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positivelybeastly · 2 months ago

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What have been some of your favorite rps over the years? Have you developed any personal ocs that you particularly enjoy (I know you've got Dark Beasts going on, so if you wanna talk about what's going on there, that'd be cool too!

Oh, this is a tricky one! Not least because it relies on my memory, which is one of my least reliable traits, ha - but I shall do my best!

The first one that comes immediately to mind is this thread with @themckaytriarchy - it was sort of integral to the process of my getting over what X-Force did with Beast by taking control of it, and it also just let me dive into a more horror based thread, which I don't often get to do. Beast is a character who is often very horror-aligned, so getting to really explore that was a ton of fun. I got very poetic in there, but I had a great time.

There's also this thread with the same writer, which was sort of how Cereal and I really got to be such good friends, and how Hank and Tess ended up becoming BFFs. They just had such instant chemistry and bounced off each other really, really well, and I love getting to play Hank as the best aspects of all of his selves - the more mature vibe of his feline self mixing with his younger, gremlin energy, the regret of his modern self mixing in with that, I like when I can pull on all the strings at the same time, if that makes sense.

Oh! Another one is this thread with @silverjetsystm - one of the things I absolutely love about Hank is that he knows goddamn everybody, like, the man's been on every team you can imagine, so there's always some era you can dive into, and his time on the Secret Avengers was so undeveloped, and MK-mun has just been an absolute joy to write with. You can really tell when I'm getting into a thread because I just write reams and reams and reams, and things get more poetic, and Hank starts thinking heavier and heavier things.

Easily another one is this one with @thebettermccoy - I've been wanting a good Dark Beast to bounce off for ages, to the point where I took him on as an extra muse just so he and Hank could interact and I could practise their voices, but then Squirrel-mun took the brave step to take him on, and it's been a joy ever since. It's so gratifying to get to refer to one specific issue from 1996 that no-one but me and Squirrel-mun know about, and they know the lines of dialogue just as well as I do, and we can just dig.

Another one is this one with @themarvelliteraryuniverse - I've lowkey shipped Beast and Sabretooth for years because of Wolverine and the X-Men vol. 1 #8, and getting to actually attack that dynamic and explore it and see Locke's unique take on Victor mesh with my Hank in such an instantly compelling way . . . god, it's a dream come true for me, honestly. Something that often gets lost about Hank is his inherent sexual drive and energy, his repressed primality, his morals interacting with his pull towards the dark, and exploring that is always just a complete joy.

Oooh, ooh! This one with @notmymamasboy - not only is it fun to play Hank as getting used to being pursued again, but Stabby is just so good at throwing this inescapable, unrelenting energy into Raze that makes him feel like a force of nature that Hank has immense affection for and attraction to, but, again, knows has a lot of darkness attached to them. They just bounce off each other really well, and it's probably what fandom would qualify as a crack ship, but I just like the intellectual conflict intersecting with the interpersonal chemistry.

Another one I've loved is this one with @emmatriarchy - I'm an absolute sucker for getting to fill in missing bits of Hank's history, and I always thought it was such a travesty that X-Force never tugged on the very brief but incredibly impactful time where Hank and Sage interacted in X-Treme/New X-Men, because it adds such dimension to their dynamic. Getting to explore that in-situ is a dream for me, and I also just love getting to play Hank from specific periods with specific moods, especially with gloriously obscure and underappreciated muses, with is sort of this mun's whole thing. :)

Ooh, ohh! This one, with @maximummuses - I again felt like this entire thing was swept under the rug back in the 2010s, and it felt like such a disservice to Hank and Logan that they never got to have this conversation, that they never got to just GO AT one another, everything laid out, all honesty, all feeling. This was, again, just another dream for me, and as far as I'm concerned, this is canon and exactly how it happened.

Now we get into stuff that was more dynamics, and also older threads with are, like, a decade old . . . my X-Force Beast's twisted toxic relationship with dusktrip's Wolverine was a delight, and I miss that writer very dearly (they had to stop RPing due to a lack of time) because it let me just drown in a very dark place for a bit in a very controlled way. They, like themckatriarchy, were integral to me coming to terms with what X-Force did with Hank's character.

There are tons of threads with people like brandisnotmygivenname (Abigail Brand), technarchology (Warlock), hulksdontdoweak (She-Hulk), this-city-is-a-symphony (Dazzler), fangedfirecracker (Jubilee), levoleurcinetique (Gambit), healingtheassassins (Elixir), dontcallmejulio (Rictor) - a lot of people from nearly a decade ago who aren't active anymore, but I still think of them a lot, and a lot of the time, I have to remember that Hank's dynamics and history with these people in canon don't necessarily include these versions of the characters, ha.

But, very formative to my interpretation and exploration and journey with Hank.

As for OCs - I'm sort of a one fictional obsession kinda guy, so I don't really have too many! I did have a guy called Danny Jones who was a mutant based on Tito Bohusk from New X-Men. He was from a Young Avengers RP ages and ages ago, and I think at one point he was going to become a Ghost Rider? It was a long time ago, in fairness.

I also have an AU version of Hank called Sir Henry, codenamed Grandmaster, who's inspired by the Ghost Box steampunk version of Hank and Sublime. Instead of being a scientist, he's a Victorian era spymaster with Hank's typical intelligence, but a lot less of his warmth and ethical consideration. He tended to dual wield pistols a lot.

I actually still have some art a friend of mine did from the Exiles RP he came from. This is her OC, Joan, with whom he had a budding romance.

But, as of late, the biggest one has been The Irredeemable Beast, which has spawned a number of characters, the most significant of which is Zeke.

Zeke has always been a clone of Dark Beast, in my conception of him. I always figured that Dark Beast would absolutely be the type of person to keep spare clone bodies around because, frankly, he keeps wagging his ass at people who are stronger than him and can kill him, and the fact that he kept dying and coming back diminished only solidified to me that he would eventually kick the bucket and need an out.

The version of him in Irredeemable is altered slightly, in that he's a recently created clone of Dark Beast - in the original chain of events, he was released as a kid, along with a twin brother, Strauss, and they grew up relying on each other, eking out a meagre existence by living between the lines. They had full lives, but obviously severely disadvantaged, and hated Dark Beast whenever he was around because, well, why wouldn't they?

Zeke's fun to play around with just because he has a lot of Hank/Dark Beast's perception and wit, but he doesn't have the same level of intelligence, knowledge, privilege, or advantages, so he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder - yet he still tries to have fun, which is very Hank. He's a good grounding presence, which is why I decided to make him a central part of Irredeemable, and I have a good few plans for his arc going forward from Dark Beasts.

His narrative arc is sort of meant to tackle a big problem I had with both X-Force and, more widely, the Krakoan resurrection system, which is the amount of wasted bodies/clones, and the lack of thought put into what's a 'real' life and what isn't.

The whole Talon/Wolverine split is treated completely differently to how the clones in X-Force of both Hank and Logan are treated, and I wanted to unpick that, question exactly what a clone's life is worth, and question why we arbitrarily decided that we put more value on Talon/Wolverine, but carving dozens of Hanks and Logans was perfectly acceptable.

Every one of those Hanks or Logans could have been a valid individual in the exact same way that Ezekiel is, and I want Hank to have to think about that, and be faced with the ethical/existential question of the lives he arbitrarily brought into existence in such a cold, mercenary fashion without any consideration for his responsibility for them.

Zeke is just a really good foil for Hank, and Hank absolutely needs a foil, because his internal monologue is fascinating, but it really can get maudlin and self-involved, so you need to break that up with some youthful 'I don't give a shit' energy, which Zeke provides in spades.

One of the other characters in Dark Beasts, Yekaterina, is a pretty minor character, but pretty much any time I come back to my long term plans for the fic, I keep wanting to give her more to do. I think it's really important to me that X-Men have human characters who are friendly and pro-mutant, who make up the other half of the mutant metaphor, because that's something the comics really did just give up on for the longest time, and it makes such a difference to have a human who's like 'no, fuck Orchis, fuck all these racists, I'm with you because it's the right thing to do.'

I also have a tendency to write exclusively dudes, so Yekaterina and Jennifer Nyles keep being given more and more to do so that I break out of that writing rut. Same thing with Olivia Ocampo, the Orchis commander in Dunfee - I explicitly gave her a Marvel branded alliterative name so that I would use her more, and I know where her story goes. I need to get on that, actually, I want to release that chapter close to Christmas if I can . . .

Gorobitz and Taft are pretty shameless Rosencratz and Guildenstern expies. I like giving goons personalities, and I think it's funny exploring the weeds of the arbitrary distinctions of anti-mutant racism through the lens of a pair of garden variety Orchis grunts. They're gonna turn up in future chapters with similar segments.

I think that covers the majority of it? There are other characters who are going to appear later on, including an Orchis agent that I want to be a bit of a surprise. The entire fic is about the ramifications of Hank's actions and dealing with them, and that agent has a backstory that is all about Hank's actions and what they meant for her, and I think he's gonna struggle not to feel like he should just let her shoot him in the head when he finds out what her deal is.

