling you liked him from the start, maybe it was the fact you couldn't accept liking him more than just platonic liking.

It got harder and harder to push back down into the deep depths of your heart. The last straw was when it finally hit you straight in the face, you loved him. And you couldn't do anything about it, neither could you decide whether he'd reciprocate or not. It was killing you slowly, just like poison.

★You got me jumping like a crazy clown,

And I don't feature what you're putting down.

By no means did you think you even slightly deserved him, Donnie's a really sweet guy. He deserved more than some person who can't even come to terms with their own feelings.

Still didn't stop your heart from doing a backflip into a cartwheel into a handstand flat-back though.

Every time you saw him, your heart just decides to do a whole workout routine inside your chest, the butterflies in your stomach don't help either.

★Well since I kissed her loving lips of wine,

The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine~

Hey hey, set me free?

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me!

It did not give you any sense of pride to admit this but, on more than one occasion, you have fantasized about kissing Donnie. It embarrassed you to no end. (Stupid teenager hormones)

Maybe one day Cupid would decide to have mercy on you, and finally let you move on. Doesn't seem like he's going to, though.

Maybe for one day you could stop being such a weirdo for Donnie? Just for one day?

★You got me jumping like a crazy clown,

And I don't feature what you're putting down!

The fact that you always felt happier whenever you were just with him, even being in the same room could dramatically change your mood didn't help at all.

You hated always wanting to be near him, his entire existence feeling like a drug to you. Time always seemed to fly faster than when you weren't with him, you could never get enough of his rambles, anything he made amazed you, you hated it. You hated being in love.

And you hated the intense feeling of dread whenever you even thought of confessing to him, being rejected by all means was not on your to-do list. Neither was ruining your perfectly good best-friendship with Donnie.

★Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine,

The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine.

You got so caught up in your train of thought that you hadn't even considered the fact Donnie liked you back, maybe it's a defense mechanism set up by your brain so you couldn't dig an even deeper pit.

Donnie watched you do your homework as you fail to notice his longing, he's loved you for a long time already. But by his logic you would never like him back, who would wanna date a green sewer turtle? Living in the sewers is bad enough. What about being a mutant?

He quickly corrected an answer you had written down, his arm coming up from behind you to take a hold of your hand. He erased the previous answer and wrote the correct one.

He knew he couldn't hold your hand like this for too long or it'd be suspicious. Though the both of you craved each other's touch.

You were the only person who would actually listen to his rambling instead of just nodding along and pretending you were. You would ask questions that would spark new conversations, you came to him for answers. You looked for him when you needed help.

You genuinely enjoyed his ramblings. You enjoyed his company though he had nothing more to offer than just knowledge and machines he had made. He didn't even need to talk sometimes, you would just watch him do whatever he was doing. Offering help when he needed it.

Donnie only snapped out of it once you had begun waving in his face.

“—nnie, D? DonTron? Donatello? The turtle in purple? Donasaurus? Downtown Donsville?”

"Yeah—? Sorry I was- uh zoned out."

“could you help me with uh— number twenty five?” you scratched the base of your neck.

"Twenty five—? Didn't I already explain it to you? Like, eight times?"

You laughed sheepishly, turning around to face him.

What you expected was a look of disapproval. as much as Donnie loved explaining things, no one wants to repeat themselves. what you hadn't expected however, was that Donnie was actually much closer than you thought.

As soon as you turned around, you were met with Donnie's lips. You had accidentally kissed him.

As you pulled away, two fingers on your lips while your whole face flushed a shade of red.

Butterflies erupted in your stomach as you avoided Donnie's gaze like the plague, what if he hated it? What if he doesn't wanna be friends anymore?

Your thoughts were immediately shut up by Donnie clearing his voice.

"I'm sorry if this isn't the right time but— can we do that again.?"

Your eyes shot up to meet his and you took in the significantly darker shade on his face. You thought of what he'd looked like flustered, it was even better than you'd imagined.

“i— Yeah, I guess..?”

You held your breath in as he leaned in closer, your face scrunched up as you felt his breath fan over your face.

You peeked through one of your eyes when you felt him move away, a bashful expression mixed with a hint of sadness behind it on his face.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, glancing over at you.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, ya kno."

Shit— that's not-

Before you could think of anything else, it was like someone pressed autopilot in your mind.

You quickly spun around in the chair, extending your hands to his face. You gently cupped his cheeks as you leaned in,

Donnie's eyes opened in shock as he felt your lips softly kiss the edge of his lips, you had missed his mouth entirely.

You pulled away anxiously, your face heating up at the fact you completely ruined the moment by missing his lips.

Your eyes frantically searched his eyes, trying to catch some semblance of a hint that everything was fine and that Donnie doesn't hate you.

Unfortunately for Donnie, he was too dumbstruck and lovestruck to form a coherent sentence.

The only thing he managed out wasn't even a word, all he did was shoot out a lazy smile.

You sighed in relief, happy that at least he enjoyed it.

While you turned back around to continue doing your homework, you were interrupted by a familiar green hand.

"Maybe one more?"

★Hey hey, set me free

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me.

A few days afterwards, he finally confesses, and by confesses I mean he builds a robot out of spare parts to confess for him. Partially because he's too shy to do it himself and also because he wanted to impress you as well.

And after that was just a hazy blur of study dates and lovey dovey stuff, as Mikey so kindly put it.

You held Donnie's hand as you two watched the stars on top of a random building, you listened as Donnie pointed out every constellation he could see and facts about every star that was apart of each one.

"Did you know that Sirius is the brightest star we can currently see? With our bare eyes?"

You chuckled, gently caressing Donnie's hand with your thumb.

"But I'd have to disagree with it, yknow why?" He added, sitting upright as he gazed down lovingly at you.