Thanks for the question! It was a really good one!

#dantelupine #outofmuffins

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ghcstao3 · 1 year ago

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(part 1 part 2)

It takes Simon well over a week to first make use of John's phone number.

And not even because he's too busy—he’s just nervous. Like a goddamned teenager fawning over a crush and being overly conscious of everything he does; Simon is surprised his thumbs don't fall off the amount of times he types and deletes messages he thinks to send.

Eventually, though, he’s offered no choice when he holds out his phone to his brother to ask if his simple Hey, it’s Simon :) is a good starting message, and Tommy just reaches out and presses send before Simon can stop him.

Simon scowls at Tommy. “Bastard,” he musters through gritted teeth. He looks look back down to his phone and feels his heart stop as the delivered indictor pops up.

“No more than you,” Tommy replies impassively. He already has his back turned, more concerned with anything other than Simon and his issues. He waves a dismissive hand. “I’m getting sick of your whinging.”

“I never—“

Simon’s phone buzzes in his hand, and the rest is history.

Weeks later and Simon finds himself regularly anticipating messages from John, between gigs and practices and everything else. It’s how he starts, continues, and ends his days—and it’s honestly concerning how much Simon misses this almost-stranger after such little time.

Though, he supposes, John is much less a stranger these days with the sheer amount they text—not that Simon would ever like to admit to that number.

Unfortunately not much can come from it, however. Simon gets further away every time they travel and he never knows when they’d be close again, if ever. And once weeks turn to months, Simon is certain he wouldn’t be seeing John again.

Or so he thinks. Because apparently John is full of surprises.

Because of course he is—though maybe Simon should have been a bit more observant of his brother and Beth’s odd behaviours as of late, instead of being so wrapped up in John.

Then, he might’ve seen this coming. Though, that being said, he wouldn’t complain either way.

It’s the day after another show, and Simon is still squirrelled away in his hotel room despite the late morning hour. His muscles still ache satisfyingly from the evening prior, and he expects to spend the rest of his day doing little else other than relaxing and messaging with John.

As is the new typical.

But John, uncharacteristically, hasn’t responded since directly before the band’s performance. Simon frowns when he rolls over to see an empty screen when there’s a knock on his door.

Simon pauses. He knows Tommy has the spare key, and that his brother would waste no time barging in—and neither would Beth, for that matter. He hadn’t called for room service, nor did anyone mention housecleaning, so his existing frown only deepens as he slowly gets up to check.

His hesitance dissipates entirely when he glances through the peephole and sees John on the other side. Simon swings the door open with haste.

Simon’s brows knit together even as John’s grinning.

“How did—why are you here, Johnny?”

The nickname is entirely accidental.

Neither of them seem to particularly hate it.

John’s grin only falters as he scuffs the cheap hotel carpet with his shoe. “Your, ah—your brother, he, um—“

“‘Course he did,” Simon sighs. Without thinking he seizes John’s wrist and pulls him inside the room. He peers out the door and down the hall before shutting them both inside from potential prying eyes and ears.

See: his brother and sister-in-law.

John shifts his weight, pointedly avoiding looking at Simon. “If you don’t want me here…”

“I do,” Simon blurts. “I’m just… surprised, is all.”

John blinks. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Simon breathes.

They stare at each other for eons, like they’re both trying to come to terms with being present together. Again.

Only for the third time. Yet Simon already feels all out of sorts in the best way possible.

“So.” John puffs out his cheeks, turning on his heel to better take in the room. “What’s there to do around here?”

“You’re asking the wrong person.” Simon feels the twitch of a wry smile tug at his lips. John is facing him again, looking every bit as teasing. “Why don’t we find out together?”

#john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #ghost mw2 #soap mw2 #soapghost #ghostsoap #ghost x soap #ghoap #writing #drabble #alternate universe

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buckymorelikefuckme · 7 months ago

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spice up your life

jake jensen x fem reader

words: 1k

warnings: none i don't think?? maybe a tiny bit of secondhand embarrassment. otherwise this is just fluff! but let me know if there's something i should tag pls.

a/n: i've had a beloved girl group stuck in my head all morning and this was my outlet for that. sorry not sorry for yet another jakey story. that's my baby and i love him. no proofreading whatsoever, just vibes!! any and all mistakes are mine, feedback is encouraged and greatly appreciated ♡ xoxo

On this blessed weekend morning (afternoon, actually, but that’s not important) you’ve just finished your shower. You’re dressed in a tiny tank-top and a matching pair of panties, your hair wrapped in a towel while you sit on the bench at the end of your bed and rub lotion into your freshly shaved legs. The Spice Girls are blasting through your bluetooth speaker and you’re happily singing along without a care in the world.

“Say you can handle my love, are you for real?” you croon, wiggling in place of dancing until you’re done with the lotion. “I won’t be hasty,” you wail louder, “I’ll give you a try. If you really bug me then I'll say goodbye.”

You stand with a bounce, alerting the room at large that you’ll tell them what you want, what you really, really want. As you put away your lotion, you shimmy your chest and shake your hips. You even stop for an extended dance break.

“Slam your body down, and zig-a-zig ah! If you wanna be my lover,” you finish with a flourish, giggling.

The next song starts playing and you let out a gasp of delight, reaching for your hairbrush and using it as a microphone. You set yourself up in front of your mirror, using yourself as a makeshift audience and doing what you can remember from the choreography.

“Slam it to the left, if you're havin’ a good time! Shake it to the right, if ya know that you feel fine!”

You have a split second of thinking that you should probably calm down, since you just showered, and working up a sweat because you can’t help yourself from putting on a one-woman show would be very annoying. But… it’s the Spice Girls. It’s next to impossible to not dance and sing along. At some point, your now damp hair has fallen out of the towel, and instead of using your brush for its intended purpose, you continue singing into it. When you start getting almost too warm, you make yourself stop flailing around and actually brush your hair.

You pull it up into a messy bun on top of your head when you’re done and skip out of your room to the kitchen, taking your speaker with you. You’re feeling kinda hungry, so you go about fixing up a sandwich for yourself, still warbling away with whatever song that plays.

Since it’s early spring, the weather is still relatively cool out, so you’ve got your windows open to let in the fresh air and natural light. It never crossed your mind that perhaps your audience of one was actually an audience of two. However, when you’re in the middle of singing through a mouthful of your sandwich, you just so happen to glance out the window in your living room.

“All that joy can bring, this I swear—“ You freeze, eyes growing wide, cheeks bulging with food, and heat crawling up your neck when you lock eyes with the tenant across the courtyard of your apartment complex.

It’s just your luck it turns out to be the new guy—the cute, nerdy, beefy one. He’s equally wide-eyed behind his glasses, mouth open a little in surprise. You squeak and dart out of his line of vision, mortification consuming you as you lean against the wall and groan. What a fucking first impression to make. Prancing around in next to nothing and stuffing your face like a goddamn squirrel. Jesus.

Your music is still blaring, though, and you've kind of lost your groove, so you hastily scamper back across the kitchen to jam your thumb on the button to lower the volume. Even with the song continuing to play, it feels much too quiet now. You try to finish your sandwich and act normal and not like you were just caught parading around in your underwear. Very pointedly, you do not look out the window again. If you can't see him, then he can't see you. Seems logical.

Except… You sigh dreamily. Oh, man, he's so cute, and he looked even cuter with that dumb look on his face. You try to fight it for as long as you can (which is, to your shame, not long at all) but your gaze drifts back over to the apartment across the courtyard. You're not sure if it's excitement or dread that swirls in your stomach when you see he's still standing there. He waves, sending you a lopsided smile, and you find it impossible to prevent yourself from smiling back.

“Nice moves,” he calls out of his own open window.

“Thanks, I try my best,” you reply with a bashful laugh as you approach the windowsill.

“We should tango together sometime,” he offers, immediately flushing after.

You see his mouth move as he whispers tango? under his breath, an incredulous expression on his face as he shakes his head. You cover your growing grin with your hand.

He scratches at his jaw and shrugs. “Or, you know… any kind of dancing.”

“I just do whatever comes naturally,” you flirt, tilting your head coyly.

“Right, yeah, makes sense,” he agrees with a lot of nodding.

Good grief.

“If you came over,” you start, raising your eyebrows significantly, “I could show you.”

It looks like he short circuits for a second, standing perfectly still as he processes what you just said. He suddenly jerks back to life and points a finger at his chest.

“Jake.”

You laugh and mimic the gesture, saying your name in return. Jake grins as he repeats it, soft and pleased, like he's trying it out on his tongue.

“So, I’ll just…” He trails off and waves in the direction of your apartment with a question in his eyes.

You tell him your unit number, then bite your lip to tamp down on your smile. “See you soon, big guy.”

Jake giggles, high and nervous, before clearing his throat. “Yeah, see you soon,” he replies in a gruff tone.

You cover your mouth again to stifle your own giggles, wiggling your fingers in a wave. He starts backing away from his window, his shoulder knocking into the doorway because he isn't paying attention to where he's walking. With a salute that he appears to regret instantly, he hurriedly leaves, the slam of his door echoing across the courtyard.