“No, why?” you sat up as well, looking at him questioningly.

"Becauseee.. you're the brightest star I've ever seen." He grinned at you.

You grinned back, a light blush adorning both of your cheeks.

“You're such a cornball, Donnie.”

"Yeah, but I'm your cornball."

“Donnie!”

"What?"

You two laughed, smiling lovingly at eachother.

★Hey hey, set me free

Stupid Cupid stop picking on me.

[redravenblogs]

I can't stop thinking about what an incredible episode "Children of Time" was in how it explored a number of the characters, and I might expound on them later, but I'm particularly transfixed with Odo's arc. For the entirety of the series up to this point, his two defining personality traits are his sense of justice and his profound loneliness, and the writers used both of those to deliver a precision gut punch to the audience.

That profound loneliness is magnified in this 200-years-older version of Odo. He has been waiting and hoping for so long for this brief chance to see Kira again. He probably couldn't even hold his form when she died in his timeline, so he never had the opportunity to tell her how much she mattered to him, or even to say goodbye. He's been living with that for two centuries.

In light of that, what does the staunchness of his past self matter? What did it ever get him? That's why he's so quick to tell her how much he loved her. Loves her.

They get to spend a precious day and a half together before she decides she must sacrifice herself, and he begins desperately and hopelessly trying to convince her not to. Then he asks her: would things have been different between us if you'd known I loved you all along?

When she says "maybe," you can see his heart fucking break all over again. Because he suddenly knows what was possible, even by the slimmest chance, but he's losing her all over again- she has to be thrown 200 years in the past to die so he and his society can continue existing.

And then she kisses him!

SHE is the one who leans in for it!!

And that's the turning point. Because he knows that if she and the rest of the crew make it back to DS9, his past self has a fighting chance to escape the loneliness that has always defined him. His other self has the possibility of something better, even if he is bound to lose her either way. That's why this other Odo is willing to eliminate himself and everyone else on the planet from existence in order for Kira to live. So when everyone else is planning on a noble self-sacrifice, he chooses to be selfish for once.

(Arguably, making it so that 8000 people never existed isn't the same as killing them - one of the big moral quandries of the episode, but I wonder if Odo wouldn't have burned that whole planet to ashes if that's what it took to save her.)

When our Odo is linked with by the alternate timeline Odo, he suddenly knows everything. He knows every single person that lived on that planet. He knows the pain of living for 200 years filled with a regret and loneliness unlike he'd ever experienced before. He knows the fate he narrowly escaped (and was utterly helpless to have any control over). And he suddenly knows what it's like to kiss the woman he's been in love with for ages! And he understands. Because now he also knows hope. A hope so wonderful and so terrible that the other Odo would go to such great lengths for it.

That's why even in the face of Kira's outrage at the great injustice of it all, he can't give her a straight answer when she asks if he thinks what the other Odo did was right. Two hundred years of XP has just downloaded into his brain and is exerting its gravitational pull on his sense of just and unjust... Not to mention he's had his deepest secret revealed to the person who he least wanted to know.

Until now, he's never even opened his mouth about his own feelings because his sense of lawfulness extended to not even creating ripples on the surface of the social status quo. But he's suddenly been blursed with the understanding of how the other Odo has benefitted him. (Wingman of all time?)

The tension between what he's always thought is right and what his gut is telling him he wants now is so delicious to me. His sense of justice is suddenly much more flexible than he ever thought because of the possibility of not being lonely anymore. Finally belonging. It's maybe the most humanizing experience the audience has seen him go through - even more so than being stuck as a solid for a while, I think.

[fluffle-writes]

In the weird core Au, is Yuu just a normal human or what?

Because I don’t doubt they would’ve passed out, out of primal fear when seeing everyone here.

As soon as they were somewhat getting used to Grim appearance, Crowley comes out and it makes it worse. At least depending on his appearance

At the same time it would be kinda hilarious to watch.

Yep! Yuu/the reader is just a normal human who's been whisked away or backroomsed to the Weirdcore TWST dimension lol - some parts of this AU is inspired by another Weirdcore AU I've seen actually! I can't remember where I read it - I'm pretty sure the writer stopped writing TWST stuff tho xP

If you've watched my Meeting With Vil video, you can see how the Weirdcore cast has to be a bit more careful around the resident human! They have a much more fragile psyche and body, so sights that would be fine for the Weirdcore guys may cause distress or injury for Yuu!

I feel like it'd be fun for all of the Weirdcore cast to be much larger than normal humans! But also, they'd be inconsistent - like reality warps around them. For example, Riddle looks very large when he's angry - but he can shrink down to an almost human size if he wants to come across as less intimidating.

As for Yuu encountering Grim and Crowley! I feel like being chased by Grim would be significantly more frightening for them - I'm still deliberating on how the Weirdcore beings of the world will react to a human though... Part of me wants to make them be perceived as baby otter levels of cuteness since the juxtaposition of these massive monsters cooing at Yuu seems like a fun thing to think about.

As for Crowley! Crowley will be imposing af I think - I'll probably give him more wings than Vil, as well as floating elements like Lilia (probably in the form of keys and mirrors since that seems to be a motif of his)

Yuu will probably be in some kinda state of shock during the prologue for sure, but humans are adaptable! They can eventually develop the vaguest sense of normalcy in the strange world they find themself in.

Weirdcore AU Masterlist Here!

[isa-ghost]

ISA PLEASE I NEED YOUR DEEP DARK DEITY THOUGHTS

Something something sculk as a corrupting power. The ender king wants to take, wants to keep everything like a ship in a bottle but the deep dark? It wants to change. It wants to remake everything in its image.