Okay, so, maybe your day took a turn, and you might have to shower again anyway, but it's so worth it.

#eye???????????#idk just take it #jake jensen x reader #jake jensen x you #jake jensen fluff #jake jensen fanfiction #jake jensen fic #jake jensen #how many more times can i type his name before it summons him in real life

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februarytodeath · 14 days ago

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🧡 thoughts on girl prometheus track by track!!!

track 1: biblical love

forreal just sat there with my jaw hanging during my first watch/listen

she's tied to the altar .......

aside from october birds it could also be referencing prometheus being bound to a rock?

everything about this song is so good. the lyrics. the music video. the dress. the screams especially! it was a welcome surprise

very much enjoying how the first songs of the past two flower face albums include screaming (spiracle+biblical love)

i'm really not over the dress. like i Need a dress like that. and the one she wore for the pisces moon mv

the first part of the song reminds me of virgin

the song also sounds a bit like the garden so now i'm imagining a mashup even if they aren't related

the music in the teaser for this mv sounded like cornflower blue i Think

track 2: cat's cradle

i remember hearing the demo!!!

this song is soooo me

her description of it on bandcamp...like Yes. i Get It.

me whenever i find a new guy to have a weird romantic/platonic/gender envy/[???] type of obsession with

so sad i couldn't get a you're so cool shirt. it's so cute :(

track 3: maniac

i was kiiinda expecting it to sound more aggressive/frightening sonically? sortof like the way the audio was edited in the teaser

but! after having listened to it, i do think the more stripped back sound Does work with the tone of the lyrics ... the "[laughing] so you don't scream and cry," as she describes on bandcamp

track 3: valentine

GODDDD THIS SONG

second verse hits. entire song hits really.

this was the snippet i got after pre-saving the song:

i was like ??? Does She Know ???

yeah sometimes i think i feel too much for my own good and that's what this song is to me

also! i have to say the instrumentals are just So beautiful. this includes love of mine and outro 🫶

track 5: eternal sunshine

i might watch eternal sunshine after this ... i've been meaning to

"it's your fault that that i'm alive / it's your fault i want to die / but i will learn to love this world / i won't be november's girl" waow....

the repeated mentions of hands is interesting

track 6: the ides of march

my only thought is that i really want to hear this live. it just sounds so ... i'm not sure. i can't come up with the right words to describe it. all i know is that i want to lose myself in this song

track 7: cordelia

heard the demos for these too!!! when i saw they were taken off tiktok i got really excited bc that meant the song was making it onto gp

when i recognized the first lines i got so happy

then i got sad because this song is devastating

if this had a music video ohhh i would never shut up

tangent: the titles in the middle of the album are all references ... unfortunately i'm not the kind of person who would fully get them

track 8: squirrel cinderella

really depressing lyrics for a song called Squirrel Cinderella

the internet is gonna make me crazy too flower face

this feels like lonely summers where you have nothing to do but sit in your room and think and be sad

"and i've tried so hard to find a soft way out" ... man ..

track 9: skeleton key

"i want you the way that i want to be eaten alive" yeah

the mv was great too ... i'm no stranger to romanticizing my hurt and trying to turn it into art

track 10: pushing daisies

cornflower blue when gunpowder blue

actually now that i think about it this kindof feels similar to cornflower blue ... it's the violent but soft lyrics i think. and trains

track 11: if i beg you

absolutely one of my favs

october birds good ending

"well, goddamn, you're just like your father" could also be a reference to back to you?

the music video for this is soooo good too. very fun, very cathartic

also! definitely the perfect track to end the album

overall:

what a way to start november

flower face is great at picking songs to open and close her albums. spiracle and bad astrology for tsiyw and biblical love and if i beg you for gp just Feel Right

love the recurring motifs in the mvs (tv, heart mirror, red and blue lighting)

every lyric is like a stab to the heart

revisiting the thread she made of pictures related to each song on gp and going OHHHHH

the story behind the girl prometheus title + the orange album cover referencing the fire are actually so genius

i need to cover every song on this album and write a whole essay on it and draw stuff based on the mvs and and

i love you flower face

#flower face #lots and lots of yapping here #i've written a bit less for the newer songs. i think i just need more time #genuinely i Do want to write a whole analysis on this album and Especially the music videos #i'm not smart enough for that but i sure can try

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willowalmondstar · 9 months ago

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After the sixth time you raced, your horse threw you into the dirt.

It was overdue, really, and you felt guilty, but that emotion was second to the throbbing in your head and the rock stabbing your back where you landed. Though it was a sunny, cloudless day, a gray, shadowed shape swam into view, and you wondered vaguely if you had a concussion.

“Thank you, Soul Steed. That will do,” the hooded figure murmured. Not a concussion. Worse. Your horse huffed, and hooved feet stomped away. “We’re not done,” you called weakly, and, of course, no answer came.

It was too bright, even at the edge of the Hollow Woods, and the fallen leaves slipped in the mud as you tried to sit up. Face in hands, you waited for the lecture, but Avalon was oddly quiet this time.

“I checked with Ydris before finding you here. Thank you for that.”

Sarcasm. He must really be irritated. “I got sick of him,” you muttered, lifting your head.

“Well, the feeling is mutual.” His voice was flat. You always knew when Avalon was watching you, even though you had never seen his eyes. ��Really, Soul Rider, how many times must we tell you not to ride angry?”

“Enough times that it’s really pissing me off,” you snapped.

One of the nearby runes crackled with Pandoric lightning, and Avalon silenced it with a wave of his hand in a rune pattern. “Fripp doesn’t know what to make of you right now.” “So he sent you to track me down instead?” “No. That’s not how it works, and you know it.” You did. This was not a hierarchical organization, like Dark Core. This was Avalon finding you because he cared. “Pushing your horse like this is unacceptable, naturally, if it were unwelcome. I happen to know your particular steed does not mind a bit of hard exercise, and will stop you if necessary.” You both acknowledged your position in the dirt. “However, it’s unbecoming.”

Unbecoming. An interesting way to put it, but, then again, the Druids were always interesting, with interesting perspectives and interesting magic. It’s why you stayed. It was all so fucking interesting. Nothing more intellectually stimulating than an island of magic that was, by all intents and purposes, truly unknown to everyone but a few dozen people. You included.

“We can’t have a Soul Rider going off the deep end,” he said, and you could not tell if he was more sympathetic or amused. “Alex has similar . . . emotions, you know. Have you two spoken?”

“Oh, yeah. Us girls do nothing but gossip.”

Avalon’s robe rustled in the wind, and this familiar sound calmed you a bit. He did not know what to do with your newfound anger. Neither did you. Neither did the other Soul Riders. It would be so much easier if you were a Dark Rider, throwing Drakonium bombs and spitting insults and welcoming the acid rain of Garnok bringing about the End.

It was exhausting being so goddamn nice and helpful all the time.

The pain in your tailbone reduced to a simpler ache. Avalon held out his hand to help you up, and you took it. “Guess we’re walking back,” you said. After a few minutes, you added, “I’ve never seen you ride.”

“That is not required for my position as Keeper,” he replied.

The answer dug into your brain, settling into irritation. “Another fascinatingly vague answer. Do you guys even know what you’re doing, or am I getting blisters carving runes all day for nothing?”

“I am just one piece of Aideen’s puzzle. I do not have all the answers, but she has laid a path for us.”

You were lucky Avalon was patient. A certain blue squirrel would have bitten you by now.

The truth was, you were exhausted. It seemed that every day you lost both the battles and the war. “Avalon,” you said, and he turned to you. “I can’t let go of this anger. I’ve got nowhere to put it and nothing to fill where it is. I can’t keep drawing magic from wherever I’ve been getting it all this time.” The magic of friendship, you suppose. Buttercups and hand-holding and rainbows. You missed it.

Like you had seen him do many times before, like when he finally understood a spell or approved of a plan, he nodded. “We can work with that, Soul Rider. You are not the first-“

“-and I am not the last,” you finished, knowing the phrase from the frequency it left his mouth. It may have been a comfort to him, but it scared you shitless. An eternal war with a goddess you’d never seen and a kraken that haunted you in and out of dreams.

Avalon shook his hand out of its sleeve and held it out to you. You took it. “Let us go, Soul Rider. Our work awaits.” And with his confident help, it felt possible, and your anger melted. Just a little.

#831 words #sso #star stable #star stable online #ssoblr #fic #avalon my beloved

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rhondafromhr · 3 months ago

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I have Stephanie brainrot today so here’s a snippet from the social media au that I started writing instead of doing all the packing and move out cleaning stuff I need to do by the end of the week. I call it: “The Fakers in LA”

Stephanie may never have gotten the hell out of Hatchetfield, were it not for a cheap USB microphone that she purchased with cash at the only electronics store in town, a decade old laptop that her father refused to replace and a singular, highly controversial question: is Peanuts the pocket squirrel overrated? The second she posed it and put it out to the public, she knew the townspeople were going to be out for blood. That was the point. See, she’d lived seventeen years being told exactly what to do and how to do it, constantly hounded about the company she kept and her grades and extracurriculars and any time she even got in a little bit of trouble at school. Her entire goddamn life perpetually revolved around the next election and how her actions could reflect poorly on her father and hurt his chances. He wasn’t going to tell her what to do anymore, she decided, and she wasn’t going to bend over backwards to protect his precious public image. In fact, she was going to do the worst thing imaginable to it. She was going to start a podcast. She was already trading crypto and chugging lukewarm PBR at parties, anyway. Why not become even more of a dudebro?

When she uploaded her hour of rambling about how she thinks people just say they love Peanuts the pocket squirrel because everybody else does and they don’t have the critical thinking skills to form their own opinions (and also that the problematic dog, who was, at that point, embroiled in controversy for chasing the squirrel up a tree and leaving her trembling in fear for hours, wasn’t as bad as people were making him out to be), she learned the golden rule of content creation, which has guided her career since and gotten her everything that she has. If something pisses people off, they’ll engage with it. Deep down, they know the inner peace they could find if they just left it alone and looked for something they do like, but they’ll engage with it anyway. Humans are self-destructive like that. They’ll hate watch it, they’ll leave angry comments, other people will leave angry comments in response to their angry comments and claim that they’re overreacting, making them respond angrily again and continuing the cycle until they both find something else to be pissed about and start over. Sometimes the debate even rages on in commentary videos, bringing even more attention to the original video. In short, controversy guarantees engagement and engagement pleases the almighty algorithm, attracts more views and keeps the fat paychecks coming.

The people of Hatchetfield loved that damn squirrel - still do, although she’s since passed on. Stephanie didn’t travel home for the funeral, but on her bi-annual obligatory phone call to her father, he told her that he declared a day of mourning and they closed off every major road for the procession. There’s a viral clip of Dan Reynolds and Donna Daggit breaking down on camera and sobbing in each other’s arms as they reported the news, which broke containment and became a fluff piece for several major news networks, bringing rare national attention to the tiny town. By then, Lauter is Hotter had taken off and Stephanie had moved somewhere that big news networks care about all the time, not just when newscasters cry over the loss of a celebrity squirrel.

Really, her move to LA would never have been possible without Peanuts or her hometown’s unexplainable, rabid obsession with that squirrel. Even if she didn’t travel home to pay her respects (it’d take a hell of a lot to get her to set foot in Hatchetfield again), Stephanie figures she owes Peanuts some sort of sendoff. Raising a glass to her extraordinary life and legacy at this trendy, viral rooftop bar where the gimmick is that all the drinks are glittery is as good as any.

It’s a huge, sprawling space, surrounded by a glass railing. The seating is exclusively wooden picnic tables and on top of each one sits a mason jar centerpiece, complete with a little twine ribbon around the opening and some fresh “wildflowers” that probably actually came from a florist that charges several hundred dollars per bouquet. Rows of string lights hang above them, casting a warm, yellow glow. Stephanie guesses they were going for a rustic farmhouse sort of vibe, but the wood that makes up the tables is perfectly shiny and smooth, not a splinter or a profane carving in sight and the servers are walking around in perfectly pressed suits. It clashes with the decor, as do the sparkly drinks. Stephanie’s no interior decorator, but wouldn’t a pink, girly, Barbie-esque theme have been way more cohesive?

The cocktails taste downright disgusting, in her opinion, but they’ll make for some great Instagram pictures and once she’s a few drinks deep, she starts to get a nice buzz going and isn’t as concerned with the taste. Sparkly pink vodka is just as effective for getting drunk as the regular stuff, even if the additional sugar and whatever other crap is in there to make it look like that promises a gnarly hangover. She’ll just make sure to chug some Liquid IV before she goes to bed tonight.

She throws back the twenty-five dollar affronts to the craft of mixology in part to tolerate her present company. As much as she’d prefer to drink alone, she brought along one of her shithead industry friends and his bitchy cameraman. Much like her, controversy is his bread and butter, but he pisses people off in person and online with his stupid ass pranks rather than hiding behind the camera and microphone with inflammatory guests and topics like Steph does. There’s a surprisingly large overlap between the people who unironically like Lauter is Hotter and Max’s fans, so they get pretty good engagement whenever they post together. Their public friendship has done both of their channels a lot of good and every once in a while, she does enjoy his company. He can be funny. Just nowhere near as often as he thinks.

She doesn’t believe in fate, but sometimes she wonders if that’s what brought them together. Nobody ever makes it out of Hatchetfield, so what were the odds that they both did and they both ended up here, in the same line of work, no less? What’s really wild is that Richie did, too. And that she never crossed paths with either of them the entire time she lived there, Max because he was busy terrorizing every nerd, dweeb and loser at Sycamore and Richie because he fit into all three of those categories, so even though he went to Hatchetfield High, he flew under Steph’s radar. They probably talked at some point. If they did, Stephanie doesn’t remember.

Max may have learned over time not to reflexively yell, “Fuck Clivesdale!” or refer to soda as pop, just as Steph did, but some old regional habits die hard and a single, stoic tear rolls down his face when Stephanie semi-seriously makes her toast to Peanuts. In fairness, he’s also a few drinks deep. He hastily wipes it away with the back of his hand, before anybody can see or, God forbid, snap a picture. Richie rolls his eyes. He briefly meets Steph’s and she can see the flicker of exasperation in them, but there’s a fondness there, too. He sets down his glass of ginger ale and pat’s Max’s hand. He’s not much of a drinker; he’ll tell anyone who will listen that he takes his craft of filmmaking seriously because somebody has to and he has to keep his mind sharp. It’s a little obnoxious, but Steph will gladly accept the de facto designated driver. She can afford Lyfts and Ubers just fine, but some semblance of her small town paranoia has stuck with her and she’s not crazy about getting in the car with a complete stranger, even if they have maintained a five star rating and passed a background check.

“It’s so hard to believe,” Max says with a sniffle. “First Betty White, now Peanuts? Give a guy a break.”

“Fuck, Max, don’t remind me that Betty White’s dead! Now I need, like, two more drinks to forget, minimum!” She’ll have to remember to at least film a brief Instagram reel with him later so this counts as collaborating on a video and she can write this bar tab off as a business expense. Being a podcaster fucking rules.

#npmd #nerdy prudes must die #hatchetfield fanfic #stephanie lauter #max jagerman #richie lipschitz #social media au #tw alcohol #tw drinking

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spidervee · 2 years ago

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hi helloo so happy your requests are open! can you do tangerine comforting reader when she’s upset? thank you queen v!

hello! thank you, sweets! here is some tangerine trying to be sweet and comforting. I hope you enjoy the direction I chose for this one 🌻🍊 18+ only; fem!reader, so much cursing and general irreverence; mentioned death of an animal, but it’s not meant to be angsty??

You’re weeping—damn near inconsolable, and Tangerine has no idea what to do. He’s already broken something; the lowball glass he’d been sipping whiskey from when you returned to the flat had shattered between his fingers when he first saw your tears, amber liquid spilling out onto the expensive rug though he couldn’t give half a fuck.

And then you’d gone and sunk to the floor, your back pressed up against the wall and now he’s hovering over you, hands moving quickly as they assess for damage, mouth automatically asking where Lemon is, though he knows Lemon is visiting his “friend” in Dublin for the next two weeks.

There’s no blood, yours or otherwise, on your person, and though your hands are trembling and your cheeks are streaked with hot tears, Tangerine knows there’s nothing physically wrong with you—which makes this so much fucking worse because he’s good at tossing a wet wipe on a cut or wrapping a half-arsed bandage on broken skin. But he’s much less adept (read: not at fucking all) at healing things on the inside. Christ, he can barely manage all three of his feelings (irritability, rage, and—somehow, thanks to you—love), let alone other people’s. This is much more Lemon’s bloody deal. Fuckin’ tosser had to be in Ireland, of all places, getting his end away and—Jesus. Fuck—a particularly loud sob makes him jump, makes him contemplate the logistics of buying two plane tickets to Dublin so Lemon can fix this.

“I k-killed him,” you wail, drawing your knees up into your chest, “I killed him T-tan…I didn’t m-mean to…” There’s a little bit of snot running from your nose and Tangerine is torn between wanting to fetch you a tissue and not wanting to take his eyes off of you for a moment. You look so bloody pathetic there, it makes his heart fuckin’ ache—something he thought it had lost the ability to do years ago.

Still, if this was a job gone tits up, maybe he wouldn’t need to buy plane tickets—a blessing because chances are on such short notice there’d only be economy seats left and, as much as he secretly adores you and wants nothing more than to whisper there fucking there and have you stop crying, the thought of a flight squished between two random twats is somehow worse than your tears.

“Killed who, love?” Tangerine tries to maintain a gentle tone. He’s not annoyed, not at all, not with you at least, but his voice, he knows, is always a bit on the wrong side of gruff.

A fresh wave of tears, followed by a small sniffle, has Tangerine coming down to the floor beside you and Christ if this isn’t proof he loves you, then what the fuck is?