There could probably be something cool having to do with sculk not being "native" to his world, but when rose "woke up" (phil updated the world and his bedrock lowered) so did the sculk. And now its lying in wait, slowly corrupting, slowly changing, slowly creeping.

And then... philza stopped avoiding it, and took some pieces to spread around. Is that gonna accelerate the corruption?

EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE THIS IS COOKING, DEFINITELY TAKING INSPIRATION FROM WHAT YOU'VE SAID HERE.

OKAY SO here's what I have so far (and restated stuff I said in chat yesterday during stream):

The Deep Dark Deity (I'm leaning female but also really fucking with them being genderless. Their gender is Corruption and their pronouns are they/it) has control over the Warden, sculk, etc. All things Deep Dark. The people who built and once lived in Ancient Cities were a cult that worshiped the Deity. Gods know when/how they died out, if they really died out or just went... elsewhere, and where they ended up if they aren't just dead. You can't tell me that's not a fucking portal. You know exactly what I'm talking about. They could've gone through there. But why?

Something something that portal being activated and the realm it would lead to being accessible is the only thing preventing the Deity from being able to escape DD biomes on their own. Currently they're bound to their own domain unless Phil takes a catalyst or other means of sculk spreading outside of the DD with him.

The Warden was created by the people who inhabited the cities (as we know from that one disc), meant to be a vessel for the Deity, if not straight up created in the Deity's image. Regardless, the Deity can indeed control/possess the Warden and command it whether they're inside of it or not.

Sculk contains XP, which is popularly headcanoned by most players as "life force" because living things drop it when they die (and it's earned though life experience, and life experience increases life force or whatever, blahblahblah, not explaining this in detail here, it's not my headcanon it's just the gist of what I've seen people cook with). This is what the Deity (EDIT: Deity name is Sculk Scourge!) survives off of. They consume it, and there is no such thing as "enough," it always wants MORE. If Ender King is greedy for the material, DD Deity is greedy for... whatever you'd call life force. When something dies in sculk, its life force is consumed by the Deity, and the sculk spreads because the Deity is being made stronger/more powerful and therefore their influence is spreading.

In addition to life force (killing mobs in DD biomes, bottles of enchanting, etc), some other "offerings" they enjoy include diamonds, lapis (gives lots of xp when mined), bones, god apples, infested stone, and beacons.

I'm cooking up a summary type thing like this for each of the Hardcore deities, but one of the things this Deity would represent is the concept of the apocalypse. It consumes to gain power, becomes so powerful nothing can stop it, and continues to consume until there is nothing left to consume.

Taking your idea of how the Deity only came to be after Phil updated Rose's power/influence over the world increased once more. Something something corruption something something Rose's evolution went Wrong somewhere and it turned into a whole ass new deity. Something along those lines idk. Whatever I go with, they have it out for Rose. It's her and her creations that they consume to grow stronger, that they want to remake.

They fucking HATE glow squids because they look like something THEY should've created, being all blue and glowy and ethereal like that. But no. Fucking ROSE did. 🙄 Their resentment of her knows no bounds.

Actually idk if it's resentment or just general ill will but again: They very much intend to do Rose harm. Including emotionally. Like by hurting her precious Child of the Sky. Or corrupting him to make him theirs instead. =)

This isn't a headcanon but like. The vibes of this deity? Scylla from EPIC: The Musical, both the song and the monster herself.

Given the nature of the Warden and the spirit of the Deep Dark in general, the Deity is blind. It navigates the world through hearing, smelling, feeling vibrations, and by sensing the amount of life force something contains. Phil should not enter the Deep Dark with more than 30 levels of XP. If he overstays his welcome in any DD biome, but especially in an Ancient City, the possession he'll undergo by this Deity will make Ender King's possession of him look like NOTHING.

Little does he know, his little recent escapade down there, and those souvenirs he took back with him, like his "doorbell," are, in a way, similar to the backpack Ender King gave him on Quesadilla Island. :)

Appearance-wise, the deity is feminine in body shape even if they're genderless, with long silky hair that looks like sculk. They have milky white eyes, sharp teeth, and everything about them is long and spindly. Their height, their limbs, their fingers. I'm not sure what they wear but it's long and flowy, also looking like sculk.

Idk if you've seen Owenjuice's New Life Series but when he's the Warden origin or whatever it is? This Deity can navigate through sculk like that, swimming in, out, and through it. Here's a timestamp of one of Owen's videos so you can see what I mean. They're always watching. So long as you can see sculk, the Deity can see you. :)

[clangenrising]

I’m gonna be honest; maybe it’s just me but it’s always been pretty easy 4 me 2 sympathize w/ Razor and Sardine- XP Part of it is cuz yknow… They’re just fictional characters and it takes a lot 4 me 2 h8 some1 dat dosent exist, but also idk how 2 explain it but I can so see why both of them turned out the way they did, idk how 2 describe it but when I look @ their environments and thought processes it just makes sense; I always saw them less so as irredeemable demons and more so as cats that probably have a cluster b personality they refuse 2 get treated resulting in them becoming horrible ppl :P

I'm actually going to push back on that pretty hard. Razor and Sardine do NOT have Cluster B Personality Disorders (antisocial personality disorder/sociopathy, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder).

As far as I'm aware, people with Cluster B Personality Disorders are actually more likely to be the victims of violence than perpetrators of it. While it is true that they are also more likely to be violent than people with other disorders, these disorders are highly stigmatized and it would be irresponsible of me to say that my two worst villains have them and that's why they are murderers and abusers and sadists. That does actual harm to people who have these disorders.

As well, these disorders are often linked to childhood trauma which neither Razor or Sardine have, but you guys wouldn't know about that because I haven't told you guys anything about their backstories which means that there are a lot of assumptions being made here. Razor and Sardine are hugely privileged and their malice comes from that privilege, and more importantly their entitlement.