“The sq—it was so small, Tan. And it just came out of nowhere and into the road.” Your voice tapers off into a horrified whisper and your bottom lip starts to tremble. Tangerine blinks, suddenly starting to understand.

“A squirrel? You ran over a bloody squirrel?” He can’t help but to sound relieved and you scowl at him, a little wounded. “Love,” he continues, cupping your face in his hands. The metal of his rings is cool against your heated skin and he smells like whiskey where it had run over his fingers. “You’re a goddamn assassin for hire and you’re crying over a fuckin’ squirrel?”

He sounds so perturbed that your tears start to turn to giggles and you hiccup. “He was innocent, Tan!”

“Yeah,” he agrees, “But so was that poor bloke who got in your way in Budapest last week.”

A wince—Tangerine knows he’s got you. Maybe he’s not quite as bad at this as he thought. He can’t tell Lemon though—that muppet will somehow make it seem like he’s the one who taught Tangerine how to be good with people (read: he did, but no one other than the voice in Tangerine’s head needs to acknowledge that).

“That was…it was different,” you mumble, suddenly shy. You move to curl into yourself, but Tangerine is there instead, allowing you to curl into his chest and clutch the place where his shirt is unbuttoned slightly more than necessary.

He makes a noise in his throat, somewhere between agreement and amusement. “How’s it different, love?”

You pause for a moment, burying your face further into his chest, enjoying his smell and trying not to admit how much it calms you. “‘S’cause people fucking suck and squirrels don’t.”

Tangerine laughs and kisses the top of your head. “There’s my girl.”

#tangerine x reader #tangerine x you #tangerine bullet train #tangerine imagine #bullet train tangerine #tangerine x fem!reader #tangerine x reader fluff #tangerine x reader angst

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deduction-substitute · 3 months ago

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We are so back

[Lucky Guy]

A hc that he's into all things unusual, because the internet can do that to you, so he's interested in what being a "Paranormal Researcher" entails. He's also curious about August's camera, because the man is oddly protective of it. August is one of the Luckys that Lucky wants to get closer to.

Mechanical Gear is the youngest of them, and his time is not that off from Lucky's own, besides the whole apocalypse thing. Because of this, Lucky gets secondhand embarrassment from Mechgear because he reminds him of his younger self...but he admires the other's drive.

He doesn't get along with Ratatosk much, especially when the other starts talking about how Lucky should "stand out" for once instead of staying in the shadows. Deep down he knows that this is Ratatosk's weird way of encouraging him, but the two are far from understanding each other soon.

Lucky tries to avoid Once as much as possible since the astronaut represents everything that could've been. He can't help but feel a bit bitter, knowing that in another life there's a him that never had to go through the horrors of the manor. Subconsciously, he tries to look good in front of Once.

[Paranormal Researcher | August]

Because of his fair share of the paranormal, I hc that August kind of has this. 6th sense for it. The misty mountains have changed him, but only time will tell if it's for the better or for the worse. With the mystery surrounding Lucky, he's a bit wary of the man. He's aware that there seems to be something off about him, but he can't figure out what. He does appreciate the fact that someone's interested in the paranormal like him.

First time he heard about the mycelium from Mechgear he would NOT stop asking questions. Sorry guys he's a reporter he can't help it 💔If he's comfortable with someone (and feels SAFE.) he ends up yapping like there's no tomorrow. But he has morals. One question about Mechgear's Mr. Holt and the other immediately going on the defensive made August stop asking about the man.

HAS NO MORALS WHEN IT COMES TO RATATOSK BC IF THAT MF IS A MENACE TO EVERYONE ELSE HE'LL BECOME THE MENACE TO THAT GODDAMN SQUIRREL. He's petty like that 💔 August IS genuinely interested about Ratatosk though, and asks him about the World Tree, if he does actually go up and down to spread misinformation share news, how does your tail even work-?

Also avoids Once for a different reason: he feels like he's being belittled. While not Once's intention, he doesn't take the paranormal stuff seriously, so August doesn't get along with him. They've tried swaying each other to their side with no progress. He would love to ask about Once's job if it weren't for the fact that he feels like he's being judged.

[Mechanical Gear | Mechgear]

Since Mechgear and Lucky are from similar times, he asks about how Lucky's time looks like. It's also a way to reminisce the past and remember what life before the apocalypse used to look like. In some way, they have this older-younger brother dynamic going on

Mechgear will admit that he used to be infamous for being talkative pre-apocalypse, but AUGUST TAKES IT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. He respects the grind the researcher's got going on, because obviously curiosity will always be a part of a reporter, but ONE AT A TIME PLEASE...he loves talking about his team's explorations to August though!

As the youngest he gets teased a lot about it by Ratatosk. He doesn't know why it matters that much, but Mechgear's SICK of it. Doesn't help that he already isn't taken seriously because of his age. Compared to his relationship with Lucky, the Cain instinct is ALWAYS on.

Waow...ASTRONAUT...Mechgear admires and respects Once a lot. He's always trying to leave a good impression. When they do get to sit down and hang out, they start getting nerdy over engineering. I can see them dismantling shit together...sometimes he sees Charles in Once, which is why he's usually by the astronaut's side. Mentor-mentee shit

[Ratatosk]

Are you seriously telling him that Lucky's supposed to be the "original" or whatever 😭😭 Girl stand up for yourself omg!! He sees how Lucky is usually in the sidelines, something to say but not having the courage to speak his mind. Ratatosk pushes Lucky to be more vocal out of good intention, but sometimes he forgets that theyre all from different universes/lh Not every Lucky is the same.

Get August OUT OF HERE theres only one nuisance allowed around here and its RATATOSK!!! He knows that he's pushy and straightforward and sarcastic and should not be allowed in public spaces but that doesnt mean he deserves August's constant questioning and nagging (He does)!! But if he's in a good enough mood he does like getting interviewed by August (it ends up being him bragging about himself)

Whose kid is this/lh Ratatosk is technically the oldest out of all of them, though his behavior makes it seem like he's 10 years old. He LOVES teasing Mechgear because he's the easiest to tease. It doesnt help that Mechgear ALWAYS reacts compared to the others, so he usually targets the poor teenager. Ratatosk does care for him though and treats him sometimes.

As the messenger of the World Tree he doesnt really get much time to himself as most people think. Its wake up, spread misinformation, be pretty, be mischievous, spread misinformation again, then go to sleep. He usually tires himself out at the bottom of the tree at the end of his journey, so he doesnt get to stay at the top as much as he'd like. Its also the best view of the stars during the night- his favorite place to be. Because of this Ratatosk asks countless questions about the stars to Once and has this respect for him, so he listens to him more than the others.

[Starflight Journey | Once]

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOUNGER HIM?? He should be worrying about his thesis!! Not getting stuck inside a hellish manor!! Once tries to reach out to Lucky, offer a shoulder to lean on, but Lucky always pushes him away. He sees himself in Lucky so much that it hurts to see Lucky not being able to pursue what he wants to do like Once was able to do.

Once tries to understand August, he really tries, but he's long outgrown the paranormal (No he didnt). Sure, theyre stuck in a manor that defies time and space, but it didnt mean that Once had to indulge in it. He prefers facts over fiction because it gives him this sense of security, grounding him so he wont go insane in the manor. It just so happens that August is the opposite. Doesnt help that August has started avoiding him.

It hurts even more seeing Mechgear since he's the youngest of the group. Hearing about his world made Once rethink everything because what do you mean youre in an apocalypse. He got excited when he found out that Mechgear was getting mentored by the Charles of his world for his engineering skills. He likes to give Mechgear "hw" to do and collab on silly little projects

Ratatosk is...something!! Overwhelming in his first impression of the squirrel, but Once has dealt with worse coworkers before, so he thinks that Ratatosk is actually kind of. Tame. As the eldest he tries to keep Ratatosk in line so the others wont get pissed at him, so he scolds him a lot/lh But there are times where Ratatosk's company is nice. Especially when they head outside to look at the stars. Stargazing seems the be the only thing that keeps Ratatosk in lane

🍀

FOREIGN ATHENIAN AND THE FINAL...SOON...SOMEDAY...MAYBE...

#i love this au already #idv luckyverse au #uh name pending #i want a better name for them they deserve better than this #identity v #idv lucky guy #idv #identity 5 #identity v lucky guy #lucky guy #idv lucky #my ideas!#idv august #idv mechanical gear #idv ratatosk #idv starflight journey

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stillness-in-green · 10 months ago

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Favorite Characters of 2023

Saw this meme template by @limayde and had to drop anything more productive because I Love Character Memes. I tried to focus on characters who particularly signified 2023 in fandom for me, not necessarily just my favorites in any given fandom, and certainly not my favorites of all time! So consider it a reasonable representation of what I read/was reading/was still thinking about last year.

(I'm also relatively sure I could fill this out entirely with BNHA characters, but if I were to do that, it would be with the goal of representing how much I was thinking about said characters in terms of Fix-It Fic(s) Brainstorming, rather than simply how much I like them. Yoichi would be prominent in the former and not present at all in the latter, for example.)

Anyway, after much painstaking cropping, here it is!