They believe the world belongs to them because they're men and they're house cats. They face no consequences for their violence and so they get more violent. These are very mundane and banal reasons for evil and I explicitly wanted to create villains who were cruel for those kinds of banal reasons. They are irredeemable specifically because they refuse to be redeemed.

I feel like you want to have a woobified version of my characters in your head so you interpret them as being victims of their disorder when in the text they are first and foremost fascists. I don't mean to be harsh but this is such a harmful misreading of my text that I can't help but be a little upset by it. But also, please don't feel the need to apologize or grovel for upsetting me. I'd ask that instead you stop and think and do research on these disorders and consider what harmful assumptions you may be unknowingly holding onto.

[adragoninshiningarmour]

Question for the Warrior Ten. To those who have dated, I have always wondered, how did you get together? I already seen an ask about some who have dated and broke up, but I MUST know how you got together. (Especially Pilevolcamon and Shurimon) Also, Ancientgreymon and Ancientgarurumon, stop being in denial and start dating. (¬_ ´¬ )

AncientGreymon: Right! We can answer this one! There haven't been too many of us dating each other surprisingly. Or maybe not surprisingly, given some of the personalities we have. >xP Well then, where to start. Me and AncientMermaidmon?

AncientMermaidmon: That one's pretty easy. P= Me and Draggy took a mission to apprehend some bandits on our own. They were hiding out in some sea cave.

AncientGreymon: Except there were more of them than we expected - and their boss was a gigantic MetalSeadramon.

AncientMermaidmon: And you rushed in. =P

AncientGreymon: You rushed in! v3v

AncientMermaidmon: We rushed in. v3v

AncientGreymon: And we were kicking ass! Well, at least until the big eel threw me in the water. vxv

AncientMermaidmon: And you sank like a brick because you can't swim. =P

AncientGreymon: ! I can so swim! My... armour is just heavy!

AncientMermaidmon: Anyways, I had to dive in to save his ass... buuuuut, then we sorta got captured. vxv

AncientGreymon: Only for a little! We worked together to escape and we managed to fight our way out and beat all of them up. We managed to turn in our bounty. v3v

AncientMermaidmon: And we were both pretty revved up after all the excitement, and seeing KaiserGreymon half naked and soaking wet... Well, I'm a woman. xP

AncientGreymon: We kissed, and one thing led to another... vwo After that, we decided why don't we give dating a try? We thought it might be fun. It was for awhile too.

AncientMegatheriummon: At least until one of their famous arguments started up. xD

AncientMermaidmon: Anyways! v3v We'll do Blizzie next. Blizzardmon and I were childhood best buddies, so I never really saw him in that way. =P

AncientMegatheriummon: Ditto, Fishie. xD

AncientMermaidmon: Anyways, there's not a lot to this story. xP One day, I think after his latest conquest poured a drink over his head, and mine stood me up or something, we were talking about how we both knew each other better than anyone, so one of us floated the idea that we should just try dating.

AncientMegatheriummon: That went well until it didn't. =P We went south pretty quick, but hey, we're still besties. ^.^

AncientVolcamon: I guess we should go next, right, Shuri?

AncientTroiamon: >///////< Y-Yes, well, um... .//////. For a long time, I had a c-crush on PileVolcamon... However, I'm a little shy, and I really value him as a friend so I never acted upon it...

AncientVolcamon: Well, one night, KaiserGreymon and Blizzardmon roped us into a singles night at a tavern in an effort to get AtlurKabuterimon a date. We all volunteered to sign up for moral support... except there was a mix up and Shurimon and I ended up at the same table. We decided just to play along and we enjoyed ourselves... And at the end of the date, I kissed him on the cheek. I guess that's when I realized that maybe there was something there between us that I hadn't noticed before. ^///^

AncientTroiamon: >//////< I remember it took KaiserGreymon and Blizzardmon's, ah, 'help' to get us together... but we ultimately decided we both wanted to give it a try, and if either of us felt like it didn't work, there would be no hard feelings. I'm happy that we had that time together, but I am also happy about where we both are now. ^////^ I d-don't have any regrets.

AncientGreymon: Aww... I still think you two would make a cute couple. v3v Along with a few others here...

AncientMegatheriummon: Hey, don't bury the lede here, Draggy. ^.^ What about you and Garuru? Don't deny all that chemistry between you two. vwo

AncientGreymon: ! I'm not in denial! vAv I don't want anything to do with that annoying mutt!

AncientGarurumon: >.> Says the incorrigible dragon. *folds his arms* I have no interest in that reckless, meddlesome lizard whatsoever, and if he is as much of a disaster as his previous relationships suggest, then I am well removed from that. v.v Not that there I have any interest in him regardless.

AncientGreymon: Yeah, well same with you! <A< Who would want a furry mutt like you?!

AncientGarurumon: Then take your loud and unsolicited opinions somewhere else!

AncientMermaidmon: vwo Riiiiight...

[gamebunny-advance]

I have a very important question! (Lighthearted)

Would Kliff be the type to not be able to handle spicy at all, and need milk for even a tiny bit of pepper, OR do you think he could secretly handle spice a lot to the point he can eat spicy foods others can't?

Purely for fun^^ hope ya have a nice day!

In all my years of talking about this guy non-stop, I think this is the first time anyone's actually asked me about my headcanons about him, so I'll gladly answer ;w;~ (And if someone did already, I'm sorry that I forgot~)

Coincidentally, I actually have a scrapped comic idea about NSR and spice tolerance so, I guess this is the perfect opportunity to talk about that and answer your question~

Sort of spicy (sexual) discussion below (don't be scared, it's for laughs and not explicit, XP).

So, I think Kliff has a high spice tolerance because his taste buds are numb from, uh... hanging around Kul Fyra so much. (Whatever that entails, I'll leave to your imagination).

In the scrapped comic, the Sewer Crew went to a Sayu themed restaurant to take on their "Ultra Spicy Ramen Challenge", because Mayday really wanted to win the prize from it (an exclusive Sayu plush), so everyone tried it and got knocked out in order of their spice tolerance level.

I forgot the exact order, but I think from lowest to highest tolerance it was: Gigi (I headcanon him with ice powers, so he has the least tolerance for any kind of heat), Yiruk, Zam, May, Zuke, then Kliff, who cleared it, but gets terrible indigestion later~

But, if Kliff hadn't completely burned out his mouth in his youth, he'd probably have about equal tolerance as Mayday, but still avoid overly spicy food because his stomach just can't take it anymore.

[the-selfinsert]

Do you see my vision guys???

GUYS. I got some inspiration. https://open.spotify.com/track/2NHntfUPC17b0nmilAWl87?si=0CAqSZpfQeOt-B2KatyexQ

The Main Character by Will Wood for Frisk, but specifically a Frisk who's fully adopted that sort of Player-esque disconnect from the world. That kind of Flowey mentality where they do everything just to see what happens.

Like, some examples of lines that are FIRE for this

"Control the narrative reliably, baby it's all about me" how they fully determine what direction the Unserground goes in

"So now I'm holding myself hostage" how they can't seem to move on from the Underground and their "adventure" and stay there, constantly resetting

"And enough lefts don't make the right, but two wrongs do" could be like doing a geno/neutral route and then resetting it, doing the "right" thing (except they're still going to control the world so it isn't really the right thing, it's just keeping things in a loop)

"I mean, imagine if protagonists just died in the first scene" talking about saves and loads and how they can't really die

"I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy" How they aren't really a proper geno or pacifist player, even though they do both, because they just do it for fun, constantly keeping the world going back and forth between them, not to mention the neutral routes

"I'm the main character, and you have to like me" how they feel entitled to all the monsters friendships when they feel like going back and being nice, despite everything they've done (and also maybe a reference to how they don't really have a choice but to like them then, since Frisk knows so much about them and can do and say exactly what it will take to get the monsters to like them. Manipulation time :)!)

"I loot plot armor from NPCs. Well they are to me" *chef's kiss* Talking about how they did what Flowey did and stopped really seeing them as people, but sets of numbers, lines of dialogue, bundles of encounters, etc. (Not to mention the plot armor at the end of a pacifist route, and then turning that same plot armor against them in geno. Or maybe how they stole saves and loads from Flowey)

"Trite, tropes, traits, traumas, trinkets, and treats, it's all XP" How when they feel like doing geno, none of their personality matters, all they are is more EXP for them, and in pacifist they aren't befriending them for genuine reasons, but just because that's the goal, that's what they do in pacifist, it's that routes version of EXP.

"The underdog you cheer for" could be how they see themselves in pacifist, adopting that role as they go through the underground

"Dalleks in high collars monologue. And I outsmart them with a ray-gun and tweet" Refernce to all the monologues throughout the game before fights (especially Mettaton's) and them having done it so many times they know exactly how to best and fastest beat them.

"Her majesty says, 'The Royal We demand a standard of loyalty. An agreement to be reverent, lick the emperor's new boots" how they see themselves as the "emperor" of their world, how they feel like they own it

"The court fool got the guillotine. The witches the stake, you the dopamine" geno reference, Papyrus getting beheaded, and Undyne the Undying dying to them, and the satisfaction they get from it

"We all do what we need to to get through" Protraying themselves as just doing what they need to stay entertained

"But I ain't done a fucking thing to you" Showing how they don't really feel like they've done anything wrong.After all, they're just having fun, and they always fix it anways, so what's the big deal?

Holy shit this came out to be a long post. Uhhh... thanks for listening to all this, and if you have any other ideas for this song's lines or another song, let me know, because this has taken over my brain.

[doeshrine]

Any general headcanons for doe; romantic or just regular guy stuff :]

You guys really wanna know MORE!? AHH I have had no one to talk about my beloved Doe with AH! Sorry sorry! I'm done gushing! Genuinely just happy to talk about them.

TW: YANDERE RELATED TOPICS

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John Doe absolutely goes by he/they pronouns. No ya'll can't take this from me.

Even in their female form which is often referred to as "Jane Doe", I feel like that would just piss them off. I think just bc he changes his presentation doesn't mean you get to misgender them. I think despite presentation changes he'd still be himself and still go by John Doe.

So Regular Guys are pretty much pests in the Uncanny Valley. John Doe's eyes are kinda of explained in House Hunted 2 that he has to physically split his eye in half so he blends in. Personally, I think that's got to be uncomfortable all the time, so at home he does go from two eyes to one eye since he feels comfortable about it.

Many would think he's controlling which I think he can be occasionally, but not on purpose. Due to some of the things he has been through all alone, I think he views himself being controlling as protecting you, and while yeah he's a whole yandere I think he's more than willing to hear you out on making him comfortable while also accommodating your- freewill lol.

He hisses at people.

He stares at you when you sleep. There is no way ya'll convince me otherwise.

He doesn't require sleep but understands that you prefer to snuggle in bed with him at night.

He hates any of your plushies. He thinks if you hug them, you like them more than him- but he won't throw them away. He likes how soft they are.

He stutters a lot when trying to explain his feelings to you. He isn't used to people viewing him as a person over a pest.

Despite being a yandere, he is oddly good at communication if you teach him what it is and how to understand boundaries. He's going to slip up and you gotta understand that when going into the relationship.