(A full list of who all these people are and a blurb apiece of my thoughts on them, as well as the meme template, can be found beneath the cut!)

Most Favorite Blorbo(s) of 2023

Lord Glück and Macht of El Dorado (Sousou no Frieren) – Macht's was the arc that turned me around on Frieren's treatment of demons—he’s so interesting, and so tragic, totally set in his ways while also yearning to change them. Glück, meanwhile, is so devoted to his word, blunt in his assessment of Macht’s character but wholly sincere about trying to give him the knowledge and environment he needs to change. My BF asked me for the spoiler-free version of what I liked about them, and the best I can sum it up as is, “A mutual acceptance despite the parts of each other they can’t understand,” and, “They’ve made each other promises that go all the way to end, to the goddamn end.” Thirty years of that! I am once again begging on my hands and knees for Frieren to get a second season, and also, if the universe really loves me, to end the first season with a tease for the Golden City.[1]

(I cheated a bit here; the central square is intended for a single supreme fave, not center-mounting one's OTP. I am, however, entirely incapable of picking one of those two above the other. Also, putting them both there does bring the character count to a nice even 50.}

1: A second tease. There’s actually been one already, a reference to Macht’s enchanted jewelry, squirreled away in some on-screen text—one of the anime’s many additions to the background detail compared to the manga.

12 Characters vs. 12 Months In A Year. Coincidence? Probably!

(Starting at the top left corner and moving clockwise.)

Shigaraki Tomura (BNHA) – 2023 was the year Shigaraki Tomura got his groove back, thank heavens. While he didn’t get much material in which to speak his own mind—really just Chapters 379 and 411, a full year apart (the latter didn’t officially come out until just a few days ago; we just got the leaks a week early). We’ll see how he holds up going forward, but even those few scenes effortlessly demonstrate just how profound a waste of time handing AFO the reins to the end game was. Here’s to not letting Heroes off the hook in the new year!

Iguchi Shuuichi/Spinner (BNHA) – Spent a lot of 2023 worrying about this guy. Still am worried about this guy. But him turning the tides of the war at the end of 2022 shifted the whole course of the battle, and new we’ve got Shigaraki invoking The Horizon to finally give us incontrovertible evidence that Shigaraki and Spinner have talked about more than just video games! 2024 is shaping up Spinaraki!

Yotsubashi Rikiya/Re-Destro (BNHA) – I provide fanart for this man because, of course, he was in the actual canon not at all last year, absent a single flashback panel from Hose Face, not at all making up for what a caricature that character was otherwise. All the good Re-Destro content I was getting last year was thanks to @nickfoo’s wonderful, wonderful fanart of him. Thanks for continuing to give this guy love, foo! (full art here)

Geten (BNHA) – Himura backstory reveal! And that revelation accounted for the only fanfic I posted last year at all, as well as being super satisfying in terms of largely clearing Todoroki Enji of the responsibility for the heteromorphobic microaggressions perpetrated by certain of his children, as well as giving us some more hints about Geten and Re-Destro’s relationship. Exquisite. (Now just let him have something to say that isn’t mostly there to Contextualize Dabi.)

Vamirio/Anne from Management (Helck) – I reread Helck last year in celebration of its anime, and just to reiterate this again, Vamirio and her determination lead her to make firm stands and fiery declarations about her combat role and priorities that Deku has never even fuckin’ thought about. Vamirio a best; vote Vamirio for Head of Management.

Samuel Murphy +Hal and Nobu (Canis: The Speaker) – Sam’s my favorite of another inseparable trio, probably because, at least as an adult, he’s the most vulnerable—not simply because he lacks the firearms or goons that his partners’ positions allow them to call to hand, but also because of his struggles with insomnia. Whip-smart, observant, and well-spoken, and I always have had a preference for the smart ones.

Jasper (Steven Universe) – I started reading @faelapis’s post-canon Jasper exploration fic Something Better last year and absolutely fell in love with it. It reminded me all over again how much I love Jasper, and how much I wanted a story that gave her all the time she needed to change.

Somei Yoshino (Yakuza Fiancée) – Last year saw the anime announcement and Yoshino’s totally amazing bathtub fight with Azami, which I guess there are cowards out there who didn’t like? RIP to them but I’m different, I guess! I’ll watch Yoshino break her terrible suitors’ fingers any time!

Wolfgang Grimmer (Monster) – Reread the back half of Monster last year solely because I love Grimmer and wanted to read his material again. A perennial favorite, manga and character alike. I love a man held together with scotch tape, stitches and good intentions.

Boutarou the Pirate (Golden Kamuy) – Probably not my actual favorite character in the series, but I finally got to see him in anime form last year after a maddening wait thanks to the delay in 2022. Shiraishi’s best ship and a feral merman (look at the way he uses his hair and tell me I'm wrong) that someone unaccountably let walk around on dry land. A+ character.

Sailor Cosmos (Sailor Moon) – Speaking of characters with a huge wait on seeing them in the anime..! God, I’ve wanted anime Sailor Cosmos since high school, and I’m thrilled to finally get her (and the merch that would accompany her).

Mitaka Asa (Chainsaw Man) – I read the first half of Chainsaw Man a while back, largely on the basis of @robotlesbianjavert’s enthusiasm, and while I enjoyed it well enough, particularly Denji’s assorted travails, I never got super invested in it because, not having to wait week to week for releases, there was never really enough time to get attached to most characters before they got unceremoniously offed. Whether it’s the week-to-week wait or just that I like Asa as a character more, she’s really done the job of getting me interested in the series. I love this loser failgirl and I want only the best for her; while I doubt that’s what she’ll get, at least I can watch her torture logic to make sick weapons and have affecting scenes about her own crippling inadequacy issues in the meantime.

36 Others

(As before, starting on the top left and moving clockwise through the BNHA Zone.)

Scarecrow/Spinner’s Number 2 (BNHA) – Scarecrow’s big speechifying moments would have been back in autumn of 2022, but I still loved him more than enough in 2023 for him to make this grid. He was reduced to a shallow caricature and still had to get knocked off a roof because no one could actually out-argue him, and through all of that unendurable authorial laziness, his potential still shines through for me. Stan the MLA, MLA 5Evah.

Toga Himiko (BNHA) – The only Villain whose Hero foil plotline is working for me on any level, though a lot is hanging on whether or not she, y’know, lives. She definitely should have gotten to stab the bejeezus out of Hawks, and Ochaco should definitely go on the run with her once Apple Cheeks realizes that the HeroAca justice system could not possibly be relied upon to do anything other than throw Toga in a hole for a few years before executing her.

Gentle Criminal (BNHA) – The only redeemed villain whose regard for Deku functions at all thematically. Lady N’s return is hogswash on multiple levels, but I will defend Gentle’s without reservation.

Kunieda + Aoyama Yuuga (BNHA) – Consider these two to be a stand-in for all the thinking I did last year about Fix-It Fic scenarios for this whole final arc. For example, Kunieda in the canon speaks far too knowledgeably both about and to Aoyama for them to be total strangers, so why not plant some seeds for their confrontations earlier? I ask the reader to consider this:

In a version of the Edgy Deku arc that allowed the rest of 1-A to get out into the world to help out with relocation efforts, they one day come across a scene of dread: a neighborhood full of corpses and Kunieda’s flowers. Aoyama has a noticeably shaken reaction, which he plays off as just horror to his similarly horrified classmates, but the truth is that he’s got prior history with Kunieda—AFO didn’t plop corpses in front of his parents to intimidate them (because that’s ham-handed and silly), but bodies were still involved. They’d turn up buried in the family's fancy gardens sometimes, always heralded by those vivid red-black flowers…

Frieren (Sousou no Frieren) – I was relatively neutral on the title character until the anime came out and I had to suffer through The Discourse about her attitude towards demons (arguments on both sides tending to be poorly considered and ignorant, both of canonical details and real-world relevance). That made me a bit more defensive of her, but even setting my contrarianism aside, I was also very pleased with how she navigated the manga’s most recent arc.[2] She’s maybe the first character I can think of who I have actively wanted to write Asexual Representation fic for, if only because my answer to, “Does she Romantically Love Himmel?” is much more complex than just saying, “No, she only saw him as a friend,” or, “Yes, and now she’s going to be sad about her Tragically Lost Love for the rest of her life and we need to write all the fix-it fics about that.”

2: She wants to go home! Her feelings for Himmel, whatever they are, are of less importance to her than going home! Despite everything we know about how she perceives time, she still values her “now” more than her lost “then”! My gloating aside, though, I was far more affected by the sword scene than I was the wedding attire or the near kiss. Being trapped in a wedding illusion? Trite, overplayed. Being trapped in a wedding illusion yet still being able to wrap your hands around your partner’s arm and faithfully guide them into drawing the sword neither of you can perceive? Now that’s intimacy!