He just orders takeout a lot. I have a weird headcanon that Regular Guys can make things from thin air so when he orders food he hands them money he just conjures. ((This man accidentally inflates the economy one eldritch magic dollar at a time.))

When he gets all hyper-realistic, he doesn't acknowledge it as "scary" to him he's sort of blind to it happening. While yes he is physically doing it, he doesn't see it so he just- kinda thinks you're being mean to him if you freak out. I think he's a visual learner so cues such as covering your eyes help him understand you're just uncomfortable, but don't love him any less.

He lets you pet his hair and despite the curls it never knots or tangles. Like it never knots up.

He isn't good with animals. Except crows love him. He likes crows.

He does try to clutter your home- and uh that's gonna require you explaining to him that humans need clean spaces to live.

Did I mention he's jealous? However, he can be really subtle about it. He just glares or waits till you turn to go hyper-realistic on someone.

He has an existential crisis in one breath, but in the next will ask you to pass the popcorn. (he is unwell)

For my FNAF bitches, he would listen to your info dump about the FNAF lore any day of the week. Any kind of hyperfixation or special interest of yours he will listen to you talk about it. He can keep up with however you talk and will never ask you to speed up slow down or stop talking. He just likes you.

He can help with chores, water CANNOT be involved.

In his Lil' Doe form (I HAVE DIBS ON THE NICKNAME >XP), he takes dust baths, but because he isn't human he doesn't have to take traditional showers. He can't too or his form does break down so please take care of him.

Despite him hating you taking showers, he learns to accept it due to the fact you explain it is a health thing. He realizes a human being is much more complex than a Regular Guy physically and requires more care than a dust bath.

He makes sure you eat. If you don't eat he becomes paranoid you will die.

Has he killed people for you? Yep.

Kinda running out of thoughts!

[satirates]

New QSMP rules and why they needed to exist

1. The areas protected by the Administration/Federation cannot be broken, do not take advantage of bugs.

Or the admins "very bad, not good event". For people who weren't there, there was an event on Thursday for the liberation of Cellbit and Felps from the federation. The players tried to break in and discovered that you can destroy protected blocks with the symmetry wand. They spent hours doing it, only for the admins to erase the structure from the map so they would stop. On top of that, fit managed to find a way to vandalize the protected church using a watermelon gun yesterday.

This rule is obviously for story purpose. You can't really hide any structure in minecraft, so they don't have any other choice than putting the building in plain sight. If the players keep breaking the protected blocks, it can affect the story by revealing things that are only supposed to come up later. I can imagine the admins weren't happy to see all their hard work destroy by something they didn't know was possible, hence the ban.

2. XP farms are allowed as long as the spawner was generated naturally.

I don't know anything about XP farm in minecraft, but it's nice that they clarify this. There was always a doubt on the server about XP farms, which one was legal and which one was not. At least now, players know.

3. The video options are allowed as long as the range isn't excessively big.

Fun fact, yesterday I had a thought about how long before the video/audio became illegal due to things getting out of hands. So many things happen to justify this rule: Forever putting way too many blocks in Cellbit castle, The very loud Pac e Mike song, the bird block that cover the whole main area.

It's only a question of time before things get dirty with these. It can be very inconvenient for players (and viewers) that have sensitivity issues. Or really annoying at least. By restricting it, you ensure that players don't interfere in the enjoyment of others. (I'm pretty sure there were complaints about the bird noises. It was pretty harmless, but imagine if Forever had put something worse, like a loud music. It would have made La France, Favela and Phil's house unplayable areas.)

4. Do not modify too much the spawn area.

No ideas why this rules had been added now specifically. My only guess is that there is a significant amount of players going there now because of the Sharestone. But yes, it's a logical rule to ensure the spawn isn't the target of a Prank. If any of you know if something happen at spawn, I will edit this section.

5. It is prohibited to import or move structures with the Create mod or any other type of mechanisms.

Ah, This was quick. Yesterday, Bad and Dapper move a big tower on top of foolish dragon using the create mod for a prank. The problem was, the tower gives mining fatigue, making it almost indestructible. This discovery basically allows players to move anything, even constructions that are not their own.

You can imagine why this one exist. I was on Foolish stream yesterday, and he genuinely looked distraught at the alteration of is structure. Allowing players to move buildings at will? Terrible ideas. Not only could they do that to prank each other, but also they could break up lore building. Also, yesterday show that it's not that simple. Dapper destroyed part of the tower by moving it. The superglue is destruction and drama waiting to happen.

6.The deadline to complete the missions are 12am PST, after that, the missions will reset.

Not the twitter admins won't have to wait for BadBoyHalo to go to sleep so they could post the egg statistic update lol.

7. The eggs cannot have more than 2 immortality totems

This one is probably the most controversial, but logical for me. To paraphrase what Étoiles told Pomme yesterday: "with everything you have, it's impossible for you to dies. At least if the code isn't cheating". And I believe he is right. With the stasis chamber, the gears and the totem, it's almost impossible to kill an egg if the players are being careful. And we know they are trying really hard to take Pomme last life so the story could progress. The attack will not be like the last one, it will not be as unforgiving. So, with Bad doing totem traffic on the server, they needed a way to give a chance to the code and restricted them. If not, all eggs would have 30 totems by next week. X)

I really hope it increases the chances to have epic battle for the eggs while not dooming them.

[piratesexmachine420]

For future reference (my own and others), if your TI SilverLink USB cable stops working and starts showing up as "TUSB3410 Boot Device" or similar under device manager (AKA this issue on TI's help page), this is how you can fix it:

Download the TUSB3x10 EEPROM Burner. This is a Windows-only program, but to my knowledge will work on basically any windows machine from XP on -- so long as it's got USB ports. No clue if it'll work in a VM. (You might want to consult this user's manual.)

Download the SilverLink firmware. I got it from here, and compiled it from their de-compilation. It's just a standard 'make' to build. The output file you're looking for is called "ti_graph_link_silver.eep".

Rename "ti_graph_link_silver.eep" to "ti_graph_link_silver.bin".

Open the TUSB3x10 EEPROM Burner, click on the options dropdown and click "Show the 'Program Full Binary Image' button". (page 7 of the manual).

Select the entry under "Computer" labeled "TUSB3410 EEPROM Burner Instance (1.00)".

Set EEPROM size to "64Kb".

Set "File Path" to point to "ti_graph_link_silver.bin". (The renamed .eep, not the original .bin)

I don't know if the VID, PID, Manufacturer string, Product string and Serial # need to be set manually or not with a 'Full Binary Image' burn. Just to be safe, I set VID to 0451, PID to e001, Manufacturer to "Texas Instruments", Product to "TI-GRAPH LINK USB", and checked "Not Serialized"*.

Click the "Program Full Binary Image" button (yellow triangle with the exclamation point), and proceed with the write.

Unplug and re-plug your cable, and it should show up as a SilverLink again!

Additional notes:

The reason that this happens is because the SilverLink cable (revision b, at least) is based on the TUSB3410 microcontroller. That microcontroller's boot process involves checking for an I2C EEPROM containing program code. If it finds that EEPROM and its contents are properly formatted, it'll copy that code into internal RAM and start executing it. If it can't find the EEPROM, or its contents aren't properly formatted, it'll fall back to looking for boot code over USB. Thus: "TUSB3410 Boot Device". Your cable has, in essence, forgotten who it is and and is begging for you to give it a purpose.

The default page-write buffer size (32 bytes) and I2C bus speed (400 KHz) in the burner app are already correct, so no need to change them.

*I don't remember exactly what the Manufacturer string, Product string, or serial number fields were set to pre-corruption. Likewise, no idea about the advanced descriptor options. If someone wants to send the output of lsusb -v -s [whatever their silverlink's bus/id numbers are], I'd really appreciate it!

You might be able to skip the header rigamarole by taking the ti_graph_link_silver.bin file directly ("directly coming from the compiler") -- but I again I don't know exactly what information is in the .eep file and what isn't. Are the PID and VID encoded somewhere in there? I peeked with a hex editor but have no clue. If someone has hardware lying around they're willing to experiment with/potentially brick, I'd love to hear your results!

If you mess up and accidentally forget to do a "Full Binary Image" write, or otherwise brick the firmware, you can force the TUSB3410 to fall back to USB boot mode by opening the plastic shell around the PCB (one Torx screw under the sticker, then just normal plastic tabs) and shorting the right-bottom (Vss) and right-top (SDA), or right-bottom (Vss) and center right-top (SCL) pins of the EEPROM (the chip labeled "24LC64") as you plug it into the USB port. You may need multiple attempts. This works because it temporarily convinces the TUSB3410 that the EEPROM is missing/corrupt, and thus it decides to fall back into USB boot mode -- until you reset it. It might be better to do this with a ~1k resistor instead of a jumper wire, but IDK I'm not an electrical engineer. All I know is that shorting Vss and SDA worked for me. Again, would love feedback.

No clue what causes the corruption in the first place, or how long this fix will last. It might be because the EEPROM's write protect pin is set to "write enable"? It could also just be degrading hardware, for all I know, so no idea how long the fix will last. All I do know is that everything seems nominal right now (immediately after performing this procedure).

[andmaybegayer]

Hello it's me with another very naive computer question!

One of the really common complaints you see about modern software (from Adobe, Microsoft, etc.) is the move from the single-purchase model to a subscription-based model. While I understand that people are upset about paying more money over time, this also feels like the only viable option for shipping products that work with modern OSes, especially Windows (I don't have any experience with MacOS). Windows pretty regularly updates, and if you want your product to continue to work, you have to continue paying your engineers to maintain compatibility through time.

Obviously I understand that there are lots of FOSS options out there, but for the companies that are built on making money from these sorts of software products, I don't see another way. Am I way off the mark here?

This is a really good question. I don't have a great answer, but the model I have in my head is that "traditional software distribution" is partially an artifact of an era where companies were starting to use computers but internet use was still spotty so providing support for software was just a very different ballgame. A lot of what I'm saying here is not like. Fact as much as it is my understanding of The Software Business from the side of someone who is a little involved in that but mostly not in that.

(This is mostly about "business software", that is to say, accounting packages, creative suites, design packages, modelling tools, etc. This model does not explain like. Spotify. But that's much easier to explain.)

You're not wrong that the subscription model really make sense given modern software development, where patches come out continuously and you get upgraded to the latest version every time something changes, but there has been a significant change in how software is developed and sold that makes it noticeably different. I think that the cause of this is mostly because it's finally practical to do contract-style deals with hundreds of thousands of customers instead of doing one-off sales like we used to do.

In the Traditional model you charge a pretty sizeable upfront cost for a specific version of the software, you buy Windows XP or Jasc Paint Shop 7 or whatever and then you get That Version until we release The Next Version, plus a couple years of security and support. When the next version hits, we stop adding any new features to your version, and when that hits end of life, you maybe get offered a discount to buy licensing for the latest version, or you drop out of support.

Traditional software with robust support typically costs an awful lot, Photoshop CS2 was $600 new in 2005, or $150 to upgrade from CS, because you're paying for support and engineering time in advance. A current subscription for just Photoshop is $20/mo, and that's after twenty years of inflation. Photoshop is also cheap, a seat for something like SolidWorks 2003 could probably have run you $3000-4000 easy. I can't even give you a better guess there because SolidWorks still doesn't sell single commercial licenses online, you have to talk to their salespeople.