Heiter (Sousou no Frieren) – While I had little overall use for the aforementioned most recent arc of Frieren, I did very much enjoy my favorite member of the Hero Party getting a moment to demonstrate what being The Priest Of The Party That Defeated The Demon King actually means in practice. Grausam being unable to put him down with an illusion? Being the only one who could defend his downed companions? The sheer level of trust he has in Himmel? A little bit of vulnerability where he’s bare seconds away from getting gibbed by Grausam? Heiter is the member of the party that we get the least amount of in on: Sein didn’t stay with the party long enough to serve as a point of comparison, and despite Heiter raising Fern, she didn’t assume his role in the new group, like Stark did Eisen’s, nor do her reminiscences about him get anywhere near the amount of screentime that Frieren’s do of Himmel. So for real, you guys, Chapter 118 was so good.

Edward (Shadows House) – *bangs fists on table* WORST BOY WORST BOY WORST BOY!! Anime Edward is pants, but Manga Edward is where it’s at, always keeping Kate scrambling, always coming out on top of his maneuverings against his peer group rivals, just flappable enough that his victories doesn’t look effortless, and engaging enough that his smugness feels earned rather than intended to turn the reader against him. I have no idea how the story is going to deal with the adult shadows, who are after all still just as brainwashed and wronged by Grandfather’s workings as the kids are! If anything, they’re worse off, having already been manipulated into losing the “faces” they must once have loved dearly. Thus, while Kate and her allies certainly approach the conflict with a very Us vs. Them, Adults=The Enemy mentality, the screentime Edward’s own affairs get, fully independent of how they intersect with Kate’s, along with an avowed desire to improve the House that parallels Kate’s, make me hopeful that the authors have something a little more nuanced in mind than, “Free the current victims by wiping out all the previous ones.”

Melinda Desmond (Spy x Family) – The main cast are all perfectly fine, but Melinda is interesting. Super curious to find out more about the Desmond family dynamics, and I love Melinda bouncing around with Yor. (I swear, though, judging by the collective response to the most recent chapter, the fandom is going to turn me into a Donovan Apologist yet. Only one member of that family has visible scars suggesting brain surgery, folks!!)

Anti/Knight/Gridknight (Gridman Universe) – Always my favorite single character from both Gridman and Dynazenon, and he was characteristically great in the movie as well. His scene with Akane at the end was only my second favorite beat because, while it’s wonderful emotionally cathartic (more fanservice like this, please!), it’s also kind of muddled thanks to the idea of Gridman!Anti and Dynazenon!Knight being two separate entities. Churlish to hold that against it, though, when it's so heartfelt.

Minami Yume + Asanaka Yomogi (Gridman Universe) – Such a great pairing in their own show—I once saw someone call them forced, which has always struck me as just being too high on Bashing The Hets to see that Yomogi and Yume have a great arc towards getting together, actually. Seeing them be unabashedly together and happy about it in the film was 100% delightful and deserved. Yume swooping down out of the sky on Dynarex to scoop up her wifeguy boyfriend is my actual favorite beat in the movie.

Hyura (Helck) – Firstly, the dry humor around Hyura is fantastic. (“Something like an arm grows back simply enough. That’s just common sense.” “It doesn’t, right?” “It does not.”) Secondly, she’s the biggest badass in the secondary cast. Thirdly, she and Edil have the designated rival ship dynamic (incredibly rare to see across gender lines in shounen manga), and Hyura holds her own all the way to the end. Hyura is great.

Mikaros (Helck) – “Yes, we may have lost some assets and I personally shattered the mind of one of our strongest soldiers, removing him from the playing field. But the important thing is that I personally overcame my trauma, so overall it’s a win.” What a slimeball. What a total heap. And what an excellent example of the end-stage stakes driving the title character's choice in the epilogue! I love Mikaros unreservedly.

Harold Aldo Hughes and Iwaki Tadanobu + Sam (Canis: The Speaker) – Transformation, reinvention, the fierceness of devotion and the ruthlessness of rebirth—I don’t love them quite as much as I do Sam, but they’re also both great.

Hera (Lore Olympus) – Lore Olympus is one of those series I read more because it’s interesting enough while also being blisteringly gorgeous than because I’m deeply invested in the characters, but the plotline about Hera and Kronos really has pulled me all the way into active, character-specific interest. Great, tense, painful stuff. Can’t wait to see where she goes following recent events.

Redcloak (Order of the Stick) – His last really insightful and heartwrenching scene was in the year before last—that fantastic exchange with Oona!—but for as long as I’m reading OOTS, Redcloak is going to be a favorite. God, the Law Elemental summoning is so funny.

Hyness (Kirby franchise) – This one’s entirely on my sis-in-law—like another character further down the list, I am not remotely “in” the Kirby fandom. But what can I say—tell me about a warped cult leader who started in a bad place and only got worse who still managed to get saved by the Hero taking a leap of faith that paid off, and tell me the fandom calls him a horrible abuser? Sorry, but I Have No Choice But To Stan. (full art here)

Lafcadio Boone (The Sexy Brutale) – Replayed this again last year, and it’s still great. In a sense, despite its sizeable named cast, it really only has the one character, and his story is such that I want to make every single person on tumblr that gets hyperbolic about the forgiveness and redemption of fictional wrongdoers play this game. “Time to move on, old man,” indeed.

Sissel (Ghost Trick) – Finally got the remaster of this and replayed it, and it’s also still great. Knowing The Spoilers about Sissel seriously make replays such a scream, but also man is this game really sitting on some completely over-the-top darkness not at all far beneath its candy apple red and Matrix-text green surface.

Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India (Across the Spider-Verse) – Strictly in terms of character writing, he’s very fun, but I don’t think he’s as strong as Spider-Punk or Miguel O'Hara, but on the other hand, he’s so much fun, especially to simply watch in motion. Most of the rest of the leads, however varied their artstyles might be, still feel like they move in basically the same ways, just with varying levels of grace vs. power, intent vs. controlled collapse, but because of the way Pavitr uses his thread, he moves completely differently, and it’s just a ton of fun to watch. The first character I went hunting for fanart of when I got out of the movie theater.

Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman (Across the Spider-Verse) – I have outstanding affection for Spider-Gwen from reading her comics back when, but that opening Vulture fight, the fantastic look of her dimension, and all the trans signaling kept her right at the top, too.

Brutha (Discworld: Small Gods) – @codenamesazanka read this and a few of the Watch books last year, prompting me to do some rereads as well, and Brutha and Small Gods remain very dear to me. I only wish more artists would draw versions of him that remotely resemble “fat, simple-looking young man from a desert country in fantasy!expy!Middle East” rather than “suspiciously trim and Benedictine.”

Sam Vimes (Discworld series) – Ditto on Nal’s read above, but also chatted with foo a lot about this guy, and he’s been my favorite single character in the series since high school. It takes very little to prompt me to reread his books generally, but last year was the first time I’ve had it in me to reread Snuff, as it was previously a little too tied up in my feelings about the last few books prior to Pratchett’s death. Regardless of anything else, though, Snuff is the book for Sam/Sybil.

Mina Murray (#DRCL: Midnight Children) – Discovered this lush chonk of horror phantasmagoria last year and I’m kind of in love with it. Its take on Mina anchors it well—she’s smart and fiery but up against ingrained sexism and classism in her setting, and not too Anachronistic Grrl Power to not be hurt by that sometimes; she’s stubborn, but vulnerable to the supernatural horrors in the way any child would be. An unreliable but intriguing and sympathetic narrator.

Capone Bege (One Piece) – The other character I got onto largely without getting into the series he hails from, nickfoo—whose art I again use to illustrate—does great work with this guy, a once-jovial monster shocked back from that moral brink by marriage and fatherhood. Still gets a bit Into It at work, but tries not to bring it home, at least as much as that can be avoided when carrying both family and crew around in the same heart/sub-dimensional space. (Also, foo’s version of Bege is great, but her rendition of Chiffon is—speaking as someone who doesn’t read the series and can only gauge by image search or skimming the wiki—borderline miraculous, accurate to Oda’s lively caricature design, but so much more sensitive, expressive and human.)

Prince Kazu/Lady Chikako (Ooku: The Inner Chambers) – On the occasion of the Netflix anime, I finally tracked down and finished Ooku last year, and when I tell you that I laughed more and harder in the final arc than I did through the entire rest of the series combined… The Kyoto cast members are a big part of why,[3] and none more delightful than the stuffy, prideful, possessive, and deeply impetuous Chikako, one of the most singularly human characters in the whole 19-volume melodrama.

3: Catty ex-male prostitute turned head of the Inner Chambers Takiyama is the other part of this equation, by the way.

Gao Shun (The Apothecary Diaries) – Long-suffering stoics are my absolute favorite type, and that holds true even though Gao Shun's stoicism has been largely a humorous beat thus far. I want this guy to get more attention, but until then, I will continue to enjoy his weary exasperation every time he has to deal with Mao Mao’s eccentricities/Jinshi’s enthusiasm about same.

Mao Mao (The Apothecary Diaries) – Best female character of the season, for sure, but I’ve been reading one of the manga for a while now, and she’s a regular delight. Eccentric and ruthless by turns, painfully aware of the limitations of her position and yet wholly willing to make her own decisions and exert her own agency within those limitations without ever concerning herself with whether she should ask permission from or report to someone above her rank. Mao Mao’s mercy takes the form of knowing when to speak and when to demure, and every time I see some stuck-in-their-own-ethical-framework commenter complain about her moral compass, I appreciate it harder.