The interesting thing to me about Traditional pricing was that I think it was typically offered to medium to small businesses or individuals, because it's an easy way to sell to smaller customers, especially if it's the 90's and you're maybe selling your software through an intermediary reseller who works with local businesses or just a store shelf.

Independent software resellers were a big business back in the day, they served as a go-between for the software company and smaller businesses, they sold prepared packages in a few sizes and handled the personal relationship of phoning you up and saying "Hey there's a patch for your accounting software so that it doesn't crash when someone's surname is Zero, we'll send you a floppy disk in the mail with some instructions on how to install it." Versioned standard releases are a thing you can put in a box and give to resellers along with a spec sheet and sales talking points. This business still exists but it's much smaller than it once was, it's largely gone upmarket.

If you were bigger, say, if you were a publishing house that needed fifty seats of editing software you'd probably call the sales department of Jasc or whoever and get a volume deal along with a support contract.

Nowadays why would you bother going through resellers and making this whole complicated pricing model when you could just sell subscriptions with well-established e-commerce tools. You can make contract support deals with individuals at scale, all online, without hiring thousands of salespeople. You can even provide varying support levels at multiple cost brackets directly, so you don't need to cultivate a direct business relationship with all your customers in order to meet their needs. Your salespeople handle the really big megacorp and government deals and you let everyone else administer themselves.

It also makes development easier. You can also deploy patches over the net, you just do it in software. You can obsolete older versions faster, since you can make sure most people are using the latest version, and significantly cut down on engineering time spent backporting fixes to older versions. I think a lot of this is straightforwardly desirable on most software.

Now, there are still packages sold by the version, and there are even companies selling eternal licenses.

Fruity Loops Studio is still a "Buy once forever" type deal.

MatLab can be purchased as a subscription or as a perpetual one-version license.

Windows is still sold like this, but also direct to customer sales of Windows are minimal, Windows is primarily sold to OEM's who preinstall it on everything.

But it's a dying breed, your bigger customers are going to want current support and while there are industries where people want to hang around on older versions, for a lot of software your customer wants the latest thing with all the features and patches, and they'd rather hold on to their money until later using a subscription rather than spend it all upfront. Businesses love subscriptions, they make accounts books balance well, they're the opposite of debt.

Personal/private users who might just want the features of Photoshop CS2 and that's fine forever don't matter to you. They're not your major customers. This kind of person is not a person who your business cares to service, so you don't really care if you annoy them.

Even in the Open Source business world, subscriptions are how the money is made, just on support rather than for the software itself. You can jump through relatively few hoops to run Ubuntu Enterprise or SUSE Enterprise Linux on your own systems for free, but really there's not much benefit to that unless you pay for the dedicated support subscription.

In many ways I think a lot of things have changed in this way, I have a whole thing about the way medium-scale industrial manufacturing has changed in the past thirty years somewhere around here.

While there are valid reasons you might want to buy a single snapshot of some software and run that forever, the reality is that that's a pretty rare desire, or at least that desire is rarely backed by money. If you want to do that you either need access to the source code so that you can maintain it yourself, or you need to strike a deal with someone who will, or it needs to be software so limited that it (and the system it runs on!) never need updates. Very few useful programs are this simple. As a result subscription models make sense, but until recently you couldn't really sell a subscription to small businesses and individuals. Changes in e-commerce and banking have enabled such contracts to be made, and hey presto, it's subscription world.

[sleepyserena]

i'm having a little bit of a dilemma with YLAD

so after beating chapter 6, a dungeon opens up called the Yokohama Underground, which i assume is something you can run infinitely to grind for XP and items

to me, i read this as the game's way of saying "hey if you wanna do a whole bunch of side content, you absolutely can at this point in the story"

up until now, i've been doing side content naturally, as in if i run into a substory or side activity on the way to the next story point, i'll stop and do it, and if side content is introduced as part of the story, i'll do it a couple of times and then move on

this is a pretty big deviation from the way i play yakuza games (and games in general) normally, i would normally exhaust the game of all possible side content before moving on with the main story, rinse and repeat (i remember maxing out kiryu and majima's businesses and unlocking the legend fighting styles as soon as they were available in yakuza 0)

i think this is because i'm recording this playthrough, so i want to experience the story at a decent pace and not fill up my hard drive with grinding side content

i'm also a little worried that if i DO grind for XP and grind side content, i'll outlevel the main story

because the warehouse and dungeon in chapter 6, before you go in, it recommends you to be level 15, and i'm wondering that if i outlevel that recommendation in the future, will the game scale up the enemies to match me, or will the combat be too easy and thus diminish the story experience?

with action combat, this (in my experience) didn't really matter, as you still had to have good reaction time and knowledge of the enemies' movesets, no matter how many combat upgrades you had, especially if it's your first time through (yeah yeah tiger drop negates all damage, but i try not to cheese fights if i can help it)

in a turn based system, i'm worried that i'll bypass combat mechanics by being too powerful and i'll miss special boss attacks or something if i go down the path of grinding

also, YLAD doesn't have difficulty options, it forces you to normal difficulty until you beat the game

i would like to do as much as i can and enjoy the game to its fullest, but i'll be honest, a big reason i'm playing this game is because it takes place before lost judgment, and i really want to play lost judgment, and i feel an obligation to play the games in release order

so that alone is tainting my experience, the fact that i think of YLAD as a stepping stone to something else, rather than its own amazing game

i do love ichiban and the gang, i am invested in the story, but i can't help but feel like i'm trailing behind everyone else with the release of pirate yakuza, and i am well aware that it's irrational to feel this way and i should just enjoy what i have in front of me, and i'm privileged

anyway, just some thoughts i had to get out