Accustomizer Stud/Tiffany (Angelic Acceptor Alouette) – Enthusiastically resourceful teenage girl who would probably be super into transhumanism if she hadn’t fallen in with angels (sic) instead, transforming into the gloriously nonbinary pile of muscles and amazing hair that is Accustomizer Stud, Tiffany’s ultimate expression of her inner self. Stud is magnanimous, gracious, and well-spoken, and they are also VERY LOUD AND FIGHTY. My absolute favorite character in a game wall-to-wall with great characters.

Yuunagi Tsubasa/Cure Wing (Hirogaru Sky PreCure) – The first Official Boy Cure with absolutely no provisos or qualifications or ways to wiggle out of it, and the show gets him just right by playing him basically completely straight. Has a costume no one would look twice at in a magical girl line-up, wastes no time on masculine embarrassment at his frills, with the only nod he/the show make towards his gender at all being to frame his role as being a knight to a princess, rather than simply a guardian to one, but it’s not really what he’s about. His actual character is driven by knowledge, studiousness, and a desire to overcome the limitations placed on him by being a human/pudgy flightless bird fairy.

Kei Miyama (Go With the Clouds, North By Northwest) – Something of a stand-in for his series generally, which I read the two most recent volumes of last year and fell in love with all over again—particularly the most recent one, which switches deftly between depictions of shattering, world-hollowing grief and the beguiling intimacy of the rhythms of life and nature. But my love for the manga itself aside, Kei’s a great protagonist, full of little contradictions and snags that make him feel much more fleshed out and grounded than your average animanga male lead, even as he’s running around doing very Animanga Male Lead Things, like solving mysteries by using his Strange Power to get information a normal person could not.

Lord El-Melloi II/Waver Velvet (Fate franchise) – Waver is possibly my favorite character of all time in any medium, so it takes very little to rekindle the love. In last year's case, it took the Fate/strange Fake special! Love to see my boy continue to wrest more narrative space for himself than he was originally allotted by virtue of being a run-away audience favorite of the Fate/Zero anime!

Ivan (Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still) – Got the remastered Blu-ray last year as a gift, and guess what? I still love Ivan in all his cartoonish mini-boss villainy layered over the pathos of tragic loss and resentment. Honestly, I can only assume he’s as well-adjusted as he is because Alberto is so inspiring to work in close quarters with (mood), because otherwise I’d think it pretty unfair that the sole surviving Bashtarle national in the story gets so little to say about/to the people who blew it up.

Isurugi Camice (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) – I was a bit too preoccupied with BNHA meta last year to think much about my prior fandom phase, but I still made time to rotate Isurugi in my mind from time to time. As one of my beloved long-suffering stoics, I can always make that kind of time for him. (Image source is from the cover of a doujinshi I have, because melancholy BL doujinshi is definitely more the kind of tonal zone my mental rotations were occupying than they were canon’s!)

And, finally, the blank

(If anyone reading this wants to give it a whirl, I reccommend blowing it up to x2 size; makes the small squares easier to work with.)

#memes #MEEEEEEEEMES #bnha #sousou no frieren #helck #magical girls and sundry shounen #small nonweeb corner #gundam ibo #fate whatever #sorry to the non-mutuals for the random tag-in #thank you for your fic/your meme grid and have an amazing new year

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capillaryspice · 7 months ago

Text

Unpopular opinion rant incoming:

I did not enjoy Baldurs Gate 3

Before anything else I will admit I am biased, as strategy turn based games aren't something I'm usually into to begin with. I mostly ended up playing it because my partners and a friend are SUPER into the game and wanted to do a 4 player run. I do have 30 hours on a solo run I tried to get used to the game with, so I have a decent bit of experience with how it's supposed to run as a single player but I'm not judging companion stories or anything because I haven't completed them.

I do understand why people like BG3, and I don't wanna rain on anyone's parade for a very critically acclaimed game, but I do have some thoughts that I just need to get out of my head, so if you like the game and don't wanna hear me complain about it just scroll on ahead. If you do want to hear me complain, I'd love to hear if anyone else has had the same thoughts, because genuinely I've not really had anyone to talk to that hasn't been head-over-heels for it. (Actual thoughts under the cut)

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With that out of the way, for starters BG3 is a very impressive game. From a technical perspective, from a voice acting quality perspective, the sheer amount of tiny tiny details, etc... it is IMPRESSIVE. Too impressive, I'd almost have to say. Because, despite being impressed by it, I did not have FUN playing the game. For all its details it doesn't draw me in. For all the technical marvel, it's just too janky. It's all of the rules of DND and none of the immersion or fun

I would love to have had a functioning camera position that didn't give me whiplash whenever a new character in the combat of 20+ NPCs decides to do so much as shuffle to the left. It feels like pulling teeth when trying to select/interact with anything, god forbid a reaction happens while you're trying to attack and you just completely lose the action bc the interruption to movement pauses everything and screws u up. I'd love to be able to jump without going through two menu screens and a map to just hop over a gap(I'm never complaining about the Dark Souls jump being too complicated ever again). Also everything moves so slow, I would kill for a fucking Sprint button.

I would have liked anything approaching a streamlined combat system that didn't take a long ass time to set up a move that takes six seconds to play out, and then wait for ten minutes literally doing nothing while the rest of the NPCs in initiative whip the viewpoint around and get it stuck in walls and corpses so I can't even see what's happening while I can't do anything for the rest of the round

A lesser gripe, but just a bizarre choice to not do: Id like to hear the character voice I chose in character creation for cutscenes, instead of just background ambient lines. Like, if the last dragon age game (from 2014 mind you) can have a voiced main character with multiple voice options, this new game that has unique voice lines for every goddamn squirrel on the map and ALREADY PAID VOICE ACTORS TO VOICE THE MAIN CHARACTER TO BEGIN WITH can probably afford to do so. Hell, I'd like some background music that isn't just the tenth rendition of Down By The River in a different key. The bard music is all gorgeous, why couldn't they have reused some of those compositions as ambient music for different locations?

This is a MASSIVE game, and what they've put into it is definitely admirable, but like. Not in the ways that make a game breathable or immersive? The choices in where they've decided to dedicate the anal level of detail seems misguided from a just general player standpoint; There's some gorgeous settings in the game, but I was distracted every time by getting frustrated that I couldn't even get a more-than-vague look at any of the scenery I actually enjoyed because the camera is so limited in its angles. So I can't take a good look around what should be a beautiful temple that I'd love to see closer, but I can individually inspect every moldy apple and tax form on a random dinner table instead. It's a vast open world, but the character models have very clearly defined paths they have to stay within. The amount of unique NPCs is insane, but the mechanics themselves TREAT them as NPCs(i.e., resurrection rules), and they don't react to PCs unless ur doing Violence or Crimes (even og skyrim had NPCs have comments on if u weren't like wearing clothes, for instance). Every shelf and bag and nook and cranny are searchable, but that gets overwhelming very quickly as you have to choose between taking like an hour of real time to clear a cluttered area and possibly find something important but more likely just end up with a bajillion rotten carrots, or move on but have the anxiety of knowing you've possibly missed something vital. There's a million options you can take at any moment with any object or character, but there's rarely anything indicating what will be vital later for general world stuff. But then with the main plot (the Emperor, Raphael, the crèche) it felt very railroaded in the sense that TECHNICALLY you could try and choose between outcomes, but your choices don't actually matter because you die if you choose The Wrong Option (or end up in effectively death sentence combat) and will end up where they want you to go regardless.

BG3 isn't a game I want to spend time playing; it's not a world I can wander around and appreciate the beauty of and get lost in the soundtrack or the environments. The whole combat system is incredibly frustrating to manage, and just feels like Hurry Up And Wait. I'm not gonna knock the romance parts of the game, I've heard good things and haven't gotten far enough in any of em to have an educated opinion on, so really the only thing the game has to offer in spades OTHER than romance is replayability. Which normally I would say is a good thing, but for how long of a game it is and how non immersive the gameplay and world feel, it really just ends up being a game of fucking around and seeing how many things you can get an alternate dialogue for or create new stats around. Like, this is great for completionist folks who love collecting achievements and making the most busted crunchy math-based builds possible, but Baldurs Gate 3 to me just isn't a game I can sit down and have Fun(TM) relaxing and playing.

It's a game that I feel absolutely missed the forest for the trees.

So anyways, essay complete. I've only slept like 6 hours total in the last three days so a lot of this may or may not even make sense. But on so much sleep deprivation finishing this game and realizing I was just frustrated with it instead of actually feeling accomplished for having finished it, it was the final straw and I just needed to get the thoughts down somewhere

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

#it's 6am I still haven't slept (thanks work and insomnia) and I may delete this tomorrow #I'm probably being unreasonable with my frustrations but they have frustrated me nonetheless #and it's my blog so no one can stop me from going on a silly little videogame rant #anyway thanks for listening yall

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